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When Fox opened his eyes, the Chancellor wasn’t moving. He wasn’t doing anything. He was staring vacantly ahead. There was a scorch mark between the man’s eyes.

And Fox was holding a smoking blaster.

Fox didn’t even remember pulling a trigger. In fact the past couple of minutes were all a blur. 

He had gone to the Chancellor’s office to deliver his weekly report, as usual, and take the Chancellor’s disdain, also a normal occurrence. It was all route. He had done it all before, countless times since he had taken the position. He knew how to keep his expression neutral as the Chancellor berated him for the Senate Guard’s actions, nevermind that they weren’t even under his purview. 

He stood there, stunned. 

Normally when encountering a situation like this, his years of training would take over and he would handle it. He couldn’t. He found himself unable to move, unable to think beyond acknowledging the fact that the Chancellor was dead and that by all accounts, he killed him. It just didn’t fit. He had served under the man for years, enduring the verbal abuse spewed at him. He had done his best to shield his own men. 

It didn’t make sense. 

He had certainly had his problems with the man over the years. No one could withstand what he had without developing a level of animosity towards the person. He had the occasional thought about how life would be better with a different chancellor. He had certainly never made plans to do anything about it. He had certainly never considered actually killing anyone. 

The next thing he became aware of was how loud his breath was in the otherwise quiet room. The Chancellor wasn't yelling at him anymore. There was only the buzz of the air conditioning system and the gentle hum of the far away air traffic. 

His breath sounded loud to his ears. 

This had to be some sort of nightmare. He couldn't have done this. 

His hand fell to his side and he stared at the body, willing it all to make sense. 

Still, the Chancellor didn't move. He was dead. Fox had killed him. He had murdered the Chancellor. 

His finger itched on the trigger. He knew what the penalty was. He was facing death. There was nothing out there for him. He had committed a heinous crime. This was treason. 

The door behind him opened. 

Fox raised his hand, intent on ending it there. He would rather administer his own punishment. Even if they didn't kill him on Coruscant, they would likely send him to Kamino to be studied and decommissioned. They would try to find where their training had failed. 

Fox's lips crooked into a smile.

The training hadn't failed. He was a crackshot. He had killed his target with one shot. 

"What the?" Thire said.

Fox had the blaster to his temple. He closed his eyes, readying himself. He had no idea what awaited him on the other side. Some brothers thought they would keep marching but he preferred the idea of peace. He had been marching for so long. 

The blaster was yanked out of his hand and thrown across the room, shattering a glass pane and knocking a likely priceless antique to the floor. 

Thire stepped in front of him and he grabbed his face, forcing Fox to meet his panicked gaze. 

"What happened, vod?" he asked.

"I don't know," Fox said, answering honestly.

"Is he dead?" Thire asked, glancing back at the corpse. 

"I think so?" Fox said, eyeing the center shot. "It would be hard to survive that."

"Kriff," Thire said, shaking his head. 

He turned back to Fox. 

"Put your bucket back on, we're getting you out of here."

Fox frowned, taking a step back.

"I murdered the Chancellor," he said, aghast at Thire's seeming nonchalant attitude. 

"You probably had good reason," Thire said.

Fox's brows furrowed. 

"You're my vod," Thire said, squeezing his shoulder as if that answered everything. 

Fox glanced back at the late Chancellor's lifeless body, still in disbelief. 

Thire scowled. He grabbed Fox's helmet and shoved it onto his head. 

"We're taking you to the guard quarters and you're changing into shiny armor."

It took one push and Fox was following Thire out the office. The men stationed outside the office were staring forward, acting for all the galaxy like they hadn't just heard a blaster shot.

Fox switched to personal internal comms. 

"You know you're helping me get away with murder?" he asked.

"Are you complaining?" Thire responded, staring ahead. 

Fox, feeling slightly less numb, marched forward, matching Thire's stride. 

"You should be arresting me and throwing me into jail. Or you should've shot me back in the office."

"We all know about the Chancellor and his treatment of you," Thire said.

Fox could easily imagine him rolling his eyes behind his bucket. 

They turned down a hall. Dozens of other Vode were around them. None of them made a move to stop them. Fox wanted to yell at them for shirking their duties. They needed to arrest the murderer and here they were letting him roam freely and likely about to escape. 

"And what are you going to do when they demand to arrest me?" Fox hissed.

"There are a million of us. We'll tell them that we don't know who it was that wore your armor."

Sadly, Fox could see that working with the Senate. None of them knew one Vode from another. To them, they were all the same. Fox had heard from his batchmates that the Jedi could tell. He would believe that when he saw it. 

They were in the guard quarters when the alarm went off, alerting everyone in the building to the Chancellor's death. Thire grabbed Fox's hand and dragged him to the armory. He threw a blank set of armor at him. Fox tore his personal armor off, recognizing that with the unique pattern the investigators could use it to identify him. Thire changed into a new set too. They looked like shinys fresh from Kamino. 

Thorn entered the room and he tossed their old armor into the incinerator. 

"You too?" Fox asked, appalled. Apparently no one was willing to follow the rules. 

"Here are your new numbers," Thorn said, handing them identification cards. On the bottom of the card was a ship assignment. 

"I can't go here," Fox said, pointing at the ship's name, the Vigilance. "Cody will turn me in. Which you two should be doing."

Thorn's brow shot up and he shared an amused look with Thire. 

"How do you think we acquired these so fast?"

Fox pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course his vod'ika would protect him.

"What about General Kenobi?" he asked. The Jedi was an unknown. They were sworn to serve the Republic. They couldn't knowingly harbor a traitor. 

"Cody said he'll take care of him," Thorn said. He glanced at his comm and cursed. "You two need to leave now. There's a speeder in the basement with the tracker removed. Take it to Bay 52 and you'll find your new squad."

Fox would be mad at them later. Right then he had to leave. 

In the basement was a GAR speeder. No one would think to look twice at them. Everyone would think they were working. 

They sped out of the Senate air space. Moments later, over the radio in the speeder, a quarantine was declared. Thire stepped on the pedal and they ran away. 

Fox held his head in his hands. 

One moment and everything changed. He could barely fathom that the Chancellor was dead and he had killed him. He had killed people over the years, death wasn’t new, but this wasn’t so cut and dry. He had murdered someone. 

“What happened?” Fox asked, pulling himself from his spiraling thoughts. 

Thire glanced at him before turning back. 

“I was waiting for you outside the office. It was my turn to wait for you. I heard a blaster shot and I ran in there.”

Fox rubbed at his eyes. 

“What about the guards outside? That’s what they’re trained for.”

“They’re also trained to listen to their superiors,” Thire said, shooting him a grin. 

Fox scowled. 

“We need to train the men better.”

“What do you mean, we?” Thire asked, brow raised. 

Fox groaned and leaned back in the seat. He watched the traffic passing them. In the distance he spied the Jedi Temple. His brothers had told him about how peaceful it felt there, how they could forget about the war while they were in those hallowed halls. He had dreamed of visiting and experiencing that tranquility. 

It was never going to happen now.

He sighed and faced forward. 

“What are our names?” he asked. 

“What?” 

“Names. I’m not Fox. Fox murdered the Chancellor,” he said, giving Thire a sharp glare. It would’ve been much easier if his vode had followed protocol and yet they were helping him. He didn’t know whether or not to strangle them in frustration or hug them. 

“Well, we’re shinys, we don’t have names yet,” Thire said.

That wasn’t far off. Oftentimes shinys would come to them without a name and they would either name themselves or the guard would bestow them with a name. 

Fox ran his hands through his hair. Suddenly he was grateful he didn’t have any tattoos or other identifying features. Although his batchmates liked to say he had the grayest hair in the GAR. He dared any of them to be in command of the Coruscant Guard and not be gray within a month.

They landed at the bay and before them was the mighty Vigilance. The last time Fox had been in space was when they had sent him to Coruscant. Suddenly he realized he hadn’t been off planet in years. 

He stumbled into another vode and fell, landing on his ass. He huffed in annoyance with himself. He hadn’t been paying attention to where he was walking, he had been looking at the ship. 

A hand appeared in front of him. Fox blinked at it. Most of the men had a certain amount of hesitation when approaching him. They didn’t dare touch him either. Fox attributed that to his being the Commander of the Coruscant Guard. 

He accepted the help and found his heart clenching at the slight contact. He couldn’t actually feel the other through the layers of gloves and armor but the touch was comforting. 

“Are you on the Vigilance too?” the vod asked, pointing at the massive Venator class ship. 

“I am,” Fox stated. 

“I am too! I heard that General Kenobi likes to greet each new company. I hope he has time today with what happened at the Senate.”

Fox swallowed, stopping from glancing at Thire. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s too busy,” Fox said. 

“It’ll be wizard to meet the General though,” Thire said, sounding like a shiny fresh from Kamino. 

Fox shot a curious glance at Thire. That sounded entirely too similar to a shiny from Kamino. Maybe Thire was just excited to meet a Jedi. They had all heard about them from the other Vode but they were busy in the guard. They didn’t have time to go stop at the Temple. 

They followed the other vode heading towards the ship’s main bay. Fox made a note of which company his registered number belonged to and he joined them. Thankfully Thire was assigned to the same one. He found a spot at the front and Thire was next to him. 

Fox took a deep breath and stood at attention. He hadn’t been in a company like this in ages. He held his head high. 

A few minutes later the door across from them opened and General Kenobi entered with Cody at his side. 

“Are you sure about this, my dear, there is an emergency at the Senate,” the General hissed, gesturing in the general direction of the Senate district. 

“Yes, sir,” Cody said. He wasn’t wearing his bucket so Fox caught the imploring look he gave the General. 

The General sighed and he nodded. 

“Okay, we’ll do this.”

Fox frowned. The General was in charge. It didn’t make sense why he was listening to Cody. The General should be heading to the Senate or to wherever the Jedi went. 

“Hello gentlemen,” The General said, addressing all of them, “I am General Obi-Wan Kenobi and to my right is Marshall Commander Cody.” Cody nodded when the General introduced him. The General went over some basic rules, most of which were obvious but Fox understood the importance of stating the obvious. Over the years he had to explain the basics too many times. 

After speaking with the group, the General then spoke with the company leaders, smiling at them. That smile had Fox’s stomach twisting into knots. It was too genuine, too perfect. Part of him wondered what the General wanted. Too many Senators had tried to get their way by being smarmy with him. 

Cody’s gaze kept wandering over the men, looking at each one of them. Fox snorted. If Cody was looking for them among a sea of identical white armor, he was an idiot. He was going to smack his vod’ika upside the head. Their armor had been designed for them to blend in. 

Still, whenever the General glanced at Cody, Cody gestured for him to continue. Obi-Wan stopped and spoke with each person, exchanging names. Some of the men stumbled and gave him their number. Many of them didn’t have names yet. The General was strangely accepting, even suggesting that when the vod found their name, that they introduce themselves to him. 

This friendliness immediately set Fox on edge. No one took the time to know the vode. He couldn’t believe that a Jedi was like this. 

Eventually the General stopped in front of him. His eyes widened and he inhaled sharply. His gaze swept over Fox and he shook his head. 

He turned to Cody. 

“I see why you wanted me here,” he said in a barely audible whisper. 

Cody nodded. 

“Hello, I’m General Obi-Wan Kenobi. What is your name?” he asked, back to wearing his smile. 

Fox fought against the urge to take a step back. The General wasn’t threatening him. He was just introducing himself. 

He dragged his new number back to memory and said it. 

The General gave him the same look that he gave the others and asked him to visit once he had chosen a name. Fox nodded, intending to avoid the General. There was something about him that put him on edge. 

Cody gave him a long hard look and Fox made a face at him inside the bucket, grinning at the chance to mess with his vod’ika.

It took a while but the General spoke to every single vod. Fox rolled his eyes. He didn’t see the point in it. The General was going to forget their names. No natborn could tell one vode from another. 

“Thank you, gentlemen,” the General said, bowing his head. His gaze landed on Fox and Fox glared back at him. 

The General left the main bay and Cody stayed behind. The company leader dismissed them. Most of the men talked about checking out the commissary. Fox couldn’t eat a bite, not after the morning he had. 

He turned to Thire but then there was a hand on his shoulder. 

“Ori’vod,” Cody said. ¹

“Vod’ika?” he said after a moment, breath catching in his throat. ²

There was something about being with his batchmate that lifted the cloud around him. 

“Come with me,” Cody said. 

Thire and Fox followed Cody through the long halls. They walked in silence. They weren’t exactly alone. He had no idea what was going on outside the ship. 

Cody opened a door and ushered them inside a small conference room. It had six chairs around a rectangular metal table.

The door closed behind them and Cody set his bucket on the table and took a seat. He gestured for Fox and Thire to do the same. Fox took a deep breath and he sat in a chair. He ran his hands through his hair. 

He started to open his mouth but the door opened again and the General stepped inside. 

Fox jumped to his feet and he reached for his bucket. His heart was racing. His vode were doing everything to protect him, he wasn’t going to let some Jedi turn them in. They were good men. They didn’t murder the Chancellor. 

The General punched a code into the door console and there was the triple beep of the door locking. 

Fox’s heart slammed in his chest. 

“Hello, my dear,” the General held out his hand, “Commander Fox of the Coruscant Guard, I assume?” 

Fox looked at Cody. He couldn’t breathe. 

“It’s alright, my dear. Why don’t you take a seat and we can have a talk,” the General said, stepping back. 

Cody pushed a chair towards him. Fox sank into it. He ran his hands through his hair. 

“My brothers had nothing to do with it,” Fox said, lifting his head, “I acted alone.”

“I believe you, my dear,” the General said. He took a seat opposite Fox. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

Fox let out a heavy breath. He put his hands in his lap and sat up straight. He shot a glance at Cody and Cody gave a reassuring nod. He had trusted his vod’ika before, he could do it again. 

He told the story, describing how the day started like any other. He found himself reciting the memories as if he was outside of his body. He shared how the Chancellor had complained about a mistake the Senate Guard made, blaming the Coruscant Guard for the other’s failures. 

He drew his shoulders in as he described what happened after he murdered the Chancellor. It was easier viewing it as an outsider, reciting each detail. 

The General never said a word. He didn’t interrupt him once. 

Fox finished and he took a deep breath. 

“I understand if you decommission me or have me executed. Please, don’t blame my brothers.”

“Commander Fox,” the General said, voice soft, “I reassure you, nothing of the sort will happen. May I tell you something?”

“Yes, sir?” Fox said, putting his hands on the table. 

The General sat back in his seat and he looked at the ceiling with a wistful expression. 

“For the first time in decades, the Force feels lighter.”

Cody crossed his arms over his chest and he huffed, giving the General an irritated look. 

“Sir.”

The General shook his head, lips curled up in amusement. 

“This morning, there was a loud clamor in the Force. It couldn’t be ignored. Every Jedi in Coruscant felt it.”

“Sir?” Fox asked. “What does this have to do with the Chancellor?”

“That explosion in the Force happened around the same time that the Chancellor died.”

Fox refrained from correcting him and saying that the Chancellor had been murdered. 

“With the darkness surrounding you, I think I’ve found the reason.”

Fox glanced down at himself. He had taken a sonic before going on duty. His armor was clean. 

The General chuckled and waved vaguely at him. 

“There’s a darkness clinging to you in the Force, my dear. Any Jedi would be able to see it. I have a feeling that this explains why our requests were denied.”

“Your requests?” Thire and Fox asked, glancing at each other and then at the General.

“We requested several times to have a Jedi placed in charge of the Coruscant Guard. We were not unaware of your plight. We wanted to help but bureaucracy tied our hands.” The General sighed. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to do more.”

 “What happens now, sir?” Fox asked. 

The General had said he wouldn’t be executed or decommissioned, of course he was still a natborn but Cody trusted him. Cody wouldn’t betray him. They were batchmates. 

“Well, there will be an investigation. They’re already searching for Commander Fox. No one has seen him.” 

The General was grinning, looking almost gleeful. 

“I received a company of men from Kamino this morning and we have intel on General Grevious’ location. The Vigilance will be leaving to finish this war.”

The General’s joy unsettled him and he shook his head. 

“Sir, I murdered someone,” Fox whispered. 

The General sighed and he leaned forward. His expression turned serious. 

“Commander, since the start of this war, the Jedi have been searching for a Sith. That Sith was said to be at the heart of it. I believe you found him and under a moment of duress you killed him.”

Fox swallowed. It couldn’t be that easy. 

“We’re headed out gentlemen. It is up to you if you stay on the ship or not. You’re not confined here. Suffice to say though, if you stay, you will be far away during the investigation. You won’t have to participate in any battles either. I have assurances from the chief medic that he will write up an excuse for two shinys.”

“You’re willing to hide us, sir?” Fox asked, not quite believing everything. 

“As I said, as far as I’m aware, we received a company of men from Kamino this morning. We have no reason to believe that we are harboring a fugitive,” the General said, eyes twinkling.

Fox’s eyes narrowed. 

“You’re safe here, Commander,” the General said. 

Fox let out a heavy sigh and he shook his head. He didn’t have another option. Hiding on Coruscant would be a foolish move. 

Something unfurled in his chest. 

“We’ll stay,” he said. 

The General nodded. 

“Cody will take care of everything else while I see to our ship’s departure.”

The General patted Cody’s shoulder before walking out. 

Without the Jedi in the room, it felt like the weight of everything crashed down on him. He put his head on the table as his body shook. He couldn’t figure out if he was more relieved or disappointed that they weren’t turning him in. He had broken one of the tenets of their training, holding the Chancellor above all others. He should be punished. 

There was a scraping noise as they moved their chairs. The door opened and closed again. Fox didn’t dare look up. 

“Can I hug you ori’vod?” Cody asked. He was sitting in Thire’s spot. Thire was gone from the room. 

Fox nodded.

Arms wrapped around him, holding him close. Cody’s nose tucked against his neck. Fox imitated the position. He nearly choked on the feelings welling up inside him. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he had hugged someone so freely. 

“If Bly and Wolffe were here, this would be just like Kamino,” Fox said, chuckling. 

“If all goes well, we might see them in a few weeks,” Cody said, pulling back, but still keeping his hand on Fox’s shoulder. 

They stayed in the room and chatted for a while. It was oddly relaxing to just talk. They didn’t talk about anything in particular. The last time they had seen each other was half a year ago and it was for a rowdy night out with the others. 

The General commed Cody and informed of the ship’s imminent departure and requested his presence on the bridge. 

“Join me,” Cody said. 

Fox rolled his eyes but agreed.

They shoved their buckets on and Fox followed Cody to the bridge. He had to force himself to walk behind and to the side of his vod’ika. He was technically under the man. 

“Is this your new assistant?” The General asked. 

“You know how much flimsiwork the men generate,” Cody said. 

Fox rolled his eyes. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” The General said, holding out his hand. 

Admiral Block was approaching them and Fox played his part, shaking the General’s hand. He had met the Admiral on several occasions, having to introduce himself each time. 

“Ready, General Kenobi?” Admiral Block asked, ignoring Fox.  

“Let’s finish this,” General Kenobi said, facing forward. 

Fox stood at parade rest. Excitement thrummed through his veins. He had never actually been at a viewport when a ship entered hyperspace. When they had traveled to Coruscant, they had been in the cargo bay. They weren’t staying on the ship and it was a relatively short journey. Still, he would’ve liked to see the stars and hyperspace. 

There was a palpable buzz in the air. The men were practically vibrating in their seats. Fox wiggled his fingers, doing his best to keep still. 

He had another reason to be excited, the further they were from Coruscant, the better. 

Blue streaks appeared across the view screen. 

Fox sucked in a breath, captivated. 

The jump was like a punch. The ship lurched forward and they were hurtling through space. He stood there, watching the blue and white swirls. 

The rest of the day was spent pretending to be Cody’s assistant. At least his vod’ika was keeping him close. None of the other natborns on the ship said anything. They all acted like he wasn’t there. It wasn’t the first time that Fox had dealt with that attitude before. 

That night, Cody took him to the officer’s quarters and told him to pick an unoccupied bed. They figured that if a shiny saw Fox’s face they would quickly realize that he wasn’t a shiny. The officer’s didn’t care though. He recognized a few of them. 

Cody bade them good night and left. Fox watched him walk away, brows furrowed. 

“Where is he going?” he asked. 

Several of the men shrugged. Fox accepted it as one of those secrets that the vode kept for each other. The best way to keep it a secret was to keep silent about it. 

He could reasonably conclude that Cody spent the night with someone. He had a guess as to who. He had seen the General and Cody clasp hands for a brief second during late meal. He had thought nothing of it at the time but with this new context, he figured it was safe to assume the pair were together. He was happy for his vod’ika.

He laid in bed, staring up at the bottom of the bunk above him. Thire was there. He wasn’t alone. Of course he had a dozen other vode in the room with him. None of them knew him like Thire did. 

He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, hoping the nightmares wouldn’t be as bad that night. 

There was a chilly darkness around him. Fox tucked his arms around himself, trying to keep warm. He couldn’t see anything around him. It was just a shadowy black expanse. 

There was a skittering noise behind him, like tiny feet running over tile, and he tensed. He swallowed back his rising fear. He wasn’t going to turn around. It wasn’t real. This was just a dream. 

Fox started walking forward, going wherever his feet took him. 

This wasn’t the first time that he dreamt of shadows and the creatures that inhabited them. It was better if he didn’t confront them. He just had to keep marching on. He would wake up and at least in the light he could see the monsters. 

There was a low rumbling growl in front of him and he stopped and took several steps back. 

It felt like cold hands wrapped around his throat and he gasped as they lifted him. He clawed at the hands, trying to pull them off even as he couldn’t breathe. He kicked at the air, knowing that it wouldn’t help at all but he had to try. He keened as his vision started blurring. 

He was going to die in this nightmare. He knew it even as his limbs lost their strength. His arms fell to his sides. Finally, he could only stare at the void above him. The hands around his throat released him and he fell for a long time before landing on an ocean of white armor. 

His brothers were dead. He was too. No one was marching on. They were just gone. 

A thick, slimy tentacle wrapped around his waist. He couldn’t move, couldn’t fight back as it dragged him under. He was lost among them, just another face. Just another one of millions. 

Tears were streaming down his cheeks when he woke up and his throat was dry. He rubbed at his wet cheeks and sniffled. 

He squinted, realizing the lights were brighter. 

The door opened and Cody sprinted inside. He was wearing a non-standard GAR cream shirt, something Fox knew was not included in the quartermaster’s gear. It also happened to match a particular Jedi’s wardrobe. 

Well if he wanted confirmation he had it. 

None of the others acted like this was unusual. They all ignored the shirt. 

“Ori’vod,” Cody gasped, running straight towards him. 

Fox’s brows pinched together in confusion and he sat up. 

“What are you doing here, vod’ika?” 

Cody sat on the edge of the bed and looked him over. Seemingly satisfied, he nodded. 

“You were screaming.”

“It was a nightmare,” Fox said, shrugging. “You know how they go.”

It was normal for them to have nightmares. The only people in the Coruscant Guard who didn’t have nightmares were the shinys but they usually started getting them after working on Coruscant for a few weeks. 

On Kamino, the longnecks said they engineered them to withstand the horrors of war and subsequently to not be plagued with nightmares but after being on Coruscant, Fox figured out that was banthashit. They had nightmares. In a way, he pitied the shinys, they had to learn to deal with them. 

“Ori’vod, we don’t get nightmares,” Cody said, shaking his head. 

“No, we do,” Fox said, looking at the men around them. They were all staring at him, even Waxer and Boil. “I’ve had nightmares ever since going to Coruscant.”

Cody grimaced and Fox’s stomach fell. 

“You really don’t have nightmares?” he asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. 

Like one, the others shook their heads. 

Fox put his hands in his lap and stared at them. 

That couldn’t be. They had nightmares. Everyone in the Coruscant Guard had nightmares. It wasn’t unusual to hear screaming in the barracks. They even stationed veterans among the shinys just to help them through the nights. 

A hand grabbed his, startling him, and he jolted. 

Cody was giving him a sympathetic look. 

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

“Won’t he miss you,” Fox asked, nodding at Cody’s shirt. 

“He understands,” Cody said, “He gets them too.”

Fox squeezed Cody’s hand and nodded. 

It wouldn’t be the first time that he had shared a bed because of a nightmare. The officers in the guard had trouble sleeping. He often had one of them in his bunk with him. 

Cody pulled back the thin GAR regulation sheet and he slid under. “How do you want to do this?” he asked. 

“Just like Kamino,” Fox said. 

They had slept together before, especially before stressful test days. Bly and Wolffe would usually pair together. They took what comfort they could get. The Kaminoans never checked to see if they were in the proper bunks. 

Fox tucked himself against Cody’s back, leaning his head against Cody’s. Cody’s hair had a light floral scent to it and he chuckled, figuring it had to do more with Cody’s partner. He couldn’t see Cody picking it out for himself. Of course, with a Jedi partner, maybe Cody had the chance to pick out his own shampoo. 

One of the others had turned down the lights. They were in near darkness once more. Along the bottom of each bunk was a pale blue light, just enough to illuminate the floor. 

“You’re thinking,” Cody stated, voice hushed. 

Fox huffed and he poked Cody’s side in mock annoyance. 

He didn’t address the comment though. He held Cody close and tried to go to sleep. Eventually he fell to exhaustion. 

Thankfully, the rest of his night was peaceful, like Cody’s energy kept them away. He woke up feeling refreshed. 

Cody patted his shoulder before leaving, saying something about making sure someone ate before battle. Fox snorted. 

He saw the two in the commissary a few minutes later. Cody was wearing his armor and General Kenobi was dressed in his Jedi clothes. Neither of them gave an indication that they regularly slept together. 

Cody called him over and Fox sat down with his tray. 

“Bones is going to write an excuse for you,” he said.

Fox nodded. He knew better than to question a Commander’s order. 

“What’s the reason?”

Cody’s lips curled into a smirk.

“I beat you in a spar.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Cody in indignation. 

“You lost to me each time, vod’ika.”

“Well,” Cody shrugged, “The official record says I beat you.”

Fox rolled his eyes and huffed. 

“Thire got bit by a mastiff on Coruscant and is dealing with an infection.”

Fox laughed at that one. 

“Have you told him yet?” 

Cody shook his head. 

“I want to see his face.”

While he would’ve liked to be there when they fought General Grevious, ultimately he understood why Cody didn’t want them down there. Fox and Thire had experience in other areas and while they could still fight, Cody needed men who had been trained together. 

Fox and Thire ended up helping the medics, wheeling injured men and filling out flimsiwork. He caught snippets of the progress over the comms. He tried not to pay attention to it. Even on Coruscant he worried for his batchmates. He feared one day hearing that he lost a fellow Commander. 

The General defeated Grevious and the men pushed the droid army back. There was a pause and people stared at each other as if questioning if this was really the end. 

The men came back to the Vigilance and the men were quiet. They tended to their wounded. Fox and Thire joined the officers. Cody and the others had flown in on a LAATI. They were standing around in the main hangar. 

A lone Jedi fighter came flying in and landed. Everyone stood up and watched the General disembark. Cody broke off from the crowd and approached him, a determined glint in his eyes. 

“Oh kriff, he’s going to do it,” Waxer whispered. 

“Do what?” Fox asked. 

Thire looked just as confused as him. 

“He’s been waiting for the end of the war to do this,” Boil said, standing on his tiptoes and looking above the crowd. 

“Do” —

The next second his question was answered.

Cody grabbed the General’s tunics and yanked him forward. The General was grinning, not at all surprised. Cody slammed their lips together, hand holding the back of the General’s head. 

The crowd of men erupted in cheers, jumping and shouting. 

Others grabbed each other and shared a kiss, though none quite so public as Cody and the General’s. 

The celebration ran late into the night. Someone brought out alcohol and Fox declined having a drink. He had sent too many drunks to the tank to want to indulge. 

Part of him wished he was back on Coruscant, celebrating the news with his men. He only hoped they were faring well. No one else should have to suffer for his mistake. 

Instead of heading back to Coruscant the next day, the General found reasons to stall, insisting they assist with recovery. Admiral Block huffed but with Cody and the General in agreement, there was nothing to do. Fox grinned behind his bucket. 

The General and Cody worked well together, backing each other up. He actually managed to always know who he was talking to among the vode. He called everyone by their name. Fox wasn’t ready to concede that the General was good, but he was decent for a natborn. 

Eventually they had to return to Coruscant. A week and a half had passed. Fox had avoided reading the news regarding the Chancellor’s death. 

The General asked him to join him in the conference room. He locked the door behind him and gestured for Fox to sit in one of the chairs. That was another point in the General’s favor, he let them sit in chairs.

“We’ve successfully petitioned the new Chancellor, Bail Organa,” Fox recognized that name. The Senator from Alderaan had never caused them any trouble. “To put us in charge of the Coruscant Guard. We’ve moved their barracks to the Temple and our mind healers are helping them.”

“Thank you, sir,” Fox said, clenching his hands together. That was more than any natborn had done for them. 

“Fox,” the General said, leaning forward, “Would you like to visit the mind healers too? It could help with the nightmares and the darkness surrounding you in the Force. And Cody will be there in the Temple. You’d be welcome to stay in my apartment. I still have a spare room for an apprentice.”

“Aren’t they still looking for me, sir?” Fox asked. While he didn’t believe that the General would turn him in, there was still the chance that someone could figure out he murdered the Chancellor. 

“Ah, you haven’t heard the news,” the General said, grinning, eyes glinting in that frustrating way. 

“What news?” Fox asked, scowling. 

“Certain aspects about the late Chancellor’s private life came to light recently and people are more interested in his shadowy dealings than who killed him.”

Fox’s stomach dropped at the news. He stared, stunned, at the General. 

“While I don’t suggest telling everyone that you shot him, there is less chance that you will be arrested.”

Fox couldn’t think of anything to say. 

“You’re safe. It’s okay,” the General said, giving him a hopeful smile. “Why not try the mind healers and see if that helps.”

“Yes, sir,” Fox said, finally finding his voice and agreeing. He didn’t see an issue with trying it. If it stopped the nightmares, he welcomed it. He slept with another vode most nights just to help keep them at bay. 

The sky above Coruscant was bustling as ever but with the Vigilance they were able to quickly gain clearance to land. They took a shuttle to the GAR headquarters, dropping off the officers. Then the four of them, Fox, Thire, Cody, and the General, flew to the Temple. 

Fox’s heart pounded as the majestic building neared. He could scarcely believe he was about to enter it. It was even bigger up close. He resisted the urge to run his hands along the gleaming walls. 

“We’re finally seeing this place,” Thire said, voice filled with awe. 

Of course, when they had been sent to Coruscant, even Fox had felt an air of amazement at everything he saw and all the people he met. It had deadened in a few days though. The Senate building quickly lost its luster. 

They passed the Temple Guards. 

Once they stepped inside, a sense of peace washed over him. He stopped and soaked in it. It seeped into his very being. He could’ve cried from it. 

In the Senate, he had always felt like he was marching, going on and on, never stopping. It was like a constant battle. Here though, everything fell away. 

He pulled off his bucket and grinned. He smiled at a little twi’lek cadet and they waved back at him. A Mon Calamari nodded their head at him. 

His heart pounded and yet he felt lighter than ever. 

“Vod!” Hound shouted, startling him. 

The next thing he knew he was being lifted in the air as Hound crushed him to his chest. Thorn was there too and several others. Someone even picked up Thire too. 

Maybe they could all finally find some peace. His vode were together again. No one had to keep marching anymore.