The Guard

Chapter 1 - Mysterious Cargo

Sometimes, Fox really hates his job.

If it wasn't some snobby senator cussing at him then it was an assassin trying to kill said senator, and if it wasn't that then it was most definitely said senator trying to smuggle something illegal into the Senate Building. And then repeat for every single senator in the entire kriffing Senate and you start to get the picture.

A case in point is the large cargo freighter standing before him on one of the building's many landing pads. Another mountain of paperwork just waiting to be filed.

"Alright Thire, what have we got?" He asks his fellow clone commander, both being a part of the Coruscant Guard. Fox being the rank of Marshal Commander and leader of the Guard while Thire is the next step down at Senior Commander.

"A strange one, sir," Thire says as he hands a datapad to Fox as the two begin walking towards the boarding ramp of the cargo ship. "This freighter was spotted just above the skyline of Coruscant, with knowledge of how it got there or how it got through the checkpoints."

"Who was on checkpoint duty?" Asks Fox.

"Stone." Thire answers.

Well, that answers that. Senior Commander Stone was one of the most thorough clones Fox knew. No way in Sith-hell would he let anything unauthorized through.

"Do we have the identity of the owner?" Questions Commander Fox.

"Nope. In fact, we can't find any identification of any kind." Replies Thire. "I can't even tell what make it is."

It certainly wasn't anything either clone have seen before. At first glance, Fox suspected it to be Corellian but dismissed that after looking at the engines. Corellians make build their starships to go fast, and yet this freighter looks far too bulky for even those speed crazed maniacs. It looked like a box with engines attached to the back.

"Has anyone been inside yet?" Fox inquires.

Thire shakes his head. "No sir, we thought it best to wait until you arrived."

"Good. We have no idea what we are dealing with here, so taking precautions is our best bet at the moment." Fox takes another look at the datapad. "Let's get as many men on this as we can. The last thing we need is another Zillo Beast incident."

"Hound's Squad is available." States Thire.

"Get them. And find Thorn too."

"Yes Sir!"

Less than five minutes later, Thire returns with Thorn and Hound's squad in tow.

"Alright, listen up!" Fox shouts to the assembled clones. "Sergeant Hound's squad, along with myself and Thorn, will enter the freighter and conduct a thorough search of the interior. Thire, you stay and keep a watch out. Get some engineers to look at the exterior."

"You got it." As Fox and the others ascend the boarding ramp Thire calls out, "and Fox?"

Fox stops and turns around to look back at Thire.

"Be careful," Thire tells him.

Fox simply nods before continuing up the boarding ramp and into the freighter.

The inside was filled with crates of multiple sizes and shapes. Yet when Fox opens one, it is shown to be empty. He suspected that to be true for the rest of them, but they were going to search them all just to be sure.

"Hound." Said Clone snapping to attention. "Take your squad and search every last one of these crates. Thorn and I and check out the cockpit."

"Yes Sir." Sergeant Hound turns to his squad, "alright, you heard the Commander, get sniffing!"