#but they all really know that the unplanned element is going to be fox's breakdown

[hastalavistabyebye]

Fox stood there. He had been listening to all the speeches, too tired to even try to find a distraction. The voices were dripping in his head like torture with a drop of acid. Plop, plop, plop. Echoing louder and louder, burning any other thought out of his mind. 

He was standing at attention next to the Chancellor, offering protection, drowning in the declarations about fighting for peace and defending the Republic’s values and love and family and bloodshed and war and slavery. They were outdoors. There was a crowd listening attentively down there, far enough to be considered appropriate security and needing to use holo projections, so that the poor sobs could even see Palpatine’s grandfatherly smile. There was some wind whistling against his armor, carrying the noise of the people up to the platform. But Fox could only hear the sweet, mellow voice of the Chancellor, resonating in his helmet’s mics. 

The Commander was standing at perfect attention, ready to intervene at the smallest suspicion of danger. But his men had scouted the entire place, taking control of every building around. No assassin could be hiding and waiting for their perfect occasion, even with all of the niches and hidey-holes offered by the nabooian architecture of nightmare. 

Fox’s fists clenched behind his back, gauntlets creaking. He repositioned himself slightly, changing the repartition of his weight. 

The Chancellor was talking about how heroic the clones were, how brave and efficient. How they deserved to die even more in his war for power. All wrinkled smiles and broad gestures and sparkling and wide clothes. 

The Guard’s Commander was getting nervous, eyes rapidly scanning the crowd, the surrounding buildings, the Plaza. His skin was tingling, every nerve awake and buzzing with restlessness. The sun was shining on his left, giving him a perfect sight of everything that shouldn't be here. 

He moved, rapid fire, nearly instinctive. In a second, the shot of his blaster was resonating in the Plaza, cutting the neverending speeches with perfect precision. Fox breathed deeply, as he lowered his arm. His exhale was echoed by the muffled sound of his victim’s corpse falling to the ground. 

That was much better. He couldn't have bear it any longer, he needed that blessed silence. 

Of course, it didn't last long. Panic swiftly rose in the Plaza, with screams and cries and running and chaos. It didn't really help with the debacle that the enormous holoscreens were still displaying in high resolution the sight of the Chancellor’s body, crumpled and old, with a blaster shot burned in his forehead. But Fox’s men were the best, competence incarnated. They took control of the Nabooian capital in a matter of minutes. 

Fox kept breathing a little, enjoying the sight at his feet and the calm in his helmet. He hadn't had the occasion for such peace since well before Geonosis. 

He didn't linger for long, of course not. He had to coordinate with the rest of his Guard, back on Coruscant. His officers weren't going to like his lack of warning, but they had created Plan Thesh for a reason. He still enjoyed this reprieve fully while it lasted.