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Chapter Text

“Satine!” Obi-Wan hears his voice echoing throughout the throne room. The desperation and helplessness he feels at that moment could only rival the one he felt on Naboo all those years ago. And yet again, here he is, delicately cradling another one of his loved ones in his arms, watching her life slowly slip away.

Obi-Wan locks his blue-grey eyes with her see-blue and sees nothing but love and a grim understanding of the situation.

There is no way to save her.

He knows this as does Satine.

As does Maul.

Even now, the vicious satisfaction and victory the Zabrak radiates can be felt across the throne room. That was his goal, wasn't it? To lure him to rescue Satine, just so Maul could kill her in front of him. To make him suffer. To break him.

And he fell for it. Like a total fool. Thinking he could swoop in like some kind of hero and save her without any consequences, excluding the ones he would have to face in front of the Council and the Senate. He could face those, he did before. But he couldn't let another person he loves dearly die.

Not again.

But that's exactly what he did by coming to Mandalore alone.

Satine touches his face tenderly, and he can't help himself but lean into the touch. The palm of her hand feels already too cold. His chest constricts, and he feels like his heart is slowly breaking apart. Her presence in the Force is dimming rapidly, and he doesn't know what to do, what the galaxy will feel like without her in it.

“Remember, my dear Obi-Wan...” At her soft words, he opens his eyes to look at her lovely pale face. When did he close them?

“I've loved you always...,” she says in low voice and gives him one last weak smile that reflects her love for him, “I always will.”

Satine's presence slips away and fades until the strong and stubborn star that represented her is gone, and there is nothing left behind but a dark void.

His heart shatters completely, and for one moment of weakness, he wants nothing more than be gone with her. For Maul to run the darksaber through his own heart and become one with the Force. Somewhere safe and warm, without suffering and constant death that seems to follow him wherever he goes.

He wants to cry. He wants to shout and rage, but the energy required for that endeavor flees his grasp, and the only thing he can feel is hollow.

Obi-Wan leaves a small kiss on her knuckles and squeezes her hand one last time before carefully positioning her body on the floor.

He slowly looks up at the throne, expecting to see Maul's smug face, but there is no one.

He shakes his head confused, closing his eyes for a moment, feeling oppressive darkness surrounding him. His head is spinning, and he feels nauseous all of a sudden.

When he looks up again, Maul is back, sitting on the throne with his brother by his side. But something has... changed.

Obi-Wan looks down at the floor, but Satine's body is gone, and there are not as many guards as before.

Perplexed, he stands and moves closer to Maul and Savage, but it's like he is watching a holo-show on a broken projector. Everything looks fuzzy, and the edges of his vision are unfocused. Perhaps, he just got hit too many times in the head in the last few days.

Nobody seems to pay any attention to his movements. Like he is not even there.

Maul looks grim. “Hmm... I sense a presence,” he says, and if the darkness Obi-Wan can feel battering against his shield is any indicator, the Zabrak must be sensing the same thing.

“A presence I haven't felt since -,” Maul cuts himself off, looking alarmed.

Obi-Wan grips his head in his hands and staggers, almost falling to the ground. The vicious fold of darkness pressing against his mind is too much. He calls for the Force to relieve some of the pain, but it slips from his grasp like quicksand.

“Master!” Mauls says in horror, and Obi-Wan's head whips to the entrance just in time to see the guards get choked and lifted into the air. A hooded figure in dark robe steps through the entrance door, and Obi-Wan's blood freezes in his veins.

The Sith Lord.

Maul's Master - the Sith Lord the Jedi have been looking for since the Blockade of Naboo - the mastermind and orchestrator of the clone wars.

Obi-Wan watches dumbly as the Sith Lord moves closer to Maul, who kneels before him.
His mind is pounding terribly, and he can't hear what they are saying through the buzzing static in his ears. It takes great effort to focus his vision on what's happening. He feels like someone is trying to mind trick him not to pay attention – the same way Quinlan used to practice shadow technique 'look away, I'm not here' when they were padawans. But on a much stronger level.

He grits his teeth in pain and annoyance as he is unable to move to get a better look at the Sith's face, but his feet are glued to the ground.

Maul and the Sith Lord seem to exchange a few words, but whatever Maul says must not please his master. The Force shrieks in agony and Maul and Savage are thrown at the tall windows decorating the throne room, cracking them under the pressure.

They dangle in the air for a moment, before the Sith Lord releases his hold on the Force, and the brothers fall to the ground. They light their 'sabers which seem to amuse the Sith greatly. He lights two of his own crimson blades and the duel biggins.

Obi-Wan observes the fight with as much concentration as he can muster through his blurry vision. The Sith Lord's moves are like currents of water or air. He flows from one blow to the next with no trouble, like he is untouchable. Each of his strikes is strong and deadly, sending the two Zebraks to their knees just so they could repel his saber. It's clear just from the first two minutes of the fight that the Sith Lord is the superior duelist.

Obi-Wan doesn't know whether to be impressed or terrified. The Sigh Lord is just playing with them. He is enjoying himself.

The lights of the red lightsabres are too hard to follow at this point and Obi-Wan is feeling sick to his stomach. The headache alone is the worst he has ever experienced, and he suddenly realizes he is breathing hard. The room spins on its axis, and he closes his eyes to center himself.

Obi-Wan growls in pain as his knees give out, and he crumples to the ground. Opening his eyes is a greater effort than it should be, but the clashing lightsabers can't be ignored.

The location has changed, his fuzzy mind registers, and somehow he is now outside the throne room as is the fight. He slowly staggers to his feet just in time to witness the Sith Lord stab his lightsabres in Savage's chest.

“Brother!” Maul shouts in horror and runs to Savage's side. He grips his brother's hand in an unusual display of vulnerability and sadness.

As much hate, anger, and pain Maul carries with him, there is no doubt in Obi-Wan's mind that Maul loves his brother very much, and his death is unbelievably painful for him.

Abruptly Obi-Wan feels very tired and... sorry for Maul. His own feelings concerning Zabrak are complicated at best, especially after killing Satine. All this death and destruction Maul has caused in his life is probably nothing compared to what Maul's life had to be like. His childhood was ripped out from him by the Sith Master, training him to become a weapon of darkness and evil. Obi-Wan had almost killed him on Naboo, but somehow by holding onto all that pain, Maul survived. And now the last of his family has been killed.

The image before Obi-Wan's eyes get foggy and sharp pain explodes in his temples, blurring his vision yet again. He locks his jaw, gritting his teeth and swallowing a groan of pain.

Sinister laughter echoes from some distance, sending a chill down his spine.

“Remember, the first and only reality of the Sith: There can only be two,” a cruel voice says.

BZZZZZZGGGHH

KRRRZZZZGGGHH

Multiple lightsaber crashes.

CHZZZZZZGHTTT

Cracks of electricity and ozone can be smelt in the air.

“Have mercy.”

“Please.”

A desperate voice pleads.

“There is no mercy.”

BBRRRZZZZZZZZZZZ

Lightning surging.

AAAAAHHHGGHHHH

A terrible scream of pain shooks Obi-Wan to his core, turning his blood into ice. That's Maul's cry, he realizes in terror.

What's happening?

Abruptly all sound fades away, and everything goes dead quiet. Obi-Wan's sight slowly clears, but it doesn't seem to help much. The setting has changed again, but it's like he's standing in a dark endless void this time. There doesn't seem to be up or down. Just here and now.

Disoriented, Obi-Wan turns around, but it's like all sense of direction had abandoned him. He sends his panic into the Force before it can overwhelm him and brings his hands up to massage his temples. His head still hurts quite badly.

He takes a deep breath to calm himself. In for five, hold for five, and breathe out.

In for five, hold for five, and breathe out.

He repeats the breathing exercise a few times and opens his eyes again, wishing to be anywhere else but in the dark void. His plea goes unanswered because what he sees has his heart miss a beat and all color drain from his face. The headache seems to grow in intensity, and his hands are starting to shake.

The Sith Lord is standing before him. Like a menacing statue.

Every self-preservation instinct screams at him to run, to hide, to get away. Even the Force is now ringing warning bells in his head, alerting him of imminent danger, which is a little redundant at this point, and only makes him more nauseous.

There is no point in running anyway - his feet are frozen in place like they have will on their own. He steels himself and draws the Force around him like a protective blanket.

The Sith studies him, but even now, Obi-Wan can't properly look at his face. Whatever mind trick the Sith Lord is using is the most powerful Obi-Wan has ever had the displeasure to experience.

“How are you doing this?” the Sith snarls, anger and irritation evident in his voice.

Confused, Obi-Wan frowns internally, keeping his facial features a calm mask. Doing what?

“I am not sure what you mean..., “ he tries to go for nonchalant to mask his nervousness, “Darth Sidious, is it?”

The Sith tries to poke his signature, assaulting him with so much darkness some of his outer shields break on impact.

Obi-Wan grips his head in his hands, falls to his knees, and reflexively tightens his shields. The Force answers his plea for once and shifts around him, protecting him from the assault until he can stand on his wobbly legs once again.

“Rude,” Obi-Wan says to the Sith Lord, straightening his posture.

He can't be sure without the facial expressions, but the Sith looks... surprised? Surprised and confused. And maybe a little... frightened?

Whatever the emotion was, it quickly turned into anger and hatred. “Doesn't matter. Your days are numbered, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Not even the Force will be able to save you then, Jedi.”

And with that promise, the Sith Lord switched on his lightsaber, and before Obi-Wan has any time to react, Sidius stabs him in the heart.

Obi-Wan wakes up in cold sweat with a jolt. His breath is caught in his throat and his heart hammering in his chest like it's about to explode.

He frantically tries to search his surrounding for any danger, and after his vision adjusts to the darkness, he realizes he is in his quarter in the Temple.

He is safe.

He is fine.

He forces his lungs to take a long breath and then breaths out.

In and out. In and out.

Slowly, his heart rate calms down, and his splitting-ever-present headache subsides into the background.

Releasing his panic and confusion into the Force helps, his mind comes back into focus and he rests his head in his hands, covering his face.

Obi-Wan keeps breathing.

What has just happened?

Obi-Wan knows a vision when he sees one. But he hasn't had a vision of this intensity since he was five.

Was this vision of the past? Satine died a week ago.

What about Maul's brother? When was that? Or will that happen in the future?

And what about the last part? The Sith Lord.

That didn't seem like a vision of the past or future.

Questions are racing through his head, Obi-Wan swallows hard, his throat is as dry as the desert of Tatooine.

Realizing he's panicking, he forcibly tries to relax his tense muscles.

He has to analyze the vision. Write it down before he forgets the details.

Standing up from the bed turns out to be a bad idea he regrets instantly. The room spins and he has to support himself with one arm on the bed before his sight clears.

He staggers to his desk, turns the small lamp on, and starts writing on a piece of flimsy all he can remember.

Obi-Wan didn't get much sleep after the vision and decided to meditate instead. Not that it helped him much.

This was the fourth time he saw Satine's death in his nightmares. Her passing hit him harder than he would like to admit. He loved her dearly once. Her compasion and strong moral comprass. Her wits and brutal honesty. Satine had her faults as all sentients do, and even though he didn't agree with her politics regarding Mandalore, he respected her choices. Satine always tried to strive towards a better life for her people and did what she thought was right.

A part of his heart will always be with her, and he will miss her greatly.

He is so very tired of his loved ones dying.

Obi-Wan's alarm beeps, and he opens his eyes. He takes the commlink from his desk, silencing the alarm in the process.

He has a Council meeting scheduled at 0700. Oh, joy.

The Council meeting drags for a few hours as-per usual, but Obi-Wan isn't paying much attention, his mind replaying the vision on a loop.

In the previous sessions, he tried to bridge the idea of assisting Mandalorians in their fight against Maul and Death Watch, but the Council declined to provide aid.

In a way, Obi-Wan understands that as long as the Jedi are acting as a military, the only missions they are allowed to take must be approved by the Senate and Military Oversight Committee if they want to involve the GAR.

The Jedi are stretched too thin to build a specialized task force that could strike back against Dead Watch and Maul on their own.

And as much as he feels like Maul is his responsibility, Obi-Wan can't afford to run off again. He's a High General of one-tenth of the Republic's army, his actions would be questioned, and he could be court marshaled for leaving his post. Obi-Wan is lucky he was on shore leave during his unsuccessful rescue to Mandalore.

Masters Yoda and Mace notice his distraction but don't comment on it, for which Obi-Wan is grateful.

He needs to tell someone about the vision, and his first instinct is to go to Master Yoda.

Internally wincing, he realizes that might not be the best idea. He knows the Grandmaster's approach to visions. Yoda doesn't trust them. He is of the mind that the Jedi should focus on the present moment - because the future is always in motion.

Here and now, padawan, he can hear Qui-Gon's words echo in his head even now.

Obi-Wan focuses back on the conversation at hand.

The few additional questions the councilors have about his upcoming campaign Obi-Wan answers automatically. Cody, Obi-Wan, and the additional Jedi of his 7th Sky Corps were planning the planetary invasion of Falian Prime for quite some time.

The planet has been captured by the Separatists at the beginning of the war, and just now the Senate decided to answer Falian Prime's Prime Minister's plea for help and aid the planet.

Obi-Wan knows the Senators didn't act from the goodness of their hearts but from political reasons. CIS has built several droid factories on Falian Prime, and if the Republic wants to end the war at some point, they have to destroy those factories and stop the production of battle droids.

The task, of course, fell to the Jedi, in particular, to Obi-Wan and the Third System Army.

Jedi General Peck Sindi and his 450th Legion have started the assault on the blockade already. His pilots are specialized in breaking planetary blockades and defenses, and if everything goes according to the plan, by the time Obi-Wan arrives with the rest of the 7th Sky Corps, the blockade should be broken, and they can start their ground assault on the factories.

Shaak Ti gives them a short report on Kamino, and the Council meeting ends.

Obi-Wan waits until most of the Masters present leave the council chamber before asking Mace for a moment of his time.

The Korun Master eyes him skeptically, saying, ”What's troubling you? I couldn't help but notice how distracted you were during the meeting.”

Obi-Wan grimaces internally but doesn't show his embarrassment. “I apologize, but it's part of the reason I wanted to speak with you.”

Mace hums noncommittally and gestures with his hand for Obi-Wan to continue.

“Last night, I had a vision. At first, I thought it was a nightmare, but I know the difference between visions and dreams quite well.” Mace inclines his head in understanding, probably remembering Obi-Wan's struggle with visions as a child.

“I...,” Obi-Wan hesitates, there is no easy way to say this, and he doesn't want to sound like mad man, but he knows who he saw. “In my vision... I saw the Sith Lord we are looking for – Darth Sidious.”

Mace freezes and studies him critically, his face a blank mask. Whatever he sees seems to give him a headache because the Korun Master's brows draw together into a frown.

“You better explain your vision from the start.”

And so he does.

Obi-Wan tells Mace about Satine's death, Maul's and his brother's fight, Savage's death, and the short encounter he had with the Sith Lord.

Mace pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Kenobi, why is it always when something happens, it's you or one of your lineage?”

Obi-Wan ignores the comment and instead asks, baffled, “So you believe my vision?”

Mace sighs long-suffering, “I believe what you saw is important. The Force wouldn't send it to you if it wasn't.” He rubs at his temples like his headache is turning into full-blown migraine. “Did you see the Sith Lord's face? Could you identify him?”

“No,” Obi-Wan says regrettably, “unfortunately, I couldn't focus on his facial features at all. I felt like I was being mind tricked.”

Mace hums in thought for a moment, “What about his voice? If you heard him speak again, would you be able to recognize him?”

Obi-Wan shakes his head, “I don't think so. I can't remember what he sounded like even now. All I can remember is he's a male human or near human of average height.” Which doesn't help them at all - given billions of people fit that description.

Mace crosses his arms, “That's unfortunate. It's the first description of Sidious we have, however slim it is, it's better than what we had before.”

“It still won't help us to find or identify him.”

“No,” Mace sighs, “We can't do anything about it right now anyway. You have the battle to fight, and I have another committee meeting to attend.”

“So we do nothing?” Obi-Wan fights the frown settling across his face but can't help it. The Council's inability to act is starting to wear on his patience. “We could send a Shadow to Mandalore to investigate the Sith's sighting or to confirm if Savage died.”

Mace shakes his head, “You know same as me, we don't have a Shadow to spare and can't interfere with a Neutral System's politics without the Senate's support. The Order is stretched thin, and we can't afford a scandal if we want to have any autonomy left by the end of this war.”

Obi-Wan knows this, but it still makes anger stir in his gut. The Senate has too much power over the Order, and as the war progresses they keep interfering more and more with internal Jedi affairs.

A hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder jolts him from his musing, and at the tired face of his friend, all the anger abandons him.

“Apologies. I just feel like we – the Jedi – aren't doing what we should. Maul is our – my - responsibility, and by leaving him wreaking havoc on Mandalore... I feel like we are abandoning our duty as Jedi.”

“The situation the Order is in is more complicated than dealing with Maul. We can't afford to make a wrong more right now.” Mace looks apologetic, squeezing his shoulder one last time before dropping his hand back to his side.

“I know,” Obi-Wan says, his shoulders sagging.

The vision still bothers Obi-Wan as he makes his way out of the Council chamber and into the refectory. He hasn't eaten yet, not having much appetite after the restless sleep.

He almost doesn't notice the young bright light of his grandpadawan appearing at his elbow, falling in step beside him.

“Hello, Master Obi-Wan!” Ahsoka greets him cheerfully.

Obi-Wan smiles, his mood lifting at the sight of her. “Hello, dear one.”

Ahsoka studies him for a moment and her facial marking draw into a frown. “Are you okay, Master?”

Obi-Wan sobers quickly and checks his shields to make sure he isn't projecting his concerns.

Ahsoka notices his hesitance and adds, “It's just, that you look tired.”

Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master and doesn't sigh. “I am fine. I just didn't sleep very well.”

“Oh.” Ahsoka lets the further questioning of his well-being go. They all have their nightmares from time to time.

“Are you going to the refectory?” she asks instead.

“Yes, but I will grab some breakfast to go. I am already running late and I don't want to keep Cody waiting.”

“Would you mind if I joined you?” Ahsoka asks with such false innocence, Obi-Wan has a flashback to a time when Anakin and he got somehow stuck on another planet and were being forced into podracing to pay off a debt to a crime boss.

“Sure, my dear. But I am still not taking you with us,” he points out, and Ahsoka has the audacity to look offended that he would assume she has utilitarian motives.

“I just wanted to accompany you.” Obi-Wan lets the lie slide and makes an agreeing sound that reflects his disbelief.

The refectory is busy, Jedi and clones litter the room, but they get the meals relatively quickly. Obi-Wan needs to drop by his quarters to pick up his duffle, and Ahsoka follows him.

She is still there after he exits his room, looking a little nervous and visibly trying not to fidget.

Obi-Wan puts a hand on her shoulder to steady her and sends reassurance-peace-calm to her in the Force. “Don't worry. You will do just fine. The finals are difficult, but the curriculums were adjusted so the padawans fighting in the war are able to study and pass.”

Ahsoka's shoulder tenses under his hand, and she shakes her head, “That's not – I am not worried about the finals. It's not-.”

Obi-Wan waits patiently for her to gather her words.

She locks her eyes with his and says, “I am worried about you.”

Obi-Wan's brow furrows, but before he gets a chance to say anything, Ahsoka continues in a rush, “You and Anakin and Rex and the whole 501st and the 212th. I want to help. I want to go with you.”

Obi-Wan's expression softens, “Ahsoka, I know you want to come with us. But you have responsibilities you can't ignore any longer. If you skip the finals this time what's stopping you from doing it again and again? There will be other battles you might miss if you don't write the finals now.”

Ahsoka sighs, her shoulders sagging in defeat. “I know, Master.”

Obi-Wan gives her shoulder one last squeeze before releasing her. He moves to walk in the direction of the landing pad, and Ahsoka steps in sync beside him.

“Besides, if you skipped the finals for the fourth time in a row, Master Trias would hunt me down. Not Anakin, but me. He knows Anakin hated the Republic's diplomatic history class and will keep avoiding Master Trias for the rest of his life. Me on the other hand? There is no way I can hide from him when he can just wait outside the Council chambers until the meeting ends. And Master Windu won't let me jump out of the window.” He tried before is heavily implied.

Ahsoka crackles loudly, her laughter filling the hallway. Some Jedi turn around at the sound as they pass.

Ahsoka slowly stops shaking from laughter and mumbles something under her breath.

“What was that, dear?”

She hesitates for a moment, “Ah, it's the fifth time, actually.”

Obi-Wan raises a questioning eyebrow. Fifth time?

“Yeaaah,” Ahsoka smiles skittishly, pulling at her robe. “Skyguy let me skip it last time. You were somewhere in the Mid-Rim, and he didn't have time to comm you.”

“Did he now?” Obi-Wan shakes his head, exasperated. He makes a mental note to talk with Anakin about shrugging responsibilities later. “Well, it's a miracle then that Master Trias hasn't tried to assassinate Anakin or me yet.”

Ahsoka laughs again, her shoulders shaking.

She looks more at peace and calmer. Obi-Wan is constantly reminded how young she is, too young for this war and all the burdens that come with the responsibility of command. He's glad he could elevate some of the tension she carries with humor. (Not that Master Trias isn't capable of hunting him and Anakin down for sport if they let Ahsoka skip the finals again.)

They lapse into a comfortable silence for the rest of the walk to the landing pad where the LAAT is parked and Cody and a few members of the Ghost Company are already waiting for him.

“Hello, Commander. Apologies for the delay, I had a Council meeting in the morning,” Obi-Wan greets as soon as they come within the earshot.

“Hello, Cody!” Ahsoka greets cheerfully. She waves at the Ghost members behind the Commander, and they wave back.

“General, Commander!” Cody salutes. “No worries. We've just arrived, some of the boys got delayed in the barracks,” he says pointedly and there is some shuffle between the troopers behind him, the Commander ignores.

“I see,” Obi-Wan isn't sure he wants to ask so he decides to leave the subject for another time. He turns to Ahsoka instead, her face falling a bit at the expected goodbye.

“Well then, stay safe Ahsoka. Pass the finals, and don't hide from Master Trias, there is no place he won't find you.”

Ahsoka snickers and shakes her head at his ridiculousness.

“Stay safe, Master. Keep an eye on Skyguy, Rex, and the 501st for me. May the Force be with you.”

“Of course. May the Force be with you, Padawan.” Obi-Wan inclines his head, and Ahsoka mirrors him.

The flight to the Vigilance is short, as usual.

Obi-Wan looks at the city planet of Coruscant as it shrinks in the view-port of the LAAT. As the war progresses the planet feels darker and darker in the Force. As does the galaxy. Sometimes the only place that still feels lighter is the Jedi Temple. But even there, the decreasing number of Jedi is felt. Their numbers haven't been so small since the Jedi-Sith Wars.

How many of them will be left after the war?

The thought makes the hair on his back stand and sends a shiver down his spine.

“Are you okay, sir?” Cody's question makes him startle.

“Yes, I am fine,” Obi-Wan answers absentmindedly with a little more heat than he intended. He's starting to get irritated by people asking him the stupid question.

Cody tilts his helmet to the side, his disbelief clear in the Force even with his strong shields.

Obi-Wan clears his throat to clarify, “I didn't sleep very well. It's nothing you need to worry about.”

An illegible sound escapes the Commander's vocoder, but he doesn't ask more questions.

The LAAT lands in the Vigilance's main hangar, and together they disembark the gunship, the rest of the Ghost trailing behind them before dispersing to their respective stations.

Major Rinche is already waiting for them, helmet secured at his hip. His armor's spotting several new designs that weren't there before – pained as usual in 212th gold.

“General, Commander, “ the Major says and gives them a crisp salute, “welcome back.”

Obi-Wan inclines his head in a respectful bow. “Hello, Major Rinche. It's good to be back. Are we all set?”

Rinche falls step beside him and Cody as they make their way to the bridge.

“Yessir, resupplying went well, and all the preparations were made. All troopers are accounted for, and we are ready to depart. The Resolute and the 501st are already en route to Falian Prime after picking up the shinies from Kamino and shout arrive at the same time as us.”

“That's good to hear,” Obi-Wan says. “Did you have any problems securing any of the supplies? I know, for a fact the Requisition's department is cutting down on our bacta and medical equipment. I would rather we didn't leave without them.”

“No, sir. There wasn't any problem with the medical supplies. The form you submitted helped persuade the requisition's officer we needed all the supplies listed.”

“Excellent,” some tension in Obi-Wan's gut lifts at the good news.

“Anything else?” Cody asks the Major as they step into the lift. Obi-Wan punches the right button, and the lift moves upwards.

“The only issue we had was a missing crate of stun grenades. Some shinies accidentally put the crate with the foodstuff and delivered it to the kitchen. Chefter was not pleased.”

Cody snorts, and Obi-Wan smiles.

“I don't know, I thought Chefter would appreciate the extra munition to fend off hungry shinnies out of his kitchen,” Cody says with an audible smirk.

“Please don't give him ideas, sir," Rinche says long-suffering. "I am pretty sure two or three grenades were missing from the crate anyway.”

Obi-Wan huffs a small laugh at that. The lift stops at the right floor, and they continue to head to the bridge.

Two years ago the clones would never talk like this within his earshot. It took quite some time for them to warm up to each other. Now they know he won't punish them for having some fun and letting loose. Within reason of course.

Obi-Wan is deeply honored by the trust they place in him and tries to live up to that trust every day. It's a heavy burden, especially when their lives are at stake. He issues orders, sending many to their deaths. And somehow the clones still believe that he does as much as he can to ensure that most of them survive the battle.

Rinche's datapad chirms, waking Obi-Wan from his contemplating. The clone scrolls through the new message saying, “The intelligence report from General Sindi just came in.”

“Perfect timing.” They were waiting for that intel to make final adjustments to their plan of attack on Falian Prime. “Please, send it to my datapad so I can review it before our strategy meeting.”

“Right away, sir,” Rinche says, tipping rapidly into the pad.

“Thank you,” Obi-Was says as they arrive at the bridge. The troopers at their stations straighten and salute as soon as they notice them. Obi-Wan squishes the urge to sigh. One day he will be able to walk into a room without people saluting him. They don't salute as much as they used to, but at the beginning of every campaign, the bridge offices do this. It rather became something of a mantra of a good luck charm.

“At ease,” Obi-Wan says and turns to Rigg who usually mans the bridge. “Are we ready to depart?”

“Yes, sir! All systems are operational, and the hyperdrive is ready to go,” the Lieutenant responds.

Obi-Wan nods, satisfied, “Good. Kommz, please, signal the rest of our fleet to depart.”

“On it, sir,” the head communications officer says, switching on some buttons at his station.

Obi-Wan turns his attention back to Lieutenant Rigg, “Well, I believe we are ready.”

Rigg gives a sharp nod and signals his offices to engage the hyperdrive.

Obi-Wan watches through the Vigilance's viewport as the stars streak past them. They punch into lightspeed and into another battle.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan strokes his beard in thought as he surveys the additional intelligence General Peck Sindi and his 450th Legion of pilots had gathered. Cody stands at his right side, as always, Major Rinche on his left with other high-ranking 212th officers and 113th Battalion Commander Orio and Captain Flint. The Jedi Generals and their respective Commanders of the rest of the 7th Sky Corps are present via holo as they discuss the last changes to their attack plan.

Obi-Wan likes to have them all gathered in one office while drawing plans and tactics so he has a better grasp of their true feeling in the Force. At the beginning of the war, the clones used to stay silent, and obey all orders without question which didn't sit well with him. He wanted to know what their thoughts were about the strategies implemented and what suggestions they might have to make them better, especially if they saved more lives.

After several battles when Obi-Wan encouraged the clones to speak freely during the strategy meetings, they began to improve their plans and were less afraid to make their opinions known. This resulted in better communication between the Jedi and the clones and have boosted their success rates as well as morale.

“Master Sindi reported two more droid factories in the Northern Hemisphere. That makes seven in total,” Jedi General Melia Imaas states, displeased. She is a female Kriffar in charge of the 774th Siege Battalion. A stern older woman who doesn't like Obi-Wan very much. “We will need to divide our forces even more now.”

“And not to mention the second tank factory we didn't know about. It's bound to be heavily fortified,” Jedi General Nia Naloa adds, her hands crossed. She is a purple-skinned Keshiri with black hair made into a bun and dark violet eyes. Her Mirialan padawan Saja Tinah looks at her Master worried. She reminds Obi-Wan of Ahsoka - too young for this war.

“Don't worry Master Naloa, the 501st and I can handle the tank factory,” Anakin says, cheerfully, ready for the fight as always. At Anakin's right side, a quick flicker of emotion crosses Captain Rex's face, too fast to notice before it smoothes out into his usual determined expression.

“I don't think we will need the whole 501st to destroy the factory,” Obi-Wan cuts in. “Our original plan still stands. General Sindi and his Legion will stay in orbit, blockading the planet with Admiral Yularen and the Resolute. The Gold Squadron from the 501st and pilots of the 54th Battalion will bomb-run the factories from the sky. The shields protecting them will most likely hold, but the turrets and bunkers guarding the perimeter will be destroyed,” Obi-Wan explains, gesturing at the map.

“Giving us clear and safe positions to land the gunships,” Cody adds, glancing at Obi-Wan.

They all remember the klaster-kark that was Gionosis and landing at Point Rain and would rather not repeat that experience.

“After that, the division of tasks stays the same,” Obi-Wan continues. “In the Northern Hemisphere, General Naloa, Padawan Tinah, and the rest of the 54th Battalion will attack the first droid factory while General Bo'Anord will attack the fist tank factory.” He turns to the two Jedi Masters asking, “Would it be possible, if, after you accomplish your tasks, to join your battalions and attack the last two droid factories?”

Master Bo'Anord, a middle-aged Nikto, thinks about it for a moment before glancing at Master Naloa. “It's possible, depending on how the battle goes and what our losses will be.”

Master Naloa nods in agreement, “Our plan to take the first factory isn't too complicated and should work rather quickly, but there is always a chance we might run into complications.” She pauses and contemplates for a second before turning to her commander. “What do you think?”

Commander Astro surveys the map saying, “I think it could work. We just have to make sure our infiltration tactic is successful. If we fail, it could result in a prolonged fight, if not siege, in which I don't think we'll have enough troops to attack another factory.”

Obi-Wan frowns in thought. The Commander is right. “In either case, if you are unable to join forces, contact Admiral Yularen,” he inclines his head at the said Admiral, “he will coordinate from the Resolute and should know of the nearest battalion available if reinforcements are required.”

The two Masters nod in agreement, and the meeting continues in the same tone, reviewing their strategy.

Anakin and the rest of the 501st will attack one droid and one tank factory.

Master Melia Imaas and her 774th Siedge Battalion will take the second tank factory and one droid factory in Southern Hemisphere - same as Anakin.

Obi-Wan will coordinate the 212th and 113th to take the last two droid factories.

After all the factories are destroyed, the 212th, 501st, and 774th will attack the Capital, securing the planet.

“Why do we have to take the droid and tank factories?” Master Melia asks, somehow always sounding displeased. “Our battalion is much smaller than the 501st Legoin. It will stretch us too thin. Especially if we want to take the Capital.”

Obi-Wan would like to fold his hands into the sleeves of his robe, which he isn't wearing currently, so he crosses his hands in front of his chest instead. “While I agree that your task is difficult, the 501st is already divided between the blockade in orbit and the ground assault, lowering their numbers.”

Master Melia crosses her hands, mirroring him. “That still leaves twice as many troopers than in my battalion. Surely you could divide them to give us some reinforcements.”

Obi-Wan shakes his head, but Cody cuts in before he can explain. “If I may, General. The 501st is also going after other CIS facilities on the planet, spreading them thin. The final number of troops attacking the factories will be similar to yours.”

Obi-Wan's lips quirk in the corners at Cody's explanation.

Master Melia looks more thoughtful now but is still not persuaded.

“Your battalion specializes in sieges and is good at endurance. I reviewed your past campaigns, and I wouldn't assign the two factories to your battalion if I didn't believe you could destroy them,” Obi-Wan adds.

She studies him for a moment before relenting and bowing her head slightly in acknowledgment. “Very well, I shall do as you suggest.”

“General?” Major Rinche asks, and Obi-Wan turns to give him his full attention, gesturing his hand for the Major to continue.

“What about the long-range communication outpost?”

Right, Master Sindi's intel briefed them about it. He'd almost forgotten.

Obi-Wan frowns when a strange feeling shudders in his stomach. “Best to secure it. We never know when long-range communications will be needed.”

“General,” Gregor exclaims, drawing their attention to him. “My boys and I can take it. The security is tight, but I think, it's the perfect task for a small commandos squad.”

Obi-Wan hums, reviewing the security of the outpost being projected on the holo-table. “If you believe you are up to the task, you have my permission.”

Gregor starts grinning, one of his more feral smiles.

“But-,” Obi-Wan points his index finger at the Captain, “no explosions, I want the outpost in one piece.”

Gregor huffs in disappointment but is still grinning. “You are no fun, General. And that was one time!”

“Yes, one time too many,” Obi-Wan responds, undeterred.

“And you've gotten blown up,” Rinche adds without missing a beat.

Gregor sends Rinche a glare as some clones around the holo-table pretend to have a sudden coughing fit.

"Actually, I've gotten blown up two times now," Gregos says like it's some kind of achievement.

"And somehow, we still can't get rid of you," Rinche mumbles under his breath.

Gregor's next comment is interrupted by the blinking red light of the holo-table.

“It's the High Military Command - the Chancellor's office, sir,” Kommz says dutifully from his station.

Obi-Wan scowls internally in annoyance, the good humor vanishing from the room. What could the Chancellor want right now?

He signals to Kommz to accept the call, and the blue holo-figure of Chancellor Palpatine comes to life. All clones straighten their postures, falling into parade rest, and blank masks fall over their faces.

“Master Kenobi," the man greets with the sweet smile of a grandfatherly figure.

“Chancellor Palpatine, what a surprise. I don't believe we had a meeting scheduled,” Obi-Wan says, his face a pleasant mask reserved for dealing with politicians. They still have quite a few parts of the plan to go through and don't have time for prolonged chatter.

“Oh no, no. This call was not planned originally. I apologize for interrupting your strategy meeting, but I am afraid I might need your assistance.”

From the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan sees Anakin lean in. So now he is paying attention. It's not like he spent half of the meeting falling asleep while standing.

“We are on our way to Falian Prime to start our campaign. I'm not sure how we may be of service, Chancellor.” Obi-Wan doesn't let his irritation show, but it's a near thing.

“Oh, I don't want to impose on your campaign. I was just wondering if I might borrow Knight Skywalker for a few days,” Palpatine says, turning to Anakin.

Anakin looks torn, his brows furrowing together. “I am sorry, your excellency, but we are on a prolonged campaign. I can't just leave my men. I am needed here.”

The Chancellor looks disappointed, a sad smile that seems, oh, so genuine Obi-Wan's stomach revolts. Something always struck him wrong about that smile.

“Why do you require Knight Skywalker, if I may ask,” Obi-Wan cuts into the silence.

Palpatine hesitates and looks aside, unsure. “A few days ago I received messages promising that an attempt on my life is imminent.”

“What?” Anakin blurs out, worried.

“I was hoping that Knight Skywalker could provide protection for my staff and myself while visiting Naboo for festivities.”

Obi-Wans strokes his beard in thought. Many Senators receive dead threats regularly, it's nothing new. The Coruscant and Senate Guards should be sufficient to protect the Chancellor while traveling. And even if, for some reason, they are not enough, Palpatine can request the Master of the Order for Jedi protection.

“Have you inquired Master Windu to give you a Jedi escort?” Obi-Wan asks.

“I have. He suggested several worthy Jedi, I am sure,” the man looks genuinely apologetic, “but I am afraid when it comes to the safety of my life and the lives of my fellow staff members, the only person I trust explicitly is Knight Skywalker.”

Obi-Wan fights the frown from setting on his face. This isn't really an order, but Palpatine didn't leave any room for protest. As the highest ranking officer of the GAR, he can shuffle clones and Jedi however he likes, not that he does it often as far as Obi-Wan knows, excluding Corries. The problem is, without Anakin, the campaign they planned becomes more difficult, leaving the 501st without a Jedi.

Anakin glances at Rex sadly before straitening, his mind made. “Well, if it helps to keep the Chancellor safe, I'll go. Plus, I am sure Obi-Wan can handle the campaign without me,” he says, turning to Obi-Wan with an apologetic expression.

Palpatine looks delighted at this news. “Excellent! Thank you, my boy. I will be expecting you.” The man's attention shifts back to Obi-Wan. “Once again, I apologize for interrupting your meeting, Master Kenobi, and wish you good luck. May your campaign be won as quickly as possible.”

“Thank you, Chancellor. May the Force be with you,” Obi-Wan grits out, somehow sounding as put together as usual, hiding his displeasure with the situation.

Palpatine's image blinks out, and an uneasy silence falls over the room.

Anakin glances at Obi-Wan, asking, “Master? You'll be all fine without me, right?”

Obi-Wan doesn't sigh and nods, “Yes, Anakin, we'll manage.” We will have to manage, is what he wanted to say. “Just, stay safe.”

“Of course, Master. You know me.” The knight gives him a skittish smile.

“That's the problem,” Obi-Wan fires back, making Anakin roll his eyes.

“You stay safe too, Master. And look after the 501st for me.”

“I think I already promised that to Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan says, and an idea comes to his mind. “Speaking of, I think she should join you after her finals are over if you end up as protection detail for more than a week.”

Anakin hums non-committal. “I will comm her, and we'll see. May the Force be with you, Master.”

“May the Force be with you, Anakin.”

After the goodbye, Anakin leaves to depart for Coruscant, and the meeting resumes.

“Commander Appo, Captain Rex,” the two clones straighten at the sound of their names. “You are in charge of the 501st on the ground and report directly to Cody or me. The plan stands if you think you can handle it without a Jedi present.”

Appo and Rex glance at each other, and a silent conversation passes between them before Rex says, “I think we can handle it, General.”

Obi-Wan's eyebrow lifts. “Are you sure?” He isn't questioning their competence, but a Jedi can make a difference when it comes to casualties.

“Yes, sir,” Appo replies without hesitation.

Obi-Wan nods, satisfied, but still unhappy about leaving the 501st without a Jedi.

“Ehm,” Master Immas clears her throat, a little irritated, “if you are finished. Maybe, we could continue the strategic planning?”

"Of, course. Apologies, Master Immas," Obi-Wan says, and the meeting continues.

Satine is dying in his arms, and his heart aches with hopelessness. Her lovely see-blue eyes track his. He can't hold her gaze, but at the same time, is unable to look away.

He squeezes her hand, and she squeezes back, barely, her life slipping away.

"Remember, my dear Obi-Wan... I've loved you always... I always will."

The words echo like a promise.

He holds her tighter to his chest as her life dims and washes away into the Force.

He feels so empty. A deep bone tiredness spreads through him as he cradles Satine's body.

He just wants to curl up and cry somewhere no one can see his infinite grief.

Obi-Wan opens his eyes to look at Satine's body one last time and freezes.

Her body is gone, replaced by Qui-Gon's.

Shock goes through his frame, and he shuffles back, frightened.

This can't be happening.

His vision blurs, and he uses the palm of his hand to clear it.

Stabbing pain rushes through his head, and he clenches his jaw in agony.

He breathes through it as much as he can until it's subsided into the background.

The first thing he registers is the smell of blood and smoke from blaster fire in the air.

A child's scream makes his eyes snap open. His vision clears, and he realizes where he is – the hallway of the Jedi Temple. But something... something is wrong.

There is blood everywhere. Blaster and lightsaber scorch marks are littering the walls and the ornamented floor.

A child screams in pain, terrified.

Panic rises in Obi-Wan's chest at the realization that the Temple is in danger - as is his family.

He runs towards the origin of the scream, his legs stumbling over each other like he is swimming in water.

Somehow, he manages to get to a large hall and stops in terror - there is so much blood everywhere he looks.

A terrible, cruel laugh reverberates through the hall, making a shudder run down Obi-Wan's spine and his blood freeze in his veins.

A figure, in a dark black robe, is standing in the middle of the pouring blood. They turn around, but the only thing Obi-Wan sees under the large hood is a pair of piercing golden eyes full of hatred, staring back at him.

The Sith Lord.

Obi-Wan jolts awake, disoriented, his heart racing, and immediately searches for his lightsaber. He looks for it blindly in the dark room and accidentally falls from his bed when his hand slips underneath him.

He automatically reaches out for the Force and slowly realizes the little lights surrounding him are his men. He is in his quarters on Vigilance.

The Sith Lord isn't here.

Obi-Wan exhales in relief and just lies there - on the floor of his quarters for a little while.

Another vision. Great. Because that's just what he needs right now.

He's so exhausted from seeing Satine die over and over again. And now, Qui-Gon.

Why can't the Force just let him be? Isn't the infinite sadness and heartache enough for once in a lifetime? Why does he have to keep reliving their deaths?

After the initial panic subsides and his breathing calms down, he checks the time – 0300.

He slept for three hours.

That won't do. He needs a full night's sleep if he wants to be of any use during the upcoming battle. He can't afford to be tired and make unnecessary mistakes that can be avoided, especially with the lives of his men at stake.

Obi-Wan doesn't switch the light on, satisfied, to stay in darkness, and spreads out his meditation mat on the floor. Steadily, he attempts to sink into a meditational state, but the calm eludes him. He's too tired to meditate and too restless to fall asleep.

Exhausted, he sighs in defeat and decides to change his approach.

He exits his quarters and heads in the direction of the med bay. Maybe Helix or one of the medics on a night shift can give him a sleeping aid.

The hallways are mostly empty, except for the skeleton crew that makes sure the Venator stays operational during the night cycle.

Obi-Wan rubs a hand over his eyes after stepping into the med bay - the piercing white light making his eyes hurt.

He startles at a strange sound. Whipping his head towards the noise, he notices a trooper – Splint is asleep and snoring loudly. The medic is sitting on the chair, data-pad in hand resting in his lap. His head is fallen on his left shoulder at an odd angle with his mouth slightly open. That can't be comfortable, Obi-Wan thinks.

He doesn't want to wake Splint up and contemplates what to do for a moment.

A mischievous smile spreads across his face. He looks around to make sure there is no one else, picks up a second pad from the table, and takes a holo of the sleeping trooper – for blackmail purposes, of course.

Obi-Wan quickly sends the holo to his own pad and deletes all evidence from the medical data-pad.

As he places the pad back on the table, a voice startles him, and he almost jumps in surprise.

"General?" Helix repeats as Obi-Wan turns to face him.

"Hello, dear Helix," he greets.

Helix narrows his eyes and cranes his neck to look behind Obi-Wan and immediately notices, Splint - sound asleep.

Before Obi-Wan can stop him, the head medic walks toward the poor trooper. He kicks the chair from under Splint, and the trooper startles violently, topples over, and falls on the floor.

Splint scrambles to his feet, eyes wide in horror, as he realizes who woke him. He stands at attention, his spine rigid, while Helix scrutinizes the trooper with clear disapproval.

"Sirs!" Splint exclaims, but his mouth clicks shut after Helix holds up his hand.

"Do you want to explain why you were sleeping during your night shift, trooper?" Helix snarls.

"I – It was an accident, sir!" Splint says, terrified.

"An accident? That's not an acceptable excuse, trooper." Helix crossed his arms on his chest. "What would you do if there was an emergency while you were asleep?"

"I – It – I am -," Spint tries, unsuccessfully, to search for words. "I – I am sorry, sir! It won't happen again!"

"Helix," Obi-Wan says, tired. He really didn't want to get the man into trouble. "This is really unnecessary."

"Oh, no, it is," Helix says, not taking his irate gaze from Splint. "We can't have medics falling asleep during night shifts. Maybe Cody can excuse some of his scouts, but I will not let something like this slide."

The head medic scrutinizes Splint, making the poor trooper sweat in anticipation.

Obi-Wan would have rolled his eyes, but he rather avoid another vertigo.

After a minute of Helix's gaze boring holes into Splint, the head medic says, "I want you to run three lapses around Vigilance and then come back here. I want you to scrub the floors so thoroughly, I'll be able to eat from them. Understood, trooper?"

Splind nods his head sharply several times. "Yessir!"

"Then what are you still doing here? You have your orders, trooper."

"Yessir!" Splint rushes out of the med bay so quickly he almost misses the door and runs into a wall.

Obi-Wan arches an eyebrow at the head medic, asking, "Eat from the floor?"

Helix shrugs, unconcerned. "What? I like my med bay spottles." He then fully turns to Obi-Wan, pleased with himself. "And Cody isn't the only one who likes stressing out our younger brothers."

Obi-Wan shakes his head in exasperation.

"What did you come here for, sir? Shouldn't you be asleep?" Helix's brow lifts as he asks, his eyes too knowing.

"Shouldn't you?" Obi-Wan fires back. As far as he knows, Helix shouldn't be on the night shift today.

"I asked first," Helix says, "sir," tackling the honorism at the end in mockery.

Obi-Wan relents. There is no point in arguing with medics anyway. "I came to ask for a sleeping aid, actually. I have some trouble sleeping lately."

Helix narrows his gaze at Obi-Wan, his eyes skimming up and down his body and face. He had to find whatever he was looking for because he nods after a few seconds, and starts rummaging through a cupboard. After finding the medication, he takes a clean cup from near the sink and pours some water into it. He then walks back to Obi-Wan, holding a small white pill in his right hand and a cup in the other. "Here, this should help, sir."

Obi-Wan thanks him and swallows the presented pill with the water.

"You know I can't keep giving you these," Helix adds. "We can't have you getting addicted."

Obi-Wan sighs. The sleeping aid should take effect till he gets back to his quarters. "I know. I just can't afford to be exhausted before our campaign even starts."

Helix purses his lips and nods in understanding. He pats Obi-Wan on the shoulder, steering him towards the door in the process. "Go get some sleep, General."

"You should too, Helix," Obi-Wan murmurs, giving him a tired smile.

"You first, General."

Chapter Text

"Hurry up!"

"I am going as fast as I can," Boil grumbles at Wooley while he carefully sets the explosives around the third large pillar supporting the droid factory.

Because of the enormousness of the factory, they are unable to destroy it by bombarding it with laser cannons from a safe distance. And that's even if it wasn't protected by a ray shield.

Therefore, the plan was for Barlex and his paratroopers to slip through the protective plasma shield - from the air - and disable it for the cannons. Then the artillery could draw the droids' attention to the front of the factory, and Obi-Wan could slip in with Ghost from behind, undetected.

They divided into squads of nine troopers to place the explosives at strategic places of the building.

"Time?" Obi-Wan asks, dodging another blaster bolt his lightsaber almost missed. His shoulders are getting stained from fatigue, and his hair is plastered on his forehead, damped in sweat.

The staying undetected part of the operation failed quickly because of the sheer number of droids they couldn't possibly slip past without getting unnoticed.

This is the sixth pillar they fought their way to, and his squad isn't fairing much better than him - the men's exhaustion and weariness palpable in the Force.

"Two minutes," Boils shouts.

Obi-Wan doesn't have time to acknowledge Boil's answer and instead focuses on protecting the troopers laying down explosives, which have a failsafe in place so the droids can't remove them without accidentally activating them.

Obi-Wan dodges another bolt just barely. The kriffing droids are everywhere, swarming the narrow space where the pillar is located.

Ghosts swiftly fire back, but it does nothing to reduce the machine's numbers, given they get replaced just as fast as they fall.

Makes sense since we are in a kriffing droid factory, Obi-Wan thinks drily.

The two minutes pass agonizingly. The smell of blaster fire and oil is an uncomfortable sensation Obi-Wan is unfortunately well accustomed to. He swirls his blue blade decapitating two droids in one swing, which got too close for comfort and uses the Force to pull the blasters of nearing B1s out of their metal hands.

"Hey! You are not supposed to do that," the droid remarks before Nova shoots him square in the head.

One lucky shot hits a trooper in his side. He grunts at the sudden pain and pushes himself behind the cover of a steel pillar.

"We're set!" Boil shouts, switching on the explosives.

"Good! Get clear!" Obi-Wan orders, returning the droid's fire and guarding their rear.

"Go, go, go!" Wooley urges. He scoops the injured brother by the shoulder and drags him toward their escape path.

They run through a metal hallway, heading to the outer wall of the factory - where Obi-Wan cut an entrance with his saber for their infiltration. Boil takes point with uninjured members of their squad, clearing the droids in their way.

Obi-Wan activates his comm, not stopping the movement of his lightsaber, shielding his retreating men. "Sergant Barlex! This is General Kenobi. We are all set and heading toward the exit. Where are you?"

Static erupts from the comm before Barlex answers, "General! We are already outside, retreating to the south. Our explosives are set, and we are ready. Waxer's platoon made it out first, and we are awaiting orders."

"Acknowledged!" Obi-wan grids out as he swings his saber downward, cutting a B2 droid in half. "Get ready to trigger the explosives on my signal. Kenobi out."

He dials Cody's number next and as soon as the call connects, says, "Commander! How are things at your end?"

Blaster fire rings through the comm, interrupted by Cody's voice. "We are ready, explosives are all in place, and we're making our way toward the entrance, sir!"

"Good. Meet up with Barlex and Waxer on the south. We'll be right behind you. Kenobi out!" He doesn't wait for Cody to answer and spins out of the way of the incoming fire. He rounds the corner - makes sure his men are fairly ahead - and waits for the droids to catch up before assaulting them with swift moments of his blade. In just ten seconds, thirteen B2 droids lay down in a pile of rubble beneath his feet.

He rubs the sweat out of his forehead and eyes, but his short reprieve gets interrupted by another blaster fire sounds and shouts, this time coming from the direction his men went.

Obi-Wan curses under his breath and runs down the hallway. The clicking sound of his boots on the metal floor gets swallowed by the blaster shots as he nears his destination.

The room, where their exit is located, is swarmed with droids. His men are pinned in the corner where the door is, trying to pick the droids one by one and make their way to the opposite side.

Using the Force to propel his leap, Obi-Wan jumps over his men, directly into the middle of the room, expertly returning the red bolts at the droid.

His men smartly cease fire, so they don't accidentally shoot him, and start to move toward the hole in the wall.

Even tired as he is, Obi-Wan lets the Force guide his movements, slipping into a dance, moving gracefully. His saber hits each bolt fired at him or his men and redirects it - either at the droids or harmlessly to the floor.

Meanwhile, the clones make their way safely outside, leaving just Boil and Obi-Wan.

From the corner of his eye, he can see more droids are starting to pour from the door, now behind them.

"We are clear, sir!" Boil shouts, firing his blaster, protecting Obi-Wan's left side.

Obi-Wan quickly scans his surroundings with the Force and notices a faint light shimmering behind a fallen table in the corner of the room.

A trooper.

Hill, if he remembers correctly, going by his force presence, is slumped under the table - injured but alive.

"There's an injured trooper," Obi-Wan tells the Sergeant and vaguely gestures in the direction of the table with his free hand, still concentrating on the droids' fire. "I will cover you!"

Boil curses colorfully before nodding, and together they move toward the trooper, who seems to be unconscious. Boil pushes the table off of Hill and uses it for cover as he ducks to the trooper's side. He shakes him firmly, shouting, "Wake up vod! We gotta go!"

Hill groans in pain but doesn't resist Boil's instructions or when the Sergeant carefully but swiftly pulls him over his shoulder.

Obi-Wan shields them the whole time as Boil drags the trooper to the exit. Using the Force, he pushes the droids at the wall, destroying some on impact.

Obi-Wan exits the room last and heads toward his men as they lay cover fire for his retreat.

It won't take the droids long until they follow them out of the factory.

They run south to the randevu area, but before they reach it, Obi-Wan comms Cody. "Commander!"

"Sir!" Cody's voice cracks from the static.

"Trigger the explosives!" Obi-Wan orders, a little out of breath.

"Are you out, sir?" Cody asks instead.

"Yes!"

"All of you?" Cody stresses, and Obi-Wan wants to roll his eyes. He truly wonders what the Commander would do if he was still in the factory.

"Yes! Trigger the explosives!" he repeats more firmly.

Without further prompting, Cody activates the trigger, and the ground shakes violently, making some men stumble. The factory goes up in large fire and smoke. The structural integrity of the building collapses entirely, its walls and many levels crumbling to the ground.

The men cheer around him at the mission's success. He smiles at them slightly, trying to return some of the good mood, but he is exhausted and wants nothing, but to collapse into his cot. Not that he will get the chance anytime soon.

It has been a week and a half fighting their way to the second-largest factory. The aerial strikes helped clear most of the turrets and cannons the enemy had prepared for them, but because of the planet's natural cave systems, many of the bunkers hidden there were unharmed.

The planet itself is beautiful – mostly covered in forests and mountains, that are rich in natural resources. He feels guilty for using aerial bombardment, but it couldn't be helped. He would rather destroy part of nature in exchange for the lives of his men.

They near the rest of their company at a more unhurried pace, making sure the wounded don't aggravate their injuries.

Without much trouble, he spots the orange visor of his Commander's helmet in the sea of plastoid-clad men. Some of the Ghosts are sitting in the meadow, enjoying the view of the crumbled factory. Fire is meeting the horizon of the falling sunset, bathing the surroundings in reds and oranges.

The men greet him - some of them salute or simply nod as he makes his way to Cody.

"Hello Commader," he geets.

"General Kenobi." Cody turns around. He pulls his helmet off, tucks it under his arm, and scans Obi-Wan up and down for injuries.

Obi-Wan does the same in return, prodding him with the Force, and is pleased to find no injuries, just fatigue and some sleep deprivation they both share.

Cody doesn't seem to be so pleased with his assessment, however, and tilts his head to the side, silently pointing at Obi-Wan's left shoulder.

He snaffles the urge to scoff in irritation at his Cammander's observation and says instead, "It's nothing. A blaster bolt clipped me. I'll live."

Cody crosses his hands in disapproval but doesn't press the issue, knowing that Obi-Wan won't visit a medic until all the troopers have been checked out and their wounds treated.

"What's the situation?" Obi-Wan asks, redirection their focus.

"As you can see, the factory has been entirely leveled, and the clean-up crew has been dispatched. We have sixteen dead and twice as many wounded. Five are serious, but Bones is confident they will make it. The only numbers I don't have are for your squad, sir."

Way to start the sitrep, Cody, he thinks. Sixteen dead out of hundred forty-four men isn't considered bad, but Obi-Wan can't help but ache at the loss.

"We have two wounded, one might be serious," he says, and Cody nods, filling the information in his head. "Any news from other battalions?"

Cody shakes his head. "Not yet. Kommz called to inform us about the outages in communications because of the planet's gravitational intensity. The calls between battalions on the ground should mostly work, but comming the fleet in the orbit will be more difficult."

Obi-Wan hums, his hand scratching his beard. He smirks slightly at Cody and says, "Lucky for us, Captain Gregor volunteered to obtain us a long-range communication outpost."

Cody's mouth twitches in the corners. "That's what I was thinking."

They exchange more information with leaders of other squads after that and decide to move their company back to the camp and the rest of the 212th.

On the evening of the second day in the camp, Obi-Wan finally has time to venture into the medical.

He waits for Bones to be nowhere in sight – he is absolutely not avoiding the medic, thank you very much - and enters the med tent.

More severely injured men are asleep, and the lightly wounded are resting or quietly talking with visiting brothers.

Some men glace his way and are about to stand up and salute, but Obi-Wan gestures his hand for them to stay seated and moves around, searching with the Force where he is needed.

Firstly, he goes to the sleeping men and tries to soothe their nightmares and release their pain into the Force.

He would try to Force-heal them, but all the medics would be very cross with him. Especially Helix who witnessed his attempts at healing early in the war. They always left him too tired to function, and after he overdid it one time, and almost died in the process, Helix forbade him from healing any more troopers. The furious CMO was even backed up by Master Healer Che - to Obi-Wan's betrail.

Slowly he makes his way around the tent and stops at the trooper with a missing left arm. Laying on the cot, he looks absolutely miserable and nervous in the Force.

"Hello... Mark, is it?" Obi-Wan greets and sits on the empty cot next to his.

"Sir?" the trooper startles, just now noticing Obi-Wan's presence. His hair is dyed dark blue and a little longer than a military cut. He takes a second too long to absorb what Obi-Wan is asking before answering. "Oh! Yes, sir! Mark – I mean, is my name – Sir!"

Obi-Wan smiles softly at Mark and stretches his hand above the trooper's shoulder of his missing arm – not touching. "May I?"

"Eh... sure?" Mark says, confused, and Obi-Wan takes it as permission and lays his hand on Mark's shoulder.

He focuses on the pain radiating from the wound – the damaged threads – more numb than they would normally be – Bones had to give him some painkiller – and draws it delicately away and releases it into the Force.

Mark makes a surprised noise at the sudden elevation of pain, but he still feels troubled and anxious, so Obi-Wan pushes calm-peace-safe through the physical contact.

At that, Mark relaxes, slumping into the cot more comfortably.

Obi-Wan opens his eyes and gives him a soft smile. "Better?" he asks.

"Oh, yes!" Mark answers cheerfully, "I don't know what you did, sir, but it's much better now. Thank you."

Obi-Wan can't help but let his smile grow. He continues to sit there, keeping the soldier company in comfortable silence.

He wishes he could do more for all his men. The temple healers are spread all around the GAR, jumping between the Temple and various battalions. He requested a more permanent healer for his battalions. But given how busy the healers are and how efficient the 212th and overall the whole 7th Sky Corps is - even without one - his entreaty got buried under more critical requests.

Nevertheless, he hopes at least these small gestures of kindness will help, even if he can't fully heal them - only temporarily elevate their pain.

"Sir?" Mark murmurs after a while.

"Yes?" Obi-Wan wakes from his musing and turns his attention to the trooper.

Mark frowns, and a little unease slips from him in the Force. "What will happen to me? I mean, without an arm -." He doesn't finish the sentence, and Obi-Wan doesn't need him to.

He knows that clones base their worth on their skills and body, and when the body is damaged, and they can't perform their tasks any longer, the fear of decommissioning is very real. They don't decommission the clones anymore. That's why Master Ti is stationed on Kamino.

She made quite a fuss - when one of the cadets let it slip about the decommissioning - kicking open the door of the Council chamber and demanding they give her permission to stop the brutal practice. All Masters encouraged her - some were even ready to march to Kamino to do it themselves, Obi-Wan included.

The entire idea of killing men just because they are not perfect or are not able to perform their duties any longer spikes so much hot anger in Obi-Wan's gut he has trouble releasing it into the Force.

How can anyone look at these men and think them products or less than sentient beings - he can't understand. It makes him furious that after almost three years of fighting and dying, the clones still don't have any rights in the very Republic they protect.

Obi-Wan takes a long breath and lets the anger go. He grips Mark's shoulder once again, squeezing it lightly, and says, "You will be alright."

Mark's brow shoots up, meeting his hairline, basically screaming How.

"After we've finished our fight here, we will go to the Haven Medical Station, where you will get a prosthetic arm."

"Really?" Mark asks, baffled.

Obi-Wan's smile turns rueful, his heart aching at how basic medical care can be so surprising.

"Yes," he continues, "we have a few Jedi healers stationed there and a prosthetics specialist who will help you and answer all questions you might have. Or maybe you can ask Anakin. His prosthetic arm went through many changes, and he knows much more about robotics than me."

Mark gapes at him, his mouth slightly open before it snaps closed. He takes in all the information and frowns in confusion. "General Skywalker has a prosthetic arm?"

Obi-Wan chuckles. "Oh yes. I don't know how you didn't notice. He loves to complain about how sand or any small particles get into the mechanism, which he has to clean afterward."

Marks huffs a small laugh at that. "I thought he was joking."

They both chuckle. Clam floods the trooper's presence, and Obi-Wan can't help but be very pleased with himself for lifting Mark's mood.

"General." Obi-Wan freezes, and Mark starts to laugh lauder at the display of the High Jedi General, Councilor of the Jedi Order, grimacing and shrinking in on himself after being noticed by Medic Bones.

He gives Mark a betrayed look, that lacks any real heat, and turns to the medic, saying, "Yes, dear Bones. How can I help you?"

Bones glares at him, his arm crossed – the perfect picture of an unhappy medic. "As glad as I'm to finally see you in my med tent, sir, I hope I don't have to comm Helix or Master Che and report you for unsanctioned healing," he threatens, lifting an unimpressed brow.

Obi-Wan gives him his most innocent smile and says, "Of course not, dear. Mark here can confirm I did no such thing."

Bones turns to Mark and narrows his eyes at the unfortunate trooper. "Mark?"

Mark's gaze darts between Obi-Wan and the frightening medic. "Ehhh... I - Ehm... I'm actually not sure what the General did. He just made me feel... better," his voice shrinks with every word looking apologetically at his General.

Obi-Wan's innocent mask doesn't crack under Bones' heated glare. They stare at each other in a battle of wills until Bones declares, "Fine! But I am still watching you!" The medic smiles a tad too sharply. "Besides, I believe there is a certain shoulder wound I need to look at."

Obi-Wan doesn't groan or roll his eyes and dutifully lets Bones treat his shoulder - properly. He learned how to pick his battles long ago.

The next day Obi-Wan and a small portion of Ghost Company make their way to the long-range communication outpost Captain Gregor and the Foxtrot had captured.

"Master Kenobi." Master Imaas inclines her head in a polite bow as she meets him right outside the entrance to the outpost. She had to arrive a few minutes before Obi-Wan with a small portion of her own battalion.

Her robes are a bit dusty from the fighting, but she looks healthy and uninjured. Not even one of her black braided hair is misplaced. White streaks are going through the braid, giving her a presence of a wise and stern Master.

Obi-Wan didn't have many opportunities to work with her. But her achievements speak for themselves. Just going by her reports, he can tell, she has a sharp strategic mind and a no-nonsense attitude. He would love to play dajarik with her someday if she wasn't so hostile towards him all the time.

"Master Imaas," Obi-Wan greets with a deeper bow of his own, Cody following at his elbow. "I am glad to see you are looking well."

"We have just finished our engagement against the tank factory, and my men are exhausted," she says pointedly. "Why have you summoned me here?"

Obi-Wan doesn't sigh because that would be impolite, and he rather not antagonize her further and says, "I didn't actually. The Council has summoned both of us as the highest-ranking Jedi on this mission."

To be fair, Obi-Wan doesn't even know what the meeting is about. He has another droid factory to destroy, as does she. And he would much rather finish the planning of the attack with his officers than be here.

Master Imaas hums, her brow furrowed. "We shall find out then," she says, turning on her heels and doesn't wait for him as she enters the outpost.

Cody makes a displeased sound behind him, muttering, "What's her problem, sir?" Obi-Wan can't get much from his force signature - protected by shields - but he is pretty sure the Commander is displeased with Master Imaas' attitude towards him.

Obi-Wan shrugs. "Not every Jedi was happy about my appointment to the High Council."

Cody tilts his head in the equivalent of a raised eyebrow.

"I am the youngest member on the Council - at the moment - and therefore the most inexperienced. I don't fault her for not thrusting my judgment. I still have much to learn," he remarks and moves to enter the outpost, Cody at his heels.

"With all due respect, sir. I think you have earned the seat at the High Council by your actions and decisions," Cody says, protectiveness slipping from his shield that surprises Obi-Wan. He knows he earned the 212th trust long ago, but it still makes something warm unfold inside him at the protectiveness the troopers display when it comes to their respective Jedi.

He gives Cody a small smile, which hopefully isn't pained, and thanks him before moving on.

When it comes to his promotion to the Council, he knows the only reason he had been chosen is because of his strategic mind and the fact that he is the only Jedi who had been a General in recent years.

And as much as the fact pains him, he can't even argue that it was a bad decision. This way, it's easier for him to coordinate other battalions and their Jedi Generals besides his Third System Army.

He shrugs the thoughts away as they arrive at what Obi-Wan assumes is the Command center. Various displays and computers are cramped into the space of the medium-sized room with a holo-table in the middle.

"General! Commander!" Gregor salutes as soon as he notices them. "It's good to see you, sirs!"

"Hello, Captain," Obi-Wan greets and pointedly glances at Gregor's bandaged nose. "What happened?"

Gregor's grin is all teeth. "Let's just say we were not expecting the commando droids to jump us from the ceiling, and they were not expecting us to tear them apart with our bare hands."

"Good job, vod." Cody huffs a small laugh and taps Gregor's shoulder a few times.

Obi-Wan shakes his head, exasperated but not displeased.

"I believe you called us for a Council meeting, Captain," Master Imaas says from her place next to the holo-table.

"Yes and no, General," Gregor says as he moves to the control panel. "It's High Military Command who requested your presence. As to for what, I can't say."

Obi-Wan frowns automatically. There's an uncomfortable prickling heightening his senses.

He has a bad feeling about this.

Gregor taps a few buttons, and a blue figure of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine sparks to life.

"Master Kenobi, Master Imaas," the man greets them with a troubled but polite smile.

Both return the greeting, and the Chancellor cuts right to the chase. "Excuse my interruption of your campaign, but I am afraid I have a difficult task for you."

"What can we do for you, Chancellor?" Obi-Wan asks and curses the day long-range communication was invented. They are busy as it is, and he has a feeling whatever Palpatine wants will put a wrench in their plans.

And he is proven right as Palpatine continues with an apological expression plastered on his face. "I need you and your battalions to take the Capital city Maergot and slice their computers for files connecting them to the Separatists and the Senators Mirk Brench and Fle'as Gorkorns. I fear the mentioned senators are conspiring with the CIS and Count Dooku."

Obi-Wan fights the urge to curse, his blood pressure rising.

Palpatine wants them to capture the Capitol? As if it wasn't the most heavily protected target with high thick walls running around the city, making it almost impregnable. Not to mention, the whole city is ray shielded, with a battalion of droids on every street.

Entering the city is like walking into a deadly maze with blasters pointed at you at every corner.

Obi-Wan doesn't let his dismay show and says, "With all due respect Chancellor, we have already planned the attack on the Capital city as our last target due to their heavy defenses. We decided it would be best to take out the factories first so the Capital wouldn't have any chance to send for reinforcements. We can provide the files to you in three standard weeks at the earliest."

Palpatine shakes his head lightly and purses his lips. "I apologize Master Kenobi, but I am afraid I cannot wait that long. You see, Senators Brench and Gorkorns are attempting to pass legislation that can be... disruptive for the war effort and the Republic's army," he states, gravely, and glances at Cody and Gregor for emphasis.

The two troopers stiffen under his gaze but don't let it show.

"I need the files as proof of their wrongdoings as soon as possible. I fear I will be unable to delay the Senate's vote for too long," Palpatine finishes, looking troubled.

Obi-Wan crosses his hands, his mind racing through backup plans and strategies lightning fast. It's highly inconvenient. He would love to take a look at the senators' legislation, but knowing his time schedule at the moment, he highly doubts he has the time. Maybe he could comm Bail to give him a rundown of the most important points? No. He can't comm the good senator while on the campaign. Everything gets recorded, and he can't use a personal comm due to their communication outages. Maybe when he comes back to Coruscant, he'll give him a call.

Back to the taking-over-the-Capital-and-not-dying-in-the-process-plan; they will have to rearrange their plans and move certain battalions closer to the Capital to intercept any droids the still-standing factories will send as reinforcements.

He will also need at least half the 501st. Cody reported they have just finished dealing with their droid factory and should be available.

Still, this is going to be difficult.

Obi-Wan pushes down the urge to run his hand through his hair and face in frustration and asks instead, "How much time do we have?"

"One standard week," Palpatine replays, and it's like all the air leaves the room.

Well, never mind difficult. More like impossible, he thinks.

Cody and Gregor are leaking distress in the Force, and Master Imaas looks ready to protest.

And she does. "With all due respect, Chancellor, you cannot expect us to take over the most secure city on the planet in one week. It's impossible."

"I know, I did not give you a simple task, but I implore you to do it regardless," Palpatine says, looking grave and serious, "I am sure as our greatest strategist, Master Kenobi, you and Master Imaas will be able to conjure a plan that will bring us a swift victory."

Yes, from a strategic point of view, he could bring them victory over Capitol City in less than four days. But it would involve most of the troopers in his Corps dying in to process.

And his men's lives are definitely not worth whatever political game the Chancellor and the two senators are playing.

Obi-Wan glances over to Master Imaas and is glad to note, that she's leaking as much frustration and vexation in the Force as he feels before it's washed away.

He lets himself feel these feelings for a few seconds, before mercilessly pushing them into the Force. They won't help him and would only act as a distraction.

"Very well, we will do our best," Obi-Wan says, pleased his voice stays even and polite.

The Chancellor thanks them and winks out.

An uncomfortable silence descends on the command center before Master Imaas says or more like hisses, "There is no way we can meet such a deadline. You should not have agreed to this."

Obi-Wan glares at her. "I am as much displeased with the situation as you, Master Imaas, but we can't dismiss the Chancellors' demands. As head of the GAR, Palpatine can order us to take the Capital at any time, wheater we like it or not."

Any more protests she may have died in her throat. She knows he is correct.

Obi-Wan clears his throat and more calmly says, "Please call your command staff. I will contact Captain Rex and the 501st to meet us here tomorrow, and together, we will go over a new plan to take the Capital."

Master Imaas purses her lips in displeasure but doesn't protest further. Her cloak swooshes behind her as she leaves the command center.

"This is going to be a mess," Gregor grumbles into the silence.

Obi-Wan and Cody exchange a look. None of them dispute the statement.

They claimed a bigger office for the strategic planning of the attack on the Capitol. All the high-ranking officers of the 212th, 501st, and 774th with their respective Jedi Generals (minus Anakin, who is due to return in a week) are crammed into the room, standing around the holo-table displaying the map of the Capital City Maergot.

Obi-Wan wants to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration but settles for squeezing his hand under the sleeves of his cloak.

After three hours of planning, they are still unable to agree on a solid plan. Everyone is tired from fighting. Irritation and stress are leaking into the Force, and the fact they are on a time limit doesn't help.

Obi-Wan slams some of his mental shields tighter at the uncomfortable sensations and pushes calm-relax-breath - he doesn't feel - at the present troopers.

They all relax slightly, but not by much.

Maybe he could secure a shore leave for the 7th Sky Corps after they finish the campaign, Obi-Wan thinks.

He desperately needs one himself but is pretty sure he will get dragged into another Council meeting or Force forbid some military committee questioning.

"Maybe if we slowly flew through the ray shield and landed?"

"No," Barlex shuts the trooper's idea down immediately. "Even if by some miracle we flew through the shield intact, the turrets would shoot us down afterward."

"We need to infiltrate the city on the ground," Master Imaas states.

"I agree," Cody says, leaning forward on the holo-table and pointing at the map. "But the only infiltration point I can see is the blind spot in the western wall. There are no cameras, so they won't see us coming."

"And how do you propose we get over the wall?" Appo asks incredulously. "It's elektro-charged. You touch it – you die."

Obi-Wan hums, rubbing his beard. "I could lift the men over it with the Force."

Rex almost groans as he asks, "You want to throw us over the wall, sir?"

Obi-Wan hides his smile behind his hand. He is aware of how the Captain hates to be thrown with the Force. Something about Anakin excessively using the technique on Rex, but he is pretty sure Anakin does it to spite the poor trooper a little.

Ahsoka on the other hand, loves to share the holos of Rex falling from various heights. She also swore she wouldn't show them to anyone, but it's not like Obi-Wan is going to tell Rex he saw them.

And if he shared them with Cody, well, that's between him and the Force.

"Well, I wouldn't throw you," Obi-Wan replies, poorly masking his amusement at the clone's dismay, "I would carefully lift you and then position you back on the ground on the other side of the wall."

"That sounds suspiciously like throwing," Rex grumbles under his breath, and Obi-Wan graciously pretends he didn't hear that while some of the 501st men snicker.

"Anyway," Cody brings them back on track. "We'll need a diversion to reach the wall and move over it undetected."

Obi-Wan frowns in thought. The ray shield is a problem they will have to deal with during infiltration, and he states as much. But the real issues are the turrets and cannons on the city walls.

When they deactivate the shield, the mentioned machinery will have free rain over the battlefield in front of the city. Whichever battalion they send will be decimated.

They attempt to suggest alternative strategies, but none will be effective enough to take over the Capital in a week. Now six days, since they couldn't strategize until the 501st had arrived. And it will take them at least two more days to get there.

"This is getting us nowhere," Cody raises his voice to silence the arguing men.

"Cody is right," Obi-Wan agrees, frowning. "The only feasible plan we have is infiltrating the city via the western wall."

"But sir," Rex says, "who is going to act as a distraction?"

An uncomfortable silence falls over the room. Nobody wants to send their battalion to death. And they all look to him. As if he could choose so easily who should live or die.

Obi-Wan grips his hand tighter under the sleeve of his cloak until it hurts.

Jedi don't hate, but he hates this sith-dammed war. The fact, he holds so many innocent lives in his hands and has to choose over and over again who to send to their possible death.

"We will act as the distraction," Master Immas declares before Obi-Wan can make up his mind. Her Commander, Prism, straightens at her side - determination flowing around him in the Force.

"Are you sure?" Obi-Wan asks uncertainly. As much relief he feels at the fact he doesn't have to make that decision, it's clear many men in her battalion may die in the siege.

"Yes," she replays, and a small smile tugs on the corner of her lips, "as you said, my battalion and I are good at endurance. So we will endure."

Obi-Wan's eyes widen slightly in surprise to have his words echoed back, and he inclines his head at her in acknowledgment.

After that, it's a matter of minutes until they have a workable plan of attack. Half the 501st with Commander Appo will be stationed further from the capitol to intercept any droid reinforcements. The second half of the 501st, with Captain Rex, will join the 212th in infiltrating the city, and Master Immas and the 774th will provide the distraction via frontal attack.

Still, it's a rushed strategy and has too many holes to Obi-Wan's liking. Too many things can go wrong.

But they don't have time to make a better plan.

May the Force be with them all.

Chapter Text

It took them four days of relentless fighting to reach the Capitol City Maergot. The defense perimeter around the city was so well organized, Obi-Wan would be impressed if it didn't take them an extra day and a half to take down the turrets alone.

Fortunately, from then on, their strategy proves effective.

With the droids distracted - thanks to Master Imaas' frontal attack - getting to the western wall undetected is relatively simple.

The wall is exceptional up close, built from reddish stone commonly found on the planet. It's about twenty meters high and five meters thick. An electrified metal net, similar to chainmail, is running along the entire length of the wall, making it a formidable defense for the Capital city.

Lucky for them, there are no cameras or turrets. But just to be sure there aren't any surprises waiting for them on the other side, Obi-Wan places his ungloved hand a few centimeters above the wall. The stone feels cold and ruff even from a distance.

He closes his eyes, frowning lines forming on his face in focus. With a deep breath, he lets the Force guide him and attempts to sense if there is any movement of patrolling droids or sentient beings on the other side.

After a few minutes of concentration, he opens his eyes and shifts his attention back to the troopers behind him.

“We are good to go,” he confirms to Cody and Rex, who nod in sync.

Cody steps closer to the wall as Rex and other troopers back off a few meters.

Obi-Wan lifts his hands and focuses his senses on Cody. “Ready, Commander?”

“Always,” Cody replies, his excitement and determination flowing from him in the Force. He shifts his legs and crosses his hands above his chest so they wouldn't dangle in the air.

Somehow, Obi-Wan has a feeling Cody is grinning inside his helmet.

He gives him a wink and grips the Commander with the Force, lifting him in the air with a whoosh.

Involuntarily, the corners of his lips lift in amusement when some 501st troopers exclaim in alarm at the speed he tossed Cody in the air.

For some reason, most of the 212th enjoy it when they practice flight training. This cannot be said for the 501st - Anakin's fault, probably.

He levitates Cody to the edge of the wall and stops - giving him a clear sight of the area behind it. Cody surveys the location, for a few seconds, before signing All clear using battle signs.

Obi-Wan closes his eyes, brow furrowing in concentration, and levitates his Commander on the other side, spreading his senses wider to make sure he doesn't accidentally bump into the side of the wall and electrocutes Cody.

Fortunately, it goes without a hitch, and he positions the Commander smoothly on the ground.

Cody had to confirm he was safe and sound delivered on the other side through the comm system inside his helmet because the troopers bleed relief and smugness in the Force.

“So who's next?” Obi-Wan asks, and Waxer steps forward, excited.

Obi-Wan keeps levitating troopers over the wall one by one, but it's quite unrealistic for him to do that for the entire 212th Attack Battalion, consisting of more than five hundred troopers and half the 501st Legion having even more men.

Fortunately, during the planning stage of their infiltration, someone suggested using a heavy laser cutter to cut the entrance into the wall. The only problem with the idea was that it required a laser cutter on both sides of the wall because of its thickness as well as the time required.

Birm and Sinks – laser cutter specialists – were lifted over the wall after a full squad of the 212th has secured the area in case any uninvited droids showed up, while Nala and Mix started the cutting on their side.

Obi-Wan continues to levitate troopers over the wall, regardless, to strengthen their numbers in case something goes wrong.

He positions Longshot on the ground and opens his eyes, glancing at his next victim. “Your turn Captain,” he says, trying not to show his amusement at Rex's dismay.

“Ehm, I think I will wait for the entrance if you don't mind, sir,” Rex stutters, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“Vod,” Gregor grunts and elbows Rex to the side between his armor plates, making the Captain stumble. “It's not rocket science. Don't be a tubie.”

“I am not a tubie,” Rex grumbles in annoyance, “I just don't like being tossed like a bag of potatoes.”

Gregor tilts his head in a gesture equal to rolling his eyes. ”Just watch and learn, vod'ika,” he exclaims with glee and moves to the empty spot. “Ready when you are, General.”

Obi-Wan shakes his head in amusement and does as requested, lifting the Commando Captain over the wall.

Gregor had to say something rude to Rex through their comms because the men around them snickered, and Rex straightens in a challenge, stepping into the vacated spot.

“Fine,” the Captain snaps and nods at Obi-Wan. “I am next, General.”

Obi-Wan doesn't ask and quickly weighs an idea to mess with Rex and toss him into the air like he did Cody, but decides against it. The poor Captain survives enough throwing on a regular basis by Anakin.

He grips Rex with the Force and slowly lifts him into the air. He can feel the Captain suppress a yelp at the sudden weightlessness and sends relax-peace-safe at him through the Force.

The whole process goes a bit slower than usual, to make it more comfortable for the Captain. Sensing when Rex nears the ground, he gingerly sets him back on his feet.

Relief and surprise colors the Force, radiating from the 501st Captain. He presumably didn't expect the experience can be pleasant.

Anakin has the brute force to move anything he wants but often lacks precision, making his show of power grand but messy.

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, has precision but usually lacks strength. He gets drained faster and oftentimes treads at the edge of Force-exhaustion.

Case in point, he stops after thirty men are on the other side to preserve his strength and waits for the laser cutter to do its job.

It doesn't take as long as they initially thought, and the hole is successfully cut into the wall.

“Took you long enough,” Cody says as a way of greeting when Obi-Wan arrives on the other side.

He shoots the Commander a small smirk and redirects the conversation back on track. “What's the situation?”

Cody dutifully answers, professional as always. “The area is clear so far, sir. I sent Waxer and Boil to scout ahead. They have reposted a squad of droids two blocks from here to the east and another three blocks south.”

Obi-Wan hums, muling the inforamtion over. It's what they expected and shouldn't be a problem.

They spit into companies, each having its own objective to accomplish. Captain Rex and Torrent will take care of the ray shield. Captain Gregor and Foxtrot with additional troops will secure the droid command center. Sergant Barlex and his company will take the power generator powering the city and the droid-charging station. Captain Blink and Lieutenant Jesse with the rest of the 501st will start to mop up the droids in the streets. And Obi-Wan, Cody, and Ghost Company will secure the High Magistrate Palace.

They move out, walking down a street and sniping any droids in their way before they have time to report them to the command center.

At some point, Obi-Wan orders Waxer, Boil, and Longshot to take the high ground to scout ahead to inform them which streets to either avoid because there are too many droids for direct assault or to find them a better root and give them the element of surprise over the unsuspecting droids.

The Capitol city Maergot is decorated by many historical buildings spotting complicated ornaments and tall windows with balconies. Pots with flowers of all colors can be seen on every window and entrance door.

The inhabitants – humans or near humans - mostly stay out of their way as soon as they notice them, locking their doors and closing windows. They aren't exactly hostile towards troopers, just weary and uncertain as to what's happening.

A pang of guilt sears in Obi-Wan's chest at the realization that many parts of the city may be destroyed in the fight with the droids as the machines have no compulsion to preserve the historical value of the buildings, not to mention sentient life.

He pushes the thought aside to meditate on later and focuses back on the moment, leading his man through a narrow alley.

Cody freezes at his side, and Obi-Wan is suddenly assaulted by the Force screaming danger in his mind.

He whips his head up and hears what had his Commander stop in his tracks. The enhanced sensors in his helmet had to register the sound in advance.

“Droidekas! Take cover!” Cody shouts, and the men move in an instant, ducking behind walls where they can as the droidekas roll into ready position on the high rooftop.

Obi-Wan deflects the first shots fired, shielding the last men scrambling for cover, which is hard to come by in the narrow alley.

He ducks behind a wall where Cody is hiding as another three droidekas roll into position on the opposite rooftop - effectively cutting them off.

Cody curses at his side, firing his blaster at the droids, which does nothing against their shields.

Obi-Wan is about to jump on the rooftop, hoping the rain of plasma won't hit him, when he feels a familiar force signatures approaching.

He pulls Cody by his elbow behind the wall - with a grunt of protest from the Commander.

Cody glances at him, his helmet tilting in silent question.

“I believe our rescue has arrived,” Obi-Wan responds with a smug smirk.

“Rescue?” Cody asks, perplexed, and as if on cue, the first droideka falls from the roof, shattering on the stone ground.

A small explosion is heard not long after, and two more droidekas fall from the roof.

It doesn't take long, and all droids are destroyed.

Ghosts reemerge out of their hiding spots, puzzled, looking up.

Waxer, Boil, and Longshot wave from the rooftop, proud and smug, as Boil shouts, “Heard you were hopeless without us and needed a little assistance!”

The troopers cheer for their brothers for a job well done.

Obi-Wan glances at Cody, who runs a hand down his helmet, suppressing a groan and mumbling something about, “They will never let it live it down,” and “Should have left them with Rex.”

The rest of their journey is as eventful as they expected. They take down every droid in their path and emerge just at the edge of the city square to the High Magistrate Palace.

Unfortunately, but not unsurprisingly, there is a full battalion of droids with two tanks stationed in the square, protecting the Palace.

The only good news is that they haven't spotted them yet, but it's just a matter of time.

“Do we have a plan for how to deal with that?” Waxer asks, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the square.

“I might have a plan,” Obi-Wan says thoughtfully, his hand automatically lifting to scratch at his beard.

“No.” Cody, Waxer, Boil, and five more troopers exclaim in sync, jolting Obi-Wan from his musing, making his eyebrows meet his hairline in surprise.

“But you haven't even heard-,”

“If the plan of yours involves you, in any way, acting as a diversion, facing all droids by yourself, the answer is no, sir,” Cody cuts him off, hands crossed in disapproval.

Well, either Cody suddenly acquired force sensitivity in the past five minutes and is able to read his thoughts, or Obi-Wan is becoming terribly transparent with his tactics.

He glances at his Commander and then turns to all the troopers in the little circle they are standing in, seeing Cody's expression mirrored on all their faces.

He squashes the urge the scoff in annoyance. As much as he appreciates his men's protectiveness, he would rather face the droids alone than have them risk their lives unnecessarily.

He can handle this.

“It will work,” Obi-Wan reasons, undeterred, his voice even. “With the droids focused on me, you can slip past them and take care of the tanks from behind.”

It's a reasonable tactic, they all know it, but going by the stiffness and discomfort in the Force they are clearly unhappy about it.

Cody purses his lips, a calculating spark in his eyes. “Fine,” he proclaims, “but I am positioning snipers around the square to snipe out the droids to reduce their numbers and to watch your back.”

“Agreed,” Obi-Wan says readily, and they swiftly finish the rest of their planning.

Okay, maybe this wasn't such a great idea, Obi-Wan thinks as he deflects another blaster shot aimed at his head. But like hell, he is going to admit that to anyone.

The droids are splitting up, creating a circle around him. If it wasn't for the snipers, he's sure he would be dead by now.

Maybe, he overestimated how many droids he is comfortable dealing with at once.

Oh, well, too late to contemplate that now.

At least the tanks are not firing at him, probably unable to hit a quickly-moving target.

His limbs aching, he lets himself sink deeper into the Force. The cosmic energy welcomes him like an old friend and powers his every movement. He flows from one kata to the next, deflecting the fire back at the droids as much as he can.

A searing pain under his knee jerks him from concentration and unbalances his movements for a few seconds before he regains his composure again.

Four droids fall in quick succession to sniper shots on his left, saving him from an embarrassing death.

He will have to thank the snipers, he files the thought for later and cuts three droids on his right, severing them in the abdomen.

Another plasma shot passes too close to his bad knee for comfort, but this time, he spins away in time to dodge it.

Sweat is gathering on his forehead and starting to slip into his vision. He ignores the discomfort and jumps over five droids, escaping the circle and cutting them with swift moves of his saber as soon as he lands.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have any time to catch his breath when the other five droids show up just behind him out of nowhere.

Without thought, he pushes them with the Force to create more breathing room, but even his energy levels are getting depleaded with the constant fighting.

Hurry up, Cody!

As if his wish was heard, the two tanks explode with an earth-shattering sound, making his ears ring. He jumps behind a pile of shattered droids so the debris won't hit him and waits for the dust to settle.

Sensing something approaching, he ducks out of his cover and decapitates two staggering droids. Their sensors had to get damaged in the explosion.

More blaster fire echoes through the square before silence falls all around him.

The smoke settles some more, and Obi-Wan runs a hand over his eyes and forehead to clear the sweat from his vision.

Droid parts are littering the scorched ornamented ground everywhere he looks. It's an unfortunate sight, even with most, if not all, of his men surviving the fight. Which is just about the only positive outcome he can think of.

At this point, all the campaigns feel the same. Same death and destruction. The same smell of blood, smoke, and burnt flesh.

Sometimes he feels like he is stuck in a loop, he doesn't know how to escape.

The exhaustion slowly settles in, with the adrenaline declining, and with a whump, he quite ungracefully sits on the ground where he stands.

His tabards are charged and dusty anyway.

He spreads the leg with a bad knee in a more comfortable position. Fortunately, the blaster bolt didn't hit it directly, only a centimeter or two lower. With hands in his lap, he breathes deeply and releases his pain and fatigue into the Force.

Cody and a trooper with a medical symbol on his pauldron - must be Splint, he thinks - jog to his side.

“Are you all right, sir?” Cody asks, concerned, as they crouch next to him.

Splint wastes no time poking at his scorched leg, making Obi-Wan grimace at the rush of pain.

“I will live,” Obi-Wan responds in a hoarse voice and coughs to clear it. “Sitrep?”

Cody lets the diversion slide and dutifully answers, “Both tanks were successfully destroyed, as well as the droid battalion. So far we have about fifteen men lightly injured. There are no KIAs.”

Obi-Wan sighs in relief, even as something at the edge of his mind is telling him something is off.

It feels too easy.

He shrugs the thought away - blaming it on exhaustion.

At the sudden electrical sound, they all look up.

The blue light of the ray shields over their heads flickers a few times before it deactivates, letting the setting sun bathe the square in warm colors.

“Rex had to finish his mission then,” Cody states absentmindedly, but Obi-Wan can feel the pride he feels for his little brother.

Cody's comm chirms, and he activates it to hear the message through his helmet speakers, his brow furrowing with every word he hears.

“What's wrong?” Obi-Wan inquires and winces when Splint applies bacta to his injury.

“Hea'l Rimingent barricaded himself in the Palace,” Cody answers, ”and refuses to surrender.”

Hea'l Rimingent - Obi-Wan searches his memory - is part of the Falian Prime's fraction of people who disagree with their current policies and their Prime Minister. The fraction joined the Separatists in the belief that with their backing, the fraction will be able to obtain a better life for their people.

The sentiment is rather common amongst other planets having similar ideas of what joining the Separatists entails. However, they don't realize, what the price for such power is, until it's too late, and their resources are depleaded and their people sold into slavery.

Obi-Wan waits for Spint to finish bandaging his knee. The medic critically scrutinizes his work one last time and nods to himself before he says, “You should let your knee rest for a few days before jumping into any action again, sir.”

Obi-Wan hums an agreeing sound before saying, in the most sarcastic voice possible, “Oh course, my dear. Let me just take care of the Palace situation, and then I will let my knee rest.”

Splint makes a despairing noise that all his work will be undone, while Obi-Wan tries to stand up on his own. “Helix and Bones won't like this, sir!”

Cody huffs at his unsuccessful attempt and reaches his hand for Obi-Wan to take.

He accepts the help gracefully, his knee protesting at the abrupt weight, but he pushes the discomfort into the Force.

With regaining his balance, he straightens to his full high, injury forgotten, and turns to Cody, ignoring any more protests the medic might have. “Commander, please assemble a platoon and find me schematics of the palace.”

“Yessir,” Cody replies readily, still supporting him with one hand.

The Palace raid goes well.

The old schematics they found displayed a forgotten tunnel system under the Palace that might have, once upon a time, served as secret passages to and out of the building.

They had to tear down a wall to access it, but from there on, the lasting droids didn't stand a chance with the element of surprise on their side.

Obi-Wan takes the point deflecting the fire while his men shoot the droids. They work in sync so well that it's a meditation all on its own. A battle meditation the Jedi of old might have called it. It's still strange to fall into such a calm state of mind doing something violent but also freeing in a way he can't explain.

They fight their way to the entrance of the ceremonial room, this time protected by two commando droids.

Obi-Wan dodges the droid's sword in an attempt to stab at his throat and ducks into a spin, cutting the droid in half. Then he stabs its head, as well, because the annoying machine won't die until its processing unit is fried.

He glances to his left but doesn't need to worry. Cody and Waxer have the second commando well in hand or, well, in pieces that is.

With a nod in their direction, he heads towards the elegantly ornamented door. The rim is made of gold, surrounding a hand-painted scene - he would love to study more closely someday.

Reaching the Force, he lets his awareness expand beyond his immediate surroundings, sensing one sentient and at least four more droids behind the door.

He opens his eyes and uses battle signs to sign Four Droids One Person to his troops so he isn't heard through the door, even though the commotion had to alert them if the previous droids haven't already.

With his platoon in ready positions, he pushes the door open with a little assistence from the Force.

They storm into the ceremonial room, shooting the commando droids in an instant - their medal bodies clutter to the ground, lifeless.

Hea'l Rimingent backs a few steps away, holding a blaster. “Don't move or I will shoot!” he declares, brows furrowed in anger, but his eyes are slightly widened. Fear and desperation are bleeding from the young man in the Force.

He's definitely at least ten years younger than Obi-Wan, with dark blue-green hair and soft yellow skin. His blue coat had seen better days but nicely frames his determined posture. His left brow has a cut almost meeting his hairline.

Not his fist fight then.

Either way, this is just a boy trying to do what he believes is best for his people. Everything about him screams - a scared child who had seen too much.

And they have just barged in like a killing squad, Obi-Wan realizes with a pinch of guilt.

He signals his man to hold position and lower their blasters as he disengages his lightsaber, hooking it to his belt.

“Hea'l Rimingent, I presume,” Obi-Wan says as a way of greeting, bowing slightly - making sure it's not interpreted as mockery. He holds his hands in a placating gesture - to not spook the young adult.

“General Kenobi,” the young man replies, not lowering his blaster with his finger on the trigger. “You have invaded foreign soil, and as a representative of Falian Prime, I request you to leave,” Rimingent continues, his voice trembling slightly, but he handles the situation admirably, given his circumstances.

Obi-Wan lets his hands fall slowly, telegraphing his movements so the boy doesn't think he is reaching for his lightsaber. “I apologize for barging in, Mister Rimingent, but your Prime Minister invited us in order to liberate Falian Prime from Separatist's control,” he says in an even tone of voice.

“Leunton is not my Prime Minister!” Rimingent's snarls, adjusting the grip on his blaster, to which Obi-Wan doesn't react. “He stole from our people! Rigged the election so he would get the position and then proceeded to make deals with slavers and mining corporations, plugging our planet into despair!”

“I see,” Obi-Wan says after a moment and doesn't dispute the statement. He isn't versed well enough in Falian Prime's politics to know if what Rimingent is saying is the truth. However, the boy firmly believes it is, going by his force presence.

“May I ask?” Obi-Wan gambles.

Rimingent looks puzzled, shifting his weight slightly, but nods in agreement.

“You seem like a smart man, and I don't think, you are enjoying being under the Seperatis's thumb.” He had to guess right because every time he mentioned the CIS, Rimingent's signature got prickly. “Why did you join them?”

Rimingent's hold on the blaster wavers when he looks at the ground, radiating guilt and sorrow into the Force.

“I-,” the boy searches for the right words, and Obi-Wan waits patiently.

After a few seconds, Rimingent looks back at him, and answers, “ I thought by joining them, our fraction would get autonomy, maybe our own government if we couldn't run re-election and topple Leunton.”

He shakes his head, biting his lip before admitting, “But it all went wrong... The CIS – they are even worse than Leunton!”

“And by the time you realized it was too late,” Obi-Wan adds - not unkind.

Rimingent glances at Obi-Wan, his green eyes shining with sorrow. “Yes.”

Obi-Wan feels like he needs more information, and his leg is starting to protest at standing for too long.

He nods to himself and asks, “Would you be open to negotiating with me?”

Rimingent's brows furrow together in bewilderment as he shifts his weight, unsure. “What do you mean?”

Obi-Wan sighs and cocks his head to the side, giving the young adult a small smile. “I believe we found ourselves in a stalemate, and I have a feeling we need to talk more. Also, my knee is killing me,” he says, gesturing at his bandaged leg.

Rimingent open's his mouth in silent Oh, surprise and something like hope flowing from him.

“Can I keep my blaster?” he asks as he lowers the said weapon.

“No,” Cody cuts in before Obi-Wan has any chance to answer. He wouldn't mind if he kept it, but understandably, his Commander has some reservations about that.

Rimingent freezes at Cody's voice - like he had forgotten they weren't alone.

“I apologize,” Obi-Wan says, shooting a quick glance at his Commander, who doesn't relent one bit. “Commander Cody doesn't like when I negotiate with armed dignitaries. But I can surrender my lightsaber to him, as well, if it makes you more comfortable.”

Obi-Wan can feel Cody thinking deliberately loudly to show him how much he disapproves of that idea. So he does the only thing he can and grins at his Commander in retaliation, holding up his lightsaber to take it.

Cody probably rolls his eyes under his helmet but takes the saber and clips it to his belt.

Obi-Wan always wanted to ask when exactly he got the saber clip but pushed the thought to the to-do-later-list.

In the meantime, Waxer takes Rimingent's blaster, switching the safety on.

“Oh, before we start,” Obi-Wan remembers, “would you mind deactivating the droid in the city and the front gate of the capitol, so I will be able to order my troops to stand down?”

Rimingent nods but purses his lips anxiously. “I can turn off the droid in the city,” he hesitates for a moment, biting his lip, before continuing, “but the droids outside are not under my command. I can't stop them.”

Alarm bell ring in Obi-Wan's head as he asks, “Who commands the droids at the gate?”

Rimingent hesitates again but answers, “General Grievous.”

All color drains from Obi-Wan's face at the answers.

Grievous is here?

According to their Intelligence Committee, he should be halfway across the galaxy. Not here!

But as always, their intelligence is unreliable! Of course, it is.

Obi-Wan shoves his panic, anger, and irritation into the Force and grabs his comm, dialing Master Imaas' number.

The call doesn't connect, and his panic rises anew. As skilled as the Kriffar Master is, she had never faced Grievous before.

She has to be too far to connect with the communication outages.

He turns to Cody, ordering, “Commander, get me-,” but his Commander is one step ahead of him.

"Already on it," Cody interrupts as he rapidly relays orders to the rest of his men through his helmet's comm.

After a few minutes that feel like years, the Commander curses under his breath in Mando'a, and Obi-Wan's stomach drops.

"We are unable to open the comm line to General Imaas, but I have some information," Cody explains, and Obi-Wan gestures his hand for him to continue.

“General Grievous has decimated part of General Imaas' battalion before she had the opportunity to engage him,” Cody reports, a flicker of anger in his voice, “She suffered an injury to her arm and is currently treated by medics. Commander Prism reported that Grievous has escaped after losing a bigger part of his droid battalion to an explosion.”

Obi-Wan keeps his breathing even as he absorbs the information.

Master Imaas is injured but alive. That's good.

A little knot of anxiety unties in his stomach at the knowledge.

Her battalion, however, was in a difficult position even before Grievous showed up, dealing with turrets and cannons with little space for cover. There have to be many injured.

There have to be many dead.

General Grievous has decimated part of General Imaas' battalion... Cody said.

Grievous is a force of death and destruction on a good day. Wielding the lightsabres of Obi-Wan's dead siblings the cyborg himself slaughtered. The 774th was in no way prepared for that kind of opponent.

He forcefully pushes the anger aside.

“Cody,” Obi-Wan says, doing his best to keep his voice even, “recall all our available medics to the front gate and send Barlex's and Rex's company to help the 774th mop up the rest of Grievous' droids.”

“Yessir,” the Commander nods and gets to work.

Glancing around, he notices that Rimingent is still standing where he was before, unmoving, radiating concern and worry.

Obi-Wan would like nothing more than run to the front gate and help his men, but they are competent and can handle this without him hovering by their side. He has to let medics do their job and prey that many of the injured men survive.

Taking a deep breath, he runs a hand through his hair.

He has a negotiation to start.

Chapter Text

The negotiations take a whole night. Hea'l Rimingent calls some of his advisors for assistance who had escaped long before Obi-Wan and the 212th made it into the High Magistrate Palace.

All of them come to somewhat of an understanding and create a rough sketch for a treaty Obi-Wan will have to present to the Senate.

He actually hopes to delegate the task to some other Jedi, just so he can avoid the building and all the power-hungry politicians altogether. Not to mention the reporters who are circling the Senate Dome like vultures, waiting for their pound of flesh.

They will also have to do something about the current Prime Minister, who by presenting evidence - thanks to Rimingent's fraction - is definitely corrupt.

Because, of course, he is. Obi-Wan could count on one hand how many politicians he knows are actually decent people.

However, the issue with the Prime Minister will fall to another unfortunate Jedi, who will replace Obi-Wan and finishes the negotiations after they depart.

He sighs and closes his eyes for a moment, trying to push out all the sound around him to lessen the headache creeping behind his temples.

The hover truck, some of his men found, bumps several times on their way to the front gate, making an annoying clanking sound. Cody is sitting right beside him, typing something into his wrist comm - busy dealing with their fleet, no doubt.

After Grievous ran away from the battle against the 774th Siedge Battalion - like the coward he is - his fleet in orbit did a number on the 7th Sky's Venators to cover his escape off planet.

He even left his vulture droids behind as a parting gift that did unrepairable damage to General Sindi's flagship, forcing him to evacuate to a different Venator.

Luckily the casualties were nowhere as bad as on the ground.

Obi-Wan takes another deep breath as the hover truck slows down and stops.

He knows what is waiting for him outside.

He started feeling it half an hour ago, and as they got closer, the feeling just grew in intensity.

Cody bumps his shoulder gently, and Obi-Wan opens his eyes, steeling himself for the inevitable.

He steps out of the hover track into the mudded ground, skimming around.

The sight that greets him is heart-shattering.

His chest tightens and he doesn't know if he wants to cry or hunt Grievous down and punch him in the face.

Troopers from various battalions are milling around, most of them from the 774th Siege Battalion. Many are bandaged, their armor heavily scourged with dried blood visible from behind the plastoid pieces. Some are crippled, limping as they walk. Brothers from different battalions are assisting them so they wouldn't topple over.

Cody approaches a seemingly uninjured 774th trooper with a missing pouldron and asks him something Obi-Wan doesn't register.

There are at least three med tents he can see. He opens himself to the Force to guide him and immediately flinches from the assault of pain-misery-anger-rage-hopelessness battering against his mind.

He shuts his mental shields down reflexively and starts again - slower this time.

The sensation of copper and blood gets stuck in his mouth, but it's more manageable than before.

He walks in the direction of the nearest med tent. Cots are spread out everywhere, but there are still not enough of them. Some are occupied by two or three men with lighter injuries, to spare the other cots for brothers who are unable to stand or even move.

Medics from various battalions are running around in organized chaos, but even they can't tend to all the injured men.

Looking at them through the Force, some are holding on to life by a single thread. They are beyond even the force-healer's help, Obi-Wan realizes sorrowfully.

The medics have to know this as well because they sidestep them or only offer painkillers as they pass.

Obi-Wan's stomach revolts at the pain-despair-misery he feels flooding the med tent and is glad he didn't eat anything in the morning, or the contents of his stomach would be on the floor right now.

However, pain is a sensation he knows intimately well. Pain, he can deal with.

He makes a beeline towards the closest man - his life slipping away - and crouches next to their cot.

The trooper has an ugly stomach wound, and his left arm is badly scourged. He is shivering slightly, sweat dripping from his forehead. Still, he looks young, oh, so young, the sight makes Obi-Wan's eyes water. It's so easy to forget that the oldest clones are seventeen years old.

He swallows his grief, burying it deep down where it belongs. He is not here to spread more hopelessness after all and gets to work.

Reaching his hand, Obi-Wan lays it on the trooper's forehead, stroking his greasy hair in comfort. He opens his senses, ignoring the discomforting elements, and finds the little green thread representing the trooper's life.

It's dimming by the second, agonizing misery surrounding it. Obi-Wan grips the thread gingerly, flooding it with his own light, and chasing the pain away.

The trooper stops shivering under his hand, his muscles relaxing gradually.

Obi-Wan can sense his gratitude as if he knows someone is helping him and thanks him in kind for his service and sacrifice.

The trooper breathes a few more breaths before his light winks out, the green thread turning into ash in Obi-Wan's mindscape.

He takes a shuddering breath and opens his eyes. The trooper, his name he didn't even know, is one with the Force now. And finally, at peace.

He strokes the boy's hair one more time before releasing his grief into the Force and moves on to another trooper.

Death is never a pleasant sensation, and sometimes being an empath is more of a curse than a blessing.

Obi-Wan doesn't even realize he is crying until Bones bumps into him.

The trooper, whom he currently has helped pass into the Force, is spread before him, his left side badly burned, but Obi-Wan thinks he died due to the head wound near his diamond-shaped tattoo.

Bones doesn't comment and hands him a tissue.

For a second, Obi-Wan is confused as to why, but then he quickly realizes his cheeks are damped.

He takes the tissue with quiet thanks, his voice raspy for some reason. And as he wipes his face, he is infinitely grateful, he happens to be sitting in a corner of the med tent, and therefore his slip in composure goes unnoticed.

He hands the tissue back, but Bones doesn't take it and crosses his hands in displeasure instead.

Obi-Wan glares at him, daring him to comment. If the medic thinks, he is going to be intimidated and stops assisting the troopers' passing more peacefully, he is greatly mistaken.

Bones relents, his eyes softening as he sighs. He squeezes Obi-Wan shoulder and leaves him to his self-assigned task.

After an undetermined amount of time, Bones had to get fed up with him haunting the med tent because Cody showed up not long after he helped the last trooper in critical condition pass.

Obi-Wan doesn't even know how he made it to the command tent, but somehow, he was there, sitting on a crate in the corner.

His senses feel numb, and his energy levels are depleted. The noise around him mashes together into static.

He did all he could, he knows, but grief is so deeply embedded in his bones, he can't help but feel like he should have done more.

He shakes his head as if that would help chase those thoughts away. Instead, it just aggravates his spitting headache.

Death is the only constant in war, no matter how hard he tries to avoid it.

He made peace with the fact long ago. But knowing something and understanding it doesn't mean his heart doesn't ache with every life lost.

He is so very tired.

Sighing, his hands reach to massage his temples, wishing the headache to subside.

Cody makes his way back to his side, but he doesn't even notice until the Commander is pressing a hot cup of tea - hopefully - in his hands.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan murmurs, letting the warmth of the cup seep through his fingers.

"Don't mention it," Cody says softly, cradling his own cup as he sits on the opposite crate from him.

They lapse into companionable silence, and Obi-Wan is just grateful for his Commander's steadfast and reliable presence. Cody feels like a rock in a river - strong and resilient but also light and warm like the sunrise.

Letting the warmth wash away the death and suffering penetrating his core, Obi-Wan basks in his Commander's company.

He raises the still-warm cup to his lips, not expecting a bitter taste to meet his tongue. He fights the urge to spit the liquid out and swallows it against his throat revolting protest.

Unfortunately, he can't help but erupt into a coughing fit, the terrible taste not leaving his mouth.

“Kriff,” Cody curses, “sorry, wrong cup.” Immediately, he takes the drink from Obi-Wan, so he can finish coughing without spilling the offending liquid.

“What was that?” he clears his throat before asking.

“GAR issued caff - new bland,” the Commander responds, and hands Obi-Wan his tea.

He wastes no time drinking it, washing away the awful taste.

“That is... disgusting,” Obi-Wan can't help but point out.

“It can't be that bad,” Gregor says as he materializes out of nowhere, making them both startle in surprise.

He snatches the cup with a half-hearted protest from Cody and takes a deep gulp.

Obi-Wan makes a disgusted face at the amount the Captain just swallowed.

Gregor purses his lips afterward, letting Cody take back the caff as he contemplates the verdict.

“I was wrong,” he deadpans and turns on his heels, striding to exit the command tent.

Obi-Wan huffs a startled laugh and gives Cody a pointed look.

“You like it?” he asks as his stomach twists at the idea of drinking more of the fuel oil called caff in Cody's hands.

It's not like he didn't drink the GAR caff before, but he thinks this new flavor could be used as an effective torture method. Force, let Dooku never find out that his greatest weakness is the new GAR-issued blend of caff.

The Commander shrugs and takes a sip before answering, “I am getting used to it. Besides, it keeps me awake.”

Obi-Wan shakes his head lightly in dismay.

Suddenly, an idea comes to his mind.

“Commander, dear,” Obi-Wan says to get his full attention, “next time we are on Coruscant, you and I,” he gestures between them, ”are going to a proper Caffee shop, so you understand how real caff should taste.”

“Real caff?” Cody asks, bemused.

“Yes, because whatever liquid you have in that cup cannot be qualified as caff.”

Cody scoffs at the insult to his drink but subsides. “All right, I will hold you to that, sir.”

Satisfied, Obi-Wan continues drinking his tea and ponders which coffee shop he will take his Commander to.

The campaign continues at a calmer pase, with the Capitol somewhat captured and Rimingent sending a shutdown signal to all droids he had access to.

The droid factories, however, they still have to deal with, and Obi-Wan is all too glad to give the task to Anakin and Ahsoka after their arrival.

Ahsoka, he is proud to hear, had passed her finals with flying colors. She then followed Anakin to Naboo and assisted him with guarding the Chancellor and certain Senator of Naboo.

When Obi-Wan asked how Padmé was doing, the young knight pretended he didn't hear him and went to fetch Commander Appo to prepare for their assault on the droid factory. Seriously, how Anakin can think the two of them are anywhere near the word subtle is beyond Obi-Wan's understanding.

He would like to talk to him about his relationship with Padmé at some point. But he is unsure if he should push the subject. Every time he does, Anakin goes into angry overprotective mode and storms out of the room.

It's so difficult to talk to him sometimes.

The little boy from Tattooine, who used to share every detail he found fascinating, is nowhere in sight anymore, and Obi-Wan mourns the loss.

Still, Anakin can't avoid the topic forever.

Refocusing his attention back on the data pad in his hand, Obi-Wan is glad to find that Generals Bo'Anord and Naloa with her padawan successfully destroyed their assigned factories.

Joining their respective battalions turned out to be a correct move because their casualties were more manageable. They were even able to send a few medics to the Capitol to help tend to the 774th men, for which Obi-Wan is grateful.

He skims through more reports and signs various documents before forwarding them to Coruscant.

Some of the 212th slicers found the information and deals with the CIS, which the Chancellor wanted as proof against Senators Brench and Gorkorns. Obi-Wan had to go back to the long-range communication outpost to transmit that as well, before they got access to the Capital's long-range communication station.

He attempts to read through a few more reports, but the words blur together. Maybe it's time for a break.

As he stands up. Cody notices his movement and looks at him questioningly.

They have both been at this for hours now. Sometimes the after-battle reports are worst to deal with than actual fighting. He can stab a droid with his lightsaber, but he can't cut the data pad to small pieces no matter how much he wants to.

“I think I am going to get a ration bar from the mess,” Obi-Wan says, realizing he barely ate anything the whole day. “Want me to bring you something?”

Cody puts his own pad down, straightens in his seat, and winces when his back cracks quite loudly.

“I would like to join you if you don't mind, sir. I think I need to take a walk. The data-work is starting to give me a headache,” Cody remarks.

“Your company is always welcome, my dear Commander,” Obi-Wan responded and holds the flap of the command tent for him.

Cody rolls his eyes at him in an exaggerated gesture. He grabs his helmet before he ducks from the tent, Obi-Wan following behind him.

CODY

They don't walk more than fifteen meters when they hear a commotion happening.

They exchange a confused glance before striding towards the shouts.

The commotion turns out to be an argument between some of Cody's vod'e and 774th men.

He instantly recognizes Boil (to Cody's surprise Waxer is nowhere in sight), who shouts something at the 774th trooper - Captain Burst Cody recognizes by his dark green armor. Burst shoves Boil, making the Sergeant stumble and fall to the ground.

Gregor takes offense and steps between Boil and Burst, grabbing the latter by his breastplate. Gregor is not a small man - being a Commando Captain - he isn't an easy opponent to fight against. Without much trouble, he lifts Burst a few centimeters from the ground.

A 774th trooper - Cody doesn't recognize - grabs onto Gregor's hand, trying to dislodge his hold on struggling Captain Burst.

Jesse and Fives go to stop him, making the other two 774th troopers join the squabble.

It starts to become a full-blown brawl by the time General Kenobi and Cody arrive at the scene.

The troopers hurl insults and curses at each other, not aware of their surroundings and the two highest-ranking officers watching them.

The General crosses his hands, looking unimpressed and waiting for the troopers to notice them.

Cody locks his jaw tight, shutting his mental shields down so as to not project his murderous thoughts. He is going to run them through so many drills they wish they were born as protocol droids.

They both grow impatient at their men's ignorance, so Kenobi snaps, “Would somebody care to explain what is going on here?”

At the sound of his accented voice, the troopers stumble over their feet as they scramble into formation, eyes wide, back straight as a ruller.

As they should have three minutes ago, Cody grits his teeth.

None dare to speak, and Cody nor Kenobi feel obliged to break the silence, letting them sweat.

They should know better than to pull this kind of osik, especially the high-ranking officers.

“The General asked you a question,” Cody snarls, his patience at its end.

After a beat of silence, Gregor speaks first, not lacking a spine. “We had a disagreement, sir,” he reports, his voice raspy with a hint of anger.

Kenobi raises a brow in question, keeping his silence. If Cody had learned anything about negotiation tactics from his General, it was that his opponents often wanted to fill the awkward silence with words, usually spilling more information than they intended.

In the end, Fives is the one to break first. Rex would be ashamed. “The 774th were being disrespectful, tarnishing your name, sir.”

The men in question stiffen at the accusation but don't dispute it.

Cody is going to strangle them.

Kenobi doesn't take offense. Instead, his hand lifts to rub at his beard as he shifts his gaze to the 774th men. “What do you have to say for yourselves, gentlemen?”

Captain Burst purses his lips and swallows before stepping forward. “Apologies, sir, from my men and I. We didn't mean no disrespect,” he lies, ”We were upset about our assignment when you ordered us to attack the front gate without any reinforcements.”

So that's what the fight was about.

Cody can understand their anger. Dealing with Grievous wasn't part of the plan after all. Even when the 212th runs into the cyborg more often them most, especially at the beginning of the war, high casualties were not uncommon appearance. They got better with time to anticipate Grievouse's moves but the 774th had never fought against him before.

And the murder decimated more than half of their battalion.

The General purses his lips and keeps his expression unreadable. To all other people, he might look at ease, but Cody can see how tense he is. He doesn't appreciate being the subject of their fight.

“It wasn't Master Kenobi who ordered the attack,” they all whip their heads towards the new voice, “it was me.”

General Imaas slowly strides towards them, Commander Prism hovering right behind her. Her right hand is heavily bandaged, and small cuts and bruises are visible on her paler-than-usual face. By all means, she should still be recovering in the med tent.

“Master Imaas.” The General inclines his head in polite greeting.

“Master Kenobi.” She repeats the sentiment. “Don't let me interrupt. I just wanted to clear up the misunderstanding.” She gestures her uninjured hand for the General to continue.

The 774th vod'e shift uncomfortably at their General and Commander's sudden presence.

She glances at them, her expression unsympathetic.

Captain Burst looks like he would like nothing more than to make a run for it, but years of training freeze him in place.

From the corner of his eye, Cody glimpses back at Kenobi. He knows him fairly well at this point and understands how much he hates reprimanding his men. But he is their General, their commanding officer, making them his responsibility.

Kenobi pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath. “Whatever was mentioned in the argument regarding my person, I don't want to know,” he declares. “You are all allowed to have your own opinions, and I respect that. However, I implore you to not spread - whatever the argument was about amongst the rest of your men. Not because it could damage my reputation, but because my reputation is closely linked to all the Third System and therefore to all your brothers.”

Their eyes widen as he lets the implication sink in.

This is definitely not getting out, Cody grits his teeth. He will make sure of it.

“The Senate is closely watching us,” Kenobi continues, tone serious, “You had to notice the rise in the number of nat-born officers replacing Jedi in command positions. We all need to be cautious about how we present ourselves. Not only your lives are at stake but ours as well.”

A dark pit opens in Cody's stomach. He noticed the number of nat-borns being pushed into his Corps. And with the decreasing number of battle-ready Jedi to fill the positions, they weren't able to do much about it.

Not to mention, the Senate is not exactly friendly towards the Jedi or clones. The Sentients Rights Bill gets sidetracked constantly, no matter how much the Jedi and a few trustworthy Senators push for it.

“We are in this together,” Kenobi says, breaking Cody's trail of thoughts. “You are all high enough in the chain of command to understand why the behavior you have just presented, is not acceptable of your rank.”

Gregor shifts his gaze to the ground as his jaw tightens. Boil purses his lips, looking miserable. Jesse closes his eyes like he's been slapped and Fives is visibly trying not to fidget.

The 774th vod'e look even more stricken, pale faces drained of all color.

Cody can see the guilt and shame from disappointing their Jedi flow from them all in waves.

Good.

He would demote them all otherwise. He still might if a single word gets out about anything that could damage Kenobi's and thus the Third System's reputation.

The General glances at every man, his gaze ice-cold. “Deal with this before we leave Falian Prime,” he orders, “and if you have too much unrestrained energy, feel free to assist the medics with loading the injured men on gunships. They could use the help.”

“Yessir!” All men exclaim with a crisp salute that would have satisfied even Alpha-17.

General Kenobi nods approvingly, ready to dismiss them, no doubt, but Cody gives them a glare that freezes them from moving a single muscle.

The General might be done with them, but he sure as hell isn't.

“Master Kenobi, would care for a cup of tea?” General Imaas asks, ignoring her men's pleading glances.

“I was actually going to the mess for dinner if you don't mind accompanying me.” Kenobi gives her a small smile, softness returning into his eyes.

“Not at all,” she responds, taking his outstretched hand for support.

Kenobi glances back at Cody, asking, “Are you coming, Commander?”

Cody shakes his head. “I have some drills to run with certain troopers before the gunships arrive,” he answers and is glad to notice how some of his vod'e close their eyes in resignation or curse under their breath.

Maybe next time, they will think twice before they start another brawl.

He will make sure the bruises and pulled muscles remind them.

“All right,” Kenobi says with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “But do remember Commander, that the medics are busy, as it is. Bones will be displeased if you bring him more troopers with broken bones.”

Cody smirks, to his men's dismay. “I think he can handle a few more.”

“I will stay as well,” Commander Prism says as he steps next to Cody. “I am sure the Commander could use my assistance with the drills.”

Cody nods in thanks for his support, maybe enjoying way too much his men's growing distress.

The two Generals slowly stride away toward the mess tent.

Cody turns back to the rigid standing men, pondering how many injuries he can get away with without Helix or Bones strangling him at the end of the day.

OBI-WAN KENOBI

After getting their meal and tea from the mess tent, Obi-Wan and Master Imaas found a small secluded area at the edge of their camp.

Using the Force, Obi-Wan lifts a few empty crates and arranges them on the ground for them to sit.

To his surprise, Master Imaas doesn't bet an eye at the inappropriate use of the Force, but then again, she seems to be preoccupied with her own thoughts.

After they finish their meal, they sit quietly for a while, breathing the fresh evening air as the sun slowly sets, and continue drinking their warm tea, savoring the taste.

A warm breeze threads through Obi-Wan's hair, ruffling them a little. Various small birds returned after the battle was over and are now twittering on trees, making the scene of their camp much lighter than it was.

Obi-Wan glances at the Jedi Master at his side and notices her pinched brows. "Are you alright, Master Imaas?" he asks, breaking the silence.

The Jedi Master hums for a long moment, rearranging her thought. She stares some more into the middle distance before heading a deep sigh. "I have to confess, facing General Grievous was not what I was expecting." She pauses, her lips pulling into a thin line. "His swordsmanship resembled Jar'Kai, but I have to admit I couldn't recognize any of the other katas. His attacks were swift and deadly. I was unable to anticipate his moves, and that pulled me off balance," she admits as her presence shudders with sorrow and guilt. "And it cost many of my men their lives," she finishes, closing her eyes.

Obi-Wan understands where she is coming from. He had lost too many men to count to the four-armed cyborg and knows that as much as he endeavors to prevent it, many more will fall under the monster's sabers till this war is over.

"You shouldn't blame yourself,” he tells the Master, his voice soft. “Grievous is not an easy opponent and has zero regards for the death and destruction his action cause."

Master Imaas smiles, but the expression lacks any real warmth. "You don't seem to have much problem facing him."

Obi-Wan snorts, humorless. "Well, I had a lot of practice," he admits.

“That you did,” she allows and sips some more of her tea.

Obi-Wan does the same, but after the cup leaves his lips, he notices how tense the Jedi Master has become.

He gives her a questioning look nudging her gently through the Force so as not to startle her but at the same time to comfort her.

Her signature pokes him back in thanks, but the tightness doesn't leave her frame.

“There is something...” she trails off like she is putting together a puzzle she doesn't have all the pieces to. She locks her gaze with his and starts again. “When I fought Grievous, he made a few remarks about you, Master Kenobi. Like he was expecting to be fighting you instead of me.”

Obi-Wan's brows draw together in confusion. “What makes you say that?”

“He kept asking if you send me in your stead. If you are too much of a coward to face him,” she pauses, perplexed. “It makes me curious as to how Grievous came by the information to expect you, given as a leader of this campaign you could have been anywhere on the planet.”

She isn't wrong, Obi-Wan thinks. He could have sent anyone to sneak into the Capitol. He was even contemplating staying and helping Master Imaas and the 774th with the frontal assault and leaving the infiltration to Cody and Rex.

A sudden realization draws on Obi-Wan, and he wants to kick himself for being so slow.

Master Imaas, sensing his anger, arches an eyebrow, prompting him to share his thoughts.

“I was wondering why Grievous went to the front gate if his orders were to guard Hea'l Rimingent,” Obi-Wan explains. “He went there because he thought he would face me. He didn't expect my battalion to infiltrate the city from behind, and as soon as he realized I wasn't coming, he caused as much destruction as he could and then fled.”

Obi-Wan grits his teeth. All this carnage has happened because of him. Because Grievous wanted to prove he is the superior general and warrior. Because he can't let his stupid obsession with besting Obi-Wan go.

And Obi-Wan for his part, is unable to kill the damm cyborg. Every time he gets close, the coward runs away so he can spread more death and suffering the next time they clash sabers.

Another endless cycle he is unsuccessful at breaking.

How many more lives will be lost until he strikes him down?

A hand lands on his shoulder, snapping him from his spiraling thoughts.

“This tragedy is not on you, Master Kenobi,” Master Imaas tells him squeezing his shoulder with her good arm. He has never heard her sound so gentle. “Grievous' actions are his own and the blood he spills will forever be marked on his soul. We cannot prevent all the harm others cause, no matter how hard we try. We are human and can only do what our abilities allow,” she gives him a small, this time, real smile, “ That means we can only do our best, Master Kenobi, and you are doing the best you can.”

He wants to pretest that he should still do more but she cuts him off before he can open his mouth. “Don't think I don't know about what you did for my men,” she points out, gripping his shoulder tighter in a warning. And, ouch, she is stronger than an injured person should be.

Her eyes soften as she releases her deadly grip on his shoulder. He is sure that's going to leave a mark.

“Thank you,” she murmurs and sends gratitude towards him in the Force.

He accepts the compliment with a small bow of his head. “You're welcome, Master.”

They settle into comfortable silence after that. The sun is almost fully set and the night sky is creeping from behind him. Birds fled, nesting somewhere in the trees. Their singing is replaced by crickets' rhythmical chirping sound.

Obi-Wan finishes his tea and fidgets with the empty cup in his hands.

There is still something that doesn't add up, nudging at his brain.

How did Grievous know he would be anywhere near Capitol City?

And why did their intelligence report the cyborg general on the opposite side of the galaxy?

It's true that their intelligence has oftentimes been unreliable, and many leaks made it through the cracks in their system. But as the war progressed the issue just became more common, and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. No matter how many times the Chancellor promises to look into the problem, there doesn't seem to be any improvement.

Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan reaches for the Force, requesting to guide him, but he runs into a wall.

He has always been stronger in the Unifying Force than the Living Force his Master preferred. The connection often plagued him as a child, giving him nightmarish visions he can't remember clearly anymore. Only the sensation of blood-death-guit-lonliness and infinite sadness remained.

But he has always relied on it, to this day, warning him of imminent danger or giving him bad feelings.

These days, however, it's so hard to tell what the Force is trying to tell him. To tell any of the Jedi, honestly.

There is so much darkness penetrating the Force, clouding his vision, he feels like he's half-blind.

He pushes harder against the darkness, but the thick wall doesn't budge.

The Force doesn't have an answer for him, leaving him in uneasy silence.

Chapter Text

“Tea?” Obi-Wan's head jolts up from his data pad at the sound of Pin's voice. The trooper holds up a cup of tea higher to Obi-Wan when it takes him too long to register the question. Apparently, his thoughts were too deeply emerged in the data work.

He takes the cup from Pin with quiet thanks and sips the warm saphir tea. The taste is pleasant, and the warmth spreads through his chest. “It's very well done,” Obi-Wan tells Pin, and the trooper beams at him at the praise before he walks to Cody and Static to give them their terrible caff.

Obi-Wan refocuses back on the never-ending data work, scrolling through new reports from Falian Prime to sign and forward to Coruscant.

In the end, the campaign went well (all things considered). The negotiations are ongoing, and the Senate decided to send some representatives to, hopefully, speed things along (not that Obi-Wan thinks more politicians in one room will speed things along). Masters Bo'Anord and Naloa with her padawan are going to stay on the planet (and actually help speed things along) for a few more weeks in case the CIS decides to retaliate and come back.

Anakin, Ahsoka, and half of the 501st will also stay for a few more days before their new orders arrive for a different engagement. There is a high chance they will be sent to Cato Neimoidia as the battle there is turning into another mess.

Obi-Wan and Master Imaas with their respective battalions are going to the Haven-class medical station to treat their men and all the critically injured men in the 7th Sky Corps.

The flight won't take long, but they will have to stop in about an hour to recalculate the Navi-computers because they have to change hyperspace lines.

In the meantime, Obi-Wan is keeping himself busy in their joined office, doing data work with Cody, Pin, and Static. The twins are quite efficient with flimsiwork and are a great help in organizing all the requisitions Obi-Wan and Cody get across the Third System Army. They would be literally drowning in data pads if it weren't for the twins.

A quiet feeling of distress – there and gone – pulls Obi-Wan from his work. He glances across the room, trying to pinpoint where it came from. He can't feel anything in the Force, and for a second, he thinks he must have imagined it, but a growing frown on Cody's face tells him otherwise.

“Everything all right Commander?” Obi-Wan asks, but Cody doesn't seem to hear him. His eyes are skimming through the data pad his hand is clenching harder and harder.

“Cody?” Obi-Wan pokes him in the calf with his leg. That gets the Commander's attention as he starts.

“What?” Cody asks.

Pin and Static exchange worried glances but don't say anything.

“I asked if everything was all right,” Obi-Wan repeats and carefully adds, “You seem... distressed.”

"Sorry, sir." The Commander's frown deepens. He holds up the data pad he was reading for Obi-Wan to take. “I was checking on the 706th battalion. They recently lost their Jedi General, and the Admiral assigned to them...” Cody trails off.

Obi-Wan takes the pad, but his focus is still on Cody, waiting for him to finish his thought. After a moment of hesitation, Cody shrugs. “He rubbed me off wrong. Like some of the nat-borns do.”

Obi-Wan nods in understanding and starts reading the report on the data pad. “What am I looking for?”

“The KIA's from two days ago. There is a major difference when it comes to the KIA's during General Nuurk's command and Armiral Blivil's. Especially after the campaign on Lenar IV they have just finished. Their strategy proved efficient and successful, but the losses...” Cody trails off again, protective anger slipping from his mental shield.

Obi-Wan compares the reports and is sad to admit that Cody is correct. They are almost 40% higher than what Master Nuurk's used to be.

The new Admiral of the 706th battalion has to be one of the officers that see the clones as expendable resources and not as living sentient being that they are. He's not the first and definitely won't be the last Admiral they encounter with those kinds of views.

It's sickening, the idea of holding hundreds of lives in your hands and deciding that you don't care what happens to them.

Obi-Wan takes a deep breath and releases his anger into the Force.

He glances back at Cody and says, “You are right. These kinds of losses are unacceptable.”

Cody relaxes somewhat at that, and asks, “What do we do, sir? We can't exactly reprimand Admiral Blivil, given the clones aren't-,” considered sentient, he cuts himself off, his features hardening.

Obi-Wan grits his teeth. This is ridiculous. He feels like storming the Senate the next time he's on Cosustant, just to shout at the kriffing politicians to let the damm Sentients Rights Bill pass.

“We won't do nothing,” Obi-Wan says with conviction and thinks about it for a second. Half a plan starts forming in his mind, and a grin spreads on his face.

Cody raises an eyebrow at his manic expression.

“Well, Commander, I would say the 706th battalion hasn't had a proper inspection in quite some time, don't you think?”

Cody narrows his eyes, not sure where this is going. “I would say so, sir.”

“Excellent!” Obi-Wan exclaims, laying the data pad on the table and standing up. “I believe now is as perfect time as any.”

“Now?” Cody asks, standing with him.

“Yes, now,” Obi-Wan affirms. “Thank you, again, for the tea, Pin,” he tells the trooper before striding out of the office, Cody at his heels.

“We are about to emerge from hyperspace, so we can reroute to the medical station,” Obi-Wan explains, “I can take a fighter and jump to Lenar IV and be there in twenty minutes while the Vigilance continues its course to the medical station.”

“Sir.” Cody stands in front of Obi-Wan, stopping him in his tracks. “I'm thankful you want to help protect my vod'e, but you don't have to jump from Vigilance to Lenar IV right now. We have just finished a planetary invasion, and the 706th is going nowhere.” Cody searches his face and sighs. “And quite frankly, you look exhausted.”

Obi-Wan frowns. What does this exhaustion have to do with helping the 706th? They are all tired. Obi-Wan isn't an exception.

“I'm always tired, Cody.” And this time it's his turn to sigh. “I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but I'm fine.” Before Cody can protest, he continues. “Besides, we don't have time for surprise inspections. After we leave the medical station, I'm sure we will get new orders that will take us to the other end of the galaxy, leaving the 706th to fend for themselves.”

After a moment of contemplation, Cody nods but isn't happy about it. “Fine, but you are not going alone, sir. Take a squad with you.”

“I don't need a babysitter, Cody.”

“A company then,” Cody says with fake cheer.

Obi-Wan narrows his eyes. He knows where the sneaky Commander is going with this and is about to lose this argument anyway. “I'll take one trooper.”

“Two. Waxer and Boil.”

“Fine,” Obi-Wan agrees, knowing he can never win this battle.

Cody gives him a small satisfied grin and marches off to get the two men.

Obi-Wan huffs, exasperated, and goes to gather his duffle.

The shuttle Obi-Wan, Waxer, and Boil took docks with the 706th battalion's Venator – the Skystrong.

Admiral Blivil and Commander Treck are already approaching as they disembark their craft.

The Admiral is a slim human or near-human male with dark brown hair and piercing pale green eyes. According to his file, he is five years older than Obi-Wan and has some experience when it comes to coordinating troops. However, many of his campaigns were redacted and can be viewed only by High Military Command – meaning the Chancellor – or by submitting a formal request – which is likely to get rejected without proper cause.

Blivil's force presence feels guarded, like he has been taught some mental shielding but not to a great extent. Still, it will be safer if Obi-Wan doesn't prod his presence too much, just in case. He will learn soon enough what kind of man Blivil is.

"Welcome on board the Skystrong, General Kenobi," the Admiral greets them.

"Our thanks for receiving us on such a short notice. It's nice to make your acquaintance Admiral Blivil." Obi-Wan inclines his head in a small bow and then turns to the other man. "And it's nice to see you again, Commander Treck."

Obi-Wan didn't spend much time with the 706th. He knows them mostly from reports. However, he did meet Commander Treck in person more than once, and Master Nuurk had nothing but good things to say about the man's loyalty and reliability.

"Good to see you too, General." The Commander salutes but doesn't remove his helmet.

Obi-Wan keeps that observation in mind for later.

"These are Lieutenant Waxer and Sergant Boil of the 212th Attack Battalion and Ghost company," he introduces his men, who also don't remove their helmets – taking a clue from Commander Treck – and nod in greeting.

In fact, all the troopers in the hangar have their helmets on. It's such a strange sight compared to the Vigilance, where his men don't wear helmets outside of battle or when they are running drills.

Also, the Venator feels different in the Force, compared to his flagship. It doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing. After all, Resolute feels vastly different than Vigilance, like organized chaos full of barely restrained energy and excitement.

Skystrong feels like a hurt animal. There is something raw and hurting. However, that can also be related to the fact that they have just finished a battle, and there are many injured.

Obi-Wan refocuses his attention back on the Admiral as the man starts talking again. "I have to say, I did not expect an unscheduled inspection."

"Well, it wouldn't be called a surprise inspection if it was expected now, would it?" Obi-Wan smiles pleasantly.

"Indeed," Blivil says, his eyes suspicious. "Very well, I'm sure you're a busy man. How would you like to proceed?"

Straight to the point, then.

They all start walking from the hangar bay and enter a long corridor leading to the turbo-lift.

Obi-Wan hums, rearranging his plans of attack. It's time to take a page from Anakin's book and improvise.

"If you don't mind," he starts, "I would like to set up in a small office. The inspection itself won't take long, but as you pointed out, I'm quite busy and I'll have to make a few holo calls in between the inspection."

"Of course," Blivil says without protest. "The Commander will show you to a free office."

Treck gives a sharp nod at the order with Yessir.

Perfect.

"That would be greatly appreciated," Obi-Wan says, and keeps his winning smile behind his polite mask.

They all stop in front of the lift, and Blivil turns back to Obi-Wan. "If you require my assistance, I will be on the bridge or in my office."

"We will find you to inform you of the results as soon as the inspection is concluded."

Blivil eyes Obi-Wan curiously one last time before he nods and disappears into the lift.

"If you follow me, I will show you to your office, sir," Commander Track says, and leads them to another set of corridors where various offices are located.

The Commander hides it well, but his force presence is spiking from pain every time his right foot meets the duresteel floor.

Obi-Wan sighs and takes the Commader's hand – slinging it over his shoulder and taking some of the weight from Track's leg. "For Force's sake Commander, how can you even walk on that."

"Sir?" Treck startles at the contact, his body going tense and stiff but he doesn't shrug Obi-Wan off.

"Your leg," Obi-Wan says, pointedly. "Your shields are quite impressive, but you are bleeding pain in the Force."

"Oh," is all the Commander says with resignation and slumps a bit more into Obi-Wan.

Surprise, worry, and a protective kind of anger slips from Waxer and Boil as they trail behind them.

"General, do you need me to help?" Waxer asks.

"No need, I have him." Obi-Wan refocuses on Track and asks, "Commander, is there an empty office with a fresher nearby?"

An agreeing noise slips from Treck's vocoder, and he points to a door with his free hand. "This one, sir."

Boil wastes no time and rushes ahead to open the door for them and switches the lights on.

Track and Obi-Wan limp to the nearest chair, and he deposits the Commander into it with a pained hiss, which crashes the idea that it might be a light injury.

Boil disappears into the fresher.

"Can you remove your helmet?" Obi-Wan asks.

Track nods and slowly lifts his helmet from his head.

"Kriffing hells, vod!" Waxer exclaims, and Obi-Wan can't help but agree with the sentiment.

Track's face is ghostly pale, and sweat is trailing down his forehead and cheeks.

Obi-Wan takes a step closer and puts his hand on Treck's forehead. His eyes are glassed over, and he's burning up. Whatever the wound is, it's probably infected.

Boil comes back with a med kit in hand and swears as soon as his eyes catch the sight of the Commander.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Trecks grits out.

“The hell it isn't!” Boil rips the med kit open. He finds a stim and sticks it into the Commander's neck without fanfare.

Track gives Boil a glare, but it loses its effect when his eyes have trouble focusing.

Obi-Wan does a quick Force scan. He moves his hands – palms up, not touching – over the Commander's body.

The results aren't promising, but aren't life-threatening either.

“Fortunately, the Commander's right. It does look worse than it is,” Obi-Wan informs them, and Waxer and Boil's shoulders relax slightly.

“However, I'm quite displeased with you, Commander Treck, that you would hide such an injury,” Obi-Wan continues with a clear disapproval in his voice.

Track's lips pull into a thin line as he contemplates what to say to his defense. “I apologize, sir. The medics-.” He sighs. Grief and frustration encompass his signature. “The medics are overflown with injured. My vo- borders need medical attention more than me right now. I would have gone to get my wound treated afterward.”

Obi-Wan's hand scratches his beard as he hums. To be fair, it would be hypocritical to give the Commander a lecture about healthcare when Obi-Wan himself hides small injuries he can treat by himself. That doesn't mean what Treck did is right and should be discouraged either way.

“Very well, I understand your dilemma, but I don't want this to happen ever again. You are the 706th's Commander. They can't afford to lose you to some minor injury.” He locks his eyes with Track's and adds, “Suvarir, al'verde?”

Track's eyes widen in surprise at his use of Mando'a, and something like hope slips from his shields before he says “Elek, Alor!” with a sharp nod.

“Jate.” Obi-Wan smiles at him.

“Now you have two choices.” He turns to Boil, gesturing to pass him the med kit. He starts rummaging through it as he continues, “We can either drop you in the med bay and let your medic treat you. I will be going there regardless to find out how the injured are fairing.” He stops when he finds some bacta patches, a bacta spray, and bandages. “Or I can partially Force-heal you.”

At that statement, Waxer and Boil make unhappy noises.

“Sir,” Waxer says, long-suffering. “With all due respect, Helix banned you from Force-healing. He will have our necks if he finds out we let you.”

Obi-Wan waves him off, unconcerned. “Well, lucky for you Helix is not here, and I wouldn't heal Track's wound completely. I'm not a Force-healer, but if I combine my skill with the bacta I found, it will suffice until a medic has time to look over the wound.”

Waxer signs, resigned, while Boil shakes his head in exasperation. They know there is no changing his mind.

Obi-Wan gives them a grin and then turns back to the Commander.

Track watches him, confusion and wonder in his glazed-over eyes. “You would heal me, sir?”

“Well, not entirely. As I said, it's not my field of expertise. But I can nudge your body in the right direction to heal faster, regulate your body temperature and push the pain aside for a little while,” Obi-Wan explains.

Track blinks at him for a moment before he nods. “I- That would be greatly appreciated, sir.”

“Excellent.” Obi-Wan smiles. “Please, take off your armor. It will be more comfortable that way. I can help you, or Waxer and Boil can,” he glances at the two to confirm, and they nod readily, “if you are more comfortable with them. And please take off your blacks at the place where you are injured so I can access it.”

It doesn't take long, with Waxer and Boil's help, to strip the Commander of his armor and the lower part of his blacks.

Obi-Wan is very proud of his men's effectiveness and eagerness to help. They are excellent men. All of them.

Unfortunately, there isn't any cot or couch for Track to lie down in the office. So they spread Ob-Wan's cloak on the ground, and with a little protest from the Commander, they coax him to lay down on it.

The wound is located on Track's right thigh, and he has an ugly bruising near his pelvis. It's not a deep wound, but it had to be caused by a sharp object.

The Commander said he got blasted from his feet by an explosion, and the injury was suffered during the fall. He didn't even realize he got injured at first. Only after the fighting was finished, he did notice a sharp pain in his thigh.

As Obi-Wan feared, it got infected – fortunately, it's not as bad as it could have been if it stayed untreated for longer.

Obi-Wan heals the infection and most of the wound itself. Treck's temperature comes back to its normal level, and when Obi-Wan thinks the wound is as healed as he can safely do so, he emerges from his healing trance.

Waxer is ready for them with two glasses of water as soon as he notices that Obi-Wan is finished.

Obi-Wan is grateful for his Luetenant's forward thinking. It's always good to stay hydrated after prolonged Force-use.

In the meantime, Boil takes over Track's treatment and starts applying bacta spray and bandages. It doesn't take him long to patch Track's wound.

After Waxer got injured on Umbara, Boil spend extra time in the med bay pestering Helix to show him more advanced medical aid. He wanted to know how to help his vod'e in case (Force forbid) a situation like Umbara arose again.

Treck looks tired after the force healing, but more settled and relieved.

But before they can let him rest some more, Obi-Wan interrogates him about Admiral Blivil and how he's treating the clones.

It's to no one's surprise when they find out that Blivil doesn't interact with his men much outside of his office or the bridge. He isn't cruel to them, exactly. He still heeds the advice Commander Track and his officers give him. But he usually goes with the strategy that will give them a fast and effective win, regardless of how many men die in the process of achieving it.

If he could, Obi-Wan would demote the man in an instant and court martial him for murder and endangering the clones' lives needlessly.

As it happens, he can do neither, so he has to find a different approach to help his men.

Only one comes to mind.

“What if Padawan Isafri came back to your battalion?” Obi-Wan asks.

The said senior padawan is currently home, at the Temple, after her Master's death to grieve and take some time off from the war effort. She is very close to knighthood, and Obi-Wan is confident she would be able to handle a battalion on her own.

Track contemplates the idea and says, “Sir, no one would be happier than me to have Commander Isafri back, but how will that help us? She is just one padawan. She still won't able to outrank Admiral Blivil's orders.”

“No, she won't,” Obi-Wan concedes and grins mischievously. “But she will have a direct line to me, and I as General of the Third System can veto his orders.”

Commander Track thinks about it for a moment, and a small smile spreads across his face. “That could work. And we would protect her as well.” The words echo like a vow.

Obi-Wan's smile turns gentle. “About that, I have no doubt. I will talk to her as soon as I can. I'm sure she will be happy to join you again.”

Track grins all teeth. “Men will be excited to have her back. Thank you, sir. Vor entye.”

“N'entye.” Obi-Wan waves his hand at the thanks and stands up. “Now, we need to finish this inspection, and you, my dear Commander, need more rest.”

“I already feel better, sir. I can help,” Track protests and tries to stand up as well. Boil catches his hand to steady him.

“You're exhausted, Commander, and we just had the conversation about you taking better care of your health,” Obi-Wan admonishes gently. He knows how much it takes out of the person when being healed with the Force. Track's body needs rest to recover its energy.

The Commander sight. “All right.”

Obi-Wan nods, satisfied. “We will walk you to your quarters and I want you to sleep eight hours – at the very least.”

“Eight hours?” Treck exclaims. “But I can't-.”

“Yes, eight,” Obi-Wan cuts him off. “No worries, I will make sure Admiral Blivil doesn't look for you in the meantime.”

They leave Commander Track in his quarters with strict orders to rest and with a reminder that 'No, flimsiwork isn't considered rest, Commander.'

Obi-Wan is starting to understand why his medics are ready to throw a fit every time he dodges medical.

The inspection continues with Obi-Wan, Waxer, and Boil talking to more 706th's men. They learn more information that doesn't paint Admiral Blivil in good colors. But for the most part, it seems, he doesn't care about his men much. He doesn't use their numbers as names, but he doesn't ask their names either – mostly referring to them as 'trooper' or 'you' which is just disrespectful and makes the fire of anger surge in Obi-Wan's gut.

Names are one of the most important things to the vod'e. They have so few choices that refusing to acknowledge their names hurts deeply.

On the other hand, or fortunately, Blivil doesn't interfere with the vod'e's off-duty time if the ship is running smoothly.

The three of them also visit the med bay, as promised, and Obi-Wan is horrified at how many men are injured. To say the med bay is at full capacity would be an understatement.

Only years of Jedi teachings about serenity and resolving conflicts peacefully stop Obi-Wan from storming Blivil's office right then and there and spacing the man from the Venator.

He talks to a few medics, and given Obi-Wan's destination, the medics agree to let him, Waxer, and Boil take the most critically injured men to the Haven Medical Station.

The shuttle they arrived in isn't huge and has a space for maybe ten more men – at most.

Obi-Wan wishes he could take more, but regardless, the medical station itself has a certain limit of how many injured it can treat at any given time – and ten new injured men are already pushing it.

With all the information Obi-Wan, Waxer, and Boil have gathered, they decide to conclude the inspection, and Obi-Wan goes to find Blivil.

He finds the Admiral in his office, doing some flimsiwork. Mercilessly but also politely, Obi-Wan voices all the issues he found that he's confident the vod'e or Blivil can fix without the Admiral retaliating against the clones.

He also informs Blivil that Padawan Isafri will most likely re-join the battalion in about two weeks' time. And that she will be under Obi-Wan's direct orders. Which was just a fancy way of saying; that Padawan Isafri will be able to go against Blivil's orders.

Blivil, as expected, doesn't like the idea of a Jedi padawan interfering with his work and not being able to outrank her.

Obi-Wan cuts through his protests like a lightsaber through metal, and he's sure that he made another enemy at the end of the day.

This enemy will have to be monitored closely.

Obi-Wan doesn't regret it one bit, however. It was worth helping the 706th battalion.

They leave the 706th battalion after that, but not before checking on Commander Treck. As expected, he's asleep. Obi-Wan leaves him a note on a piece of flimsi with his personal comm number in case he ever needs help.

Obi-Wan also informed the medics to check on the Commander's injury as soon as he wakes.

Without fanfare, the three of them leave Skystrong and jump into hyperspace.

It takes them about three hours to reach the Haven Medical Station.

Obi-Wan locks his shields tight, not wanting to feel all the pain and death penetrating the Force in the medical facility.

A few Jedi Healers should be on the station, filtering the negative emotions into the Force. But it's better to be safe than sorry. And after experiencing the full force that was the 706th med bay, and before that 774th med tents, he thinks he had enough of those negative emotions for a lifetime.

They leave the injured 706th men in the hands of capable healers when they disembark, and go to look for Cody.

It doesn't take long to find the orange sunburst on his Commander's armor in a hallway, talking with a trooper with a medic's symbol.

Cody notices them and finishes his conversation before joining them. “Good to have you back, General. I hope Waxer and Boil didn't bother you too much,” he jokes.

Waxer scoffs, offended, while Boil scowls.

“Hello there, Commander.” Obi-Wan smiles, glad to be back. “Why, not at all. They have been very helpful, I dare say,” he tells him, voice full of mirth.

“You could have fooled me,” Cody shoots back.

Waxer scoffs again. “We are so unappreciated in this battalion.”

“The 104th would never treat us like this,” Boil says, arms crossed.

Cody laughs at that. “Vod, if you think Wolffe would treat you better, you don't know him at all. He's a vicious bastard when he wants to be, and he didn't get his name for nothing."

Obi-Wan's grin grows. He had heard Master Plo say something about Wolffe's tendency to bite people. He wonders how accurate that truly is.

Boil's retort gets swallowed by background noise when a familiar presence brushes against Obi-Wan's mental shields.

He straightens, trying to pinpoint it.

He turns around and there.

All worry for propriety abandoned, Obi-Wan rushes to the Mon Calamari Jedi, enfolding her in a crushing hug.

Bant laughs, delighted. “Oh, Obi!”

“Bant!” He can't help but laugh as well.

Her force presence wraps around him, bringing warmth-love-frienship-family-peace-safe.

Obi-Wan can't help but embrace those feelings like a man dying of thirst.

He sends his own love-affection-family-missedyou to her in turn.

Bant holds him even tighter.

It has been almost half a year since he last saw his childhood friend. They almost always miss each other when the two of them happen to be at the Temple at the same time.

He might be a ridiculous not-quite-old-man and holds her for a little bit longer.

Bant doesn't seem to mind, sending soothing feelings his way.

Reluctantly, Obi-Wan pulls away, getting a better look at the pink Mon Calamari.

Bant is wearing light gray robes with blue accents and a healer's red symbol stitched on the shoulder of her sleeve.

She does a scan of her own, her eyes skimming up and down his body, looking for any hidden injuries, no doubt. She nods to herself when it appears he is fine and smiles at him, bright and full of love.

Somebody clears their throat behind them, and Obi-Wan startles.

He glances at the three men behind him, watching him amused. He curses his pale skin and the embarrassed flush creeping down his cheeks.

“Ah, apologies,” he says and steps a little further from Bant to properly introduce her. “This is Healer Bant Eerin, my créchemate who I grew up with.”

Obi-Wan gestures at his men. “Bant, these are Lieutenant Waxer and Sergaint Boil.”

“Nice to meet you, Madame,” Boil says, and takes her arm in a proper Mandalorian shake.

Waxer does the same.

“Oh, how polite. But I'm just Bant, or Healer Eerin if you have to use titles. It's nice to finally meet you two!” Bant exclaims, excited. “I heard many stories about you.”

The two men look baffled and a little self-satisfied at being talked about.

Obi-Wan gestures at Cody. “And this is –”

“Commander Cody,” Bant cuts him off. At Obi-Wan's raised eyebrow, she explains, “We've already met while you were on – ehm – an inspection, was it?”

Obi-Wan nods and then snorts to himself. “Well, I hope you haven't told him too many embarrassing stories about me already.”

Waxer and Boil perk up at that, and even Cody looks more than interested.

Band sight in an exaggerated gesture. “Unfortunately, I haven't had the time just yet.”

Obi-Wan almost sight in relief when she continues. “But I believe there will be plenty of time after you introduce me to your whole battalion and the medics especially.”

He narrows his eyes at her innocent smile. “Is there any reason you want to meet my whole battalion, beyond the obvious?”

Bant hummus. “As it happens, there is.” She straightens her posture and grins. “I'm happy to announce you are looking at the new Jedi Healer assigned to the 212th Attack Battalion of the Third System Army.”

Obi-Wan eyes widen at the news. It seems his request for the Jedi Healer has been finally granted.

Cody, Waxer, and Boil look surprised as well.

“So, we have a Jedi Healer now?” Waxer asks like he's making sure he's hearing correctly.

“Yes!” Bant says, cheerfully. “I'm sure your medics could use my help dragging this slippery Jedi General into medical every now and then.”

Bant pokes Obi-Wan in the stomach with her elbow. A little uff escapes his lips.

“Excuse you, I'm not-.”

He gets cut off by Cody laughing. “Oh, Helix will be delighted!”

“He'll love you,” Boil says, voice full of approval.

“I think he might cry when he finds out,” Waxer adds.

Bant looks particularly pleased with herself. “I can't wait to meet him.”

Obi-Wan scoffs at all of the traitors laughing at him. He is already dreading Helix and Bant's meeting.

Waxer was absolutely right, and as soon as Obi-Wan introduced Bant as a Jedi Healer, he could see Helix swear his undying loyalty to her. He would have laughed if he didn't know what that was going to entail for him.

Overall, the rest of the introductions went very smoothly. The 212th accepted Bant surprisingly quickly – even Obi-Wan was bewildered. He wasn't sure why they were so welcoming, given that the vod'e don't let outsiders close to their ranks so quickly. But he was grateful for it.

Bant fit in like a lost piece of the puzzle, nobody knew was missing, and she seem to brighten every time a new clone introduced himself.

Bant also said that she was supposed to meet them on Coruscant but got impatient and hopped on the next ship to the medical station to surprise him. She will be with them for three standard months – as is the usual time assigned for Force Healers serving in battalions. And after that, she will be on leave for a month to replenish her energy and recover.

And by some Force conjured miracle, her being their new Force Healer wasn't the only good news she brought. The 212th was granted two whole weeks of shore leave.

Obi-Wan couldn't be happier. They recently pulled four missions back to back, stopping on Coruscant only for supplies or repairs. His men truly earned their break.

Obi-Wan stops in his track at the sound of laughter coming from the mess hall.

Curious, he creeps into the mess, pocking his head through the door.

The room is packed. Laugher and good humor resonate in the Force, bathing the whole mess in warmth-happiness-excitement.

Obi-Wan can hear Bant's voice telling something, he can't quite hear, and the vod'e laugh.

He steps fully into the room, and the men let him pass until he stops at the table where Bant sits with half-eaten dinner in front of her.

Cody is also sitting at the table in front of her – no doubt he had something to do with what is happening here.

She brightens at the sight of him. “Obi! Have you come to join my storytelling?”

Obi-Wan can't help but smile as he sits next to her. “That depends. What are you telling stories about?”

She grins at him, mischief sparkling in her eyes as she says, “Oh, you know, I was just about to tell your men about the glitter incident.”

The men cheer, ready to hear what that's about.

Boil is already recording, trying to look inconspicuously and failing miserably.

Flush covers Obi-Wan's cheeks at the answer. Ah, it seems he was the subject of her storytelling.

“So you decided to utterly ruin my career and reputation it seems,” Obi-Wan says, humor sparkling in his voice.

“Of course!” Bant exclaims. “Can't have your men think you are too serious.” She bumps his shoulder. “Don't worry. I haven't gotten to the career wrecking and most embarrassing stuff just yet.”

“Lucky me,” he snarks back.

“Now, stop changing the subject and stalling. I'm sure your men would love to know what the glitter incident was about.”

The vod'e cheer, shouting encouragements to tell them the story. Even Cody is looking at him amused at his plight.

Obi-Wan huffs. “I wasn't stalling.”

Bant makes a disbelieving noise, and he has a feeling that if she could, she would be rolling her eye at him. “Fine. How about this? We can tell the glitter story incident, or we can tell your men about the accidental engagement that Siri never forgave you about.”

Obi-Wan pales slightly at that while the men cheer. Some shout that they would rather hear about the latter.

Cody looks mildly interested in the engagement accident as well.

Well, he better shut that down if he wants any reputation left by the end of this storytime.

“When you put it like that.”

Bant smirks at him, achieving exactly what she wanted.

She knows him too well.

The traitor.

“But to be fair, it was Quinlan's idea,” he informs her with an almost straight face.

“I'm sure it was,” Bant says incredulously. “I mean, who else could even come up with an idea like that.”

“You know, Master Windu never let us live it down. He still finds glitter in his closet.”

The men goan.

“Stop teasing us!” Gregor shouts.

A bunch of agreeing noises fills the mess.

The two Jedi exchange a look before fake-sighing at the impatience.

“Very well,” Obi-Wan starts, ready to doom his reputation as a rule follower. “When I was fourteen, Quinlan Vos came into my room with a huge carton box full of glitter –“

Chapter Text

Cody is drowning in reports, requisitions, and other flimsiwork Fox dropped on him to fill as soon as he stepped into the commanders' barracks on Coruscant.

He's looking at what has to be a fifth bacta form, getting more and more frustrated. Who even needs five forms to report how bacta was used in treating his men? And why is it even more difficult to fill than normal? It almost looks like the Senate is making his job harder on purpose by designing confusing forms he and the command staff have to fill after every battle.

He doesn't know what is worse: fighting against clankers or figuring out how the new filing system the Senate issued works.

Who even designed this madness, and how did it get approved? It just makes no sense. Kriffing Republic bureaucracy.

He would take a hundred battle droids any day than to deal with so much useless flimsiwork.

He is about to throw his datapad at the wall of his small quarters when someone knocks at the door.

Who the kark can it be?

The 212th was finally granted shore leave, but Cody, as the Maschal Commander, is never on shore leave, not with this many reports still left to fill. He has a Third System army to run, which includes many other battalions he and his General are responsible for. He has no time for whatever nonsense his brothers are getting into, and they should know better than to disturb him while he's working, or he might throw the datapad at the head of whichever vod is standing at the door.

“Come in,” Cody calls, not even bothering to open the door.

“Hello there, Commander,” Kenobi greets when the door slide open.

Cody starts, not expecting the Jedi. His head whips to the entrance, but to Cody's surprise, Kenobi is dressed in civilian clothes instead of his cream tunics and large cloak. In fact, he looks nothing like the famed Jedi General – now dressed in a dark blue shirt, tight brown pants, knee-high boots, and a synterleather jacket. It's such a strange sight.

"General," Cody says, and starts standing up to salute, but Kenobi just waves him off to stay seated.

He, like Cody, is technically on shore leave. But, besides the GAR, Kenobi has to deal with the Jedi Order when he is at the Temple.

"I see you are still pouring over the reports," Kenobi remarks, glancing knowingly at the mountain of datapads stacked at Cody's small desk.

Kenobi usually helps him with those. They do most of the flimsiwork together, but the Council meeting the Jedi had scheduled took priority today.

"Yes sir," Cody says, "It seems they never end."

Kenobi hums sympathetically, and for a moment, he looks just as tired as Cody feels – with black cycles under his eyes, which probably match Cody's.

"What are you doing here, sir?" Cody asks. He thought the Council meeting would take hours as it usually does.

Kenobi brightens and has a new spark in his eye that promises trouble in Cody's experience.

"I am here to rescue you, actually," he says, and throws a small sack at Cody, who easily catches it.

Cody frowns in confusion after glancing inside the sack. There are civilian clothes; black pants, a dark green T-shirt, and a dark brown jacket. He blinks and looks back at Kenobi for an explanation.

"I am taking you to a Caffee shop I know for a real cup of caff," Kenobi says, and wrinkles his nose in disgust. "As I said, the caff the GAR provides cannot be qualified as real caff. And I did promise to take you there, remember?"

Oh, yes, he remembers.

"And I think the anonymity would make the trip more comfortable." Kenobi phrases it like a question than an assumption.

Cody's lips twitch. Kenobi doesn't want to make him uncomfortable, and he appreciates it. But it's not like he has any other clothes besides his greys (which wouldn't help with looking inconspicuous).

"But if you don't like them –"

“No, they are fine, sir,” Cody assures him quickly, and something warm spreads through his chest. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Kenobi smiles at him – one of those genuine smiles he rarely sees these days.

As he touches the jacket, Cody notices the material is sturdier and thicker in places that would require more protection, like a light armor.

“Where did you even get these?” he asks before he can stop himself.

Kenobi's smile turns mischievous. “Oh! Don't tell our Quartermaster, but I might have raided the Shadows' closet.”

Cody's eyebrows shoot up to meet his hairline.

“Don't worry about it,” Kenobi continues nonchalantly, “You can keep them. The jacket and pants have some hidden pockets I think you will appreciate,” he points out, completely dismissing the fact that he's giving Cody Jedi's clothes.

Cody keeps his bafflement to himself. At this point, he shouldn't be surprised his General is like this. The man probably doesn't even realize how much this means to Cody.

And he does appreciate having multiple pockets – Force knows his armor doesn't have enough pouches – and these being made for Jedi spies might come in handy.

"What about the reports?" Cody asks hesitantly. There is still much work to do.

Kenobi waves his hand in dismissal. "There is nothing urgent that requires our attention at this time. And everything else can wait." He clears his throat and a little reluctantly adds. "Or that's at least what Master Windu told me."

Cody arches an eyebrow at that.

Kenobi grimaces. "He might have banned me from doing any kind of work today. And I decided to share my punishment with you." Little hesitantly, he adds, "But if you want to stay here and continue filling the reports –"

"No! Yes - I mean, yes, I would like to go with you," Cody rushes out, much louder than he intended, and curses the blush that must be spreading from his neck to his cheeks. The truth is, he would much rather spend time with Kenobi than get buried under the datapads.

Kenobi snorts, amused. "All right then. Change your clothes. I will be waiting for you at the entrance." And with that, he turns on his heels and leaves.

Cody follows Kenobi through the maze of the middle levels of Coruscant. He has no idea where the Jedi is taking him. They dart through a few alleys and suspiciously looking streets. In his opinion, many establishments look more than shady, making him uncomfortable without his preferred DC-15. He had to leave it behind and only took the DC-17 (Rex prefers) because its size is more inconspicuous.

The clothes Kenobi gave him are soft and comfortable, and the jacket provides some protection. He made even use of the hidden pockets – stuffing them with two small knives and a vibroblade hidden inside a pocket, he assumes, is for concealing a lightsaber.

Still, the clothing is no replacement for his armor. He can't shake a feeling of uneasiness that weighs him down as they make their way lower and lower.

His brain is running with scenarios of where a perfect ambush could be placed, or how easy it would be to box them in in any specific street, or where snipers can hide with the best view of their root. He is getting way too paranoid, he knows.

The war has taken its toll on all of them.

The more alleys they pass, the more disoriented Cody feels. He was trained to remember any kind of roots and passages, no matter how difficult. The Kamino training ensured it. Cody knows that if necessary, he could potentially find his way back. But it still makes his brain turn around at how chaotic the alley system in lower levels is.

Kenobi, probably noticing or sensing – kriffing Jedi – his discomfort stays close – as if shielding him from any possible danger.

It shouldn't make Cody feel better – given he should be the one protecting Kenobi – but it does, and the discomfort lessens a little.

“Relax Cody,” Kenobi glances at him, “we are almost there.”

Soon enough, they move into a side alley – that looks even more run-down than the rest they have already passed. They stop in front of a red-painted door (or Cody assumes it's supposed to be red – the color is chipped away at many places, making the door more wooden brown than red) that has an emblem of caff cup on it. The building looks like it has seen better days and is barely standing.

Cody shoots Kemobi a look, but the Jedi just smirks and ushers him inside.

Surprisingly, it's much cozier inside than it appears. Red-yellow painted walls with ornamental elements of flora decorate the interior. All around the small space are wooden tables and chairs with red cushions. And even a few creeping plants hang from the ceiling.

“Obi-Wan!” a slim furry being calls from the counter.

“Kandri,” Kenobi greets her as she makes her way over to them, wrapping Kenobi in as crushing a hug as a small being is capable of.

Meanwhile, Cody has a flashback to a similar situation when Kenobi took him to Dex's dinner for the first time.

Is the man friends with every shady establishment owner on Coruscant?

At this point, Cody wouldn't be surprised if he was.

As soon as the hug ends, the furry being – Kandri, Kenobi called her – turns to Cody and eyes him with such intensity he has to squash an urge to salute her. There is also something else, he can feel from her at the edge of his awareness but can't pinpoint.

He has no idea what species she is, but he has a feeling Waxer would compare her to a loth-cat because of her cat-like features. She has slim long fingers with sharp claws. Even her eyes have a long pupil that expands and dilates as she stares him down.

Kenobi puts a hand on his shoulder, warm and comforting. "Kandri, this is my Commander, Cody." He gestures with his free hand at the furry being. "Cody, this is Kandri Javik. Don't let her frighten you. She's a kind soul when you get to know her," Kenobi leans a bit further into Cody's personal space and mock-whispers, "and she loves cinnamon in everything."

"Hey!" Kandri exclaims and pokes Kenobi on the shoulder. "Don't tell him all my secrets!"

She turns back to Cody, her eyes assessing him critically. Her gaze is so intense it feels like she is looking into his very soul. Cody does his best not to fidget and holds her gaze steadily.

After a few moments, she grins at him dangerously, showing her sharp teeth.

"Oh, I like this one!" she proclaims, turning back to Kenobi. "Good choice."

Kenobi snorts, bewildered, shaking his head.

Cody doesn't know what she meant by that. It appears he passed her – whatever this was.

"Well met Cody," Javik extends her hand to him.

A little surprised, he mirrors her but grips her forearm in a Mandalorian shake. "Nice to meet you too, Ma'am."

To her credit, she doesn't bet an eye at the gesture and squeezes his hand tightly before dropping it.

"Go find a table. I will be right back with your order," she says and disappears into a door behind the counter.

There aren't many customers in the caffee at the moment, so they have plenty of tables to choose from. Kenobi ushers Cody to a table with a good view of the whole caffee, the entrance, and the back door.

They sit opposite each other, and Cody frowns, puzzled. "She said she would be back with our order, sir."

"It's Obi-Wan in here, Cody, or Kenobi if you must. And please, no sirs or generals today."

Cody nods reluctantly and continues his thought. "But we haven't ordered anything yet."

Kenobi – Obi-Wan? – laughs. "Oh, I'm sorry. I should have explained. Kandri's caffee is a little unorthodox."

Cody raises a questioning eyebrow.

Kenobi moves his chair a little closer and leans on the table, eyeing the two customers nearby. He lowers his voice and says, "Kandri is force-sensitive. Not enough to be a Jedi, but pretty close. She feels and senses what you need. That's what makes her caffee special. Even if you ordered something specific, she would mix something into your drink, that she deems necessary. No drugs or other addictive substances, mind you. It's usually cinnamon, spices, or sugary pieces of whatever she has on hand."

Oh, Cody thinks.

Her being force-sensitive explains the feeling Cody had gotten from her. After three years serving with a Jedi, he should have realized earlier.

"I see," he says eloquently, not sure what to make of the way she runs her caffee.

Kenobi smiles at his confusion. "Don't worry. I promise everything she makes is delicious!"

"If you say so," Cody responds, his tone teasing.

Kenobi rolls his eyes, fond. "Just wait and see."

They lapse into a comfortable silence for a moment, before another question pops into Cody's mind. His lips quirk in the corner as he asks, "So what kind of ex-criminal is she? And why shouldn't I arrest her?"

Kenobi's eyebrows rise to meet his hairline before he schools his expression into a mask of complete innocence. "Why would you think she is an ex-criminal?"

Cody smiles knowingly. "It's not that hard to figure out. Most of your friends are ex-criminals or have some kind of shady background. Even some Jedi."

Kenobi huffs. "That's an exaggeration. And there isn't anything I can do about Quinlan Vos."

Cody hums an agreeing sound, reflecting exactly what he thinks about that. "Vos aside, I can name at least twelve people I know you consider friends with criminal backgrounds."

"Twelve?" Kenobi says in disbelief, shaking his head. "I'm sure that can't be right."

Cody starts counting on his fingers as he names, "Dexter Jettser – ex-weapon's dealer and not-so-ex-information broker. Ni'esk Lees – ex-spice runner turned gardener. Huls Mint – ex-assassin turned security guard. Omik Lia – ex-sniper turned medic. Faltn Uk – ex-black market dealer. Mi Estan – ex-bounty hunter –"

"Fine, fine, you win," Kenobi says, exasperated. "I didn't realize so many of my friends had some trouble with the law."

"If that's what you want to call it." Cody snorts. "So I'm right. Javik is a criminal then."

Kenobi sighs. "Ex-criminal," he whispers. "And yes."

Curiosity getting the better of him, Cody needs to know more and leans on the table as Kenobi did before so they wouldn't be overheard. "What kind of criminal was she?"

Kenobi leans in as well. And Cody is not thinking about how close they are. "Kandri used to be a thief. She stole precious gems and crystals for high-value customers. With the advantage of the Force, she was one of the best thieves in the galaxy."

Cody smirks, self-satisfied, that he was correct. Kenobi can't help but make friends with any criminal worthy of redemption. For some reason, it's endearing and perfectly in character for Kenobi.

They chat a bit more about how Kenobi got to meet Javik before she returns with their drinks.

She deposits the smaller ceramic cup with a dark black substance in front of Cody and a larger cup with some unidentifiable liquid in front of Obi-Wan. She also gives them, what Cody assumes, are two deserts on small ceramic plates and two cups of water, as he learns is custom when ordering caff.

Kenobi eyes the desert, raising an eyebrow.

"Hush now, sweetie," Javik shushes him. "I bet both of you could use something sweet in your lives."

"I didn't say anything," Kenobi protests.

"Oh, but you wanted to," she says, ignoring Kenobi's sputtering sound, and turns to Cody. "It's a black caff with cinnamon, hot correlian spice, and my special ingredient," she explains Cody's drink. "You have your usual Obi-Wan, but I did add something special to your caff as well," she winks at him and leaves them to their drinks.

Kenobi just sighs, exasperated but fond.

Cody's lips twitch again. Kenobi has the oddest friends.

The Jedi watches him expectantly as Cody eyes his drinks with suspicion. All the ingredients listed sound good, and he is curious about the taste. The smell alone is amazing.

He holds the small ceramic cup gingerly, like it could shatter at any moment, and takes a careful sip. A rich aromatic flavor explodes on his tongue, almost making his eyes roll into his head. The taste is full, slightly sweet, and fragrant and burns his mouth not just because it's hot. There is also a dense flavor he can't identify that puts the whole taste together perfectly.

He takes another, deeper sip, and can't help the moan that escapes his lips. This is the best caff he had ever tasted in his life!

Kenobi chuckles, and Cody snaps his eyes open, feeling a little embarrassed. A hot feeling is spreading through his face, he hopes he can blame on the spicy caff.

"You like it, I take it," Kenobi says, a warm smile playing at his lips, making his eyes crinkle in the corners.

"It's perfect," Cody says. Frankly, he doesn't know how he will be able to go back to GAR-issued caff after this.

Kenobi laughs, delighted.

"What about you?" Cody asks, curious. "What drink do you have?"

Kenobi takes a sip and makes a pleased humming noise. "My usual is Alderaanian caff. It's sweeter than your drink and has a cream flavor to it with a bit of cinnamon and aldaaranian spice," he says. "But I can't, for the life of me explain what Kandri adds to it. Even Bail can't recreate the taste, and he is famed for his Alderaanian caff."

Cody snorts. "That has to be frustrating for the Senator."

Kenobi laughs in agreement. "You have no idea."

They both smile and drink their caff, content.

Cody hadn't felt this relaxed since... since he can't even remember. Kenobi is easy to talk to, and so they talk about everything and nothing (avoiding any war-related topics).

At some point, they eat the desert, and Cody almost melts into a puddle right there and then. The sweet taste is so rich and creamy with some fruity flavor he doesn't think he will be able to taste anything remotely so good ever again.

The little run-down caffee shop is starting to feel like the best place on Coruscant by the minute.

Cody also noticed how comfortable Kenobi has become. His shoulders are slumped, posture relaxed, and there is a soft smile playing across his lips Cody has seen only a handful of times.

It's clear that here and now, Kenobi isn't a Jedi Master of the High Council, Jedi Knight, or even High General. He is just Obi-Wan.

And Cody. Well, he isn't the Mashal Commander or ori'vod here eighter. He is just Cody.

If this is what life after the war may look like, he would very much like to see it.

The thought makes him pause, but he files it to examine for later.

"What about your brothers, Cody?" Kenobi's question cuts through his musing. "I heard Commander Wolffe is planetside for a few days. Do you have any plans?"

Actually, they do. "Yes," Cody says. "We are planning to go to 79's and drag Fox with us."

Cody hesitates. He's not sure he wants to dissect the reason Wolffe and him are trying to coax Fox to go out with them. But when he glances back at Kenobi and the patient way he waits for Cody to continue or change the topic altogether, he wants to slap himself on the head.

Kenobi had never judged any of his vod'e, at any point during the war. And he had plenty of opportunities to be unkind to them. Instead, he was always understanding and even gave them good advice.

He is a good man.

"We are worried for him. Fox has been avoiding us for a while now," Cody continues. "We aren't sure why. He just kind of cut contact with us last year. So this is supposed to be an intervention of a sort."

Kenobi hums, mulling over what Cody said. "That's indeed troubling. Have you asked him why he cut contact?"

"We tried, but it's hard as it is to send secure messages to Coruscant. And these were more personal," Cody says, and sight. "Fox didn't respond to any of them."

An understanding kind of expression passes Kenobi's face. "Then what you are trying to do is sound," he smiles at Cody, "You are trying to find out what's happening with your brother, and that's very important, Cody. I'm sure if you talk to him, it will help."

Cody nods, trying for a smile, but the thought of Fox and his unexplained radio silence makes him uneasy.

Once upon a time, Ponds might have been able to drag some answers from him. Now though? It's like pulling bantha's teeth.

"What about you and Skywalker?" Cody asks, realizing he isn't the only one that needs to have a difficult conversation with a stubborn family member. "I noticed your attempts at talking to him about Senator Amidala."

Kenobi grimaces, and Cody almost regrets asking. "Yes, their whole relationship is a non-starter when it comes to civilized conversations with Anakin."

Cody chuckles at the understatement. "I can't believe he still thinks they are being subtle."

"I know," Kenobi exclaims, long-suffering.

"Rex keeps complaining about covering for them. It's hilarious."

"Oh, don't even start," Kenobi rolls his eyes, "Our dear Captain could use a few more acting lessons next time he tries to convince me he is guarding an empty hallway."

"He isn't that bad," Cody tries his barest minimum at defending Rex, his voice full of mirth.

Kenobi makes a noise that reflects his disbelief. "I'm sure Rex is doing his be –" Kenobi cuts himself off, his body growing tense and his gaze far away.

Hair on Cody's back stand up, and he turns around, scanning their surrounding for any possible danger, his hand going for the blaster on his hip.

"What's wrong?" he asks Kenobi when he can't find anything amiss.

"I don't know," Kenobi responds, uncertain.

That can't be good, Cody's instincts are screaming at him. Years of experience with the Jedi tell him the Force wouldn't be warning Kenobi if something wasn't about to happen.

"I think we should go."

Kenobi nods, and they both stand up. He catches Cody's wrist before Cody can walk to the entrance and tugs him along to the counter where Janik is stacking ceramic plates into a cupboard.

"Anything else I could help you with boys?" Janik asks, but her expression is serious – probably sensing their discomfort.

"No, thank you," Kenobi says. "I would just like to pay for the drinks and dessert."

"That's not happening," Janik dismisses him. "You know I won't take a single credit from you. Anything else I can help you with?"

"All right," Kenobi concedes without protest, which is surprising in itself. Something has to be indeed wrong. "In fact, you can. May we use the back door?"

Her eyes narrow at the request, but she nods seriously. "Of course. Go."

"Thank you."

Just before they disappear behind the door, Cody catches a glimpse of an armored figure entering the caffee shop in his peripheral vision.

Kenobi leads them through the maze of alleyways at a brisk pace.

"Any idea what's wrong?" Cody asks, feeling more and more uneasy.

"No," Kenobi respods. "I – I have a feeling, and the Force is telling me to move, but not where to go."

Helpful, Cody thinks.

They move through busy streets and more secluded alleys after that, but it feels more like they are running from something than towards it.

Cody has a bad feeling about this.

They turn a few more streets and then run into a dead end.

Kenobi seems puzzled, his lips pursed in displeasure. "I don't understand," he whispers to himself.

"Maybe we should go back to the Tem –" Kenobi shoves Cody to the side right before a stun bolt would have hit them.

Cody has his blaster in hand in under a second, aiming at their assailant, or multiple armored assailants, as it turns out.

Mandalorians.

Kriff, kriff, kriff, Cody curses to himself. This can't be good.

There is at least a squad of them, all in different painted armor.

Cody can hear the roar of jetpacks as half of them rise into the air and waste no time to fire at them, trying to box them in.

The only saving grace is that the Mandalorians can't move against them all at once because the alley is only about four meters wide.

Kenobi's lightsaber ignites in his hand and promptly shields them from the incoming stun shots. He jumps into the air, cutting the Mandalorian's jetpack off before he jumps on another one, taking them down in an amazing show of gymnastics and precision.

A distant part of Cody's mind is working on overdrive, trying to figure out why they are using stun before it clicks – they are focused on his General. They want Kenobi alive.

Anger twists in his stomach as he grits his teeth.

Of course, they can't enjoy one kriffing day off without someone wanting to either kill or capture his General.

They can have him over his dead body.

Cody fires at the nearest Mandalorian, shooting him into the side. It's karking difficult to find the right angle to hit them in between the armor plates as his fire just bounces off the beskar like it's nothing.

He dodges three stun bolts and gets close to another Mando to tackle. He punches him square in the face, knocking the Mando out.

His hand hurts like hell, and he just now realizes, he isn't wearing any armor himself.

Haar'chak!

"You know," Kenobi grits out as he struggles against a green and brown Mando, pinning him to the wall. "You should buy me dinner first."

Cody would have sighed at his General's mid-battle sarcastic remarks if he had the time. Instead, he takes a small knife from the hidden pocket on his pants and throws it at the green-brown Mando.

The knife hits the assailant right above his elbow, where the vambrance doesn't cover, and he loses his grip on Kenobi. The Jedi twists from the hold and kicks the Mando in the chest, sending him flying.

"My thanks, my dear," Kenobi calls to Cody as he swings his lightsaber in a large arch, deflecting another onslaughter of stun shots.

Cody doesn't get to respond when Mando wearing red and black armor, attempts to take advantage of his distraction and grips him from behind.

Cody twists and uses the butt of his blaster to shove him to the side. Mando loses his grip on Cody, and Cody fires a blaster shot into his knee. Mando cries in pain, but Cody is already moving to dodge stun bolts from another two assailants appearing behind him.

He shoots one into the side, getting lucky. It's not a fatal wound, but it will slow the Mando down. The second Mando in blue and white armor (Togruta, he thinks) gets too close and jumps him.

They fall to the ground, knocking Cody's blaster from his hand in the process. But that's not his only weapon.

He pulls the vibroblade from the hidden pocket of his jacket and stabs the Mando in the shoulder.

"Cody!" Kenobi's voice penetrates the blaster fire.

Cody jumps to his feet just in time to see Kenobi use the Force to push the Mandalorians from the alley's entrance, creating a clear path for them to retreat.

Cody doesn't need any more prompting and runs into the street, Kenobi at his heels.

They run and dodge multiple stalls and people. Cody isn't sure where they are running or what part of Coruscant this is as he has never been here before.

The Mandalorians are persistent and are following right behind them.

"This way!" Kenobi shouts, taking hold of Cody's wrist to steer them to another side alley.

They run to the end and almost fall, who knows how many levels down, when they stop right at the edge of a huge sinkhole.

"It's another dead end," Cody growls.

"Not entirely."

Before Cody can ask, Kenobi grips him around his waist, tucking him close, and says, "Hold on tight."

Cody's brain barely registers what's happening when Kenobi jumps into the air.

Cody will swear until his dying breath that he did not yelp like a shiny on his first live fire training.

His hands wrap around Kenobi tightly as they fall many levels down.

The air in Cody's ears is deafening as the ground gets closer and closer to meet them.

For a second, he thinks they are going to go splat on the hard durasteel floor and closes his eyes reflexively.

A strange kind of sensation enfolds them just before they hit the ground. They touch down – probably less gracefully than Kenobi intended – and roll in a heap of limbs until they stop, with Kenobi on top of him.

They lay there for a second, breathing hard – somehow not dead. Cody still has a death grip on Kenobi.

"You can stop holding tight now," Kenobi says, mirth coloring his voice.

Cody's eyes widen slightly as he lets go, a little embarrassed. "Right, sorry."

Kenobi stands up. "No worries, and I apologize, my dear." He extends his hand to help Cody up.

Cody takes it, blaming all the blush on the extension from the fight. "It's all right. Next time, just warn me before jumping into a two hundred meters deep sinkhole."

"Of course," Kenobi smiles at him, flushed as well.

"Where to now?" Cody asks when he finally catches his breath.

Kenobi closes his eyes, frowning in concentration. "There is a secret entrance to the Jedi Temple at level 2545."

"What level are we at?"

"2542." Kenobi sighs "I overshot, it seems."

Three levels aren't too bad. But there is at least a squad of highly trained Mandalorians between them and the Temple.

Not to mention all the questions swimming in Cody's brain like; Why Mandalorians? Why do they need Kenobi alive? What do they even want from him?

He swallows all his questions down for later. "We better move then."

They sneak from one street to the next. The fact that they are wearing civilian clothes helps with the stealth part of their predicament.

No one's eyes linger on them for too long, and Cody has a feeling Kenobi is doing something with the Force to mask their presence.

They thought about contacting the GAR for backup or extraction, but the idea was quickly discarded as it could be easily used against them to track their location.

As they move, they notice a few Mandalorians on the streets and dodge them as best as they can. It seems to work, and so far, not a single one has noticed them.

They just have to keep it up till they get to the Temple entrance.

Which is easier said than done as they find out on level 2544.

They are about to take a turbo-lift to their desired level when the Mandalorians ambush them again.

Helix is going to kill him if he breaks his wrist again, Cody thinks after he punches another Mando square in the chest plate, leaving behind a dent. He would be a pound of himself if it didn't hurt so kriffing much.

Fighting with his vibroblade is as frustrating as it was with his blaster. The kriffing beskar'gam doesn't budge no matter how many times he hits it.

Some deep-buried part of Cody is jealous and resentful that he and his vod'e can't have such protection because the Mandalorians would never accept them.

Some not-so-deep part of him hates Jango Fett for it.

And he had plenty of reasons to hate him already.

He is about to stick the vibroblade into the Mando's throat when another one jumps him from the side.

His vibroblade is gone, and they are grappling on the ground, trying to pin each other down.

Suddenly, Cody is thankful for all those times Fox and Wolffle wrestled with him during their training on Kamino. They were vicious feral bastards when they got competitive.

He grips his opponent's hand, when the Mando tries to throw a punch at his ribs, and twists it at an uncomfortable angle, dislocating the Mando's elbow.

A scream of pain escapes the Mando's vocoder before Cody knocks him out with a punch into his buy'ce. His fists are bloody at his point from punching the beskar.

Helix is going to kill him.

Cody springs back to his feet and searches for his General.

Kenobi is doing just fine, it seems. His hair is plastered on his forehead as he fights with all the grace of water, dodging or returning blaster fire at his opponents. He's untouchable, and the Mandos are getting more and more frustrated.

Cody's eyes land on a stun grenade just as the Mando in front of him is about to throw it at his General's unprotected back.

Without a second thought, Cody rushes at the Mando and slams into him with so much force, his ribs ache.

Unfortunately, the grenade falls not far from them and explodes, sending Cody flying in the opposite direction.

All air leaves his lungs as he hits the ground hard, slamming his head into the concrete floor and rolling a few meters away.

For a second, he feels like he is seeing stars. A throbbing pain radiates from his shoulder, and his ribs are on fire.

He really misses his armor.

Slower than he would like, he gathers himself and attempts to stand up. He gets into a crouch, his limbs aching, before a blaster behind his head freezes him in place.

"Kyrdir!" the Mando holding the blaster shouts.

Everybody freezes in place.

Cody has a perfect view of his General as he places his saber in a guard position and scans his surroundings. He finds Cody immediately, and his eyes widen in fear before his expression morphs into determination and something like protective anger.

"Kenobi," the Mando growl in accented basic. "If you value the life of this clone, you will surrender to us, or he," the Mando drives the tip of the blaster deeper into Cody's head, "will suffer the consequences."

Kenobi meets his eyes, and Cody lightly shakes his head while mouthing Don't.

He is just a clone. One in three million. He is not worth his General – his friend really – getting killed for. Kenobi has to live. He can't get kidnapped by a bunch of Mandalorian, for whatever reason, because of him.

Cody's heart is pounding in his chest as he holds Kenobi's gaze, willing him to listen for once in his life. But as Kenobi's eyes soften Cody knows it's a futile effort.

"All right." Kenobi extinguishes his lightsaber and slowly puts it on the ground. "Just don't hurt him."

"No!" Cody shouts. Panic seizes him as he tries to move, but two Mandalorians grip his arms and hold him in place. "No! Don't! Obi-Wan run!"

Kenobi's eyes are impossibly soft even as two Mandos force him to his knees. "Oh Cody," he says. "I can't leave without you."

Cody struggles as the Mandos cuff Obi-Wan with what he assumes are force-suppressing binders.

Obi-Wan grids his teeth and lets the sensation pass.

He is still holding Cody's gaze.

Another Mando in blue and yellow armor approaches his Jedi and stabs a hypo into his neck.

"No!" Cody shouts. "What did you do?"

Obi-Wan blinks, his eyes glassing over. In a blink, he slumps into Mandalorians' hold, and they drag him away.

"What did you give him?" Cody growls. "Answer me!"

The blue and yellow Mando that sedated (Cody hopes it was sedative) Obi-Wan approaches him.

"Udesii," he says. He forces Cody's head to the side and stabs him with hypo as well. "Kaysh kelir cuyir an staabi. Nuhoy jii."

Cody would like to rip the Mando's throat out, but he is quickly losing his fight with consciousness.

His last thought, before everything goes black, is that he hopes wherever they are taking Obi-Wan, they are taking Cody with him.

Chapter Text

Cody slowly surfaced into consciousness, pushing aside murky depths of sleep he had associated with sedatives.

Without opening his eyes, he tries to assess the situation, taking stock of his injuries. Every time he breathes, there is a slightly painful lancing through his ribs, but it feels far away, like he's on painkillers. He tries to move a little and winces at the soreness of his left shoulder.

He feels like he was run over by a speeder.

Memories of what happened slam back into him, and his eyes snap open, immediately searching for his General.

His panic subsides when his eyes land on Obi-Wan, laying on a cot opposite Cody's, still asleep.

They are in what appears to be a small cell with a door to, what he hopes, is an attached fresher. The entrance is ray shielded, and there is a soft noise humming around them, Cody associated with being in hyperspace.

Great.

Apparently, it was too much to hope they would still be on Coruscant.

They are both cuffed, Cody notices as he slowly staggers to Obi-Wan's cot. His body is still waking up from the sedatives, it seems, so he slumps at the edge of his Jedi's cot and checks him for any visible injuries.

There is a purple bruise on Obi-Wan's cheek and a small cut near his hairline, but besides that, he looks fine.

As much as Cody would like to let his Jedi sleep – Force knows Obi-Wan needs it – now isn't the time.

Cody nudges Obi-Wan's shoulder, shaking him slightly. “General. Obi-Wan, wake up,” he says.

Obi-Wan wakes up with a start, eyes wide, looking panicked as he scrambles into a sitting position. “What –“

“It's fine,” Cody tries his best to assure him – still holding onto his shoulder as a grounding gesture. “You are fine. We are fine.”

Obi-Wan takes a deep breath and closes his eyes to center himself. The sedatives must do him no favor. Cody himself is still dizzy.

After a moment, he glances back at Cody, looking better, more steady.

“Apologies, my dear,” Obi-Wan says. “I couldn't feel you in the Force at first.”

“Because of the cuffs.” Cody looks pointedly at the shackles. They are bulkier than Cody's, with blue light glowing from the sides.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan nods regretfully.

“So you can't feel the Force at all?”

“Yes and no,” Obi-Wan explains, “I can still feel the Force and people around me. It's just more difficult, like looking through a shadowed lens. And I can't use it, ” he makes a strange pause, some idea springing into his mind, “the suppressor restrains my senses so it's like grabbing at quicksand.”

Cody nods, holding Obi-Wan's eyes as the Jedi pointedly looks to one corridor of the cell. Cody follows his gaze, and there it is, a camera. They are being watched. Of course, they are.

“Sitrep?” Obi-Wan asks, wincing a little as he moves into a more comfortable sitting position, leaning his back against the wall.

Cody mirrors Obi-Wan, sitting beside him. “I woke up two minutes before you, so I haven't seen anybody yet. I assume we are on a ship in hyperspace. Don't know for how long, but going by my empty stomach, it's about twenty-four hours since we've been abducted. And my ribs and shoulder ache.”

Surprisingly, his fists are fine, only bruised, even after punching beskar. Repeatedly.

Someone had to give them bacta, or they would have been in worse shape than they are.

It's curious that the Mandalorians want them mostly undamaged.

He waits for Obi-Wan to take it all in and then asks, “What about you, sir? Any injuries?”

Obi-Wan shakes his head, but when Cody levels his disbelieving glare at him, he relents. “I'm a little sore, and my bad knee is acting up a bit, but it's nothing sleep won't fix.”

After a moment, Cody decides he's telling the truth and lets it go.

They sit there, next to each other for a few minutes before Obi-Wan breaks the silence.

“I'm sorry, Cody.”

Cody turns his head to look at Obi-Wan, confused. ” Whatever for?”

Obi-Wan snorts, but it is more hysterical than anything. He brings his shackled hands to run down his face and sighs. “For dragging you into this mess.”

Cody's eyebrows knot together in a frown.

He can't be serious.

Di'kutla Jetii.

“General,” Cody growls, and waits for Obi-Wan to meet his eyes. “You have saved my life, probably forfeiting yours in the process. If you think I would rather be anywhere else than here with you, you should think again. And if I hadn't been there and you've just disappeared –” Cody lets the sentence hang in the air. He is not sure what he would have done, but none of it would have been pretty. “I would go to look for you until I found you. No matter my orders.” He pushes his seriousness and sincerity outwards, hoping Obi-Wan is able to feel it even with the force-suppressors.

It seems to work because Obi-Wan's eyes soften, and something sad passes through his expression. “I don't deserve you, Cody.”

“Yes, you do.” Cody nudges Obi-Wan's shoulder playfully.

He deserves so much better.

They all do.

The two of them lapse into not-entirely-comfortable silence for a while, listening to the ship's engines as they fly through hyperspace.

“You called me Obi-Wan.”

“What?” Cody asks, perplexed.

“You called me Obi-Wan before,” Obi-Wan says, a small pleased smile twitching on his lips.

Cody grimaces. He didn't even realize when he went from Kenobi to calling his General by his first name. “Well, you told me to.”

“I'm not mad,” Obi-Wan assures him, full-on smiling now, “It's just, if I knew a little kidnapping was all it took for you to call me by my name, I would have let myself be kidnapped sooner.”

Cody scoffs and attempts to fold his hands on his chest before the shackles stop him. “Obi-Wan,” he says, and because he has already broken so many GAR regulations and rules of propriety, he adds, “Do shut up.”

That earns him a small laugh from the Jedi. Even Cody's lips are twitching.

They are being ridiculous.

Here they are, one clone commander and a Jedi general abducted and held against their will by mandalorian commandos for some surely nefarious reason, laughing at their own silliness.

Alpha-17 would kick his shebs if he knew this is how Cody handles being held captive.

The levity of the situation disappears when two fully armored Mandalorians show up in front of their cell.

Immediately, Cody shifts closer to Obi-Wan – as to protect him. Even cuffed as he is, he can do a lot of damage.

Obi-Wan bumps his elbow to comfort him, but it doesn't ease Cody's anxiety much.

The Mandos watch them silently. One is the blue-yellow Mando, Cody notes, who sedated them. The other Mando in blue-grey armor paint takes Cody a little longer to recognize. He seems at ease, but his posture is slightly stiff. Cody smirks to himself. That's the Mando he punched in the chestplate. He hopes he broke something.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan greets them like they are meeting at the market rather than in a cellblock.

The blue-yellow Mando tilts his buy'ce, in what Cody thinks, is amusement.

"I suggest you don't move and stay where you are," the Mando says before he deactivates the ray shield.

The blue-gray Mando sets the tray he was holding down on the floor. There are two ration bars and two bottles of water.

"Our thanks," Obi-Wan says, watching the Mandos curiously.

Cody is slightly bemused himself. He doesn't know how Mandalorians treat their prisoners. Providing food is essential for the captives to live, but as he looks at the food, he thinks, Grievous or Dooku wouldn't bother much. They would let them starve or kill them after extracting any useful information from them.

Not that they would have much luck with that.

Obi-Wan asks a few questions, but all attempts at conversation are rebuffed by silence and the unchanging T-shaped visor.

After the Mandos leave, Obi-Wan and Cody eat the proffered food. The ration bars aren't much better than the GAR-issued ones, but they meet their calorie intake.

There isn't much to do in the small cell after that, and both of them are still getting the sedatives out of their system. Obi-Wan protests, but in the end, Cody manages to persuade him to take a nap.

Cody takes the watch and listens as his General's breathing evens out. He sneaks a few glances at his Jedi's face, and his heart aches. Obi-Wan looks so young asleep. The wrinkles around his eyes and mouth are eased away, leaving his expression soft and relaxed.

Sometimes, it's hard to remember that Obi-Wan is just in his thirties. After all, it's easy to forget his age when the Jedi in question is so capable of dealing with all the tasks resting on his shoulders.

And that has to be quite a weight because the copper hair on Obi-Wan's temples is starting to gray.

The realization makes something in Cody's chest convulse. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a beat.

They will get out of this. He won't let anything happen to his General. And he has a feeling that as soon as the 212th realize they are missing, there might be a mutiny happening in the Third System Army.

The thought warms his heart.

If they don't get out on their own, his vod'e are coming for them.

The only thing he regrets is that he is going to miss drinks at 79's with Wolffe and Fox.

An undetermined time later, when both of them had some time to recharge, they talk more about where they think they are being taken. Mandalore sounds like the right answer.

Obi-Wan is very good at hiding his emotions, but Cody notices his dismay as the Jedi has no way to hide his clenched fists. His General has a history on Mandalore. Very close history with the late Duchess. And it affects him in ways Cody can't even imagine.

The worst part of their whole predicament is the question: if they are being taken to Maul.

Cody did his homework before he met General Kenobi. He read everything he could get his hands on about his General's background even after Alpha-17 assured him the Jedi is a reliable and good person (even if at times too reckless and self-sacrificing).

He read through the reports of the Sith apprentice and the Naboo fiasco. And, of course, the death of the Jedi Master assigned to stop said Sith apprentice – Qui-Gon Jinn.

After reviewing the footage of the duel, Cody had to admit that Kenobi was a skilled and formidable warrior capable of taking down more experienced opponents when he was only a padawan.

Now though? Now Cody knows what kind of person Obi-Wan is. Too kind, loyal, and forgiving for his own good.

But Cody also saw some of the aftermath after Duchess Satine Kryze was murdered. No matter how much the Jedi tried to hide it, he looked more tired than ever. Cody suspects he was having nightmares because he slept very little during their whole campaign on Falian Prime.

Obi-Wan didn't even have time to mourn before they were shipped out to secure the system.

Then again, Cody and his vod'e don't have time to mourn either.

It makes something deep inside him burn with anger and a crushing kind of sadness. He pushes it aside to some deep dark corner of his soul. Now really isn't the time to entertain such thoughts.

Usually, it takes four standard days to reach Mandalore from Coruscant, which gives them some time to rest and gather their strength.

Cody noticed, how without the Force supplementing his strength, Obi-Wan gets easily exhausted. It makes him think about how much the Jedi rely on the Force to be able to do all the tasks they are required to do without being dead on their feet.

And oh, there is so much that the Jedi do.

They have to deal with the Senate's neverending (and sometimes unrealistic) requests and orders, coordinate the GAR and take care of their own in the Jedi Temple.

Not to mention all the work the Jedi Corps do alone.

It's a horrifying kind of realization, that if the Jedi didn't have the Force, they would be dead from exhaustion alone.

Cody grits his teeth and doesn't mention it to Obi-Wan. All he can do is make his Jedi comfortable for the time being and let him rest.

Various Mandos come and go to bring them rations and water. None engage them in conversations besides threatening them to stay put or else, while they set the tray on the floor.

So far, they've counted five different Mandos, but Obi-Wan says he can sense more on the ship. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how many, thanks to the force-suppressor.

The most curious is the blue-yellow Mando they clocked as the medic of the squad.

The Medic comes to check on them every once in a while. He doesn't say anything, just stands there and stares at the two of them through the buy'ce's visor. He tilts his head sometimes, and Cody has a feeling the Medic has some sort of scanner built into the buy'ce to assess their health.

As there isn't much to do anyway, Obi-Wan and Cody try to focus on the most pressing issue – creating a plan to escape.

For obvious reasons, they are unable to speak openly about it, and they can't tell if the camera in their cell has a microphone or not. So they attempt to communicate via their battle signs, which doesn't make the issue of secret communication any less complicated.

They can't use any Mandalorian signs Jango Fett taught Cody and his batch, and that only leaves the signals the 212th invented to communicate more quickly and efficiently on the battlefield.

That brings forth even more issues.

The 212th signs aren't many and only communicate words associated with battle strategies.

Regardless, Obi-Wan has a plan, and he signs it to Cody as best as he can. There are a few miscommunications and some silent conversation through their eyebrows, but somehow, they create a feasible plan to escape.

All they need to do now is bide their time and wait for the ship to land on Mandalore.

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Obi-Wan got them into this mess, and he is going to get them out.

The ship exited hyperspace a few minutes ago, so it won't take long until they are planetside.

On Mandalore.

Force, it's always Mandalore.

And Maul.

They can't be on the ship when the Zabrak comes for him. He isn't sure he could face him again so soon. And with the disadvantage of having his access to the Force cut away from him, Obi-Wan doesn't think he could take Maul in a fight.

And there is also Cody. Oh, his clever, steadfast, loyal to a fault Commander who he has to keep as far away from Maul as possible.

They have a plan. A simple plan, that can go horribly wrong. And if he gets to account the luck they had had lately... Well, let's just say Obi-Wan isn't optimistic.

However, he didn't make this plan based on luck. There is no luck, but there is the Force. And the Force will assist those who ask for its help.

The ship lands without a hitch, and they wait for the Mandalorians to fetch them.

Obi-Wan sits on the floor with a clear sight of the entrance to their cell. Cody is sitting on the cot next to him while Obi-Wan sinks as deep into meditation as he can manage with the beskar force-suppressing binders.

The Force feels far away but present, right at the edge of his awareness. It's elusive when he tries to grasp it more firmly, slipping through his mental fingers.

He sinks deeper, feeling the pressure of the suppressor holding him back. But the Force is there as it always is everywhere. He stretches his mental consciousness further and further as he hears the ray shield deactivate.

It's almost time.

CODY

Three Mandos are standing right outside of their cell. Cody recognized the Medic and the blue-grey Mando, who brought them rations a few times during the flight in hyperspace. The third one – he hasn't seen before – has mostly green and blue painted armor and is bulkier and at least a head taller than Cody. He would guess heavy artillery.

That might be a problem.

Cody stands up, stepping in front of Obi-Wan to shield him.

The blue-grey Mando tilts his buy'ce, assessing him before he cranes his neck to glance at Obi-Wan. "Get up Jetii, time to go."

Obi-Wan doesn't move, still deep in his meditation, and Cody stands still, waiting for the signal.

Seeing no reaction from the Jedi, the Mando sighs and steps inside the cell.

Come on Obi-Wan. Hurry!

Just in time, Cody's shackles unlock with a soft click.

The blue-grey Mando has no time to react when Cody grabs him and knees him into his gut. The Mando howls in pain before Cody slams his fist into his buy'ce, knocking him out.

"Osi'kyr!" the Medic swears.

All hell breaks lose after that.

The Medic grapples with still shackled Obi-Wan, attempting to sedate him, while the green-blue Mando attacks Cody.

Cody is one of the best when it comes to hand-to-hand, so he successfully disarms his opponent, who attempts to stun him.

The only problem is that the Mando is huge, and his punches feel like getting his ribs hit by a durasteel pole.

They exchange a few quick jabs and punches, but the beskar'gam the Mando wears takes the brunt of it, leaving Cody's fists sore and bloody again. The only advantage Cody has is his size and swift reflexes as he dodges and twists from the Madno's attempts at grabbing him.

Evidently, the Mando ran out of patience because he takes out a vibroblade from his belt.

Cody knows he has to think fast, so he kicks at the Mando's knee to distract him and then goes for the knife, knocking it from the Mando's hand and sending it flying across the cell.

Cody's success is short-lived because the Mando exploits how close Cody is and grabs him by his neck.

He slams Cody's head against the wall so hard that Cody thinks his skull cracked open. His toes barely touch the floor as he dangles there by his neck.

He attempts to dislodge the hold, but the Mando is strong and unmoving, squeezing his throat tightly. He tries kicking him or twisting at his wrist, but nothing works. What in the Force is the Mando even made off?

Cody is starting to lose too much air now. He can feel his vision blur as he struggles to breathe.

Just when he thinks he is about to pass out, he sees Obi-Wan move behind the Mando and stab him in the neck with a hypo.

The Mando staggers back, dropping Cody in the process. He collapses to the ground with a loud clinking noise when the beskar hits the floor and passes out.

"Are you all right?" Obi-Wan is by Cody's side, eyeing his neck, worried.

"Ye–," Cody clears his throat, "Yes. I'm fine. You?"

"Likewise," Obi-Wan assures him.

When he gets his breathing under control, Cody glances across the cell. The Medic is knocked out cold.

Good.

Wasting no time, they search through the Mandos' pouches as quickly as possible, arming themselves in the process.

The other Mandos that are still left on the ship had to be alerted about the scuffle by now, so they have to move fast.

Unfortunately, they don't find the key chip to the force-suppressing shackles, so Obi-Wan has to make do with cuffed hands for now.

Cody's cuffs had a more simple mechanism to unlock than the force-suppressors, so Obi-Wan was able to reach them and unlock them with the Force when he was in deep meditation.

Obi-Wan's lightsaber is missing as well, but even if they found it, they couldn't use it to cut off the binders because they are made out of beskar.

Because, of course, they are. Nothing can be easy.

Armed as well as they can be, Cody glimpses at Obi-Wan.

The Jedi is armed with a blaster and has a vibroblade attached to his belt, not looking very happy about the fact.

Cody frowns at the blue glow of the binders. Obi-Wan explained that the force-suppressors don't hurt exactly, but something claws at his insides every time he sees them. He is getting his Jedi out of them as soon as possible.

"Ready, my dear?” Obi-Wan asks, smiling determined.

Cody nods. “Always.”

And together, they move, taking down all the Mandos left on the ship.

BO-KATAN KRYZE

Bo-Katan is not having a good day.

First, Maul's fraction of Kyr'tsad fanatics bomb their second biggest weapons bunker and now she has to deal with a kriffing Jetii.

“What were you thinking?!” Bo hisses at Ursa, walking quickly to the landing platform where other members of her squad are already gathered.

“You want Maul dead, and he is the only one capable of defeating him,” Ursa argues, not even slightly deterred.

“I didn't want to involve the Republic!” Bo growls.

“And we aren't,” Ursa says as they come to a stop in front of a small ship. “The GAR records show that Kenobi and his battalion are on shore leave. Nothing he does here will be associated with the Republic, the Jedi, or their army.”

Bo's next retort gets cut off when the ship's ramp lowers, and Axe Wolves rolls down the platform, stopping right in front of her feet.

Stunned, Bo stares at Axe, whose beskar'gam looks like he went five rounds with a pist off gundark.

Axe staggers to his feet, shooting Ursa a glare. "They are karking insane! Both of them," He waves his hand in the direction of the ship. "Who in their right mind punches beskar?!"

"Both?” Bo and Ursa ask at the same time.

As if summoned, a man – a clone upon closer look – comes barging down the ramp, blaster in hand. Behind him, a hiss of a lightsaber igniting echoes in the silence, and Kenobi steps down, stopping right next to the clone.

“Well, hello there,” Kenobi says conversationally, as if he wasn't surrounded by a dozen Mandalorians, pointing their blasters at him and his companion. His eyes find Bo, and his head tilts in confusion, frown knotting at his eyebrows. “I have to say I did not expect to see you here.”

Bo gestures her hand for her squad to stand down. “That makes two of us,” she responds, sending Ursa a pointed look. This is her mess. She better clean it up.

Ursa sighs loud enough for the vocoder to catch. “We better talk in the briefing room.”

Kenobi and the clone look between the two of them before Kenobi disengages his lightsaber and clips it to his belt. “Right. I believe some explanation is in order.”

He nudged the clone's shoulder with his cuffed hands, but the clone just glares at all of them, evaluating the situation.

“Cody,” Kenobi whispers, and after another long moment, the clone relents and holsters his blaster.

Fantastic, another trigger-happy verd to deal with.

Bo feels like she is going to get a headache by the end of the day.

CODY

Cody and Obi-Wan follow the three Mandalorians into their compound.

As they walk, many Mandos shoot them curious looks. It makes Cody miss his armor more and more, especially the privacy of his buy'ce.

He is not quite sure what to make of the situation. Seemingly, these Mandos don't want them dead, and they don't seem to be working with Maul, but they did kidnap them.

They enter the briefing room and gather in front of a holo-table. The three Mandos take their helmets off and introduce themselves.

Obi-Wan had already met Bo-Katan Kryze, but not the other two. Cody has heard of her. She used to work with Kyr'tsad or Dead Watch, but after Maul took over and killed her sister, her loyalties changed, and she created her own fraction – the Nite Owls.

Or that's at least how she presents herself. Not that Cody can let the fact that she was part of a terrorist organization slide so easily.

The Mando in grey-yellow armor introduces herself as Ursa Wren, second in command of Nite Owls, and the reason they were abducted.

The last one is Axe Woves - the man in charge of the squad that abducted them.

Before the Mandalorians have any opportunity to explain themselves, Cody cuts in. "I want the cuffs off."

"What?" Kryze asks, confused.

"Cody?"

"I want the cuff off of my General," Cody clarifies, his expression serious. If they think, he and Obi-Wan will listen to anything they have to say, they better get the force-suppressors off of his Jedi.

"Ehm, Cody?"

"Now!" he emphasizes.

"Fine," Kryze relents and shoots Woves a glance.

Woves growls something under his breath and searches his pouches for the key chip. A frown appears on his face when he pats his pockets and can't seem to find it. "I could have sworn..."

A distinctive click of binders unlocking rings in the awkward silence, and they all turn to stare at Obi-Wan, who holds the unlocked binders and the key chip in his hands. "Right, I believe this is yours," he says, and holds the binders to Woves, who just stares at him for a long moment.

Cody stares as well.

"You pickpocketed me," Woves says in disbelief and snatches the cuff and key chip back.

Obi-Wan shrugs, unconcerned. "Well, I couldn't cut them off with my lightsaber."

The only opportunity to steal the key chip was when Cody and Woves wrestled for Obi-Wan's lightsaber. How the Jedi managed to pickpocket Woves while he fought another Mando, Cody doesn't know. He didn't even notice when it happened. And he was right there.

Kriffing Jedi.

Cody shakes his head, exasperated. "A heads up would have been nice," he says with a small glare at the Jedi.

Obi-Wan smiles at him apologetically. "Sorry Commander, there wasn't a time."

"Right, if you're finished," Kryze says, and steers the conversation back on track.

Cody pays rapt attention as she explains what's happening with Mandalore and Maul. Given that Mandalore is a non-Republic world, Kryze can't formally request aid or the entire Mandalore system will be dragged into Republics politics. And even if she did ask, there is no guarantee the Republic will aid her fraction in time, if even at all. It would take the Senate weeks, if not months, to agree upon conditions that would, for sure, be beneficial mostly to the greedy Senators than Mandalore itself.

Cody can understand her reluctance. In his opinion, the GAR is already stretched too thin. They can barely hold the CIS forces back as it is.

There is also the problem of Maul. Kryze says the formal Sith apprentice is building himself a criminal empire. He took over multiple syndicates and executed their leaders. The cronies that were left helped him conquer Mandalore and create a puppet government after Duchess Satine Kryze was murdered, leaving Prime Minister Almec in charge.

What's surprising, Ursa Wren reports, is that Maul's brother Savage Opress is dead. Her spies found evidence of a lightsaber duel and Savage's body. Maul went missing for about three weeks after that, and camera footage near the landing platform got glimpses of a third unidentified cloaked figure arriving at the Palace before the footage cut off.

At this, Obi-Wan pauses, paling rapidly, his gaze far away.

A chill runs down Cody's spine. When he glances around the room, he notices he isn't the only one feeling the strange cold sensation and tension floating in the air.

Could this be the Sith Lord the Jedi are looking for? Maul's former Master and Dooku's current one?

Cody doesn't get to ask as they move on.

"It doesn't matter who the other figure is," Kryze says. "My first priority is killing Maul and stopping the Kyr'tsad."

"That's where you came in," Wren continues, glancing at Obi-Wan.

"Me?" the Jedi asks, clenching his jaw slightly. The Mandalorians don't notice, but Cody certainly does.

"Yes, you," Wren says, leaning on the holo-table. "You defeated Maul before. You just didn't kill him hard enough," she growls the last part.

"Besides, you are a Jedi, and the Sith are your ancient enemies. It makes Maul your mandate and responsibility," Kryze continues. She wasn't very happy about their presence, but apparently, she isn't about using it to her advantage.

Obi-Wan clearly sees right through it but doesn't dispute her argument. "The Sith are our responsibility, but Maul isn't the only Sith we have to deal with."

"I don't care about your war," Kryze bites out. "I need Maul dead. After he is gone I can take care of his followers."

"To fold them into your own fraction? To claim the title of Mand'alor?" Obi-Wan shoots back.

"Those who surrender, sure," Kryze says, undeterred. "Those who don't... well, we are a warrior culture." She smirks. "And don't forget, I'm a Kryze. With Satine gone, that makes me the Aliit'alor – the leader of our clan and house. And if you think, you can find a better ruler for Mandalore than me on such short notice, be my guest."

Obi-Wan doesn't say anything to that, but he definitely tenses at the mention of the Duchess.

Cody's fists clench. Kryze is trying to manipulate him.

Kryze sighs, leaning more comfortably in her chair, and starts again. "I've gathered a not insignificant number of clans that are willing to march on Sundari and take down Kyr'tsad, but I need you to deal with Maul."

"We attempted to assassinate him multiple times, but your Force always alerted him," Woves snarls, crossing his arms.

"We aren't used to fighting Force-users anymore," Wren states. "But you are."

Obi-Wan purses his lips, and his hand comes to stroke his beard in thought.

Meanwhile, Cody bites on his tongue and doesn't say anything. This isn't really his mandate, and he wouldn't even be here if he wasn't with Obi-Wan when Mandos came to kidnap him, but he still has a strong urge to shoot the three Mandalorians for dragging Obi-Wan into this.

This, being a delicate situation. It's without question that Maul needs to be dealt with, but Cody doesn't know what to think about leaving a former terrorist in charge of a whole planetary system.

Kryze doesn't strike him as a bad leader (she wouldn't be where she is if she was), but he doesn't think she is a good person. She is still young and doesn't have any experience when it comes to governing planets. What kind of leader is she even planning to be? Will she have a council to help her, or will she indeed be a sole ruler?

Her reign has the potential to go horribly wrong and be quite short-lived.

"All right," Obi-Wan says eventuelly. He straightens, and before the Mandalorians start celebrating, adds, "But I have three conditions."

Kryze looks slightly annoyed but nods in agreement. "Sure, shoot."

“First, if I'm able to capture Maul alive, I want to take him back to the Jedi Order for questioning. The information he could provide about his former Sith Master could be essential in taking him down and ending the clone wars.”

Kryze grits her teeth. Doubtless, she would like Maul's head on a pike but lets it go. “Fine.”

“Second," Obi-Wan's expression grows even more serious and unyielding, "if I find that you have in any way abused the power of Mand'alor, I will come back and take you down.”

Absolute silence befalls the briefing room at the declaration.

Wren and Woves blink at him, bewildered. Cody is staring at Obi-Wan as well. He did not expect such an ultimatum coming from the Jedi.

“That sounds more like a threat than a condition,” Kryze says, her eyes narrowing.

“It's a promise,” Obi-Wan vows, holding her gaze.

There is a beat of silence before Kryze nods earnestly. “I accept. And the last one?”

“I don't want Cody anywhere near Maul.”

Cody's head whips to Obi-Wan. "What-"

"Done," Kryze says. Her chair scrapes the floor as she stands up and holds up her hand to seal the pact.

The rest of them stand up as well, and Obi-Wan takes her forearm in Mandalorian hold, squeezing tightly.

"Haat, ijaat, haa'it," Kryze vows, head held high and posture straight.

"Oya!" Wren and Woves call.

Obi-Wan nods seriously, holding Kryze's gaze for a little longer before letting go of her hand.

Cody's head is spinning.

"General," he growls, gritting his teeth. He cannot be serious!

The Jedi glances at him, his lips pursed, and then turns back to the Mandalorians. "If you could excuse us for a moment."

"Sure, the briefing room is yours," Kryze says and leaves, taking her two companions with her.

The door slides shut behind the Mandalorians, leaving the two of them in tense silence.

"General -" Cody starts, but Obi-Wan cuts him off.

"I know what you're going to say, Cody, but I can't allow you to be anywhere near Maul."

"You can't just face him alone," Cody says, barely restraining his rage. "You need backup!"

"I can't fight Maul if my focus is dived by defending you," Obi-Wan argues.

"I don't need defending. I need to watch your back!"

"And I can't let Maul kill another person I care about!" Obi-Wan shouts.

Cody's mouth slams shut, his eyes wide.

Obi-Wan had never shouted at him outside of the battlefield. He doesn't even shout when Skywalker does something idiotic that they have to clean up afterward.

The Jedi slumps into the closest chair, looking drained. He brings his hand to cover his face and says, "I'm sorry, Cody. I know you mean well, but this isn't one of our normal engagements." His hands fall on the table, and his eyes meet Cody's. "This is personal."

Cody stares some more at his Jedi. The way his body language is tense but also resigned in a way, and his eyes are stormy grey instead of his usual calm blue.

Cody heaves a long sigh, and all the anger drains out of him. He sits on the chair next to Obi-Wan, various emotions - he is not sure he wants to name - swirling inside him.

There is a long pause when he doesn't know what to say.

Leaving his Jedi to face an enemy alone goes against every fiber of his being.

The Kaminoans indoctrinated the clones to be loyal to the Jedi. To serve them and die for them if necessary. But after years of fighting by the Jedi's side, it became something else altogether. The loyalty and trust they have for the Jedi is way beyond what the Kaminoans intended. And Cody isn't any different.

He looks at his Jedi, who had his heart broken too many times, and whispers, "Okay."

"What?" Obi-Wan asks, baffled. He undoubtedly expected more of a fight.

"Okay," Cody repeats. "I will stay clear of Maul."

Obi-Wan stares at him for a long moment before he sighs in relief. "Thank you, Cody."

"I'm still going to fight Death Watch, though," Cody adds, "to make sure they don't interfere when you face Maul." He crosses his arms in from of his chest, daring Obi-Wan to contradict him.

Obi-Wan snorts. "As if I could keep you away from the fight, my dear."

Cody smirks at that. "Good."

When they open the door to exit the briefing room, Cody almost jumps two meters in the air.

Right in front of him is standing the blue-yellow Medic, who Obi-Wan knocked out during their escape, looking absolutely murderous even through the unchanging T-shaped visor.

"You two," he grits out in accented basic, pointing his fingers at both of them. "Med bay. Now."

Cody and Obi-Wan exchange confused looks but dutifully follow the Medic to the medical.

When they arrive, they are subjected to an absolutely unnecessary amount of scans, and Cody has a feeling this is supposed to be revenge for knocking the Medic out.

The Medic also finally introduces himself as Kesi Nalle, and after he takes his helmet off, he turns out to be a middle-aged Mirialan with diamond-shaped tattoos on his cheeks and chin.

"Your medics have to be either going grey before their time or are bold because of the amount of stress they have to go through to keep you in one piece," Nalle grumbles while he surveys the results of the scans.

Cody and Obi-Wan exchange a look but don't say anything to defend themselves and silently agree that Helix and Nalle can never meet.

Nalle also informs Obi-Wan that he is underweight and points him to the nearest dining hall (to which Cody gives Obi-Wan a significant look, smirking slightly).

(Not that his smirk lasts long.)

The Medic growls at Cody 'to stop punching beskar for the love of the Ka'ra' if he doesn't want his hands broken, to which Obi-Wan helpfully mentions that Cody punches droids' heads off on a daily basis. The comment has the medic fuming, and Cody's glare promises his General retribution at the earliest convenience.

Unfortunately, Obi-Wan and Cody aren't the only residents in the med bay. In fact, most of the Commandos who abducted them are there, glaring daggers at the two of them.

They are getting treated for various minor injuries (and maybe some dislocated joints), being as happy about it as any of Cody's vod'e stuck in medical.

To their absolute bewilderment, some Commandos approach them and even compliment them on their combat skills. Some wish to have a rematch or want them to teach them certain moves they saw them perform.

After Cody and Obi-Wan are released from the med bay, they go in search of the dining hall as per Medic's stern orders.

They run into Wren, who informs them that Kryze is recalling all the clans who agreed to aid them in their fight against Kyr'tsad and will be ready to march on Sundari in 36 hours.

That gives everybody a day and a half to prepare.

During that time, Obi-Wan and Cody find themself more often than not in the strategy meetings with Kryze and various heads of the clans. Their combined experience in battle tactics is well suited to advise the Mandalorians. No one complains when they give suggestions or scrap some ideas altogether with well-versed explanations of why their plans wouldn't work.

The Mandalorians prove they are one of the most efficient warrior cultures, and the planning moves along swiftly.

At some point, Cody and Obi-Wan leave them to iron out the last details, which they are non-required to be present for.

Cody is quite happy with the fact and goes to inquire the Commandos that abducted them about some armor he could borrow – because he is absolutely not planning to go into the battlefield wearing fabrics and leather, unlike some jaro Jetii he knows.

The blue-green heavy artillery Mando, who almost strangled Cody, approaches him and stares him down for a long moment before he holds out his forearm and introduces himself as Avin Dara. He doesn't take his buy'ce off (possibly because of cultural reasons), but Cody thinks he has earned some amount of respect from the man.

To Cody's absolute surprise, Dara takes him to the armory and gives him mismatched armor. The Mando says it's not pure beskar - lately, any beskar'gram is - but it's some kind of alloy. He also gives Cody back his blaster and knives and even lets him pick what weapons he wants from the armory and then gives him paint for the armor, which has Cody's eyebrows climb to his hairline.

"What about the Jetii?" Dara asks, observing Cody's choice of colors.

He picked the 212th gold, of course, symbolizing their lust for life, but also some blue for reliability and black for justice.

A small huff escapes Cody's lips at the question. "It would be a Force-damned miracle if anyone could force my General into full armor."

At that, Dara tilts his buy'ce in the equivalent of a raised eyebrow.

"But," Cody thinks about it for a second, an idea forming in his mind. "He does wear vambraces every now and then. Mostly when we are facing a difficult battle."

Dara takes that as a clue and starts to rummage through a huge dark case, where he pulled Cody's armor from. He makes a humming noise and pulls out two beskar alloyed vambraces.

"Here," Dara says as he presents them to Cody, "these should do the trick."

Cody eyes the vambraces and then gives Dara a skeptical look. "Won't the other Mandalorians be upset about a Jedi wearing beskar?"

He still has reservations about him – a clone – wearing anything close to beskar.

Dara shrugs. "Our first Mand'alor was a Jetti. And if anyone has a problem, they can always challenge him for the beskar," he pauses, and Cody has a feeling he's smirking under the helmet, "and with Kenobi's combat skills, I wouldn't be too worried."

Cody grins at that and takes the vambraces from Dara's outstretched hands. "Vor entye."

"N'entye." Dara waves him off and leaves Cody to his painting.

When he's at it, Cody thinks, he might as well paint Obi-Wan's vambraces as well.

Cody finds Obi-Wan in the training hall, doing katas.

Various Mandalorians are also there, training or sparring and trying very hard not to stare at the Jedi doing backflips and moving his saber at such a speed their eyes can hardly track.

He sits on the nearest empty bench and waits for Obi-Wan to finish.

The Jedi had to have similar thoughts to Cody's because he isn't wearing what he did on their way to Mandalore. In fact, he found some clothing similar to Jedi tunics in dark blue. The sash is white, and there is a black belt on top with several pouches. He kept his tight brown pants and knee-high boots, though.

His General is pushing himself hard today it seems, and Cody has to bite his cheeks not to laugh when a Mando in the background almost runs into a wall when Obi-Wan does one of those moves when Cody has to question if the Jedi has a spine at all.

There is also something else as he observes the Jedi. Obi-Wan is moving fluidly, his motions precise and calculated, but his shoulders carry tension that wasn't there before. His jaw is set and there is a frown twisting at his brows.

He's preparing for his fight against Maul, no doubt.

Cody can't even imagine what goes on in his head at the moment.

Maul took two people he loved the most away from him, killing them right in front of his eyes.

This will be one of the hardest battles his Jedi has to face.

And Cody can't help because he promised.

The thought makes him grit his teeth, and a protective kind of anger spikes inside him, but he pushes it aside.

He promised.

When Obi-Wan finally does the last kata, he is all sweaty, with his hair plastered on his forehead and the rest sticking in all directions. He deactivates his lightsaber and turns to Cody, losing some of the tension from his shoulders as soon as he sees him.

Obi-Wan pauses, his eyes widening as they dart up and down Cody's body. "I see you found yourself an armor," the Jedi says, lips twitching as he approaches him.

Cody does his best to stop the strange heat from spreading from his belly to his face. "Yes," he says, standing up. "They let me borrow it."

Obi-Wan inspects his paint job more closely now that he is standing, his smile widening.

Cody painted the beskar'gram similarly to his plastoid armor, except the base color is black, not white, with the sun on his stomach in 212th gold and simple gold and blue stripes on his vambraces, thigh, and shin guards. He also painted the 212th numbers on one pauldron and the Jedi Order symbol – star with wings – on the other.

(Not just Cody but the clones overall wanted to paint the symbol of the Jedi Order on their armor, but early on, they realized it could send the wrong message. The GAR was going to fight for the Republic, not the Jedi, so it would be wrong for the clones to represent themselves as the Jedi's army.

But this time Cody isn't going to fight for the Republic. This time, he has a chance to choose his battles, and he chooses to fight for his Jedi.)

“It suits you.” Obi-Wan nods in approval.

“Thank you,” Cody says, his face heating more and more. “I have something for you.” He reaches for the sack he brought and presents it to Obi-Wan.

“Oh?” Obi-Wan reaches for the sack and opens it, his eyes widening. “Oh...” He picks out the two vambraces painted in dark blue as a base color. The right one has the open-circle symbol on it – similar to the one painted on the plastoid vambraces he oftentimes wears. The left one has the Jedi Order symbol painted white for the star and gold for the wings that stretch from the wrist to the elbow.

Fighting the anxiety spreading through his chest, Cody tries to be patient as Obi-Wan stares at the vambraces for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

For a second, Cody thinks he should say something, but he bites his tongue.

He is starting to feel like he overstepped some boundary until Obi-Wan looks back at him, his eyes soft and very blue. “They are very lovely,” a genuine smile stretches across his face. “Did you paint them?”

“Ah, yes,” Cody rubs at his neck. “I didn't know you found a blue tunic though, but now they match.”

Oh, Force, why is he being so awkward about this?

Obi-Wan laughs at that. “The will of the Force, perhaps.”

Cody can't help his own smile pulling at his lips. And why is he sweating?! “I wasn't sure if I got the Jedi symbol right. I didn't know if there is a specific number of feathers or –“

“Cody,” Obi-Wan cuts him off, and yes, he was totally rambling for no reason. “They are perfect, thank you.”

A tension he didn't know was building inside him dissipates all at once, and a warm pleased feeling spikes in its place, spreading through his whole body.

"Good," Cody nods, more to himself than anyone.

Obi-wan puts the vambraces on after that, strapping them over the sleeves of his blue tunic.

He steps back into the circle where he was performing his katas and ignites his lightsaber. He moves it in large arcs, getting the feeling for the vambraces.

Cody sits back on the bench, his legs feeling like jelly for some reason, and watches as his Jedi performs seemingly physically impossible movements while warmth keeps enfolding his chest.

He doesn't get to enjoy the feeling for long because red alarms start to blear and ring, signaling that it's time to move out.

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Obi-Wan stops in front of the Palace, battle raging all around him. Explosions, blaster fire, jetpack roars, screams, and cries ring in his ears and slowly become background noise as he tries to focus and ground himself.

He takes a deep breath.

It didn't take them long to break through the Kyr'tsad's defenses of Sundari. Bo-Katan had gathered enough clans and ammunition to blast their way right through, and together they fought their way to the Palace, creating a perimeter and leaving Obi-Wan to deal with the former Sith.

Cody left a few minutes ago with his force signature all tangled up and torn. He didn't want to leave Obi-Wan to face Maul all by himself. Obi-Wan doesn't want to face Maul at all, to be honest, but the former Sith apprentice has become his responsibility ever since the battle of Naboo. Every crime and atrocity Maul had committed since then, is on Obi-Wan's head.

The Commander did make him promise to come back, even though they both know such promises are so easily broken.

Obi-Wan traces the lovely symbol of the Jedi Order painted on his left vambrace and pulls on the leather straps to secure it more firmly.

With one last deep breath, he walks through the Palace's entrance.

Nobody stops him as he makes his way to the throne room, and he does his best not to linger on the echoes of Satine's voice resonating within the walls. It appears all of Kyr'tsad's forces are preoccupied with Bo-Katan's Commandos, leaving the halls empty and silent (except for the dull noise of destruction outside).

Obi-Wan doesn't have the gift of psychometry Quin does, but somehow, he still feels Satine's essence hunt the Palace. It's so familiar yet distant, making Obi-Wan's heart crack even more than it already was.

Letting the turbulent feelings wash over him, he releases them into the Force. He can't afford to linger on the past, not when he's sure it will give Maul an advantage over him.

Obi-Wan can't afford to fail this time.

Here and now, padawan.

Without further delay, he opens the large door to the throne room with a loud rumble and faces his opponent with his head held tall and his back straight.

Maul sits on the throne, one leg bent at the knee on the throne, looking like a predator who caught its prey. His golden eyes spark, and a grin spreads across his face. "Obi-Wan Kenobi," he slowly drawls out, "finally came to face me, did you?"

Obi-Wan doesn't let the Sith discomfort him and leaves his body language open but on alert. "Well, you kept asking so nicely," he says conversationally. "And I heard Sundari is quite nice this time of the year, with spectacular fireworks all day long."

Maul scrowls and stands up. "I would be so insolent after the last time we met. I'm quite sure the Duchess wouldn't appreciate your sense of humor."

Obi-Wan doesn't say anything to that. He knows where Maul is going with this. He prepared himself for it. But some deep part of him hurts still.

Maul had to see something show on Obi-Wan's face because his grin is back, dangerous and malicious. “You remember this?” the Sith asks as he unholsters the darksaber, unlit. “The Mandalorians have so much history tied to it, yet, none of them can hear it sing or scream,” Maul shrugs, “Depends on who's holding it.”

Obi-Wan own kyber crystal shudders at Zabrak's words, and he does his best to keep the discomfort from his features and his force presence. Bleeding a kyber is after all, like torturing your own soul until it bleeds red.

“Did you hear it cream, “Maul continues, ”when I stabbed the Duchess in her gut like I did your Master?”

Obi-Wan grits his teeth, breathing very carefully. “I did,” he says, and because he has no self-preservation instincts whatsoever, he adds, “I don't think it liked you very much. I would recommend a different kyber. Something more rhythmical and soothing would compliment your personality much better.”

Maul scrowls barring his teeth, and ignites the darksaber. “Insolent as ever.” He launches at Obi-Wan so fast the Jedi has barely the time to ignite his own saber to parry.

They exchange a few lightning-fast strikes – Maul looking for any opening in Obi-Wan's defense while Obi-Wan attempts to tire him out. Maul pushes at his left side, but Obi-Wan sidesteps him, letting the momentum carry Maul a bit further and create some distance between them.

After Maul regains his balance, they circle each other in the large space the throne room provides, both calculating their opponent's next move.

A dull rumble of explosions is heard outside, and fire flickers at the edges of the large windows.

Suddenly, Maul stops, some new idea making his eyes glow like Mustafar's lava. “Say Kenobi, how is your padawan?” he asks, and Obi-Wan freezes. “Anakin Skywalker is his name, isn't it?” Maul's head tilts to the side, observing every reaction the Jedi gives him.

“Anakin is quite busy at the moment,” Obi-Wan says, his grip on his saber tightening.

“Oh, I would say so,” Maul says, eyes sparkling. “My Master's new shiny apprentice must be ready when the time comes after all.”

All thoughts in Obi-Wan's head come to a screeching halt. “What?”

“You haven't heard?” Maul's grin is absolutely vicious at the crack in Obi-Wan's voice. “Darth Sidious has been grooming him for some time now, pulling his strings, corrupting his soul. Slowly manipulating him against the Jedi.”

The heartbeat in Obi-Wan's ears is deafening. What is Maul talking about?

Taking advantage of his confusion, Maul charges again, almost taking Obi-Wan's head off. He ducks just in time but takes a kick to his right knee and loses his balance. Before Maul has time to strike, Obi-Wan rolls with the motion of the fall out of the way and springs back to his feet.

“You are lying,” Obi-Wan accuses, feeling wrong-footed for some reason. Maul must be laying, trying to unbalance him. Surely.

“Am I?” Maul laughs. “Did the Force tell you I was lying?”

The question makes Obi-Wan pause, and he reaches toward the Force for confirmation. Did he sense Maul lied?

He doesn't think he did.

But that can't be right. Just can't.

Anakin would never–

Obi-Wan's saber comes to parry another strike from the Zabrak. They lock their sabers together, Maul's face too close for comfort, smirking at him in victory. “Don't worry. After I'm done with you, Skywalker is next on my list.”

Snarling, Obi-Wan pushes the Sith away.

There is no way Maul is going to touch a hair on Anakin's head.

Their lightsabers crash, making sparks fly in all directions. This time it's Obi-Wan pushing forward and Maul on defense. He strikes at his opponent, looking for weakness, but forgets to watch his left side – a mistake, which Maul exploits immediately.

A searing hot pain explodes in Obi-Wan's left side, burning his flesh. As swiftly as he can, he pushes it aside and grabs Maul's saber hand. He twists his body, throwing the Zabrak over his shoulder. Maul's hold on the darksaber dislodges at the movement, and the weapon falls from his hand and clutters to the ground.

Maul rolls away, and Obi-Wan calls the darksaber to him with the Force.

He clutches at his burned side. Fortunately, it isn't bleeding – lightsabers cauterize the wound – but the pain remains, leaving him breathing hard.

Maul snarls at the loss and unclips his second weapon – a double-bladed lightsaber staff. He wastes no time to ignite it – a red light springs from the staff, bathing the throne room in blood red. Then, without a warning, Maul jumps at Obi-Wan.

Pushing as much of the pain into the Force as he can, Obi-Wan parries blow after blow and even ignites the darksaber to level the playing field.

Jar-Kai isn't his preferred form, but he is proficient enough to help teach it to Ahsoka, and it worked on Maul and his brother before, when he lost Master Gallia.

Unfortunately, it's also very clear that Maul is in his element when using Juyo with the lightsaber staff. The seventh form of lightsaber combat is not taught at the Temple anymore, given mostly dark-side users prefer it. The form itself is one of the most vicious forms and requires intense internal focus to feed at his opponent's emotions or generate them at their opponent. And with the pain Obi-Wan is feeling right now, he is at a very distinct disadvantage.

Maul pushes the burning darkness against his shields as they fight, multiplying the pain in an attempt to shatter his mental focus.

Some of the outer shields break like glass, leaving pointy edges and a headache behind. But Obi-Wan didn't build his shields yesterday.

It took him many years to perfect his mental defenses, stacking layers upon layers of protection, creating a maze that's able to withstand the likes of Dooku.

He ducks another vicious strike and pushes Maul back, but the move leaves an opening Maul attempts to strike at. Without thought, Obi-Wan defends himself with his forearm, thanking the Force and Cody for the beskar alloyed vambraces. Maul's eyes widen when his saber is stopped by the vambrace. (Apparently, the Zabrak didn't expect beskar.) Exploiting Maul's surprise, Obi-Wan slashes at his shoulder, but Maul notices and just barely dodges and steps back.

Obi-Wan steps back as well, creating a breathing room between them, his energy reserves depleting. He will not last much longer. Not with the injury.

“Getting tired, are we?” Maul mocks, but he too, is breathing hard. He swirls his lightsaber staff around, making Obi-Wan's eyes linger on it.

Gears in his head start turning as a realization hits him.

“The lightsaber staff,” he starts, making Maul pause. “It's not yours. It's your brother's, isn't it.”

Maul freezes in place, gripping the staff tighter until his fingers are white from the pressure. “That's none of your business!” he snarls. “I will make Sidious pay, just like I will make you pay!”

Before Obi-Wan has time to think about the implications, Maul launches again, rage pouring out of him in waves. Not just rage but hurt, pain, and suffering.

Obi-Wan locks his mental shield tighter and deflects the onslaughter of strikes Maul levels at him. His hands shake from the strength of the blows, but he does his best to redirect the energy and twists from Maul's range, jumping into a roll. Turns out that wasn't a great idea as it shifts his wounded side, setting it on fire. Biting on his tongue, Obi-Wan springs back to his feet and pushes Maul away from him with the Force, leaving his energy dangerously low.

He can't keep this up much longer.

Maul regains his footing and snarls again as they circle each other.

Obi-Wan knows he won't win this fight wounded, and even if he wasn't, their skills are evenly matched.

No.

He has to be smart about this.

An idea slowly starts to form in his mind as he stops and disengages the darksaber, clipping it to his belt. He swings his blue saber and points it at Maul in Soresu's opening stance – the blade horizontal with the ground, his fingers outstretched forward.

Maul's black eyebrow marking lifts, but he doesn't say anything. Instead, the Zabrak watches him intensely and changes his own stance accordingly – his saber held high.

The Force whispers to Obi-Wan, but the stance doesn't feel right.

He changes it to Shi-cho's opening stance, with his blade held hip-high in front of him.

The Force keeps pushing at him, whispers intensifying until they suddenly go dead quiet, and Obi-Wan knows... just knows how to trick Maul.

He changes his stance again, going for Ataru opening, with the blue blade held by both hands vertically on the right side of his body (just like his Master before him).

Recognition sparks in Maul's golden eyes, and he shirts his footing slightly.

Their eyes are locked – glowing yellow against stormy blue-gray – until the pressure building between them explodes, and Maul launches with a roar.

Obi-Wan deflects all three strikes and then slashes vertically right through the lightsaber staff and Maul's body.

Time stops as they stare at each other, both stunned.

Realization slowly draws at Maul, his now two sabers deactivate, and he crumbles to the ground.

Obi-Wan catches his body just before he hits the floor and holds him close – a perfect parallel to how he held Satine's body... and just like he held Qiu-Gon's.

“..No” Maul pants, “...no, it's too soon.”

Obi-Wan doesn't know what to say to that, just holding him gingerly, attempting to send soothing feelings his way.

Maul's hand fists into his robes, tugging insistently. “Sidious!” Maul grits out, rage flooding him. “It's all his fault... All his doing –“ A coughing fit stops his words, leaving his body shaky. “You... have to avenge us.”

“Who is he?” Obi-Wan asks probably the most important question they have been asking since Maul's first appearance.

Maul laughs, his teeth bloody. “The one controlling you all... like puppets on strings...” he coughs and with his dying breath whispers, ”Sheev Palpatine."

Obi-Wan's breath catches, and the Force around him explodes.

Chapter Text

As soon as Maul says the Sith Lord's name, the Force around Obi-Wan explodes.

(Somewhere on Coruscant, a cascade of shatterpoints breaks, and Mace Windu falls to his knees with a pained cry.

Master Yoda stops in his tracks and clutches at his head as he feels the fate of the galaxy shift.

Anakin Skywalker freezes in place as a chill runs down his spine, and his entire body shudders.

The Sith Lord pauses in his speech to the Senators in his office, his eyes narrowing before he remembers himself and plasters a smile on his face.)

The Unifying and the Living Force twist around Obi-Wan's force presence, pulling him into the universe's tapestry of existence, and for the first time in a long time, Obi-Wan is able to see.

Not just that.

Not just to see but to feel, to sense the darkness, which has been surrounding the Jedi and the galaxy for many years.

It's like the fog around his vision had lifted. The sight he didn't even realize has been obscured is now crystal clear.

Sheev Palpatine is the Sith Lord – Darth Sidious, they have been looking for.

Dear Force.

The Chancellor of the Republic and the head of the GAR has been manipulating the Republic and the Separatists from the shadows, creating a puppet war right under their noses.

There is no denying it. Not after the Force rang with the truth of Maul's words. Not after Obi-Wan got his sight back upon realizing it was the truth.

The Sith had to find some way to obscure the Jedi's vision to hide in plain sight for so long, otherwise, they would have realized who he was by now.

The man the Jedi help protect and who has been accumulating power and solidifying his place as the Chancellor even after his assigned term had passed.

The man who is a good and trusted friend and mentor to Anakin.

Nine hells, Obi-Wan allowed a Sith Lord access to his padawan for years. (No matter how many times he protested during the early years of Anakin's padawanship.)

Nausea rises in his stomach, and he feels like he is choking. He is going to be sick.

With his sight returned, he can sense the Force cry for help, whispering warnings at every turn.

The trap the Sith has been carefully shaping is almost in place, and the Jedi are going to be caught right in it before they can even realize what's happening.

This is a nightmare.

Obi-Wan can't imagine anything worse than this. (But he has been wrong before.)

He has to treat carefully, but the overwhelming sense of urgency the Force basically screams against his mental shields is almost impossible to tune out.

What can he do? He is just one Jedi, and the task the Force has for him is enormous.

How can he take down a kriffing Sith Lord who has been playing an entirely different kind of dejarik than the rest of them? Obi-Wan doesn't even know all the players Sidious has on his side of the board, not to mention the rules he's playing by.

Panic and anxiety are building inside him, just waiting to burst.

He can't do this alone!

“Obi-Wan!” a familiar voice shatters his concentration, and he's pulled back into his own body.

He blinks, his eyes coming back into focus. After the world stops spinning, he notices that Cody is crouching beside him, shaking him by his shoulders. His Commander had to be calling Obi-Wan's name for some time because the worry in his brown eyes is clear.

"Obi-Wan!" Cody repeats as if he would disappear at any moment.

"Cody," Obi-Wan's voice comes more ragged than he expected.

His Commander sighs in relief, patting his shoulder. "General, are you all right? You were non-responsive for a while. I was afraid you wouldn't wake up."

Obi-Wan nods. "I'm –" his voice cuts off. Fine? A strong urge to laugh hysterically rises inside him, but all that escapes his lips is a silent huff that sounds more like a sob.

Cody squeezes his shoulder more firmly, his signature full of concern.

Obi-Wan is nowhere near fine. All he wants to do is go home, bury himself in blankets, and cry. Instead, he settles for a deep calming breath and asks, "What are you doing here?"

Cody frowns, lips pursing. "General, it's been hours."

Hours?

Seeing Obi-Wan's confused expression, Cody continues. "Kryze and her allies took down the majority of the Kyr'tsad's forces. They are moping out the rest now, but most of the fighting is over."

Obi-Wan nods, not really processing all the words for some reason. "That's good."

"After the all-clear signal has been sent for the Palace district, I went to check on you. I found you frozen in place, looking far away." Cody pauses, worry coloring his signature. "What happened?"

"Oh, sorry," is all Obi-Wan is able to say to that. He feels like all his eloquent words and responses abandoned him, and the rest are just scraping their way out of his throat.

Cody makes an unhappy noise, but Obi-Wan ignores it and glances at the now cold body he is still holding in his arms. He brings his hand to close Maul's eyes and lays him gingerly on the floor, crossing his hands at the abdomen (just like he did Satine's).

He shouldn't feel so much sorrow for Maul, but he does. The former Sith was a victim, after all. Even though he made his own choices in the end - he could have chosen to forgive and move on, leaving his pointless revenge behind. Instead, he made it his life's goal.

Obi-Wan sighs. It's over now. Maul is one with the Force and, hopefully, finally at peace.

He attempts to stand up and abords the movement when a searing hot pain erupts in his side. Cody's arm steadies him just before he can fall face-first on the floor.

Right. He forgot about the lightsaber wound.

"Haar'chak!" Cody swears as soon as he sees the burn.

"Udesii, al'verde, it's not that bad," Obi-Wan attempts to assure him, slipping into Mando'a.

Cody doesn't dignify that with a response and gives him a dry look instead. "I will alert the Medic. Can you stand?"

Obi-Wan humms thoughtfully. "Yes."

Cody nods and helps him stand up. He throws Obi-Wan's hand over his shoulder, and together they stagger to the Palace entrance.

As they walk, they pass more and more debris and destruction from explosions Obi-Wan scarcely registers. His mind is lightyears away, burdened by the knowledge, he doesn't know what to do with it. It's so overwhelming he wants to scream to release the pressure.

In a blink of an eye, they make it to the entrance. Bo-Katan, Wren, Nalle, Dara, and some other Mandos, Obi-Wan doesn't recognize, are already there, waiting. As soon as the Mandalorians see them, they jog their way.

"Is it done?" Bo-Katan asks as she stops right in front of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan nods in confirmation. "Maul is one with the Force."

A no-small feeling of satisfaction escapes Bo-Katan's mental shields even through the beskar helmet, but Obi-Wan thinks it is also amplified by the other Mandos' feeling the same way.

"Jate," she says.

As Cody still supports him to stand upright, Obi-Wan unclips the darksaber from his belt and holds it up to Bo-Katan, locking his eyes with hers through the T-shaped visor. "Remember your promise."

Bo-Katan reaches for the darksaber, her hand hovering just above the hilt, when her hand freezes. After a moment, she shakes her head and lets her hand fall back. "Keep it."

Obi-Wan frowns, confused. "What?"

"It's yours," she explains. "You won it in a duel. The darksaber is yours by the right of combat."

"But it's the symbol of the Mand'alor," Obi-Wan says, not really understanding where she is going with this.

"It was also given to the Jedi and your Temple by Tarre Vizsla. It was supposed to stay there until clan Vizsla stole it and made it into the symbol we now know," she says, crossing her hands on her chest. "And it brought nothing but death and destruction for my people since then."

She isn't wrong, Obi-Wan thinks. The darksaber was meant to find its resting place in the Temple like all the lightsabers of fallen masters.

Still, he feels like he should protest more, but after the fight with Maul, his injury, and the revelation of today, he is too exhausted to argue. All he has the energy to do is incline his head in a bow with Cody's support. "As you wish," he says. "I will lay the darksaber to rest in the Hall of Crystals, where it will reside until the Force calls upon it once more."

Bo-Katan gives a sharp nod and lets Nalle see to his injury. The Medic was basically vibrating with impatience, hovering behind Bo-Katan's shoulder and waiting for them to finish the conversation.

Now that he has permission, Nalle wastes no time to usher them into a small shuttle parked nearby and to its med bay.

The Medic patched Obi-Wan up without any protests from the Jedi. Nalle wanted to duck him in a bacta tank but settled for bacta spray and numerous bandages.

Cody gives him many strange looks, not leaving his side for a moment, but Obi-Wan's thoughts are drowning with too many concerns to notice.

Dara comes an hour later after the Medic is finished with Obi-Wan, and even checks on Cody, who besides a few scraps and bruises, is all right – to brief them.

Dara says that Prime Minister Almec was taken into custody, and most of the Kyr'tsad's forces are either dead or arrested. The rest is scrambling to escape, but the Nite Owls are pursuing them. The biggest concert they have are clans Saxon and Kast, who refuse to surrender. Gar Saxon is already in the wind, and they are attempting to pin Rook Kast in the lower levels of Sundari.

Obi-Wan lets the information wash over him, his head feeling like it's stuffed with cotton.

Mandalore is Bo-Katan's problem now, to be fair. He can only hope that the new leadership she chooses for her Council will bring peace and a new era of prosperity to Mandalore and its system.

He will keep an eye on her – he made a promise and is thus, in part, responsible for what will happen next.

Cody and Nalle attempt to persuade him to eat a ration bar, but Obi-Wan's stomach feels full of rocks and acid. He drinks some water, but the idea of food makes him nauseous.

Fortunately, he's saved from further attempts at feeding him by Axe Woves, who rushes into the medical, saying there is a Republic shuttle approaching Sundari, sending some kind of signal.

Obi-Wan and Cody exchange knowing glances and then scramble into the cockpit of the Mandalorian shuttle to hail the Republic one before the crew can do something rash.

Gregor's voice greets them on the other side of the speaker, full of relief, and tells them the 212th came to rescue them.

Cody grins at the news, and Obi-Wan just sighs, exasperated. Off course, his men came for them. It makes something warm bloom just for a split second in his chest, and it even helps to cut through the fog suffocating his mind.

Woves gives Gregor coordinance, and after the shuttle lands, they find out that not just Gregor's small squad of Commandos came, but also Waxer, Boil, Crys, Longshot, and Helix.

Their CMO is the first out of the shuttle before the ramp even touches the ground, making a beeline to them, looking ready to murder anyone in his path. He then proceeds to glare daggers at any Mando in sight, and interrogates Nalle about his medical expertise and Obi-Wan's and Cody's health.

Nalle dutifully answers, feeling a little insulted, but doesn't dare to argue with their vicious CMO.

Obi-Wan just smiles at Helix, his shoulders sagging as some of the tension leaves his body. He always felt comfortable in his men's presence.

As his men disembark, Gregor informs them that the 212th almost mutinied when they found out their General and Commander had been kidnapped. Eventually, General Windu gave Gregor and Foxtrot permission for a rescue operation, and the Ghost members tagged along. They left Barlex in charge of the 212th, and the Sergeant told them that if he didn't hear from them within a week, the entire 212th would march to Mandalore to get them back.

Woves, Nalle, and other Mandos who came to figure out what the Republic wants just blink at the news, looking baffled even through their helmets.

Evidently, they weren't as successful at cleaning their trail as they thought and didn't consider all the consequences of kidnapping the General and Commander of the entire Third System Army.

Obi-Wan couldn't be prouder of his men, and he knows Cody feels the same.

With Maul's death, Obi-Wan's task is finished. Nalle releases him into Helix's capable hands, and it's time for them to leave.

"Wait, what about the beskar'gam?" Cody asks as they slowly make their way to the Republic shuttle. "We have to return it."

"Beskar?" Waxer asks, wide eyed.

"The armor's berkar?!" Gregor exclaims in disbelief.

Boil misses a step in his trek, and his head whips to Cody, his eyes skipping up and down his armored body with new interest. "The what?"

Cody's lips tug in the corners, looking smug.

"Lucky bastard," Gregor grumbles under his breath.

"Keep it," Dara says from behind them as he appears out of nowhere.

They all turn to him, surprised.

"Really?" Cody asks.

Dara nods, patting Cody on the shouder. "You earned it. Both of you." He glances at Obi-Wan before turning back to Cody and then holds his forearm for the Commander to shake.

Cody grins and takes his forearm. "Vor'e."

"N'entye," Dara says and then holds his hand to Obi-Wan to shake too.

He takes the Mados' forearm in a firm grip, and nods to him.

Dara surprises him by saying, "Vor entye, Kenobi. Mandalore will always be in your debt."

"N'entye. Maul was always my fight." Obi-Wan says, shaking his head. "I wish Mandalore more peace." He smiles ruefully. "Rebuilt, live, and learn from your mistakes to build a stronger Mandalore. Ret'urcye mhi."

"Ret'urcye mhi," Dara echoes the sentiment. His helmet tilts, studying Obi-Wan for a beat before he lets his hand fall.

Goodbyes made, they turn around and board their shuttle, leaving Mandalore behind.

Obi-Wan thought this two-week shore leave couldn't get any worse, but once again, the universe proved him wrong.

As they travel to Coruscant, Master Windu calls to inform him of urgent news.

The Jedi Temple – his home – was bombed, and Ahsoka, his gradpadawan, is right in the middle of it.

"What do you mean she has escaped?" Obi-Wan asks, demands really, as he talks to Mace via holo call.

"We don't know how she did it, but she killed twelve clones on her way out."

"That's nonsense," Obi-Wan growls. He is getting agitated, he knows, but the situation is getting out of hand, and so is his mental discipline. Mace gives him a warning look, so he takes a deep breath and continues in a calmer tone, "Ahsoka would never hurt the clones. You said the cameras were cut off. All the evidence you have is circumstantial at best."

Mace sighs, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. The Master of the Order looks so exhausted, even more than usual, Obi-Wan notes, and some of the anger boiling inside him cools down. "I know, and I'm sorry, but Tarkin is pushing for the Council to expel her and let the Coruscant Security Force take over the investigation. They also want to put her on Military tribunal."

Obi-Wan shakes his head. "We can't let them do that. You said Anakin is going after her?" Mace nods. "Then he is the best person to find her. We just need to buy him time."

"I'm sorry Obi-Wan, but there really isn't time," Mace sighs again. "One of the reasons I'm calling is to collect your vote if you think Ahsoka should be expelled."

Obi-Wan's eyes widen in disbelief. "No! As if you need to ask. I vote no."

"Obi-Wan," Mace warns, "you can't base your vote on your attachment to Ahsoka. You have to be rational."

"I'm rational!" Obi-Wan exclaims, proving Mace's point. He grits his teeth, closing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath.

He keeps breathing for a while, clearing his mind in the process.

Facts, he has to focus on the facts.

Anakin and Ahsoka were recalled to investigate the Temple bombing. They found that it was caused by nono-doids that were discovered in the bloodstream of munitions expert Jackar Bowmani, who worked at the Temple. The investigation led to his wife Letta, who as it turns out, fed her husband the nano-droids. Anakin and Ahsoka captured her, but later, Letta demanded to speak to Ahsoka. So the Padawan went to talk to her, and then in the cell, Ahsoka allegedly killed Letta. And then she escaped, killing twelve clones in the process.

Oh, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan thinks, why did you run? It makes her look just more guilty.

The impatience just screams Anakin's teaching.

Showing that thought aside, he doesn't believe Ahsoka is capable of cold-blooded murder or bombing her own home.

There has to be something they are missing.

"Okay," he says, and blinks his eyes open. He glances at Mace, who is still patiently waiting for him to compose himself.

"No, I vote no," Obi-Wan says decisively.

Mace nods – he didn't expect his answer to change but accepts it anyway.

"Will it change the result of the vote?" Obi-Wan asks with a sinking feeling.

"I'm sorry Obi-Wan," Mace says, his expression resigned. "It's four against eight."

Obi-Wan nods slowly. He didn't think it would.

They exchange a few words after that, and then Mace's hologram blinks out, and Obi-Wan slumps into the nearest chair. He rests his head in his hands, contemplating how it is possible that everything is crumbling around him.

He didn't even tell Mace about Palpatine. He couldn't. Not though the holo-call. The Sith has to have his ears everywhere.

He didn't tell Cody and his men either. How do you tell people forced to fight for a cause they didn't choose that it's all fake? A manipulation? A puppet war he doesn't know how to stop?

His stomach sinks even further, and his headache reaches new intensity.

Could this, he muses, the murders Ahsoka's been framed for be the Sith's doing as well?

At this point, he can't rule that possibility out.

Force, he needs help.

But first of all, he has to save his grandpadawan.

When Obi-Wan tells his men about the bombing and Ahsoka being framed for it, there are many exclamations of disbelief and vicious swearing.

It makes something in him settle, and he breathes easier knowing he isn't just in denial or the only one to believe Ahsoka is innocent (except for Anakin).

They just have to find the real culprit, and for that, they have to be on Coruscant.

Two days later on their journey in hyperspace, Mace sends him a message that Ahsoka was caught by the Wolfpack and Anakin, and is currently held in the Republic's holding facility.

He also informs him, that Ventress of all people, had been sighted helping Ahsoka. Obi-Wan pauses at that.

His last encounter with the former Sith acolyte wasn't as unpleasant as it used to be. She rescued him from Maul and Savage, after all. It's true that she had her own reasons to hunt the two Zabraks, but she could have left him there to die. Instead, she chose to team up and help him escape.

Obi-Wan isn't blind enough to trust Ventress and forgive her for all the pain and suffering she caused. But he does believe people can change if they are given a chance.

Maybe her helping Ahsoka isn't a bad omen after all.

Six hours before they exit hyperspace and arrive on Coruscant, Cody finds Obi-Wan meditating in the cargo hold. (Or attempting to meditate.)

Since his sight had cleared, it became difficult to comfortably sink into the Force. The cosmic energy is just too turbulent, screaming warnings at every turn. It's a stark contrast to how he meditated before. How he didn't notice the darkness suffocating the galaxy, he doesn't understand. And it's just getting worse the closer they are to the Core.

"Sir, can I talk to you?" Cody asks, going back to formality, and Obi-Wan can't help but miss the closeness they built in the caffee and on their way to Mandalore.

Obi-Wan's eyes flutter open, giving up on the meditation. "Of course, Commander." He smiles and waves his hand to the spot in front of him.

Cody takes it as permission and sits on the floor opposite Obi-Wan. "You don't have to answer," he starts carefully, "but I wanted to ask what happened with Maul?"

Obi-Wan freezes, his mouth suddenly dry. In all fairness, it's not like he didn't expect the question, but he is surprised it took his Commander this long to ask.

Cody holds his hands up in placating gesture, clearly seeing his discomfort. "You don't have to answer. I just –," Cody sighs, "Vod'e and I are concerned."

Haar'chak. Obi-Wan wants to slap himself.

Of course, they are concerned. He's been basically hunting the shuttle at night because he can't sleep. His visions and nightmares have been blurring together lately. He keeps seeing the Temple burn and all the Jedi dead, their bodies broken on the ornamented floors. Oftentimes the visions switch to clones, and they are the ones limp in the ground, cut down by lightsabers. All of the images usually end with the Sith Lord, standing in a pool of blood, golden eyes burning with hate and suffering, and a vicious grin on his shadowed face. The Sith's vicious laughter echoes in Obi-Wan's ears long after he wakes up.

It makes his stomach turn, and he can barely keep any food down after he wakes up.

And that brings him to his eating habits, which are at a new low. He is afraid Helix is going to get an aneurysm every time he sees Obi-Wan's health-scan reading.

(And it's not like he dislikes food. He loves going to Dex's and eating all the greasy dishes his friend makes or cooking for himself at the Temple. But with war raging around the galaxy, there are mostly rations to sustain them during the long battles. And Obi-Wan has to state he strongly dislikes them.)

He shrugs his thoughts aside, turning back to Cody's question, but he just doesn't know how to answer it. He needs time to think it through. With Palpatine being the Sith Lord, there is no way of knowing how deep the corruption of the Rupublic and the Senate goes. Each step he takes from now on will have to be carefully calculated.

Still, first of all, he needs to help Ahsoka. She has to be his priority at the moment.

"I can't," is the only answer that scrapes out of his throat. "I can't tell you right now."

Cody searches his face for a second and then nods. "All right," he says, his expression understanding and open. "If you change your mind, I will listen."

Obi-Wan sighs in relief and rests his head on the wall behind him. "Thank you," he whispers, grateful for how easily Cody accepts his silence for now.

"Always," Cody says, his brown eyes kind and gentle.

Obi-Wan doesn't know how he deserved such a good person in his life.

They sit in silence for a moment before Cody shuffles a little closer and says, "I also have this ration bar." He presents the said food to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan quirks an eyebrow. "Helix's orders?"

"Helix's orders," Cody echoes, a little exasperated.

Obi-Wan huffs but takes the proffered food from Cody's hand anyway. "Who am I to object to our dear Medic."

Cody takes the opportunity while passing the ration bar and sits next to Obi-Wan, leaning his back against the wall. "Medics outrank everyone."

Obi-Wan rolls his eyes. "Unfortunately."

They sit shoulder to shoulder after that, and Obi-Wan dutifully eats his food. He is pretty sure Helix will give Cody a medal for forcing him to eat the entire tasteless substance. He just hopes he won't throw up later.

Though he does feel better in Cody's steadfast company. Cody's force presence soothes him like a balm to his tattered soul. Obi-Wan takes time to bask in the sunshine that is his Commander for a little longer.

Unfortunately, his thoughts circle back to Ahsoka and how she is doing. No doubt, she is in a force-suppressing cell, all alone and cold, without the Force to comfort her.

A few days long ago, he was in a similar situation.

He shudders at the thought, and Cody notices, glancing at him questionably.

Obi-Wan swallows, pursing his lips. "Could I ask you for a favor, Cody?"

"Of course," his Commander says without a second thought.

He gives him a small smile that fades rather quickly as he says, "When we arrive on Coruscant, Anakin and I are going to find out who really bombed the Temple and killed the vod'e, but Ahsoka will be alone," he hesitates. "Could you... could you keep her company in the meantime?"

Cody's eyes slightly widen in surprise, but then he nods seriously. "Of course. As long as I can."

Relief floods him like another small burden has been lifted. "Thank you."

Cody nudges his shoulder, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Always."

AHSOKA TANO

Ahsoka sits in a too-cold cell with her knees pushed to her chest and her hands resting around them. It's the same cell she escaped from a few days ago – all white walls and too hard cot. The only sound she can hear is the flickering of the red ray shield around the door.

She shivers, and her eyes water. Her chest is squeezing too tightly, making her whole body rigid. She wishes she had her robes or a blanket to bury herself in, and cry all her sorrows away.

With cameras all around her, she doesn't dare.

The Jedi – her family, have abandoned and expelled her from their ranks. All the evidence she dug up points against her, and even Barriss' clue turned out to be a false hope, making her look even more guilty.

Anakin attempted to help her, but what if he thinks she really bombed the Temple and killed her own family and the vod'e. What if he believes the new evidence against her?

Anakin was already frantic when Master Obi-Wan and Cody went missing. What if he doesn't believe in her anymore?

And oh, Force, where are Master Obi-Wan and Cody?

What would her Grandmaster even think of her? Would he even help her or condemn her?

She doesn't know, and her eyes swell with more unshed tears.

She is all alone.

Even the Force which has been with her her entire life is out of reach, leaving her mind empty of warmth and full of regrets, concerns, and anxieties.

The force-suppressor didn't feel like this before. After her last stunt, they had amplified it to cut her off completely.

It hurts to be without the Force. Not in the same way an injury hurts, but it's the absence that scars her deeply. It's like being blind and deaf at the same time. Her outside awareness is a total void.

She squeezes her eyes shut and hugs her legs a bit tighter, wishing for the cold to pass.

She can't despair. Padmé said she will represent her on the trial. Maybe she still has a chance. Maybe not to be a Jedi anymore, but at least to live.

Her body trembles.

She takes a shaky breath and recites in her mind: There is no emotion, there is peace.

Another breath. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

And exhale. There is no passion, there is serenity.

Another deeper breath. There is no chaos, there is harmony.

And deep exhale. There is no death, there is the Force.

There is always the Force.

Ahsoka knows it did not abandon her, even when it feels like it did. It's still there, solid and comforting, just not able to reach her through the force-suppressor.

She only wishes her family didn't abandon her either.

The thought brings another wave of sorrow, and she doesn't dare open her eyes in case she can't hold her tears at bay.

The sound of boots startles her, and she hurriedly wipes at her eyes with the palms of her hands.

The ray shield disengages, and when she glances at the entrance her eyes widen in surprise. It takes her a second to recognize who it is without the usual plastioid armor, but there, standing in his grays, is Commander Cody.

Cody smiles at her, all warm and kind. She can't remember if she had ever seen him smile like that. "Hello, Commander, it's nice to see you."

The ray shield behind him switches back on, leaving him in the cell with Ahsoka.

Ahsoka just stares at Cody for a long moment.

"How are you here?" she asks when she gets her thoughts in order. Of all people to come to say hello, she did not expect Commander Cody.

He smiles again but more ruefully this time. "May I sit?" He indicates a free space next to her.

Ahsoka nods, and the cot dips a bit as Cody sits.

"It's a long story," he sighs, looking exhausted. "But the most important part is that General Kenobi and I were kidnapped by Mandalorians. Turned out they needed the General's help but didn't know how to ask for it." Ahsoka's eyebrow markings rise to her montrals at that, but Cody just waves it off, a little annoyed but not at her. "We helped them fix their own problem, and now we are both back. Safe and sound."

Ahsoka nods, taking in the information.

"Generals Kenobi and Skywalker would be here if they could," Cody assures her like he is reading her mind. "But they are hunting for the true perpetrator of the bombing."

"They are?" Ahsoka asks, her voice sounding too small even to her own montrals.

Cody puts a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "Of course." He smiles, his eyes sparkling with determination. "And if anyone can prove your innocence, it's those two." He smirks. "And Rex is helping as well. The whole 501st and the 212th are, in fact."

Ahsoka gapes in disbelief. She thought they had given up on her. She wouldn't hold it against the vod'e, after all, their brothers were killed. But she did not expect the loyalty they still have for her.

It makes a warmth spark in her chest, and some of the icy sensation recedes.

"Thank you," she gives him a small but genuine smile.

Cody grins. "You're welcome, kiddo."

A small huff of a laugh escapes her lips. "Kiddo?"

Cody quirks a brow. "What?"

"I have never heard you call me kiddo before," she says, and leans more into Cody's comforting touch. "Only Rex calls me that."

Cody rolls his eyes. "Yes well, I am borrowing it since Fox banned Rex and basically anybody not a corrie or lower rank than commander from your cell block."

Oh, that explains why nobody came to see her.

"And Skywalker, of course," Cody adds.

"Really?"

Cody gives her a dry look, and yes okay, that's fair. Skyguy would bust her out of here in minutes if he could.

They sit in comfortable silence after that, and Ahsoka is starting to understand why Master Obi-Wan enjoys Cody's company so much.

There is something calm and soothing about him, she can feel even without the Force, underlined with protectiveness and a sense of danger. It's an interesting combination, she has to admit. It's not like she didn't spend time with Cody before, but to be honest, she never sought his company on purpose. She kind of regrets it now.

"So," Ahsoka breaks the silence, "how long are you allowed to stay?"

Cody hums, a smile tugging at his lips. "However long Fox allows," he says, and then he winks at her.

Ahsoka snorts, shaking her head. Cody, as Marshal Commander, essentially outranks Commander Fox, a fact which she isn't sure matters to the Corrie Commander. She has a feeling, it still won't stop him from kicking Cody out.

A little bit of anxiety returns, making her shiver again. "I don't think he likes me much."

"Fox doesn't like anybody. He tolerates people at most," Cody dismisses and frowns at her, his gaze contemplating. "You are cold." It's not a question.

Ahsoka hums noncommittally. "A little. Don't worry about it. It will go away."

Cody shakes his head in exasperation and stands up. "You shouldn't pick up General Kenobi's less-than-healthy habits." He takes his gray jacket off, revealing a dark green shirt underneath (not s GAR-issued, she notes), and holds the jacket to her. "Here, Rex would strangle me if you got sick."

She bites her lips to not smile at that and shakes her head. "I'm not that cold."

"I insist," Cody says earnestly, watching her expectantly.

Ahsoka stares at the jacket for another long beat and then concedes, accepting it.

The jacket is a little itchy but warm when she puts it on, and the size feels like she is wearing a blanket. It brings tears to her eyes for no reason at all.

Cody sits back on the uncomfortable cot and holds up his hands in invitation.

Ahsoka is almost seventeen, she feels too old for such comforts, but regardless she caves and slams into Cody's chest, a sob escaping her lips.

Cody doesn't say anything, just folds his arms around her, holding her in a tight, warm embrace.

She cries and cries into his chest, sobs making her body shake as Cody strokes soothing circles on her back.

She is pretty sure she ruined Cody's shirt, but he doesn't seem to care.

Eventually, her tears run out, leaving her eyes red and swollen and her entire body exhausted.

"It will be all right, Ahsoka. You are not alone," Cody says gently, still embracing her in a hug.

And somehow, for some reason, she believes him.

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Obi-Wan tried to stall the proceeding of the trial as best as he could to buy Anakin more time. He talked to multiple officials and investigators, searching for any clues that could point them to the real bomber but found very little.

He even had a heated argument with Tarkin, who refused to see reason and insisted on the death penalty shall Ahsoka prove guilty. Master Plo had to steer him away from the Admiral so as not to cause an incident.

With no excuse to delay the trial any longer, he ran out of time.

Obi-Wan set through the entire trial boring holes into Palpatine or glancing worriedly at his grandpadawan until Anakin burst into the chamber with Barriss Offee, who admitted to committing the crime Ahsoka was accused of.

As terrible as a Jedi committing such an act of violence was, Obi-Wan felt the pressure suffocating him lift, and he sighed in relief.

Still, he doesn't know what he will tell Luminara. Oh, poor Luminara. She loved her little padawan so much, and was proud of the woman she was growing into. She will be heartbroken.

Yet, he couldn't help but agree with some of the arguments in Barriss' speech. The Jedi became Senate's attack dogs, and the Republic is not what it once was. (Of course, it isn't when the Chancellor is a karking Sith Lord.) But that doesn't excuse her actions.

Even with Ashoka cleared off all charges, this was not a victory.

As Obi-Wan observed the process, he never let Palpatine out of his sight. He closed himself off – his mental shields held so high that his bondmates could only feel he was alive and nothing else.

Obi-Wan thought he would choke on the darkness emanating from the Sith. It was thick dark miasma, flooding the trial chamber like tidal waves.

What he doesn't understand is how in all Correlian Hells is Palpatine hiding himself from the Jedi. Not even Master Windu or Master Yoda spared the Sith Lord a second glance as they watched the trial.

It has to be a terrifying kind of power that allows Palpatine to hide in plain sight and escape the notice of even their Grandmaster.

Obi-Wan refocuses on his grandpadawan as he strides toward her and Anakin, making his way through a small crowd of officials. They are talking in the hall outside the trial chamber, Anakin victorious and pleased to have his padawan back, but Ahsoka, oh Ahsoka. Even from a short distance, Obi-Wan can tell her smile is forced at best.

“Hello, dear one,” he greets her, accompanied by a poke to her shields in the equivalent of a hug.

Ahsoka brightens when she sees him, her smile a little more genuine. “Master, Obi-Wan.” She bows. “It's good to see you. Cody told me you had quite an adventure.”

He snorts. “That's one way to call it.”

“You will have to tell us all about it,” Anakin says and frowns. “Master Windu wouldn't tell me where you went.”

“It wasn't exactly planned,” Obi-Wan says neutrally, hoping his discomfort isn't visible. He waves his hand to dismiss the topic for now. “We will talk about it later.”

He turns back to Ahsoka, catching her eyes. “Ahsoka,” he says more seriously, “the High Council would like to apologize for their slight against you and do it in the Council Chambers as soon as possible.”

“As they should,” Anakin snarls under his breath but stays silent when Obi-Wan gives him a warning look.

Ahsoka purses her lips, fidgeting with the fabric of her clothes, but nods slowly. “Okay, I will be there.”

“We would also like to accept you back into the Jedi Order and reestablish your rank as padawan if you agree to come back to us.”

“Of course, she agrees,” Anakin cuts in. “She is a Jedi.”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan admonished again, but his former padawan just rolls his eyes.

When he glances back at Ahsoka, she looks more thoughtful, frown knotting at her brow markings. “I... I will think about it.”

“Think about it?” Anakin exclaims, his head whipping to his padawan. “What is there to think about?”

Ahsoka bites at her lower lip, unsure. “Master, the Jedi... my family didn't believe in me,” she says, pained.

Obi-Wan's heart aches because it's true. The Jedi had abandoned her in her darkest hour. They were meant to protect and cherish her, not throw her away because it was convenient.

“I believed in you,” Anakin says, betrayed. “So did Obi-Wan.”

“And I'm thankful,” Ahsoka glances between them, “to both of you. But I still need time to make this decision.”

Obi-Wan nods in acceptance as much as it saddens him and stalls Anakin's argument by saying, “Of course, take some time, dear one. The Council is scheduled to meet tomorrow evening to apologize.”

Ashoka gives him a grateful look. “I will inform you of my decision there, then.”

A movement behind them catches her eyes. “If you will excuse me, I would like to say hello to Master Plo.”

Obi-Wan gives her a nod, and with one last look at Anakin, Ahsoka bows to them both and then jogs to the Kel Dor Master.

Obi-Wan gaze follows her and Plo until they disappear behind a corridor. He wonders what wisdom the Master has for her. Maybe it will help make her decision, or maybe he would like to apologize in private for the Council's decision. No matter how much they tried, they weren't able to outvote the other Masters.

Anakin snatches his forearm, turning Obi-Wan to face him. “What are doing?!” he snarls, his eyes burning with anger. “Do you not want her to be a Jedi anymore?”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighs, “of course I do –“

“Then why are you pushing her away?” Anakin cuts him off, his forehead furrowing.

“Anakin, let me finish. I don't want Ahsoka to leave,” he says, and his former padawan calms somewhat at that. “But I also won't force her to come back. If she chooses to leave us and not be a Jedi anymore, that will be her decision, and we will have to respect it.”

Anakin fumes, his anger rising anew, and the Force around him twists like hot coals in a furnace. “She can't just –“

“Obi-Wan is right,” a female voice calls behind them, and they both turn to see who it is.

Padmé steps closer to them, giving Obi-Wan a tight smile. “Hello, Master Kenobi.”

“Who's side are you even on?” Anakin growls before Obi-Wan can greet her back

“Ahsoka's,” Padmé says easily. “She knows what's best for her, and she won't be alone. We will help her figure it out, won't we?”

Anakin crosses his hands in front of his chest, and Padmé holds her hand to touch Anakin and then abords the gesture when she remembers Obi-Wan is there.

Obi-Wan sighs. That brings him to another thing they should talk about. He would rather let the topic rest for another day, but the Force is urging him not to delay any further – one of those warnings he wasn't able to hear before.

“There is also something else I would like to talk about with both of you, but I would rather not do it here.” That gets Anakin's and Padmé attention.

“Of course,” Padmé nods seriously, and gestures her hand to the exit. “Lead the way, Master Kenobi.”

They take a speeder to the Temple, and with Anakin's driving, they get there fairly quickly.

Obi-Wan leads them in tense silence through the Temple's halls to his apartment. He is not there very often and barely moved in at the start of the clone wars. Regardless, the rooms are cozy even if scarcely live in, with many plants decorating the space. Thankfully a gardener droid tends to them while Obi-Wan is away, so even now, many of them bloom.

Anakin and Padmé sit together on the scarlet couch, not too close together, and Obi-Wan restrains from rolling his eyes. He busies himself by making them tea and mulling over how to confront them.

With Anakin's defensiveness, when it comes to Padmé, a direct approach sounds like the best idea. This way, Anakin won't have time to storm out of the room before Obi-Wan gets to the heart of the matter.

Strategy decided Obi-Wan brings them their drinks, puts them down on the small caffee table, and sits on the armchair opposite the pair, letting the warmth of his own cup spread through his fingers.

“I know about your relationship,” Obi-Wan starts, pulling the bandage right off.

Anakin chokes on his tea, spilling some on his tunic, and curses. Padmé pales as her cup freezes a few millimeters from her lips.

“Sorry, what?” Anakin sputters, wide-eyed, going very still in the Force.

This time Obi-Wan does roll his eyes. “Your romantic relationship,” he clarifies.

“There – We are not –“

“Please Anakin,” Obi-Wan cuts him off, “I'm not blind, and you've hardly been subtle. You basically kissed in front of Master Yoda and me on Geonosis.”

Anakin mouth shuts with a click. Whatever argument he had in mind dies in his throat as he stares in panic.

“Oh,” is all Padmé says to that, embarrassed. She fidgets with her cup, turning it around in her hands, gazing at the liquid like it could give her some answers.

Anakin stares at him for a long moment, and then stands up and starts pacing the living room. “So what that you know. I love Padmé,” he grits out. “What are you going to do about it? Tell the Council and throw me out like you did Ahsoka?”

“Anakin,” Padmé admonishes.

Obi-Wan brows knot in confusion. “What? Why would we throw you out?”

“Because I'm in love with Padmé and the Order forbids love,” Anakin says like it supposes to be obvious.

Obi-Wan shakes his head, putting his cup on the caffee table. “The Order doesn't forbid love, Anakin, the Order forbids attachment.”

“Same thing,” Anakin says, waving his hand dismissively. “The Chancellor explained it to me. The Jedi don't understand love. They can't feel it the way I do.”

Obi-Wan freezes at the mention of the Sith. Suddenly many things became very clear, and anger sparks inside him, making his blood boil. The son of a gandark was manipulating his padawan. Of course, he was. Even Maul told him that. He just didn't realize how deep that went.

“Since when is Palpatine expert on the Jedi matters,” Obi-Wan spits out with too much heat in his voice, making Anakin abruptly stop his pacing. Even Padmé straightens as if on alert.

“I mean,” Anakin frowns, his lips pulling into a thin line, suddenly unsure, “he knows a lot of things about Jedi.”

Getting his rage under control, Obi-Wan takes a deep breath and shoves his anger into the Force. “Sit down, Anakin.”

Anakin does so without protest, noting the seriousness in Obi-Wan's tone.

“Now, you both need to listen,” he glances between the pair, making sure he has their full attention, “The Order doesn't forbid love but attachment. The difference between the two is that love is selfless while attachment is selfish.”

Anakin frowns in confusion, tilting his head to the side.

Padmé looks more thoughtful, like she has an idea where he is going with this but is still catching up.

Obi-Wan restrains the strong urge to bang his head against the nearest wall. He can't believe he has to spell it out for them.

“Simply put, the problem with attachment is that whether it's a thing or a person, it can make a Jedi selfish. Force-users, especially trained ones like the Jedi, hold a great power that can easily become corrupted because their attachment overpowers their rational thinking. That's why the Sith are so dangerous. They don't care about any consequences when they might lose their attachment. They want to keep it no matter who they hurt or kill, and that can include entire civilizations.”

When Obi-Wan finishes his explanation, Anakin runs a hand through his hair, frowning like his entire worldview has been changed, but his brain isn't keeping up.

Padmé, on the other hand, keeps staring at the floor, not able to meet his eyes. He can feel many emotions twisting around her force presence, like she isn't sure how to feel about the explanation.

“So it's okay that Padmé and I are together?” Anakin asks tentatively.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan confirms carefully. “But there are many rules, when it comes to romantic relationships with Jedi.”

“What kind of rules?” Padmé asks.

“I will have to point you to Master Girank, but to give you examples... A monthly session with a Mindhealer to evaluate your mental health as well as how your relationship is progressing.”

Padmé nods at his explanation, prompting him to continue.

“Another one is that Anakin wouldn't be able to go on missions concerning Naboo or you, Padmé, so the Jedi would remain impartial.” Anakin shifts in his seat, clearly not liking the idea, but Padmé takes his hand in hers, so Anakin keeps quiet.

Obi-Wan searches his mind for what else he remembers, his hand lifting to scratch his beard. “And marriages are restricted, and it wouldn't be approved in your case at the moment.”

“Why?” Anakin asks abruptly.

Obi-Wan raises a brow and lets his hand fall on the handle of the armchair. “Well, I'm sure Padmé could name any number of reasons why it would be inappropriate during wartime when the Jedi are generals, and she is a Republic Senator.” He glances at the said Senator and frowns.

Padmé sits very still, a political mask of neutrality on her face, and her hand is squeezing her tea cup too tightly.

“Padmé?” he asks carefully, his heart sinking.

He chances a glance at Anakin, but he too, sits still, frozen in place.

Padmé takes a deep breath, looks into Obi-Wan's eyes, and then says, “We are married.”

What?

All of Obi-Wan's thoughts freeze a second time today, and his breath escapes his lungs as if punched.

They are married.

The sentence rings in his head on repeat like an echo of condemnation. What have they done?

The ramifications, not just for Padmé, but for the entire Jedi Order could be catastrophic.

Another horrifying question pops into his mind. Does Palpatine know?

Force, if he does, he could easily use Padmé against Anakin or just use their whole relationship as a base for a political campaign against the Jedi.

The public opinion of them is dangerously low. There are protests outside of the Temple entrance every week. There are pleas for the Jedi to end the war. The Order receives death threats from all over the galaxy, promising the deaths of their youngest.

Obi-Wan's head is spinning, and his heart is pounding in his chest like it's about to explode.

“How long?” he asks, somehow keeping his voice controlled.

Padmé swallows, not able to meet his eyes any longer. “We married right after Geonosis.”

Obi-Wan stares at her, the words barely registering as she says them.

They had been married for almost three years, right after the war had started.

Obi-Wan's stomach sinks even further, dread rolling over him.

“You married when Anakin was just a padawan?” Obi-Wan can't believe his own question.

Padmé shuts her eyes, looking pained.

“So what?” Anakin says like it's that simple. “What does my age matter? It was my choice. We love each other, so we got married. That's how we show love.”

Obi-Wan doesn't even know how to respond to that.

Anakin was just a padawan – basically a minor according to Jedi rules.

And Obi-Wan didn't know.

Anakin didn't say anything. He didn't trust Obi-Wan enough to say he loved Padmé in the first place, of course, he wouldn't trust him with his marriage.

When did Obi-Wan lose his padawan's trust?

Why didn't Anakin ask? They could have discussed this. The love Anakin feels for Padmé isn't the problem. Not even their relationship is.

But the marriage.

That has way too many ramifications to consider for Obi-Wan to deal with, now – with the Sith Lord ruling the Republic.

“It was a little impulsive,” Padmé admits, still not meeting his eyes, guilt, and uncertainty escaping her mental shields. “It was the first time I fell in love, and it was wonderful. I never knew I could feel this way with someone.”

A beat of silence falls around them, charged like electricity.

"And I loved Padmé from the first time I saw her." Anakin squeezes Padmé hand in encouragement, and she sighs heavily, finally raising her head and meeting Obi-Wan's eyes.

“I know what you are thinking,” she continues, but Obi-Wan doubts she has any true idea of what they have done, “but I needed Anakin. I was too young, miserable, lonely, and just became a Senator. I had to deal with terrible people who wouldn't listen to reason and dismissed any progress I attempted to make to better the Republic. And suddenly, there was a threat to my life, and I thought I would die and nobody would really care. So I pushed myself harder, and then two Jedi were assigned to protect me.” She glances at Anakin, and he smiles at her like she hung all the stars in the sky.

“We grew closer on Naboo and later on... Tatooine,” she says, her voice wavering at the mention of the desert planet, and Anakin's expression darkens, but he doesn't say anything.

Obi-Wan wants to grit his teeth. Another secret.

And not just any, he realizes as he studies Padmé's signature, a darker one.

He doesn't get to ask as Padmé continues, “Anakin was so gentle and sweet. A little awkward at the egest,” she smiles, ”but also resourceful and powerful. We just clicked together like we were always meant to be.”

Anakin takes her hand to his lips and kisses it. Padmé blushes but remains a little stiff.

Obi-Wan just stares at them in disbelief, like any other action or response fled his mind.

They are acting like it's all fine, like they didn't create another problem just waiting to explode in their faces.

Obi-Wan can understand Anakin does not comprehend the whole political consequences of their marriage. He always hated studying politics and public relations. But Padmé?

Padmé is a politician and knows exactly what kind of ramifications she and the Jedi will face as soon as this gets out. The Jedi Order will be under investigation and their impartiality will be questioned in any case and any help they provided to Naboo. They will face public backlash for favoritism. And every legislation Padmé helped pass will be put under scrutiny and possibly revoked. That includes The Sentients Rights Bill, which is already facing too many difficulties.

How could she compromise them like that?

With dread rising inside him, Obi-Wan realizes he is in no way equipped to handle this situation.

“I'm taking you to see Master Girank,” Obi-Wan says and stands up.

“Now?” Anakin asks, frowning at him.

“Yes, now,” he insists, and there has to be something showing in his voice or face because the pair don't argue and follow him to Master Girank's office.

Obi-Wan explains the situation to her in a haze he won't remember later. Master Girank, to her credit, seems to understand his urgency and ushers Anakin and Padmé to her office. They exchange comm numbers so the Master can alert him when she is finished with the pair, and Obi-Wan leaves, wondering the Temple.

He doesn't even have a destination in mind, just walking endlessly. Not many Jedi cross his path, as there aren't that many in the Temple, but those that do, don't dare to approach him. He knows they can't sense the maelstrom of emotions which are crushing him like a rockslide, hidden behind layers of mental shields, but whatever expression he wears on his face has to be enough of an indicator to leave him alone.

After however long, he realizes he's walking in circles when he passes the Room of Thousand Fountains for the third time. He should meditate, he knows. But his emotions are too turbulent, and frankly, he doesn't have any energy left to deal with them right now. He feels like he will crash at any moment but barrels on.

He needs something to do to distract himself.

A tug on his mind reminds him of the darksaber still clipped to his belt.

With a new destination in mind, he strides to the Hall of Crystals. It's not far from the Room of Thousand Fountains, and as soon as he steps into the great halls, the kyber crystals greet him happily.

Fortunately, there aren't any Jedi around, so he has the whole hall for himself.

The crystals are aligned all around him, embedded into walls that remind him of Illum. They spark with interest, glowing happily in the darkness.

The Hall of Crystals doesn't require any light source. The crystals shine so brightly that it's like looking at the night sky. It's just as beautiful and breathtaking as the first time Obi-Wan came to visit.

The crystals greet him warmly, pocking and prodding at him in the Force. It feels like being tickled from all sides. Some tension in his shoulder dissipates, and he takes a deep breath, basking in the excited greetings.

His eyes land on a familiar green crystal, still singing a mourning tune but not as loudly as it used to. He nudges it with the Force, getting a happy tone back as acknowledgment.

Obi-Wan used Qui-Gon's lightsaber in the early years of his knighthood because he lost his own on Naboo, and Anakin was still too young to go to Illum.

It didn't work as well for him as his old one, but they came to a mutual understanding.

Later, when he found a new crystal, he finally got himself to lay Qui-Gon's kyber to rest.

Shaking the nostalgic feelings aside, he refocuses on the purpose of his visit.

Obi-Wan unclips the darksaber from his belt, sensing the crystal poke at him in question.

Holding the beskar hilt in his hand, Obi-Wan has to admit that the saber is fascinating and the kyber even more so. The hilt is light, shaped in a simple design, efficient and practical.

The krystal is the interesting part, though. The tune it sings isn't like any other Obi-Wan had ever heard. (Not that any two crystals sing the same song.)

He can hear battle drums and whistles accompanying something like the sound of beskar hitting on beskar. There are also whispers, like a chorus of voices barely heard through the drumming.

Maybe the voices are the ancient kings of Mandalore or Manda as the Mandalorians call it, Obi-Wan muses.

The crystal pokes at him again, repeating its question.

Obi-Wan's lips twitch in corners, a rueful feeling twisting in his stomach.

No, Obi-Wan doesn't get to rest just yet, he sends back.

Another poke and a huff of laugh escape his lips.

He appreciates the offer, but the dark kyber earned its retirement, and no, it can't kill Obi-Wan's problems for him.

The crystal sends an equivalent of understanding, wishing him luck regardless, and pokes him in ready anticipation.

With the crystal ready, Obi-Wan reaches for the Force, lifting the hilt in the air and disassembling it. He opens his eyes, and yes, the crystal turns out to be black but has a white aura around it, making it shine like a black hole.

He lifts the crystal high to the ceiling and deposits it in the middle of a tapestry of little stars. The other crystals greet their sibling as Obi-Wan settles it between them.

The whole symphony of the great halls changes, creating an orchestra of different melodies that steal Obi-Wan's breath away and his eyes water. The tone is mournful but full of love-affection-pride-welcomehome-safety-rest. He has a feeling the whole Temple can hear it.

His mission accomplished, Obi-Wan sits in the Hall of Crystals. He loses track of time, listening to the song as it slowly settles down and hums something more calm but sad.

His comm chirps with a new message from Master Girank, and Obi-Wan frowns.

It seems, the Master sent Anakin and Padmé to a Mind Healer, Master Erak Sawa.

Not quite sure what to do with that information, Obi-Wan stands up and leaves the great halls.

He goes to the mindhealers' wing, and after asking a Padawan on the shift in the Halls of Healing for directions, Obi-Wan finds Master Sawa's office. He waits outside, sitting in the not-quite-uncomfortable chair.

After twenty minutes, Anakin and Padmé emerge from the office – both paler than they were before.

Anakin looks straight up distraught, his hair in disarray like he's been running his hand through it a lot.

Padmé's eyes are red, and her lower lip is swollen from biting it too many times. Guilt-concern-dismay is bleeding from her force presence.

Neither can meet his eyes.

Obi-Wan swallows hard as Master Sawa takes him aside.

They settle in her office, sitting on comfortable armchairs opposite each other.

“Master Kenobi,” she says, her expression grim. “I'm glad you reported the issue with Knight Skywalker and Senator Amidala,” she starts, her voice carefully leveled, “that could not have been easy with Anakin being your former padawan.”

Obi-Wan purses his lips. In all fairness, he felt too overwhelmed to deal with the issue on his own. "I needed assistance."

"And it's good that you asked for it." The Rodian Master nods in approval.

The Mind Healer moves on, telling him that the pair will have to attend sessions with her two times a week. And Anakin's mental health will have to be assessed by another Mind Healer.

The information she says washes over Obi-Wan's mind, and he remembers about half of it when Master Sawa stops, her expression becoming even more grave than it was.

“I recommend pulling Knight Skywalker from the active duty roster and from the war effort,” she says.

Obi-Wan eyes widen. He didn't expect it to be that severe.

Pulling Anakin from the war effort will be problematic. Anakin is one of the faces of the Republic war propaganda – the Hero With No Fear. He can't just disappear from the public eye.

The Chancellor – the Sith – would notice and demand an explanation. He could leak the information about the marriage to the press, creating chaos and another problem for the Jedi to fix.

Kriffing hells.

“I don't know if I can do that,” Obi-Wan sighs and runs his hand through his hair in frustration.

The Mind Healer frowns but nods in understanding. (They are low on Knights as it is.) “The only alternative I can recommend is monitoring all Skywalker's missions closely and having a Master assigned to follow his every move. Weekly sessions with Mind Healer will be mandatory,” she says the last part without compromise.

“Understood,” Obi-Wan says without argument, trusting the Mind Healer to know what's best.

"There is also something else," she continues, her tone grave.

A cold sensation runs down Obi-Wan's spine, and the Force sparks with something like dread.

"Because of the patient's confidentiality rule, I can't tell you much, but there is a real question of revoking Skywalker's knighting."

Obi-Wan hears what she isn't saying, and his blood turns to ice.

What did Anakin do?

Whatever could be severe enough to revoke a knighting?

"I will have to talk to Master Che to figure out how to proceed," Master Sawa continues. "That's all I can tell you for now."

His jaw feeling stuck, Obi-Wan nods his head in acknowledgment.

Somehow, in a haze, Obi-Wan's legs take him back to his apartment.

He surveys his living room, his eyes landing on the three cups of cold tea sitting on the caffee table.

His heart skips a beat, and he closes his eyes, still standing in the doorway.

His thoughts are all over the place, his focus shattered by the revelation of Anakin's marriage and the Sith Lord's identity.

His hands are shaking badly.

He doesn't know what to do.

And his apartment feels so unsafe all of a sudden.

Sudious is on Coruscant in his office just a few kilometers from the Temple.

Obi-Wan can sense the darkness flooding from the Senate district even this far away. It's so thick, drowning his signature in oily miasma.

His heart rate quickens, and his chest squeezes with truly frightening pressure.

He feels vulnerable so close to the darkness as it threatens to suffocate him.

He turns on his heels and leaves his apartment.

It's already the middle of the night, so not many Jedi roam the Temple at this hour.

He walks and walks, moving at a brisk pace as if in a hurry.

He makes it to the hangar and jumps in the nearest starfighter.

In a few minutes, he disembarks on the Vigilance. Major Rinche jogs to him as Obi-Wan jumps out of the fighter.

“General,” Rinche greets, confusion knotting at his brows. “Is there a problem, sir? Are we being deployed?

“No,” Obi-Wan attempts to assure, his voice sounding far away to his own ears.

Rinche frowns at him moving to catch up because Obi-Wan is already moving deeper into the Venator.

“Are you all right, sir? Should I call Commander Cody?”

“No,” Obi-Wan repeats, not meeting the Major's eyes, but he can already feel worry flowing through Rinche's signature. He ignores it and keeps walking. “Everything is –“ fine, he cuts himself off and redirects. “I just need some sleep.”

Thankfully they arrive at Obi-Wan's quarters. “Thank you for your concern,” he dismissed Rinche before he can ask anything else. “Goodnight, Major.”

Rinche's lips purse into a thin line, but he lets it go. “Goodnight, General.”

Without further delay, Obi-Wan steps into his quarters and shuts the door behind him.

Overwhelming pressure finally catches up to him now that he's alone, and he staggers to the nearest wall on shaky legs, just barely catching himself as he falls to his knees.

His head is throbbing at his temples, and his breath is coming out in hitching, quickened gasps.

Some faraway part of him knows he has to get himself under control, but it's too late now.

Everything that had happened from Satine's death, fighting Maul, Palpatine's revelation, and Anakin's marriage... it's too much.

Way too much.

His breath is deafening in the silence of his quarters, but he feels like he can't get any oxygen into his lungs.

He closes his eyes shut, attempting to calm his breathing.

His body continues to shake and shake as he sits on the cold floor.

After who knows how long, gentle hands grip his shoulders, and he thinks they are accompanied by a voice that is too far away to hear.

He doesn't deserve the gentleness.

He doesn't want it.

But the gentle hands are persistent, taking his hand somewhere.

A heartbeat, he realizes.

There is a heartbeat under his palm.

It's calm and slow.

And his hand is warm.

His breath starts to slow down just the slightest bit, and he opens his eyes.

Sitting in front of him is Cody, his brown eyes very close and full of concern.

Their foreheads are joined, but Obi-Wan scarcely notices.

Cody smiles a little as their eyes meet, and he says something Obi-Wan still can hear through the static in his ears, but it feels like an encouragement.

He is holding Obi-Wan's hand to his chest, breathing carefully.

Obi-Wan attempts to match him and after some time somewhat succeeds.

“There you go,” Cody praises.

Obi-Wan's eyes water, his breath hitching.

“He... he did something terrible,” he says in a wrecked voice.

Obi-Wan just knows he did. He might not know what, but when he asked the cosmic energy for answers, the Force was charged with sorrow and the stench of death.

He feels like his heart is breaking into million pieces.

“Who?” Cody asks, his voice tender.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan chokes out.

And just like that, a dam breaks, and sobs tear out of him. Tears flood his cheeks, and he can't stop them.

It's too much.

His padawan, his brother, did something unforgivable right under his tutelage.

And he didn't know.

Still doesn't know!

But Padmé does, and she'd said nothing.

“Shh, shh, it will be all right,” Cody says, pressing his other hand to the back of Obi-Wan's neck. “We will figure it out.”

Another terrible sob escapes him.

How can Cody say that?

How can they figure this out?

How can –

“Focus on my breathing, Obi-Wan,” Cody says, breaking through his spiring thoughts.

Obi-Wan takes a deep breath matching Cody's.

And then another.

And another.

Carefully, Obi-Wan lifts some of his outer shields and pokes Cody's signature.

It's warm and steady, shining like a burst of sunshine underlined with protectiveness and a feeling of safety.

Slowly but surely, Obi-Wan's breathing evens out, leaving him exhausted.

Cody is still keeping their foreheads together, his hand on Obi-Wan's neck and his other hand holding Obi-Wan's to his heart.

“That's better,” Cody murmurs, squeezing Obi-Wan's hand.

“Srry... Co..ander...”

“None of that,” Cody admonished gently.

They breathe the warm air between them for another long moment before Cody breaks the silence. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Obi-Wan really doesn't, but the pressure boiling inside him can't reach another height like that if he lets it out.

So Obi-Wan nods. They move to his cot and talk.

At first, he tells Cody about Anakin and Padmé as that is the most recent concern weighing on his heart.

Cody listens patiently and doesn't judge him as Obi-Wan breaks into tears again.

He doesn't dare open himself to the Force to sense what Cody is feeling.

He knows his Commander isn't Anakin's biggest fan, but Obi-Wan doesn't think he can survive his condemnation.

“It's not your fault,” Cody surprises him by saying.

Obi-Wan shakes his head, his breath hitching. “I'm – I was his teacher at the time. He was my Padawan –“

“And he made his own choices,” Cody cuts him off without any heat in his voice but still somehow sounding uncompromising. “Don't take Skywalker's choices away from him.”

Obi-Wan sighs, his shoulders slumping. “But –“

“No, but, Obi-Wan,” Cody speaks over him. “If Skywalker did something terrible, he will have to face consequences for his actions. Otherwise, there would be no justice.” His expression grows more gentle as he squeezes Obi-Wan's hand still in his. “I know you feel responsible for Skywalker and want to protect him. He is your family, and you love him. But you can't save him from himself.”

Another sob escapes his lips, and Cody shuffles closer, his hands folding around Obi-Wan in a hug. Obi-Wan hugs him back, his hands fisting into the fabric of Cody's blacks.

They stay like that for a long time, breathing, until Obi-Wan calms down again.

There is one more thing he needs to get out.

One more terrible truth he doesn't want to voice because that would make it real and not just a nightmare happening to someone else. And he doesn't know what Cody will do.

So being the coward that he is, he squeezes Cody tighter for another long moment before releasing him.

Cody smiles at him, but Obi-Wan can't meet his eyes.

He clears his throat. "I – There is one more thing I have to tell you."

"All right." Cody nods, waiting patiently for Obi-Wan to find his words.

He doesn't find them and simply says, "Sheev Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been looking for."

Cody straightens to attention at that, eyes wide. His force presence sparks with some new clarity and brightens further.

It appears not just the Jedi are affected by Sidious' magicks or whichever way he keeps himself hidden.

"What – How –"

"Maul told me with his dying breath," Obi-Wan clarifies. "I would know if he was lying. The Force confirmed it when it exploded around me and cleared my sight."

Cody slowly nods in disbelief.

Something in his Commander's signature shifts. Anger-bertayl-doubt-horor and many other emotions wash over him.

Abruptly, he stands up and starts swearing viciously as he paces Obi-Wan's quarters. Many of the curses are in Mando'a, but Obi-Wan recognizes some of his own swear words and even one in Dai Bendu.

"Demagolka. Karking hut'uun. Utyc shabuir, ad be –"

"Commander," Obi-Wan stops him. He is too emotionally exhausted to actually stand up, so he just snatches Cody's wrist as he passes by and tugs him to sit back down.

Cody complies, slumping down on the cot. He runs his free hand over his face and sighs heavily. "What do we do?"

"I don't know," Obi-Wan whispers.

An uneasy silence settles around them. There are simply too many variables to consider concerning Palpatine.

Why become a Chancellor? Why the puppet war? What is the endgame of the war? Why involve the Jedi? What about–

A tug on his hand gets his attention, and Obi-Wan looks up to see something gentle yet determined in Cody's eyes.

"There is nothing we can do tonight, "Cody says. "But there is always tomorrow, and we will find a way to make this right."

Not able to contradict him, Obi-Wan nods. They will figure it out. They have to.

"Do you think you can sleep?" Cody asks gently.

Obi-Wan glances at his chrono. It's almost four in the morning, but he feels exhausted after the stressful last couple of days. "Maybe."

"Okay." Cody nods and then hesitates. "Do you... Do you want me to stay?"

It's Obi-Wan's turn to hesitate. He's drained enough to fall asleep, but there are still nightmares to consider. And frankly, he is not sure he won't have another meltdown.

But he had already abused his Commander's kindness enough. "I don't want to impose on you."

"You don't," Cody assures. "I have the watch."

Grateful beyond words, Obi-Wan gives him a slightly broken smile.

After that, he lays down on his cot and covers his body with a warm blanket he snatched from the Temple a few months ago.

Cody turns the lights off and sits in a chair, making himself comfortable.

"Sleep well, Obi-Wan."

He almost doesn't hear Cody's words because between one blink and the next, exhaustion swallows him whole.

Chapter Text

CODY

Cody wakes up and groans. His neck and back are stiff because of the chair he slept in. He opens his eyes and looks at his General, still blissfully snoring in his cot.

Right, he remembers. He slept in his General's quarters.

The Commander groans internally and rubs his eyes. He can't wait for the rumor mill to spur stupid stories about Kenobi and himself. He is pretty sure that Bly, who is fighting somewhere at the edge of the Other Rim, will know about it by the end of the cycle.

Regardless, Cody can't regret watching over Obi-Wan. Not after what he knows now -- that the real threat was under their noses all this time. That the very person behind all the death and suffering is planetside right now, plotting his next step, sabotaging the war from the inside.

The bastard was manipulating them all from the very start, the spider at the very center of the web, choosing which string to pull to get what he wanted.

Rage boils in Cody's stomach leftover from yesterday. Bile rises in his throat, and he thinks he might choke on it.

Oh, how he wishes he could use orbital bombardment on the unsuspecting Sith, no matter the collateral damage.

Obi-Wan makes a soft distressed noise, and Cody comes back to himself.

Now isn't the time for such thoughts.

He breathes out and shoves the anger into a deep dark corner of his mind, bottling it up for now, until he can take his anger out on some poor dummy in the gym.

Cody checks the chrono on his vambrace. It's still early, so he decides to let his Jedi sleep as much as he can. After the day he had yesterday, Obi-Wan deserves it.

Quietly, Cody sneaks out of the General's quarters and makes his way to the mess hall, hoping there is some food left because they still haven't restocked everything necessary for running a Venator full of hungry men.

When he arrives, the mess is empty. Most of the troops are planetside. Nobody wants to spend more time on the flagship when they have the opportunity to breathe fresh air. Or as much fresh as one could get on a planet like Coruscant.

After rummaging through the cupboards (and praying Chefter won't notice), Cody finds some cereal and yogurt a day before its expiration date. It will have to do.

He takes two bowls and heads back to the General's quarters.

"Commander!" shouts a familiar voice similar to his own.

Cody glances behind his shoulder and sees Major Rinche jogging towards him.

The Major stops in front of Cody, looking concerned. "Is the General okay?" he asks, voice low as if he didn't want others to overhear even as they stand in the hallway alone.

Cody nods, lips pursed. "He will be alright." At least Cody hopes he will.

The Commander has never seen his General have an anxiety attack before. The Jedi had always had this aura of confidence and determination around himself, making others believe there is nothing the Jedi isn't capable of withstanding. Every impossible battle, every crazy challenge or stupid task thrown his way, Kenobi had just smiled the danger in the face and succeeded.

But after yesterday, with the Skywalker situation and the Sith Master's reveal, Cody isn't sure his General won't break under so much pressure.

No.

He can't think like that.

Obi-Wan isn't alone. There are other Jedi who will help take down the Sith, and there are also millions of loyal soldiers who will not let the Jedi stand alone. Cody will not let his Jedi stand alone.

"He looked pretty bad yesterday. Like something terrible has happened." Rinche frowns, still concerned.

"You did good," Cody says and squeezes Rinche's shoulder. "Thank you for calling me."

And he is so glad the Major did. Cody doesn't think he will ever forget Obi-Wan sitting on the floor, struggling to breathe.

"Of course." Rinche nods seriously. "I made sure that one of the boys stashed the General's ship in the E hangar, so nobody would know he is here."

Cody's lips tug at the corner. He can always count on his vod'e's discretion. "Good thinking." He pats Rinche's shoulder while the Major beams at him.

They say goodbye, and Cody continues on his way to the General's quarters. He uses the emergency codes to get inside without waking Obi-Wan, who is still asleep.

He deposits the bowls of cereal and yogurt on the desk and sits back in the chair he slept in.

Cody considers waking his General for breakfast before the commlink in Obi-Wan's pouch goes off, and he wakes up with a start.

Cody curses under his breath while Obi-Wan fishes out his comm and looks at the message with bleary eyes.

"Good morning," Cody says quietly, and Obi-Wan's head whips to him, surprised to see him there.

"Good morning." Obi-Wan rubs his eyes. He looks back at Cody, studying him for a moment like he still isn't sure Cody is there, but then his eyes widen with realization. "Oh my, Cody, tell me you didn't sleep in that chair the whole night."

Cody smiles, a little embarrassed. "I told you I had the watch."

Obi-Wan's blue-grey eyes soften. "You didn't have to look after me the whole night."

"It was no problem, Obi-Wan," Cody responds, pushing his sincerity outwards, hoping Obi-Wan can feel it.

The way his General's shoulders slump and relax, he can.

"I also brought breakfast," Cody says and hands the bowl of cereal to Obi-Wan.

"Thank you." Obi-Wan's lips twitch in a small, but genuine smile as he takes the meal. "Not just for the breakfast," he continues, shaking his head, his smile turning rueful. "But also for yesterday, I... I am sorry, I wasn't -"

"It's okay," Cody interrupts, not wanting his General to apologize for something like an anxiety attack. "I'm just glad I could help."

Obi-Wan smiles again, his eyes shining. "Thank you, Cody," he says softly.

They eat in comfortable silence, both trying very hard not to think about all the problems they will have to tackle now with the Sith running the Republic.

"What did the comm say?" Cody asks.

Obi-Wan hums questionably, and then he remembers. "Oh, yes. Mace sent me a message informing me we have a Council meeting in an hour. I have to report about our unplanned Mandalore mission."

Obi-Wan's eyes fall to his lap, where he is holding the empty bowl like it could give him the answers he is desperately searching for.

"What will you tell them?" Cody asks. He has no idea how to proceed with the knowledge, that a Sith Lord is ruling the Republic. He is pretty sure the GAR manuals did not cover such a situation. What an oversight.

"The truth," Obi-Wan glances back at him, tilting his head to the side, "from a certain point of view."

Cody would roll his eyes if the situation wasn't so serious. "You won't tell them about the Sith?"

"I will tell someone," Obi-Wan concedes. "But not everyone."

"Why not?"

Obi-Wan thinks about his answer for a moment, his hand coming up to rub at his beard. "When Maul told me, and I realized it was the truth, the Force exploded in my mind. Like a lighting breaking the sky. Everything was clear again. I could see for the first time since I was a padawan how dark the galaxy has become and how deep it goes."

Cody can't imagine what that must have felt like. Sensing all that darkness. Sometimes, having the Force sounds more like a curse than a blessing.

"On Ahsoka's trial," Obi-Wan continues, "I saw through Palpatine's disguise, and the darkness I felt was almost overwhelming." He shudders and tugs the blanket over his shoulder more firmly.

"So what you are saying is that the Force reacts to people finding out," Cody concludes.

Obi-Wan nods.

"Did I react in the Force?" Cody asks, curious.

"You did," Obi-Wan confirms, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. "Your force signature flickered and got brighter than before. Golden like true sunrise."

Cody blushes a little at the compliment. When he thinks about it, he has felt something after the realization of who their true enemy was. He just hasn't thought it could be the Force.

Hold on a second. Cody's eyes widen, and he straightens in the chair. He hopes he is wrong. "If you could sense that, could the Sith sense it as well?"

Obi-Wan looks back into his lap and tugs the blanket closer. "I am not sure. I don't think your reaction in the Force was strong enough to reach the Sith, but..." he sighs with resignation.

"When Maul told you, your reaction might have been strong enough," Cody finishes for him and swears as soon as Obi-Wan nods.

Haar'chak!

Shit, shit, shit.

Cody covers his face with his hands.

This is a huge problem then.

He lets his hands fall from his face and braces them on his knees. "So as soon as we tell another Jedi, the Force will what? Ripple out and alert the Sith Lord?"

"That's the theory," Obi-Wan agrees, not meeting Cody's eyes.

"Great." Cody sights. "That's just kriffing great." He takes a deep breath.

This is a nightmare.

The only way to alert the Jedi about the Sith is to also alert the same Sith. Kriffin hells.

"Tell me there is a way around this," Cody pleads.

Obi-Wan hums, his brows knotting together as he thinks. "Maybe..." he looks back at Cody, his eyes getting some of his blue spark back. "If we suppress the Force when I tell another Jedi, there is a chance that the ripple effect won't be strong enough to reach out to the Sith Lord."

"In theory," Cody says, not sure how he feels about the plan.

"In theory," Obi-Wan confirms.

Cody sight. If this doesn't work, they are all karked. But then again. This is all they have for now. It will have to do.

...

MACE WINDU

Mace has a headache, and that headache's name is Obi-Wan Kenobi.

A few days after Kenobi and his Commander were kidnapped, there was a strong disturbance in the Force, which made a cascade of shatterpoints break and explode. Mace passed out under the onslaughter and woke up in the Halls of Healing after two days.

Two kriffing days.

And now the source of that same disturbance is making his report to the Council, standing in the middle of the council chambers, like he isn't one giant anomaly waiting to explode.

Mace can't even look at the man without his eyes twitching and the headache blearing with renewed intensity.

He bites his tongue, averting his sight from the walking shaterpoint, and forcibly snatches his hand away from the pouch hanging on his belt. He can't take more pain medication. Vokara wouldn't allow it. And he isn't brave enough to aggravate the Chief healer more after he made his hasty escape from the Hall of Healing.

Mace attempts to pay attention to Kenobi's report again, but after a few minutes, he gives up. He will read the written summary when the meeting ends. There is no point in paying attention anyway. Mace is more familiar with Obi-Wan than most, and even in his weakened state, he can see that the Jedi Master is leaving some things out of his retelling.

Master Mundi asks something, his tone displeased, and Kenobi smoothly replays.

Mace rubs at his temples, praying for the session to end quickly. He needs a nap.

Or a vocation.

And he won't get either, he knows.

He has a stack of reports waiting for him in his chambers with those new requisition forms the Senate released. Jedi don't hate, but Mace will forever despise the person who invented those.

Mace blinks when Master Yoda hits his shin with the cursed stick. He had to zone out for longer than he thought because the room was almost empty, excluding Obi-Wan and the Grandmaster.

"Sleeping were you, Master Windu?" the diminutive Master asks, mischief sparkling in his brown-green gaze.

Mace does not scoff, but it's a close thing. "No, Master. I was only resting my eyes."

Yoda hums, disbelief clear in the Force. "Very well." He turns and walks to Obi-Wan, probing his shin with the stick until the Master lowers himself on one knee so the Grandmaster can hop on his shoulder. "Come, come, Master Windu. Master Kenobi, something more to report, he still has."

Obi-Wan nods and gestures his hand for Mace to follow. "If you came with me, Master."

Mace's eyes narrow, but he gets up and lets Obi-Wan lead them to the Halls of Healing. Before Mace can start asking any questions, they walk deeper into the Halls and stop in front of a heavy metal door where Healer Vokare Che is already waiting.

"How long will you need?" Vokara asks, tone serious.

"An hour should suffice," Obi-Wan responds.

Vokara nods and types the code to open the door.

Mace and Yoda exchange puzzled glances. At least Mace isn't the only one who doesn't know what this is about.

Obi-Wan ushers Mace inside and lets Master Yoda hop down on the padded floor of the room.

The metal door slams behind them with a thud.

Mace has to be very Force-exhausted if he didn't realize it's one of the Force-suppressing rooms they have in the Halls of Healing. They mostly use them for patients whose connection to the Force is damaged or their shielding is broken after Sith traps and such. For Obi-Wan to take them here, of all places, is quite curious.

"Without the Force, this meeting will be?" Master Yoda asks, his head tilting to the side.

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirms. "I will explain in a moment."

Already exasperated with the subterfuge, Mace takes a deep breath and braces for the force suppressor.

It's never pleasant for a Force-sensitive to lose their most important sense. For Mace, it always felt like someone hollowed out his very essence and left him empty.

Exhaling slowly, Mace lets his shoulders relax. At least the headache is temporarily pushed aside – still there but not as intense.

"All right," Mace says, crossing his hand, impatient. "What is this about?"

Obi-Wan straightens like a soldier about to be shot by a firing squad, and Mace can for the first time see how haunted he looks.

"As I said in my report. I defeated Maul during our fight. But what I could not say is that Maul revealed what we have been asking since Maul's first appearance on Naboo thirteen years ago."

"The Sith Master's identity," Mace breathes out. Obi-Wan's eyes lock with Mace's, and a chill runs down his spine.

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirms.

"Who is it?" Mace asks, tension building in his spine.

Finally, they know. Finally, they can end the war.

As if knowing what Mace is thinking, Obi-Wan shakes his head.

Mace's stomach sinks, hope rapidly plummeting to the ground.

"Not as simple, the answer is?" Master Yoda asks, speaking for the first time since they entered the Halls.

"I am afraid not," Obi-Wan admits. "That's why we are here." He gestures at the room at large. "When I tell you his name, the Force will have a reaction. Like a spell breaking and your sight in the Force will clear."

"The Sith Master," Yoda says, his eyes narrowing, "sence this disturbance, will he also?"

Oh, Mace realizes. Was this what made the shatterpoints break?

Mace's eyes widen almost comically.

And Kenobi wants to reveal it here and now?!

"I am hoping suppressing the Force will help," Obi-Wan shrugs and smiles sadly. "We shall see."

"Wait-"

"The Sith Master is Sheev Palpatine."

Mace's whole body shudders like someone walked over his grave, and his previous headache hits him like a hovertrain as he attempts to process this information.

Kriff. Kriff. So many kriffing karing kriffs.

The Chancellor of the Republic is the Sith Lord.

The Jedi are working under the karking Sith Lord.

That's...

Mace doesn't even have words for how to describe this terrible situation.

He was so blind.

So many small things make sense now. Many puzzle pieces fit together for the first time.

Palpatine is pushing the Jedi so hard to 'end' the war. He is running them rugged, and the number of able-bodied Jedi is declining slowly but surely.

The Sith is killing them off one at a time.

Force, how could he be so blind? Mace chides himself.

He is the Master of the Order, and look where he has got them.

The Jedi are the Sith Lord's attack dogs. His little paper puppets.

Oh, how Mace has failed them.

He slowly sinks to the floor, the crushing weight of the ramifications making him unable to stand up any longer.

From his peripheral vision, he can see Master Yoda already sitting on the floor. His ears dropped, and his eyes incredibly sad.

Obi-Wan sits down with them.

"Force, Obi-Wan," Mace says, his voice echoing in the room after the silence that settled over them. "What do we do?"

Obi-Wan's eyes harden with renewed determination as he says, "We cannot let Sidious be our demise. We need to make a counter strategy. We need a plan."

...

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Obi-Wan knows that taking down Palpatine is easier said than done. The man had accumulated so much power over the curse of the war and even before the conflict had arisen that, now, without concrete evidence, the Jedi can not move against him.

After all, there is no rule preventing a Sith Lord from being a Chancellor of the Republic.

Another problem is the public opinion of the Jedi.

If they attempted to push against Palpatine publically, the Sith would spin it in his favor and make the Jedi the villains of the story.

To say the Jedi are vastly unprepared for Palpatine's treachery is an understatement.

Just the corruption the man had to spread in the Senate will be difficult to combat when the system is working in his favor.

The sheer scale the Sith has spread his influence will take years to unravel.

The Sith planned their steps carefully over the decades and caught the Jedi in a trap that was slowly closing around them without them even realizing it.

How very clever.

A morbid part of Obi-Wan is impressed with the tactic. Orchestrating a galactic-scale war and drafting the unsuspecting Jedi into it to overwhelm them, to distract them from the problems of the galaxy. The Sith made them so busy they became blind to anything non-war related. The corruption in the Senate, slavery in the Outer and Mid-Rim, feminine, diseases, natural catastrophes, and many, many small things the Jedi have no time to react to.

But what's the end game?

The Sith being the Jedi's ancient enemy, had sworn to destroy them and take over the galaxy, implementing their twisted version of peace.

But the war alone won't kill them. Not all at once.

True, many Jedi died at the beginning, but now, with more experience, they know how to combat the CIS forces more effectively than at the beginning.

Even if this war takes more years to end, the most it will do is weaken the Order in numbers.

But there still will be many left. And not just that. Those who survive will be the ones most prepared to combat someone like a Sith Lord because of the battle experience they gained.

So how will the Sith eradicate all the Jedi left at the end of the war?

They are missing something. Something important.

A huge piece of a puzzle that can connect everything together.

But they don't have it. They can only work with the pieces they have.

So they plan.

The Master of the Jedi Order, the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, and The Negotiator pull themselves together and carefully plan how to save their family and the galaxy.

It takes more than the hour they spend in the force-suppressing room.

They move to a smaller conference room and make sure they are secure before they continue planning their tactic.

They tackle one problem at a time.

The big ones first.

Palpatine investigation will have to be handled very quietly, so as to not alert the said Sith. They will have to inform the Master of Shadows about the situation, who will have to tell their Shadows.

The secrecy will be paramount.

The Shadows will have the most difficult task -- to find evidence of any illegal dealings Palpatine made and tie his name to Darth Sidious.

Without durasteel evidence, the Jedi cannot accuse him of anything. The public would turn against them, which brings them to another problem called public relations.

The Jedi public image is the lowest it ever was, with public outcries and protesters outside the Temple, pleading for the Jedi to end the war.

Most of the people of the galaxy also don't understand the role of the Jedi in the Republic and the laws and restrictions that even they have to abide by.

Educating the public about their limitations, responsibilities, and the Jedi culture overall should help build their image back up. But it will take a lot of time.

Time they don't have.

Either way, the Masters agreed to start a campaign to boost their public image.

Master Galia used to handle it, but since her death, they didn't have time to appoint the next Jedi Ambassador, an oversight they will have to rectify.

The biggest issue they have to untangle is the puppet war.

Palpatine playing both sides hinders them a great deal. They cannot suddenly stop following his orders. He is after all the Chief Commander of the GAR. And with the Jedi acting as Generals, they are stuck in an uncomfortable position.

Nevertheless, all three Jedi Masters agree that any intel provided by the chancellor's office to be triple-checked if not outright ignored, depending on the situation.

Also, any information the Jedi collect won't be sent directly to the chancellor's office. Instead, they will create their own hub to collect the information. (Which they already partially have. The false intel they were receiving was getting worse after all.) After that, they will decide what they will send forward and how altered it will have to be for the Chancellor.

The most painful topic for Obi-Wan, they have to discuss is Anakin.

Mace and Master Yoda were already informed about the marriage issue. They were very disappointed as it created another public relations problem Palpatine could exploit to turn the public against the Jedi, accusing them of favoritism.

But still, the worst part is Anakin's friendship with the Sith.

It took almost another hour, but Obi-Wan convinced the two Masters that telling Anakin the truth about Palpatine is the right thing to do.

If Anakin is the Chosen One, as Qui-Gon Jinn thought, then he will be pivotal in toppling the Sith.

Obi-Wan never bet much money on Anakin being the blessed Chosen One. He just wanted Anakin to be the best version of himself, wishing the boy didn't have to carry such a burden.

Sometimes Obi-Wan curses his former Master for putting so much weight on such a young child.

Regardless, the argument works, and Obi-Wan is allowed to tell Anakin.

How badly this blow will affect Anakin, Obi-Wan doesn't know, but he is already deading the conversation.

Speaking of Anakin, Master Sawa (Anakin's and Padmé's mind healer) reported to the Council her recommendation for pulling the Knight from the active duty roster, but they weren't informed what the main reason was because of the patient's confidentiality rule.

If they pull Anakin from the war effort, Palpatine will notice something is wrong. It would also ground Anakin on Coruscant, and all three Masters agree the Knight should be as far away from the Sith's influence as possible.

So in the end, they come up with semi-sollution. Anakin will continue as General of the 501st but under the strict supervision of another Master, preferably a mindhealer. Weekly sessions with the said mindhealer will be mandatory, as well as a session after each mission, no matter how small.

It's evening when they have to end the planning for now. They have a former padawan to apologize to after all.

...

Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order isn't as shocking for Obi-Wan as it is for Anakin, but it's still a great blow.

Not that Obi-Wan blames her after her family abandoned her and almost let her be executed for a crime she did not commit.

Ahsoka leaves the Council chambers in deafening silence.

Anakin runs after her, and Obi-Wan moves to follow, but Plo puts a hand on his shoulder and stops him.

Obi-Wan turns to the Kel Dor Master, meeting his sad gaze through the goggles.

"I should go after them," Obi-Wan says, his voice hoarser than he thought it would be.

Plo shakes his head, squeezing Obi-Wan's shoulder. "No, young one. Let them say their goodbye in private."

Young one.

Obi-Wan hasn't felt young in what feels like forever.

The Kel Dor stears Obi-Wan away from the Council chamber and to the secluded area of the Room of Thousand Fountains. Together, they sit under a tree next to a small stream.

Obi-Wan didn't even register how they got there.

His head feels like it's stuffed with cotton.

There are so many things he should be doing.

So many, many responsibilities.

The kriffing Sith.

But all he can do is mourn his grandpadawan leaving.

The bright little girl who came to them during a siege.

A teenager that should have been as far away from the war as possible.

But the war doesn't discriminate between a child and a grown man, and so she stayed with them, proving herself, gaining hard-won experience, and growing into a brilliant young woman.

Still too young for all that she has seen and done.

Obi-Wan should have done more...

But he wasn't even on Coruscant when the bombing happened.

He can't be everywhere...

Sometimes, he feels like an old man. He is just so tired of it all.

Obi-Wan lets his guilt float into the Force.

Master Plo pokes his shield in question, and Obi-Wan opens them in invitation.

They meditate together until the late hour, untangling many of Obi-Wan's unresolved emotions. He even helps Plo with his own quilt towards Ahsoka's leaving.

One meditation won't help Obi-Wan with all the burdens floating in his mind, but if he feels just a little bit lighter, well, he will take all the wins he can get.

Ahsoka may leave them for now, but there is no doubt in Obi-Wan's mind he will see her again someday.

...

CODY

Cody was not surprised by the swiftness the Jedi tackled the terrible situation they found themselves in.

Cody is as force-sensitive as a rock, but even he could feel the pressure building in the air when he was at the Jedi Temple. Only a small number of Jedi were informed about the identity of the Sith, but Cody thinks most of the Jedi could sense something has changed.

Over the week, the Jedi planned their immediate steps to rectify errors of their ways. But they also put long-term plans in motion, safeguards, to make sure if they lost this war, their children would be safe, and the knowledge they possess wouldn't be lost.

Cody's vod'e could feel it as well.

Change.

And so the clones, loyal to the Jedi, did not ask many questions, only asked how they could be of assistance.

Cody included.

And so it has started.

Upon discussion with Obi-Wan, Cody was allowed to tell the identity of the Sith to two of the 212th slicers - Crys and Cypher. They had to be informed, so they could better extract information from various intel the chancellor's office sent them, and also to know what to focus on while slicing CIS hardware.

To say the two slicers were upset about the revelation would be an understatement. But their reaction was nothing compared to Rex's.

The Skywalker situation -- being as complicated and delicate as it is -- required Rex to know the details as well.

"That slimy hut'uun!" Rex shouts as he slams his fist into a wall. "I will break his karking neck!"

"Rex calm down," Cody urges, being a total hypocrite, given his reaction wasn't any better.

"Calm down?" Rex rounded on Cody, eyes blazing with barely restricted rage. "Calm down?! How can you tell me to calm down, Cody?! The Chancellor of the Republic -- the very Republic we serve -- is a kriffing Sith Lord, and you want me to calm down?!"

"Keep your voice down," Cody hisses, not wanting anyone to overhear. He made sure to check his quarters for bugs, but it won't help if Rex keeps shouting for all to hear.

Rex takes a deep breath, clenching his fists at his sides until they are as white as the walls. It doesn't help much, but at least he isn't shouting anymore when he asks, "What do we do now? We can't have a Sith calling the shots."

"No, we can't," Cody agrees easily. "The Jedi are working on the plan to take him down."

"Plan? What is it to plan?" Rex asks, irritated. The desk chair rattles as he sits down opposite Cody. "All we need is a slug to the head. Boom. Problem solved."

Cody knows Rex isn't thinking rationally, driven by anger as he is, so Cody won't point out about a dozen reasons why that wouldn't work. "Much as I like your plan, we both know that Sith aren't as easy to get rid of, and we can't afford to trigger any failsaves the man might have. The Sith's plan was years in the making. It won't be that easy to tear down."

Rex lets his head fall to his hands in desperation. "Then how?" he muffles through his hands as he lets them fall on his knees. "How do we fight this?"

"The Jedi are working on it, and so are we," Cody assures him. "That's why you also need to know this."

"Because of Skywalker." Rex catches on quickly. "Because he is friends with the Chancellor," he sighs. "Kriff, Codes."

"Yes," Cody grimaces, not happy about making his brother even more of a Jedi babysitter. "You need to keep a close eye on Skywalker. There are rules he has to follow from now on. He can't -"

"Does he know?" Rex interrupts.

"Yes." Cody cringes. The fallout of the conversation wasn't pretty.

Cody was outside the Force-suppressing room when his General told Skywalker. The room shook even with Skywalker having no access to the Force, and Healer Che had to almost sedate him when he refused to calm down. Fortunately, the Jedi foresaw what Skywalker's reaction would be like, so a few Masters, including Master Yoda, waited outside and shielded the room mentally so Palpatine would not sense the ripple effect in the Force. Obi-Wan looked terrible afterward, and still can't have a civilized conversation with the Knight.

Rex nods slowly in understanding. "That explains why he is so irritated as of late. At first, we thought it was because of Commander Tano, but now... it makes more sense."

Cody shuffles closer to the Captain and puts a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

"You okay?" he asks. Cody knows Tano's leaving hit the 501st hard.

"No." Rex sighs heavily, letting his posture slouch in the chair.

"What will happen to us Codes?" Rex asks after a moment of silence. "What will happen to us if the Sith wins?"

"He won't win," Cody replies immediately, steel in his voice. He cannot let his uncertainty show. "We won't let him. The Jedi won't let him, and they also will not abandon us."

"Like they didn't abandon Ahsoka?" Rex asks with scorn.

Cody sighs. Ahsoka's situation was not handled well. "They won't make that mistake again." He squeezes Rex's shoulder again in reassurance and lets his hand fall to his lap.

Rex watches Cody with some level of apprehension but shakes his head and lets it go.

"So what is the plan?" Rex asks. "Babysitting Skywalker can't be the only reason you had told me."

"No," Cody confirms and slides back into Marshal Commander mode. "I need you to pick two of your slicers and inform them of the situation, so they can help monitor every intel, comm call, or anything data-related that the Resolute receives or sends."

Rex frowns in thought, becoming the Captain of the 501st Legion again. "Error and Brix are the men for the job then. They are discreet and know their duty."

"Alright," Cody agrees, trusting Rex to know his men the best. "Will you inform them, or should I?"

Rex hesitates. "I will do it, but... Could you be there? They won't be happy with the news, and I don't know if I be able to calm them down."

Cody softens and inclines his head in understanding. Rex is still angry and needs more time to come to terms with the situation. "I will be there."

Rex breathes out like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. "Thanks, ori'vod."

...

Cody wanders the corridors of the Vigilance, meeting only the skeleton crew on duty.

After sending Rex and Skywalker off to Ringo Vinda he decided to get some rest before their next inevitable assignment. Unfortunately, he woke up after four hours and couldn't fall asleep again.

He thinks the stress of all that had been revealed is getting to him at last.

Cody rubs his eyes as he walks in the direction of a small rec room. It used to be an office the size of a closet, but it was out of the way and had a huge window. So they made it into a rec room for people who needed some time to collect themselves or wished to be left alone for a little while.

Cody's hopes of the rec room being free are crushed as the door slides open. The lights are off, but he can see a silhouette of a figure, sitting on pillows, illuminated by hyperspace light coming from the window.

Cody almost turns around and leaves when an accented coruscanti voice asks, "Couldn't sleep, Commander?"

Cody stops in his tracks and takes a better look at the figure that turned out to be his General. "Something like that."

"Would you like to join me?" the General asks and shuffles a bit to create a space for Cody to sit.

Hesitating only for a moment, Cody sits down next to Obi-Wan, their shoulders brushing together.

Obi-Wan closes his eyes and continues to meditate, while Cody watches the light show of hyperspace pass them by.

As they sit in companionable silence, Cody's thoughts turn back to Rex's question. 'What will happen to us if the Sith wins?'

Cody knows he and his vod'e are no more than slaves to the Republic --meat droids to throw at the CIS so they don't have to use their own population to fight. They exist because the Republic needs an army.

Cody never entertained the thought of 'after the war'. He always thought he would not survive long enough to see it. So why wonder about something that will never come?

But now, there is the possibility of life after the war.

The Republic and the CIS are exhausted, and their recourses are depleted. They both are facing bankruptcy.

It won't take long for one of them to give ground.

The pressure is too high for something not to happen.

But what will happen to the clones?

Cody has no illusion that the Republic will treat them any better after the war. The constant delay of the Sentient Rights Bill is evidence enough.

"You are thinking very loudly, my dear," Obi-Wan's voice starts Cody from his contemplation.

"Sorry, sir," Cody apologizes hastily, and Obi-Wan frowns at the title. "Didn't mean to disturb you."

"No need to apologize, Cody." Obi-Wan bumps his shoulder to Cody's and smiles tiredly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Cody thinks about it, not sure if now is the appropriate time to breach the subject. Obi-Wan is watching him earnestly, so after a moment of indecision, he decides that he might as well.

"What will happen to us, sir? After the war I mean?" Cody asks, averting his gaze back to the window.

Obi-Wan hums and shrugs. "That depends on what you want."

Cody snorts.

Oh, only if it were that easy.

"I don't think the Republic will let us do what we want," Cody replies, still watching the hyperspace lights, not daring to look at his General. It feels like treason, even saying something like that.

He tenses as Obi-Wan shifts next to him, frowning.

"The Republic might be able to blind themself for the duration of the war. But as soon as it ends, the Republic will face consequences for denying you rights you should have had from the very moment we found you on Kamino." Obi-Wan says it so seriously, like he truly believes that.

Cody chances a look at him and is not disappointed by the fire he sees in Obi-Wan's blue-gray eyes.

"Maybe..." Cody shrugs, not quite believing it. Hope is a difficult fire to tame when the spark ignites.

Obi-Wan seems to understand his doubt because he turns fully to Cody and says, "You are not alone, Cody. We -- the Jedi -- are not forgetting about you and your brothers. There is a plan," Obi-Wan smiles sheepishly like he is conferring a secret, "well a work-in-progress type of plan. Only if you agree, of course. We will present it to you all when it's more than a few words on flimsy," he adds hastily.

Cody has to smile at that.

"Okay," he whispers, indulging Obi-Wan, who smiles embarrassed from his rambling.

"We plan to create a new Corps inside the Jedi Order," Obi-Wan continues. "We don't have all the details ready, but we thought that if you were willing to stay with us, we would love to have you. And if you decided to follow your own path, you could always have a place to come back to. You know, to regroup. Or if you were in need of something, the Order would be able to assist you."

Cody blinks, his world tilting upside down. His eyes have to be comically large, and his jaw might or might not be hanging open.

The Jedi are proposing to give the clones home.

A real one.

Not like Kamino, but a real place to fall back to. Not a lab with scientists to experiment on them, but a home with people who care about them and consider them sentient.

Cody doesn't have words to describe how happy this news makes him.

"You are serious," he whispers when his brain starts working again, and he doesn't like how small his voice sounds -- like a cadet who was just saved from decommissioning. "You want us to stay?"

"Of course we want you to stay." Obi-Wan smiles, and the gentleness and softness he radiates almost makes Cody cry. "I don't know where we would be without you all."

Cody continues to stare, still processing the news.

"I despise this war," Obi-Wan says seriously, looking deep into Cody's eyes, "but there is one positive about it." Obi-Wan's face lit up with a smile. "I am very happy to have met you, Cody, you and your brothers. The Republic might have needed soldiers, but it was also given brave, loyal, and wonderful men. I wouldn't want to go through this war with anybody else."

And what can Cody say to that?

So, instead, he does the second-best thing.

He grabs his General by his shoulders and pulls him into a bone-crushing hug.

Obi-Wan makes a noise of surprise, not expecting the sudden movement, but hugs Cody back just as firmly.

"Thank you," Cody whispers into Obi-Wan's ear after a long moment. "Vor entye."

"N'entye." Obi-Wan's hold on Cody tightens. "You have nothing to thank me for, dear one."

And if Cody sheds a few tears, well, there is no one to tell.

Chapter Text

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Obi-Wan takes a deep breath and attempts to calm himself before he breaks the data pad in his hand.

There are chips in clones' heads that are supposed to repress their aggression, according to the Kaminoan. The failure of said chip caused Tup to kill Master Tiplar. ARK trooper Fives went with Tup back to Kamino to serve as a baseline for comparison, but unfortunately, Tup died after the chip was removed. Fives was supposed to rejoin the 501st, but instead, the trooper decided to investigate Tup's condition further. He claimed to find something concerning the chips, so the Jedi Council decided it would be best if the ARK trooper presented his findings to them in person. But before the meeting could happen, Fives attempted to kill the Chancellor. Or so Palpatine claims.

“Fives would never do such a thing,” Rex scoffs, his hologram flickering because of the bad connection.

"I have to agree with Captain Rex. That does not sound like something Fives would do at random," Cody adds, his arms crossed.

“The Kaminoans feel a virus corrupted the clone's inhibitor chip, which has led to his behavior,” Master Ti reports. “ARC Trooper Fives feels he is the victim of a plot, Separatist of otherwise.”

“All security and clone forces on Coruscant have been ordered to join the manhunt,” Mace says, resigned as he skims his datapad. The Master of the Order is also not in the briefing room in person because of a continued skirmish on Rha Ak. He had to reinforce the 443rd battalion stationed there, or they ran the risk of losing the planet entirely. “The Chancellor has been moved to his Senate quarters, and the perimeter has been secured. However, Jedi involvement has not been requested.”

The four men share a look of suspicion while Shaak just glances between them, puzzled. Obi-Wan feels a bit bad for her as she is the only person who doesn't know about Palpatine's double identity. They weren't able to inform Skaak because of her continued monitoring of the Kaminoan's facilities, which turned out to be a mistake on their part. Palpatine contacted Shaak's ship and directed them to the Senate to interrogate Fives personally. If Shaak knew, she would have continued her journey to the Jedi Temple to examine Fives and the evidence he had gathered and never let a Sith Lord get his hands on the unfortunate ARK.

“That's a little strange, isn't it?” Shaak asks, her eyes narrowing as she pokes Obi-Wan's mental shields.

Obi-Wan sends a feeling of reassurance and patience back. “Indeed.”

“Hmm. Discover the truth, we must,” Master Yoda speaks for the first time. Also via hologram. The Grandmaster is on Kashyyyk helping the Wookies fend off the Separatists invading the northern hemisphere.

“If there is a plot involving the clones, we must get to the bottom of it,” Mace says with utmost importance, turning to Obi-Wan and Shaak. “We will investigate quietly, undercover. We must make sure this clone is not killed.”

Obi-Wan angees wholeharedly. This entire situation feels dark – smoky tendrils penetrating it in the Force. “We must find him first.”

“Be wary,” Shaak warns. “Since he removed his inhibitor chip, Fives may not be the man we once knew.”

"What about the chips that were in Tup's and Fives's head?" Cody asks, turning to Shaak. "Do you still have them, General?"

"No, the Chancellor has them," Shaak answers.

Obi-Wan's stomach sinks as he closes his eyes, and Cody swears quietly next to him.

So Palpatine has the only evidence.

Wonderful.

"You have to find Fives," Rex says with new urgency. "He will not let Fives live if Fives indeed found something." His hologram frizzles out momentarily, and they hear Rex swear in Mando'a as an explosion erupts nearby.

"You with us, Captain?" Cody steps closer to the projector, concerned.

"Ye.. an attack near. Nothing to worr... I need to ... back..." Rex's voice flickers in and out. "Find Fives," he says as the call disconnects.

The room plunges into silence.

"Rex will be fine. We have our own mission." Obi-Wan puts a hand on Cody's shoulder to steady him and sends reassurance to his Force presence. Cody relaxes a fraction, his shoulders slumping.

"Any ideas where to start?" Mace asks.

The Jedi look to Cody as the Commander's eyebrows draw together in thought. "I don't know Fives as well as Rex, but if I were the one on the run, I would look for allies. Someone who might help me figure things out." He nods decisively, meeting Obi-Wan's gaze. "I would look for a brother at 79's. That's the only place where we clones can talk discreetly outside of barracks."

Obi-Wan pats Cody on the shoulder. "Then that's where we will start." He turns back to the rest of the Jedi in the room. "With your permission, I would like to take this mission. We will have to take precautions, and nobody can know what we are doing. The entire Coruscant Guard and the CorSec are hunting for Fives. If they find him before we do..." he trails off. The answer rings in the silence.

Master Ti's eyes widen, her hand coming to her lips as she puts some pieces together. "Oh, dear Force."

Obi-Wan meets her eyes and gives her a sad smile. "You should talk to Master Terruss. Tell him I send you. He will fill you in on the situation."

The Master of the Shadows knows everything they know and has put all his best Shadows on the case of gathering evidence against the Sith. Not that they have found anything remotely incriminating so far.

Shaak nods slowly, looking dazed. "I will."

"Careful, you must be Obi-Wan," Master Yoda warns, gripping his walking stick a bit too tightly. "Great darkness, this mystery surrounds."

Obi-Wan inclines his head. "Of course, Master."

The Jedi say their goodbyes, and Obi-Wan stops Shaak before she can leave the room in search of the Master of Shadows.

"Before you go, I know it's on such short notice, but could you take over the saber class I planned to teach to the senior padawans?" Obi-Wan requests.

The Battlemaster insisted he should teach the class as soon as he found out Obi-Wan was stuck in the Temple until Master Yoda returned.

The main reason for Obi-Wan to even be on Courscant instead of on a battlefield is that there always have to be at least three Councilors present at the Jedi Temple. Masters Yoda and Windu are usually the ones to stay and coordinate the Jedi, but they had errands to run that could not be postponed any longer, and Obi-Wan was the closest to replace them for a few days.

"Of course." Shaak's eyes soften before hardening again. "You and Cody focus on finding our lost ARK."

The door slides closed behind Master Ti, and Obi-Wan and Cody are left alone in the briefing room.

Obi-Wan sits in a chair, contemplating the existence of the inhibitor chips. More like slave chips, he thinks bitterly. As if the clones needed any more reminders they are not considered sentient.

What's even stranger is that the Force is silent on the topic. But not a peaceful kind of silence. The silence enfolding the Force is charged. As if the Jedi take one wrong step forward, it can doom them all.

All Obi-Wan's instincts scream at him to treat very, very carefully.

He glances at Cody sitting across from him, radiating the same anxiety and confusion. Cody lifts his hand as if to touch his temple, but then refrains and quickly drops his hand back on the holo table.

When the Commander notices his staring, his eyes harden. "Did the Jedi know about the inhibitor chips, sir?"

Obi-Wan's eyes widen. "No, we didn't." He shakes his head, holding Cody's gaze.

A pressure Obi-Wan didn't even notice was building in the room dissipates, and Cody's shoulders slump.

"We didn't know either," Cody whispers, his eyes falling on the holo table.

The fact that Jedi were not informed of the chips' existence is suspicious at best. As the clients of the cloning program, they should have been informed. But, the fact that not even the clones knew puts forth even more unpleasant questions.

If the chips were designed to suppress aggression and are something common for the cloning process, as Nala Se claims, why hide their existence?

"Fives had to find out something more about the chips," Obi-Wan says into the silence.

"And whatever it was, had to be damn important if the Sith want him dead," Cody adds, his hand clanching into a fist.

Obi-Wan stands up and starts pacing, Cody watching him quietly. He always thought better while moving. Obi-Wan's mind is coming up with multiple strategies and discarding them just as quickly until he lands on one that might work.

He stops and turns to Cody, who straightens, ready for anything Obi-Wan may propose.

"Commander, meet me in hangar 14A and bring two or three vod'e. I believe we are going to the 79's for a drink," Obi-Wan says and smiles mischievously.

"Okay," Cosy says, eyeing him dubiously.

"Excellent."

"Wait, where are you going?" Cody calls after Obi-Wan as the Jedi is already out of the door.

"I need to get a few things," Obi-Wan calls behind his shoulder as he strides at a quick pace toward his apartment.

...

CODY

Cody's mind is still spinning. The clones have inhibitor chips in their heads. Cursing the Kaminii under his breath, Cody doesn't care about their reasoning. Whatever way the Kaminii are trying to spin the tale of why they had to put the chips in clones' heads and sell it to the Senate and the Jedi has to be a lie. Why else would they keep it a secret? And why is Palpatine so interested in what Fives has discovered?

Cody was so relieved when Obi-Wan confirmed that the Jedi didn't know. It would have felt like a betrayal if they did. The Jedi were, after all, the ones who commissioned their creation.

But the clones didn't know either, and he doesn't understand how. Especially, because their medics studied all there is to know about the vod'e's anatomy. So why don't they know about the chips?

Cody shoves his questions aside for later. He will have enough time to interrogate Fives about them. That is if they find the di'kut.

Cody, Waxer, Boil, and Gregor stand at the platform outside hangar 14A as they wait. Very impatiently, in some cases.

"Will you tell us what this is about, Commander?" Waxer asks for the tenth time in as many minutes.

Cody would push him off the platform if Boil wouldn't be insufferable without his twin, so Cody resigned himself to repeating, "No."

Waxer huffs, not noticing Cody's fuming.

Gregor lifts an eyebrow, and Boil, being the sensible one for once, elbows Waxer to shut it.

They wait a few more minutes before a nondescript dark blue speeder pulls over, and the passenger window rolls down, revealing their General, who is wearing civilian clothes similar to the ones he wore when they went to the caffee shop.

"Hello there, my dears," Obi-Wan greets them with a grin that is a little too sharp.

Waxer whistles, his eyes shining with mischief. "Nice ride, General. Will you tell us what we are doing?"

Boil signs, long-suffering, and Cody's eye twitches under his helmet. Gregor, sensing violence, bumps his shoulder before Cody makes the regrettable choice of shoving Waxer off the platform.

"Yes, but before I do, you have a choice to decline this mission," Obi-Wan says, and the troopers straighten at his change of demeanor. "This isn't a GAR assignment. What we are about to do might not align with the rules you have been raised to follow."

The clones exchange a look, hearing what the General isn't saying. The three of them turn to Cody as all siblings do when looking for reassurance from their older brother.

Cody nods, his decision already made. What they are about to do will be considered treason according to GAR regs, and if they get caught... Well, there is only one sentence for treason against the Republic.

"You are not kidding, sir," Gregor breaks the silence, voice unusually serious.

"No," Obi-Wan confirms.

Gregor taps his helmet under his arm a few times and then grins, one of his more feral smiles. "Sounds like fun," he says as he puts on his helmet.

Obi-Wan nods and gestures his hand for Gregor to take a seat in the back before turning to the twins, his features softening.

"Please, don't feel pressured if you don't want to come. This isn't something I ask of you lightly," Obi-Wan says more gently.

"I understand," Waxer responds and takes a deep breath. "I am coming."

Cody pats Waxer's shoulder as he passes him by to sit next to Gregor.

Boil shrugs. "Can't let Waxer have all the fun now, can I? Besides, he wouldn't survive without me."

"Hey!" Waxer squeaks indignant, but Boil is already pushing Waxer further into the speeder to make a space for himself.

Obi-Wan looks at Cody questionably.

"Don't even ask," Cody says sternly, cutting Obi-Wan off before he can form the question.

"I didn't say anything," the Jedi murmurs under his breath, and someone from the back seat snickers.

Cody takes the passenger seat in the front, and Obi-Wan takes off in the direction of the lower levels.

...

The General parks the speeder a few streets down from the 79's. Cody and his vod'e approach the bar on foot while their Jedi disappear into the shadows of the lower levels. Obi-Wan will monitor the streets, making sure Corries and CorSec are nowhere in sight as well as keeping an eye out for their missing ARK.

When the four men enter, 79's is already full of noise and smell of alcohol and smoke. Vaguely popular music is playing in the background while Troopers from various divisions are enjoying their leave, sipping beer, or retelling heavily edited and exaggerated stories of their exploits and missions.

"Cheer up, Commander," Gregor laughs. He smacks Cody on the back, hard enough to make him stumble. "It's not every day we can afford the good stuff."

Cody growls at Gregor in warning, but the Captain ignores him as he pushes through the mass of bodies deeper inside the bar. Waxer bumps Cody's shoulder as he passes, giving him an excited smile. Boil, not far behind just shakes his head in exasperation. Cody sighs internally and steals himself for a long night.

The twins and Cody sit at the commanders' booth (courtesy of Cody's rank), which is situated in the furthest corner of 79's. The command class prefers it because of its vantage point and access to the back door exit.

A few minutes later, Gregor waltzes in with several drinks balancing in his hands, nearly spilling them as he puts them onto the table with a clink. "I got us the best stuff from Shan's stash. He swears this is what the senators drink for fun."

Waxer and Boil don't hesitate to taste the dark red liquid, groaning in appreciation, Gregor not far behind.

"I don't think I will be able to stomach Slip's ship-brewed rotgut ever again," Boil comments, and Waxer and Gregor hum in agreement. To be fair, any alcohol is better than Slip's chemical experiments, Cody thinks. So the bar is very low.

"You have to try it, Commander," Waxer says as he pushes Cody's glass closer to him.

Cody eyes his drink dubiously before focusing back on his vod'e. "You know why we are here." He tries to remind them.

"Don't be a spoilsport, Cody," Gregor says, leaning on the table opposite the Commander before arching an eyebrow at him. "Besides, you have to look approachable. And this," he gestures at all of Cody," does not look approachable to me."

Cody huff at the insult, but the Captain is not wrong. The plan is for Fives to approach him instead of them hunting the ARK down. The 501st is still deployed at Ringo Vinda, so there are no vod'e planetside that Fives is familiar with besides the 212th. Or so they hope. It will be easier if Fives thinks Cody is at least a little bit tipsy and therefore easier to approach.

Resigned, he takes a small drink just to keep his cover. The alcohol burns his throat and leaves a sweet and bitter taste behind. A pleasant warmth spreads in his belly, and all right, he has to admit, Gregor might be correct. It's not every day they can afford alcohol that won't make them nauseous after one sip or make them blind for life. But if Gregor and the twins get drunk before the mission's over, Cody refuses to be the one to drag them back to the barracks. Obi-Wan can do it if he thought to give them his credit chip is a good idea.

"What's the result, Commander?" Waxer asks, eyes sparkling with interest at the answer.

"It's not terrible," Cody concurs reluctantly.

"Don't worry." Gregor grins mischievously. "I'm sure the General will help carry you back to barracks if you get too drunk."

The twins snicker, and then immediately try to cover it up by taking a sip. Cody's eyes narrow dangerously at the Captain, but before he can snipe back Cody's comm chimes. He gives Gregor one last warning glare before reading the message on his comm.

OWK:
Ret'yc lenedat ru'beteno.
Solus gotil jaon, kemi at gar taap.

Cody sends back an acknowledgment before taking a sip of his drink. He lets the liquid burn his throat and subtly signs with his free hand, using the quick hand signs the 212th developed, for his vod'e to be on alert.

His eyes skim around the bar before glancing back at his vod'e, who are sipping their drinks, looking relaxed. He would have been fooled by their calm demeanor if he didn't know them so well. But he does and can tell by the way Gregor has his hand at the back of the couch and his feet are positioned on the ground that he is ready for action. Or, by the way, Boil splays his hands on the table, and his eyes are a little too sharp. Or how Waxer holds his drink with his non-dominant hand while he angles his body protectively to cover Boil.

They keep the conversation light while they wait. Fortunately, it doesn't take long for Fives to show up. Cody almost misses his arrival because of the nondescript armor the ARK wears and his new buzzcut. Unfortunately for Fives, the tattoo on his temple is a dead giveaway. At least he has the sense to steal a cap from the first drunk brother he passes by.

They leave Fives to mingle with the crowd for a while, to let him orient himself. He looks like he needs it as he stumbles and almost runs into a table. He moves further, behind a group of brothers playing sabacc before Cody loses sight of him.

Cody frowns before he remembers himself and plasters a relaxed expression on his face, pretending to listen to the joke Waxer is saying.

"Something's wrong," Boil mumbles under his breath as he lifts his glass to his lips.

Gregor taps on the table, getting Cody's attention. 'Target hooked'.

Good. That means Fives has seen them. But he won't approach them. Not when the ARK is at a disadvantage. He has avoided capture so far and knows he won't be able to win a fight against the four of them if something goes wrong. Most likely, Fives wouldn't risk approaching Marshal Cammnder on his own under normal circumstances.

But he might risk approaching a tipsy vod.

Taking his cue, Cody makes a show of finishing his drink and excusing himself to the bathroom.

Unsurprisingly, Fives follows, and there really has to be something wrong as he shuffles after Cody with all the grace of a rancor.

The bathroom is blessedly empty as Cody enters and waits for Fives to join him.

As soon as the ARK stumbles into the room, Cody rounds in on him. Fives gasps, wide-eyed, as Cody grabs the ARK's forearm, twists him around, and pushes Fives against the graffiti-covered wall. Cody's frown deepens. Rex would be ashamed to learn one of his ARKs got overpowered so easily.

"Osik, Cody! What the hell?!" Fives growls at Cody as he tries to squirm free.

"That's what I should ask you, Fives." Making sure the ARK doesn't slip between his fingers, Cody pushes Fives' hand further between his shoulder blades.

"Ouch! Hey, hey, stop!"

"Will you behave?" Cody asks.

"Yes, yes!" Fives exclaim.

Cody relaxes his hold slightly and Fives breath a sigh of relief. Now, in a better light, Cody can see how pale and sweaty Fives is.

"What in the nine correlian hells happened to you, vod?" Cody asks with a pang of regret about how he attacked the trooper.

"Please, Cody. Promise you'll hear me out before turning me in. Promise me," Fives pleads.

Cody has never heard him sound so desperate. "You won't run?"

"No, I won't. I will tell you everything."

After a moment of contemplation, Cody lets go of Fives' hand and turns him around.

"Thank you," Fives sighs in relief.

"Report, Fives," Cody orders.

"It's a long story. But the highlights? The Kaminii put chips in our heads. All of our heads. With protocols that can make us do anything that someone wants! And the Chancellor is in on it somehow! I know he is. He told me! And then he framed me for attacking him! Which I didn't!" he exclaims, frantic. "All of us. Even the Jedi! Are in grave danger. The chips can make us do unspeakable things. They can make us kill the Jedi, and we wouldn't be able to resist! They will turn us into stupid, unthinking droids!" Fives growls, gasping for breath as if he ran ten klicks in full gear. The devastation in his eyes speaks for itself. "I know I sound crazy. But I'm not! It's all a conspiracy. Against us. Against the Jedi. Against the Republic itself. Please believe me, Cody. Please, I don't know what else to do if you don't. This is bigger than any of us realize! Please-,"

"Fives," Cody interrupts him. "Stop. I need to process."

Fives clicks his mouth shut as he watches Cody wearily.

Force. Cody doesn't know where to start. Everything that Fives said is terrifying.

If what Fives said is true, the chips can take away their free will like it never existed. Their thoughts and individuality were the only things that the natborns couldn't take away from them. Oh, how wrong they were. All it would take is one order, and everything that made the vod'e individuals would be gone.

Cody shudders as he lifts his hand to his temple before he catches the movement and lets it fall back to his side. He clenches his hand into a fist, letting his nails dig into his palm.

And not just that. They could be ordered to kill the only people who accepted them unconditionally. The only people who care and cherish them without any strings attached.

Stars and heavens, there are children in the Jedi Temple. The clones could wipe them all out without second thoughts or regret.

The Jedi opened their Temple, their home, to them, and this would be repayment for their kindness -- murder of their children.

Force, Cody is going to be sick. Bile rises in his throat, the alcohol he drank earlier making itself known. He pushes it back down and takes a shuddering breath before glancing back at Fives, who is still waiting for his reaction.

"I believe you."

There is a total silence for a beat, Fives searching Cody's face for any trace of dishonesty. When he doesn't find any, his whole body slumps down the wall, like all his strings were cut.

"Thank the Force," Fives sighs.

"Hey, are you okay?" Alarmed, Cody crouches beside the ARK. Fives' eyes are unfocused and glazed over. He puts a hand on the ARK's sweaty forehead. "You are burning up, Fives."

"Yeah," Fives nods and squints his eyes shut with a grimace, "The karking Kaminii injected me with something. Been feeling weird ever since."

"Haar'chak," Cody swears under his breath. "You didn't think to mention this before?"

"Didn't think I would last long," Fives responds, batting Cody's hand away. "Had to tell somebody."

Before he can berate Fives some more, Cody's comm chimes.

OWK
Corries olaro.

"Osik!" Cody swears. "We have to move."

He types a quick message for Obi-Wan to meet them in an alley next to the 79's and a text to his vod'e to stay put for now.

"Come on, Fives." He drags the ARK to a standing position, and when he is sure the trooper won't fall over, leads Fives to the back door.

They pass the commander's booth on their way to the back exit. Cody makes eye contact with Gregor and signs with his hand. Gregor nods sharply and silently passes Cody's helmet to him.

Cody puts on his bucket and turns on the radio of his HUT, trying to pick up any background chatter on Corries' comms. Unfortunately, they are locked down tight. Finding only static, he silently curses Fox for being such an effective bastard.

Obi-Wan is already waiting for them, the tension in his shoulders easing as he spots them. "I see you found our missing ARK," he says as a way of greeting. "Hello Fives."

FIVES

Fives freezes at the sight of the High Jedi General, eyes wide. "Eh, General," he says eloquently and attempts to salute, almost smacking himself in the face. He would be embarrassed if his mind wasn't so dizzy. Vaguely, he thinks he should bolt. The Jedi is there to arrest him for sure.

He chances a quick glance at Cody, but the Commander doesn't look surprised to see Kenobi in the slightest.

"At ease, Fives," the General waves him off, his features softening before his eyes harden again as he turns to Cody. "We don't have much time. The Coruscant Guard is approaching from the west, and three CorSec officers are coming from the east."

"Osik," Cody swears. "They are boxing us in."

"And cutting away our route to the speeder," Obi-Wan adds.

"So we need a new exit," Cody concludes. "Any ideas?"

Kenobi hums, stroking his beard in thought. "We still have the speeder even if we cannot access it at the moment."

"But Gregor, Waxer, and Boil can," Cody points out. "All we need to do is send them the coordinates to meet us."

Kenobi nods in agreement. "Dex's then. CoCo Town is two levels above us, and the elevators are not too far. We could make it."

"Dax's it is," Cody approves easily. "I will comm Gregor to meet us. Waxer and Boil can make their own way back to barracks."

Even feeling nauseous and like his head is going to explode, Fives is impressed by how seamlessly those two work in tandem. Ever since Fives was a cadet, he knew they were meant for the Jedi, but for some like Cody, he thinks, it was meant on a completely different level.

"So you are not going to arrest me, sir?" Fives asks for clarification. It might be a stupid question, but at this point, he isn't too sure. His head hurts karking badly.

"Of course not," Kenobi shakes his head, his eyebrows drawing together in concern as he zeroes in on Fives. "Are you feeling well, Fives?"

Fives' vision blurs even worse, splintering pain erupts in his head, and he staggers to the side. Two sets of hands catch him before he can go splat on the ground. "Not really," he slurs out.

A quick conversation passes between the General and the Commander from which Fives cannot understand a single syllable. Kark the Kamminoans. He is sweating uncomfortably under his black, and the armor feels like it weighs a ton. He thinks he might pass out.

Blessedly, his vision clears, and some of the pain fades away, floating somewhere at the edge of his awareness.

Fives blinks, just now noticing he is sitting on the ground, his back braced at the wall.

"-ey, hey. You with us, Fives?" Kenobi asks, holding Fives' shoulder.

"Yeah, sir." Fives nods and instantly regrets the movement as it makes his head pound.

The feeling dissipates as soon as it arrived, and Fives frowns at the Jedi. "Are you doing something to me, sir?"

Kenobi grimaces before explaining. "Apologies, I would ask permission, but as you started losing consciousness that wasn't an option. As Cody understands it, you were drugged or poisoned with something I'm unfortunately not familiar with, otherwise I would try to purge it from your system. As it stands, I can only push the symptoms and pain aside for a while until we make it to the Temple."

"Right," Fives responds without nodding this time. "So, CoCo Town, is it?"

"That's right," Cody says as he and Kenobi drag Fives to his feet. The Commander's attention turns back to his comm as it pings with a new message. "Gregor will be waiting for us. We should move."

"Follow me," Kenobi says, pulls his hood up, and walks to the edge of the alley they are in, poking his head around the wall to get a better look at the street.

Fives and Cody make a line behind the General and wait for the signal.

Kenobi signs all clear, and they move.

As they turn a corner, Fives spots the Corries arriving at 79's. They got out of there just in time then.

Fives follows Kenobi as he easily navigates Coruscant's lower levels, Cody covering their rear. They dodge two CorSek officers and one squad of Corries before Fives starts to feel the symptoms of whatever poison the Kaminii gave him. His breath is coming in short gasps, and he is sweating like a man who just ran ten clicks in Tatooine's sun.

They slip unnoticed by another Corrie patrol and round a corner. A huge market area opens in front of them. Many people are mingling around, buying food, fabrics, and various goods.

"The elevators are just on the other side," Kenobi informs them.

They move through the crowds, but even Fives with his blurring vision notices that Cody and he don't blend in very well. Not in the distinguishable white plastoid.

Suddenly, Kenobi pushes Fives between two stalls, Cody right on their heels. Just in time, as it turns out. Two Corries pass them, none the wiser.

"This isn't working," Kenobi says, peaking behind the stall. "We are too easily recognizable. Commander, please get Fives out of the armor. I will be back." And before Cody or Fives can say anything, the Jedi is gone, swallowed by the crowds.

Fives takes the chance to catch his breath and slides down the wall, closing his eyes just for a few seconds.

He had to black out for a moment because when he opened them again, Cody is crouching in front of him, sans his helmet, frowning in concern. The Commander had to take most of his armor off of him because he feels vaguely better without the additional weight. Fives didn't even feel Cody strapping the armor off.

"How are you doing vod?" Cody asks.

Fives snorts. "I'm operational."

"That's not what I asked," Cody says and cocks an eyebrow at him.

How is he feeling? Fives doesn't even know. His head is pounding, his muscles are shaking from extortion, and anxiety is squeezing his stomach to the point of throwing up. But none of that comes even close to what he is feeling emotionally. This is worse than any campaign he was ever on. Nothing comes remotely close. The chips are a living nightmare they will never be able to wake up from.

They have to take them out. All of them.

"Promise me," Fives grabs Cody's wrist, squeezing it like a lifeline, "promise me you will get your chip out. All the chips, from all our brothers."

Cody turns Fives's hand to hold it in reassurance. "I promise. As soon as I can."

They hold each other's gaze for a few seconds, and then Fives signs in relief.

Even if he dies now, Cody will get the chips out of their brothers. They will never become mindless droids. They will never follow any orders they don't want to.

Cody squeezes his hand. "Don't die on me just yet, Fives."

Oh, he had to say some of it out loud.

"Yes, sir," Fives says with the laziest two-finger salute he can manage, for which any Alpha class clone would make him run drills until he passed out. "You won't get rid of me so easily."

Cody snorts. "Still cheeky, I see."

Fives gives him a wobbly smile as the General comes back with a dark brown cloak.

Kenobi crouches next to Fives and puts a hand on his shoulder. The splintering pain, which felt like his head was splitting into two, gets shoved aside, and Fives sighs in relief. It's not gone, not even close, but at least he can stand up now, with Cody's help.

"Here," Kenobi says as he puts the cloak around Fives' shoulders and raises the hood to cover his face. "This should help."

The cloak doesn't look like much, but the fabric is nice and soft. Definitely nicer than anything Fives owns.

The General then turns to Cody, his expression tight. "We need to split up."

Cody crosses his arm on his chest, mouth pulling into an unhappy line. "No way. We need to stick together."

"Yeah, I am with the Commander on this one," Fives pipes out.

Kenobi shakes his head. "I ran into CorSek. They are looking for three people now. Cody, your armor is too recognizable to discard, and you cannot be seen helping a fugitive."

"Kriff," Cody swears and runs a hand through his hair. He looks like he is very close to tearing his hair out. Kenobi tags on his hand to let go. "Fine. We'll meet at Dex's."

Fives looks away, feeling like he is intruding on something private. He also decides that whatever tenderness is between the two is a vivid hallucination caused by the kaminii drug.

A silent conversation passes between the two before Cody says, "Be careful."

"You too." Kenobi nods and nudges Fives out of the alley.

They navigate the marked, avoiding any Corries or CorSek officers by merging with the crowds. The market would be very nice to get a closer look at, Fives thinks as a pleasant smell hits his nose. It's quite regrettable that the smell makes him more nauseous. If he wasn't drugged, he's sure he would like to taste the food, even though he has no credits to his name to pay for it. Maybe he could flirt his way to someone paying for him.

Echo would find a way for them to buy the food. He always had a few credits to spare when he won a card game. Kark, Fives misses him so damn much.

The stalls blur together as they pass until they finally arrive at the elevators. Kenobi pushes Fives inside and presses the button for the right level. Fives leans his shoulder on the elevator wall even as the elevator moves upwards.

Kenobi touches Fives' forearm, and some of the blurriness clears from his vision, but not entirely. He still has a splintering headache, and his breath is getting worse. It seems whatever Kenobi was doing to push the symptoms of the poison away has reached its limit.

Kenobi takes Five's hand over his shoulder, and Fives only then registers that they have arrived on the level of CoCo Town.

"We are almost there, Fives. Just hold on a little longer," Kenobi says as he drags Fives through the street.

Fives doesn't respond, attempting to keep his breathing controlled and failing miserably.

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Fives is becoming more and more of a death weight as they cross another street on their way to Dex's. His eyes are unfocused, and Obi-Wan can feel the ARK burning up even though the fabric of his blacks and cloak.

Obi-Wan messaged Bant to be ready to receive her patient as soon as they arrived at the Temple. For that Fives has to be alive, so Obi-Wan calls on the Force to boost his strength and move faster.

As they turn a corner, Obi-Wan can finally see the neon light of Dex's dinner. Relief floods him. They are almost there. He can even see a part of the dark blue speeder he borrowed from the Temple garage, parked in front of the dinner.

Obi-Wan arranges Fives' hand more comfortably on his shoulder, moves across the street, and freezes.

Three Corries appear right before them, and the younger clone (going by the unpainted armor) looks right at them. He calls the other two and points at Obi-Wan and Fives. Obi-Wan is about to back away, preparing to make a run for it when Cody shows up out of nowhere and gets their attention.

The Corries straighten under the Marshal Commander's scrutiny as he berates them for something. Obi-Wan and Fives meanwhile slip to a side alley and move towards the speeder.

Obi-Wan will have to have a long conversation with Cody about ignoring his orders and putting himself in danger.

As soon as Gregor spots them, he opens the door to the speeder and they slip inside the back seat. They are ascending into a speederlane before the door even closes behind Obi-Wan.

"How are we looking, General?" Gregor asks as he sneaks a look at Fives through the front view mirror.

Fives is breathing hard, clutching at his chest like he cannot take enough oxygen. "Oh, just wonderful," Fives wheezes.

"That well, huh?" Gregor shoots a concerned look at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan squeezes Fives' biceps and attempts to push the symptoms aside with the Force, but whatever the Kaminoan gave him has already spread through most of Fives' body. Obi-Wan can do very little now to ease his pain. They need a proper healer.

Obi-Wan doesn't answer Gregor's silent question. Instead, he navigates the Captain to the lower levels where there is a secret entrance to the Halls of Healing, mostly used by Shadows.

As soon as they park the speeder, Bant ascends at them, medical bag in hand. She instructs Obi-Wan and Gregor to put Fives on the hoverstretcher and ushers them deeper into the Temple.

She leads them to an empty room with many medical instruments and cabinets stacked with medical supplies.

Obi-Wan and Gregor step aside to give her space to work as she scans Fives with the Force and injects something into Fives' arm.

"Do you know the origin of the poison?" Bant asks when she finishes her scan.

"Most likely Kaminoan," Obi-Wan answers.

She hums, displeased. "I need to find out what the poison is before I give Fives an antidote," Bant says as she takes an empty injection to draw Fives' blood.

"Mhh," Fives mumbles, his skin looking so grey it's almost green.

"Don't pass out on me trooper," Bant says, fitting the vial from the injection into a centrifuge.

The machine makes a rattling noise for a few seconds and then the computer attached to it pings with the results.

Bant scans the information, double-checks something on the screen, turns around, and grabs a blue vial from the cabinet behind her. She takes another injection, fills it with said blue vial, and stabs it into an artery on Fives's left arm. "There, this should help."

"Should?" Obi-Wan asks, arching an eyebrow. Gregor frowns, standing next to him.

Bant's smile is tense, more of a thin line of her mouth. "We are not very familiar with Kaminoan's science. I've never seen a poison like this, but the components are familiar enough for me to make an educated guess when it comes to an antidote." She takes a deep breath. "Now we just have to wait and see."

After a tense moment of silence, Fives makes a soft mumbling noise and then eases more comfortably on the cot.

The three of them sigh in relief.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Gregor notes.

...

CODY

Order 60: All prisoners under this protocol must be executed immediately.

Order 61: All troops under this protocol must execute themselves by any means necessary.

Cody scrolls through the Order Protocol of the chips on his datapad. They were only able to crack the first 70 orders, but each one sounds worse than the last. Apparently, there are over 200 of them in total. Cody doesn't know how there can be more when what he is reading already is terrifying enough.

Order 62: All troops under this protocol must execute any man who would be a liability to the mission.

Order 63: All troops under this protocol must be executed immediately by the squad leader or an equivalent.

Cody sits on a cot in the Halls of Healing. He demanded the chip to be taken out as soon as he reached the Halls. It's the only comfort he can take from the fact that the Sith-cursed thing is out of his head. The scar on his temple is proof of that.

His hands are shaking. Absently, he thinks his whole body is shaking as he reads the orders, one after the other.

Order 64: All Jedi under this protocol are to be captured and brought to the High Commander for interrogation.

Order 65: All Jedi under this protocol must be interrogated by any means necessary until all information is extracted.

Order 66: All Jedi under this protocol are traitors to the Empire and must be executed immediately.

The words blur. Something hot and damp slides down Cody's face as he continues to shake.

What fools they were thinking they were people.

One sentence.

That is all it would take to strip the clones of their mind, of themselves.

One damn sentence, and they would kill their Jedi, their brothers, anyone who opposes the Sith.

Cody scrubs at his eyes, so he can continue to read the rest of the orders, but a hand takes the datapad from his shaking grip before he can continue.

Cody looks to the side, finding his General sitting on the edge of his cot. Obi-Wan's grim, broken expression mirroring how he feels. Cody can't hold Obi-Wan's gaze, and instead, his eyes fall to his lap, where his hands are twisting the blanket.

Cody sniffs, attempting to get himself under control, to resemble the Commander he knows he is. And fails.

He feels like a little cadet, right after he received his scar, afraid to be decommissioned.

"I am so sorry, Obi-Wan," he says, breath hitching as more tears slide down his face. "Ni ceta, ni ceta, I'm sorry..." Cody's voice fails him.

Obi-Wan shakes his head, his hands going around Cody. "There is nothing to apologize for, dear one. It's not your fault."

Cody fists his hand into Obi-Wan's tunic. "We are a trap," he cries, "we were made to kill you. I was made to kill you."

Obi-Wan's hold tightens, shaking his head. "I don't care."

Cody's breath hitches because he doesn't understand. They were made to kill the Jedi. To kill the only people who cared for them. They are just droids after all,-

"Listen to me, Cody," Obi-Wan says and pulls away from him, holding his shoulders. When Cody doesn't meet his eyes Obi-Wan lightly touches Cody's cheek, lifting his head to look at him. "I don't care what you were made for. You are your own people. You are no dolls to be discarded or puppets to be pushed around like dejarik pieces," Obi-Wan growls, voice tight with anger. He takes a deep breath, centering himself before continuing. "The Sith can't have you. I won't let them."

It feels like a promise.

Cody searches Obi-Wan's face, finding only earnestness.

He sighs and lets his forehead connect with Obi-Wan's in keldabe.

They stay like that for a long moment, breathing the air between them until Cody's breathing evens out, shoulders slumping as exhaustion takes its hold.

Obi-Wan eases Cody's head on the cot, brushing some of the hair off of his forehead. "Sleep, Cody."

"Stay," Cody murmurs, hand clanching Obi-Wan's wrist like it's a lifeline. An irrational fear nests in Cody's chest because what if there are more chips? What if the Sith has a failsafe? What if Cody loses himself and when he wakes up he is no longer Cody? What if --"

"Of course," Obi-Wan says and holds Cody's hand as he falls asleep.

Chapter Text

CODY

With the knowledge of the chips came many other issues. The most imminent, after Cody's surgery, became the question of what to do with Fives.

The CorSek and Coruscant Guard were still hunting for the ARK with orders to shoot to kill. They couldn't just keep him in the Jedi Temple. Sooner or later some curious Jedi or clone would notice Fives and put his life accidentally in danger. A rumor mill ran faster than a blaster bolt sometimes.

In the end, they decided to fake Fives' death -- the cause of death being an 'unknown' (kaminii) poison. The Jedi Shadows left a fake body for Corries or CorSek to find in the lower levels of Coruscant. (They had after all many clone bodies to spare. With the five tattoo on the body's temple without the chip in his head no nat-born would question that the dead body wasn't really Fives.)

They still had to stash Fives somewhere. Obi-Wan suggested calling a friend for help. That friend turned out to be Dex, and the besalisk agreed to help Fives, offering him a job in his dinner in the kitchens where the ARK would be hidden from the public eye.

Obi-Wan also contacted Tano to keep Fives company and to keep an eye on him. Force only knew how much trouble the Domino could get into without supervision.

With Fives taken care of for now, they refocused on the klasterkriff, which was the control chips.

Cody got his chip out, but it's not like they could de-chip the whole GAR without anybody noticing. The clones could keep a secret on Kamino, but they were relatively isolated at the time, and there was no way they would spill anything to Kaminoas or the trainers. However, now, they interact with more people outside the barracks and the Jedi Temple.
Some vod'e have friends and lovers, some get drunk while on leave and spill all kinds of information.

The high-ranking vod'e are more careful, and therefore they could be informed and de-chiped immediately -- though only the highest-ranking Commanders. (They have an unwritten rule that if they want to get drunk, they have to take at least one sober brother with them to minimize any information leaks.)

This could not be applied to all the vod'e. If all of them knew about the chips, it could cause panic. A huge secret being shared by three million people is not possible to keep. It was just too risky to tell all the vod'e about the chips.

Not to mention all the naval officers working alongside them every day. The nat-borns would notice identical scars on the vod'e's temples, and the ones loyal to Palpatine would report it as soon as possible.

They could not afford such a risk.

So, they looked for an alternative solution.

Healer Eerin suggested creating a vaccine that could target the chip and dissolve it, while the 212th slicers Crys and Cypher (who sliced into the chip protocols) suggested creating a deactivating signal that would cause the chip to malfunction and break.

The Jedi Council and the clone commanders agreed to implement both solutions. The only disadvantage was that the healers and the engineers needed time to come up with both the vaccine and the signal.

They need a lot of time to free the clones and save the Jedi from a terrible fate. Meanwhile, the clones and Jedi keep dying on the battlefields, fighting a staged war.

...

Cody enters the biggest gym on the Vigilance. With how careful they have to be not to alert any of the Sith's allies, the logistics and coordinating of the de-chipping off all the highest-ranking vod'e were more of a nightmare than he thought.

Cody felt that his head was going to overheat with stress if he kept looking at the mountain of datapads on his desk any longer. So, attempting to be less of a hypocrite than his General ("You should get some rest, General. I can take care of the rest of the forms."), Cody decided to take a break.

The 212th finished their second engagement much earlier than anyone expected, mostly thanks to their General's silver tongue. They didn't even have to shoot a single blaster bolt, with the CIS planet opening negotiations with the Republic. It was a welcome surprise to the troops but an unexpected development for the Military Oversight Committee and the Admiralty. That's why with the lull in the battle, the 212th joined the 327th Star Corps on patroling Mid Rim hyperspace system called Ordion. Just for the time being before they get their new assignment. Not that Cody is complaining. At least he gets to catch up with his brother Bly.

That's why Cody came to the gym. General Secura requested Obi-Wan to help with her Soresu lightsaber form and Bly, ever-present by his General's side, is in the gym, making heart eyes at Secura like he doesn't see her fight with a lightsaber in every battle.

In a way, Cody understands why Bly is even more plastered to his General's side than usual. Bly and Cody are the only de-chipped vod'e on the flagship. (Besides some medics and slicers.) With the content of the chips, the rest of their brothers present a risk to their Jedi.

During their previous campaign, Cody found himself twitching every time a vod with a blaster came too close to Obi-Wan. Some of his brothers had to notice because they kept a polite distance from Obi-Wan and Cody.

It still causes Cody a lot of stress and anxiety. The Sith can activate the chips at any moment and Cody knows that the Jedi are impressive warriors but even they can do nothing against the overwhelming number of clones.

Pushing those grim thoughts aside, Cody makes his way to Bly and grins, mischief sparkling under his skin when he realizes that Bly's attention is placed solely on Secura. Slowly and silently, Cody sneaks up as close to Bly as he can and says into his ear, "Stop ogling your General, vod."

Startled, Bly turns around, his elbow targetting Cody's face.

Cody, expecting the reaction, ducks under the attack and sidesteps his brother.

"Osik, Cody!" Bly exclaims when he gets back his balance and scowls at the clone Commander. "Don't do that!"

"You should be more mindful of your surroundings," Cody responds calmly, taking a significant look at where Secura and Obi-Wan are practicing katas.

To Cody's delight, Bly flushes scarlet, looking away from him. "You are one to talk," Bly mutters under his breath.

Ignoring that remark, Cody sits on a bench nearby and taps the seat next to him. "How are you doing, vod'ika?"

Bly scowls at the nickname but sits down anyway. "You mean with the-" he points at the scar on his temple. At Cody's nod, Bly deadpans, "Oh, just wonderful. Could not be better."

Cody sighs in exasperation. It's not like he disagrees.

"I hate that Fox doesn't know," Bly continues, his gaze stubbornly avoiding Cody, instead watching the two Generals. "It's not fair. He is our ori'vod. He should know."

Secura spins and staggers when her foot catches on the training mat. Obi-Wan taps her leg and points out what she did wrong and makes her repeat the movement.

Cody purses his lips, his teeth grinding together in displeasure. The decision to keep Fox in the dark came directly from the Jedi High Council and Cody agreed with them. The rest of the high-ranking commanders, Bly included, don't know that Palpatine is the Sith Lord. They only know about the chips and some of its contents. All the chips taken out of the vod'e's heads are to be destroyed immediately as per the new op sec protocol.

Fox is the Marshal Commander of the vod'e stationed on Coruscant and his commanding officer is the Chancellor. There is just no way to warn Fox without Palpatine finding out. As much as he hates the thought, Palpatine could be using the chips protocols on Corries right now. If the chips suddenly stop working, Palpatine will know what they are doing. All their planning would be ruined and the rest of the chips could be activated prematurely.

They cannot afford that.

"I know," Cody sighs, "and I am sorry." He hesitates, anxiety squeezing his stomach. What if he is leaving Fox to whatever fate the Sith decides? "If I could, I would drag Fox from Coruscant kicking and screaming, and hide him somewhere safe, but I can't."

"I know you would." Bly's shoulders slump in resignation. "Not that Fox would let you."

Cody chuckles, some levity coming back into his voice. "It would be haran of a wrestling match but I would win," he says, confident.

Bly scoff in disbelief. "Like you could take down Fox."

"I could," Cody jabs Bly in the shoulder pauldron to make a point, "and I did win against him multiple times before."

Bly rolls his eyes. "Those were all by accident or by extenuating circumstances."

Cody shakes his head. "Lies and slander. I won fair and square. Unlike you."

Bly turns to Cody, eyes narrowing. "Unlike me?"

"You pushed Fox off a platform during scuba diving training," Cody says.

Bly squeaks in offense. "That wasn't me and you know it!"

"That's not what I saw."

Bly's eyes narrow further in suspicion. "Wait a second, you weren't there. Unless..." Bly gasps and points an accusing finger at Cody. "You traitor! You are the one who told him it was me!"

Fox was fuming after the trainer fished him out of the sea, swearing vengeance on the one responsible.

Cody arranges his face into a mask of innocence and serenity like Obi-Wan taught him. "I have no idea what you are talking about. I wasn't even there remember."

Bly gapes at Cody. "You liar. You just said you saw me!"

"So you admit that it was you who pushed Fox off the platform," Cody says and arches an eyebrow at his vod'ika.

Bly opens his mouth to say something, hesitates, sensing he has fallen into a trap, and snaps his mouth shut.

"That's what I thought," Cody remarks, ignoring the vicious elbow he gets in his ribs.

They watch Secura perform a series of quick half spins and a backflip. Obi-Wan smiles and says something too quiet to hear. Secura beams at him and gestures with her unlit saber, indicating a move she is probably attempting to figure out. Obi-Wan takes his lightsaber from his belt and performs the kata Secura was asking about. The Twi'lek Jedi nods and repeats the kata, not as smoothly as Obi-Wan but close enough.

"You know, Fox is going to be so pist off when he finds out we didn't tell him," Bly comments, his lip twitching upwards.

Cody huffs and crosses his arms. "Yeah. I am expecting you are going to push me under the speeder when he finds out."

Bly grins, his eyes still following the two Generals. "You can bet on that, ori'vod."

Cody scoffs, mock-offended. "Revenge is not the Jedi way," he quotes his General.

"Unfortunately for you, it is the vod'e way," Bly sing-songs.

Before Cody can respond with something clever in turn, four identical tones ring on Cody's, Bly's, and the Generals' comms.

Bly and Cody exchange grim looks. The alert on their comms signals that they are needed on the bridge.

"The war never stops," Bly sighs as the two Commanders stand up to join their waiting Generals.

Cody sighs and follows his vod. He had a feeling the unexpected lul in battle was too sweet to last long.

...

OBI-WAN KENOBI

Standing in the briefing room, Obi-Wan runs his hand through his beard as he listens to the recorded message from Olbiss VI. Cody, Bly, Aayla and he are the only ones in the briefing room, listening to the pleading for help a second time as it also plays for the Jedi Council.

Olbiss VI is located in the Mid-Rim and was always independent and prosperous. It has many natural resources and even rare minerals used in medicine and computers. It's a neutral world that left the Republic at the beginning of the war. However, it isn't part of the Council of Neutral Systems as one would think. The Olbissians stated that they wanted to be left out of the galactic conflict and that they would not interfere with either side, be it the Republic, Separatists, or otherwise.

Unfortunately, it seems that not even they were spared from the war. The Separatists invaded them two weeks ago. Olbiss VI had its own standing army but they were not enough against General Grievous leading the droid army and decimating the capital city.

The horrible holos from the capital Fenres turn Obi-Wan's stomach upside down. He has seen many terrible battlefields, a few quite recently, but seeing the destruction Grievous perpetrated, makes Obi-Wan want to break something or weep for the poor people of Olbiss VI.

The holo images stop and King Merk Bliesk blinks back into existence. He is a man with blue-purple skin, dark hair, and criss-cross tattoo on his chin. He could not be more than forty but his features are contracted in pain and misery, making him look beyond his years. Still, his posture sings of quiet strength.

"I fear we have lost. The Separatists decimated our army and took many prisoners. General Grievous has already held public executions for many of my commanders and captains as well as soldiers and civilians he considers troublemakers." The King purses his lips and runs his hand over his blue-green sash. He visibly gathers himself and straightens to his full height, determined. "We are not defeated just yet. I still have a small pocket of resistance. We are gathering our forces and are trying to get as many civilians to safety as we can. We will not surrender without a fight."

King Bliesk straightens even further, his eyes piercing through the holo. Obi-Wan knows it's just a recording, but seeing it even a second time makes him shiver. Something in the Force tremors, just slightly out of sync with the rest of the flow of the universe.

This message is important. Listen, the Force says.

"But to win the conflict that has befallen us, to free my people, I need help." Such a thing cannot be easy to admit as a sore ruler of a planet. Many would take it as a weakness, but Obi-Wan's respect for King Bliesk grows.

"I fear our resistance will not be enough to defeat Grievous's forces. The cyborg is merciless and came well-prepared. My people had not seen such conflict for a long time and even though we are warriors at heart, we have laid down our weapons at the time of peace." The King sighs, as if regretting such action. But the past cannot be changed and the man continues. "You, Jedi were not blind to the conflict and took arms against the injustice. I now understand why you did it." He takes a deep breath. "I, King Bliesk, formally request the Jedi Order for help, to take arms once again. Not in the Republic's name, but in the name of the people of Olbiss VI. Please help us, you are our only hope."

The recording cuts out, replaced by the Jedi Council.

The briefing room is plunged into heavy silence.

There are not many Councilors present at the holo call. Masters Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Depa are on Coruscant and Master Plo caught the call just in time before the meeting started.

Mace sighed and massaged his temples, his migraine has to be really bad going by the dark circles under his eyes.

"The King left us quite a dilemma," the Master of the Order states the obvious.

Depa snorts but it has no humor in it. "That's certainly one word for it."

Mundi scoff. Those who don't know him would take it as him being condescending, but Obi-Wan has been on the Council for long enough to know that he is as displeased with the situation as all of them. "There is not much to discuss. Even if we presented the message to the Senate, it would take them months to make a decision. Not to say that we all know what that decision will be."

"What do you mean, General?" Bly asks, brows furrowed. "Surely we could help them."

Cody shoots Obi-Wan a glance, his eyes asking the same question as Bly.

Before Obi-Wan can say anything Mace shakes his head and explains, "King Bliesk asked for the Jedi Order's help specifically, Commander. If there was no galactic war, we would be able to help immediately. As it stands the Jedi were conscripted into the Grand Army of the Republic, and under this directive, we have become soldiers who are directly under the supervision of the Senate and its various committees as well as the Admiralty. Without their permission, we cannot act."

Bly scoffs, outraged. "What? But we cannot just leave people to suffer."

Cody jumps in. "Surely if the Separatists are involved there is a cause for the Jedi and GAR to interfere."

"It would be under normal circumstances," Obi-Wan responds. His anger at the situation tucked away deep under his many shields. Not that Aayla is bothering much, sensing how much negative emotion she is basically throwing into the Force. "If Olbiss VI was a Republic world there would be no question about it. But they aren't and that's the problem. If they were part of the Neutral Systems, the chances of helping them would be higher as the Nutral Systems still cooperate with the Republic."

"Also if Olbiss VI was willing to rejoin the Republic in exchange for aid, the Senate would reconsider," Master Plo speaks for the first time, his voice distorted by the holo transmission.

"But the message from the King clearly states they do not want the Republic's aid. They want the Jedi's help," Depa repeats Mace's words. "It's a subtle message that they don't want to rejoin the Republic."

"So their isolation is one problem. And the fact that the Jedi cannot interfere without the Senate's explicit say is another." Cody concludes his frown deepening.

"That, and we don't have the numbers," Plo adds.

The declining number of able-bodied Jedi is a sore spot for all of them. There is just no time to train enough Jedi to replace the ones that have fallen in battle. Not to mention that more and more Jedi are declining their conscription to the GAR and becoming noncombatants instead. After seeing the damage the war is doing to the Order, many padawans are choosing professions that are focused on healing and helping the Jedi in other ways such as rebuilding and rehabilitation.

They are all noble causes and Obi-Wan would like nothing more than to join. But he has responsibilities to his men. He would never leave them to some Admiral who would show them no respect and use them as replaceable drones.

"So what can we do?" Bly asks, his voice troubled. "There has to be something." He looks to Aayla but she doesn't meet his eyes, staring at the holo table, deep in thought.

Obi-Wan can feel Cody boring holes in the side of his head as he tries to figure out some loophole, some crack in the Senate's regulations, something.

There has to be something.

But no matter how he turns the problem, he cannot find a solution.

There is just no way of spinning the situation in which the Senate would approve of aiding Olbiss VI.

So what if they didn't?

The Force around Obi-Wan shivers and all the Jedi's attention snaps to him.

Obi-Wan grins.

"No," Cody states immediately.

Obi-Wan spares him a glance and hopes his dear Commander will forgive him. Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

He takes a step closer to the holo table. The room and the transmission are as secure as they can make it but he chooses his words carefully just in case.

"Master Windu," Obi-Wan says formally. "What would you say to a dinner?"

The confusion is palpable as he says the code word Mace and a few other Jedi in the known decided upon.

Mace instantly straightens in his seat, shaking his head. Obi-Wan can see in the corner of his eye Plo doing the same. "No, Obi-Wan. We have nothing prepared. You would be going into this blind and the Jedi Order would not be able to protect you."

"I am quite capable of working on the fly as you know," Obi-Wan assures him. He can feel the concern leaking from the people in the room, Cody most of all.

"This is not-," Mace cuts himself off, frustrated. "Aren't you patrolling a system at the moment?"

"Technically, Aayla is patrolling a system. I am only a backup and quite free at the moment," Obi-Wan says cheerfully.

"That's not the point and you know it!"

"We might never have a better opportunity."

"What are you two talking about?" Mundi asks, frowning deeply.

"Yes," Depa says, "I would quite like to know that myself."

Obi-Wan lifts an eyebrow in Mace's direction. If the Master of the Order really forbids it, he won't do it. But Obi-Wan can't see any other solution.

Mace rubs at his temples and closes his eyes for a moment. Obi-Wan can feel the other people's eyes on him but doesn't dare to look, keeping his attention on Mace.

"Obi-Wan might have a point," Plo says quietly, like it pains him to admit.

The Master of the Order opens his eyes and the two of them keep eye contact for a few seconds, Mace pleading for him to reconsider and Obi-Wan telling Mace to trust him.

Eventually, Master Windu concedes and says, "May the Force be with you Obi-Wan Kenobi." And cuts the transmission.

...

CODY

Cody has no idea what is happening. He has a hunch. And that terrifies him.

"General-,"

"Master!" Sacura calls, but Obi-Wan spares her only a glance before turning to Cody.

"Commander, please could you be so kind as to assemble as many of our troops who are available at the main hangar of the Vigilance?" Obi-Wan asks him, giving Cody no chance to question him.

Obi-Wan turns, ready to leave the briefing room, but Cody grips his arm, and bodily turns him around. Cody would not dare do such an action in front of witnesses, but he had enough of being left out of the loop.

"General, stop. I need to know what is happening!"

Obi-Wan looks a bit guilty as he puts his own hand over Cody's, still keeping him in place. "I am sorry to spring this on you, Cody. All of you," he tells Secura and Bly. "It wasn't the plan, and well, to be fair, this isn't any plan, really. Right now, I am just making this up as I go. And I know, I know, you don't like it, but I need you to trust me." The Jedi's blue-grey eyes are so intense, pleading for the trust Cody knows he had given him a thousand times over and will give him a thousand times more. "Please," he squeezes Cody's hand, "trust me."

That just isn't fair.

Cody folds like a house of cards. "You know I trust you."

Obi-Wan gives him a soft smile and squeezes his hand one more time before he lets go. "Please call the troopers to the hangar. I have a question to ask all the vod'e."

Cody sighs, a headache brewing behind his eyes. This is how Master Windu has to feel dealing with crazy Jedi multiple times a day. "I will not like whatever you are planning, will I?"

"Oh, most certainly not," Obi-Wan calls cheerfully as he leaves the briefing room.

...

Probably because they are so in sync, Cody isn't even surprised about what the General asks of the vod'e.

Obi-Wan plays the message for aid from King Bliesk before telling the vod'e that he is going to help Olbiss VI without the Senate's approval.

Obi-Wan asks them to join him.

He warns them, of course, that such an action could be viewed as abandoning their post and going AWOL. He warns them about the punishment. There is no way of telling if the action of joining a rogue Jedi will be viewed as treason. Most probably will. Obi-Wan tells them that he will take full responsibility for it.

He tells them he needs them because he can't do this alone.

But that he understands if they refuse as is their right. And that he will respect their decision.

He tells them that they have twelve hours to decide and leaves to prepare for departure.

Unknown to Obi-Wan, the vod'e decide within the first 30 minutes.

...

"You cannot be serious," Obi-Wan says to Cody, utterly baffled.

"I am serious, sir," Cody confirms.

"What do you mean ALL OF THEM?" The expression on Obi-Wan's face would be funny if Cody didn't feel a little insulted on behalf of the 212th.

"I don't know how many times you want me to repeat that, General."

"But, surely not. I mean - That cannot -... But-" Obi-Wan shakes his head, wide-eyed, struck speechless.

What a sight, Cody thinks. This is what shuts the Negotiator up. He wishes he recorded this conversation.

"You really don't see it, do you?" Cody asks, and Obi-Wan just stares at him. "You don't see how easily you breed loyalty. It's like just being in your orbit makes us want to be better. Your care, your kindness, your sharp mind... everything that is you really. You gave us hope that things will get better. That we are people and that we deserve to live. That our purpose is not what we were born to do, but what we choose it to be. That we will survive this war together. How can we not follow you?"

Obi-Wan's eyes water, but he blinks it away and takes a shuddering breath. "I never thought-"

Cody gives him some time to recover. He doesn't understand how Obi-Wan cannot see how important he is to them. The vod'e are not Mandalorians, but Cody thinks that if they were, Obi-Wan would be the head of their clan. It's no competition really. Not for the 212th. Probably not even for other battalions that Obi-Wan has under his command. It's true that the 212th spends the most time with their Jedi, but there are three hundred thousand troopers in the 3rd System Army and some of the battalions are under Obi-Wan's direct command. Especially the 7th Sky Corps. He may direct them from afar, trusting their Commander and Captains to handle the battles he assigns them. But Obi-Wan is as much their General as he is the 212th's.

So yes, he would be their head of clan.

Cody even dares to think Obi-Wan would be their Mand'alor, but the Wolfpack would probably have something to say about that.

He chuckles internally, Cody would love to see that fight.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan says when he gathers himself enough to speak. "Vor entye."

Cody smiles and shakes his head. "N'entye, Alor. There is no debt."

"Let's agree to disagree," Obi-Wan mutters under his breath, and Cody frowns.

"Still, we cannot take everyone," Obi-Wan points out. "Aayla is as stubborn as her Master and wants to come too. That includes her troopers that won't leave her side, and we cannot leave the Ordion system unguarded."

"Way ahead of you, General," Cody smirks. "A lot of vod'e had to draw straws to decide who would come with us and who would stay. Most of the 212th is coming - that was nonnegotiable - and half of the 113th and half of the 55th battalion. Commander Bly said he is still figuring out how many he can take with him, so I will leave that up to him. We will move everyone who's coming to the Vigilance and depart in six hours."

Obi-Wan just stares at Cody, speechless a second time.

Cody cannot help it and laughs.

...

They sent a probe to scout ahead and gather information about Grievous' forces.

The holo images revealed that the cyborg has three Dreadnoughts guarding the orbit around Olbiss VI. Not an easy opponent against one Republic Venator. The odds are clearly against them, but they worked through worse and won the day. Besides, who doesn't like a good challenge?

The Jedi and vod'e prove to be the most effective army once again as they devise a plan for how to take out Grievous' ships. Better even, and Cody is especially proud of this part, they will even add ships to their own fleet.

The plan itself is simple: Three teams divided between three Dreadnoughts.

Obi-Wan and the Ghost Company will infiltrate Dreadnought Number One and take it by uploading a virus into the computer on the bridge, rendering all the droids plugged into the ship's system (meaning most of them) harmless.

General Secura and Bly have the same mission with part of their battalion, infiltrating Dreadnought Number Two.

All this will happen while the Vigilance engages the Separatist's forces in space, creating a diversion for their infiltration.

The end goal is turning the infiltrated Dreadnoughts on the Dreadnoughts Number Three.

It sounds simple, but it's very time-sensitive. If the infiltrations go too slow, the Vigilance will be lost. If even one of the infiltrations fails, the Vigilance will be lost.

There is no space for error.

...

No plan survives an encounter with an enemy.

Jango Fett taught them that.

But Cody think.s, well knows, the man had never worked with Jedi.

That is not to say that the plan worked without a scratch. No plan does.

But this is the smoothest sailing Cody had in a long time.

The reason is possibly that they gathered their own intelligence and haven't reported their movement to anyone.

Cody wonders how many brothers he could have saved if the Chancellor wasn't the Sith, giving their intelligence away to the enemy.

How fast the war would be over if they weren't handicapped on every turn.

Something hard and vicious twists in Cody's stomach at the thought.

If the odds weren't stuck against them, the Separatists wouldn't stand a chance.

A shoulder presses into Cody's side, and he relaxes just slightly.

Are you okay? Obi-Wan seems to say with a quiet gesture.

Cody leans on him, taking the comfort.

I will be.

The trip back to the Vigilance passes quickly.

...

OBI-WAN KENOBI

"You think Captain Gregor will be ready for us?" Obi-Wan asks as he and Cody walk to the bridge.

The men they pass on their way are excited and energized by their quick victory against the planetary blockade. The number of casualties is the lowest it has ever been.

Obi-Wan guesses this is what the war would look like if their strategies hadn't been constantly undermined.

The Vigilance is buzzing, drunken on the feeling of success and determination.

Unfortunately, there is no time to celebrate just yet.

They still have a job to do and a cyborg to catch.

"Let's hope so," Cody replies as the door to the bridge slides open and the vod'e cheer.

Cody sighs, but the Force around him is radiating pleased exasperation. "Calm down, we haven't won just yet!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The vod'e subside, but their good mood doesn't waver.

"Do we have a contact with Captain Gregor?" Obi-Wan asks.

"Kommz is working on it, General," Major Rinche reports dutifully.

"I almost have it," Kommz mumbles from his station, eyes glued to the monitor. "There!"

A blue light flickers above the holo table, and Captain Gregor's visage pops to life.

"General, Commander!" Gregor salutes, grinning. Obi-Wan and Cody wave him off. The Captain's armor is scorched in a few places as far as Obi-Wan can see, but he doesn't seem injured. "How did the blockade go?"

"Better than expected," Cody says, his lips twitching. "We now have two Dreadnoughts in our possession."

Impressed, Gregor's grin widens. "Sounds like I missed some fun."

"I think you had enough fun on your own," Obi-Wan comments with a lifted eyebrow.

"Oh, most definitely," Gregor snorts, and a few background chuckles are picked up by the holocall.

"Report, Captain. What do you have for us?" Cody steers them back to business.

Gregor informs them that he and Foxtrot were successful in locating King Bliesk and his resistance. The resistance proved to be competent and had already gathered intelligence about the droid's movements as well as General Grievous' location. They also know where the prisoners are being held and plan to rescue them.

King Bliesk and his army's Commander propose a joined attack on multiple fronts and are willing to discuss strategy planetside.

"Bring some medics," Gregor adds as his report comes to an end. His eyes sparkle with mischief. "My medic stubbed his toe and might be in critical condition."

"Am not!" A voice protests out of the view of the holo camera.

Multiple voices snicker and a sound of scuffle follows.

Cody rolls his eyes, and Obi-Wan cannot help the smile forming on his lips.

"Will do," Cody says. "Send us the coordinance and wait for us there."

"Sir, yes, sir," Gregor salutes lazily. "Captain Gregor out." And the holo call cuts off.

"I swear we used to be professional at the beginning," Cody sighs in exasperation.

"I think on the outside, we still appear very professional," Obi-Wan remarks, nodding to himself.

Someone behind him snorts.

"Appearances can be deceiving."

"True."

....

Before they move planetside, Obi-Wan and Cody meet with Aayla and Bly to discuss their own strategy. They create their own blockade of the planet, making it impossible for General Grievous to slip through their fingers again.

Their slicers report that they were successful in slicing some of the computers on the two Dreadnoughts and are able to track the locator chips embedded in the battledroids.

They are not able to shut the droids down, but they now have the exact location of every battledroid on the planet.

...

The resistance's hideout is an underground base, located on the outskirts of the capital city, right under one of the smaller villages, circling the capital Fenres.

The relief in the Force is tangible when King Merk Bliesk finally greets them. The man is exhausted and battle-worn. His pristine clothes are rumbled and stained in places. However, his head is held high, and his eyes are sharp.

"I cannot thank you enough for coming to our air, General Kenobi," the King tells him. "The squad you had sent ahead has proven to be most excellent, and I cannot wait to meet more of your men."

Pride and satisfaction at the acknowledgment frows in the Force from the vod'e around them, and Obi-Wan could not be happier for them. It is not common for a leader of a foreign government to sincerely acknowledge their skill.

"Foxtrot are outstanding at what they do," Obi-Wan agrees. They are also his most independent and unpredictable squad of commandos. (Besides Cody's Bad Batch.)

Well, and the most chaotic, but the King doesn't need to know that.

Appearances are deceiving indeed.

Cody has to be thinking something similar, going by the good humor flowing around him.

They gather in a huge office, not unlike their briefing room on Vigilance, and are introduced to the army's Commander Teber Riek, and the other officers forming the resistance.

After reviewing Olbissians' half-planned battle strategy, the Jedi and Commanders point out the errors to smoothen out the rough staging of their forces, as well as insert their own men into the formations.

Their suggestions are accepted positively and even encouraged. Olbissians defer to them as more experienced and don't object to even seemingly strange strategies.

Together, they iron out a tactic in record time (when it comes to working with foreign armies) and split into multiple groups.

There are many moving parts to the plan. Some are more independent, and some are more involved with each other.

The most difficult are rescuing the prisoners and capturing General Grievous.

The 55th with the combination of Commander's Bly battalion are going to assist in rescuing the prisoners while Obi-Wan and Aayla and their respective commanders and Companies are going to hunt down Grievous.

Commander Riek asks if it's a good idea to focus both Jedi on one target.

Obi-Wan explains that they have a lot of experience with the Separatist General running away and can not be allowed to do so again.

With that, they split up.

...

The good General decided to hunker down in the Olbissians army's bunker. By now, Grievous had to realize that his ships in orbit had been overrun. He is biding his time until he can slip through the cracks. Not that he will be allowed to.

The three ships in orbit manned by the vod'e won't let Grievous make it out of the atmosphere alive.

The droids start firing as soon as the Jedi and vod'e near the bunker.

Their formations are easy to overwhelm after years of experience and they make it inside.

Not that Grievous makes it easy for them.

"Where is the damn cybernetic coward?!" Bly shouts over the blaster bolts being fired at them from the corner of the corridor.

"Running away, most likely," Waxer shouts.

"As usual," Boil scoffs.

"More focus, less chatter!" Cody berates them as he fires at the droids.

Obi-Wan ducks under the onslaughter of plasma into the corridor and pushes the droid into the opposite wall, breaking them on impact.

As the blaster fire stops Cody helps Obi-Wan to his feet.

"Bly has a point," Aayla says as she turns off her lightsaber but doesn't clip it back to her belt. "There was no sight of Grievous so far. Are we sure he is really here?"

"Commander Riek confirmed it and going by the number of droids located here, he should be nearby," Obi-Wan says and closes his eyes reaching through the Force.

Grievous' body is covered in cortosis. It is a very rare metal resistant to lightsabers and in addition, has the ability to short-circuit them for a short period of time. But unlike beskar it's not Force resistant.

What's also interesting about the metal is its resonance in the Force. It's sharp and cutting, but unlike other metals, it doesn't radiate anything else. It's as if a flower didn't have any fragrance.

Obi-Wan imagines the feeling of cortosis in the Force and moves floor to floor, searching the bunker.

Further, deep down, deeper.

There!

Obi-Wan blinks his eyes open. "He is here. I can sense him. He is on the lowest level of the bunker."

"Of course, he is," Bly sighs.

Cody taps Bly on his paudron. "Let's keep moving."

...

Grievous surprises them slightly as soon as Obi-Wan's and Aayla's sabers cut through the blast door to the lowest level.

It's not that they are surprised that the cyborg is there, it's the amount of droids he has gathered in one place.

Because the further down they went the worse the signal tracking the droids had become, they were unable to assess how many droids would be waiting for them.

And oh Force, were there many.

The deepest level turned out to be a huge open space, probably used for storage, going by the various crates littering the ground.

"Haar'chak!" Boil curses as his shoulder gets singed. "I am out of charges!"

"Here!" Waxer calls and throws the bomb at the sea of droids.

Obi-Wan pushes the flames further away from the vod'e as it explodes and almost gets tackled by an overexcited B1.

Cody shoots the droid before it has a chance. "Careful, General!"

"Why be careful when I have you, my dear!" Obi-Wan calls a little out of breath.

Cody shakes his head as some of the vod'e around him groan.

"Save the flirting for the cyborg, General," Cody shoots back.

"You are no fun," Obi-Wan chuckles and sends some of the bolts back at the droids as they fire at him.

With Obi-Wan and Aayla shielding the vod'e from the blaster fire, the men make quick work of the droids, scrap, and metal falling in every direction.

Aayla's lightsaber form improved over the years working with the vod'e as well as her strategic mind. She is one of the best Generals Obi-Wan has in the 3rd System.

Quinlan is very proud of her.

Aayla even incorporates some Soresu moves Obi-Wan taught her on the Vigilance.

He will have to commend her for her fast improvement.

The droids fall in quick succession, creating more breathing room for movement.

They wordlessly split up into squads, as is their usual strategy and move forward, picking out the remaining droids.

It doesn't take long for Obi-Wan and Aayla to reach Grievous.

The cyborg General is waiting for them at the end of the huge underground space.

He is surrounded by eight Magna Guards, twirling their staffs around.

The Separatist General has trapped himself. There is no other way out of the bunker and he knows it.

"General Grievous," Obi-Wan calls. "How unexpected to meet you here."

Aayla gives Obi-Wan a look.

It's not the first time she has witnessed Obi-Wan mid-battle banter, so he doesn't think he deserves the side eye she gives him.

"Kenobi!" Grievous wheezes out, immediately followed by a coughing fit. "You should not be here."

He did not expect his invasion would be so drastically derailed. But then again, Grievous had no prior warning they were coming to assist Olbiss VI.

How unfortunate for him.

"Unexpected entrances are my specialty." Obi-Wan grins.

Grievous scoffs ignoring Obi-Wan's remark. "No matter. I will destroy you once and for all and rid the galaxy of you Jedi scum!"

"No need to be rude, General, I quite like the challenge you propose," Obi-Wan snipes back, twirling his lightsaber around. "It's time to see who is better after all."

Grievous makes an angry sound and addresses his Magna Guards. "Kill them!"

The Jedi and vod'e disperse as the droids attack.

"Cody!" Obi-Wan calls over the blaster fire. "You take the Guards, Aayla and I take Grievous!"

Cody's yessir is lost in the sound of battle.

Obi-Wan wastes no time as he hurls himself at the cyborg General, Aayla hot on his heels.

Grievous ignites his four stolen sabers and bats away Obi-Wan's and Aayla's attack.

They exchange multiple blows and duck around each other.

Grievous strikes are hard and unrelenting, making Obi-Wan's bones vibrate under his straining muscles.

Aayla, being unused to fighting the cyborg defers to Obi-Wan and lets him lead the charge.

Soresu is the ultimate defense form but in this instance Obi-Wan uses it more aggressively, not giving Grievous any openings to strike him or Aayla.

Aayla meanwhile uses the gaps in Grievous' defense to attack and goes for the joints in his armor. The joints are the only part besides the organic components that aren't made of cortosis.

Obi-Wan ducks Grievous' saber and Aayla takes the opportunity to strike the joint of his arm.

The arm with the saber falls to the ground and the cyborg General growls in frustration. The quick movement Grievous makes catches Aayla's lightsaber and it flickers out.

She loses her balance and Grievous uses the opportunity to aim a kick at Aayla with his leg. Obi-Wan intercepts the kick and is sent flying a few meters away.

The air leaves his lungs as soon as he hits the ground, his lightsaber disappearing from his hand somewhere between his brief flight and his side meeting the unforgiving metal ground.

This will leave a hell of a bruise, Obi-Wan thinks.

Aayla's scream kicks Obi-Wan back to motion and he springs back to his feet.

The sight almost makes his heart stop.

Grievous is dangling Aayla in mid-air, holding her by her dominant arm.

Her arm makes a sickening crunch as Grievous squeezes it and Aayla screams in pain.

"Aayla!" Bly shouts as he fires at the cyborg but Grievous pays him no mind. One of his sabers bats the bolt away behind his back as the other is ready to strike.

Obi-Wan runs, calls one of Grievous' discarded lightsabers to his hand, and just in time meets the saber that would have ended Aayla's life.

Obi-Wan cuts off the arm holding Aayla and she falls to the ground.

He doesn't have time to check on her as Grievous is already aiming another saber at his neck.

Obi-Wan ducks into Grievous personal space and with his free hand grips one of the plates holding the cyborg's internal organs together. He uses Grievous's pelvis to get leverage to stand on and bend the plates outwards.

The Separatist General wheezes, not liking the movement of his internal organs and aims another saber at Obi-Wan's head.

As he dodges, Obi-Wan loses the grip he had on the chest plate and falls to the ground. The Jedi rolls, quickly springing back to his feet before the cyborg can take advantage.

"Surrender General," Obi-Wan says, out of breath. His chest hurts from the kick and now that he thinks about it, some of his ribs might be cracked if not broken.

"NEVER!" Grievous screams and launches himself back at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan sidesteps Grievous' attack, nearly getting his leg cut off.

They dance around each other, exchanging lightsaber blows, ducking, and parrying.

They are both getting tired.

At the edge of his awareness, Obi-Wan can sense that the vod'e are almost done with the droids.

And it appears to be true when Obi-Wan backs away to create more breathing space between himself and the cyborg General, Grievous is assaulted by multiple blaster bolts.

Grievous twirls the two sabers he has left to create a shield to protect himself.

The bolts don't touch him but Obi-Wan feels the nervousness and frustration seeping from Grievous in waves.

He won't last much longer.

Someone throws an explosive at Grievous and the device detonates when it comes into contact with the lightsaber.

Grievous is violently thrown a few meters to Obi-Wan's right, making dents in the metal floor as he skids to a stop.

The Separatist's General has no time to get back to his feet because before he can even asses what happened, Cody and Bly bodily tackle his hands still holding the lightsabers and push them back to the ground, trying to wrestle the sabers from his metal grasp.

The cyborg wheezes and an angry sound, attempting to use his superior strength to wrestle himself free.

Not that Obi-Wan gives him the chance.

"Master!" Aayla shouts and throws her saber to Obi-Wan who catches it mid-jump. Obi-Wan can sense her intention as Aayla uses the Force to wretch Grievous' chest plating apart, creating a perfect opening.

Obi-Wan doesn't hesitate, igniting Aayla's saber and burying it and his borrowed one into the cyborg's chest.

Grievous makes an awful wheeling screech as his body shakes. The inside of his chest ignites from the heat of the sabers and flames start licking Obi-Wan's robes.

He turns off the blue and green blades and backflips from the cyborg's body just as Grievous' chest explodes.

Obi-Wan stumbles on landing -- how very ungraceful of him -- and flops down on his butt.

He stays like that breathing hard, sweaty, and exhausted.

The Force moves strangely but it's also lighter, the shadows blanketing the galaxy, receding just slightly.

Slowly what just happened comes back to him and his breath catches.

They did it.

Oh, Force, they did it!

After years of slipping between their fingers. After many decimated worlds and murdered populations. After years of losing Jedi and vod'e to this monster.

Grievous is dead.

Aayla flops down beside him. Pain but also a grim kind of satisfaction flowing from her in the Force.

"Stars and heavens! You did, Master," she whispers like she can not quite believe it.

"No, we did." Obi-Wan shakes his head. "We did it."

"It was a team effort," Commander Bly says, appearing with Cody at their respective sides. When did the Commanders approach them? Or were they there this whole time?

To be fair Obi-Wan feels a bit dizzy from the adrenaline.

But he can sense two Commanders are tired but uninjured and radiate fierce pride into the Force, echoed by the vod'e around them.

"Are you all right, General?" Cody asks, crouching by Obi-Wan's side. The care and kindness he shows are so sincere that Obi-Wan has a sudden urge to hug his dear Commander.

"I am okay. Maybe some cracked ribs?" Obi-Wan answers, letting his head slump to Cody's pauldron.

Cody's hand pets Obi-Wan's neck. "I will comm Splint then."

Obi-Wan hums.

He is so tired.

Aayla snorts at something Bly said.

He didn't pay attention but he heard the next part.

"Oh, I could kiss you!" Aayla declares.

Obi-Wan huffs out a laugh at the absolute delight and mortification that seized Bly's signature.

"What?" the poor Commander whispers, dumbstruck.

Obi-Wan lifts his head from Cody's pauldron and turns to them.

"Please do," he tells Aayla, and turns back to Cody, giving them the illusion of privacy.

He lets his head fall back to Cody's shoulder. A hand appears back on his neck and Obi-Wan sighs, content.

"I have a lot of credits running on this, and I refuse to lose to Quinlan Vos," he whispers to Cody who snorts.

"I didn't think you knew about the betting pools," his Commander whispers back.

"I know a lot of things."

The vod'e cheer as Aayla's and Bly's kiss.

"Finally!"

"Go, Commander!"

"Whohoo!"

"Nooo, you couldn't have waited a week?"

"Kandosii!"

"Hell yeah, vod!"

"The pinning was hard to watch."

"I am rich!"

"Pretty sure you're not."

"Shut up!"

Obi-Wan lets the good cheer wash over him.

It feels like such a large step to ending this war.

But deep down, he knows he is about to take an even larger one.

Cody will hate it.

...

CODY

After moping out the remaining droids at the bunker, Cody gets a confirmation that most of the other targets that were hit by the combination of the GAR and Olbissian forces were successful.

The ones left are still in progress but are very close to being finished, going by the comms chatter.

Obi-Wan orders the vod'e to burn Grievous' body and gather the cortosis pieces that don't melt to present to the Senate as proof of the Separatist General's death with the added HUT recording of the battle.

"We cannot give the Sith any opportunity to resurrect the good General," Obi-Wan comments and Cody does not want to contemplate what that means.

By the time the bunker is secured and all the remaining droids are taken care of, the rest of the battles around Olbiss VI are finished and successful.

Upon returning to the resistance's base and the following briefing, the atmosphere is cheerful and Olbissians are mingling with the vod'e.

There are still many post-battle tasks to do. Just because a battle is over, doesn't mean the job itself is finished.

The Jedi and vod'e stay on the plane for a few more days, helping Olbissians clean up the mess the droids left behind, tearing down unstable buildings, providing medical aid to civilians and soldiers alike, and salvaging any food, medical equipment, and many other items from the ravaged capital.

This task would be usually handled by the Jedi Corps with the help of the Republic volunteers, but because Olbiss VI isn't part of the Republic, the aid isn't available. Not without the Senate's approval.

On the fourth day, a festival is declared to celebrate their victory and to give them all a day off from duties.

Cody also thinks it's because the King knows that the Jedi and vod'e will have to depart the next day.

They are already dodging comm calls from the Admiralty and various military committees, and if they don't answer soon, the Republic will send someone to drag them back to Coruscant, in cuffs if necessary.

The celebration is held outside of the resistance's base.

The King and some of his advisors and military leaders have a speech, thanking their soldiers, Jedi, and vod'e for coming to their defense. They talk about rebuilding and standing together, about growing stronger because of this tragedy.

There is food, music, and a lot of foreign alcohol all around.

Right before the Commanders can mingle with the crowd, King Bliesk takes Cody and Bly aside.

Understandably, Cody and Bly are weary, it's not common for a leader of a foreign government to want to speak to them alone.

Surprisingly, their trepidation turns out to be unwarranted.

"I wanted to thank you personally," the King says. "When I made the call to the Jedi Order for aid, I did not have much hope for them to answer. We were overrun, without any notice or opportunity to defend ourselves. My people were dying on the streets and I could do nothing." King Bliesk's features turn pensive like he is reliving a painful memory. But then he brightens. "But my prayers were answered after all. And not just that. You and your brothers came with the Jedi! It was the most unexpected surprise, but a welcome one. I thought we would battle the Separatists' forces for months at least. But you and your brothers helped us defeat the droid army so swiftly, I still can not quite believe it. That's why on behalf of Olbiss VI and all my people I want to thank you for aiding us in these difficult times."

Glancing to his side Cody sees that Bly is as stunned as he is, his eyes wide.

Cody did not expect such praise. Not from the King of a planetary system. In person. Unprompted.

With a jolt, Cody realizes that King Bliesk's words are sincere.

Those are not the words of some highly esteemed king, saying flowery words just because he feels it's his responsibility to acknowledge the vod'e's help.

These are the words of a man, thanking them for saving the lives of his people.

The King smiles at them and his eyes slide from Bly to Cody and back, expecting them to say something.

His smile dims just slightly as he points out, "I see you are not used to being thanked for your excellent performance freeing planetary systems."

Slightly embarrassed, Cody recovers first. "Apologies. It's not often we receive thanks for our service."

The King waves Cody's apology away, his eyes turning stormy, not unlike his General's whenever the vod'e get mistreated. It's such a strange sight seeing the same expression on someone else.

"It's quite unfortunate that the Republic won't acknowledge your great sacrifice, but I cannot say I am surprised. We left the Republic for a reason. The Separatist movement only pointed out the flaws we were already aware of. They just gave the systems that also saw them a reason to leave," King Bliesk states.

Cody and Bly exchange startled looks. The Republic treats them poorly, but to have it spelled out by someone who until a few days ago never met a single clone is quite a shock.

A lot of people of the Republic are resentful and weary if not scared or straight-up antagonistic of the vod'e. They can see it plainly on Coruscant where many establishments put no clones welcome signs in their windows and won't let them even approach the doors.

That is not to say there aren't clone bars and places where they are welcome. Hell, many planets are grateful for their help in fighting the Separatists and getting them out of their systems. But mostly they just want the vod'e gone as soon as they are finishing moping out the last droid.

"The Republic isn't perfect," Cody says carefully. It feels like treason to say such a thing. By Bly's pursed lips he thinks it too. But it's true and the Sith at the head of the government does it no favors. "But there are people in it worth fighting for."

"People, we won't abandon," Bly adds quietly.

The King narrows his eyes as he studies them. He had to come to a conclusion because he nods to himself, and says, "The Jedi."

Cody and Bly nod in sync.

The Jedi are the only constant in this war.

The propaganda on Kamino painted them as these great all-powerful beings. Untouchable. Emotionless. Hard and unforgiving. The Kaminoans said the Jedi would tolerate only perfection so the clones who were deemed defective were decommissioned or worse, recondissioned.

But then a Jedi Knight stumbled upon them, the war started and they were assigned to their respective Generals who as soon as they met them, asked their names. Names! Not numbers. The Jedi treated them as people with no reason to from the very beginning. Did not question their sentience, only asked how they could help to make the vod'e more comfortable.

The Jedi stopped the decommissioning and reconditioning as soon as they knew about it and found a purpose for the vod'e considered defective.

They sent a Jedi Counclilior to stay on Kamino to monitor the clone production and training because they did not trust the Kaminoas to stop the terrible practice without their supervision.

These all-powerful beings turned out to be impressive warriors but also the kindest and gentlest souls.

So yes, they stay for the Jedi.

The vod'e aren't fighting for the Republic anymore.

Weren't for a long time.

They are fighting for their Jedi.

Cody is fighting for his Jedi most of all.

Because the Jedi saw this flawed institution that mistreats and exploits them at every turn and decided that it was worth saving.

That all the innocent people who are part of it are worth fighting for.

"Yes," Bly says, eyes blazing with protective fire. "They have earned our trust. And we have theirs."

The King nods in understanding. "I see." He seems to come to a decision as he straightens and says, "Your loyalty is admirable." His lips twitch into a pleasant smile. "My experience with Jedi is very limited, but I can also see your loyalty is reciprocated."

A warm feeling spreads through Cody's chest, knowing it's true even without the King's statement.

"Still, one day - soon I hope - this war will end, and when it does," the King looks to Cody and then to Bly, making sure he has their full attention, "my people and I will be happy to welcome you and your brothers if you choose to come back to Olbiss VI and make it your home. And if the Republic is foolish enough to not grant you citizenship, you will have the opportunity to claim it here. That, I can promise you. Jah, Khral Merk Orden Seein Bliesk v meane hveez a seetla iota, vam sluujem," the King binds the promise in his own language and he puts his fist over his lips and then his heart.

To say Cody and Bly are both absolutely dumbfounded is an understatement.

Cody's eyes are wide open, gaping at such an offer. He can see at the edge of his vision that Bly is not doing any better.

Not in a million years did Cody think anyone besides the Jedi would grant them such kindness.

"You really mean that," Bly croaks out, still staring in disbelief at the man.

The King has the audacity to chuckle at their stupefied expressions. "Yes, I do."

"Vor entye, thank you, " Cody says, his throat dry for some reason. "You have no idea what that means to us."

King Bliesk gives them a grim smile. "That's the least I can offer you for saving my people." He glances behind Cody's shoulder. "Now, I believe I have intruded on your time long enough. I am sure your Jedi and brothers are already waiting for you. Enjoy the celebration and spread my offer to your brothers." The planetary leader bows to them, bows, and leaves them in stunned silence.

...

The atmosphere of the festival is joyful and relaxed. There are flowers everywhere. Many vod'e abandoned parts of their armor in favor of being more comfortable. Some are wearing just their blacks or civilian clothing they acquired who knows where. Flower bracelets, crowns, necklaces, sashes, and other decorations made by children are worn by almost everyone.

Cody himself opted for the civis Obi-Wan gave him - the comfortable dark green T-shirt with dark pants, and a well-worn dark brown jacket. He also kept his holster with a blaster. It never hurts to be prepared, even though he doesn't expect any trouble tonight.

After they recover from the King's speech, Cody and Bly mingle with the vod'e, passing along the promise King Bliesk made.

Most of the brothers are as surprised by the King's offer but are ultimately grateful for it.

It provides a way out if the Republic doesn't grant them citizenship.

(Or, Cody thinks grimly to himself, a refuge if they are to be shot for going AWOL after they return to Coruscant.)

Cody loses track of Bly somewhere along the way.

He is searching through the mass of bodies when he spots his own General.

Obi-Wan is sitting by himself at a table at the edge of the festival area, an empty glass of alcohol in hand. There are blue, yellow, and white flowers in his hair, making the auburn color more distinguished.

The idiot Jedi should be right in the middle of the celebration, not hiding in the shadows, Cody muses fondly. He knows his General prefers solitude over the spotlight.

Decision made, Cody grabs two glasses of yellow fuzzy alcoholic drink from the bar and approaches his Jedi, dodging vod'e and Olbissians along the way.

"Hiding, are we General?" Cody asks as he nears the Jedi's table.

Obi-Wan's features brighten from his contemplating expression when he spots Cody. "Why, not at all. I was just enjoying my drink."

Cody hums and sits on the chair next to Obi-Wan, taking his empty glass from his hand and replacing it with a full one. "I brought reinforcements then."

Obi-Wan laughs, bright and free. "You spoil me, my dear."

Their glasses click as they toast.

The alcohol tastes bittersweet and burns down Cody's throat as he swallows. It's good.

"I see you haven't been assaulted by the flower army just yet," Obi-Wan points out Cody's lack of flower decorations.

"Can't say I have," Cody says. He has seen some children run around with buckets of flowers. Some poor adult was following after the little gremlins, probably their designated minder.

"Allow me to rectify that," Obi-Wan declares and takes the flower crown from his head. He leans into Cody's personal space, bumping Commander's knee in the process. Before Cody has time to say anything, Obi-Wan deposits the flower crown on his head, arranging it to his liking. With some final touches to the flowers, Obi-Wan runs his hand through Cody's loose curls on his scalp and retreats back to his chair.

Cody's mouth is dry, as he stares at his General.

"There," the insurable Jedi says and smiles at his work. "Perfect."

Cody's cheeks get red so fast he thinks he might combust.

He takes a large sip of the alcohol, attempting to cool down his system. What the hell is wrong with him?!

"I am sure you looked better with the flowers than me," Cody stutters, his voice sounds strange to his ears.

Obi-Wan is watching him with a soft smile on his lips. There are some flowers still tangled in his hair, sticking from multiple directions.

Cody has a sudden urge to arrange them in some semblance of order.

"I think you look lovely," Obi-Wan says and takes a sip of his drink, unaware of the acrobatics Cody's heart is making in his chest.

He is glad it is sunset and the festival area is bathed in red and orange light, hiding the redness of Cody's skin.

A loud cheer pierces through Cody's embarrassment and he glances at the crowd in the center cheering as General Secura hand-wrestles some poor vod (is that Boil?) who thought it would be a good idea to challenge a Jedi to a competition.

Her dominant arm is in cast, her wrist broken in multiple places, to Secuse's annoyance. Helix informed them she would be fine and her hand would heal with a few bacta infusions and rest.

Cody can see Bly behind Secura, beaming at her proudly. He hasn't seen his brother this happy, well, probably ever. It's a different kind of happiness than getting a new blaster or trying new food. What Bly has with Secura makes him content deep inside. Cody can sense that even without having the Force.

Something cold and uneasy spreads through Cody's stomach.

"How will that work?" Cody asks before his brain catches up with his mouth.

Obi-Wan hums questionably, his eyes still on Secura and Bly.

Swallowing his apprehension, Cody elaborates, "Can Bly even do that? Be with a Jedi? Romanticaly?"

The GAR regs don't mention fraternization with Jedi, only with other nat-born personnel and it clearly states that relationships are not allowed.

Obi-Wan's gaze snaps back to Cody, his brows knitting together when he sees whatever expression Cody is wearing. "I don't see why not. The Jedi are allowed relationships."

The knots in Cody's stomach loosen a little.

Cody knew that. He has seen some Jedi being more familiar with each other than others. But it's not something they talk about.

(And the whole Skywalker-Amidala fiasco doesn't count as it's a clear conflict of interest.)

"How does that work? That is if I may ask." Cody realizes that he might be asking inappropriate questions. "It's just that I haven't seen many Jedi in relationships."

Obi-Wan's eyes soften. "Of course, you may ask."

The Jedi takes a final sip of his drink as he thinks about how best to answer.

"The Jedi usually don't get into relationships because of various reasons. Most Jedi don't have the need because they are content with the Order or too busy to even think about finding a suitable partner. Besides there is nothing wrong with not being in a romantic relationship as we have many other bonds, be it friendships, padawanships, or lineages."

"In most cases, the problem with long-term relationships with Jedi is that the majority of the galaxy's population understands relationships differently than us and has a hard time adjusting or even understanding our beliefs," Obi-Wan sighs like he has explained it countless times to people who didn't take it well. "To put it mildly, the Jedi cannot put their partner first. Our first duty is to our Order and the Republic."

That sounds quite reasonable to Cody. The Jedi cannot put the lives of many about the life of one person. It's something he himself was taught on Kamino. It made sense that to ensure that as many of his vod'e survived as possible, he would have to make difficult decisions for the good of the majority.

"I think I understand," Cody says, another question popping up in his head. "What about marriage?"

"Yes, that's another issue why Jedi don't get into romantic relationships," Obi-Wan says as he slumps in his chair, a frown forming between his brows. "Many marriage vows are in direct contradiction with vows we swear to our Order when we reach knighthood. We cannot swear ourselves to one person."

So no marriage for Bly most likely, Cody muses. Maybe if they choose to swear the Mandalorian vows they could get married. Cody doesn't know them by heart, but he has a vague memory of a Mando trainer explaining how marriage vows worked. He doesn't think there was anything contradicting the Jedi vows, but he would have to research that later.

The important part is that Bly can be in a relationship with Secura and it doesn't break any Jedi rules.

GAR regs, he is not so sure. But then again, they don't mention Jedi relationships, so maybe that could be a possible loophole to exploit.

"Thank you for explaining," Cody says, bumping Obi-Wan's ankle under the table.

Obi-Wan gives him a tired but sincere smile. "You're welcome, my dear."

They lapse into a comfortable silence, watching the vod'e and Olbissians mingle.

The sun has set and a huge fire is set up in the middle of the festival area.

Olbissians start singing songs and dancing around the fire, forming a chain. They even teach vod'e the movements and lyrics.

Cody doesn't understand the words they sing, but the melody feels hopeful.

It's enchanting.

It's beautiful.

A chair's leg bumps the table as Obi-Wan stands. He extends his hand to Cody. "Would you care for a dance?"

Suddenly embarrassed, Cody admits, "I don't think I even danced before."

Obi-Wan's eyes turn more gray before they clear. He shrugs. "I haven't danced around a fire since I was sixteen. How about we learn together?"

And what is Cody supposed to say to that?

"Okay." He takes Obi-Wan's hand and the Jedi pull Cody to his feet.

That night they dance around the fire, happy and joyful.

Before the reality can catch up to them and tear them down.

Not on this night.