#i want cody to have a chip removal

[voidartisan]

Anyway. Survived another semester. So. Star Wars characters as things my friends, professors, and classmates have said (plus a few things i've overheard on campus). two for the price of one bc in spring I forgor

Echo: Fives! GO!

Fives: NO! It's a free country!

Fives: *starts singing Republic anthem*

Echo: you can't sing the national anthem and BE A COWARD!!!

Ahsoka: Maybe they just really wanted there to be a gay weasel

Barriss: Hello. We were just talking about how my grandma's dog has a foot fetish

Sabine, in a class discussing ancient Egyptian art: Okay, don't hate me for this question, but, in the movie The Mummy---

Anakin: I didn't hit him that hard!

Obi-Wan: YOU BROKE HIS NOSE.

Omega: How’d you get those washboard abs, grandma?

Rex: I'd never say anything like that to you on purpose. You're like a daughter to me.

Echo: Thank you

Kanan: I watched two squirrels fighting in the middle of the street this morning. Kinda gave me Hector and Achilles

Din Djarin: WHO IS THIS BABY?

Rex: WHO DID YOU MARRY????

Luke: OH! I got t-boned to this song! :D

Kanan: Thou art the bomb dot com

Hound, dreamily: I want my ashes tested for narcotics

Thorn: They got a dried llama fetus. From Bolivia

Thire: Not the llama fetus

Jesse: Do you eat the cherry pits?

Kix: No? I'm pretty sure those have cyanide in them.

Jesse: *slowly removes cherry pit from mouth*

Obi-Wan: You'd think that with my very high reading level I would have figured that out sooner

Ahsoka: I mean, Yoda's made it that long

Barriss: Okay, but he's filled with happiness and good thoughts. I'm filled with bitterness and ibuprofen.

Ahsoka: This is why we have repentance and insurance

Cody, speaking to a spider in the shower: First of all, you're a pervert

Wooley, awake at 1 am: Next time, we should do drugs

Ezra: I thought I was about to have my Snow White moment, but instead, I almost got rabies

Leia: I'm trying to tell a story, and you're BOOGIEING

Hunter: I like where I am.

Phee: Surrounded by girls?

Hunter: No. Dirt.

Ventress: Give that man some cleavage

Riyo: When I say I've got that dog in me, it's Snoopy

Crosshair: If I was a bird, I would be homicidal

Luke: They made him straight. And SAD.

Wrecker: I don't need you to tell me what to do, number man!

Quinlan: Hear me out---

Luminara: You are NOT allowed to say that

Anakin: Arsonists are easy to catch. They leave a bunch of evidence.

Ahsoka: Like fire?

Anakin: Like fire.

Anakin, to Obi-Wan: You like blondes so blond that you can't tell if they have receding hairlines or not

Leia: I have no moral code when it comes to my father.

Hunter: I just love you, okay?

Crosshair: Okay.

Hunter: And I'm gonna slap you in the face the next time I see you.

Phee: They de-'tismed my boy

Fives, singing weakly, laying the wrong way on a mattress, with his legs up against the wall and head and arms hanging off the edge: 🎶H-O-T-T-O-G-O, you can take me hot to go~🎶

Anakin: *shows Ahsoka a clip of the Grinch*

Ahsoka: How did they get live footage of you?

Obi-Wan: What were you saying?

Quinlan: I forgot

Obi-Wan: I know; I was just asking out of courtesy

Luke: A FULL rye chip?! Alms for the poor!

Ventress: Hold on, he's gonna do the slutty cape wave again

Rig Nema: He died of a pulmonary embolism

Kix: Happens to the best of us

Ezra: Should I have known that talking in a spoon in my mouth would make it fall? PROBABLY. But what if this ONE TIME it was DIFFERENT

Hera, abruptly: I need to start listening to more ABBA

Tech: I'm too weird and I need to get weirder.

Obi-Wan: Dead husband. With cancer. At least it's in a nice font.

Satine: Hmm. No.

Obi-Wan: I'm sorry, would it be easier to break the news in Times New Roman?

Phee: I am a very patient woman in terms of patience

Fives: *hands Tup his toast in order to take a picture of Jesse lying next to the trashcan*

Fives: *takes picture*

Fives: *holds out hand* Toast me

Padme: He can make that Perry the Platypus noise- and I think that's hot, by the way-

Echo: I’m going to commit a crime if I have to move these gnomes again

Kanan: My gym skills are akin to a headless chicken attempting hopscotch

[leapingbadger]

Nightfall on Utapau

Summary: Commander Cody is searching for Obi Wan Kenobi's body when he receives a strange message from the man himself. Despite being under the influence of the inhibitor chip, He is unable to get the Jedi's words out of his mind.

Read on AO3

Cody sighed under the bright lights beaming down into the cavernous hole. The surface rippled below as divers waded through the water. They had been at it so long that the dry heat of the day had long since faded. In its absence a chill had taken hold, and he tried best not to shiver under the gleaming stars.

Noise enveloped the area as troopers bustled about, but Cody only had eyes for this particular spot and planned to stay rooted until they found the body.

“Sergeant, any news?” he barked into his comm.

“No sign yet, Sir. Do we need to report…”

“Just keep looking. He has to be there somewhere. It was a direct hit.” Cody growled in frustration.

“Yes, Sir.” The voice said on the other end of the comm.

Cody sighed again and removed his helmet, wiping his face.

A trilling noise sounded in one of his pouches and he pulled out the holocomm. Perhaps it was another message from Lord Sidious. Perhaps he wanted to check on his progress.

Cody stepped away from the other troopers, finding a narrow gap in the rock that would give him some cover and privacy. If he was in for disciplinary action, he didn’t need the rest of the battalion to hear it.

He pressed the button, and a figure sprang to life, but it wasn’t the Chancellor.

Obi Wan Kenobi’s form hovered in front of Cody and his eyes flashed. He started to turn back to his men when he realized that this wasn’t a live feed, but a recording.

The Jedi was in his robes, hood over his head.

“My dearest friend,” the Jedi said, pausing a moment and looking down at his hands. “It is with great sorrow that I send you this message, not because of your actions against me but because I know that you would never commit such an act and therefore, are compromised in some way.”

Cody balked and shut off the recording. He scowled as he watched his men moving around unbothered and again went to leave his hiding spot when he turned on the recording again.

“My dearest friend,” the Jedi started again, and Cody was struck by the sound of his voice. He had always found Kenobi’s voice soothing, calming and warm. He still did; despite knowing he was a traitor, and that he had to die.

“…As such, I fear we may never see each other again. Not with the same eyes. I will mourn that loss perhaps more than the others I have suffered of late. It is foolhardy for me to send this. And in your current state it is possible that you will not listen to it anyway. But selfishly, this comm is as much for me as it is for you.”

Cody’s eyebrows knitted together. He should report this. But he remained still.

“You see, my dear Commander, I have loved you since the moment we first met, all those years ago on the bridge of a shiny new venator. I fell deeper with every grazed hand, smirk, stern look and insufferable sigh. Every time you charged into battle in my defense, carried my injured body to the medbay, or returned my lightsaber with an eyeroll. I found myself dropping it on purpose, just for the chance our fingers would touch once more.

I tell you all this with no hope of reciprocity and no faith that we shall meet again. Obi Wan Kenobi will soon die, and another born in his place. But before that happens, before this light goes out, I wanted you to know that it shone for you.”

Cody huffed and shuffled his feet but was unable to look away. The Jedi had lowered his head, his stunning blue eyes seemingly glowing through the light of the holo.

“And one day, if the fog clears and you see with your own eyes once more, I invite you to find me, my love.”

Cody stood horror struck as the holo fizzled out in the palm of his hand.

“Maybe we can trace it” was the Commander’s first thought. But as he started to move towards the command center, he felt a heavy lump in his throat and a single tear track down his cheek.

He had no idea why he was crying. He wasn’t sure he’d ever cried in his life. Not even after losing brother after brother on the battlefield. He brushed the tear away angrily and threw the comm to the ground.

He could just stamp it out like it never happened. No one would ever know. But he would. He sighed and stooped down to pick it up, dusting it off and accidentally turning it on again.

“My dearest friend,” the Jedi said once more. Cody turned it off and shoved it in the pouch on his belt. He would figure out what to do with it later.

***

Cody woke with a start and raised his blaster. He blinked, realizing there was nothing there and collapsed back into his bunk. The snores from his brothers emanated around him.

“My dearest friend.” A warm voice said in his head.

Cody huffed and got up. Kriffin Jedi. He tried to think back to his time with Kenobi. Their mission, their downtime, their talks, but he couldn’t recall anything clearly. It was as though his memory was blurry, everything tinged with a crimson veil that refused to lift.

He grabbed his blaster and helmet and left the tent. Perhaps the cool air would help clear his mind and he could eventually get some sleep.

His feet took him to the water filled chasm. The lights remained on, and patrols lingered, just in case the Jedi managed to pull himself out of the depths.

Only Cody was aware that he already had.

He still hadn’t reported the message. His hand went to the holocomm stowed in the pouch on his belt. His fingers itched to open it, to watch it again. What was he looking for? Why did he care? Did he want to study it in a vain attempt to pinpoint the Jedi’s location? To find some clue to his whereabouts? Or was it something…else.

Cody nodded to the roving patrols and kept walking, past the command center to the thin slice between rocks he had stowed away before. He sat down on the cool ground reached in his pouch and pulled out the disk.

Something so unremarkable. Something he had used more times that he could count over the years had suddenly taken on a new light.

He took off his helmet, placing it on the ground next to him and switched it on. There was something so personal about Kenobi’s words, about his goodbye, that looking upon him with anything other than his own eyes seemed wrong.

“My dearest friend…” The Jedi was, of course, unchanged in the hours since Cody had last watched the transmission, still in the Jedi robes, the cloak over his head. Cody noticed his sad blue eyes., rimmed with tears and without knowing why, his chest tightened.

Cody had felt numb all afternoon. Stoic and steadfast, he wanted nothing more than to bring this man to justice, this traitor. But as he sat on the floor in his hideaway, he wondered why this Jedi had risked so much, just to speak to him, to tell him goodbye.

He wasn’t sure what love felt like, wasn’t sure he had ever felt it. But then, he couldn’t comprehend any emotion at the moment except perhaps rage. He knew he couldn’t have always been this way. He must have felt something at some point. He should have felt something for his brothers, his family at the very least, but when he wracked his brain, he was just…empty.

He examined every bit of Kenobi’s body language. The way his hands started clutched together and came apart as he explained his feelings. He touched the spot where his heart was before his hands reached outward as though trying to touch his Commander.

The recording ran out and Kenobi disappeared once more. Once more, a single tear fell on Cody’s cheek. This time he let it, tasting the salt on his tongue as he licked it off his lip. The blue light Kenobi had cast in the space disappeared and Cody was in the dark once more. He sighed and pressed the button again.

“My dearest friend…”

In the deepest recesses of Cody’s mind, in the parts he couldn’t reach, a lone thought peaked on the edge of his consciousness.

“You loved him too.” It whispered quietly, knowing it would go unheard. For now.

[fellthemarvelous]

Without hope, we have nothing.

(Spoilers and speculation included a bit further down)

This is actually a post about the Bad Batch and not Star Wars Rebels, but this bit is important so...

Try not to cry when you remember that Tech is the one who taught Hera Syndulla how to mask her ship's signature, a move that made her a massive threat to the Empire and a move that she often used to her advantage. She was such a threat to the Empire that they wanted to capture her alive so they could make an example of her for her years of defiance.

And then also try not to cry when you remember that when Hera was taken prisoner by the Empire, Kanan Jarrus sacrificed his life to free her and save the future of the Rebellion. Try not to cry when you think about the fact that Kanan Jarrus aka Caleb Dume was the Jedi padawan the Bad Batch protected (except for Crosshair) from the Empire during Order 66 by claiming Hunter killed him.

Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo lied to the Empire to protect a Jedi.

And Tech taught Hera how to evade the Empire when the Bad Batch helped her family (Chopper included) escape Ryloth after being accused of treason.

Clone Force 99's actions had a direct outcome on the success of the Rebellion. They refused to commit treason against the Republic and all they did was commit treason against the Empire. They were strong enough to resist the effects of the inhibitor chip (Crosshair and Wrecker for awhile), outright ignored Order 66 (Hunter and Tech), or were tortured and turned partially into a machine against his will by the Techno Union and used as a weapon against the Republic who, upon rescue, immediately jumped back into Separatist territory and fucked their asses up (Echo). Luckily, with the help of Rex, they got their chips removed after Wrecker tried to kill all of them.

Everything under the cut is pure speculation. I'm having a galaxy brain moment, I just have no idea if it's pointing me in the right direction or not lol.

If you disagree with me, I don't need you to rudely tell me why.

After his time on Tantiss, Crosshair can now identify with Echo more than anyone else in the Bad Batch (and Tech if CX-2 is Tech).

When they went to rescue Echo, Crosshair is the one who snidely told Captain Rex that he would have left Echo behind too.

Which is exactly what happened to Crosshair when the Empire turned him into a weapon against his own brothers. He had no choice because the Empire attached him to a machine and amped up the effect of his inhibitor chip so he could not disobey orders.

Rex told Cody "I think Echo is still alive" and Cody told him that was impossible. Anakin accompanied him on this rescue mission with The Bad Batch (we know Cody would have too if he hadn't been injured).

I think that if Tech is CX-2, Crosshair already knows or highly suspects it. He's terrified of Tantiss. I think we're going to have a parallel moment of Crosshair possibly saying the same thing, knowing that he could never leave a brother behind again after what he went through, especially if CX-2 is Tech. (I also wouldn't be surprised if Omega suspected something after her trip back to Tantiss with CX-2.)

We never saw Echo's body after the explosion. Instead we got this image. An empty helmet and a droid arm.

Crosshair defected from the Empire when he witnessed the Empire tell him that Mayday was only a clone and not worth giving medical attention to. Those actions resulted in the death of Mayday and that's when Crosshair chose to shoot an Imperial officer between the eyes (similar to Dogma's execution of General Krell in many ways).

If Tech is CX-2, that is the second Bad Batcher the Empire has turned into an enemy against his brothers.

This is the last we saw of Tech.

Hemlock was fucking lying when he said that Tech's glasses were all they recovered. Why the hell would he have found Tech's glasses and not Tech? All we see below him are clouds. And this is the last bit of Tech we see. That gun is in the shot with his glasses for a reason.

I feel like this is going to parallel Echo's rescue from Skako Minor. Tech and Echo are both highly intelligent huge ass nerds (remember that the battle plans being used against the Republic were written by both Rex and Echo, and Cody acknowledged that Rex was one of their best strategists in the GAR) who always ended up working best together.

Part of me wonders if we are heading into a show centered on the clone troopers in a post Order 66 world going up against the Empire as they try to rescue more of their brothers. Enough to become a problem for the Empire.

Part of me also wonders if the inclusion of Force sensitive children in the Bad Batch means Rex will need to call Ahsoka into the fray. Wolffe has only appeared once so he hasn't even switched sides, let alone even started blocking Ahsoka's messages to Rex yet. During the Clone Wars she had to save Force sensitive children from Darth Sidious. During the Rebellion, the saved more Force sensitive children from Darth Sidious. It makes me wonder if she is also going to save Force sensitive children from this too? I might be reaching a bit too much here, but it could be a possibility! She seems to always show up when Force sensitive children need to be rescued from Darth Sidious.

No matter what ending we get for the Bad Batch, I know it's going to leave us with hope for the future because the message in Star Wars has always shown us that hope will always be stronger than fear.

A simple act of kindness can fill a galaxy with hope.

Without hope, we have nothing.

These episodes are all relevant to Echo's journey. The Domino Squad was referred to as a bad batch and Echo was the one who seemed to struggle the most with orders that conflicted with doing what needed to be done. He is the one who memorized the regulations manual after all. And now the Bad Batch are on a similar journey because they have never trusted regs before, but now it seems they might have to trust the regs to come to help them the way they helped Rex and Echo before the war ended. The way they helped Gregor after the war ended.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but that's a fanfic I can always write!! I don't want to get into who I think is going to die or survive, but I have my suspicions there too and I'm already in too much pain to keep going.

[circus20204]

captured an eclipse

Obi-wan Kenobi: "time to see exactly what got caught in the trap today."

*he walked outside his hut in the middle of the desert of the scorching sand box known as tatooine. the trap was not to far and namely he had it set up to catch maybe small animals or intruders who wanted to raid his hut for stuff, Ben wasn't exactly sure what hed expect but- catching a purge trooper was definitely not on the list.*

Obi-wan: "well..this is unexpected..'' *he gazed at the growling half conscious purge trooper. who was currently immobilized from the trap.* "wandered a little far haven't you trooper."

purge trooper cody: *currently tired and sick with a annoying chip in his head and a annoying Jedi trapped him..soo angry if not then he'd be feral*

obi-wan:" now what shall I do with you...Cody." *he spoke more to himself thinking maybe wipe his mind and send em elsewhere?...or the more disaster liniage thing to do aka bring Cody inside and get answers.*

purge trooper cody: who the kark is Cody. I am CC-2224 and you are a Jedi, a traitor and must b..handles.!.. *replied the bound up clone, which for that obi wan just removed his helmet and sighed*

obi wan:'' that's alright Cody I'm sure once you rest and have tea and we disuss you'll come to your senses." *he finds a discarded blaster pistol and set it to stun* "though I'll have to use more- uncivilized methods. sleep well Cody" *was the last thing he said before stopping Cody from speaking with a good stun blast and dragged him to his hut.*

*the adventure begins I suppose lol"

[dangraccoon]

Headaches …

Day 2

~ little lie ~ trapped together in a snowstorm ~

Word Count: 2277

Content: trapped in a cave, frequent headaches, tight spaces, references to the inhibitor chips and Order 66, being silenced, unspoken attraction/feelings

If you asked General Kenobi, the way they’d found themselves in this Force-forsaken cave was through a strategic retreat and it would be an excellent way to both evade the enemy and take them by surprise on the other side of the mountain.

If you asked Cody, this was just another scrape they’d find their way out of eventually… probably.

Cody could feel the headache growing behind his eyes. His headaches had been getting worse, not that anyone knew he’d been having them to begin with, and he thought about using one of the pain stims he kept on his belt.

No, better not, he decided. Knowing his general and how it usually went when they were cut off from the rest of the unit, they’d get into an even more complicated mess. He didn’t want to waste the small supply he did have, especially not on himself for something as measly as a headache.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Obi-Wan noted of the avalanche that closed them in. “Though not entirely unwelcome.”

“Sir?” Cody’s voice sounded more tired than usual.

“The droids would have fired blindly on the cave despite the blizzard, but they are less likely to bother with the meters of rubble blocking their line of fire,” Kenobi explained, one hand stroking his beard.

Cody didn’t answer, simply shining the light on his helmet around the cavern.

“Are you alright, dear?”

Cody must’ve been tired; he barely heard the general approach him. “Fine, sir,” he said. He knew it wasn’t entirely true, but the general just wanted to make sure Cody was uninjured.

He could practically feel Kenobi’s suspicion, nerves tingling.

“I’ve been trying to make contact with the company,” he continued. “But I don’t think anything will make it through the rubble, let alone the storm.”

“Yes, I suppose not,” Obi-Wan agreed, though he sounded distracted. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I said I’m fine, General,” Cody growled before he could think better of it. Out of his periphery, he could see Obi-Wan recoil slightly. Regret instantly coiled in his chest. “I- my apologies, sir, I didn’t–”

“That’s alright, Commander,” Obi-Wan replied, waving him off.

His tone was even-keeled as ever, but Cody felt a coldness to it; the general only ever used his rank around others, seldom when they were alone. He seemed to prefer using their names whenever possible.

“General, I–”

“I suppose we ought to find a way out of here,” Obi-Wan continued, blowing past Cody’s pitiful attempt at an apology. The general ignited his lightsaber, illuminating the dark cave along with Cody’s flashlight.

Cody inspected the new wall of rock that prevented their exit. “It would take days to clear this all.”

“Ah-ha!” The general half-shouted. “There’s a small passageway over here; it’s a tight squeeze, but we’ll fit.”

Cody joined him to look at the crevice. He crouched down in front of it. “Sir,” he started uncertainly. “I’m sure you could fit through here, but you’re a bit… less stocky.”

“Nonsense,” Obi-Wan smirked. “You’ll have to remove your belt and perhaps your chest plate, but I imagine you’ll make it through just fine, Commander.”

Cody clicked his tongue a few times, muting the mic in his helmet while he grumbled. He watched Obi-Wan slip through the thin space ridiculously easy.

“Alright, pass your gear through,” he called.

After a few more unbroadcasted grunts of discontent, Cody’s chest plate, back plate, and belt were waiting to be reapplied with Obi-Wan. Cody pressed himself into the odd space, needing to contort his posture a little until he was almost, almost – thunk.

Cody sighed.

“What is it?” Kenobi called.

Cody clicked his mic back on. “I have to go back, sir; my helmet doesn’t fit through the top second.”

“Ah yes,” Obi-Wan hummed. “I did scrape my cheek through there.”

Cody shuffled back, choosing not to make a sarcastic comment about the timing of that warning.

Once he was back out, he rolled his helmet through to Obi-Wan and began to squeeze back through.

As Cody finally made it through, he looked up at his general expectantly.

“Perhaps you should’ve just taken all of your armor off,” Obi-Wan mused.

Without realizing it, and with his helmet still in the general’s hands, he clicked his tongue once, then twice more.

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows shot upwards. “Commander Cody, did you just try to mute me?”

Cody froze his hands still at the edges of his chest plate where they’d been reattaching them.

Cody could feel his heart stop.

He’d done it, now; he’d pushed too far. Yes, General Kenobi was easier-going than other Generals, and their relationship over the course of the war had gotten far more… casual than the rigid professionality with which it had begun. But now? First snapping at him, now trying to mute him like a shiny? Oh, he’d be reassigned to Kamino by tomorrow.

But then Kenobi did something. It wasn’t entirely unusual; Cody had seen it before, but he wasn’t typically the subject of it, merely a bystander.

General Obi-Wan Kenobi eyed him, then lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the cave floor, patting the space in front of him.

Cody was still certain that he no longer had a heartbeat.

“Sir?” he rasped out.

“Sit, Cody.”

Relief, like a light mist of rain, showered over his nerves. The use of his name was a good sign, wasn’t it?

Cody did as he was told, wincing slightly as his knee twinged on the way.

Once he was settled, he glanced up at Obi-Wan.

“Please talk to me,” Obi-Wan said. It was soft, gentle even; it wasn’t a command or an order, but a request. “I know we’re in a difficult situation, but you and I have been through worse and came out of it alright. Something is bothering you.”

“Sir, I’ve been–” Cody started, but something screamed at him to stop, to shut his mouth. His jaw clicked shut.

“You’ve been?” Obi-Wan prompted.

Cody’s mouth opened again, only to find it closing once more. His brow furrowed as he tried again to voice his issue. “I–”

Obi-Wan’s expression shifted from concern to confusion. “It’s alright,” he said, sounding less like the professional, charismatic front he put on in front of others and more like the friend he’d become to Cody. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

Cody fought once more with his own vocal cords. Why couldn’t he just tell him? It’s just a damn headache. He opened his mouth again and again but all that came out was air.

Obi-Wan sat silently, watching Cody with growing worry. After a few more moments of silence, he reached towards Cody, his hand stopping just short of touching his shoulder.

“Is there another way that would be easier?” Obi-Wan tried. “Perhaps you could write it?”

Cody looked down to the dirt where he was gesturing. He reached for it but found his hand to be shaking.

“Oh, Cody,” Obi-Wan murmured, his voice full of sympathy. “Would you…” he hesitated. “Would you be willing to show me?”

Obi-Wan’s hand extended towards Cody, palm open and inviting.

Cody glanced between his hand and his face a few times, finding nothing but warmth and deep concern.

“I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan stammered. “I- I shouldn’t push you like that.”

Cody’s hands acted before he could think, grasping his general’s hand between his.

Cody wasn’t sure what happened next. Obi-Wan gasped, his eyes opened wide but went out of focus. He was certain he could almost feel Obi-Wan in his mind.

A few minutes later, Obi-Wan seemed to come back slowly. His eyes refocusing on the man before him, his hand slightly trembling between Cody’s. He let out a shaky breath in what felt more like a sob. He wasn’t sure, he might’ve imagined it, but Cody thought he saw a few tears slide down Obi-Wan’s cheeks.

“Sir?” he managed, his voice still being difficult.

“Cody,” Obi-Wan whispered, his voice tinged with something Cody struggled to identify. He used his free hand to wipe the errant tears from his eyes.

“Please, sir. What did you see?” Cody’s voice finally came.

Obi-Wan looked up at him. He hesitated, seeming to choose his words carefully. “You’re in pain,” he said, his eyes flicking from Cody’s own to the right side of Cody’s head and back. “You– I think you might be… unwell.”

Cody could feel the gears whirring in his mind. “General, Helix said that blow last week didn’t give me a concussion.”

“It didn’t, this… this is something else,” Obi-Wan pulled his hands away, wrapping his arms around himself. “You’ve been having headaches, that’s what you were trying to tell me.” Cody nodded. “It seems there may be something… something in your head that could be causing them.”

Cody struggled to process the information.

There was something in his head?

That didn’t make any sense. Clones didn’t get sick the same way natborns did; sure, they could fall ill despite their genetically enhanced immune system, but unknown diseases developing in a clone’s body? That shouldn’t be possible.

“Cody, did you hear me?”

His general’s voice–as well as the icy cold drop of water that fell and landed on his aching temple–pulled him back to the moment.

“Sorry, sir,” he replied.

“That’s alright,” Obi-Wan said. “I asked if you thought we should stop to rest.”

He nodded. He should vocally agree. He should refer to Obi-Wan by his rank or ‘sir’. He should stop calling him ‘Obi-Wan’ in his mind. After all, good soldiers–

His head throbbed.

Without his notice, Obi-Wan moved him around, gently guiding him to sit on a rock while he set up a miniature warmth lamp that Cody kept on his belt.

“Cody?”

He blinked a few times, Obi-Wan coming into focus in front of him–no, above him?

“Come back to me, dear one,” Obi-Wan said upon seeing Cody’s eyes clear. “That’s it. It’s alright.”

“What–”

“You passed out,” Obi-Wan supplied as he helped Cody to sit up. “You were upright one moment and falling over the next.”

A shiver ran down Cody’s spine as he realized was doomed–he knew it and he was sure Obi-Wan knew it–he’d be sent to Kamino. Not to train the younger generations of clones, not to treat whatever sickness worked into his brain. No, he’d be decommissioned. He’d be killed. His body would be stuck in a lab in the depths of Tipoca City and studied. CC-2224 was meant to be an exemplary product of Kaminoan ingenuity; what could have possibly gone so wrong with it?

“That’s not going to happen,” Obi-Wan said suddenly, pushing Cody’s brain to finally realize that he’d gotten up and was pacing while speaking his anxieties aloud. Obi-Wan’s hands gripped Cody’s upper arms, his eyes almost panicked. “I will not let them take you from me.”

Cody blinked. He didn’t hear that right, did he? He couldn’t have heard that right.

“From…” Obi-Wan mumbled. Cody wasn’t sure he’d ever heard him mumble before. “From the 212th.”

His hold on Cody loosened, and Cody found himself missing the contact. Damnit, he thought, certain he was just thinking it and not actually saying it aloud. I thought I was past this.

“I won’t let them take you,” Obi-Wan repeated quietly, turning away.

Cody couldn’t help the way his heart seemed to keep skipping beats. The same heroism he’d witnessed countless times on the battlefield was here now in his words. The same heroism that had attracted Cody in the first place.

A string of curse words flowed through his mind. You’re being irrational, he told himself. Obi–The general, he forced himself to think. The general cares about all of the vode. He hates decommissioning on the whole, not just the idea of me being decommissioned.

“Well, now that you’re awake, we should continue if you’re feeling up to it,” Obi–General Kenobi said.

They trudged through, the dark cavern only illuminated by the general’s lightsaber and Cody’s flashlight.

“General,” he said after a few moments.

“Yes, de– yes, Cody?”

“I’m– I’d like to apologize, sir,” he said.

The general stopped but didn’t turn to face him. “What are you–”

“I’m sorry I didn't tell you,” he managed. He could feel whatever had a hold of his voice before creeping back in. “Sir, I should have told you about the– a-about my–”

“It’s alright, Cody,” General Kenobi said once more, though this time he could feel the depth of warmth behind his words. “You don’t have to try and say it. Whatever–or quite possibly whoever–is keeping you from speaking of it will not be letting up on that.”

That didn’t soothe Cody’s nerves.

“I still shouldn’t have–”

“Cody,” Obi-Wan said, a little more forcefully as he turned to face his commander. “I am not upset that you didn’t tell me. I am upset that it’s happening at all.”

Cody was fairly certain that Obi-Wan could tell the distinction did little to ease Cody’s mind.

“Cody, I… I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that I care for you, quite deeply if I’m being honest,” he continued, and Cody was suddenly very aware of his pounding heart. “I don’t know what is happening to you, I don’t know how or why and that is why I’m upset. You couldn’t have told me because it wouldn’t let you. “

“Y-you…?” Cody hummed. Was he reading into that statement too much? Probably, but what if he wasn’t? Would it really be so bad to let himself imagine what a life like that could be?

Obi-Wan’s cheeks turned dark in the blue light. “Let’s… let’s keep going.”

He turned quickly away, continuing through the cave. Despite himself, Cody felt his arm reach after the man.

He shook his head. You’re an idiot.

His head throbbed again.

To be continued…

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[obixwan]

we could call it even (part two of it always leads to you)

part one: it always leads to you

pairings: padawan f reader x cody

word count: 1,700 ish

warnings: pre established relationship, break up of said relationship. sneaking around, the yuckyness of the Jedi order, conflicted feelings. sad cody.

notes: hello… i am in fact… alive. i just wanted to say thank you to @clones-cyare who absolutely smashed my notifications this afternoon while i was at work. I hope you like this hehe.

masterlist

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

The door shuts behind him with a faint hiss, but sound reverberates through you like a blaster bolt. For a moment, you’re left standing there, staring at the dull durasteel walls of the ship, willing the tears not to come. But your body betrays you, it always does when it comes to him. The force betrays you too, carrying his pain back to in tidal waves. A raw, aching wound that refuses to close.

You sink down to your bed, the sheets as cold as the room, head in your hands. This is what it is to be Jedi; sacrifice. You knew the cost of attachment. But nothing could have prepared you for this. For the hollow ache in your chest, the too big too small feeling of the room. The heaviness of the air, the absence of him.

You don’t sleep that night. Instead you sit on the small mat in your room, legs tucked under you, lightsaber forgotten on your bed. You search for the peace, the balance, the harmony you’re supposed to embody, embrace. But all you find is his voice echoing again and again. We’re meant to be together. We are one half of a whole.

The memory of his touch lingers, like a ghost. The roughness of his palms against yours, the warmth of his eyes as he pleaded with you. You snap your eyes shut as the force ripples around you, as if it mourns the choice you’ve made. But you feel something more in those ripples, and although it’s distant, it strikes through you; danger.

You’re on your feet in an instant, lightsaber in your hand, the door hissing as it opens for you. The ship is silent as you step into the hallway, but you can feel him. He’s close.

You find him in the cargo bay, his helmet discarded on a crate beside him, hands trembling as he tinkers with a small device. Your breath catches in your throat when you realise what it is. A chip removal device. Black market. Made for clones who went awol…

“Cody,” you say softly, but your voice carries in the emptiness of the cargo bay. He freezes, his head snapping to look up at you. For a moment, he doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, you’re not even sure he’s breathing. But he looks away from you, amber eyes returning to the task at hand.

“I thought you were clear.” He says, low and strained. “You made your choice.”

“I have.” You risk a step closer. “But this-” You gesture to the kit, “This isn’t the way.”

His eyes snap up to yours again. “Then what is?” His hands curl into fists. “What am I supposed to do? Stand by and watch as the republic tears itself apart? As you tear yourself apart for an order that doesn’t care about you? For a war we won’t win?”

Your heart twists, but you force yourself steady. “The republic isn’t perfect, but we can’t fix that by running, Cody, we fix it by staying and fighting for what is right.”

“I’m tired of fighting.”

“If you go through with this, if you remove the chip and desert, you won’t just be fighting the republic, you’ll be fighting with yourself. You said it yourself. It would haunt you.”

His shoulders slump, and for a moment, he leans into your presence but then moves away, as if reminding himself of what you’ve said. “So that’s it then, we just go on pretending like we never happened?”

You close your eyes so you don’t have to look at him when the words tear out of you. “We have to.”

He’s silent for so long that you think the conversations over, but his hands loosen as the black market tool clatters to the floor, the loud bang echoing through the cargo bay. He stands, looking at you at his full height, eyes glassy. “You said we serve something bigger than ourselves. But what happens when that something asks for too much?”

You don’t have an answer and before you can say anything else, he picks up his helmet and walks away. You don’t try and stop him.

You thought it would get easier with time. The distance, both physical and emotional, would dull the sharpness in your chest at the sight of him, the edges of what you had chosen to leave behind. But instead, like an infection, it festers.

Every rotation aboard the ship feels heavier, suffocating. Every interaction with Cody has become a delicate balancing act between civility and the emotions roaring in your head. Obi-Wan knows something has gone terribly wrong.

When you meet him the next morning in the war room, it is like a punch to the gut. He steals the air from your lungs. He’s standing beside Obi-Wan, his armor polished perfectly, expression unreadable and eyes focused on the holo-table. But his presence is like a weight pressing up against your ribcage.

“Ah, there you are.” Obi-Wan says by way of greeting. His tone is perfectly neutral but you feel his sharp gaze flicking between you and Cody. “We’re planning a recon mission for tomorrow. You’ll both be leading separate squads to ensure minimal overlap.”

Your stomach twists. Obi-Wan’s efforts to keep you and Cody apart is glaringly obvious. While you can’t fault his logic, it does not make the situation any easier. Cody’s jaw tightens. But he says nothing, hands clasped behind his back.

You force yourself to focus as Obi-Wan explains the plan. Cody’s squad will secure the outpost on the below planet, while yours infiltrates the communications hub. It’s straightforward, textbook. And yet, the thought of being out there, knowing he’s so close and yet so far, makes your head throb.

Briefing over, Obi-Wan takes his leave, and it’s just the two of you alone in the war room, the holo-table still glowing between you. For a moment, neither of you speak. What do you even say? The air is thick with everything unspoken.

It’s Cody that breaks the silence. “You’ve reviewed the terrain?”

His voice is cool, professional but you don’t miss the strain beneath his words. You nod, keeping your eyes fixed on the table. “I have. Your team will need to secure the northern ridge before we move in.” You point to the map. “The Separatist have heavy artillery stationed there.”

“I know how to do my job,” He says sharply, and you can’t help the flinch that races through you.

You glance up at him, chest tight at the sight of the tension etched into his face. “I wasn’t questioning your ability, Commander.”

His lips press into a thin line, and he looks away, gloved hands braced against the edge of the table. For a moment, you think he’s going to walk away but he heaves an exhale, and turns to look at you. “This,” He grinds out, gesturing between the two of you. “is not working.”

“We don’t have a choice.”

“There is always a choice.” He counters. “You are just too stubborn to make it.”

You want to argue, want to tell him you did make a choice, the only choice you could make. But the words stick in your throat, tangled up in your hair strings, in the weight of your own longing and guilt.

“We have to find a way to work together, for the mission and the men.”

He softens at that. “For the men.”

The fragile truce between you holds through the next rotation, though it’s strained at best. You work in silence, only exchanging the necessary words, clipped and efficient. But every stolen glance, every brush of fingers when passing data pads and holoprojecters, feels like an explosion waiting to happen.

It’s not until the mission itself that the dam walls finally break. The plan goes completely sideways, as it always does between you too. Separatist reinforcements arrived sooner than you had planned to, the communications hub not even down. Your squad is pinned, the comm crackles with Cody’s voice, sharp and urgent.

“Hold your position,” He orders. “We’re coming to get you.”

You grit your teeth, blaster fire echoing around you. “That’s not the plan.”

“Screw the damned plan. I’m not leaving you there.”

Something in his tone sends shivers down your back, and for a moment, you’re transported to a lost time. You shake the thought from your mind, focusing on the battle at hand.

Minutes feel like hours, but eventually, Cody’s squad breaks through the enemy line, his blaster cutting a path to your position. When he reaches you, there’s a fire in his eyes. He grabs your arm, pulling you to your feet as the rest of your squad provides covering fire.

“Are you hurt?” He asks, voice rough through his helmet comms, grip on your arm firm.

“I’m fine.” You manage, though your knees are knocking.

His hand lingers on your arm for a moment longer than he should, and then he lets go. “Let’s move out.”

You make it back to the ship in one piece, but the tension between the two of you is thicker than ever. As you strip off your armor in the locker room, hands shaking as the remaining adrenaline passes, you hear the door open behind you. You don’t need to turn to know it’s him.

“You should have waited.” You say, voice barely above a whisper.

“You know that was not an option.”

You turn to him, chest heaving, heart racing, tears threatening to spill over. “This is exactly why we can’t-” You suck in air. “We can’t-” You can’t even get the words out around your panic. “This is destroying us.”

He steps closer. Too close. “It’s destroying ME.” He snaps. “Everytime I see you out there, everytime I think I might lose you, it’s killing me.”

You want to tell him to stop, to leave, to let you go. But when he reaches for you, hands framing your face, you don’t pull away. His touch is warm, grounding, calming. And for a moment, you let yourself lean into it, let yourself believe that maybe, maybe, you can have this.

But reality crashes back in and you step away, heart crushing. “We can’t.”

His eyes burn into yours, filled with pain. “Then tell me how to stop.”

You don’t have an answer. All you can do is turn away, the door hissing open for you as you leave him standing there.

[stars-n-spice]

Questions TBB Better Fucking Answer Soon:

Where the FUCK is Tech??? Stop fucking giving us hope that he might be C2-X or whatever the fuck. Fucking show us his dead body or give him back to us!

Where the FUCK is Cody?? Huh??? Where did he go??? Only acceptable answer? He's on his way to Tatooine to be with Obi-Wan. You reveal that and all will be forgiven. I promise. Maybe.

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED WITH WOLFFE FOR LETTING REX AND THE GANG GET AWAY HUH??? I'M SURE THERE WERE CONSEQUENCES!! WHEN THE FUCK ARE WE GOING TO GET HIM BACK???

What the fuck is up with Omega. Straight up. What. How. and Why? Same with Emerie. How the fuck did they come to be? Are they trans? yes. next question.

Also why does Emerie get a last name and nobody else does, hm? Why is she Emerie Karr, is that like,, did she choose that or like?? Ok dumb question sure but like,, EXPLAIN HOW AND WHY OR JUST CONFIRM SHE'S TRANS OR SOMETHING C'MON NOW.

SHOW US WHAT THE FUCK IS IN THOSE FUCKING TUBES!

I'm sorry, I'm yelling but I've spent most of this season fucking confused and frustrated.

Where the fuck did the zillo beast go? And when is it going to eat Hemlock and Palpatine?

So...Senator Chuchi and Clone Revolution when?

And like...Cid is just...she's just going to be able to get away with what she did? We're just gonna forget about her? I mean sure, but I really thought they'd bring her back or something.

What the fuck happened to Crosshair on Tatniss? Wait, nevermind, don't tell me, I don't want to know, it'll only make me sad-

WAIT SO LIKE,, DID CROSSHAIR EVER ACTUALLY GET HIS FUCKING CHIP REMOVED OR NOT???

Explain again Hunter's enhanced senses and why the fuck he seems to have lost them in this season.

Also answer why Wrecker is the most perfect man ever? Why did they craft the most wonderful man to exist and then make him not real? You trying to kill me or what?

Feel free to add on because there are only the ones on the top of my head.

[dalekofchaos]

Stuff like this is why I don't think the inhibitor chips were necessary.

Why make up bullshit chips that turn Clones into cartoonish "good soldiers follow orders" when Clones just naturally hating the Jedi for being incompetent generals getting their brothers in arms killed and then said brothers dying for traitors, but the real tragedy of it all is that it was all for a lie.

Order 66 was just an emergency order like the others one. For example Order 65 declared that the Chancellor is no longer able to rule the republic, therefore he has to be removed from office, if necessary with lethal force. If the jedi could have convinced the senate, that Palpatine was a sith who orchestrated the clone wars and the senate would vote for the Order 65, Palpatine would be attacked by clone troopers instead of the jedi.

These Orders were also no secret, they were written down and the clones trained these orders on Kamino a thousand times. The jedi just forgot, that the clones were fighting for the republic and not for them, and when the supreme commander of the army, in this case Palpatine because of his emergency powers, orders them to kill their field commanders, they would do so, without question, just like the kaminoans said.

In my opinion this makes a whole lot of great stories impossible like the relationship between Darman Skirata and Etain. Also it would make way more sense when Lucasfilm wants to show more survivors of Order 66, because the only clones in canon who didn't follow the order were the Bad Batch, Rex and Gregor. In Legends many clones just didn't follow the order because of their moral compass or thought it's a trap of the separatists and we could see how the clones deal with their decision to kill the jedi, in Legends some of them developed PTSD and other thought it was necessary.

In my opinion they just took a whole lot away of the personality and individuality of the clones with the inhibitor chips and turned them into mindless killer machines and I don't like that, especially after we see in the clone wars series their personality for the first time and see that the clones are individuals even when they look exactly the same, something the movies failed to show us.

Imagine a plot line where, instead of a chip telling them to betray the Jedi, troopers like Cody got a message telling them the Jedi had betrayed the Republic and attempted to murder the Chancellor. That the Jedi were now considered enemies of the Republic and had to be exterminated before they could overthrow the democracy. Forced to choose between the Jedi generals and the Republic and Supreme Chancellor, the unquestionably loyal Clones support the Republic.

It could have added many complex layers. The Clones have to live with their decisions. Maybe some regret it and wish they'd decided otherwise. Others feel their hand was forced. Others that the Jedi were traitors and never doubted their choice for a second.

Or the conflict of Rex. What if he'd been among the 501st attacking the Jedi Temple with Anakin, but split from them at the end of his own free will? Rex, who was always loyal to Anakin, and a close friend, breaks from him and flees. How does he feel about it? Does he feel he did the right thing by betraying Anakin to save the Jedi? Or does he feel he abandoned his Commander and should have stayed loyal? Maybe he struggles with it every day, wondering if he made the right choice. Or imagine if Anakin came for Ahsoka and was about to kill her and Rex chose Ahsoka over Order 66 because he knew in his heart it was wrong and tossed a flash grenade and fled with Ahsoka.

Overall, I feel like the inhibitor chip arc made the story of Order 66 somewhat boring and too black and white. It could have been a fantastic jumping off point for the complexities of mixed loyalties, of following orders, of the failures of the Republic and of the Jedi, of how not only Palpatine's villainy but his charisma and personality led to rigid loyalty among the clones.

And honestly I feel like the inhibitor chips were created to weasel out of complex storytelling, just like JJ Abrams weaseled out of dealing with Finn's PTSD of being a child soldier.

[fanfic-obsessed]

Responding to the Talk Shop Tuesdays post!

Leverage x Star Wars. Thoughts?

(I've had vague wonderings of leverage-style clone wars shenanigans but can't really get past "someone talks them into wrecking Palpatine's shit and they do" so I'm just throwing this into the air).

Alternatively, if you also have no thoughts there, favorite way you've written Palpatine accidentally shooting himself in the foot?

Oooh, Leverage and Start wars. I had not had that thought before…now I do. It’s legally required. 

I know you said during the clone wars but post Order 66 immediately came to mind. Let's start with our cast.

Mastermind: Cody (initially this was going to be Obi Wan with Cody being the hitter, but bear with me I think this will be even better). Cody deserts the empire, a broken man, lost everything. He thinks everyone he ever loved is dead.  A few years after his desertion, he gets his chip removed through a series of unfortunate events (though he never actually finds out what it is or what it does). He is drifting through life, doing just enough work to get the money to keep drinking. An honest man. And a smart one. 

Grifter: Obi Wan. After the Order goes out. After Anakin. After the birth of the twins, Obi Wan does spend a year or two on Tatooine. But Owen Lars makes a very specific good point, even a single slip up (and there are always slip ups), will bring the Empires attention to Tatooine (They believe Anakin is dead, so it is the Emperor’s attention that Obi Wan fears) and with that to Luke. It is better if Obi Wan is anywhere else. Owen is gracious in victory and agrees to updates up to four times a year.  So Obi Wan, Ben, loses himself. A new name every night, a new planet, a new voice.  The galaxy is a large place and Ben knows how to slip through and around the cracks.  Though no one has made the connection yet, a number Ben’s alias’s are wanted by the Empire, the Hutts, and the remaining Mandalorians (current total bounty’s, in credits, for all of his other aliases almost reaches the Empire’s bounty for Obi Wan Kenobi).

Hitter:  Boba Fett. Bounty Hunter. The only clone who wasn’t (who was a son). Often underestimated because of his youth. Alone by both circumstances and choice (even with Pond's death, Boba would be welcomed by most clones had he been willing to see them as sentient).  He is a teen when our team comes together and is still one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy. At first he barely considers any of these people sentient and is not sure why he is sticking around, but this is also the safest he has felt since his father had died. 

Hacker: Echo. After Tech’s death Echo found that he could not stay with the Bad Batch.  The ghosts of everybody he had lost draped around him, weighing him down, leaving Echo feeling he could not go back to the Rebels or Rex either.  He skimmed enough credits from various Empire accounts that he was able to buy himself a ship, which he then modified. He decided he would find, no matter the firewalls, every scrap of video or information regarding his lost brothers (all of them). That they would not be forgotten. When he found information that was pertinent to the Rebels, or the Bad Batch  he would send it along, but he now worked alone.

Thief: Reva. After the purge Reva hid for hours under the bodies of her friends. Before it was dark enough that her movement would not immediately give her away. Then weeks creeping through the lower levels of the temple before she could find a way to escape (All the while the giggles of her friend echoed in her head- This part of the temple had always been off limits and they had all talked about being big and strong and facing what was waiting in the dark-Reva did not feel big and strong now, but there was nothing more in the dark she feared). She taught herself to step soundlessly, barely touching the ground. She taught herself how to make herself small, or just big enough (just enough to wedge herself into a small, high, space).  It is amazing what one can learn if survival is on the line. Those hours coveted in the blood of her friends, the Force echoing with the horror her family was experiencing, then the weeks in the dark tunnels changed Reva irrevocably. Before she can be found by the Empire, she is found by a Master thief who sees in her his chance to pass on his legacy (Reva is just the right kind of broken).

Now that we have our cast, let’s look at how they come together. 

I love the Leverage Pilot, so let’s use that as a Framework.

Cody is drinking on Ord Mantell, approximately 14 BBY or 985 AAR,  when he is approached a Falleen Noble, who wants to hire him to run a job (though I do not know what the Falleen noble would say, I do imagine Cody saying Nate’s line “You know that part of the conversation where I punch you in the neck nine or ten times? We’re coming up on that pretty quick”). The Noble has hired Boba, Echo, and Reva as the rest of the crew.  The job is to steal back some plans (let's be honest this job does not matter much).  

The Job goes well, but when Echo mentions how well it went, he gets the brush off. Due to the fact that Cody still does not know about the chips, every other member of the crew has issues with clones. We speed run through the Falleen noble gathering them together for one last betrayal and an explosion. 

They wake up in a med ward. All of their DNA is being run. This is bad news. Standard panel would show that Reva is Force Sensitive (though no one else in the room knows that). It would also mark the other three as clones (Even Boba). Though the Empire does not particularly care about employing Clones, they would still pay handsomely for escaped clones.

This is where we veer slightly.  

Reva’s panic in the Force draws the attention of Obi Wan, calling himself Ben right now.  Enough time has passed (and enough has happened that all of their Force signatures had changed) that Ben only just recognizes Echo, and no one else.   For a single moment Ben hesitates, they are not his business (Ben also does not know why he was shot at) and are possibly his enemies.  But there was Echo, familiar if only just, and with him someone who was Force sensitive. A young force sensitive (in Ben’s mind anyone who is the right age that they could have been in the council room that day was someone to protect, because he failed those initiates). 

Ben is very good at grifting, so is easily able to get the four out of there (They also do not recognize him) and get them to a safe house.  There are several moments of uncomfortable silence before Ben greets Echo with a teasing, “Hello There Echo” in his real accent and voice. 

Cody is the one who frowns and peers at Ben (clean shaven), because it couldn’t be…

Echo asks who Ben is, Ben smiles sadly and says “I suppose it has been many years since Skako”

This told Echo next to nothing (he’s been back to Skako Minor a couple of times since the war) but Cody just straight up sits on the floor in shock (Trying to say general and Obi Wan and you’re alive all at once-it is a little unintelligible). When Ben looks directly at Cody for the first time (Ben can’t quite let himself focus on any of the clones, for fear of what he would see)  he realizes exactly who it is.

Ben, by sheer happenstance, manages to sit in a chair. This is followed by Echo needing to explain about the chips and order 66 (“There was what in my head!?!”/”You all had what in your heads?!?”).

I picture them absentmindedly destroying Falleen Noble, in a similar way to the show. They do it because he tried to kill them/did not pay them (Ben took that personally for all of them- Cody: He tried to kill us, that is a bit more important than not paying up Ben<waving a hand>:Trying to kill you is nothing, but not paying you is just rude.) 

I picture that they decide they might as well stay together, and grow into a found family (with Codywan being the exhausted parents) traveling around to help people ala leverage. They cannot and do not start going after the empire immediately. None of them want to draw the attention of the Empire, but if some of their jobs do include liberating people and occasionally planets, well they just have to be careful to not bite off more than they can chew and not to leave any tracks. They also do stop at Tatooine every so often (It turns out Owen likes Ben an awful lot more when he is not camped out in their backyard) so Luke knows them.  

I imagine that when Leia is kidnapped, a few years later, Bail is still able to reach Ben. The Leverage crew immediately go to save her. It is during this that it becomes known that Reva had been in the Temple, had been in the council room. This is very swiftly followed by the realization that Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader (which none of the crew had known).

This…This is what circles them back around to take on the Empire (a cross between Leverage Season 3 and Leverage Season 4). They still work to help people, but it becomes more pointed. Throughout their new self appointed mission, Ben starts to train Reva, to help her overcome the trauma of the Purge.  

As they are now acting more deliberately against the Empire they begin to come across more familiar faces. Rebels (including Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor). Bail reintroduces them to Fulcrum (Ahsoka has mixed feelings about Obi Wan in particular. He challenges the way she remembers Anakin with rosy glasses). 

It certainly ends with Palpatine staring in abject shock as his empire burns around him.  Vader is being escorted to get correctly fitting prosthetics, from which he will go to prison. Bail ends up taking the Emperor position to start working on turning the Empire back to a Republic. 

Our team keeps going on finding people who need…Leverage

My favorite way that Palpatine shot himself in the foot is in Read the Fine Print  where Palptines first domino was his last, because he did not pay attention to a sub clause in the treaty. 

That was fun. Thank you @somestorythoughts

[halfagonyandhope]

when the skies catch fire │ch. 42

first chapter (x); previous chapter (x)

Obi-Wan comes to slowly. A moment later, he feels the full extent of his headache and wishes he were still unconscious.

“General?”

Obi-Wan blinks.

He knows that voice. 

It sounds so similar to so many others, but he knows this one.

“Cody?” he says - or tries to. It comes out as raspy as Ventress’ normal speaking voice. He manages to keep his eyes open long enough to catch a glimpse of a tan face and ebony hair, the latter partially obscured by a bulky bandage covering the man’s right temple. 

And though every bone in his body is aching, every muscle sore, Obi-Wan tries to sit up.

He doesn’t succeed until Cody’s sure hands grip his shoulders and help prop him against the back of the bunk.

“You’ve looked better,” says Cody, and he’s almost cheerful. “Commander Tano says you’ve overdone it with missions in the past standard month. She told me to remind you that you’re still healing.”

Obi-Wan rests his head against the wall, reaching up with one hand to grip Cody’s shoulder, vaguely taking in that he’s in one of the cabins on the Ghost. He glances at Cody's bandage again. “You had your chip removed?”

Cody nods. “A few hours ago. But believe it or not, I actually left Imperial service a while back - well, I tried to. They shipped me off to Serenno before I managed to go AWOL.”

Obi-Wan gapes at him. “Your chip was fully functional,” he says, astonished. “You managed to override it?”

“Good soldiers may follow orders,” says Cody, “but good men know when they shouldn’t.” He’s looking down, his tone soft. Then he meets Obi-Wan’s gaze again. “I wanted to apologize - ”

“Not necessary,” Obi-Wan grunts.

“General, if you hadn't left the Jedi when you did, I would have tried to kill you - ”

Instead of letting this continue, Obi-Wan pulls him in for a hug, which succeeds in shutting Cody up. Cody is initially tense against him, but his shoulders relax in acceptance after a few moments, and his arms move to rest on Obi-Wan’s back.

Obi-Wan closes his eyes tightly. 

He’s not sure he’ll ever understand the magnitude of what Cody was able to do, how gargantuan a task it was to walk away, but he’s sure it’s one that very few clones could accomplish. 

Obi-Wan pulls back, dropping his hands to his side. Cody’s hands return to Obi-Wan’s shoulders, and he looks at Obi-Wan with concern.

“Are you alright, Obi-Wan?” he asks, dropping the honorific, and he immediately has Obi-Wan’s attention.

Obi-Wan laughs darkly. “Now that is a question,” he says. 

He considers this a while before he responds.

“Can I say that I don’t know?” he eventually asks, and Cody’s dark brown eyes somehow convey his understanding. “So much has happened, and I’m finding it difficult to keep up without being overwhelmed.”

Cody squeezes Obi-Wan’s shoulders gently and moves to sit down next to him.

“There’s so much I need to ask you about,” says Obi-Wan, “and so much I need to tell you.” He swallows. “The healer at our base diagnosed me with PTSD. But I found it…difficult to talk to anyone. I tried, obviously. I am trying. But I don’t think anyone will ever really understand the way I think you will.”

Cody nods. “I think I get it. It’s not like the Empire was giving out diagnoses, but I’m sure I have the same. The clones - we shared remedies, ways that we would cope. I’ll teach you what I know.”

There’s a calm that settles around them, and Obi-Wan nods, grateful. He gestures to Cody’s head. “If you got your chip removed, then Wrecker and Tech must have successfully stolen the medical equipment from Dooku’s fortress?”

Cody grins. “Affirmative,” he says. “We stopped on Dathomir to switch ships, and while we were there, we tested the med tech. Worked like a charm.” His grin grows wider.

“How long have we been in hyperspace?” asks Obi-Wan, suddenly anxious. “I promised Satine I would send word - ”

“We notified the Rebellion before we entered hyperspace,” says Cody. “We’ve got a few hours before we arrive.” At Obi-Wan’s concerned look, he adds, “You were out for a long while. We gave you fluids - you’d really overdone it.”

Obi-Wan scrubs a hand over his face. “Satine’s going to kill me.”

“Nah,” says Cody. “I’ll make sure no harm comes to you.” Then he looks flummoxed for a moment. “How do I address her now?” he asks. “I understand she’s no longer a duchess, but I also get the feeling she outranks us all.”

Obi-Wan chuckles. “She does,” he agrees. “But you don’t need to address us by rank, Cody. She’s just Satine now.”

Cody’s eyes flash down to Obi-Wan’s left hand. “Hmm,” he says, considering. “Seems like perhaps she lost a title but also gained one?”

“I would have invited you to be a witness,” says Obi-Wan, “but there was no ceremony, and there was the not insignificant matter of me thinking that you’d sworn allegiance to the Empire.”

Cody bellows out a laugh, and Obi-Wan has to chuckle alongside him.

“Speaking of former Imperial agents, how is Quinlan?” Obi-Wan asks.

“Ventress and Commander - ”

At Obi-Wan’s pointed look, Cody rephrases.

“Ventress and Ahsoka are with him on the Banshee,” says Cody. “He’d woken up before we made the jump to hyperspace.”

Something in his tone makes Obi-Wan tense.

“Vos is okay,” Cody assures him. “But he’s been through hell. They had to sedate him. They’ll bring him back to when they can more closely monitor him without needing to split their attention with piloting the ship and navigating hyperspace lane jumps.”

Obi-Wan breathes deeply, smiling faintly. “Have things finally gone our way for once?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves there,” says Cody, but he’s smiling, too.

---

Knowing Satine is waiting for him, Obi-Wan makes sure to depart the Ghost as soon as it lands. Sure enough, Satine’s ash blonde hair is the first thing he sees upon disembarking, her arms tight around his torso the first thing he feels.

Conscious of the eyes of onlookers, Obi-Wan just presses his lips softly to her jaw before pulling back, taking the cane she’s offered him. Satine immediately moves to pull Cody toward her, embracing him just as fiercely as she’d hugged Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan chuckles at his look of surprise, but Cody pulls himself together quickly, returning the hug.

“Cody,” she breathes, stepping back from him, clearly taking in the bandage still covering his temple. “It is so good to see you again.”

“Likewise, ma’am,” says Cody, and Satine rolls her eyes at the honorific.

“I’m in debt to you for the countless times you’ve saved my husband’s life,” says Satine. “I think we can move past ‘ma’am’.”

“Copy that, ma’am.”

She sighs, and Obi-Wan just shrugs.

“What is the latest on Quinlan?” Satine asks, her eyes moving to the Banshee, which has just touched down beside the Ghost. 

“They’re going to wake him once the landing checklist is complete,” says Cody.

“Where’s Neha?” Obi-Wan scans the hangar, looking for the Mandalorian Jedi. “I think it wise to have as many Force users near as possible. Just in case.”

Satine places her hand on his elbow. “I’ve sent for her. She’ll be in the hangar shortly.” When Obi-Wan’s eyes still wander, Satine murmurs, “Léa is with her grandparents. I can send for them, too, if you’d like.”

Obi-Wan swallows but shakes his head. “I’ll see her soon,” he says, satisfied. “But I’d like to be with Quinlan when he wakes.” He holds Satine’s gaze. “In the meantime, would you mind introducing Cody to…well, everyone? I have a feeling he’ll be a great asset to Elzar on supply runs, once he’s had a chance to settle in and rest, of course.” His eyes glance over to Cody. “That is, if you want to stay?”

“Not even a question.” Cody practically beams, and Obi-Wan sends him a soft smile, placing his palm on his friend’s shoulder. 

“We’ll catch up more later, then,” Obi-Wan promises, pulling Cody close for another hug. This time, Cody doesn’t look surprised, and he welcomes the embrace. A moment later, they’ve parted, and Obi-Wan makes his way over to the Banshee.

He boards the ramp and heads to the holding cells, one of which is open. Ventress and Ahsoka sit on the floor, cross-legged, one on either side of a much-too-small cot.

Upon the cot, of course, is Quinlan.

Obi-Wan breathes in sharply, taking in the bandages to Quinlan’s skin, echoes somewhere in the universe reminding him of his own healing wounds. He’d suspected to find something similar, though he had hoped Quinlan would be spared the same struggle of returning to health.

Quinlan is naked from the waist up, a gas mask covering his mouth and nose to keep him unconscious. His locs are longer than Obi-Wan remembers, and his distinctive yellow facial tattoo appears to have faded somewhat. His skin, too, looks less vibrant - it is far paler than usual, nothing like his healthy, warm brown.

At that moment, Neha appears at Obi-Wan's shoulder, and then Yona behind her.

Ventress looks up at Obi-Wan, and he nods.

She removes the gas mask.

It takes a few moments, but Quinlan begins to come to. His fingers flex, and then he groans. Finally, his eyelids flutter open.

“Vos?” asks Ventress, and it is the most vulnerable Obi-Wan thinks he has ever seen her.

Quinlan has eyes for no one but her. “Asajj.” And he reaches out, searching, as though trying to find her hand.

Ventress grips his fingers between her palms. 

“You’re going to feel weird for a while, Master Vos,” says Ahsoka. “We had to sever your connection to the Force to bring you back.”

“Weirder than normal?” Quinlan asks, his voice slurring slightly, and Obi-Wan thinks Ventress fights back a sob.

“Yes, Vos. I didn’t think it was possible for you, but here we are.”

Quinlan shakily pulls Ventress’ hands up, so he can kiss first one set of knuckles and then the other. “You came back for me,” he whispers, and the waves of his voice sound like they’ve somehow been mixed with gravel.

Ventress leans over him, placing her forehead on his chest. 

“I never wanted to leave you,” she says.

“So don’t do it again, okay?” Quinlan says weakly.

“Deal,” says Ventress, and she straightens up.

Quinlan seems to finally register who else is beside him. “Padawan Tano?” he asks, brow furrowing with recognition and confusion.

Obi-Wan steps forward. “Ahsoka has passed her Trials, Quinlan,” he says. “She’s as much a Knight as you or I.”

“Kenobi.” Quinlan somehow manages to grin. “You helped with my rescue? No wonder it took so long. You were paying me back for me never being on time at our check-ins.”

“I assumed you being late was payback for me suggesting you for the mission in the first place,” says Obi-Wan, leaning on his cane. “I shouldn’t have, just so we’re clear. I am sorry.”

Quinlan shakes his head. “I don’t regret it,” he says firmly.

Then he looks over at Ventress again, still holding tight to her hands.

“I don’t regret one moment of it.”

[ficfinder-general]

I'm new to Codywan. Doyou have a list of Must Reads or Fandom Classics or anything like that? (Bonus points for longfic!)

Funnily enough, I'm not sure I'm an expert on Fandom Classics, but I do think that the long Clone Wars rewrites/fix-its are a perfect way to start! (And then you can move on to shorter fics and crazy AUs haha) So these are all longer, and can be fit into TCW continuity, even if they diverge at some point because the writers can't help themselves and will fix canon (as they should).

{recs under the cut, please mind the tags listed on ao3}

in our hearts some ancient song by whimsicalimages (@keensers)- Fives discovers the chips, he's on the run and gambles his life on the assumption that there's something going on between Cody and his general, so they would help him. Some amazing lore in this fic. 40k words

Golden Shield of Brightness by NerJetii (@nerjetii)- Soulmate AU, your soulmates' (romantic and platonic) names are written on your wrists. "Only" 15k, but I would recommend it even if you're not a fan of soulmate AUs (=they don't fall into each other's arms just because they're soulmates). Focuses on Obi-Wan, mostly, but we also learn a bit about how the Kaminoans treated the clones.

I am teaching myself how to be free by tattooedgreenhouse (@gershwyndl) - this might be THE Clone Wars rewrite for me because the author has taken upon themselves to literally retell the whole series from Cody's AND Obi-Wan's POV. It's ambitious, I'm pretty sure it's technically canon compliant, but we do get our happy ending. Appropriately, it's 113k long.

i'll orbit your flickering star by sunskippa (@sunskippa) - Also a Clone Wars rewrite (by this I mean that it goes through the events of the series from Cody's POV), also canon compliant, 78k words. Might be my favourite ending in the genre, beautiful. I don't even know how to sell this, but it's a must-read imo

|to failure sweet victor| by littlekaracan (@cillyscribbles)- 20k words. In case you've read all those rewrites and you just want to skip to the part where Cody leaves the Empire and they find each other again on Tatooine *with a twist*

you read my mind, I'll read yours series by sospes - This is very much canon divergent. Starts off as a mission fic, Cody and Obi-Wan discover an artefact that creates a Force-bond between them. Misunderstandings ensue. Look at the tags/ratings, some of the works later on are spicier/angstier. But you could also read the first one and call it a day if those aren't your jam. (The whole thing is 166k long at the moment.)

will you be an anarchist with me? by a_alene (@birdiedoessw) - an outsider POV (Rex's) on Cody's and Obi-Wan's relationship. With the extra twist that they can't stand each other at the beginning of the war. This is something I would've loved to read when I was getting into codywan, it's a great way to start. (25k words)

shoulder the sky series by Night Fury (@shootingstarpilot) - Last but not least, an ongoing series (all but two works are finished, more than 200k words atm). You'll have to "get through" the first work to read the more codywan-focused fics (and I don't mean this in a bad way because the story is a m a z i n g. Just so you know.) To be honest, I think it might be a bit confusing to read at the moment because as far as I can see a work was removed from the series, but it's still up? I'm not sure what happened there, but I suppose you could simply read all the author's works in chronological order :D This series is pretty much Obi-Wan AND clone troopers focused and relies a lot on the Jedi Apprentice series (which isn't canon anymore) but you're gonna be fine if you haven't read it.

(If anyone reads this, please feel free to add your own suggestions!)

[leapingbadger]

The Conspiracy - Chapter 10

Summary: Obi Wan once again disagrees with the council while Hunter struggles to come to terms with his perceived failings.

Read on AO3

“So, you are saying the threat has abated?” Ki-Adi-Mundi said in his hushed voice. The Council chamber swam in the bright light of the afternoon sun. Obi Wan shifted uncomfortably in his robes, pulling at the neck of them more than once as though he hadn’t been wearing them most of his life.

“I’m afraid not, Master Mundi. Cody and Crosshair seem to have returned to themselves but the risk to every other clone in the GAR remains.”

“I thought you said only two of the clones in your quarters turned. If more were present and didn’t ‘activate’ then why would the rest of the army be at risk?” Mace Windu asked.

As always, Obi Wan straightened under his deep penetrating stare. He shuffled as he stroked his beard. This was all hearsay and theory at this point, but regardless, he had to get across the danger they were all still very much in.

“Most were from Clone Force 99. Their squad members are inherently different than standard clones. Tech theorizes that this additional manipulation of their genetic code may have made the chips inactive in some of them.”

“And Echo? He was an ARC Trooper. Shouldn’t he have reacted the same as Commander Cody?” Mace pressed.

Obi Wan bristled. “Yes, in theory. However, Echo sustained significant injuries while being held captive by Wat Tambor and the Separatists. Again, Tech believes the modifications made to him during this time may have wiped any Kaminoan programming.”

“A lot of theories, there seem to be.” Master Yoda said, jabbing his walking stick to emphasize his words.

“I agree, but I believe it would behoove us to conduct further research, humanely, off course.” Obi Wan said, his eyes narrowing as the image of Cody snarling, his bloody wrists straining against restraints, flashed before his eyes. “I also believe the Senate should be made aware.”

A number of heads turned, and low mumbling conversations took over the room.

“The Senate has their hands full with this abrupt transition. Chancellor Organa may not be able to manage an additional challenge on top of his already full plate.”

Obi Wan adjusted his posture, his hands settling on his hips. “Surely that is not for us to decide. They must be made aware so they can care for the Clone army. If we plan to remove the chips from the clones, it will need to be a coordinated effort by the senate.”

“Obi Wan. We do not have the resources to remove the chips from every clone in existence. It would be monumental task.”

Obi Wan looked around the room, hoping for some support. He noticed Aayla Secura nod for him to continue, her blue lekku swinging around her shoulders. Feeling buoyed by her nonverbal support, he continued.

“We created this army. We have a responsibility to these men. Not only to ensure they maintain their free will, which I assure you, is threatened as long as these chips remain embedded in their heads. We also must come up with a plan for what happens now that the war is over. In truth, we should have been working on that all along. What will these men do now? Where will they live? How will they survive? Who will provide for them?”

“All are good questions. Obi Wan, but none of them can we answer today.” Mace said with finality.

“Then why am I here?” Obi Wan asked acidly.

He noticed Mace and Yoda trade a look and took a deep, soothing breath. He hadn’t wanted to leave Cody. Hadn’t wanted to be apart from him for a second and yet he was dragged across the city for another meeting of posturing and unanswered questions.

“We would like a full written report of the incident from you, squad 99, and Commander Cody. We will use that information to inform our next steps with the Senate. Until then, Commander Cody will be restricted to your quarters once released from medical and may not be left alone.”

Obi Wan was taken aback. “Is he under arrest?” Obi Wan asked curtly.

Windu’s eyes fell to his shoes before looking up, “not yet.” He said.

“I would remind you that Cody has done nothing wrong. His actions were not his own. Neither were Crosshair’s.”

“Understand that, we do.” Master Yoda said. “Still, cautious we must be.”

A lack of sleep had left Obi Wan’s nerves frayed. He took a deep breath to center himself. “I will inform him myself.” Obi Wan said as he turned to leave.

“Obi Wan,” he reluctantly turned back to face Master Windu. “The council appreciates your leadership on this matter.”

Obi Wan bit back a retort and chose to nod instead. The murmurs returned as he left the room. Perhaps this was not his best performance in front of the council, although given the events of the last day or so he felt it was the best he was capable of providing.

He took a deep, steadying breath, something he had done repeatedly since the incident to try and maintain some form of composure. It seemed to become more difficult every time. He wasn’t sure he had ever felt so untethered, not since his Master’s death all those years ago. But as he strode out of the temple and into the warm afternoon air he felt himself relax in the knowledge that he would soon be reunited with Cody and his heart would be full once more.

Hunter yawned and shook his head in an attempt to keep his eyes open. The room was dark except for the sparkling lights of the city beyond the window. He rose from his chair and stepped between the beds where Crosshair and Wrecker respectively were sleeping. The latter’s snores filling the room.

Hunter’s eyes briefly went to his other brothers, each spread out of a bunk rather than leave Crosshair and sleep on the Marauder. As usual, Hunter kept watch. Although if there was any place it would be safe for them all to sleep, it was here.

Omega had taken one of the beds on the other side of the room. She was curled up like a loth cat under the covers, the silver medallion that had hung on her forehead clutched in her hand instead. Hunter’s eyes lingered as her blonde hair shone like stardust in the moonlight.

“What’s with you and the kid?” Crosshair’s tart whisper made Hunter jump, something not easily done with his enhanced senses, but he was tired and not at the top of his game. He really needed to get some sleep.

“Nothing. She needs help, that’s all.”

Crosshair’s eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the room. His probing stare searching for the secrets Hunter kept to himself. Hunter picked up the chair he had been sitting in and brought it to his bedside.

“You’ve always been a terrible liar, Hunter.” Crosshair said with a smirk.

“I’m good enough to beat you at Sabaac.” He replied.

“Hmm…occasionally.”

“How are you feeling?” Hunter asked quietly.

Crosshair shrugged, “fine.”

“You’re a pretty bad liar yourself, you know.” Hunter replied stoically.

Crosshair rolled his eyes, “they dug in my brain and yanked something out. How do you think I feel?”

“Fair enough.”

“’You can’t be serious about keeping the kid.” Crosshair said, all tact forgotten.

Hunter shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “someone’s got to look after her. We can’t send her back to the Kaminoans.”

“Yes, but why does that person have to be you?”

“She needs us. She’s one of us”

“No, she’s not.”

“Cross…”

“Hunter, she is not your responsibility.”

“You want the Kaminoans to pick her apart like they did us?”

Crosshair crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. “We survived.”

“Did we? Did you?” Hunter asked, his temper fraying.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I’m just tired.”

“No, what did it mean?” Crosshair asked aggressively.

“Look at her.” He noticed Crosshair’s eyes flick to Omega’s bed before meeting Hunter’s again, “She’s you. She’s who you used to be. Before they separated us, before the testing, and the pokes, and the electrodes, the experiments and the solitary confinement. That’s what you were like as a cadet. Don’t you remember? You used to smile, you used to kriffin’ laugh.” Hunter said, his voice threatening to rise above a whisper.

“I laugh.” Crosshair said defensively.

Hunter sighed heavily, the grief he had buried so deep for so long threatening to overwhelm him. “I sorry I couldn’t protect you, Cross. I failed to keep you safe. I can’t let them hurt her, change her, the way they changed you.”

“What the kriff are you talking about? He said, sitting up straighter as he took in his older brother. Hunter had folded in on himself, his shoulders rounded with an invisible weight.

“You changed. I couldn’t protect you from the Kaminoans. From the testing, from the darkness and it fundamentally changed who you are.” He rambled. Hunter felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Was this panic? His stomach felt like it was twisted into knots, and his voice tight in his throat.

“What’s wrong with who I am now?” Crosshair spat.

“Nothing.” Hunter said hurriedly, knowing that whatever he was trying to say he wasn’t able to get it out in anything other than the jumble of sleep deprived nonsense currently falling from his mouth “Nothing, Cross. I just wish I was able to protect you. Make it better for you, that’s all.”

“Hunter. You were decanted a day before I was. You’re a kriffin idiot if you think you had a responsibility to protect me when you were a child yourself. Don’t forget your cadet days. Zapped with electricity, exposed to infrared and electromagnetic fields. We’re all karked up. The Kaminoans made sure of that.”

Hunter sat up a little straighter and wiped his hands over his face.

“You know I could write you up for calling me an idiot.” He said with a shaky grin.

“You basically called me defective.” Crosshair retorted with a scowl.

“I didn’t mean It that way.”

“I know. But you are an idiot. You want to keep the kid, It’s crazy. Anyone would think you just had brain surgery.”

Hunter laughed, “well that might happen sooner rather than later.”

“Good, maybe it’ll prod some sense into you.” Crosshair said, his tone harsh but the corner of his lips ticked up, highlighting the sharp angles of his face.

“I am sorry, Cross, that you had to go through all this…losing control. Losing yourself.”

“Do we know why it didn’t work on the rest of you?”

“Not yet, but Tech’s looking into it. Said he might need your help with the research.”

“As long as he doesn’t try and dissect me, that’s fine.”

Hunter laughed. “It Is really good to have you back, you know.”

“It’s good to be back. I…” he hesitated, before pressing on. “I remember it. All of it. I could see you all, know it was you, know who Kenobi was and it didn’t matter…”

Hunter didn’t know how to respond. Again, another thing he couldn’t fix. He couldn’t make Crosshair feel better. “I’ll let you get some sleep.” Hunter said. Crosshair nodded as Hunter stood and walked to the vacant bed opposite.

“Hunter, it wasn’t your fault. That…that kid, he’s still here. I just hid him away.”

“You don’t have to hide who you are for anyone Cross, especially us.”

“Even if this is who I am?”

“There’s nothing wrong with who you are, Cross. That’s not what I was trying to say. If anyone on the squad needs a personality transplant it’s me.” He said with a chuckle.

“Too right.” The sniper said with a grin.

“Night, Cross.”

“Night, idiot.”

The covers of the bed were warm and crisp. Hunter watched the dust float in the beam of moonlight illuminating the room until eventually his eyelids became to heavy to hold open and he finally allowed himself to succumb to sleep.

[kotemf]

Codywan week - day 1

This is my fill for the first day of @codywanweek. You can read here, on Wattpad (https://www.wattpad.com/1467166344-codywan-week-2024-day-1), or on Ao3 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/57917695). Hope you like it :).

  Prompt: different order 66, lightsaber / lightsaber training, truth spell/serum

  Obi-Wan was sitting on an uncomfortable plastic chair in the med bay, right next to Cody's bed, and reading through the messages on his data pad.

  The war just ended. They killed general Grievous, the last high ranking CIS officer. There was no one to lead the droid army now. Most of the remaining Separatist forces surrendered or ran. The few who were still trying to fight were quickly dealt with.

  It didn't have to be like that, though. Not if Palpatine made the call, not if the chips in the clones' brains were activated. Only thanks to commander Fox and the Coruscant Guard, Palpatine's treacherous plot was revealed in the last possible moment. All of the clones were getting their chips removed now, Cody already had his out and should be waking up at any moment.

  Finally, Obi-Wan felt the bright ray of sunshine, that was his commander, wake up in the force. He set the data pad aside in favor of focusing on Cody. He knew from his own experience how dizzy and disorientated the cheap GAR medication could make a person. Cody will be lucky if he remembers his name.

  "Trainer Gilamar?" Cody groaned before he even opened his eyes. Obi-Wan had no idea who that was but he assumed it was one of the mandalorians who trained the clones when they were still little cadets. Poor Cody probably had no idea where he was at the moment.

  "No, Cody, I'm not trainer Gilamar. I'm Obi-Wan. Remember me, darling?"

  "Obi-Wan?" Cody whispered as if he couldn't quite believe it indeed was him. He still hadn't opened his eyes, he probably forgot his eyes were closed. He snuggled into his blanket. "I love Obi-Wan."

  Now that was just sweet. "I love you too, Cody." Obi-Wan stroked Cody's dark hair gently.

  Cody hummed absentmindedly. "I like it when you do that. Can you keep doing that?"

  That had to be an effect of the drugs. Cody was never this honest. He was grateful for what he got, he would never ask for more.

  "You stopped," Cody complained. Another thing that he would never do was there not for the drugs in his system. For the three years they had known each other, Obi-Wan has never heard his commander complain. For the few months they have been secretly dating, his cyare has never complained either.

  "Sorry, love." Obi-Wan continued brushing his fingers through Cody's curls. "How are you feeling?"

  Cody took almost a minute to answer. Obi-Wan was starting to fear that the clone has fallen asleep when Cody spoke again. "My head hurts."

  "Anything more?"

  "'m tired."

  That was perhaps the first time that Cody hasn't tried to hide anything from Obi-Wan. He had a habit of hiding his injuries, staying up until late at night to finish his paper work without saying a word. "Okay. Thank you for being honest with me. Can you open your eyes?"

  "Open my eyes?"

  "Yes, open your eyes. Can you do it for me, love?"

  "Okay," Cody reluctantly agreed. He stretched slowly, sluggishly rolled over so he was lying on his back and then finally opened his eyes. He closed them after mere seconds on blinking at the harsh lights of the med bay. "It's too bright."

  "Do you want me to turn the lights off?"

  "Yes."

  Obi-Wan reached out for the light switch. He hesitated before pressing the button. The room had no windows, the room was going to turn completely dark. Cody didn't like the dark. He never said so outright but Obi-Wan could sense his discomfort when in the dark and he also noticed that Cody often forgot to turn off the small lamp by his bed. How was he going to react to being in pitch darkness in this state? Obi-Wan guessed he will have to try. He turned the lights off. "Better?"

  He couldn't see Cody opening his eyes but he guessed that was what the soldier did. "I can't see anything," Cody panicked. "No. It's too dark. I hate this."

  Then the only thing Obi-Wan could do was to turn the lights back on. Only that was going to hurt Cody's eyes more and possibly even make his head hurt more. Well, there was one more option...

  Obi-Wan lit up his lightsaber. "Is this good?" he asked as the soft blue light illuminated the room."

  "Your lightsaber?"

  "Yes, my lightsaber."

  "You keep loosing it," Cody accused. He was right, Obi-Wan has lost his weapon many times on the battlefield. His commander always found it and brought it back to him. Their last battle on Utapau was no different.

  "I'm lucky enough to have you. You always find it."

  "I always wanted to try to use it."

  "Really?" Why didn't Cody tell him? Obi-Wan would gladly teach him. "Do you want me to show you something."

  "But... lightsabers are for the Jedi."

  "You don't need to be a force user to use a lightsaber. Sit up and give me your hand," Obi-Wan ordered. He put the lightsaber on the training mode before placing it in Cody's hand and gently closing the clone's fingers around the metal handle. "Can you hold it on your own."

  "Yeah." Cody sounded confident. Obi-Wan let go of his hand and let Cody get used to the weight of the saber.

  "This is the basic grip. All younglings learn this," Obi-Wan explained as he guided Cody's arm into the common grip that younglings used when practicing their first katas.

  "Can you teach me more?"

  "When you aren't on bed rest anymore, alright?"

  Cody sighed dramatically. "Bed rest sucks."

  "I know, love, I know." Obi-Wan kissed the top of Cody's head comfortingly before gently removing the lightsaber from Cody's hand. "You will be fine in no time." That's what the medics said. Obi-Wan hoped they were right. He knew how much his cyare hated bed rest.

[awlimagines]

art by @kinokoshoujoart

Day Two - Cody/Gordy

It would be a lie to say Gordy didn’t expect you to say yes when he invited you to join him in ice sculpting. Your unbridled enthusiasm for life was what first caught his eye. So, he knew before asking you would accept regardless of what it was. What he didn’t expect was your competitive nature. Forget-Me-Not Valley didn’t have many events other towns did that involved competition. 

Your frequent insistence that you could do this and to focus on his work had chased Gordy from hovering directly over you. His purple gaze drifted to check on you far too often to know what he was creating at this point. Gordy froze as he prepared to place the finishing touches on his sculpture. Between his last check and this one, you had removed your gloves. A brief panic flooded him as he tried to calculate the time in between. Your fingertips were the bright, angry red of the initial stages of frostbite. 

“Y/N,” Gordy called, his tools dropped and forgotten in the snow to approach you. Gordy gently pulled you away from the ice when you failed to answer or acknowledge him. He tried to ignore your blush as you bumped against him. 

“Gordy, I need to finish. It still looks terrible! You can’t even tell what it is,” you pouted, gazing up at him from beneath your lashes. 

Gordy tore his gaze from your face to examine your ice sculpture instead. He couldn’t let himself be swayed by you so easily. The artist would give you anything you wanted if you kept looking at him in such a way. You had chipped the ice away at solid angles. It wasn’t smooth and perfect, but Gordy could quickly tell what it was. 

“It looks great, especially without sculpting experience—a very charming chicken,” Gordy complimented. 

It matched perfectly with his ice sculpture of a rooster he couldn’t help but note. Your deep blush mixed with a silent protest as he stepped from where you had nestled into his side. Gordy swiftly activated the hand warmer from his pocket before thrusting it between your hands. His hands sandwiched yours as he lowered to blow warm air on your fingertips gently.  Gordy hoped his blush was hidden better than yours as he planned for your next date.

[gospelofme]

Some thoughts about Wolffe in episode 7 of The Bad Batch

It was interesting to see that he’s kept his same armor design. I noticed Cody had kept his more or less, but had changed the color to grey and altered the design slightly. Perhaps Wolffe did so because the Wolfpack is still a thing or perhaps he’s honoring them.

He still has that intimidating reputation. That has obviously carried over from the Republic era to the Imperial era. Even the TK troopers and Commandos respect him (at least to his face). He’s in charge of Commandos, clones, and TK troopers and it’s a clear leadership. There isn’t an Imperial officer breathing down his neck or micromanaging him.

The way he had a “don’t fuck with me” attitude towards the Shadow Operative was classic Wolffe. He obviously doesn’t give a fuck about this guy’s elite training. He’s not afraid of him in any way and I’m confident Wolffe could kick his ass. And I think Wolffe is confident of that as well. I’ll be thinking about the way he walked into and pushed aside the Shadow Operative with his body.

He didn’t bring any TK troopers with him to intercept “the rogue clones”. Only clone troopers. I feel like this was intentional. I think he knew he’d be able to communicate better with other clones if that’s who he brought with him. Plus I wonder if those were the ones he hand selected because he trusts them the most. The TK troopers don’t seem to have an issue answering to him, but I get the impression Wolffe doesn’t trust any non-clone.

We know Wolffe eventually joins up with Rex. I initially thought that maybe he was a double agent, but I feel like he was genuinely shocked Rex was alive. That revelation coupled with the claim of clone experimentation by the Empire could be what sparks that rebellion inside him. I don’t think the Empire lied about Rex being dead (I think they assumed he was because he was recorded to be on the ship when it crashed into the moon). But Wolffe does end up extremely paranoid about the Empire finding them in Rebels, even going so far as to intercept Ahsoka’s messages to Rex, thinking it was a trick by the Empire.

I am hoping that they give us more Wolffe in the coming episodes. Especially since Rex knows Wolffe is alive and can be reasoned with to a degree. I would be disappointed if they don’t really show us how Rex, Gregor, and Wolffe come to be their trio we know in Rebels. Of course that makes me worried for Echo…

I wouldn’t be opposed to Wolffe doing his own investigating and perhaps becoming a double agent for Rex. I’m not sure what level of clearance he has, but he’s high up enough to be sent to order around a classified soldier and retrieve Omega for Hemlock. I’m not sure if he knows that’s who she’s for or if she’s simply wanted and he doesn’t give a fuck why. Because like Rex said, Wolffe was trained to follow orders and not ask why.

Wolffe likely has his inhibitor chip, so Rex would need to figure out a way to remove that. I’m curious as to how they’re doing that, unless they have secured the medical machine used to extract them. I don’t see Rex risking clones that still have their chips around Ahsoka. Plus he seemed really strict on having the Bad Batch remove theirs before even dealing with them. I know I read somewhere that after Order 66 was complete enough for the Emperor that the chips were deactivated, but I’m not sure if that’s current canon or now lore.

[margindoodles2407]

Putting This Here Because The Crosshair Dissertation (tm) Deserves Its Own Post

Edited slightly from its original post because when I wrote the original dissertation I had not yet even begun season 3 and now I have finished the show

Do you think that, prior to Season Three, Crosshair resents Omega?

Do you think that on Kaller and on Kamino, he uses his aggression and his snappish remarks to mask his confusion? Do you think he worries for his brothers, the brothers he loves so much, wondering why they can’t just follow orders? Don’t they know it’s for their own good, for the galaxy’s good? Doesn’t Hunter know he’s just making things harder for himself and Wrecker and Echo and Tech by stubbornly refusing to do what they’re told? Maybe he’s not fit to lead, if he’s so selfish he’d defy direct orders and drag his brothers down with him. And why don’t Wrecker and Echo and Tech understand they don’t have to go along with it? Why is he, Crosshair, the only one with any sense at all?

And do you think that when this little girl comes along and starts following his squad around like a lost Tooka-kit, and for some reason they’re all smitten with her, he starts to get jealous? Do you think that, after his procedure, he confronts his brothers at the landing platform and he can’t understand why they’d choose some girl they barely know over their own batchmate? Do you think he looks at Omega and sees a kid who’s everything he isn’t- a girl who’s young and cheerful and optimistic and kind- and realizes that his own brothers are replacing him? They must be. They didn’t follow orders, what ever made him think they’d honor their code of loyalty? They left their own behind. And for what? Some kid?

And do you think when he tracks them to Bracca and his head is burned so badly that his chip has to be removed, he realizes that his vision wasn’t as clear as he’d thought, but he’s already done so much, he’s already too far gone, and anyway, they’d never take him back? They’ve replaced him. They don’t need him. And do you think when Kamino’s sinking, and he’s proven wrong again- they do want him, they do miss him- he keeps sticking his neck out for Omega, not because he cares about HER, but because she means something to them? Hunter asks him to come back. And do you think he wants to go? Do you think he wants to go so badly, so much it hurts? But then he sees her- his replacement, he tells himself- and he’s been wrong about so many things, and it’s sick and twisted, but he wants to be right, he needs to be right about something, anything, so he latches on to that. He needs them to hate him, he needs them to replace him so that for once he can be right. So he stays, and they leave, and that’s the last time he’ll see them for a while.

And do you think everything he does until Mount Tantiss is a bitter reminder of what he threw away because he needed his brothers to abandon him? Do you think Cody’s disappearance is just as much a shot to the heart as losing his batch? Do you think he drags Mayday, dying, through the snow, and when he holes the two of them up under a snow drift because he cannot physically take another step he aches from the strain but also because this is the closest he’s been to another human being since the war? And do you think he stumbles back to the Imperial base, and Mayday dies because the Empire doesn’t care, and finally, finally, Crosshair can see clearly, so he shoots a lieutenant square through the chest and lets himself be dragged away because he is just too tired? Too broken? And do you think he lays on Hemlock’s medical tables drowning in his own regret? And do you think the whole time from Kamino to now he’s quietly resented Omega, because if she weren’t there he wouldn’t have had to justify his sick sick mind, and do you think he’s much more loudly resented himself because he knows that’s not fair? Because he knows it’s not her fault, and she didn’t ask for any of this? And do you think he misses his brothers? He misses his brothers. He wants to help his brothers. He can’t escape, he’ll never see them again, but he can give them warning. He can try to do one small thing to make it up for all the things he did to drive them apart forever.

(And do you think that he knows? Do you think, Force-less as he is, that part of him feels it as Tech falls from the rail car? Or do you think he’s too numb, too blind and deaf already with his grief and the terrible pain?)

But what do you think he thinks when Omega comes to Tantiss? When she seeks him out, when she makes a point to see him every day? When she talks of escape? Why would she care? Why should she care? He certainly doesn’t care about her, he never has. Until very recently he hated her.

So why is she so determined not to hate him?

Do you think that, prior to Season Three, Crosshair resents Omega?

Do you think that, as she's so determined not to leave him behind- as she risks her own neck and her own chance for escape, just for him- as the two of them are thrust together to get each other off of Tantiss, and suddenly have to fall back on nothing but blind trust for each each other- he can’t bring himself to anymore?