Chapter Text
“I think that’s the last of it,” Caleb beams at him as he unloads the last box, marked ‘shirts’, off the droid skiff, “And speaking of shirts, your two shirts and three vests are in one of the drawers. Once you find them just place that drawer outside with the other furniture and the droids will pick them up for storage.”
“Thanks Caleb.” Cody nods, taking the box from him, and with a jaunty salute the boy’s gone.
Stepping back out of the doorframe, the door softly slides shut in front of him and Cody can’t stop the childish, stupidly wide grin from breaking across his face. But he only allows it for a few moments more before managing it into a smaller, but no less content, smile. Looking around the living room and kitchen space Cody is pulled to the balcony windows and their spectacular views.
He chose the same side as Echo, eastward, and like his cousin’s room, the space was wide and airy, everything colored in lights beiges and cream colors with the option to add any other color if they so choose. While he wasn’t happy with his apartment back on Courscant, the deep browns and dark metal that had shown through in his walls hadn’t created the most inviting environment.
Call him an architectural snob, but he liked the feeling of openness, even when he was inside.
The cramped space of Courscant just didn’t have that. Its liminal, narrow or small spaces presented a wonder for some, but only for so long. Being able to walk out onto a balcony and see, feel, and taste nothing but freshness was a pure delicacy. Even more so with the apartment he had been given.
Two levels above Echo, Cody got, in his opinion, the best view of the canyon the Temple sat on. With the building sitting in the middle ground of one of the micro-mountain ranges, the apartments on this side of the canyon were able to see where the cliffs dropped off, and at the right moment at sunrise it was like the viewer was stepping down the gorge into the golden sun.
Opening the sliding doors to let in the almost too crisp air, Cody breathes in the sense of citrus based cleaning agents, the fresh mildly humid air, and the rustic tone of clay mixing faintly with all of it as well.
The aroma of serenity.
Now, if only that applied to the rest of his new apartment.
Tuning into the irritated squabbling, his lips pitching up into a quick smirk at hearing Rex and Echo rib at each other once again. They had always had a competitive streak – Well, they all did – but the match-ups were always the most confusing and usually came with an equally silly story.
He leaves them to complain about the best way to set up the bathroom as he looks for the JEDI branded vest. Most of the furniture that came with the apartment had been moved into one spot, left of the front door, ready to be moved out into the hall. After rifling through the third drawer he finds them, putting the two shirts in the box he still has and laying the other two vests on top of the box as he shrugs the last one on.
Then make his way to the belly of the beast.
Cody sees Echo setting up the narrow closet with linens while Rex was putting cleaning chemicals underneath the sink. He has a quip on the tip of his tongue about Rex losing the argument when he catches his reflection in the mirror across from him. Seeing himself in the vest, the JEDI symbol of a stylized Yasaburō crane rising up into the air, wings spread, with an equally stylized host star, Kyber, in the center emblazoned over his heart in a deep green outlined by gold, Cody notices how much more alive he seems. Not shying away from his own reflection at all. It makes this all the more real and worth it in a way that the signing off on the procedural transition a few weeks prior hadn’t.
“You look good Cody.”
Eyes ungluing themselves from the glass, he sees Echo’s smile and Rex giving him a thumbs up as well.
“Thanks,” He says faintly, but meaning it, their grins soften towards him, “But I came in here to just say ‘you break it, you buy it’,” Both of them rolling their eyes at him, “but thank you for doing this.”
“No problem Codes. I wanted to help.” Rex shrugs lightly.
“We.” Echo amends, lifting a pointed eyebrow.
“I said what I did.” Rex smirks, it growing as their cousin fails to smother his own smile.
“Anyway, I’ll be back at the end of the day — ”
“Or we’ll kidnap your workaholic shebs.”
“— and I’ll kick you out it seems, if you keep this up.”
Rex lifts his eyebrows, as if to say ‘oh, really’, while Echo flat out scoffs at him. Lifting his own eyebrow in discontent at this disrespect, his own home even, Cody —
“You should get going if you don’t want to be late.” Echo cuts into his thoughts.
Smirking, he can already taste the victory of telling his cousin he’s wrong and that he had plenty of time, only for the younger to grin sharply and say,
“Obi-Wan’s shuttle from Foelu should be landing right about now.”
Foelu, Dai’s snow moon, is where Obi-Wan had been for the past two weeks going over how to rework the method of enticing tauntauns to mate as last year’s season hadn’t yielded the results the team was looking for. The redhead hadn’t been thrilled when they last talked, not wanting to deal with the sudden cold snap he was going to put his body through, but with the ongoing dispute between Pantorans and the Talz settling down it was the best time to grow the tauntaun population as the Talz had suffered greatly in this feud. One of their near losses was a vital food supply. Obi-Wan had been adamant that he’d be apart of helping with this recovery for reasons Cody couldn’t see besides the man’s wonderfully generous heart, but had a feeling it was about something more.
“Who Obi-Wan?”
Immediate, as if planned, and with a Domino a prank was always planned, Echo smoothly flips open his comm, showing off an image of Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé smiling for the holo-capture.
“He’s the redhead. Actually broke Cody’s concentration when he first met him.” Echo grins with such superiority that it clogs Cody’s throat, unable to speak out against the implication that something was going on when it clearly wasn’t.
Even if I have thought about it.
“ Wow . If I hadn’t thought you’d moved here to work around all these beautiful sights I would’ve definitely assumed that you came here for this sight,” Rex laughs, then squeaks as he cuts himself off. Before Cody could say anything his brother throws his hands up in surrender, “Not that I am! I know you’re not that shallow.” Frowning at himself for putting his boot in his mouth again.
“I know what you mean Rex,” Cody assures him, “It’s fine, I swear. Everything’s okay.”
He doesn’t look too sure, turning his focus back to the holo-capture, “Who are the other two people?” Changing the subject as he scrutinizes them, “The lady looks familiar… So does the guy.”
Seeing his own chance, Cody smiles slowly as Echo’s face drains of color, “That would be Padmé Naberrie and Anakin Skywalker.”
And like that, the flash grenade went off.
“Flirty Anakin, is this Anakin?!” Rex points at the image in disbelief, Echo glaring at him and noticeably ignoring Rex, “Vod. No.” He whispers lowly, voice between impressed and scandalized.
“It’s not like that!” Echo exclaims, throwing his arms up.
“Then what is it like?” Rex waggles his eyebrows.
Chaos insighted and balance restored, Cody slips out of his apartment and proceeds to speed walk to the staircase, putting in a speeder bike request as he does.
The humidity that sweeps over Obi-Wan is through a beautifully timed gust of wind as he walks down the shuttle ramp. The abundance of colors, sounds, and the bright sunlight falling down on him from above, adds to his good mood. After two weeks of below freezing temperatures he would have been fine with 7°C (44°F) , but 30°C (86°F) was beyond lovely just like the sight before him.
Off to the side of the runway, out of the way where the overgrowth around the lights was becoming pressing again, Boga waited impatiently for him with his friends.
“I missed you girl!” Jogging over, Boga trilling brightly in response, her feather crest that had been flexing flares out at a low angle, catching the light, as she bounds over to him in excitement.
Nudging her whole head against his chest, Obi-Wan threads his fingers through the little feathers at the edge of her jaw, letting himself relax in a way he really hadn’t been able to. A fervent sigh escapes his lips, one he knew that had been caught in the back of his throat, building since the moment he left Boga with Quinlan. But two weeks was nothing – He had told himself constantly when he was alone. When his work and or his team were not there to keep his focus. His fingers gliding mindlessly over the bracelet made of her shedded scales with a fine adolescent feather lengthwise across the bracelet as its centerpiece – because the alternative was Boga’s discomfort as the outpost research center was only so big and built too narrow as a way to preserve heat. He would never subject her to that and so she had stayed.
Obi-Wan can’t help leaning more into the hardened skull crest, letting Boga hold him up for a moment, and just letting himself be. Let himself feel every feather that twitches and moves under his hands, the slow puffs of air as she breathes, and the soft purrs that he could hear only as they reverberate through his chest. It took over his senses, and Obi-Wan was home.
“Glad to know we’re chopped nuna.”
With a grin, Obi-Wan rolls his eyes and leans away, keeping his left hand on Boga’s neck as they both turn to the wisecracker as he walks over.
“Hello, my best friend in the whole galaxy. How are you?” Obi-Wan asks brightly as he turns to Luminara instead.
The appropriate mournful expression Quinlan was making breaks for scandalize and aggravated then as Luminara’s eyes fall shut, expression creasing with mild amusement as she goes through casually asking for strength from one of the Mirialan deities by pressing her fingers to her tattoos at her chin, over her brass Oyaya charm necklace, then to her lips in quick succession.
“I am perfectly well Obi-Wan.” She replies, mirth tickling her words.
“You snarky little shit!”
“Ah yes, hello my high maintenance maniac.” Turning to Quinlan as he frowns back, crossing his arms.
“Maniac? What are you, in secondary?”
“Because if I call you a bitch, you’ll take it in stride.”
“Because I am a fabulous one.” He huffs, flipping the few dreads over his shoulder, a superior grin shining in the sun.
Looking to Boga, he scratches under her jaw, shaking his head morosely, “And this is why I can’t have nice things.”
“If you two are quite done,” Luminara breaks in, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips, “I’m sure Obi-Wan is tired and would like to get back to his rooms with Boga.”
Quinlan scoffs at that, placing a hand over his heart and looking aghast, “And I’m helping with that since I’m the bestest best friend.”
“Who made that judgment call?” Obi-Wan asks, playing along.
“My royal status.”
“Of course, continue.”
“Thank you,” Inclining his head then twirling around to face Luminara again, “Like I was saying, I was helping him because I’m recharging his battery with some light banter, that I will slowly shift into intense banter, and then he’ll be fine in about thirty minutes.”
If one were to look up ‘unimpressed’ in any dictionary, Luminara's image would certainly embody it like a patron deity.
“That is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard from you Quinlan.”
Obi-Wan wishes that it wasn’t true, but a good bout of banter always did work up his heartbeat, keeping him alert and flushed. But it was akin to a stim shot, meaning it was not a good substitute for sleep and would lead to his eventual crash, ruining his schedule because in the moment he would think he would be capable of staying up when in fact he could not.
In response to that not so accurate comment – He had heard far worse from Quin over the years – Quinlan stumbles back, clutching his chest, making increasingly silly gagging sounds as he lowers himself to the ground. The ruckus draws Boga’s attention as her head tilts back and forth like an owl’s, feathers bristling and falling before investigating. She sniffs and nudges at Quinlan’s prone body, the Kiffar making dying noises as she does, and decides Quinlan was physically well, but operating with the debilitating curse of being a moron and indulges him. Dropping down onto her hunches and careful of her claws, Boga gently, but firmly, rest her front left foot over top of him, then turns her head for scratches for a job well done as Quinlan begins to struggle.
Even with covering his mouth a snort still bursts through as he reaches out to give the stitches his best girl so richly deserved.
“Now that we can talk,” Luminara’s lips twitching enough at Quinlan’s squawking outrage, “Since she was due for her physical in another week, I decided to have the check-up yesterday before you returned. Everything was fine, nothing to report except a happy healthy varactyl.”
A heavy sigh falls past his lips at hearing the good news, “That’s - That’s good. I was sure she was fine. Just missing me,” Her morose chirps that filled his dreams after he would hang up from calls with her and Quinlan creep back to the front of his mind, “But it is good to hear that.”
“I think knowing that you’re both doing okay makes this first day a whole lot better.”
“Cody?” And turning to the right sees the man standing there, arms folded across his chest just hiding the emblem of the conservatory, proving it was official, “You’re here!”
Boga turns, an alert stance about her, until she sees Cody and lets out a loud chirp, leaving Quinlan to immediately receive scratches from Cody, who happily complies.
“I missed you too Boga,” He laughs, the deep rolling of it squeezing Obi-Wan’s heart, “But now I’m here to stay so you’ll get as many scritches as you want.” He coos, a genuine smile breaking out across his face.
Oh!
With a sharp inhale Obi-Wan’s heart is rattled loose to thunder against his chest widely as he recognizes all at once that his simple admiration for Cody had transitioned into a full blown crush.
Fortunately, Cody couldn’t read minds and was preoccupied with his lovely girl. Unfortunately, his two oldest friends weren’t and had knowing looks in their eyes, some more wild than others.
Quickly making his way the short distance over to them, Obi-Wan has to stop himself from smiling too widely, already feeling his cheeks warm at how at peace Cody seemed already and how comfortable he was around Boga, and vice versa. That alone had Obi-Wan dazed as he watched him, but thankfully he shakes himself out of it as the Mandalorian turns to him.
“So how are you settling in?”
Cody replies with a quiet huff as he shakes his head, “I’m hesitantly going to say ‘it’s happening’ since I left Rex and Echo to do it.”
“Blurrg in a china shop I’m assuming.” Remembering sixteen year old Anakin fluctuating between being ‘helpful’ in moving him in and going off to play with Boga in her new room leaving most of the moving-in to him, Father, and Shmi.
“Got it in one,” He winks, Obi-Wan’s brain stalling at the overwhelming rakish charm, “I’m on my way to the security building now, but I heard you were coming back so thought I’d say ‘hi’.”
“I appreciate it, though not as much as Boga apparently,” Grinning up at her, the angle she had tilted her head for maximum scratches making it look as if she was smiling as well, “But still. I do hope your first day at work goes well.”
“Me too.” Eyes crinkling as he smiles, their bronze coloring shining immaculately in the sunlight.
Then they’re on him, locking Obi-Wan’s in place with their sharp knowing gaze. But then he’s offered a true treat of watching Cody’s gaze soften on him, the faintest of smiles playing on his lips reaching his eyes as he looks to him and no one else, nothing else. Words can’t describe what Obi-Wan is feeling, nor are his thoughts capable either, falling silent in the wake of this regard, leaving him noticeably still.
“I should get going.” Cody whispers, lips pulling to the right in a half smile.
“Yes… Time is of the essence, and a good impression is always wanted.” Obi-Wan replies, the words ash in his mouth, sticking to his tongue as they were words he needed to say, but didn’t want to.
Smiling truly, Cody inclines his head and steps back, giving Boga one more scratch under her chin, “I’ll see you around.”
Then turns on heel, jogging back to a speeder bike parked just off the runaway a couple dozen meters away as Obi-Wan awkwardly waves, smiling as Cody turns to wave before gunning the bike off into the forest. Leaning into Boga’s side, she rests her head lighting on top of his, and now hidden, a truly giddy grin takes over —
“What the actual kark was that!”
Jolting back, Obi-Wan knocks his head right into the side of Boga’s jaw. She is unphased, but he is surely not, letting loose a string of curses. fantastic mood ruined, Obi-Wan ducks out from under Boga, clutching his head and ready to shout, but all the fight drains out of him for dread as he meets Quinlan’s overly aggressive grin and a badly suppressed smile from Luminara.
“That was me greeting a fellow coworker.” He answers calmly.
“He says, nonchalantly.” Luminara smirks, Quinlan pointing dramatically at her with a ‘A-ha!’ to tow.
“Lumi is being more sarcastic than usual! That’s how I know what I saw was real.”
“I’m so glad my job here is to be a metric.”
“We really need you to,” Quinlan smiles at her before turning an accusing finger at him, “But you! You didn’t tell us you were crushing on someone.”
“I’m not,” Hoping his face could still passed as flushed with anger about slamming his head into his varactyl, “And this excitement is a bit too much for me right now. I think I’m supposed to be unpacking and napping.”
Wagging a finger in front of him, Quinlan strides over, “Oh no Obes. Not until I’m done with my interrogation.”
“Well that’s too bad,” He shrugs, “The doctor said so.”
“The vet said so.”
“Excuse me.”
“You know what I mean.” Turning to give an irate Luminara a pleading looking, giving Obi-Wan enough time to climb onto the saddle, both he and Boga taking off in the opposite direction, speeding towards home and away from that conversation completely, Quinlan shouting something in the distance.
“We’re all good Commander!” Paz salutes, using the Mandalorian way, Andor watching him bemused before it settles into amusement as he mumbles ‘suck up’.
“None of that Vizsla,” Cody says lightly, but not completely ignoring the fact hearing it in this context was not as nerve-racking, “I may have those ranks, but here I’m just Mr. Fett.” He says to his assembled team.
Standing atop the concrete porch steps. Cody can easily look out over the employees, part-timers, and volunteers his department had. He had Paz and Andor split them up into their status in the open dirt-sand mix courtyard that doubled as their garage, the shed overhangs bracketing the meters wide space with different vehicles prepped, but out in the open.
We’ll need a separate locker space for those packs.
Cody mentally notes as he looks back to the hundred and fifty individuals waiting for him to speak.
“As I said, I am Mr. Fett. Some of you may recognize me from a few months ago, but that was the past. I am now your new security director,” Folding his hands behind his back he starts to pace the long ledge that this space was created for, scanning the crowd to see who had some inkling of previous security or military work by their stance, “I am giving you a heads up that the way I run this department will be different than my predecessor,” Eyes searching for those that seem to take offense to those work and spotting five immediately, “I don’t know what he did and I do not care. I am point now, and what I say goes. Do I make myself clear?”
“Sir, yes sir.” Both Paz and Andor say sharply.
With a half smile, Cody jumps the railing, startling the first two rows and says in his drill sergeant voice, “I said. Do I make myself clear!”
The response is layered as most say it out of time, but that was to be expected in the beginning. Cody knew he’d have them shaped up in no time.
“Good,” Starting to pace at this level, “Now today you will finish out your regular day and I will be watching. Tomorrow, I will have a new assignment schedule for everyone that will eventually get us to the most efficient form we can be. Be prepared for harder work and more responsibilities. Your work here is important and imperative in a wide-reaching way we may not see, but that we need to show it in kind. Do I make myself clear?”
“Sir, yes sir!” That time more uniformed, only a few stragglers this time.
Smiling to himself at the small improvement Cody nods to them, “Dismissed.”
Everyone looks to someone close to them before dispersing in a light scramble to get to work while Cody turns around and makes his way into the two story, 5,300 square meter flat top security building that was northeast of the Temple. The building was well maintained and lacked the dreariness that came with a usual security outpost. Made with alternating red, brown, or tan bricks, the warm walls and rooms held an inviting feature that made someone want to stop and peek into each room. Cody withholds against that urge, making his way to the elevator with Paz and Andor at his side. They make it to his new office without much fuss as the fussiness was inside in the form of newly promoted Security Coordinator Alexsandr Kallus, a severe looking man with interesting facial hair who was not much older than him.
“Commander Fett,” He salutes and Cody can see this is going to be a difficult habit for some of the team to break, “I have some forms and ideas I would like to go over with you.”
“Perfect,” The blond before him falling out of form as he stares back in surprise, “I’ve heard from Assistant Leads Andor and Vizsla that you’ve tried to implement a few changes around here that I think have merit,” Making his way around the large synth-wood desk, “So show me what you have and we’ll discuss it from there.”
The open invitation shakes him from his stupor, a fire burning in his hazel eyes as he opens a folder on the desk and hands out flimsi sheets to him.
“I have a lot to go over sir.”
Taking a seat and waving for everyone else to do the same Cody smiles at the efficiency he was already seeing from his command team.
“I have the whole rest of the workday, what do you have for me Kallus?”
As the blond sets to work explaining the weak points that Cody had noticed, a light but genuine smile settles on his lips. His expression does harden as they get into system wide security and restructuring schedules for 26-hour watches within humane regulations to have better coverage over all the points they could. They were even able to start work on the budget, calling someone from Accounting to figure out how funds could be dispersed as Andor had waspishly explained they had the funds at their disposal, but that Argyus never used them. They continue with debating their best options, drawing up new building plans, and making several comprehensive lists of new materials and supplemental training that Cody was going to implement starting tomorrow, making the final five hours go by in a blink of an eye. As he inputs his new lock code for his office a sense of newness shocks through his chest, leaving him buoyant.
“Morning Obi-Wan. Hi Boga.” The greeting bouncing softly off the high ceilings of the terminal.
Grinning widely to himself, Obi-Wan tempers himself as he turns away from checking Boga’s saddle again. Cody looks radiant as he always did, even on this misty drizzle filled morning. Unlike himself, Cody was dressed for the rain in a light blue and simple all-weather jacket that had yet to be zipped up, showing off his attire of a deep maroon sweater, waterproof brown pants, and knee-high boots. Obi-Wan would be out briefly, as he rode Boga up to the cliff top, but quite used to the rain had only a simple poncho over his layered shirts and khakis.
“Good morning Cody.” He says with a friendly smile as Boga leans over, head tipped up and waiting for scratches, “It’s officially been a month now. How do you feel?”
It was as if the sun had parted the clouds with how ecstatic the Mandalorian was about it. It may not look like it, the content closed mouth smile would have fooled many, but his eyes shone with a bright tenacity that was so befitting of him.
“It’s been going great, not smoothly, but that makes it half the fun.” He answers while rightly spoiling Boga with scratches.
“Well, I have been hearing nothing but good things.”
Which was an understatement.
When Cody was here for that week and a half earlier in the year there were many minute changes that ripple through their community. After he had left, there had been a hesitancy to continue, it had slowly petered out every day that Cody was gone. But it also showed the impact that he had on others.
Shyly directing his gaze away, the younger man breaks into a heartfelt smile, looking unfairly adorable as he does.
“Thanks,” Lightly shrugging off the praise, “It was already there, just needed a jumpstart to move it all in the right direction. Which makes me less nervous for my thirty-seven-day review.”
“I’m positive you’ll do fine.”
And Obi-Wan did know that.
He had been there at the department heads’ meeting two weeks ago, the first one Cody should have attended but couldn’t as he had been doing a tour of the Seasons’ security, a nickname for their moons. In his place he had sent in a revamped rotation schedule, daily itineraries, and mock-ups of new request forms for Security and for the rest of the Temple to use. It had led to the oddest thing to have yet happened during one of these meetings.
Mace smiling.
Which was both a wonderful relief to see him do so again, finally relaxed about Security again, but also unnerving to see him smiling so broadly.
“I think I will too,” Cody says softly as he glances up through his eyelashes, Obi-Wan’s heart constricting at the lovely sight, “I haven’t heard anything to the contrary, so I think my odds are pretty good.” A little self-assure grin peeking out then.
“We should celebrate,” Obi-Wan finds himself saying, mentally smacking himself for it as well, “I’m only doing lab work today and it’s forecasted to stop drizzling in an hour or so.”
“I think I can pull off of lunch on the terrace.” Cody smirks as he sticks his hands into his jacket.
... JEDI Employees, the time is now 8:30. The next rail will be arriving in 1 minute and 30 seconds. Please be advised to stand behind the yellow line and wait till the rail is empty of current employees. Thank you for listening to the announcements...
“That’s your transport commander,” Enjoying the fond eye roll that Cody bestows upon him. In the past month it had been a running trend with the security team to call Cody by his rank, mostly jokingly, but their sincere expressions gave them away of how much respect the Mandalorian had garnered from them, “I’ll see you at 13:00?”
“Count on it doctor.” Cody grins, as he reaches up to give Boga one more pat on the nose and waves goodbye to him as he jogs over to the line as the train pulls up, slipping into the train.
Boga croons lowly, ducking her head as the train leaves.
“You and me, both girl,” Running a hand over her feathered mane, “But we have no time for mooning over him. It’s time for work.” Leading her to the balcony, even as she looks back to the tunnel as he does.
Exhaling audibly, Obi-Wan holds it, asking for strength from his ancestors while questioning them about allowing these friendships.
“What do you need?” He finally relents, looking away from the blood cultures that should be holding his attention right now.
They were samples taken from their Devaronian nerf population, a jungle variety of the bovine, which were showing the signs of Brucella abortus, which was likely one of the main factors causing the population they had on Kai, their rainforest moon, to struggle through a full-term pregnancy. But instead of that, he had to contend with Quinlan and Luminara staring at him from beyond the glass divider.
“Do you need something?” Quinlan counters.
Head snapping up, the redhead narrows his eyes at his so-called friend, his eyes only visible as his mask obscures his riotous frown. But Quinlan knows him well enough to return it in kind, Luminara standing by the wayside as a perfect statue.
At times like this Obi-Wan wished he could put up a privacy divider, but that wouldn’t be safe in a lab setting. Neither was having the ability to turn off the two-way speaker.
But it would keep my sanity, so I think that should matter.
Resolving to not answer the snide question, he continues taking his notes.
“Obi-Wan?”
“Hmm?”
“Dr. Kenobi.”
“…”
“Obes Kenobes!”
Slamming the stylus down, he glares through the glass and wishes it burned as Quinlan’s smug self-entitlement engulfs his whole presence as he leans back farther onto the prep counter.
“Have you happened to notice how helpful security has been?” Luminara cuts in before Obi-Wan can chastise Quinlan.
“Yes! They’ve been immensely helpful since Cody implemented new rules and let his team manage work he couldn’t!” Turning on her, his volume control is still stuck at the highest possible level that he was preparing to use for Quinlan.
“And how is he doing with his responsibilities?”
“Wonderfully.” He tells her mulishly.
“And are you one of those responsibilities?” Quinlan grins sharply, earning him the hardest slap to the back of the head that Obi-Wan has ever seen delivered to anyone in his entire life. And by Luminara no less.
“Thank you Luminara. I always knew you were my favorite.” His tone perfectly polite, but edged with durasteel as she was still engaging in whatever this was.
“That might change," She said with a commiserating grin and she leaned off the counter, “It is obvious you have some feelings for the commander. We just wish to know if you’re okay.”
All the steam behind his anger evaporates at her kind question.
“Yes, I’m fine, it's a small crush. Nothing more, nothing less. I would go as far as to quantify it as overinflated admiration.”
“So pining,” Quinlan grins triumphantly before throwing his arms out questioningly at the exasperated looks thrown his way, “What! Look Obes, you haven’t had a successful night out in years, no serious flirting in just as long, and then suddenly you’re glowing and making eyes at mando-in-arms.” The tone slowly turning grim as he went on, his dark gaze piercing through the double paned glass, “I just wanna make sure you know what you’re doing.”
The pit of his stomach hollows and Obi-Wan isn’t sure what he feels.
“What are you trying to say?” Voice tight as he waits, worried more by Quin’ cautiousness in taking his time to think his words over.
Pushing off the counter, the taller man folds his arms with a deep furrow of an expression, “Obi-Wan,” And that wasn’t good at all, “I’m saying that I’m not sure about this.”
“Obi-Wan,” Luminara quickly calls out, tone empathetic, too empathetic, “You can see our concern is — ”
“Misplaced,” He hisses as he truly looks at them and sees what this was all about, “I am completely fine and not — ” The fury building, holding his tongue as he looks for words, any words to make his case as the ire boils as they don’t seemed cowed by being called out at this behavior, “ — it’s not like what I feel is some transference of affection. Yes, he saved me and Boga’s from injury — ”
“See!”
“But!” Shouting over Quinlan, “I thought he was quite handsome beforehand. And I am inclined to believe that he thinks the same of me.”
In the quiet of the lab, only the faint puttering of the purifiers and the vents going, his labored breathing contends with the familiar ensemble as neither back down, Quinlan forever and always standing for what he thought he knew. Then there was Luminara, the first to break, as she turns away, thinking over it all.
“That is true,” She finally murmurs, “The modicum intel —”
“Gossip.” He bites out, sneering brightly at her aversion to the word as she scowls at it.
“— has been stating that they’re both very interested in each other, but are unlikely to do anything.”
“I wouldn’t say unlikely.” Obi-Wan mutters at the microscope, self-consciousness falling over him, even more so when he catches the twin smirks turned his way.
“But if that’s true,” Luminara smiles softly, tucking her hands into her doctor’s coat, “In addition to the fact that we trust you, which we do, I think I can say your judgment here is sound. We’re sorry for being overprotective.”
“Or maybe it was the right amount.” Quinlan clicking his tongue as Luminara elbows him, “But yeah if you’re thinking about starting a relationship we want it to go well.”
“Lucky for you, I’ve already prepared myself for the eventual fall out due to maintenance,” His joke falling flat as they both stare back, “Thank you for your concern, but I am fine and I can handle this.”
Which seems to be the last thing they wanted to hear.
He knows the skepticism comes from a good place, though he didn’t think his relationship with Nield or Cerasi had ended as bad as it could have. It was touching that Quin and Lumi were concerned, but he had been doing better since then. There was still the occasional pang in his chest when either Nield or Cerasi, usually Cerasi, sent him a message for the holidays or when they were just randomly thinking about him, but the space between them, the distance between them, and therapy had help heal those wounds.
“If you say so.”
“I do,” A touch too sharply, but Obi-Wan was over how protective they were being, “Now I would like to go back to my samples.” Looking away from them both.
The dismissal is met with exasperated sighs, but he does eventually hear a door slide shut and pressurizing as it locks.
Yet as he picks up the stylus again, his mind drones not unlike a turbine as his emotions swirl back and forth between desire, frustration, and exhaustion.
Obi-Wan had meant it when he said he wasn’t expecting anything with Cody. He was perfectly fine with a friendship…
And yet.
Hearing it acknowledged around the corridors and the labs was different than hearing Echo joke about it. And it was vastly different with his oldest friends decided on staging an intervention he didn’t need.
No! I will not let others dictate me. Yes, I would like more, but I don’t need it. I’m allowed to be upset or annoyed with them. They’re being too nosy…… But I am grateful to have them care so much all the same.
Obi-Wan repeats this to myself like a mantra until he was settled, the background noise of his mind mellowed to a tolerable degree. At his level of peace, he sits back to work, a content lift to his lips as he does so.
Activity halts as an echoing roar sounds overhead, rattling through Cody’s chest. A sharp set of clicking chirps vibrating around it and heralds a low gravelly screech that thuds painfully against his rapidly beating heart.
Head snapping to Kallus across the courtyard, the Apex alarm blares, neon blue lights flashing and throwing everyone into action.
“Kallus you have ground control!” Cody shouts as the blond runs for the building, “Start scrambling what you need to when the report comes in, but hold back until I give the signal!” The moment he sees that Kallus acknowledges him he’s sprinting around the rest of the team, in a hurry to get to their posts, so he could get to his speeder bike.
Clipping in the earpiece, Cody flips open the engine and guns the bike back to the Temple down the emergency path cut through the forest.
“Security to HQ, what are we looking at?”
“A Radon Kuronuma and the youngest Del–Toro Otachi are having a grudge match!” Echo fires back, “Out over the Takodana Islands, ETA twenty minutes until we have eyes back on the situation. We have noted destruction of most of our hover and ground sensors, but we can tell Rodan attacked Diva.”
Cody searches his memory for which one that was before it dawns on him in terrible clarity.
“Didn’t Diva just have a baby?”
“She did indeed,” Obi-Wan cuts into the conversation, tone grave, “It means this will not be a normal confrontation. We can’t tell you more than Rodan has made a bid for her nest. Ventress stated she believes, with the behavior we could see before their fighting destroyed most of our sensors, that he wants her nest.”
“Why?”
“As her nest is a defunct volcano it is possible he wants to restart it, but why would be unclear.”
It’s muscle memory alone that keeps him on the path as his mind goes blank, processing that information. Pulling up on the Temple, Cody swings his bike into the temperate garden, hops off, running across the grass and to the secret elevator for instances like this. Flashing his badge, Cody throws himself into the lift, the immediate Gs from the speed knocking Cody back into himself.
“So that animal can just do that ?” The disbelief as palatable as the adrenaline running through his veins.
“Yes.” Obi-Wan answers stiffly and Cody wants to asks more on that frightening tidbit, but more important things are at stake.
“Okay, what is our best objective?”
“We’re not sure besides stopping this battle, and we won’t know until we get eyes on the situation,” Echo huffs, “ETA is ten minutes now.”
The elevator opens down the hall from the command center, blue lights flashing in intervals, the tile flooring reflecting the lights back, making them more striking. But no alarms sounded here so not to disturb the work that must be conducted.
Cody slides into the large circular room, it’s lights dimmed so the bright screens and holo-screens that take up the right wall are front and center. It hosts a normal ceiling, giving it a claustrophobic feel, with the slight darkness of the space leaving a strange liminal presence on top of it, not unlike being in space. And the tenseness of this kinda atmosphere Cody remembers, sliding into the mindset easily.
He takes in the staff working at the screens, Echo leaning over some as he fixes some of the parameters they were working with. At the long oblong table sat Windu, Unduli, and Offee as they watch the lithe pale figure of Dr. Ventress pace in front of the table, her fully black ensemble paired with her greyish skin drawing the eyes, as she hisses about someone being a ‘little arrogant bastard’. But his gaze jumps to Obi-Wan standing by her side and glowing in the screens’ light.
“He has his reason.” Obi-Wan frowns, the blue light highlighting the stark creases of his brow as he looks unsure as he says it, Ventress rolling her eyes as she flips her long white hair over her shoulder.
“He’s still a little punk ass bitch Kenobi. He’s going to undue all my hard work,” She hisses, “We need to subdue him now.”
“Do we have a visual yet?” He asks, calling attention to himself.
Everyone looks to him, relief dropping their shoulders back some, but Dr. Ventress, the head researcher for the Radon flyers, turns to him slowly, running a hand over the shaved side of her head with a sneer.
“Took you long enough. What do you know about Rodan?”
“I just found out he poses a threat if he can restart volcanic activity,” Coming to stand by Obi-Wan’s side, “But also he’s currently in danger of dying because he attacked a new mother.”
“Which is the odd part,” Obi-Wan adds, lifting his right hand to hold his chin as he ponders the screens, “He knows not to come close to nesting flyers and is usually protective of new life. This is all out of character.”
“We can worry about that later,” Cody cuts in, “What are the specs?”
“Diva is average with a height of 74m and a wingspan of 213m. Rodan is 47m tall, but has a 265m wingspan. About 30m longer than average. Has to be adding to his inflated ego.” She tuts.
“So flight is still our best options,” He sighs, already hating the odds, “We don’t have watercraft fast enough to keep up with them. Patch me through to Andor.”
In a matter of seconds Cassian’s face appears on the main screen before him.
“Commander,” He stands straighter, the dourest expression Cody has ever seen on the man, “We followed Kallus’ order and are ready to scramble when you are.”
“Are your pilots in the new fighters?”
“Yes, the ray shields are at maximum and outfitted with stun bombs and thunderstrike cannons. Charged and ready.”
“Then deploy for the Takodana Islands, we’ll have a visual in five minutes, but the best tactic we have now is hit and run. Don’t stay where you shouldn’t, and if one has the other pinned, use it to your advantage.”
“Copy! Andor out.” Signing off just as the screen beeps incessantly and the three largest scenes produce images of the islands at a distance with the focus on the sweeping movements of a red and blue blur.
They were slow to the eye, but the closer the sensors got to the dueling beasts the sharper and more aggressive their actions became.
“That’s not how he fights,” Dr. Ventress breathes, and glancing over Cody notes how scared she looks, “Something’s wrong. He wouldn’t be this reckless.” Flinching back as Diva lands a punishing punch to the Radon’s chest with her prehensile tail.
“All the more important we get him down.”
“I’m going out there.” Dr. Ventress declares and stomps out of the command room.
Shock doesn’t begin to cover what Cody is experiencing at the moment, still not completely understanding the bonds these researchers have with a few of the creatures here that they would risk their lives. But before he can alert some of the guard droids he knows are by the hangers, Obi-Wan lays a hand over his wrist comm.
“It wouldn’t make a difference,” Obi-Wan says solemnly, “She’ll find a way to get there and be safe about it.”
A sharp gasp sounds behind them, Dr. Unduli staring at her datapad before it settles into grim determination.
“Then we best not let her go alone,” The head veterinarian says flatly, lips pressing together, “Una’s tracker has come back on and it’s denoting distress and her osteoblastic cell count rising. I think it’s safe to say she has a broken bone.”
“Can you get them out there?” Windu gazes shifts to his, “They will need to be out at site for the aftermath to assess damages. Can they go out now?”
Cody wants to say no, that it was ludicrous, but he catches sight of the fight again and the distance from the island it was taking.
“We could, if we go by water,” Cody says to himself, working out the plan, “We wouldn't be a target if were in a different theater than them. Plus, medical would have an easier time stocking a tariman since they’re mostly prepped anyway.”
“Kit’s or Bant’s primary ship would already be outfitted with what I would need, and I know my way around it. As does Barriss.” Dr Unduli adds, a light smile coming to her lips, “And Una is small enough now that two people, plus Asajj, will be enough.
“Then let's go,” And starts making his way to the door, “I want check-ins every three minutes Echo.”
“On it!”
… Woah.
Is all Cody could think as the giants clashing to the port side get closer, Kit’s trimaran tearing through the sea at 230 knots to get to the small island chain.
Seeing the scale of them couldn’t compare.
While seeing Godzilla had been plodding and quiet, this was mercurial and blaring. This was the searing truth of what the Apexes were capable of.
Distantly he was glad he was able to coordinate with Kallus to have evac ready for either creature by way of a hydro pickup, and communicate to Cassian he would be out here on an escort mission to the caldera, because he couldn’t do more than watch.
Rodan’s wings shadow the area, the reach unimaginable even as Cody witnesses them glowing and glimmering as lava drips from them. The air super-heated as he flew, the whole area smelling of salt and ash.
In comparison, Diva was an inky shade cutting through the vast blue sky, her bioluminescence scales and neck still shining brightly in the harsh sun as she lunges at Rodan with all her might, tail lashing angrily every which way.
The weight of the hits echoes through them and shaking the very sea as Rodan dives from the sky, using the sun to his advantage and head budding Diva in the chest, the soundwave a vicious thud, the shockwave rocking the boat and the modified starfighters that seemed to only buzz around the two.
Watching as his team’s fighters spiral and dip out of the way of the massive beasts with just enough ease that they were never clipped by the wings, was beyond nerve wracking. The close calls have Cody flinching whenever he can see one of the grey and green two-person crafts slide out of the way at the last minute, firing the stun weapons at all times.
Diva quickly grabs hold of Rodan’s wings, holding them out as they fall, spitting gallons upon gallons of acid directly at his chest! But as it hits a thick hazy mist erupts between, both screeching as they fall away from each other, shaking their heads rapidly.
It gives his team the time to stun them further, slowing them down, but Rodan seems determined to keep going.
“Fett!” Whipping around to Dr. Ventress as she holds the railing against the bucking waves, “Rodan runs too hot for the acid to work, but the fumes from its new state are affecting them both!” She snarls over the sizzling and popping above.
Squinting as best he could, Cody can see she’s right. Not only that it was starting to create a smokescreen of sorts and they had no idea the consequences of it.
“Cassian! I need you to focus on Rodan,” Cody relays, “He’s our first priority. With him out Diva will be more willing to go down. Echo, do you think you could use one of the drones to distract him to give them clear shots?”
“We’re on it now.”
Suddenly, Ventress is grabbing his wrist and firmly dragging him inside of the cabin, starting the lockdown protocol, durasteel plates sliding down with sharp thuds as the hiss of oxygen is introduced to the space.
“Why?” He asks calmly as she begins walking below deck.
“The smokescreen. Echo didn’t get great readings but it’s close enough to bloodmist so we’re following procedures.”
Bloodmist was something only known to the Del-Toro species, their blood toxicity so high that when they decomposed and the blood became a vapor it would attach and stain the bronchi of the lungs, starving them and leading to what could only be described as a fast-acting form of bronchitis.
The clean-up would be immense and taxing, especially in this airborne form, diffusion would be needed. Sending a message of these facts to Kallus, he knows the blond will have a plan for this in action the moment the Apexes are down.
He receives an affirmative from Kallus and Windu almost at the same time, and with that settled he turns his attention to making sure that the doctors made it to their patient. Cody had just finished with his neon yellow suit and was slinging his rifle onto his shoulder when he feels the boat beach itself and hopes that Dr. Fisto won’t mind.
Making it to the upper deck and going through the decom to get outside, Cody watches as Rodan falls in what seems like slow motion, a croaking cry as he hits the water in a deafening splash as the water sizzles ominously. Above him Diva roars down at him triumphantly, bioluminescence flickering like a short-circuiting system.
“Shit! No.” Ventress whispers, the mics in the suit picking it up as her shoulders bunch up and she clenches her hands.
She makes to step forward, but Barriss grabs her wrist first.
“We must let them secure the area before we go near him.” She tells her softly, Barriss’ words not getting through the same way as the LAATs arriving to drop lines and security members down, Cassian’s team doing their best to distract Diva from diving at Rodan, because no she couldn’t just fly, she had to be aquatic as well.
“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” Ventress snaps, shouldering the other med pac so they can disembark, “Kenobi we’re on the move.”
“Copy Asajj.”
The trek up the rocky and forest heavy slope is arduous, worse as tree cover goes and the rock becomes what Ventress hisses out is scree. But they make it in good time, nearing the summit to see that both Rodan and Diva were stunned to unconsciousness, both being hauled up unto two separate ships that could only be described as aquatic acclamator class venators.
Turning away from the magnificent and frightening sight, Cody levels his stun rifle and continues to trudge upward towards the wailing bubbling cry that could be heard as they neared the uneven ridge a couple meters ahead.
“I think we made it.” He comments dryly.
“Yes, the little darling should be there.” Obi-Wan says over their comm, as he had been keeping an eye on the patient from a drone that survived the fight.
Looking over the ridge into the concave earth nest he finds Una, only clocking her in the oily sludge by virtue of her having the same shape of her mother. But that's where it ended.
Every appendage she had was just comically large on her. Her mouth was too wide, her eyes bulged out of her head, vacant looking as well. Her entire body, all four meters of it, was near skeletal with worrying translucent blue skin and shook anytime she made the gurgling call for her mother.
“Hellspawn, you mean.”
“Cody!” Obi-Wan’s aghast shout is nearly drowned out by the coughing laughter behind him, the comm lacing everything with static.
“She’s not winning a cuteness contest, I’m not gonna lie to her.” More laughter coming from either side of him.
“Well don’t tell her and I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Dr. Unduli smiles at him as she proceeds over the edge and slides down slowly into the inky blue sludge.
Cody follows the vet’s lead, wading through the knee-high liquid as Una tries to follow them with her enormous eyes.
“She’s incredibly far-sighted so we’re faint yellow blobs at most, but she has heightened scent capabilities that will stay with her,” Dr. Unduli tells him as she swings the med pack around to her front to keep it from being contaminated, “We need to hold out her right wing and arm so I can examine it. I have no idea how bad the break is.” Before compressing a hypo into her frail neck.
Una gurgles again as he and Ventress take a hold of her arm and start to stretch it out, Ventress taking the end and Cody bracing up the arm, the weight like a simple 2x4 beam. But her wail pitches into pitiful whine. Without giving it a second thought Cody reaches out with his free hand to gently pat at her neck, staying away from her arm socket.
“Hey girl. It’s gonna be okay,” He says softly as the whine becomes a sad murmur as she drowsily tries to move away, “We just need to check your arm and then you can sleep this off.”
He kept this up as Unduli and Barriss work, the membrane wing clearing their check-up, finding only her right wrist joint was fractured. With a biodegradable cast set in the same color of her skin he and Ventress gently refold her wing, Una all but tipping over to her left asleep. As she breathes in the sludge, her gangly mouth open, Unduli assures him that the accumulation she was breathing in was perfectly fine for her health.
“Excellent work Commander,” Unduli smiles at him as she packs up, “I don’t think we need to try so hard to make a conservationist of you.”
The sense of calm and pride that rolls over him is not only for his team being equipped to handle a problem they trained for, completing the objectives efficiently and effectively, but personal pride in the form of a surprise burst of happiness at helping with one of the creatures as well, getting his hands dirty again so to speak.
I can do this. I can do this and I'm happy for it. This was the right choice.
Breathing out heavily, Cody can smile, truly smile back, “No, I don’t think you will.”
“There’s what in his system?” Obi-Wan asks, tone stilted as he tries to process what he heard.
“Three amphetamines and four hallucinogenics with another stim boost that I haven’t been able to identity yet.” Luminara explains in detail as she enters the sectioned off part of the decom secure center, “The combo alone on a lesser animal would have stopped their heart, but …” With a sigh she takes off her proximity helmet, the suit made of Radon shedded skin.
“But his metabolism and core temperature is what upped the dose.” Obi-Wan surmises.
Before both were out of commission the veterinarian department had prepared the setup for each Apex. Rodan’s needed heat resistance, placed out as multiple fire-resistant tarps and liquid nitrogen flowing under him to keep him from melting through the barge. Diva, on the other hand, was treated like a contagion and had a ray shield over her to keep any wounds, and thus toxins, out of the air.
Security had been running the carbon filters for the past two hours through the air and dropping three meter graphite spheres around the islands and at least sixteen kilometers out for any Toro Blue contaminates. Obi-Wan knew they wouldn’t get all of the particles, but they were greatly reducing the chance of sickness to themselves and the ecosystem.
“Can you tell how much it was?” He strokes his beard in thought about how this could have happened.
“Not truly,” Shaking her head, “The trace amounts left are out of balance. And there’s no way to tell if the components were all within gallons of each other. I can guesstimate the ratios they were before, but even then I can't be certain.”
“This is troubling,” He murmurs to himself, looking out of the mobile command center at the flying apex, breathing harshly creating a heat haze, the fans, AC units, and air purifiers working overtime as were the security and veterinarians within the center, “Have we figured out where this concoction came from?”
“Internally,” Luminara seethes, the revelations and her tone both startlingly Obi-Wan, “Someone has been slowly but surely removing between 2000mL to 4000mL of the compounds I could note. We had a Mr. Rook look through security footage and there are overwritten skips that happened over the last year, on a schedule of when the labs are clear. And it’s not just the vet’s. It was collected from other labs on planet or from live specimens we’ve harvested.”
“But why?” Because besides destruction — “Where is Rodan nesting?” He asks quietly.
“I don’t know. Asajj would though,” Luminara tells him as she patches her into the comm, “Asajj?”
“What!” She screeches, “I don’t have time for your questions.”
“We need to know where Rodan’s current nest is.” Luminara carries on, both of them knowing the other doctor was emotional about her creature being attacked.
And if Obi-Wan squinted through the polyplexi glass he could see someone in another proximity suit giving Rodan scratches near his beak. He was sure it was Asajj because he doubts anyone else would purposely climb the living volcano to do so.
“By the Light Mountains,” Asajj huffs, before going back to her mission of caring for Rodan, “We’ll find them and burn them for you, you dumb puffed-up nuna.” She says softly, Rodan answering in a low coo that could be heard in an odd feedback loop before Luminara cuts the connection.
“The Minis are at the Mountains.” She says deathly still, fear building as Obi-Wan thinks of the implications too.
The Light Mountains were jagged quartzite sandstone sea stacks and mainland columns that jutted up along the western coastline, boasting a variety of near aquatic plants that were loved by their largest in size lepidopteran population. The Mosura subspecies, Mosura nakamura chambliss, that were a third in body length and wingspan then their larger cousin, also from the same planet Gojiras originated from.
“Obi-Wan to Echo?” Picking up his comm and telling his heart to calm down.
“Go for Echo.”
“Can you see if anything has been disturbed around the Light Mountains?”
As he waits, Luminara leaves back out to double check on Rodan’s progress and to be a mediator so Asajj would stop trying to bite the heads of other vets off for her trying to soothe the same creature she once called an ‘over roasted peko-peko’.
“Obi-Wan?” And looking up finds Cody entering his office for all intents and purposes, his lack of a safety suit meaning he came through the lower hatch that connected into the ship, “Something wrong?”
“I sincerely hope not,” He tries for a smile, only for Cody to frown, “I have a theory and Echo is verifying it’s plausibility.”
With a huff, Cody drags a hand over his curls and drops into one of the chairs provided, “I thought up a theory too. And it’s not great.”
And with a reaction like that he doubted it. Walking to the door, Obi-Wan initiates the lock procedure and turning back to Cody takes in how shocked he was by his actions.
“May I ask what it is?”
Eyes narrowing, Cody sits up before leaning forward, his hands folded in front of him. Obi-Wan grabs a nearby chair and sits across from him, scooting closer as Cody signals him to.
“This is only the first attempt.” He whispers gravely, a flinty knowing glare in his eyes.
The possibilities were endless, Obi-Wan knew that the end objective was always the same; to get to the creatures here.
“Attempt at what?”
Scowling, twisting the scar that curls around his eye, Cody shakes his head, “I don’t know, but this feels like a decoy or a test run.”
And Obi-Wan can't keep back his hiss of, “To see how well the mix works.”
The Mandalorian's attention is on him quickly, perplexed but searching, until it dawns on him.
“He was drugged.”
“Heavily and I think it might fit in with your decoy and test run theory,” Getting up, unable to sit at a time like this, but keeping his voice pitched low for safety, “Rodan nests near a healthy population of Mini Mothras. We harvest the ones that die of natural causes to sell to medical companies as the wings have some properties that combat vertigo. We also strictly sell the silk of used cocoons for the infrastructure of suspension cities," Stopping, he looks out the nearest window to Rodan and his heart aches at seeing how all their hard work to give these animals a great life was being jeopardized by greed, “But it’s also highly valuable as silk by itself. It’s what led to their protected state in the first place with luxury hunters cutting open cocoons before the pupae emerged.”
Cody's jaw shifts as his ire becomes more visualized, he too pushing off the chair to stand, but to stand at attention as he stares intently at Rodan as well, “If Rodan was around the area they were in, and he’s as intelligent as you say he is – inclined to watch out for the next generation – then having him there would have been an immediate stop to their plans.”
“Exactly.”
Then standing straighter, Cody turns to face him sharply, “Wait. Does that mean there’s — ”
“Echo to Obi-Wan.” His wrist comm chirps, both of them jolting back.
He answers it as his stomach begins to roll even without the news, “Obi-Wan here.”
“We have an issue,” He tells him gravely, “I’ll send it to Cody next, but it looks like most of the cocoons were harvested. All the Minis have been knocked out, but we aren’t sure by what yet.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, pressure in his throat, Obi-Wan sighs heavily, “Thank you Echo.”
“I’ll send someone over now.” Cody informs his cousin, equally solemn.
“Oh! Sure thing. We’ll keep you updated.”
It's dead quiet as Echo signs off, even the sound of the AC units seems muffled. Swallowing, Obi-Wan grips his right wrist, his thumb pressing into the scale bracelet there.
“So we do have someone on the inside is doing this.” Cody finally breaks the silence.
“Yes unfortunately,” He heaves out, meeting Cody's eyes once more, “Luminara says there’s been tampering with security vids near and around our chemical holds from multiple locales.”
“So not only do they know schedules, they have tech experience that would probably also work in their favor of getting the silk off planet.” He sneers as he pulls up a comm code on his wrist comm.
“Yes.”
An impressive string of curses in Basic and Mando'a leave his mouth before he's calling Paz to take some ships up to look for hyperspace trails in the past hour.
They find two of them, the amount of trace elements having Paz leaning towards a freighter of some kind.
Obi-Wan's whole is wracked with anger, boiling over into silent rage, unsure how to handle the fact this safe space had been so egregiously disturbed and threaten.
“So what do we do now?” Barely holding in his emotions as he fights to calm himself.
“We have to inform Windu and only him. I’ll make sure Luminara and anyone on her team that knows the results of the drugging are added to the meeting too. We’ll also need to do further background checks on everyone, as well in the meeting, to make sure they don’t cross over to be our prime suspect.”
“And after?” Looking to Cody, hopefully there was a concrete next step, but the dour flat pull of his lips says otherwise.
“We plan for possibilities, and we wait.”
The angry fizzles out like a snap, only leaving his oldest companion, hopelessness. It's only saving grace was that it filled his chest in the way it did when he had first learned about why conservation efforts were needed. He doesn't know how he would have handled it now if it was one of his regular bouts that grabbed hold of him.
Gripping his bracelet tighter, Obi-Wan tries to ground himself, staying in the present as he thinks about Boga curling around him, only to jolt back as he sees something in his peripheral vision. Looking up, focusing on Cody, focusing on the beautiful bronze eyes the shine with concern, he holds his hands out again, and unable to speak because of the overflow of emotions, Obi-Wan simply nods.
The hug he's gathered up into is more than Obi-Wan could have expected and it holds him in the present as he takes in his senses of Cody's strength, warmth, and faint arboreal aftershave.
Cody was here and he was here, breathing and safe.
Obi-Wan thinks that over and over to himself as he grips the back of Cody's shirt, trying to rein in his tears, but as the Mandalorian gently cards his heavy fingers through his hair and moves his head – Obi-Wan grateful to not have to move on his own – he finds himself in a traditional kov'nyn, and he can't stop the tears.
As they stream down his face, Cody holding him and offering no empty platitudes, only the strength of himself and his character, Obi-Wan finds hope. He was one of many that wanted to protect the creatures here. Many against the vile few.
They could fix this. They would fix this.
They had to.
