Chapter Text
19 BBY
Bly remembered thinking it was odd that Cody was comming him. Odd but not uncommon, because his jetii was the former Padawan of one of General Kenobi’s friends and the man had asked Cody before to check on them, when the jetii had ‘a bad feeling’, and it had saved them before.
So, he’d answered, because he would have answered anyway – this wasn’t Cody’s personal line but his line as a Commander in the GAR and this meant it was duty as a soldier to answer.
“Execute Order 66!”
(Later, so much later when his mind was his own again, he’d wish that he had never answered.
He would have hated Cody for calling him, but he’d known just as his jetii didn’t blame him for something outside his control, that this had been outside of Cody’s control.
And no one could hate Cody more than Cody hated himself.)
He’d been in the center of his men, and every one of them that heard straightened, stiffened, went rigid in their stances.
Distantly, he could hear how they passed news of the order on to the rest of the company, but his attention was elsewhere.
He needed to find his [Traitor] and [execute] her.
[Good soldiers follow orders.]
He needed to find her – it was imperative that he get to her before anyone else could.
Bly looked around, sure that he had seen his [Traitor] nearby, but she’d blended so well into the blue-green greenery of this planet that he’d wandered closer to keep a better eye on her.
He remembered that he’d thought that short of any clankies coming out of the literal woodwork and cutting her off from them, that she’d be safe, but he’d been worried.
[Worried that such a traitor would slip away.]
He’d spotted her, half-obscured by a large fern and he’d raised a fist in the air to hold his men from firing independently.
He wanted the [Traitor] to know.
“General!”
“I’m fine Bly! The Force would-!”
He saw the moment her beautiful eyes widened, and she realized they were pointing their weapons at her.
He felt water slide down his cheeks – and he ignored what-must-have-been a sudden rain, so common on this planet – then dropped his fist.
Blaster fire erupted from either side of him, aimed in unison at their [Traitor].
They ignored the choked gasps coming from amongst them, accepting that they were grieving [the betrayal they felt from their General].
Plants were ripped apart and burnt and singed beneath the onslaught of blaster fire, concentrated in that one area.
They heard a gasp of pain cut through the noise – and they concentrated their attention there [to make sure the Traitor was dead].
Bly called out, “Halt!”
His men stopped within seconds, and he cut through them, intending to see for himself that they’d succeeded in killing their [Traitor before ordering a pursuit].
He stopped when he saw his [Traitor’s] weapon laying on the ground, abandoned.
His [Traitor] was dead, even if she got away from their camp.
(Because Cody had made it mandatory to every vod to know where their jetii’s ‘saber was at all times, after the fifth time he’d had to retrieve his own jetii’s. Because to the jetiise – that weapon was their life. No jetii was a jetii without one. No jetii would be alive, if their ‘saber was found without them.)
This planet would devour her bones in hours, so they would never find her body. Even if he wanted to burn her body like she would have wanted.
He turned away, grabbing her weapon because it felt wrong- it was proof that she was gone.
(He had to believe that she was marching away into the Force, and that when he marched away, he would find her on the other side.)