Chapter Text
Everything hurt, pulsing, pounding, burning through him. It was worse than when he had received his scar, as that had only been on the side of his face. But this pain laced through his veins, invading all of his senses to the point where he cried out. Moving proved futile, his ribs screaming and his leg feeling as though it was being torn off. Broken, then.
“Cody!?” A voice shouted, far off in the distance. Or maybe he was close by and Kote’s senses were dulled, so far removed it seemed as though he were far away. It didn’t sound like a vod, didn’t sound like a Kaminii, and wasn’t his Buir.
He tried to speak, tried to ask who it was but-
But his throat felt shredded, breathing almost impossible for him as he whimpered. Kote hadn’t even attempted lifting the debris burying him, knowing that would only bring more pain. A whimper escaped his lips as something around him shifted, dislodging him and shoving the piece of metal in his stomach further in.
“Oh, Force,” someone cursed, voice broken and desperate, “hold in there, Cody.”
The last he thought he had before he drifted back into unconsciousness lingered on the strange name. Who was Cody?
---
When he awoke next, he was laying on something hard and cool, but rough unlike the medical beds. There was a slight breeze that carried humidity in. To his side, he could hear the crackle of fire, and soft rustling.
The pain had dulled a little, making his legs feel numb. It was a struggle to breathe, even as he opened his eyes. He was greeted by the sight of a cave, lit only by the small flame to the side. He had been stripped of his armour, left only in the bottom half of his blacks. There was a bandage covering the better half of his chest, and a makeshift splint attached to his broken leg. His ribs felt… normal, not broken.
He wondered how much time had passed.
Suddenly, a face entered his line of sight, red hair burning in the light as another took his face into his hands, expression pinched in worry. Blue eyes pooled with tears as the man let out a small laugh. He was beautiful, the stranger. Expressive, yet controlled. It was sooty, as if he had stuck his face in ash, and dried blood was crusted on the side of his head.
Kote remained still, unmoving and waiting for whatever would come next. Was this a trainer? Where were they? What had happened? Last thing he knew, he and Rex had been sparing before lights out.
The man stilled, taking in a sharp inhale as he pulled back, whispering, “Cody?”
Kote straightened, saluting, “CC-2224, awaiting orders. Permission to speak, sir?”
“I- Cody-” he sighed, something broken and soft. “Permission granted.”
He rolled the words around in his head before opening his parched mouth to ask, “Sir, may I ask where are we? Are you a trainer?”
A sob escaped the other man as he reared back, eyes wide.
“Do you…” the man started, eyes flickering with uncertainty, “Do you have a name?”
The hesitation in the man’s voice, the pure hope in the man’s voice tugged at his heart, causing a wave of emotion, to well up in him. He wasn’t sure what the emotion was, but something about the man made him trust him, made him know he was safe.
“Kote, sir,” he responded, softening a little. A trainer never asked for their names, only their Buir. Names were sacred, special.
Sighing heavily, the man turned his face upwards. The silence that passed was ambivalent, holding delicately. For a moment, Kote believed he was going to be decommissioned, sent back to Kamino only to be scrapped.
“Well, Kote ,” the man said slowly, blue eyes meeting his own brown, “I’m Obi-Wan. You don’t have to call me sir. I’m… a friend. I’m not a trainer. Do you mind telling me what the last thing you remember is?”
“I was turning in for bed, after sparring with my brother,” he answered, trying to remain steadfast and responsive, just how the Kaminiise liked him.
Obi-Wan hummed, stroking at his beard. Then he stood, rising with more grace and ease than he had seen from some of his brothers.
“Well, Kote, you and I have crashed landed on this planet until we can be found. I have to go gather for some food, seeing as the few rations we had aboard the ship will only last us a few days. Please, try to sit still, you are still healing.”
The way he spoke held an air of command, leadership. The robes added to it, along with the way the man carried himself. Then that’s when he saw the lightsaber dangling from Obi-Wan’s belt.
Jetti .
So, this must be his general. The Kaminiise had told him as such, that all Jedi would be their commanding officers. That they were made to live, breathe, die, fight for the Jedi.
“Of course, sir.”
Something pinched in Obi-Wan’s brows as he looked over Kote one more time, and left.
Finally alone, Kote shifted relaxing against the wall. He let out a small sigh, reaching for the top half of his blacks that were neatly folded and placed to the side. The fabric slid on with ease, but caught on the bandages making the injury scream with pain.
“CODY!” Obi-Wan had shouted across the ship, trying desperately not to get drowned out by the sirens. The red warning lights washed out the cool grey metal. It was an eerie sight, but unfortunately one he was used to.
“I’m alright General! Are you alright?”
“I am, but I cannot get to you, the crates caved in, blocking off the entrance. The other half of the ship has torn off.”
Cody sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned against the cold wall, knowing that this would be the end. It would take a miracle to survive this, even with a Jedi.
“It was a pleasure serving with you, sir.”
“Cody- no, please, don’t say that. Everything will be fine. You’ll b-”
Then everything went black.
He gasped, doubling over as his head roared in pain before filtering to one spot, pulsing angrily. Clutching at his head, he eased himself back onto the small metal slate.
Thoughts swirled dangerously in his head, like an out of control tsunami.
So- so he was Cody? But he was Kote. He- he didn’t understand what that meant.
What had happened? That was clearly him in the memory?vision?dream? What did it all mean? This went far beyond anything he had been trained for, and he was way over his head but maybe-
He was also taught to learn and adapt. So that’s what he would do. First he would have to learn why the Jetti was lying to him.
Rain started from beyond the cave, filling the silence with the soft pitterpater of the droplets. It was gentler than Kamino’s. Unlike the torrent he was used to, this shower was soft, soothing. It gave him a sense of peace he hadn’t had in a while. Kote hoped Obi-Wan wouldn’t mind getting wet in all this.
Relaxing into the hard slab under him, he shut his eyes. Rex must be wondering where he is. Jango would probably have his hide for running off with a Jetti and ending up crashing somewhere that seemed inhabited.
How did he get in that ship with the Jetti? That’s what concerned him most. He didn’t remember waking up, he certainly didn’t remember suiting up in that yellow armour in the corner. It was also… different. The visor was wrong, to start. It was ruined, scorched and scrapped from countless battles. But it wasn’t his.
It was the wrong shade of yellow, leaning more towards gold. The patterns were irregular from the standard issue Commander armour. They were never allowed to personalize their armour, as that made them individuals in the eyes of the Kaminii , but Cody understood the significance to it. They were all mandalorian. And Mando'ade decorated their armour in memory of events, soldiers they lost. Colors and patterns had meaning.
Kote lost track of how much time he had spent in his musing, only jolted out of his stupor when Obi-Wan walked back in, carrying many more logs and a bag of fruit. With a small smile, Obi-Wan handed Kote the bag before placing the extra wood to the side. With a sigh, he pulled off his tabards and tunic, leaving him in the undertunic which seemed relatively dry.
Curious, Kote peaked into the bag of fruit without touching, wanting to see what he had been given. He was still cautious of the whole situation. This was someone he didn’t know, a Jetti, a commanding officer. These were unknown waters and he wasn’t sure how to safely tread.
“The sun will be setting soon,” Obi-Wan announced, falling into an easy perch on another rock. He tucked his legs in close, resting his arms on them. “I do not know much about this planet, but I do believe we should be safe here? It seemed uninhabited, with local flora and fauna that do not appear to be hostile.”
It was a sitrep Kote hadn’t asked for, but he also couldn’t complain. It was better to gain as much information as he could about the planet, the situation, this strange Jetti .
“Sir, how did we crash?”
There was that same strange look Obi-Wan had given him before, a mix of sadness and acceptance.
“We were attacked by separatists, had to evacuate. The ship we took ended up getting launched out of hyperspace and tore itself apart. I know you have questions, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to answer them all,” Obi-Wan responded, tone clipped and short. “But I can tell you this, we are three years into the Clone Wars. You and I have fought side by side for almost all of them. I think something happened in the crash resulting in you losing your memory… just before Geonosis, if what I’m sensing is correct.”
Geonosis he was unfamiliar with, but that was drowned out by the tidal wave of panic and confused that crashed into him. Amnesia. That- That was bad. Years of his life? Just gone? How was he supposed to be an effective soldier if he didn’t remember anything. If he was a commander, did that mean he wouldn’t recognize his men? What had he missed?
“Cod- Kote, calm down, it’s alright.”
His vision cleared to show Obi-Wan crouched low in front, hands hovering over him as he waited for Cody to calm down. Panicking wouldn't do either of them much good at that moment. Kote needed to keep a level head, figure out what to do.
He lost years of his life. Who would still be alive? Dead? Kote had been built for war, programmed for it, and yet he had missed so much. The war had excited the vode , each eager and desperate to show their worth in the actual field instead of the training sims. And now Kote had missed that.
“It’s alright,” Obi-Wan muttered again, almost as if trying to convince himself.