Chapter Text
There is a Jedi balanced on the couch in the middle of Cody’s quarters. This is both totally normal and not at all normal. Obi-Wan balances on the armrest of the couch there all the time – he says something about the force flowing unusually there. Cody hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. Cody definitely thinks something of it now. There are three notable reasons why.
The first is that the only Jedi who has the pass to Cody’s quarters is tucked against his side in bed, using the thin blanket on top of them to hide that neither of them is wearing nearly as much clothing as they should be, while desperately inching said clothing back across the room towards them with the force.
The second reason is that in the space where Obi-Wan’s head usually stills when he meditates in that spot, there is now a giant black disk hovering in the air. It seems to rotate, although the only reason Cody can tell is the golden lettering around the side seems to shift with it. It could also be a trick of the light, or the force. Cody wouldn’t be able to tell, it’s not a language or character system he’s familiar with though. Cody already knows that once he’s dressed, Obi-Wan will want to study this extensively. He's cute that way, his jetti.
The third reason is that according to the holoclock on the wall, it is approximately stupid’o’clock, and Cody just got Obi-Wan to go to sleep barely two hours ago. He could have had several more before it was time to get up.
Cody turns his most withering glare on the intruder in his quarters. It’s the glare he uses for shinies who have Karked Up Big. It’s mostly a cover to conceal the way Cody catalogs as much intel as he can about her. She’s clearly a Jedi, although the human female is dressed far… showier than most of the Jedi he has met. Her robes are white and gold decorations and a long dusty-golden skirt. She has medium length grey hair, which she has tied back to frame her face in a bob, and a moon charm rests on her forehead. Honestly, she’s wearing what looks to be slim white and gold upper-body armor that hugs her figure, and this was almost worth it just to ask her where she got it, and would they do one for his general as well?
She has also nearly lost her balance and toppled off of the couch with a shriek. Her blue-gray eyes are confused, and now that she’s sprawled on Cody’s floor, it’s pretty clear that this is not how she expected events to go either. She shoots a look of pure betrayal at the couch before she turns her face back to the room’s two inhabitants and raises her hands in a clear surrender.
“In my defense? The Noetikons made me do it.” She says, and that means nothing to Cody, but Obi-Wan shakes with barely contained laughter. It’s nothing obvious, but Cody knows him. It’s the same look he gets when he watches General Skywalker have to try to talk Commander Tano into doing her homework, or when they get into their strange heated-not-heated arguments.
“Oh? Which ones, if you don’t mind me asking? I shall have to speak to whichever master is spending their existence dropped unfamiliar Jedi into councilor’s private quarters without warning.” Cody turns his Jedi, about to make a comment about the fact that this was his quarters, but other than Obi-Wan’s attempts to grab the robe he has now dragged across the floor, the general is fairly relaxed. No obvious intent to harm, then. Cody still pulls his DC pistol out from where it had been tucked into the mattress, but does her the courtesy of keeping hidden for now.
“The Noetikon of Shadows, I believe.” The Jedi in gold is rising to her feet. As her skirt shifts, Cody can see that her ‘saber is tucked far back along her belt, in an inconvenient spot just out of immediate grabbing range. Not a fighter then, or at least someone who doesn’t often draw their blade in a pinch. Otherwise, Cody has no idea what a Noetikon is, but the response leads Obi-Wan into a wince that is both dramatized and clearly all for show.
“That does sound like Master Altax. For all that he is preserved in a Noetikon associated with darkness, I have always heard that he takes deep pleasure in mischief.” Obi-Wan passes Cody the top of his blacks, which the Commander wiggles into ungracefully as his partner slides into his robe.
“Unfortunately, this is no act of mischief. Councilor, the Republic, and I are in dire need of your assistance.” Cody barely bites back his response of ‘so, business as usual.’ Still, the lazy mood that had settled over the room was dispelled, and both Jedi and Clone were on alert now, even if visibly all they had done was get out of bed.
“In that case, may I have the honor of knowing who I am speaking too?” Obi-Wan asks with a flourish that doesn’t all hide from Cody that the caf machine has just been set to brew another pot. The female Jedi pauses for a moment before she steels herself and responds.
“I have been often called the Barsen’thor.” She says, and really, Cody feels stifled by the amount of Jedi nonsense in the room. Clearly though, this title definitely means something to Obi-Wan.
“That can’t be right, no one has been granted that title since the third Barsen’thor, over three thousand years ago,” Obi-Wan responds like he isn’t using the force to move a mug from Cody’s cupboard to the caf dispenser. The other Jedi frowns, but not in a confused manner, which means she might actually have some answers. Cody hopes so. For all that he doesn’t follow the conversation, he knows that Obi-Wan in confused as well, and now it sounds like there is force nonsense involved as well as Jedi nonsense. And here Cody thought that he might have been able to sleep in for once. How novel.
“Three thousand years? I knew they would send me far, but not nearly that far.” The Barsen’thor mutters. Oh, so this was intentional force nonsense. She visibly composes herself, before turning to face both of them, as Cody moved across the room to stand at his Jedi’s back. “I am afraid I am, in fact, the third Barsen’thor. The Noetikons who sent me here told me that I would be able to get a fighting force strong enough to hold off the Sith Attack long enough for the Republic to properly gather their own forces from where they are scattered.” And, doesn’t that sound kriffing familiar. Cody had never understood when he heard Obi-Wan tell Commander Tano that history repeats itself, but he might get it now. And honestly? Kark history.
“I do believe you have quite the story to tell us, my dear, but we should be able to help you,” Obi-Wan says, and Cody watches as the previously dignified and composed Jedi seemed to practically collapse with relief. “I’m Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is my second in command, Commander Cody of the 212th.”
“Nice to meet you.” Cody chimes in with a tired smile.
“The pleasure is all mine, commander.” She responds, touching her hand against her chest and tipping her head towards him with a small smile. “Alright. So, approximately 36 hours ago, some kind of signal must have gone out, because over two hundred sleeper agents calling themselves the Children of the Emperor sprung into action and sabotaged every system across the republic, just in time for a huge force to attack the republic on our weakest front. We need a fighting force strong enough to hold off the Sith and their Empire long enough for us to regain order and maneuver our troops to defend ourselves. I went to the Noetikons for advice – they sent me here.” Obi-Wan says something in response, but Cody loses it as Obi-Wan whispers down their bond at him.
The Noetikons are a collection of the memories and personalities of important Jedi Masters from the past. And oh, that makes more sense. Cody reevaluates the conversation he’s listened to before and decides that the preserved spirits of Jedi long past is hardly the weirdest part of today, but he trusts his general.
And the Barsen’thor? Cody pushes back across.
Ah, it means Warden of the Order. The title is awarded to a Jedi who has made a great sacrifice to protect the rest of the Order. I… don’t actually remember how she earned her title. Something to do with a Sith Plague? And okay, it probably isn’t relevant right now, so Cody puts that out of his mind for now.
“Alright then. I’m going to comm the rest of the council… and Anakin, Cody, would you take the Barsen’thor to meet with the rest of Ghost so that you can prepare?” Obi-Wan finishes out loud.
“Of course,” Cody says with a slight wince when he looks at the clock – Shank will be an absolute nightmare, but if he’s careful and doesn’t wake Numa, Waxer and Boil shouldn’t be too terrible? “If you’ll come with me?” He offers the female Jedi.
“After you, Commander.” She says, and he makes a show of offering an arm to her, and then when Obi-Wan is distracted, Cody snags his freshly poured cup of caf. He then does not beeline out the door, nor he does ignore his lover’s protests with a smug grin. That finally gets a small giggle out of the otherwise very formal Jedi, and Cody is struck by how young she looks. For all her titles, she doesn’t look much older than Rex’s Ahsoka. That’s it.
“It’s going to be alright, Master Jedi. Ghost Company is the best in the GAR, we’ll make sure everything works out in the end.” He reassures her, and Cody may be no Jedi, may not have the ability to sense emotions in the force, but he can see the way she tries to hide the relief that flickers across her face at the reassurance. It reminds Cody of Rex, in a way, when he finally has a space to let go of his responsibility and be looked after.
Yeah, Ghost is going to make sure she’s alright, 3,000 years from the past or not.