Chapter Text
Cody's kettle was broken.
He was not even aware kettles could break, they weren't feats of mechanical engineering and required very little management. He couldn't remember the ones aboard the Negotiator ever being replaced.
This one had become familiar though and he was almost sad when it stopped whistling.
Nevertheless, it was not working and he was without coffee which was, of course, an emergency.
It had been only a matter of time before he had to venture out shopping. His ship was packed with second hand objects, mismatched cups and a cooker with settings he didn't dare try.
Cody was fairly sure he had been scammed into extortionist prices for the ship and its faulty appliances but he had been too dizzy with his own freedom to care.
It was cramped, full of his soldering equipment and tools, with only a handful of rooms and an engine that was never completely full of fuel. But it was quiet and his.
He had been estranged from the rest of the city at first, anything beyond his market stall growing into speculation but gradually it had unfolded out around him.
The streets were narrow and every block of houses was several stories tall, washing was hung from most windows, the colours a stark contrast from the beige houses. A few flats had balconies where wisps of smoke and plants draped from the windows.
For this reason the inner city was a labyrinth, one he had feared losing himself in in his first days on the planet: all the houses had been built in the same style. The rows of them had identical arching roofs, wide windows and stature. Furthermore, as you grew nearer to the centre of the town the streets began to spiral in on themselves and directions were not as simple as two left turns or straight ahead of you.
The only solution to this, as Cody had discovered slowly and accidentally, was familiarity. There was the rare block painted teal (a colour found nowhere else), the lamp post with a poster on for an obscure band and the house that always had music coming from it.
The little things made the streets distinguishable through the lives of the people.
It was a lovely city and Cody had supposed if he was going to stay somewhere, it might as well be here.
The market was bustling and the stormtrooper patrols wouldn't reach this area for another hour so it was the perfect time for shopping.
Before fashioning his helmet he'd been restless around people, although the clones had gradually been phased out of both minds and memory, they weren't forgotten. Cody now just had 'one of those faces' and every time he said that he waited for a chuckle.
Now he was here, he collected the first kettle in sight and some more plates for good measure. They sold everything here and his hand lingered too long over some orange paint.
He was done far before the patrols began but Cody still hurried back to open his stall.
Customers had trickled in slowly. Cody had considered many career paths: bounty hunter (it ran in the family, didn't it?), bodyguard, waiter, but had been content when he settled on blacksmith. It was one of the few parts of his old life that didn't draw attention.
Most of the time he had orders placed at the stall and then he'd complete them at home but people had warmed up to him more when he did quick fixes: broken necklaces or blasters not cleaned properly. He had become a general fix it store much to his own resignation.
Eventually, even the children had come to him asking him to fix toys and games and he obliged with a smile they didn't see but could hear in his voice.
So, no customer surprised him.
Well, until now.
"Su cuy'gar."
His head snapped up.
He knew that voice.
He knew that inflection.
But Cody hadn't heard mando'a since, well since he still had his legion. He hadn't heard it come from someone else's tongue in years.
And he had never expected to hear that particular voice ever again.
"Are you Mandalorian?" All warmth had halted and the customer rubbed at the back of his neck. "I thought from the helmet-"
It seemed he had done a similar thing to Cody and had adapted his helmet too. He remembered it being blue, then darker and when they had found a vambrace, the very last sign of him, it had been red.
It was now painted scarlet and navy, with patterns carved into the surface of it.
It had been Jango who taught him mando'a, all those years ago, but it was Alpha-17 he heard the language the most from. Alpha had known the euphemisms and curses that the shinies had come to relish.
"Su cuy'gar," Cody paused, calculating, "vod."
The air sat heavy between them.
"Cody?"
He nodded, incapable of anything else, and Alpha glanced around them furtively.
"You disappeared." Cody said quietly and he felt like a cadet again because he knows he means you left me.
"I know."
"How did you-"
"I could ask you the same thing but not here."
Cody clasped his hands together.
"How long are you here for?"
"However long you want me to be here."
"I'll close up for the day."
"You're not going to fix my armour up?"
Even behind that helmet Cody knew Alpha was grinning and Alpha knew that Cody then rolled his eyes.
"I'll do it at home."
"Family discount?"
"I'm doubling the price"
It was quiet with the helmet on but Cody caught Alpha’s chuckle.
“You just going to stand around or are you going to help me pack up?”
“Well I know how you get when I touch your stuff.”
“You're so annoying,”
Cody thought it’d be jarring, it had been years of Alpha being disappeared, MIA, another name on the remembrances, another loss but slipping into old ways was too easy. He had had siblings, so many that he had teased and cherished, but he had only really had one older brother.
“It’s nice here.” Alpha offered as they walked.
“Yeah it is, and quiet.”
“Good, quiet is good.” he cleared his throat awkwardly, “have you been here long?”
“Quite a while, you?”
“I just stopped here for fuel.”
They arrived where Cody had docked his ship and Alpha checked around the corners for Imps.
“How did you get out?” Alpha asked abruptly as soon as the door slammed shut and Cody removed his helmet.
“It’s a long story, Alpha.”
Alpha took off his helmet too.
“I need to know, Cody.”
“You need to know if the chip is out and it is.” Cody assured between grit teeth. “I know it is. I saw it.”
Alpha raised his hands in defense, “You know I have to ask.”
“And where were you then? I thought the Empire would use you, that I'd see your name somewhere but I never saw you. I looked for you.”
“Can I sit down?”
Cody cast a glance to the only two proper chairs in the ship: a singular armchair and his work stool and gestured to the armchair.
“I ended up on a ship with no fuel floating in the middle of nowhere. Thought I was going to freeze to death but some pirates boarded. I ended up back on Kamino, training some of the cadets. They didn’t want to send me back to the front you see,” Alpha tapped the side of his head, “they knew my chip didn’t work right. I know that now.”
“So you never,” Cody's throat closed. “Your chip never worked?”
Alpha shook his head, “I don’t know why. Too many concussions, what happened on Jabiim, first generation shit or some random glitch I don’t know.”
Cody’s hand grazed the scar on the side of his head.
“I was on Kamino when it happened though.” Alpha’s voice dropped, “I saw what it did.”
“I’m glad,” Cody closed his eyes, “I’m glad you only saw it.”
“Cody, Kote-”
The ship shook.
A tinny knock echoed throughout the room.
“Mr Ponds?”
The voice was clipped and unfamiliar.
"Mr Ponds?"
“Hide.” Cody murmured and slipped his helmet on.
His fingers traced his blaster as he opened the door, leaning on the frame casually.
“Can I help you?”
There were two stormtroopers, guns primed, and an official Cody didn’t recognise.
“We certainly hope so, we’re looking for a fugitive of the Empire.”
Cody leaned on the door and crossed his arms.
“Oh? What do they look like?”
The official’s mouth twisted and pulled out a holopad. When the hologram flickered on, Cody stared at his own face and tried not to smile even behind a helmet.
“I can’t say I have sir. Did you mention their name?”
“The fugitive tends to use many aliases.”
“I see,” his mouth twitched, “well I will keep an eye out.”
Cody didn’t close the door until the stormtroopers rounded the furthest corner.
“We need to leave, right now.”
“They’re looking for clone deserters all the time, it’s nothing.” Cody reassured
“They’re coming for me Cody.”
“Everyone’s coming for all of us, Alpha. That’s how the Empire works.” He snapped back.
“Cody, you need to listen to me.”
The floor rumbled and Cody rushed to a window.
“Get in the co-pilot seat and don’t say I told you so.”
“Co-pilot?” Alpha retorted.
Outside, a squadron of troopers stood with a tank looming behind them.
Clearly they knew who they were dealing with.