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My legs are numb, I just can't get up
Will you stay through the theatre
Of my self-pity, my lechery?
I'm waiting for your guiding light to bring me back
I'm waiting for your guiding light to bring me back
To the power and the glory
To the power and the glory
“Waxer, where is Commander Cody?”
“I haven't seen him since we landed on Geonosis, General.”
Obi-Wan did not like it. It was unlike the Commander to go so long without comming in a status report, especially during a battle.
“Sir, have you checked the medbay yet? Bay said he had to call in all off duty medics, it was not a good day for us,” Waxer said as he took off his bucket, worry evident on his face.
“I was hoping I would not find him there.”
The 212th had to evacuate back to the Negotiator after the attack on the Trippa Hive went haywire, and the battalion had never experienced this amount of casualties and injuries. The medbay was full of clones, every free space on the floor occupied by a stretcher. Those who could stand were taken care of in the corridor outside. The Head Medic, Bay, was running around frantically trying to assess whose condition was critical and needed immediate attention. When he spotted General Kenobi in the doorway he ran up to him to inspect him.
“Are you hurt, General? If you could walk here, I'm sorry but you will have to wait, the line is very long at the moment,” he said as he looked Obi-Wan up and down, then grabbed his face to look for signs of concussion.
“It's not why I'm here, Bay. I'm looking for Commander Cody. He isn't responding to my comms and nobody has seen him since the battle. I thought maybe he had been brought in unconsciously.”
Bay let go of Obi-Wan’s face and furrowed his brow in thinking, “No, I haven't seen him here either. Those who were unconscious were the first to be checked, as usual, he wasn't among them.”
Obi-Wan’s eyes glazed over as he processed the implications of the medic’s words. Commander Cody didn't make it back to the Negotiator.
“If that is all, General, I must insist you leave, space is already scarce here and I’m needed.”
“Actually, I must put together a search party for the Commander, is there any medic you can do without?”
“Sir, with all due respect, no I cannot. My brothers are standing outside the corridor because we have so many severely injured. I need all the hands I can get, so that we don't lose anyone else,” Bay said with a sharp edge. He knew Commander Cody was the backbone of this battalion but he was MIA and while some of his brothers were still in critical condition he could not afford a single medic to leave on what might as well be corpse retrieval. “Do not try to argue with me, General, as of now, I outrank you. I will not risk the lives of our men, for the life of one. Even if that man is Cody.”
“I understand,” Obi-Wan said with quiet resignation. He knew Bay was just doing his job, but to him, Cody’s life was worth his own.
Obi-wan made his way back to the bridge with determination. He would go down alone if he must, if there is just a sliver of hope that he is still alive he cannot leave him behind. He knew neither of his men would leave him, so he owed them the same.
“Attention troopers! Commander Cody is MIA and I am putting together a search party. Any volunteers?” he asked as he stepped onto the bridge.
Ahsoka, who was tasked to accompany him while Anakin was on Coruscant, looked at him with surprise.
“Master, we lost the battle, going back is a suicide mission!”
“That is why a maximum of six of us will be going. The droids do not care for the fallen, they will not stay around the battlefield for long.”
“I don’t like this idea. It's an unnecessary risk, Master, if he was still alive he would have tried to contact us for rescue,” Ahsoka tried reasoning with Obi-Wan, but he had already made up his mind. As much as he adored Anakin’s young Padawan, there was nothing she could say to convince him otherwise.
“Remember what happened at the Rishi Moon Outpost? Cody is a smart man, he has probably found shelter somewhere,” he said, entirely ignoring the possibility that Cody might be in a state he doesn't want him to be in. “If I'm near the battlefield I can sense his presence through the Force. Maybe you can learn something Anakin hadn't taught you yet while we're there. Can I count on you, Ahsoka?”
“Of course, Master,” she said with a light hint of worry. She wasn't sure Obi-Wan was ready to face what they might find.
“Sir, Boil, Wooley and I volunteer. And we found a medic who can come with us.” Waxer saluted Obi-Wan as the four of them lined up in front of him.
“I thought Bay needed all of his medics, he was very clear about it to me.”
“Yes, sir. He forbade me from treating the others because I myself am injured.”
“He's not gonna let you come now, idiot,” Boil pushed his brother's shoulder with an exasperated sigh.
“It's nothing, sir, just a cut on my arm. I have a bacta patch on it. It hurts a little but if the Commander needs help I can assure you I can provide it, sir.”
“Fine. Let's go.”
~
“Grenade! Watch out!”
Cody noticed the little orb a few meters before him a moment too late. He was far enough away that the impact was not lethal but he was still knocked up into the air and the landing was anything but soft. He caught a stone ledge by the back and landed on his side, his left arm trapped beneath his body sticking out in an unnatural angle. His vision felt hazy but he could make out his less fortunate brothers scattered before him. They were made to be expendable yet it was never easy to lose any one of his brothers, especially from his own battalion.
After a few minutes of trying to shake his throbbing headache, he tried getting up. Surely it would go away eventually in the heat of the battle, adrenaline was one hell of a drug. He tried getting up. Had he not realized that a stone had fallen on him from the impact? He could move his head a little so he tried looking around. He could not see anything behind him, but he could tell he lay before a stone ledge, possibly hidden from above. At least the droids won't notice him as he is trying to regain himself. He turned his head a little forward, but he felt a sharp, needle-like pain in his neck. It was concerning to say the least. He looked down at his left arm, if he could just reach his comlink he could ask for help.
He tried moving his fingers at first, to test out how bad his injuries were. He tried moving his fingers. He was looking at his hand, trying to move his fingers, he could have sworn he was moving them as usual. But his hand, along with the rest of his limbs, sat there like dead weight. Suddenly, under the scorching Geonosian sun, Cody felt cold. It wasn't the adrenaline kicking in that dulled the pain. It was his broken spine.
Cody lay there for 23 minutes and no one came by. He wasn't even sure anymore he could still speak. As his vision started to clear his eyes were frantically searching his surroundings for any signs of hostiles or allies. His head kept throbbing and something salty kept seeping into his mouth. He was too tired and scared to think about what it was. Instead he thought about his rather short life. He was bred for war, never intended for anything more than cannon fodder, yet he found a family among his brothers and his General. It was wishful thinking but he hoped one day, when the war was over, he could settle down and live a normal life. Though who knows if he could leave behind the only form of living he has known his whole life. And when he thought about death, he always imagined it to be sudden, a blaster fire to the head or a knife in the heart. This was the worst possible scenario. Left to starve out or be eaten by scavenging animals.
His thoughts suddenly came to a halt as he heard a group of troopers running across the rocks above him. A squad of four leaped down from the ledge, frantically seeking cover but a fifth member tripped on his body, kicking him onto his stomach. His neck now twisted uncomfortably as it could not turn further into the rock it lay on. The trooper looked back to check what he tripped on, and noticing the familiar armor panting recognition hit him.
“Comman-” the shiny was shot point blank in the head by one of the commando droids chasing them. The rest of his squad was far ahead of them now, and Cody was once again alone in his misery save for the droids. He was half hoping they would mistake him for another corpse and half hoping to finally be released from this hell. No one was there to save him and a quick death was still better than what awaited him..
“Scan the perimeter for survivors. Orders are to take no prisoners.”
“Roger, roger.”
One of the droids took off in the direction the squad escaped. The other however turned on its thermal vision to make sure the surrounding bodies were indeed dead. Cody swallowed hard knowing there was no escape this time, Obi-Wan wasn't gonna come and miraculously save him, Force he didn't even know he needed saving. Their last command was to evacuate to the Negotiator but he was still too far out when the grenade landed and the men he was with were already dead around him. Nobody would notice he was missing until they were back on the ship, and by then, it would be too late for him anyway.
The commando droid noticed the heat signature coming from below it and lifted its blaster targeting Cody. Behind the visor Cody looked into the lifeless eyes that would be the last things he would ever see. He knew it was useless to plead with a droid but he couldn’t help but whisper an inaudible “wait” with his last breath as the droid shot the clone trooper in the head without hesitation. It was a clean, quick execution. And Cody’s last thoughts were not how he wished he could have said goodbye to Obi-Wan, or any of his vode, no those thoughts occurred 19 minutes after the explosion when he had given up. His last thoughts were how utterly alone and scared he felt.
~
Obi-Wan and his search squad landed soundly not far from the remains of the battlefield. They hopped out from the small aircraft, and as silently as they could made their way to the empty plateau. It was a devastating sight for all six of them. Clone troopers were scattered around as far as the eye could see, some in recognizable condition, some not so fortunate. It was their first time returning to a freshly abandoned battlefield, the memory of it still vivid in their minds.
“Careful now boys. This is still enemy territory, they may not expect us to return so soon, but that doesn't mean there aren't any droids lingering around.”
“What's the plan, Sir? Do we split up?” Wooley asked.
“I think that's the fastest way to cover such a huge ground. Ahsoka, you, Wooley and Pine go north. Waxer, Boil and I will go south. If any of you hear or see anything, take cover and comm in. Do not investigate alone.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” said the young medic as the two troopers marched down north.
“Master, I hope you are prepared that we might find something you won't like.”
“I know, Ahsoka. I know.”
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, trying to sense his Commander's presence. The area was large, but not too large for him to find Cody.
“Sir, how does this work exactly?” Waxer asked with a hint of confusion in his voice. “I mean, we are all clones, how can you tell it's Cody and not another brother if you sense him.”
“You may think of yourselves as clones, but you each have different personalities and are individual beings with your own life experiences. Everyone feels different through the Force, and people I have spent a lot of time around, I can tell them apart,” he explained patiently.
Waxer nodded thoughtfully, while Boil shrugged, “As long as we find him, sir, I don't care how.”
The three of them had been tirelessly looking through an LAAT wreckage, writing a tally of the bodies they found on a datapad. It will make the work easier once they return to the ship, those they don't find today will be marked MIA.
Boil kneeled down next to a body in fresh white armour. “Poor shinies. Didn't even make it past their first landing.” He gently laid the unmarked body next to the rest they found in the crashed aircraft. Most of them were wearing the same white armour of the rookies that did not belong anywhere yet.
The sun slowly started setting on them as Obi-Wan led them through a narrow corridor littered with droid remains. They were going further away from the main scene of the battle, not wanting to be out in the open when nightfall came. But before that could happen, Obi-Wan’s comlink beeped. It was Wooley.
“Sir, we… uh… we found him,” he said trailing off.
“Is he okay? Where are you?” Obi-Wan demanded.
“It’s-it’s better if you come, sir. We-we are just below the plateau on a-a ledge. I'll-I’ll send you the coordinates.”
~
Climbing down from the plateau, Ahsoka found Cody the same way the rookie trooper did. Her feet got caught in the Commander’s stone-like legs. Upon recognizing him, she attempted to turn him back on his back, but rigor mortis had already set in and it was like attempting to move a sculpture.
“Wooley, Pine, come here!” she yelled for the clones wandering the plateau above. She was kneeling beside his body when they reached her, she looked at them with tearful eyes. “He’s gone.”
Pine kneeled down beside her, checking his pulse below the helmet. He didn’t need to, he has seen enough dead to know, but he did anyway. His subconscious routine took over his shocked mind, and being occupied with any action delayed the inevitable moment when he has to write down that dreaded sentence on his datapad. Marshall Commander CC-2224 “Cody” - deceased.
Obi-Wan has never hurried as much in his life as he did now. Wooley’s tone was anything but reassuring. He didn't know how serious Cody’s injuries were and he didn't want to waste a single minute not being by his side. He reached the coordinates with Waxer and Boil lagging behind him. Pine, the medic, was kneeling above a sprawled body, the helmet unmistakable. As was the blaster mark in the center of it.
At first Obi-Wan just stood there. Looking down at the group of four, not comprehending the sight before him. There was a body in Wooley’s arms, with the same armor as Cody’s but that was not right. That body was too rigid and not alive for it to be his. He averted his eyes from the corpse and looked at Wooley, who had his helmet taken off and he was looking at his General with bloodshot eyes pleading for comfort. He knew the Jedi considered death a natural part of life, nothing to cry over or fear. Surely Obi-Wan could help them through their loss. He did not expect to meet a pair of eyes that were as lost as he felt. Slowly the Jedi sank down next to him, putting his hand on the medic’s shoulder, silently telling him to stop checking him over and over. As Pine finally put down his scanner and stim canister he was desperately clutching, he looked at Obi-Wan with panic.
“I could not save him, General. I- I couldn’t… He was- he…” he stuttered as a lump started forming in his throat.
“It’s not your fault, Pine. We were too late.” Ahsoka said, taking the devices from the medic’s hands, and squeezing them lightly. She tried easing their minds, as Anakin once thought her, but her own grief kept seeping back into her mind. She may not have spent as much time with Cody as with Rex, but she liked the Commander. He was close friends with the leaders of the 501st as well as with his own General and Ahsoka could already feel their pain on top of hers. It took all of her concentration to keep a reassuring aura around her.
Obi-Wan reached for the body in Wooley’s arms, but the trooper was holding the body for comfort and didn’t want to let go. Boil had to pry his fingers off the armor and let him cling to him instead, reassuringly stroking his buzzed hair. Boil had to steel himself, his brothers and General would need him and Waxer to properly bury the body and return to the Negotiator. Seeing the broken state the three of them were in, he knew he had to hold his sadness. He was a soldier after all, there was a time and space for grieving and this was not it. Thankfully with his helmet on, neither of them could see the silent tears steadily streaming down his cheeks.
Obi-Wan turned the body on his back and put his hand above Cody’s heart. He closed his eyes and searched for the familiar feeling of warm suns, sturdy courage and weightless selflessness that was uniquely Cody’s.
“I can't feel you,” Obi-Wan whispered as tears welled behind his closed eyes. “I can't feel you.”
He opened his eyes, wiping at the tears and pulled off Cody’s helmet gently, wanting to at least say goodbye properly and not to a mask, but at the sight he almost dropped it. Cody’s eyes froze wide open in fear, his lips were still parted as if trying desperately to say something to them. His tan skin now ashen with a single streak of black dried blood coming from his temple to his mouth. Obi-Wan had to look away. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes and mouth without looking.
“The grave is ready, sir.” Waxer came up behind them, with a spade made from droid parts. “It’s getting dark, we must leave soon.”
“We’re taking him back, Waxer.” Obi-Wan said in a tone that did not leave space for argument.
“Sir. He would have wanted to be buried on the battlefield where he died. I’ve made the marker too, it just needs his helmet. If you take him back, his armor needs to be recycled and his body cremated. Please, let us bury him with dignity.”
“Give me a minute with him then, please.”
Obi-Wan took the ice cold hands in his for the last time, and touched his forehead to Cody’s in a keldabe kiss they frequently shared before battles in private. “I’ll meet you again, I promise.”
The grave was in a hidden alcove a few meters beneath the plateau, where only those that know what they are looking for would find it. The troopers found peace knowing their Commander’s resting place would not be desecrated by scavengers and outsiders. Obi-Wan rested the helmet on the marker and with a final prayer he walked back towards their ship.