Archive of Our Own ^beta

The seas of Kamino welcomed him back like a wayward child that finally realised where their place was.

Nothing changed on his home planet. It was still just as stormy, just as damp. The corridors still shone an eye hurting white, the buildings were still indistinguishable from one another. The halls still echoed with laughter of shinies and cadets, unaware of what horrors await them once they’re drafted to a battalion and sent out to fight. The longnecks still roamed the space, cold eyes staring down at clones like at test subjects behind glass cages. It was almost as if nothing at all had changed, as if the time on this planet and this planet alone stood still.

Almost as if the Republic still existed.

But it didn’t. It didn’t anymore and he had played a part in that. Him and his brothers had raised their guns, had heard the order from -now Emperor- Palpatine and complied. Had looked at their jetiise, at the people who treated them with kindness and respect, who became friends, siblings or lovers to so many of the vode and pulled the trigger with no hesitation.

The shot still rang in his ears when the 212th was called back to Coruscant. It still rang when Palpatine established his new Empire. It still rang when he had been given a choice between keeping his rank of Commander and leading a new squad, or retiring to teach the cadets on Kamino. An honour of choice wasn’t something many clones were given after the war ended, let alone the ability to keep such a high position that was now usually reserved for nat-borns.

He chose the cadets.

And so ‘Marshal Commander Cody’ became simply ‘Commander Cody’ and then ‘CC-2224’ to all the nat-borns that came to supervise the training of their new units.

It was good at first. He had always had a soft spot for kids and the cadets reminded him of his own batch when they were young. Eager to learn, competitive but united. He liked training them, liked watching them learn and improve, liked seeing their personalities shine through the way they fought and strategized.    

And if sometimes he slipped up and tried to call over his General when the shinies pulled something 212th worthy? It was for him to know only.

The content didn’t last long of course. How could it, when every time he closed his eyes he was back on Utapau, handing Obi-Wan his lightsaber back, watching as his General speeds off on Boga unaware of the danger he’s soon going to be in? How could he smile and laugh with the other clones when all he could think about were the words ‘Execute Order 66’ echoing in his brain? How he didn’t even hesitate to order his men to shoot down someone he had dared to call beloved only to betray him barely hours later?

It was all gnawing on him, all the what if’s and should have been’s and would have’s.  

He hoped it would subside in time, that Kamino and the closeness of his brothers would soothe the pain enough for him to not think of the past. It didn’t of course, but the hurt changed nothing either. For the Empire he was still just another number from millions of identical men that could take his place should he fail to finish his tasks. He knew it was only a matter of time before the clones would be deemed obsolete by the Empire army that was already slowly rooting them out in favour of trained nat-borns. Soon, even this will be taken from him. The last batch will be trained and then Kamino will slowly fade into obscurity, a mere memory of those who had lived through the Clone War.

He buried those feelings inside, let a perfect mask slip on and did his job, worked with the standards they expected of who was once the highest ranked clone in the army and never let anyone see into the storm that was brewing in his heart.  

Before  he knew it, it had been two years since the end of the war. Two years that for him and his brothers were four. 

***

Cody was walking down one of the corridors the first time he had felt the pull. With how tired he was, he had assumed it was a figment of his imagination and let go of it quickly, choosing to instead retire to his -small, smaller than even back on the Negotiator- room. By the time he had woken up the next day the entire thing was left forgotten.

The second time he had been making his way to get lunch. The portions could be better and the taste left much to be desired, but it was better than nothing. The tugging had pulled him out of his thoughts then, making him stop in the middle of his step. It was more insisting than the last time, sitting in the corner of his mind and trying to direct him down the path that led to private labs of the long-necks. A place off limits to any clone, obviously. He hesitated, eyes boring into the hallway, the feeling subsiding just a tiny bit when he turned towards it. He was about to do it, go down the corridor and find whatever is so insistent he comes there when a longneck strolled out of one of the doors. Before their eyes could settle on his frame and demand why he’s trying to go to an off-limits area, he was already halfway to the cafeteria. At least the tugging seemed to understand and quietened down to an easily ignorable buzz.

The third time he didn’t even hesitate, merely making sure there’s no one around and then making his way down the hall, the pull leading him where it wanted him to go. 

Cody walked slowly, keeping to the side and freezing at every sound. While being caught looking at the area would have warranted a scolding at worst, being found snooping around would end up with him being decommissioned. A practice Jedi put a stop to when they found out about it, one the Empire was more than happy to bring back. It should have scared him away, the idea of losing everything after fighting for so long, but it didn’t. All Cody could think about was the fact that whatever, or rather whoever was at the end of his little chase, they have to be force sensitive. Why they chose him specifically, he had no idea, but he wasn’t going to question it now.

He’s failed Obi-Wan already. He’s not going to fail the person reaching out to him. Maybe this way, the guilt will subside. An unlikely occurrence, but he can dream.

The feeling soon brought him to a set of doors not unlike the other ones lining the walls. Had it not been for how strong the pull felt when he snuck past it, he wouldn’t have stopped. It opened, luckily not locked like he had been worried it would be.

Inside he found what appeared to be a lab. There wasn’t really anything different from the ones that the clones were allowed to go to. Machines lined the walls with screens blinking variables he didn’t know how to interpret. A table sat in the middle, littered with different tools. The only thing that stood out to him were two closed orbs floating in the back, as if to be hidden from view.

Cody almost jumped when he heard a cry come from one of them.

Before he had the time to think it over, his body already moved on its own, reaching what he assumed was a crib in a few quick steps. With a shaky hand he clicked a button that sat on the side of the smooth surface, the orb opening to reveal… a baby.

A kid, one year old at most, that looked almost exactly like the usual clone tubie. The difference came from a different nose and eye shape, along with freckles scattered on the chubby face and a streak of ginger in the otherwise jet black hair.

Cody’s breath hitched, eyes of the same colour as his locking onto him as the baby giggled. He almost teared up, immediately thinking of who exactly the non-clone features reminded him of.

Another cry, this time softer interrupted him before he could fall deeper into his distress. The second crib, of course. Inside was another kid, one that also looked like a typical clone tubie. Black hair, same face shape and everything. Yet just like with the other one, there were a few features that differentiated from what Cody knew. A streak of hair was white, in the exact place as the other kid’s and the eyes were a lot more rounded and icy blue.

They stared straight through him, as if the infant lying there knew every since secret Cody hid in his soul. In the harsh light of the room the eyes looked almost like two moons. 

The pull Cody had already forgotten about came back and he realised with horror that it had come from the kid he was staring at. Those kids were force sensitive? But how? The longnecks had made sure no clone could ever wield the force so they wouldn’t ‘think they’re as indispensable as the Jedi’ Was this the experiment going on in here? Trying to get force sensitive clones to stay relevant for the Empire?

Cody turned to the blinking screens he had previously dismissed, quickly jumping through a few files until he managed to find one detailing the two babies.

Subject V:

Gender: Male

Note #1: Shows some signs of force sensitivity, but not as severe as Subject Q. The Midichlorian count seems to be around 9 000, which is average for a Jedi. Not as promising as Subject Q. 

Subject Q:
Gender: Female

Note #1: Shows very promising signs of force sensitivity.  The Midichlorian count seems to be around 16 000. Subject seems to be able to read a person’s intentions or feelings. Does not let most scientists near. Recommended to be handled by Nala Se to avoid any tantrums.

Scrolling through the file he found more notes of similar content, most detailing their ability to wield the force. Through his search, he managed to find the date of their creation, eyebrows rising at the fact they had been made a year after Order 66 had been given. He doubted they had somehow found a Jedi and extracted their DNA, so it must have been planned before the Jedi purge. Otherwise it made no sense.

Digging deeper he finally found the files that detailed how exactly the two kids came to be. He was glad the screen had not been a datapad, or he would have dropped it in shock.

There, blinking steadily, written in Aurebesh, were the names of the two people whose DNA had been used to make the children.   

CC-2224

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi

Cody’s head whipped back around to stare at the two forms still wrapped into a bundle, their similarities to the man he loved suddenly making so much sense. 

They’re my children… Was the first thought after the revelation, the ex-Marshal Commander walking back over to the tubbies. Suddenly the fact that the girl reached out for him made sense. They both somehow knew it was his DNA specifically that was used, a feat no doubt achieved through the force that Obi-Wan’s genome allowed them to wield.

A protective feeling rushed over him as he reached out to the boy with the ginger streak in his hair, who giggled happily and grabbed onto the finger. Cody smiled, eyes softening and his breath catching in his throat at the absolute trust the kid already had in him.

“Hello ner ad’ika, I’m your buir '' The girl beside him blabbed something, little hands reaching out for him.

“Do you have names?” He wondered, more to himself than his babies, but was answered nonetheless by cooing from both of the cribs. He chuckled warmly at that and turned to glance at the computer.

“The longnecks aren’t exactly known to give out good names. So how about I name you guys, hmm?” Another giggle came from his kids that he took as a ‘yes’.

“Very well, how about-” He stopped for a second to look at them more closely, taking in their features and abilities. 

They were like opposites in a sense. The boy with ginger streak and freckles bright and loud, excitedly wiggling around in his crib and babbling on. The girl with a white streak instead and icy blue eyes, big and round that stared at him with intensity. Sun and Moon. Yes, that could work.

He remembered the talks he’d had with Obi-Wan during the late nights of the war. The Jedi would tell him of different cultures and languages while Cody sat and took it all in, listening to stories of the world he could not explore. His favourite were always the nights Obi-Wan divulged his personal experiences and life of a Jedi. The forms they used, their connections to their lightsabers and their way of being. 

“Ataru” He spoke towards the boy, the name coming easily. It fit the little bundle of energy perfectly, both in the word meaning ‘Sun’ in one of many languages of the galaxy and being the lightsaber form Obi-Wan had used in his fight with Darth Maul. The form that had saved his life and that will now continue his legacy through the little child.

“Neoma” The girl looked up at him from where she was starting to fall asleep and blinked slowly, letting out a quiet coo. ‘New Moon’ for the new beginning the Jedi had been given through her and to commemorate the moon-like appearance the light of Kamino gave her eyes.

“Now, let's get you out of here, shall we?” He reached over to the buttons on the sides of the cribs, but then hesitated. He wanted to get them out of course and was prepared to fight if need be, but two floating orbs would be way too noticeable. If possible, he'd rather not make it harder on his vode by having to kill his way through the facility. The smarter and faster way would be to pick the kids up and book it while everyone’s distracted by training.

Steeling himself for the next few hours of hardship, he turned to pick Neoma first. The file said she’s able to read a person's intentions and feelings, so out of the two of them, he needs to appease her first. Smiling softly at her and hoping his scar will not scare the kid into crying he slowly, very slowly, moved his hands under her, wrapping around the thin blanket both infants had. Neoma stared at him, but stayed blissfully quiet, letting the clone pick her up without any fuss. He put her close to his chest and her small hand shot up to wrap around the strap of his armour, holding on and cooing quietly. 

He had a feeling she knew she’ll be safe now, no matter what.

Ataru didn’t resist either, simply giggled with a mostly toothless grin and waved his arms up when Cody leaned down. He was secured tightly right beside his sister, who immediately grabbed onto his hand, the other doing the same as they snuggled together.

“They kept you two separate huh? Well, don’t worry. I won’t let you two be brought apart, I promise.”

If the kids understood the finite tone of his voice, they made no show of it, content to just lay together, pressed against his armour. Somehow, it felt like they belonged there.

Taking one last look at the room he had found his new purpose in, Cody took a deep breath to centre himself, lock his mind onto the new goal and steel his nerves for anything that would come. Whatever happens, he’ll make sure these kids get to have a safe future and a childhood he was robbed off.

With no more room for any doubts, he adjusted his grip on the two bundles and opened the door, ready to start a new life.

***

Cody bit back a curse as a shot flew just past his ear, hitting the wall beside him and leaving a scorching, black mark on the otherwise pristinely white surface.

Ataru let out a quiet whimper, gripping harder onto his sister. Neoma made a quiet coo in return, as if to comfort her brother, chubby hands held together in a death-grip as Cody sprinted across the hallways. 

He focused on his breathing, on the feeling of the two children pressed tightly against his chest to drone out the sound of the voices behind him. Of his vode that were now chasing after him, guns raised and set to kill. He wasn’t firing back of course, his weapon being one of the few things he had not been allowed to keep when he had come to Kamino two years ago.  

He didn’t blame them, his brothers, for chasing after him. The young were eager to prove themselves, to show that clones are still the best trained soldiers one can have. The old do not have such need. They have seen the war, know that there are no winners or glory. It’s only blood, ash and death. Somehow he feels like if he had been in their place right now, he’d raise his gun too.

Weaving behind the corner he adjusted his hold on the kids, not even taking a second to stop. If he stops now, all three of them might end up dead. Ducking as shots fly all around him he skids on the floor suddenly and changes his direction, leaving his pursuers needing to take extra additional precious seconds to continue chasing him.

It gives him all the time he needs to stop in front of the automatic door leading to the hangar bay before he hits his head against it. It slides open, way too slowly for his sharpened mind and he doesn’t waste any moments to rush in, eyes already scanning all around him for a ship he might be able to take.

The hangar doesn’t have many modes of transport, mostly empty other than the few thrown around crates. It hadn’t been used much since it’s one of the side ones, instead of the main one that houses most Imperial ships. Ships which Cody wasn’t even considering taking. There was too much risk of them having some hidden trackers he won’t be able to find.

Luckily for him, there, in the corner, was an old but sturdy looking ship. It was a small shuttle, probably a leftover relic from the Republic time that nobody wanted to waste time on by moving it, especially since the hangar wasn’t being used. He just hoped that it was still functional as it was their only option out of there. 

Maybe he should have planned this out more before he had taken the kids and ran-

Jumping behind the crates for cover he got to the door of the shuttle, mentally begging whatever is out there for the keypad to work. He hastily punched in the code that usually let it slide open and let out a shaky sigh when the main console jumped to life. 

Rushing inside, he swiftly got into the pilot’s seat, fingers moving almost on their own as he locked the door down and disabled manual controls from the outside, effectively sealing his pursuers inside. Unable to relax just yet, he moved on to jump-starting the main navigation system, unlocking the manual controls and grabbing onto the joystick.

The sound of engines starting to rumble reassured him that the shuttle did in fact work fully and he didn’t just lock all three of them in a metal death trap. Easily bringing the ship up he turned it around to face the sky and, in turn, freedom.

The shots fired by the clones around him bounced harmlessly off the shuttle’s hull, regular blasters not having enough power to even scorch it. It allowed him to easily take into the air, the two terrified infants finally looking up from their position, realising they are safe.

Cody melted at their awed eyes drinking in the sight of the planet’s atmosphere, even more so once he finally punched in random coordinates for a hyperspace jump and the duo could watch the stars streak by. They cooed happily, little arms reaching out towards the glass.

“There’s a whole galaxy out there ner ade . Better than the labs on Kamino, I assure you” He spoke softly, finally turning on auto-pilot and getting up from his seat.

Nobody from Kamino followed him and he was yet to be intercepted by the Empire’s forces, therefore whatever longnecks were planning on doing with his kids, it must have been a secret from even the Imperials. They won’t notify anyone of their failure. It would look bad in the eyes of the Empire that’s already unimpressed with the clones.

It means that if he lays low enough, nobody will even know where to begin looking for him. Nobody will even know he’s wanted in any way.

He’ll be able to give his kids a childhood.

Going into the only room in the shuttle other than the cockpit and bathroom he found himself in a small bedroom. Clearly it had once been a private ship instead of a normal soldier transport. Better for him though, it means he has a place to let the kids sleep in until he settles on a planet to stay on.

Quickly making his way over to the tiny bed he picked up the pillows and thin blanket, arranging it in a different way that would allow the kids to be comfortable and not fall off. He goes to lay Ataru and Neoma down, happy with his work, but when he tries to get up, both latch onto him again, big eyes staring up at him.

“What is it cyare'se? You’re safe now, you can take a little nap. I’ll just be in the cockpit piloting okay? I’m not leaving, I promise” He rambled on, hoping that his tone of voice would ease the kids enough to fall asleep. They had enough excitement for one day and needed some well earned rest. 

They did stay very still during the whole chase after all, making it significantly easier on Cody to hold both of them while running.

Whether they understood or not, they made no show of it. Ataru simply whimpered, unyielding in his grip on the armour strap he had been holding on ever since Cody had first picked him up. Neoma didn’t make a sound, but her little fist tightened around his armour too, the other reaching up for him.

He sighed, glad he had put the ship on auto-pilot and then smiled softly, abandoning his idea of going back to the cockpit.

“Fine, fine. You win. I guess it won’t hurt to take a short rest with you huh?” As he said that he leaned back down, shifting so he could sit on the edge of the bed.

Ataru finally let go of his armour and instead snuggled to his sister, who made a happy gurgling noise and let him curl into her. Cody quickly took off the armour, figuring they’re safe enough to do so and then carefully laid down on the bed. Neoma tried to wiggle closer to him, so he picked her up and put her in the crook of his arm, doing the same with Ataru, both of the kids now resting on top of his arm.

With his other one he reached for the thin blanket, covering all three of them up and shifting onto his side so he could lay a protective hand near them.

“I’m not leaving, I promise” He repeated his earlier words, more to himself than to the kids. “ Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum ner ade ”

It might have just been his imagination and sleep deprived mind talking seconds before he fell asleep, but he swore that he felt them react to those words.  

***

The next few rotations passed in a blurr for Cody, a mix of write in new hyperjump codes to throw off any potential trackers, take a stop on some backwater planet to buy necessities for the kids and do an odd job or two for money, take care of his kids and search for a place to stay.

Finally though, he lands on the perfect location. The planet in itself isn’t big, nor rich in resources. Most would probably call it a backwater place in the outer rim that no self-respecting traveller would go to.

Good thing Cody was, in fact, not a self-respecting traveller.

They settled in quite easily. The community was small but close-knit, with most neighbours being refugees from different planets that couldn’t settle anywhere but here. It made it easy for him to blend in, simply another face of tragedy caused by the Empire. Nobody asked for his past, the whereabouts of the children’s other parent or even the obvious fact of his clone descent. He worked hard, didn’t pry and therefore they didn’t pry either.

Soon for the villagers he was simply Kote, a man who wished for a fresh start for his children who were growing day by day, already starting to try and say words or get up all on their own. He had never thought he’d turn into one of those parents that squeal over the smallest of things their kids do, but he’d be lying if he said that most of the space on the old datapad he got for helping out a farmer wasn’t filled with photos of Ataru and Neoma.

He could honestly get used to this. For the first time in his life, there was no war to fight, no cadets to train, no planet to liberate or conquer. It was just him, his sunshine and moonshine and the freedom of choice, limited as it was. It made the fact that his odd jobs consisted of fixing up old junk for a few credits or helping move heavy materials not feel like a chore. It was relaxation, the assurance that they’re safe enough for him to not need to blast his way to freedom anymore, that every day he’ll wake up to the sound of Ataru making a fuss and not the alarms blaring because of a seppie ambush.

Obviously, since he had been so content with this new life, it wouldn’t last long. Barely a few months after settling in, Cody was reunited with a very familiar face.

He had been making his way home that day, groceries in hand consisting mostly of mush for children and a few rations for him, when he felt eyes at the back of his head.

He tried to ignore the feeling at first, after all this place would get new refugees every so often and most would need a few days to get used to the sight of a clone that won’t try and evict them from their house. Yet whoever it was, was persistent, clearly following him from a distance.

Now disturbed and quite worried for his kids, who he had left in the care of an old widow that lived across from him, he changed direction and made his way opposite to his usual way home.

Just like he thought, whoever was stalking him followed, his sharpened hearing picking up on the near-silent footsteps behind him. He mentally sighed, mentally planning a route to a different planet once he gets rid of whatever bounty hunter must have been sent after him and needs to run.

Turning, he disappeared behind the corner and then sunk into the shadows of the nearest alleyway, dropping the groceries on the ground to free his hands. The person rounded the building too and Cody wasted no time in grabbing them from behind and pulling them into the corridor.

Their response was instant, legs kicking up to get momentum and then planting onto the ground to try to flip Cody over their shoulder. He was faster though, putting them into a chokehold and yanking back to offset them.

They brought their elbow up and then swung, hitting him right in the gut. It punched the air out of his lungs but he grit his teeth and didn't let on, using the pain as a motivator to tighten his hold and start forcing the person down to the floor. Their knees started to buckle, Cody clearly being stronger out of the two.

He was about to have his stalker on their knees to incapacitate them and start asking questions when they brought their arm up. Cody braced for one last ditch effort from the person, the one that's more clawing and scratching in desperation than fighting. Instead, the person starts to gently pat his arm, as if it’s a friendly sparring match and not a brawl in an alleyway.

Two taps, a one second pause, then another tap, followed by two more seconds and then lastly three consecutive ones.

Cody lets go of the person as if he had been burned, panting heavily and shaking. That… that was the way his vode would announce surrender. With how intense their sessions would get sometimes, they had made their own set of different tap codes so that there’d be no confusion whether the other clone surrendered or not.

The stranger, no, his vod got up, bringing their arms up to the green hood wrapped securely around them. Cody barely managed to catch a glimpse of white and blue vambrace before it was lowered. He almost choked up at the sight of a blond buzzcut.

“Rex” He breathed out.
    

Rex turned around, brown eyes softening and a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

“Nice to see you too ori’vod ” Rex sounded more weary than he had during the war, but it was still the same soft baritone.

Cody rushed forward before Rex could say anything more, wrapping his arms around his younger brother in a bone crushing hug. Rex laughed and hugged back, gripping the back of Cody’s shoulders tightly. None spoke for the next few moments, simply drinking in each other’s presence. It had been over two years since they had last been together after all.

“You’re alive! I thought… they told me that the entire 501st that wasn’t with Vader on Coruscant that day perished in a crash!” Cody started rambling once they let go of each other.

Rex shook his head and then took a quick glance around the alleyway.

“It’s a long story. Preferably one not to be told in the open”

Cody nodded at that, picking up the groceries that he had put aside so as to not get them destroyed during a fight. He really didn’t want to have to barter with the stall owner again if they had gotten squished.

“My place is not that far from here. We can talk there” Rex agreed easily and made an ‘after you’ motion with his hand, to which Cody rolled his eyes and got out of the alleyway.

He changed his direction, going back to the road he had originally been walking down before he had felt Rex’s eyes on him, his brother following after silently. It didn’t take long for them both to reach the humble house Cody had made his home.

It wasn’t much, but it was in a good condition with two tiny bedrooms, a small kitchenette mixed with a living room, functional bathroom and a ladder leading to the basement Cody repurposed as a meat-dryer in case they needed to stockpile food. 

Rex whistled, looking around the living room/kitchen he was greeted with when walking in, eyes immediately setting on the worn-out couch and a few toys scattered on the ground. He silently raised his eyebrow at them, turning to Cody for an explanation.

“Just wait here a moment. I’ll be right back” Cody didn’t elaborate further, turning around and walking out of the front door, leaving Rex alone to ponder what his brother had been up to these past few years.

Shrugging, he sat down on the couch, unpinning the cloak he had been wearing to conceal his identity and putting it on the side. He bounced his leg, whistling a random tune to himself and tapping his fingers against his knee. How long would Cody take exactly?

He barely had to wait a few minutes before Cody came back, holding two babies in his arms. Babies that looked suspiciously like-

“ Me’ven?! Cody what in the actual fu-” Cody shushed Rex before he could finish the curse, giving him a glare and pointing at the two giggling infants. His younger brother quietened, simply looking at Ataru and Neoma with a puzzled expression.

“Tubies?” Rex finally asked once Cody sat down beside him with the two held securely in his arms.

“Yes. Clones like us”  He answered, eyes shifting to his son who reached out to grab his finger. Cody lowered his hand enough for the kid to do so.

“Kenobi’s?” He nodded in lieu of verbally responding, still focusing on Ataru who refused to sleep like his sister.

“Did you two somehow-?” Rex didn’t finish the question, but Cody knew exactly what was being implied.

“No, no. They’re not even two yet. The longnecks used our DNA. Wanted to experiment with having a soldier that has our strengths and a Jedi’s connection to the force.”

Rex hummed, shifting in his seat to gently touch Ataru’s head, messing up his hair. The kid giggled, abandoning Cody’s finger to instead reach his arms out towards the other clone. Rex looked to Cody for permission and when he nodded, his vod’ika carefully slid his hands under the kid and picked him up.

A silence fell over the duo as Cody lost himself in thought while Rex played with Ataru. 

Did Rex also shoot that day? He wondered, mind flashing back to Utapau and Obi-Wan’s body falling from the cliff. They had never found it, but there was no logical way in which his lover could have survived that, right? Obi-Wan was obviously dead by his hand, as he had shot without hesitation. Had Rex chosen his duty over feelings too? Had looked his little sister in the eyes and pulled the trigger? Or had he been stronger than Cody, decided that being a traitor was better than hurting the kid he had watched grow up and become a warrior?

“What’s on your mind Codes? It can’t be good if you’re making that face” Rex’s voice brought him out of his thoughts and he blinked quickly, finding that Neoma had woken up and was now gurgling at him, as if in comfort. Had she felt his distress at the thoughts plaguing him?

“I shot him” He finally mumbled out, voice breaking. “I told him that I want him to be my riduur once the war is over and then shot him without a second of hesitation the moment the order came through”

He bit down a sob threatening to escape him, hugging Neoma closer to him who was now worriedly cooing at him, little hands reaching up to pat his face. Her eyes hurt to look at now, to see the icy blue and think of the sky blue instead of the gentle and full of love look Obi-Wan would give him when he thought nobody was looking.

“Cody… do you not know? You still have it?” Rex’s voice shook as he shot up from his seat, holding Ataru closer to his chest and suddenly eyeing Cody as if he were to jump at him at any moment.

“Know what Rex? Have what? What do you mean?” He questioned in confusion, shifting to stand up, wanting to ask his brother if he was alright and try to calm him down. 

The reaction was the exact opposite, Rex flinching back and his hand hovering over the holster on his hip where his trusty DC-17 blaster sat in wait. Cody froze, one hand moving up in surrender while the other still held onto Neoma, who now let out a quiet whimper, sensing the shift in atmosphere. Ataru followed, wiggling in Rex’s hold with a panicked cry.

“Cody, what do you think of the Jedi and the Republic?” His younger brother asked sternly, all but growling it out as his hand now rested on top of the DC-17, fingers wrapped around the trigger and probably already turning off the safety. Cody gulped quietly but answered nonetheless, not understanding Rex’s outburst but not wanting to antagonise him more.

“The Jedi? They were friends, family even. Treated us well even before we realised we deserved to be treated well like any other being. The Republic had its flaws, but it was filled with good people, people who would have never let the Galaxy come to this. Maybe, had we not stupidly followed that order like blind sheep, the Jedi would have dealt with Palpatine before the Empire could ever start” His voice quietened at the end, a new wave of guilt falling over him at the realisation. They had messed everything up, didn’t they? They did this. They allowed this to happen.

That seemed to be the correct answer as Rex relaxed, hand moving away from the holster and instead resting gently on top of Ataru’s head to calm the crying baby down. He smiled softly, but sadly, as if he knew something Cody didn’t.

“Codes, we had no choice” Rex delicately started, voice quiet as if the roles had reversed and he was not trying to spook Cody away.

“We did! We did have a choice Rex! Wasn’t that exactly what the Jedi were trying to show us? We are alive, we’re our own people and we always have a choice! We should have chosen to rebel! Should have seen the trap Palpatine was springing a-”

“We had no choice because there were mind control chips in our heads” Rex cut him off and Cody froze, the words dying on his tongue as the reality around him shattered with those few simple words.

“What-?” He whispered weakly, falling against the couch again, his grip on Neoma almost slipping before he caught himself and fixed it.

Rex sighed softly, sitting down beside him again and putting his arm on his shoulder, squeezing gently in comfort.

“Fives figured it out. That’s why Palpatine had him shot on Coruscant. He was telling the truth. All of us had them put in as tubies, before we even knew we existed we were implanted with a way to control us. That day, when the order came, it was from a long list of commands that would turn us into nothing more than flesh droids vod . We never had a choice, because Palpatine took it from us”

Cody didn’t want to believe it. All of them? Every single clone starting from tubies were implanted with a way to control their actions? It made an eerie amount of sense. Suddenly Tup’s weird behaviour before he had ‘gone crazy’ and shot a Jedi had a terrifying explanation. The lack of hesitancy after hearing those dreaded words ‘Execute Order 66’. He didn’t disobey because even if he had wanted to, he wouldn’t have been physically able to.

Rex saw his distress and quickly handed him Ataru back, the two babies snuggling into his chest with worried blabber. He could feel something almost like a tug at the back of his head, trying to untangle the mess that were his emotions right now.

“I’m okay ner kar’ta . There’s no need for that” He spoke softly, running his hand through their hair to calm both himself and them down. There was no need for them to try to use the force and tire themselves out.

Two sets of eyes way too smart for someone their age stared at him, almost as if contemplating his words, before the feeling in his head disappeared, replaced for a second with a sweet wave of comfort. He chuckled at that, bringing them closer to him to kiss their heads.

“Thank you, but I’m fine. Really. Go sleep little ones, I’ll be here when you wake” He started to hum an old Mandalorian lullaby Alpha-17 had taught the oldest batches, Rex joining in shortly after to help put the kids to sleep.

It didn’t take long for their eyelids to drop, little snores replacing their fervent blabber. Cody sighed and motioned for Rex to follow, going into the main bedroom where the small bed he slept in was, along with a big floating crib he had managed to scavenge and fix up to be usable. He put the two in, his heart melting when they both immediately sought each other out as usual and then covered them with their blanket. Rex watched from the side, an unreadable look on his face before they both sat down on the bed once Cody closed the lid of the orb.

“Did you shoot her too?” He asked once he was sure his kids wouldn’t wake up, Rex immediately knowing what he meant.

“I tried to. She was resilient as usual. Managed to find my recording of the whole Five’s situation and got me knocked out to remove the chip. Had it not been for her, I would have probably ended up dead in that crash too.” Rex quietly admitted, eyes glossed over with an empty look on his face.

Cody might be just hearing the story, but Rex is living through that hell again.

“Then, she’s alive?” It’s a relief to know that some Jedi survived. Ahsoka wasn’t the only crafty Jedi, so there must be more out in the galaxy. Betrayed and scarred, but still alive. So maybe, just maybe, one day their order will rebuild anew.

“She is. Joined the rebellion forming against the Empire. That’s actually why I came here. One of our people here told me that there’s a clone that I might try to recruit with a giant scar on his face. Was going to knock you out to get rid of your chip and enlist your strategic help in our resistance, but-” Rex paused then, lightly motioning to the closed crib. “-clearly you’ve got something more important to take care of”

Cody nodded at that, eyes softening when he glanced over to the orb and heard quiet snoring and coos coming from inside. They were his everything, he wasn’t going to put them in danger.

“Rex, had I not found them, I would have joined the rebellion without hesitation, but I can’t now. My number one priority now is to keep them safe, give them a chance at a childhood we were robbed of.”

Rex chuckled fondly at his words and slapped him on the back a few times.

“I understand that vod . Wouldn’t dream of separating you three, but I’d move places if I were you. Codes, this planet is on the Empire’s watchlist. Apparently they need some special quarts type that can only be mined from the mountains on a handful of planets. This one included”

Cody cursed under his breath, looking over at the kids again. His mind already started to go through his plans B to Z, all with different planets he could settle on. Most seemed like a temporary arrangement though, big enough to catch the Empire’s attention at some point or another and end with them having to run again. It wouldn’t do, especially when the duo grows older and starts forming friendships. Having them leave the new connections they made every few months would be cruel.

Rex pulled him out of his panicked thoughts again, squeezing his shoulder and pulling out what looked to be a comlink from his pocket.

“I can help with finding a safe place. I’ve got a certain contact that will be more than happy to help you relocate. They’re trustworthy, I promise. ”

Cody hesitated, the idea of putting his and his children’s safety in the hands of a stranger worrying him, but he nodded nonetheless. He did trust Rex unconditionally. If his brother thought that they could let that person know about Ataru and Neoma, then they must have done something to earn that.

“And they’ll be able to remove your chip. That way you’ll be sure that the Empire won’t try and force you to turn on any friends again”

That perked Cody up, who turned to Rex and gave him a grateful smile. Now that he was actually close and looking for it, he saw the thin pale scar on the side of his brother’s head, live evidence that everything he had said had been the truth. Not that he ever doubted him. It was Rex after all. Out of all the clones, he had been the closest to his vod’ika .  

“Alright. Let me pack everything up and we can leave first things tomorrow.”

***

True to his word, the duo had everything packed and ready by tomorrow morning. The people Cody had grown fond of questioned nothing when they saw him packing to leave, nor did they try to stop him. They simply brought a small pouch of foods his children grew fond of and wordlessly handed it to him. A silent goodbye to a friend.

He had told them about the Empire’s plan of course. He wouldn’t have left and abandoned them to the mercy of those that hold no compassion in their hearts. They had simply nodded, as if they had expected that their paradise would not last forever. They promised to take care of themselves and that was all Cody could as for.

Within a few hours since the sun rose, Cody and Rex were off, on course for whoever his brother’s contact was.

***

Bail Organa.

The contact was the Senator of Alderaan himself.

Cody had expected another clone and yet when they landed on the gorgeous and seemingly untouched by the Empire planet, it had been Bail and Breha that waited on the platform for their touchdown. When Rex landed, he shook hands with the senator and even got a pat on the back, as if the two had been life-long friends. Cody knew that the 501st ended up meeting more politicians than any other battalion, probably thanks to Skywalker’s not so secret relationship with Amidala, but he did not expect that the Organas would be so willing to welcome what was basically two deserters.

“It’s good to see you again Rex! I take it the information had been correct, seeing as you came back with Cody in tow” Bail spoke first once the two were finished with greeting each other.

Rex nodded, motioning back to Cody and the pod floating beside them, where the twins currently were, the lid closed to give them some peace and quiet to rest. They have been taking space travel well, but he could see that they much more enjoyed staying on solid ground. A trait they both must have inherited from Obi-Wan, who would always complain when he had to fly any ships.
“It was, though I don’t think we’ll be recruiting him for the rebellion. Cody? I can vouch for both of the senators. It’s safe to show them .” Cody nodded at his vod’ika’s words, motioning the crib over.

He pressed the button on the side of the sphere, the lid opening to reveal Ataru and Neoma. Both were curled up around each other, little hands held together with the boy’s forehead pressed against his sister’s chin. They were snoring quietly, but at the hiss of the pod opening they stirred, brown and blue eyes opening to stare at the adults.

Breha gasped in delight, her eyes setting on the two infants immediately, before turning to Cody’s with a silent plea. Trusting his brother’s words, he motioned with his head towards his children, giving the woman a silent permission. Breha carefully walked over to the pod, not wishing to scare the kids.

“Hello little ones! Aren’t you just precious?” She cooed at them, reaching out to gently pick Neoma up.

The girl didn’t make a fuss, big round eyes staring up at Breha. She giggled happily, reaching out chubby hands towards the older woman and letting the senator hold her. If Cody hadn’t already been sure of Organa’s intentions, now he had no doubts they were on the right side.

Ataru fussed at being separated from Neoma, pouting with his lip trembling. Cody rolled his eyes at that and picked the boy up.

“Don’t make a scene Ataru. Neoma is alright. You’re not getting separated again” He reassured the kid, who probably doesn’t understand the words, but can clearly feel the intentions behind them, as he quietens down and lets his father carry him.

“Again? May I ask how you came to be in possession of two infants?” Bail asked, looking between Ataru and Neoma with wide eyes, his expression looking thoughtful, almost as if it reminded him of something.

“It’s… a long story” Cody settled on that answer, taking a quick look around the landing bay. Breha seemed to read between his lines perfectly, nodding shortly and turning around.

“Please, do come in. I will not have you standing outside on the landing zone! I’m sure you’re starving and the kids could use some food too” She stated, motioning with her hand for the clones to follow her and her husband.

The four made their way into the mansion, the empty pod floating behind them as Breha and Cody continued to hold the kids. Rex made small talk with Bail which he tuned out, not wanting to pry into the whole rebelion business he was apparently supposed to be roped in by his younger brother. The less he knows, the better it will be for the rebels if he ever gets caught and interrogated.        

Bail and Breha lead them to a well decorated room. It’s mostly white, with comfortable looking couches in the middle, along with a glass table. Everywhere are scattered potted plants that add a touch of colour to the otherwise bland look. A few lamps give off a gentle light, bathing everything in a soft orange glow. It feels homely, lived in.

The Senators took a seat first, Rex and Cody doing so on the opposite side, leaving the glass table in between them. Breha is still holding Neoma, who has by now fallen asleep again and is snoring quietly, curled up in the woman’s intricate dress.

“Now that we’ve got full freedom of speech, would you mind answering my previous question Cody? These two share a lot of similarities to…” Bail trailed off, but Cody knew exactly who the man was talking about.

“They’re experiments. The Kaminoans had a sample of Kenobi’s DNA and used it, along with mine, to try and create force sensitive clones. From what I saw in their notes, they succeeded. Both Ataru and Neoma have been showing signs of being Jedi.” He explained in short, not wanting to take up too much time with needless explanations. He came here for a reason and he hoped they’d get to it soon.

Bail nodded, scratching his beard in thought while Breha hugged Neoma closer to herself, clearly already protective of the kid. Cody liked that. If anything were to happen to him, she’d clearly have no problem taking the kids in to protect them.

“I understand, that is quite a tricky situation. The Empire is hunting any force sensitives it hears of. If they catch wind of these two, they won’t stop until they kill them, or worse. I’ve been helping J-” Bail froze for a second, giving Cody a wary  look. “Have you had your chip removed?”

Cody shook his head, to which both Bail and Breha immediately tensed. He couldn’t blame them really. If those chips were what all but mind-controlled them into committing a genocide, then there’s no guarantee it can’t force him to go after a single senator family.

“That is what we came here for. Rex said that you’ll be able to take it out. I’m the closest thing these kids have to a father and I want to be there for them without the risk of turning against them if the Empire tries to use the order again.”

Bail hummed in thought and then stood up, motioning Cody to follow after him.

“You’d be correct. We have a specialised doctor and equipment to get the chip out safely. If you’d follow me, I will take you there and remove it at once.”

Cody glanced nervously at Ataru still in his arms and then at Neoma sleeping soundly in Breha’s arms. He tightened his grip at his son just a smidge, the kid looking up at him with a toothy grin.

“It’s a quick procedure Cody. Ahsoka managed to get mine removed while being hunted down by our vode . With a professional it will take even less. You won’t be separated from them for long.” Rex eased his fears a little and he sighed, nodding once and handing Ataru to his younger brother.

Rex took the baby from his arms, fixing his hold and letting the kid snuggle to him without fuss.

“If it will put your mind at ease, we will come to you the moment the surgery is done. Before you even wake up your kids will be waiting for you.” Breha suggested, giving him a soft, understanding smile.

“I’d like that, thank you Mrs.Organa” She waved a hand at him with a scoff.

“Please, do call me by my name. You’re a friend and are close to Obi-Wan. I think we can forget the pleasantries”

Cody’s face fell and he turned his head away with a bitter laugh.

“ Was close to Obi-Wan. I lost that the day I ordered him to be shot down from a cliff.” He stated angrily, hands curling into fists at the thought of that day.  

Rex sighed and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in comfort.

“Cody I told you. It’s not your fault. It was the chip. Even I couldn’t fight it knowing what was happening to me when the order came. It was designed to override our will. You couldn’t have done anything to save him ori’vod. Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum ”

Cody quietly whispered Obi-Wan’s name, trying his best to take Rex’s words to heart. It was hard though, to not take that moment as his own fault. Not when he had watched Obi-Wan, his supposed cyare be shot down because of his word, fall down the deep chasm and disappear in the murky waters below. He should have been stronger. Should have realised something was wrong and resisted somehow. Obi-Wan deserved so much better than that, so much better than him .

Bail and Breha shared a look together, as if they knew something that he didn’t, but chose to say nothing.

“Rex is right Cody. I’m sure Obi-Wan wouldn’t want you to be blaming yourself for this. Come, let’s get your chip out so you will be able to at least not worry over this” Cody huffed at Bail’s words but didn’t argue, letting the man lead him out of the room.

They went deeper into the mansion, passing corridor after corridor and descending lower. Soon Bail stopped in front of what looked like a simple wall, pressing something that Cody didn’t get a chance to glimpse, before a part of it slid apart, revealing a secret passageway.

“The lab isn’t exactly… legal with the Empire’s new rules, so I hope you’ll excuse the secrecy” Bail said in lieu of a longer explanation.

Cody shrugged and walked in, the environment around them turning sterile and cold. It reminded him of Kamino, with the smooth walls and harsh lighting. Bail seemed unbothered by that, navigating the maze of corridors easily. They passed a few sets of doors, from behind which Cody could hear hushed talking. Maybe this was also the place where the rebels collected? He hoped not. It would be hard to hide that if he gets injected with a truth serum.

“In here” Bail stopped in front of a door like any other, the only thing standing out being a thin red rectangle on the side of it. 

Cody followed the senator in, freezing in his tracks when a Kaminoan turned around, their arms behind their back and soulless eyes staring back at him. His arm moved towards his blaster in agitation, ready to click the safety off. Bail noticed, his hand shooting out to put it on top of Cody’s and stop him from raising the blaster.

“This is the doctor, Cody. After the Empire took over some of the Kaminoans had decided to abandon Kamino. They are one of those scientists and have been an invaluable ally.” Cody glared at the longneck, but stayed put, his arm leaving his blaster holster.

Instead he crossed them, obviously distrustful of the scientist. How could he not be? The Kaminoans were the ones who put in the chips into every single clone and allowed for the Jedi massacre to happen in the first place.

“I understand you are distrustful of me, but I assure you, I have no intention to hurt you. I will simply do my job and remove your chip” Their voice was quiet and slow, almost robotic in the way they accented the words and pauses.

“They’ve already operated on a few of the clones that Rex had managed to find. None of them have had any complaints. You’re still safe Cody.” Cody looked between the Kaminoan and Bail, before letting out a sigh.

“Fine. But I will not hesitate to put a bolt between their eyes if they try anything, understood?”

The scientist merely motioned towards the machine in the back of the room, one that luckily was identical to the ones they had back on the Venators. At least there was the familiarity of knowing exactly how it works, courtesy of 212th’s medic giving him a quick medical course just in case anything were to happen.

“Very well. Please lay down here. I will give you a sedative. The procedure should be finished within ten minutes with a disorientation period afterwards. Calculating by your mass, it should not take longer than five minutes to pass.” They started to type something on the screen beside the machine, it whirling to life.

Cody gathered himself and, before he could talk himself out of it, he laid down on the indicated place. Barely a few seconds later he was administered the sedative and everything around him went black.

***

Cody woke up with nothing more than a dull throbbing at the side of his head. 

He slowly opened his eyes, the world blurred as he blinked a few times to adjust his focus. Above him shone the light from before, white and steady, which meant that he was not moved anywhere while knocked out.

“Patient is recovering normally” The Kaminoan’s voice stated emotionlessly, the room filled with the sound of their fingers typing something.

His eyes finally focused and he found that true to her word, Breha had brought his children to him, the twins wiggling in her hold at the sight of him. Bail and Rex were there too, standing in the corner and conversing while shooting Cody glances every few seconds to make sure he’s alright.

“They’ve known you were going to wake before you even had the chance to stir. They started wiggling and everything” She murmured, probably knowing that louder noises would irritate his for now sensitive head.

“Is that so? Have to say I’m not surprised. Told you they’re special like that” He avoided using the word force sensitive around the Kaminoan, not trusting them still.

He reached out, Breha leaning down as the kids almost tumbled out of her grasp in their haste to reunite with their father. Cody laughed softly at that, wrapping his arms around the two babies. They snuggled to his chest, babbling nonsense and trying to reach for his face. He chuckled and lowered his head, letting four small hands rest on his cheeks.

“Bwr..buwuighr… buir !” Ataru yelled out after a moment of struggle and everyone in the room froze in shock.

“What… What did you just say?” Cody asked softly, one hand moving up to grasp Ataru’s and stroke his thumb against the palm of it.

“ Buir !” The kid said again, Neoma perking up and parroting her brother. “ Buir !”

Cody teared up. He knew that technically normal ageing children should have been speaking a lot more already, but with the Kaminoans clearly focused on experiments and force sensitivity he wasn’t surprised they were either quiet or babbling nonsense. He didn’t expect their first word to be… to be that .

“That’s right… that’s right! I’m right here, that’s me. Your buir. I promised I’m not leaving right? I’m fine, I’m alright” He hugged the twins closer, blinking back the tears that stung his eyes. Out of everything they could have picked up on… their first word was him.

“ Buir! ” They both giggled, wrapping their arms around his neck and giving him a very messy kiss on the cheek. He didn’t mind though, laughing brightly and loudly for the first time in what seemed like years.   

“Well, now I’m definitely not getting you to join the rebellion, am I?” Rex joked, looking over the scene with a soft look on his face. He was glad that at least his brother seemed to be doing okay.

“I don’t think anything will be able to separate these three now if I’m being honest” Breha added, having moved back to stand by her husband while Cody had his moment with the twins. “They’ll need a safe place to stay, won’t they?”

Bail and Breha shared a look again, small smirks bleeding onto their faces. Cody was starting to get suspicious of those. They reminded him of how Ahsoka and Anakin would look at each other before causing chaos. Or Waxer and Boil. Especially Waxer and Boil. Those twins were a bane of his existence and his most trusted 212th members.

“I can deal with whatever climate the planet will have. As long as these two are safe and content, so will I.” Cody said, standing up from the operation bed.

All that even suggested he had undergone a surgery was the thin stripe of pale skin at the side of his head, an unsuspecting scar with a heartbreaking story behind it.

Bail seemed to like his words, the smirk widening as he waved at the Kaminoan to give them some privacy. They rolled their eyes but complied, moving to a second section of the room, probably their lab.

“There is one planet I have in mind, but…” Bail paused, looking at the twins happily blabbing in Cody’s arms. “I don’t know how safe it will be for so many force sensitives…” 

Cody looked at the man in shock, his grip on the two tightening.

“There… there are survivors?” He asked, almost in reverence. His hands would have been shaking had it not been for the twins, who must have felt his emotions and started to send him a wave of calm to ease him a bit. They were getting good at that, he had to admit.

Bail nodded, walking up to Cody and gently ruffling Ataru’s hair, who let out a quiet whine at the feeling.

“There are. Many survivors actually. Younglings, Padawans, Knights and even a few Masters. There’s a Jedi on Tatooine right now, but I’m not sure it will be safe for them, or you” The senator explained.

“Why would it not be safe? I doubt the Empire will have much interest in that planet. It’s considered a dump even by the other Outer Rim inhabitants”

Breha shook her head.
“That is not what Bail meant. It’s about the force. From what we’ve seen, the kids are clearly force sensitive. Something that other force users can detect. The Empire has the Sith hunting for any stray Jedi. The one on Tatooine is quite versed in the ways of the force. To have them and the kids there at the same time might make the hunters find you easier. Not to mention, there is another detail we’ve yet to reveal for the safety of said Jedi.” She explained carefully.

“I understand. It might be a problem then. Though I don’t know that much about the way the force works, I know that Neoma’s connection to it is very strong. Her file on Kamino said she had around 16 000 Midichlorians, which I figure is a high number considering the longnecks called her ‘promising’.” Bail hummed at his explanation, running his hands through his beard in thought.

“That will not be a problem” Another voice joined in, the scientist from before appearing in the room again, their brow raising when Cody pressed the kids protectively to his chest.

“And why is that?” Bail asked, not seeming to mind the Kaminoan’s blatant disregard to the privacy of the conversation.

“The clones have been genetically engineered to hide force signatures. It was to help hide their Generals during battles against other force users. The CC’s even more so than CT’s. If CC-2224 is around, he’ll successfully mask any Jedi around him” Cody growled quietly under his breath at the usage of his numbers -he had a name thank you very much-, but decided to stay silent, processing the new information given.

“And nobody was notified of that?!” It would have made so many missions easier had they known of it during the war.

The Kaminoan shrugged, their long neck looking very snappable right about now.   
 

“We thought it was an obvious feature.”

Cody opted to ignore them and instead focused on Bail and Breha, the new information changing everything. If it was true, then this presence could actually help the Jedi for once, not put them at risk.

“In that case, I think you’ll find Tatooine to be the perfect place to hide at. I’ve personally sent that Jedi there, so I know where they are living and will direct you there. There is just one last thing you should know.” Bail paused then, taking a quick glance at the scientist before motioning everyone to move.

They made their way back to the original room they had been in, the couches a welcome change to the stiff operation table. Once they were all seated, Bail continued his sentence as if there was no interruption whatsoever.

“The Jedi has two force sensitive children with them. They’re twins too, around the same age as Ataru and Neoma. If you’re to go there, you’ll also have to protect those two”

Cody looked down at the two kids in his arms, imagining two more snuggled up to him. It tugged at his heartstrings, his mind already trying to picture the other set of twins. Were they human? Or a different species? Boys? Girls? Neither? Were they just as adorable and small, helpless against the cruel world they had been born to? Whatever the answer was, he knew already that he’ll fight for them just as fiercely as he will for his ade.

“That will not be a problem. Whoever those children are, I will sooner die than let anything happen to them. I would lay down my life for Ataru and Neoma and it will be no different for the kids on Tatooine, or the Jedi.” He vowed, eyes narrowed in cold determination.

Death never scared him and it never will.

Bail and Breha shared yet another look -honestly what were they thinking about- and then gave Cody a nod.

“Very well then. We will not reveal the name of the Jedi yet for their safety, but you will be provided with a way to their hut, clothes to fit into the environment and a bunch of supplies as a token of our thanks. Our one-way ships are to your disposal. They will be easy to crash without any damage done to you or the kids” Bail finalised the talk with a court nod, giving Cody a smile.

“Let’s get you some clothes tailored”

***

Bail watched the ship take off, Cody and the twins the only passengers on it. It was followed by a second one, going in a different direction. Rex’s, who had gotten new info about a few more insurgents in the Empire’s army. Breha stood beside him, a wide grin on her face.

“Told you those two were together” She teased once they were back inside.

“You did. I thought Obi-Wan would have more self restraint after Satine, but I guess I cannot fault him for losing his head like that. He was so heartbroken when he told us what happened back on that day that I thought he never got to confess.” Bail shrugged, leaning over the balcony and watching their city come to life in the morning sun.

“Oh please! With the way Cody talked about him? They were probably the second worst kept secret in the GAR unless everyone was blind, which I doubt.”
 

“I have faith Obi-Wan knew how to keep it out of the public’s eye. After all had it been discovered, we would have heard about it from Thorn. The news travel fast when it comes to the clones”

It was Breha’s turn to shrug as she stared up at the spot where Cody’s ship disappeared in the clouds.

“Either way, I sure hope these two will reunite. It would be a shame if Cody decided to run once he realises who the Jedi we sent him to is” She laughed quietly to herself.

Bail chuckled too, interlocking their fingers together.

“That's why I didn’t tell him. He would have gone on a speech about how unworthy he is now and how Obi-Wan probably despises him for what he did. He’d say that he deserves better than a traitor and will be safer without him.”

“Probably! Wish we could see their reunion. I’m sure that however it ends, it will be alright. I just feel it” Bail smiled at her words, bringing her closer to him and leaning his chin on her head.

“Your feeling has yet to be wrong, so I’m sure it will be just fine. The rebellion will take the Empire down and then Alderaan and all the other planets will be able to live in peace again.”

Breha leaned up to kiss him and he gladly kissed back, his free hand moving to gently rest on her cheek, both filled with hope.

Hope, for the years to come.

***

Cody’s ship broke the atmosphere at a rapid pace, the ground coming closer and closer with every second. He clutched the two kids in his arms, abandoning the cockpit as instructed by Bail before he took off and then rushing to the escape pod.

The door to it opened smoothly and without a hitch, Cody sitting down in the chair and initiating the launch sequence. The pod separated from the rest of the ship and he watched as the mode of transport shattered on the rocky terrain below, leaving nothing to be traced back to him or the Organas.

The pod landed safely a couple hundred metres away from the wreckage, having no coordinates on it other than the obvious ones for the safest landing after a crash. In other words, even if the Empire comes looking, they’ll get nothing out of his crashed ship.

Fixing his grip on Ataru and Neoma who somehow managed to sleep through the entire sequence, he started the long trek to the location he had been given. He had avoided any maps or written information, instead opting to memorise what Bail and Breha had told him back on Alderaan. It was the safest for all parties involved.

The walk took a good few hours, the suns already up and beating down on them mercilessly which made the already lengthy distance feel twice as long. Still he marched on, mostly shielded from the elements by the new clothes tailored for this. It wasn’t much, simply there to hide his bulky armour that he refused to change over the years. It was his only memory of the GAR -and Obi-Wan had painted the sunburst with him the last time they had a quiet moment together- so he wasn’t about to leave it to rot somewhere or be melted down for scrap.

Their surroundings changed from rocky mountains, to an empty scorching desert to something like a mix of the two. Cody could see a canyon in the distance, but, more importantly, he could see a spacious hut made out of sandstone. It matched Bail’s description of the hideout perfectly, so he knew he had found what he had been looking for.

“We’re here ade , our new home. Let’s get you acquainted with the other twins, shall we?” He spoke down to his kids, who had by now woken up and were wiggling in his makeshift carrier, clearly excited about something. Maybe they had felt the force signature of the other two babies. He wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.

He fixed up the carrier that was really just thick red fabrics tied around his shoulders and hip to keep his hands free in case anyone dares to think that he’d be an easy target to rob. Then, with a newfound spring in his step, he marched forward to the hut, hoping that the Jedi will be welcoming.

***

Obi-Wan had been playing with Luke and Leia when the two began to act weird. Their focus shifted from the small model of a N-1 starfighter he had carved out of some wood to the door. They started to chatter excitedly, words spoken so fast they blended together. Out of the waterfall of short sentences all he could make out was ‘friends’ and ‘like us’.

He raised his brow, not having felt any shift in the force, but decided not to question the two. Their connection to the energy around them was a lot stronger than his own, the two having clearly inherited that from their father. He got up from the cross-legged position he was in and was about to check out of the window when he felt something too.

The toy fell out of his grasp and he stumbled back, his breath hitching and chest tightening. It was suddenly hard to breathe, his lungs refusing to cooperate as he tried to regain his balance by catching onto the worn out couch.

That… that force signature was familiar. 

No, not just familiar. It shone brightly and even without looking for it he could feel the bright oranges and golds and yellows that made it. It was like a sunrise after a gloomy night, the warmth of a fireplace after escaping the cold. It burned with honour and sense of duty, determination mixed with just enough recklessness to even everything out. It was so painfully exactly the same as it had been the last time he had felt it.

It burned now though, the flames no longer a comfort, but danger. A forest fire scaring away the wildlife, a furnace left to burn that’s now eating the entire house away, a blazing bonfire threatening anything that came close.

Obi-Wan managed to bring himself out of the panic-induced stupor when a little hand rested on his pants, tugging at the material. He looked down to find Luke, his big blue eyes wide and blinking away tears. Clearly, he had projected his fear onto the kids by accident.

“I’m fine darling. It’s just… an old acquaintance of mine. Stay here with Leia, I’ll go talk with them okay?” He said softly, picking Luke up and putting him down in the crib, doing the same with Leia afterwards.

The two stared at him from between the bars, but for once listened and didn’t make a fuss, staying silent while Obi-Wan put on his robe. He hesitated when his eyes fell upon the lightsaber he had taken out of the box, fingers gliding against the smooth surface. He didn’t want to use it again, not after Mustafar, but if it was who he thought it was, which he knew was the case -he’ll never forget that force signature, even if he were to lose his mind- then the weapon would come in handy. He had not needed to fight for over two years now, so being out of shape in that regard he’ll surely lose in hand to hand combat.

With a quiet sigh he grabbed the lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, the placing feeling familiar and almost comforting. With one final deep breath to centre himself, he walked out of the hut and into the scorching suns, his eyes settling on the approaching man.

And Obi-Wan knew it was a man, knew his identity by the way he placed his feet, the rhythm of his steps, the posture and the way he held his shoulders, straight but not rigid, perfectly ready to whip out his blaster but not look threatening until it’s too late. The signature swirled around him, orange and gold bright even against the suns, an almost holy halo around the man.

Just as he had felt, it was Cody, his Cody, who had come to haunt him for the past and finally fix his mistake of letting Obi-Wan live.

“Don’t take another step closer!” Obi-Wan called out, his voice raised an octave too high, an embarrassment really to someone who was once called The Negotiator.

Cody froze in his steps, holding his hands up in surrender. Obi-Wan couldn’t trust that though, couldn’t trust him to not have a trick up his sleeve. Cody always had tricks and plans and a well of pure determination. Traits which he had always admired, but that will now be his biggest threat.

“What have you come here for?” He continued, his hand hovering over the belt where his lightsaber lay in wait, ready to jump into his hand at the slightest movement.

Cody didn’t answer and so Obi-Wan took a step closer, trying to look as threatening as possible. In any other situation, he probably would have broken down, let fate decide whatever happens next. But he couldn’t now, not when two little sunshines waiting for him back at the hut, terrified out of their minds and needing him to pull through and survive.

Cody still said nothing, staring at him as if he had seen a ghost, lip trembling and war, chocolate brown eyes filling with unshed tears.

“You’re… alive” It’s mumbled out merely above a whisper and Obi-Wan stops in his tracks.

Did… did Cody not know that? Did he find him by accident? No, that couldn’t be true… who would manage to find his hut by accident? Bail had made sure that it would be in the safest place possible to keep the twins safe.

What ensued was a good minute or two of nothing but silence and staring. Cody stared, still as if he was looking at a ghost and not a living man. Obi-Wan stared, both in confusion and wariness, not wanting to take any chances. Even when his heart bled at the idea of striking his once lover, even when his legs threatened to give out under him. He had to be strong. He had to pull through and do whatever is necessary to keep Luke and Leia safe, he had promised that to himself and Yoda too, when protesting the separation of the twins.

Finally, the silence was broken, but it wasn’t done by Obi-Wan, nor by Cody, who seems to have forgotten to even breathe. No, their little staredown was interrupted by a quiet cry coming from a bundle around the Marshal Commander’s chest. Only now did Obi-Wan notice it and look down, finding a pair of eyes staring back at him, brown like Cody’s, but with ginger streak in the hair and freckles.

The sound broke Cody out of whatever state he was in, as he reached down and gently shushed the kid, whispering something that Obi-Wan couldn’t hear. The child went silent immediately, grinning up at the clone and reaching out his arms to wrap them around the man’s neck.

“You’ve… you’ve got a kid?” Obi-Wan finally found his tongue again, blinking in shock and his hand moving away from the lightsaber at his hip. He couldn’t strike someone with a child strapped to their chest! He just hoped it wasn’t a very clever trap.

Cody nodded slowly and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

“Kids actually. And they’re not just mine…” He trailed off, revealing that the second bundle was another child, bright blue eyes staring at him with intelligence far surpassing her age. “They’re both made by Kaminoans. They used my DNA… and yours”

Obi-Wan was glad he had not been holding his lightsaber, or he would have dropped it in shock.

“ What? ” It sounded surreal, impossible even! If this was a trap, then the Empire had clearly gotten better over the last two years because this was the perfect moment for the hidden soldiers to swarm him while he’s still processing the information.

Nobody swarmed him. It was just him, Cody and the two kids… their kids if what the clone said was true. And somehow, looking at the twins, he knew it was the truth. He could see his own face structure in them, mixed in with Cody’s harsh lines. The freckles, ginger streak in the boy and icy blue eyes in the girl. It all leads to the same conclusion. Cody was being 100% truthful. Those were made from their DNA.

“I’m telling the truth, I swear on my armour. I found them on Kamino and took them away before they could begin experiments. They wanted to make force sensitive clones and succeeded.” Cody explained, but the words only made more questions swarm Obi-Wan’s brain.

“Force sensitive? Those two are force sensitive?” His voice shook as he asked, but Cody didn’t even have to speak to confirm it.

The girl stared right through him and he felt her presence at the back of his mind, almost like a ghost but still there. A demonstration if he’d ever seen one.

Cody seemed to have noticed that the girl did something as he didn’t try to confirm his words, simply giving her a soft pat on the head.

“She’s got a stronger connection out of the two. She’s the reason I found them. Led me straight to the lab and everything. I guess she just knows she’s our daughter” The clone spoke gently, quietly, the way he did only when Obi-Wan and him were alone. He missed that tone of voice so much.

Our daughter . The words hit him like an actual blow. Because Cody was right. She was made from their DNA and so was her brother. Nobody would even know these two are clones unless they mention it. They’re his children, his actual children and Cody is the second father.

“I-” Obi-Wan’s words got stuck in his throat. What was he even going to say? That he’ll take them all in, consequences be damned? That they have to leave before he grabs his lightsaber? That he missed Cody so much it hurts? That he’ll never forgive him for the betrayal even though he already has, the moment he had been falling from the cliff?

Cody beat him to it, taking the burden of speaking onto himself.

“I know you probably despise me and I don’t blame you, but trust me this one last time, alright? Bail sent me here. Said Ataru and Neoma will be safe here. I know you’re taking care of two force sensitives too. We’ve found out that clones were genetically modified to mask force signatures of the Jedi. I can keep them all safe General, if you’ll let me.”

Obi-Wan almost choked at the word ‘General’. It had been so long since anyone called him that, since he still had his padawan and grand-padawan. Since he could trust Cody with his life and know it will be cherished and protected.

He eased just a bit, hearing Bail’s name. His involvement in the rebellion was the most kept secret amongst those who were fighting, so if Cody knew of that and the twins, then he must be telling the truth. That, or the Empire somehow got to his old friend before he could send the signal that would tell Obi-Wan that he’s been compromised.

“Fine. I trust Bail and if he sent you to me, then it means I can let you help” He ignored the guilt that swarmed in his gut when Cody’s expression fell, as if Obi-Wan confirmed his worst fears. Still the clone gave a court nod and followed him to the hut.

Obi-Wan walked inside first, taking off his robe and putting the lightsaber back in the box, hiding it away under a loose tile in the kitchen. When he turned around Cody was nervously hovering in the entrance, looking at Obi-Wan with an unreadable expression. He turned his gaze away and waved the Ex-Marshal Commander in, hearing more than seeing him take his boots off and sit down on the couch.

Obi-Wan passed him quickly, moving to one of the bedrooms where the twins still sat in their crib, their excited blabber filling his ears the moment he stepped into the room, safe and sound. He chuckled at their enthusiasm and picked them both up, walking back to the living room where Cody had let Neoma and Ataru out of the carrier.

“Luke, Leia, meet your new… siblings.” He settled on and had to quickly lean down before the two wiggled out of his grasp and fell to the floor.

The four stared at each other for a few seconds, eyes big and unblinking, before they all let out a giggle and crawled over to each other. Ataru and Naomi made excited noises that couldn’t really be called words while Luke and Leia chatted with more understandable syllables, mostly repeating ‘sister’ and ‘brother’.

Obi-Wan smiled softly at the scene, but then turned to Cody. With the kids sole focus being each other, they could talk without projecting their feelings by accident and making the children fussy. He sat down on the opposite end of the couch, giving Cody a distrustful stare.

“Why?” Cody clearly knew exactly what he was talking about as the clone flinched, shutting his eyes tightly and avoiding his gaze.

“You have every right to not believe what I’m about to say, but… the clones had chips in their heads.” Cody started and, to his credit, he was right. Obi-Wan couldn’t believe those words.

“They were clearly put in there by the Chancellor, or, I guess Emperor Palpatine. They would only activate by his voice command and had orders that we would be forced to comply with. It… it turned us into the meat droids we said we never were.” Cody’s voice broke and Obi-Wan held back the urge to scoot closer and hug the man.

“That day, on Utapau… the order came just after I gave you your lightsaber back. You rode off on Boga and I was going to round up the leftover droids to be destroyed, when I got a comm from Chancellor Palpatine. After he gave us the order, it felt like the most logical thing to shoot you down. As if I was telling our boys to go get a drink 79’s and not ordering them to execute you. I didn’t even realise I had been basically mind controlled until Rex found me a few days ago” Obi-Wan wanted to dispute the story, say he’d never believe such a ridiculous thing and that Cody should get better at lying.

But he couldn’t. Not when all the pieces started fitting neatly together for the first time in over two years. The Chancellor had been the Sith Lord, so him having the funds and ability to have the Kaminoans install chips in the clones was child’s play. He had been playing both sides from the very beginning, orchestrated the entire war to his liking, so of course he’d have a way to get rid of all the Jedi once and for all. And to make sure that the clones would not disobey, he’d mind control them and turn them against those they fought beside. It all made sense.

It would mean that everything he had with Cody wasn’t a lie. That Cody did love him. That he did mean those sweet words he’d whisper in his ear when they were alone. That when he had confessed, he did so not as a trick, but because those feelings were there. It would mean that his lover didn’t want to shoot him down, that he would have fought against it had he known what was happening.

“Like I said, you have every right to not believe me. Hell, I wouldn’t believe myself if I was in your place. But it’s the truth and I've gotten the chip out. Bail had equipment to get rid of it. It will never be a danger again. I will never be a danger to you again.” There was a quiet desperation in Cody’s words, one that he tried to bite down but failed. The clone turned his head, pointing to a thin pale scar on the side of his head, standing out against his dark skin and hair.

Obi-Wan let out a shaky sigh, still trying to process everything. There were so many things he couldn’t be sure about. The future, how he’ll take care of four kids, if the Empire will someday find them or not. But there was one thing he was sure about and it was that Cody was telling the truth.

“Okay. Okay Cody. I believe you. We’ll figure this out, somehow.” He finally agreed, looking down at the four kids softly. They were already causing chaos, trying to make the toys float and tugging at each other’s hair and clothes in a playfight. They’ll be a handful, one he couldn’t be angry about.

Cody smiled at the words, small but genuine, looking at Obi-Wan with the same love and adoration that he had during the war.

“We will. We’ve always been good at strategies after all” Obi-Wan chuckled quietly at the words, but nodded. He couldn’t disagree with that.

Luke and Leia stopped what they were doing, clearly sensing that the talk was over. They looked up at Cody and then, without prompting, tried to climb into his lap. The clone laughed quietly in shock, but soon brought his arms down to take the kids. The duo settled on his lap almost immediately and Cody reached over for a small, worn out plushie Obi-Wan had bought them, bouncing it in his hands to keep the twins occupied.

“Skywalker’s?” The clone hummed out, not looking up from what he was doing, his grip on Luke and Leia steady and sure.

“And Padme’s. She… died in childbirth and Anakin…” Obi-Wan paused, scenes from Mustafar flashing before his eyes. He shook his head to rid of the thoughts, not wanting to fall into despair when he now has four kids to take care of, not just two. “I was forced to… deal with him because of Palpatine.”

Cody, his amazing Cody, didn’t need anything more specific to understand what he meant. The clone merely looked up at him and scooted a tad closer, slowly moving his hand to put it on top of his. Obi-Wan didn’t pull away and so Cody squeezed it gently, running his thumb over it.

“Whatever happened, it wasn’t your fault. You loved that kid more than anything else in the galaxy” Obi-Wan bit back tears at the words, merely nodding weakly and turning his hand so he could squeeze Cody’s back.

All of this would take time to heal, but Obi-Wan was ready to finally let it. To look at the scab and leave it be instead of scratching it off in twisted self-imposed judgement. It was an old wound and it was finally time to let it scar.

***

The Tatooine suns set against the horizon, dusk filling the sky with a warm, red colour, It bathed the landscape in light. Like strokes of orange and yellow paint against the canvas. The dry, harsh look of the desert now seemed welcoming and soft. A homely warmth calling out to anyone who wished to listen to it.

Four children rushed around outside a hut, their laughter filling the otherwise quiet atmosphere. They were five now, running around and using the force to throw the ball as far as they could or to catch it if it flew too high.

And they could do it without fear, using their birth gift from the universe, because their buir was there. A steady presence against the storm, no matter how bad it could get. He watched them with a soft look in his eyes, alternating between the two sets of twins and the suns in the sky, soaking in the atmosphere.

“The sunset was always my favourite part of living here” Obi-Wan whispered softly as he found his other half, looking over at the landscape.

“It is beautiful” Cody agreed, moving his hand to search out the Jedi’s, interlocking their fingers together.

They gazed at the sunset together, the gentle silence broken only by the occasional yells from their children. Leia and Ataru as always dominated in whatever game they have come up with now, while Luke and Neoma schemed to get back at them, their giggles a welcomed melody in the ears of battle worn veterans. 

“This is quite domestic, don’t you think? A lone, but cosy house, children playing without a care in the world, a beautiful partner by my side with the suns about to set for the night” Cody raised their intertwined hands and gave Obi-Wan’s palm a kiss. “Maybe I should start calling you riduur ?”

Cody panicked when Obi-Wan froze, letting go of his hand to start muttering out apologies. Clearly, the wounds were still too fresh and Cody had moved too fast for the Jedi. He should have been more patient and let Obi-Wan suggest the pace of their fragile relationship himself-

Before he could start rambling, Obi-Wan grabbed his arms again, gently pulling him closer. The Jedi put his hands on his cheeks and brought their lips together in a slow kiss. Cody’s mind quietened and he kissed back, putting his own hands on top of Obi-Wan’s.

When they parted they didn’t move away, staying with their foreheads pressed together and their fingers intertwined again.

“I’d like that Cody. Very, very much” Obi-Wan answered, turning so that he could lay his head on Cody’s shoulder and watch the sunset.

“Then, I’ll be glad to spend the rest of my life with you, ner riduur. ” He kissed Obi-Wan’s head, looking up too and watching the suns lower on the horizon, the reds being joined by gentle purples and pinks.

“Whatever happens, I’ll be by your side. Till the end.” He added, hugging his cyare closer.

And he truly did believe that. For once, whatever was to happen, he wasn’t worried. The Empire could come tomorrow, the world could split in two and the galaxy could change, but it would be alright. Because as long as he had Obi-Wan and the kids, his aliit , then he’ll continue on. 

Their future may be undecided, but he finally has something he didn’t have for a very long time. They both do, a feeling they had both lost at the same time, in that one moment. One they finally regained, just like they had regained each other’s love.

They have hope.

And hope was all that they needed.