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The formerly designated clone commander CC-2224 – now fulltime going by the name of Cody – did not know what unlucky spell he was under, which forced him to land his fine vessel on this godforsaken planet. Had he not suffered from a leaking fuel tank after a minor asteroid collision, he would never had even considered setting his foot on Tatooine.
Looking around, all he could see was sand, sand and even more sand. Why someone had initially thought up the idea to construct buildings and set up a full-scale city in this dump was a true enigma.
As his ship was currently in the ridiculous long queue waiting to be refuelled and fixed, Cody set of towards the Cantina; throat dry and longing for some liquor, while patiently awaiting his turn.
Spotting the scruffy-looking place across a smaller open market-square, Cody beelined towards it.
Suddenly, a body about his size slammed into the former Commander’s shoulder, causing the other individual to completely loose his balance and loudly crash to the ground while various pieces of metal and scrap-parts were clankingly scattered around them both.
”Oh, I’m terribly sorry sir, I was not-,” Cody cut himself of, body turning cold like if he had just seen a ghost; staring down with wide unbelieving eyes at the man below him. The hood was still hiding most of the facial features, but the reddish beard sticking out combined with the quick flash of bright blue eyes ducking beneath the hood made Cody completely freeze. His trembling voice was nothing more than a whisper. ”Obi-Wan…?”
The people around the smaller square had given the scene about two seconds of their time, before everyone returned to their own business at hand, leaving the duo to handle any aftermath commotion by their own, again making them wholly incognito in the open square.
The individual on the ground drew his long brown robe tighter around his body and fully turned his back to Cody, muttering something in what Cody guessed was Huttese. Pale hands hurriedly scrambled together the parts into his embrace again, and rose – still muttering in the unknown dialect the former Commander did not understand – to then set of in the same direction as the man had come from.
Cody only momentarily hesitated, the shock temporarily paralyzing him from action, before taking some hurried steps after the cloaked figure, who had vanished into a nearby side street.
If this was truly his former General, Cody desperately had to talk to him.
To apologize.
To ask for forgiveness.
Luckily for Cody, this street turned out to be a dead end; trapping the cloaked man, who otherwise easily would have outmanoeuvred Cody and given him the slip.
With a tremble in his voice, Cody allowed the name he had not spoken in years, to once more roll of his lips in a silent unbelieving whisper. ”Obi-Wan…? Is it really you?”
Cody could see the tense shoulders drop, as the man sighed deeply. Slowly raising his head, the light was allowed to slip in beneath the hood, sad familiar azure orbs meeting his.
”Hello there, Cody.” The words were familiar, but the hollow tone delivering them was not.
Huge surprise and joy spread throughout every fibre in the cloned body, not to mention how an enormous weight was simultaneously lifted from his chest – one, which Cody had knowingly carried around, ever since that fateful day on Utapau. He took an eager step forward, before he hesitated and stopped; keeping a respectful distance.
”I… I can’t believe it is really you,” the former Commander begun, voice a mere whisper, realising he was fidgeting nervously with his fingers. ”Please, just-… I’m… I’m truly sorry.” He paused momentarily, casting a glance over his shoulder back to the square, before he carefully closed the remaining distance between them – hands clasped nervously together before him.
The blue eyes scrutinized him, but Obi-Wan did still not move nor speak. Cody’s eyes locked onto the rough surface of the sand; to ashamed to meet Obi-Wan’s gaze anymore.
”It was not my active choice to attack you, sir. All the vods had these-these-these inhibitor chips in our heads,” he continued in a low shameful voice. He stumbled and stuttered over the words, emotions getting the better of him. ”Sidious turned us into mindless clankers; following orders without the possibility to disobey. It was… It was like I was trapped within my own mind, being forced to witness someone else in full control of my body, without the possibility to interfere. I-I know it must have looked like I gave the command to fire on you by my own free will, but… it was not me. Not the real me.”
His gaze dared rise a moment, before finding his fidgeting fingers truly fascinating. ”Please, Obi-Wan… Say something. Or at least scream at me, or punch me in the face for trying to kill you. Just do something. Please.”
There was only silence again.
Instead of speaking, the cloaked individual moved passed the former commander without a word; leaving Cody standing abandoned in the alleyway.
Or that was what Cody was allowed to believe for about two seconds.
Kenobi strode over to a box covered in sand just behind Cody, and with another clatter placed down the parts on it – this time in a controlled manner. He sighed again, turning back to his former second in command, before placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, turning the commander so they stood face to face again, smiling sadly at him. Cody’s eyes were wide and tears were on the brink of rolling down his cheeks.
"I must admit, Cody… I was truly wrong about you, all these years.” His head tilted slightly, his fingers absentmindedly stroking his own beard. ”This business with the chips was news to me. I truly believed all of you had turned on us by your own free will. I-,” he hesitated, as if wondering if he should really say the words on his mind, but decided that it was best to get it of his chest. ”I think that is partially what made the whole betrayal that fateful day hurt more than any physical wound ever could. Those few of us who miraculously survived, truly believed all of you had always known about this plot, and how you would one day betray us all. Gaining our trust, befriending us… All done, simply so you could be close to us, when that day finally arrived.”
Cody’s eyes had by now spilled over, salty tears drawing stripes down his dusty cheeks, as he violently shook his head. ”No! Never! Had I known about that chip, and especially the orders that were programmed onto them, I would have turned my blaster on myself, before allowing any harm to come to any of you. Many of the Jedi – like yourself – were as much a vod like any of us.”
Kenobi’s body had visibly stiffened at his words of self-harm, before the former Jedi did something completely unexpected. His arms wrapped around the others neck, and pulled the clone into a brotherly hug. Cody tensed at first, before he fully returned the emotional gesture.
As they parted, both smiled, orbs watery from the multiple emotions running berserk.
”I have missed you, Cody.”
”…and I have missed you, Sir... Obi-Wan.”
THE END