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“Ventress.” Dooku greeted his apprentice as she entered the room.
“You called for me?” She asked, knowing exactly why she was there. Ventress’ Master must have read her report.
Dooku nodded. “Your research for this assignment is adequate.”
She tried not to scowl at that. Her work was far more than adequate. “It is as you requested, Master.”
The old man hummed offhandedly. “I am inclined to think that your performance of the Commander will be believable.”
“Thank you.” She drew out.
Ventress’ assignment was one of espionage and an old Nightsister magick spell. She was to infiltrate the mind of one, Commander Cody.
Once in control of his mind and body, she would spend a week undercover, gathering intel from Obi-Wan Kenobi about an upcoming battle. She knew not how Dooku was aware of the Jedi’s plans to attack, but Ventress did know to take a gift that was given to her.
She’d spent all of the last day meditating. Forcing her memory back to every encounter she’d had with the Commander. There weren’t many.
For all their armies were constantly at odds, Ventress’ attention had always been on the more important General. Not his little clone assistant.
She’d tried to surround herself with the memory of the clone’s Force presence. His emotions, his thoughts, his mind and soul.
The process was… revealing.
“I have one concern.” Dooku went on. “The clone’s relationship to my grand Padawan. Are you certain of it’s nature?”
“Positively.” Ventress answered. “Their connection would have been obvious to even a beginner. I am certain of their romantic entanglement.”
Dooku simply huffed. “Go. We cannot succumb to the coming attack. It is imperative we have the upper hand.”
“As you wish, Master.”
Obi-Wan smiled brightly as Cody walked into their usual meeting room for their daily briefing. “Good morning, my dear.”
He pushed more joy into the greeting than he was actually feeling. This was their routine.
His Commander was always exhausted in the morning, and he was always resentful that Obi-Wan was not. And so, every morning, for as many months as the Jedi could remember, Cody had greeted him with a grouchy comment.
It was always something. A complaint of ‘why are you so happy?’ or ‘no one should be this awake in the morning’ or, the occasional sarcastic accusation of ‘you’re on drugs’ and sometimes even nothing more than a grunt.
“Good morning. How did you sleep?” Was not what the High General had been expecting.
“Ah, awake today, are we?” He teased and Cody’s eyebrows narrowed in confusion briefly before he smiled. Without teeth, which was odd. Cody usually smiled with teeth.
“Yeah,” Cody said. “Awake and ready for the day.”
No sir on the end of that, Obi-Wan observed. Not that he really cared if his Commander was informal with him, but Cody would usually shove on the word like it was his General’s name.
Obi-Wan gave a bemused laugh. Cody was never really ready for the day in the morning. He always said that, ‘waking me up’s what caff’s for’.
“Alright then.” He began. “We should start by going through the days schedule.”
Cody nodded and Obi-Wan waited for him to take out a datapad to make notes, like he did every morning briefing. The Commander just looked at him.
Obi-Wan began to grow concerned but he let it go. Everyone had their off days, if something was really bothering Cody he’d almost certainly have began complaining about it already.
The Jedi ran through their day, mostly consisting of ship preparation and checking in with their men. Cody sat in silence, nodding though out the plan.
Concern continued to grow in Obi-Wan. His Commander usually filled the relatively boring daily walkthrough with his sarcasm and unenthusiastic comments. Obi-Wan missed the back and forth.
“And of course,” he finished off. “We have a holocall with the 501st this evening to discuss our plans for the battle.”
“The 501st will be there?” Cody asked and Obi-Wan frowned.
“I did tell you about that, didn’t I?” The Jedi asked.
Cody gave an ‘ah’ of recollection. “Yes, of course Anakin will be there.”
Now that was really concerning. “Since when to you call him Anakin?”
His old Padawan was usually only referred to as Skywalker by Cody. Most often accompanied by a distasteful or annoyed tone. The Commander tended to put up a front of dislike for Anakin.
It had taken Obi-Wan seeing Cody carry Anakin half way across a small moon when he was knocked out to understand that it was faked. Cody cared, as much as he tried to shroud his sunshine in dark clouds.
“Since…” Cody began, hesitating. “Today.”
“Right?” Obi-Wan gave a slightly forced laugh. “Any reason for that?”
“Well he’s your Padawan,” The Commander started to explain, but he sounded uncertain. “He’s important to you and you’re important to me. I should call him by his name.”
“I’m important to you?” Obi-Wan asked, surprised. It’s not that he didn’t know that. He knew that he and Cody were friends, that they were close, but Cody didn’t just say things like that. No, Obi-Wan’s Commander more implied things like that.
Cody tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Of, course?”
“Right.” Obi-Wan said, uncertain with how to proceed. “Let’s continue.”
He went on with the briefing but couldn’t keep his head in it. Cody knew he didn’t have to care about the things a Obi-Wan cared about. He’d explicitly told him that the idea of visiting an Art museum was like his own personal hell, when the Jedi had invented him.
He always appreciated Cody’s bluntness, it got them to solutions faster. That day they’d ended up going to a market that they’d both ended up liking.
Obi-Wan didn’t want to be paranoid, but he was seriously starting to think that the man next to him was not his Cody. But that was ridiculous, who else could it be?
Eventually he drew the meeting to an end, still missing the way it regularly flowed. “Now let’s take it easy today. Don’t want to exhaust ourselves before the battle and give the Separatists an advantage.”
He waited patiently for Cody to respond back with a quip, giving him a chance to rectify their normal. Normally, Cody would respond to a sentence like that with something sarcastic about protecting his Jedi from the dangerous Seppies or he’d make a jab that their enemy could have all the advantage in the galaxy and still loose. Or even, his sadistic classic, ‘wouldn’t that be entertaining?’.
But nothing came. He gave no response but a nod.
“Are you alright Cody?” Obi-Wan nearly burst. “I practically handed you that one! Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong!” Cody argued, taking Obi-Wan’s hand gently. An action that in and of itself was distinctively wrong. The Commander wasn’t big on touch.
“See, that’s what I’m taking about!” Obi-Wan said, raising their joined hands. “Since when do you take my hand?”
Cody immediately dropped the hand, moving his own to the cup General’s face, an action that had Obi-Wan blushing red.
“Listen, I’m okay, darling,” Cody started and Obi-Wan just stared at him, dumbfounded. “It’s just early. I promise I’m fine.”
Obi-Wan didn’t have the mental capacity to do anything but freeze as his Commander leaned forwards and kissed him softly.
Cody pulled away and gave a smile that the General was now sure was not his and Obi-Wan touched a hand to his forehead to knock the man out with the force.
He looked at the sleeping body on the floor. “You are not my Cody.”
When Obi-Wan appeared in the doorway, Helix could have cried for joy, and that is not something the Medic usually did. “Are you actually here of your own free will?”
“Yes,” Obi-Wan started, but he had a guilty expression on.
“But what?” Helix said, sternness returning as he prepared for whatever was coming next.
Obi-Wan disappeared for a moment before reappearing… with an unconscious Commander slumped on his shoulder.
“What the hell?” He snapped, slightly losing himself.
“I knocked him out.” Obi-Wan said simply.
Helix blinked. “You did this?”
The General nodded and Helix looked between his COs. “Why?!”
“Because he’s possessed!” Obi-Wan said, laying Cody down on a bed.
“What?” Helix said with disbelief.
“I’m going to go inside his head to get whatever’s in there out.” The General told him.
“Is that safe?” Helix asked.
“No.” Came the quick answer. “That’s why you’re here. If I start bleeding from my eyes… call someone.”
That was the only warning Helix got before Obi-Wan’s hands were on Cody head and he had his eyes closed.
“Call who?” He asked but got no response. “General, call who!?”
Cody snapped awake with a gasp to see Obi-Wan leaning over him. “It was Ventress!”
“I know,” the General said quickly. “She’s gone now.”
“I’m so sorry, sir.” Cody said quickly. He could remember everything he’d done whilst that Witch had been controlling him and he also knew why she’d reached the conclusions that she had. He just really didn’t want to explain it to Obi-Wan.
“Are you two alright?” Helix interrupted their question.
“Yeah, fine.” Cody said quickly and Obi-Wan nodded.
“Okay, cool.” Helix then made a swift, rather rude, exit, apparently done with his two COs.
The Commander turned back to Obi-Wan. “Listen, General, I promise you I never would have done that if I’d been in control.”
A flash of hurt flooded the Jedi’s eyes but he quickly covered it with an amused smile. “What, kiss me? Well I did rather think-”
“No!” Cody said, he didn’t miss things like flashes of hurt in people’s eyes. The Jedi wanted to kiss him, that was the only conclusion that was logical. “I said good morning. I’m actually disgusted with myself.”
He pulled a face and Obi-Wan laughed, relived, and it gave Cody the confidence to go on. “I think my willingness to kiss you is sort of what led to Ventress’ incorrect assumption that we’re dating.”
Obi-Wan paused to look at him. He looked lost for words.
Cody continued. “I may have been trapped with Ventress in my head, but she was also trapped in there with me. I could hear her though, almost see her memories. She thought we were together because of how intense my feelings for you are.”
“I’ve always loved how blunt you are.” Obi-Wan smiled at him before leaning down to kiss the Commander.
And this time it was actually him.