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Chapter Text

The clap of thunder and the roaring of waves accompanied the sound of rain hitting armor, like rain hitting the tin shingles of Papa’s bakery roof during the wet season. Din groaned, struggling to sit up on shaking arms. He frowned, rubbing a finger over the strange fabric that swamped his thin frame. The shirt was soaked from the relentless downpour of rain overhead, and his skin prickled with goosebumps. His body felt strange, tingly all over, but lighter and foreign in a way he had never experienced.

Slowly, he sat up and started taking note of his surroundings. Din was on the edge of a circular platform that stood above dark, turbulent waves, an endless ocean as far as the eye could see before him. The sky was covered with dark gray clouds, and flashes of lightning struck in the distance. Din scrounged his memory, trying to remember how he had gotten there, but he was, alarmingly, drawing a blank. 

The last thing he remembered felt strange to recall, as if it hadn’t been the last thing he could remember. The memories felt distant and out of reach, like a film covering the surface. He had been walking home from school, something had upset him, and he had almost run into Kai and his gang, opting to take a shortcut through the alley to get home. After that, there was nothing but the impression of memories ripped from his grasp, nothing to indicate how Din had gotten onto the landing pad of a storm-ridden planet, surrounded by an endless ocean. Besides the stark white, circular buildings surrounding him on other platforms like the one he was currently on, there wasn’t a speck of land to be seen. 

Where the kriff am I?

A voice called out from across the landing pad, piercing through the noise of the storm surrounding Din. 

“ Oy! ”

The figure of a man stood at the doors of the building connected to the platform Din was sprawled on. He was too far away for Din to get a better look, not helped by the rushing rainwater falling in sheets down his face — wait, he realized with a jolt and reached up to his face, I'm wearing a helmet? It was made out of a strange material that Din had never experienced. The gauntlets on his wrist were too big and slipped down his thin arms, and when they hit the metal of his helmet, it sounded like a bell ringing through the night.

As he stood up, Din stumbled over his feet as a wave of nausea hit him like a punch to the gut. He struggled to stand, realizing that the strange suit was practically falling off his shoulders. He almost toppled over, fear bearing down like a heavy weight on his chest and the foreign armor strapped to his body.

“Are you okay?” 

The voice was closer this time, the man appeared to have hastily thrown pieces of white plastoid armor over his sleep clothes, a hood pulled over his face to block out the rain overhead as he slowly approached Din, who was now shaking like a leaf where he stood. 

“Where’s your ship? How’d you get here, burc’ya ?”

“You–” Din froze, suddenly placing the familiar lilt of the man’s voice, “you’re a clone ?”

Din couldn’t place the feeling of surprise, why the sight of this clone trooper had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, that something wasn’t right. Something wasn’t as it was supposed to be, as he had been on his home planet of Aq Vetina last he remembered — now he was left with the feeling that he was an impostor in his skin and shocked at the sight of an actual clone trooper.

The posters never showed their faces back home, Din realized, they are so human beneath the intimidating armor.

The closest that the war had gotten to Aq Vetina was through gossip and the word of travelers coming through their flight center. The biggest threat that had taken precedence was the rumor of a Mandalorian cult sweeping through Mandalorian space under Lady Kryze’s nose. Aq Vetina bordered along Mandalorian and Hutt space, an unremarkable planet in the eyes of the galaxy, but not to those of Death Watch. 

Din finally placed the metal of the armor he was wearing, so used to seeing the dark blues, reds, and blacks of Death Watch beskar’gam.

The man stopped just in front of Din, tilting his head so that the hood fell back. Din barely stopped himself from physically startling, the clone staring quizzically at him. He could distantly feel the trooper’s emotions, like the lingering aftertaste of one of his papa’s jorgenberry fruit tarts; a whirlwind of confusion, worry, and distrust warring in the clone’s mind.

“You live under a rock or something?” The trooper snapped, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, clearly cataloging Din’s frame for any obvious weapons, “There’s a war going on across the galaxy. I'd be a little concerned if I weren’t a clone and shared this ugly mug with a million others.”

Din scowled, his face flushed in equal parts embarrassment and defensiveness. 

“I’m not stupid, I know about the war!” Din crossed his arms over his chest, growling as the armor clanged together and threatened to fall off Din’s arms. 

“Who are you and how did you get here?” The trooper asked again, the urge to sigh was audibly apparent in his voice and expression.

“Din,” he hesitantly answered after a long silence, “Din Djarin. I-I don’t know how I got here or where I am.”

Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, and Din rapidly tried to blink them away, stamping down the urge to give in to the rising swell of fear and anxiety.

“Where are you from, Din Djarin?” 

Before Din could respond, a sudden burst of pain spiked behind his eyes. He cried out, unaware of his armored knees hitting the deck of the landing pad beneath him, grasping his head as the pain swept through his head in pulsing waves. 

As sudden as the pain had come, it was gone in an instant, leaving Din gasping and breathing hard, blinking away the tears pooling in his eyes.

“....Kid? Din?” The trooper gently placed a hand on Din’s shoulder, shaking him out of his stupor. 

“I-I—” Din froze, unable to speak over the lump in his throat. He squeezed his eyes together, really not wanting to cry in front of this man.

“Why don’t we get you inside and into some clothes your size? Does that sound good, kid?” 

The hand on Din’s shoulder pressed more intently, fingers wrapping around his bicep more surely as the clone moved to step closer to Din’s suddenly shaking frame. Din could only nod, frowning as the helmet wobbled disjointedly on his head.

“I’m CT-66-3238,” the trooper said, wincing as he bent down to be eye level with Din, “My brothers call me Colt. May I take off some of this armor? Might be easier to move around if we get it off and can tie the ends of these blacks so they aren’t falling off of you.”

“Yes, please,” Din whispered hoarsely, watching Colt smoothly unhook the pieces on his arms before tackling the pieces covering his legs.

“My General will know how to help with whatever has happened to you,” Colt kept speaking as he worked, setting each piece of beskar armor in a pile next to him, “She’s a Jedi and I’m sure that she could reach out to the Jedi Council to see about getting you home.”

The buzzing sensation from before ramped up once again. His head still pounded, the sensation almost felt like his mind was stretching outwards as if it had been locked away for far too long, but didn’t overtake his senses as intensely as before.

Jetti. Jedi. Jetti. Jedi. Jetti.

The words were whispered in the back of Din’s brain on a constant loop. It scared Din how natural that voice felt intertwined with his very being; it was like a missing piece had been slotted into place, and he was whole now.

Din internally shook himself out of the sensation, the voice humming contentedly deep within him, just as Colt finished undoing the buckle for the heavy chest piece over Din’s torso. Din lifted his helmet off with shaky hands, the rain pelting against his bare face.

Ben, the voice in his mind wasn’t alone this time, another voice harmonizing seamlessly alongside it that felt so familiar and not at the same time, Ben Kenobi. Find Ben.

“I’d like to speak with your General,” Din agreed. 

“Come along, kid.” Colt stood up, offering Din his hand, his other holding the bundle of Din’s armor wrapped in the torn cape he had also been wearing. “Let’s get you warmed up, and I’ll have some of my brothers wake the General up.”

“I don’t want to intrude if they are asleep —”

“Nonsense,” Colt waved a hand at him, gently urging him inside the automatic doors, a series of stark white halls looming ahead, “she’s most likely already awake as it is.”

Din sighed, nodding his head slowly as a wave of tiredness hit him out of the blue, his limbs felt like jelly as he continued to move forward.

“We’ll get you home one way or another, kid, my General will make sure of it.”

Din smiled to himself. Colt’s words rang true, that little voice in the back of his head humming its approval. The sensation of something unfurling in his chest startled him awake as the voice spoke more clearly than it had previously.

Hello, young one, it's so good to meet you again.

Chapter Text

54 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Cody was a Commander for a reason; the title of Marshall Commander was well-earned, one he bore with pride. 

Even though he had been the youngest of his batch, he had excelled in all of his classes and simulations, rising above the ranks at a rate that had garnered him a lot of attention and respect. Rex would swear that Cody used his skills in vain, whereas Rex would have used them to fire back against the constant pranks his men subjected him to. Cody was “boring” in comparison as he was more prone to catch his mischievous brothers in the act, his keen eye for detail unmatched among his fellow vode. 

As soon as General Kenobi boarded the Negotiator after the successful attempt to return Jabba’s son to the Hutt palace, Cody knew something was wrong. Besides being an eligible Commander of his station, Cody was a brother and learned how to sniff out any sign of mischief afoot.

And this time, the mischief reeked of Force osik.

“What is it?” He spat out, unperturbed at his blunt approach, knowing full well that at this point in the war, General Kenobi wouldn’t dream of decommissioning Cody for something so trivial — the Jedi’s words exactly.

“The Force feels….” General Kenobi paused, his eyes unfocused as he stared out the window at the stream of stars hurdling past through hyperspace. “Different. Almost lighter, I suppose.”

With a sly grin and a knowing look that twinkled with mischief in his eyes, General Kenobi turned and addressed him head-on. 

“What do you think, Commander?”

Despite his ability to be somewhat casual with his General, it still was a lot to take in every time the Jedi so casually mentioned the bantha in the room — something that was only obvious to him and General Kenobi alone, hopefully for as long as Cody could keep it so. His General was a terrible gossip and had mischievous tendencies, it wouldn’t be long until his General mentioned anything untoward out of the blue. Cody was still wholly determined to ignore it all and pretend like it wasn’t as big of a deal as General Kenobi kept trying to make it all out to seem, but he knew the Jedi Master all too well and had resigned himself to whatever fate lay in store for him and his remaining shreds of dignity.

“I did,” Cody forced the words out, trying to allow his jaw to unclench and loosen the tension in his spine, “I chalked it up to a successful mission.”

“But you don’t believe that now, don’t you, my dear?” General Kenobi said, an encouraging smile softening his features. 

“I’m not sure what to think,” Cody sniffed, “I’m not the Jedi Master here.”

General Kenobi chuckled, clapping Cody on the shoulder good-naturedly. The feel of his calloused, warm hands teased along the edges of Cody’s armor, the searing heat soaked through the layer of his blacks to his already warm skin underneath.

“Right, you are, Commander,” General Kenobi opened his mouth to continue, with what Cody assumed would be more attempts made at wearing down Cody’s stubborn resolve on the subject he refused to address, but the General’s commlink went off.

“We will be talking about this later. Mark my words, Commander!”

Cody rolled his eyes behind the safety of his bucket, even though he knew General Kenobi could feel the waves of Cody’s disgruntlement in the Force.

The blue holo form of General Windu appeared on General Kenobi’s comm, his expression set and eyes sharp as the Jedi Master always seemed to be. Cody liked General Windu, the man was a good Jedi and an even better leader. He was also, seemingly, a kindred spirit in some ways — two no-nonsense people, who put their duty for the greater good above all else and had no time for anyone's bantha-shit.

“Obi-Wan,” General Windu greeted with a curt nod.

“Greetings, Mace,” General Kenobi smiled, “what has my former padawan done now?”

“The fact that you have to ask speaks volumes, Kenobi,” General Windu smirked, dark eyes flashing with a brief glint of humor and barely concealed mischief. The professional mask slipped back in place. “This time it wasn’t Knight Skywalker kriffing something up.”

“I don’t know if that should make me feel better or worse,” General Kenobi huffed, tossing an eye roll Cody’s way.

“Your presence has been requested on Kamino." General Windu's expression sobered at this. "A young boy appeared on Kamino early this morning with no memory of how he got there. ”

General Kenobi’s eyebrows shot up in alarm as Cody tensed, waiting for General Windu to continue.

“Commander Colt reported that the kid was found in beskar armor that was three sizes too big on him.”

“What does this have to do with me?" General Kenobi questioned, "I would assume it would have to do with our closeness to Kamino, but something tells me that isn’t the case.”

General Windu sighed, continuing after a beat.

“The kid has no recollection of how he got to Kamino, but Shaak has reported that the child requested to speak to you specifically.”

Before General Kenobi could speak up and ask, General Windu continued.

“The name he used was Ben Kenobi.”

General Kenobi froze at that, his eyes wide, and was left genuinely speechless. 

Cody shifted uncomfortably at his General’s side. The Jedi Master was so calm and assured in everything he said or did, even in the face of one of General Skywalker’s insane plans. Whatever that name meant to the General didn’t seem to be good. If a random kid was using it so flippantly, Cody could only assume the worst.

“Master Ti reached out to the council just before this and wanted our advice.” General Windu explained, “The child is Force Sensitive and carries a lightsaber, but there are no records of him in the creche. The child expressed that he would speak to us once he spoke to you first.”

Cody knew how strange the circumstances were, Mandalorians who were Force Sensitive only chose one path, and the history between the two sentient groups was too vast for some to so easily get over. The fact that the Mandalorian was sensitive enough in the Force to be felt by Master Ti, let alone wield a saber of their own, was strange.

“This is….” General Kenobi faltered, “Highly irregular, I must say. The Force seems to be encouraging that speaking with this child is important.”

“If I may, sirs,” Cody spoke up, continuing when both Generals nodded their assent, “there are so many unknown variables here. General Windu, do you think that this could be a Separatist plot to lure General Kenobi out?"

“To tell you the truth, Commander, I am not sure what to believe," General Windu sighed. "The child has hardly any memories to confirm this theory, it may be beneficial to get him to a mindhealer."

"What else have you and Master Ti been able to figure out from the boy?" General Kenobi inquired.

"He has told Master Ti that he is not Mandalorian and that his family didn’t own the beskar he was found in, but he is also unwilling to part with it and can’t explain why.”

“I would like to speak with him,” General Kenobi folded his arms into the sleeves of his robes, his earlier surprise and worry hidden behind his usual serene expression. “We need new troops anyway.”

“Cody,” the General turned his head towards Cody. "Was our request form accepted yet?”

“I received confirmation from Ace this morning at 06:00, sir.” Cody smirked, continuing in a less serious tone, “That was one of the first points to inform you of, however, someone wanted to talk about the Force….”

General Kenobi’s eyes twinkled with ill-concealed humor. He sniffed in mock disdain and turned his attention back to General Windu, now smirking openly at him.

“You see what I have to put up with here? My men, sassing me!”

The vode nearby all chuckled good-naturedly, their shoulders shaking in the subtle way that they had been trained to do to hide what they were feeling. Things had changed for good since the start of the war. Before the vode would have never dared to speak out of turn like Cody had just done so, their training on Kamino had attempted to suppress any form of personality in the millions of clones they produced. But General Kenobi had worked painstakingly to develop a sense of camaraderie and hope in the men, he tried to encourage the vode to embrace their sense of self as individuals, as the sentient men that they were. 

Cody found himself still on the fence most days, internally struggling to separate their training and the burgeoning desire to embrace his individuality. But those days were slowly becoming few and far between.

“With all due respect, sir,” Cody drawled in a tone that implied the opposite, “you dish it out just as equally, if not more, than us.”

General Kenobi laughed, grinning widely at Cody as he patted his shoulder. Cody was eternally grateful for the cover and safety of hiding his flushed expression behind his helmet, the feeling of his General’s warm hands lingering at the edges of where his armor and blacks met had Cody’s stomach fluttering.

“Please let Shaak know that we are en route to Kamino as we speak, Mace.”

“Will do, it’s been a pleasure as always, Obi-Wan,” General Windu nodded and smiled at Cody. “Good luck keeping him in line, Commander.”

“I’ve been informed there is no such thing as luck, sir,” Cody grinned, his General’s steady Force signature humming as if pleased by Cody’s rare bouts of teasing and joking, “I’ll need more than just luck if that is the case.”

“The blatant disrespect,” General Kenobi teased, blue eyes twinkling, “May the Force be with you, Mace.”

“And with you as well, Obi-Wan,” General Windu winked at Cody, “Cody.”

“Captain Jett,” General Kenobi turned to the officer nearest, Mace’s holo form winking out as the call ended, “I assume you overheard what our next destination will be?”

“Yes, sir,” Jett nodded. “I’ve set our coordinates for Kamino. With the fuel we have currently in our arsenal, we should arrive by 20:00, sir.”

“Wonderful, thank you, Jett.” 

“Oh, Cody,” the General sighed deeply, pinching the brim of his nose as if to ward off the inevitable headache, “what are we about to get ourselves into?”

Cody shook his head, suddenly feeling the aches and pains from the months-long assault on Christophsis — from grueling battles to inaccurate intel that killed more of his vode than it should have, Ventress suddenly appearing on the planet, and Slick’s betrayal — Cody was looking forward to the time spent in hyperspace, the chance to rest before landing on Kamino.

The war never stopped, and would not be for anyone. Regardless, Cody couldn’t help the inner desire, buried deep within his deepest desires, for less chaotic assignments to be thrown their way.

Chapter Text

54 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Din already kriffing hated Kamino and the long-necked sentients that called the stormy planet home. His hair stood on end as the voice in his mind buzzed in wary anticipation every time the Kaminoans got too close, their large, beady eyes lingering for far too long on him. Despite how tired he was, Din hadn’t been able to sleep through the early morning hours that remained. He had taken to trailing behind Commander Colt as the man went through his duties for the day, watching the clones around him with wide-eyed interest and receiving the same in return. 

Now that the voice had spoken to Din, the impression of their emotions felt more visceral and real. The clones felt things so deeply and earnestly, Din wished for the safety of the beskar helmet to hide the tears that kept welling up whenever the clone’s emotions burst painfully bright in his mind's eye. 

“Why are the troopers calling me Commander?” Din asked Commander Colt after a while of hearing the title used on him with no further explanation as to why, “I thought you were the Commander.”

“None of the men know how to refer to you by rank, since you aren’t officially a part of the GAR,” Commander Colt explained as he continued to work through the datapads on his desk.

“What does GAR mean?” Din asked.

“Grand Army of the Republic.”

“But why Commander specifically?” 

“The Jedi lead armies and battalions into battle, taking on the rank of General. There are some Jedi Generals that have a Padawan along with them and have typically been granted the rank of Commander. It’s a joke amongst the men in this case.”

“I-I’m not—” Din stuttered, his eyes widening at the implication.

The doors of Commander Colt’s room opened before Din could finish his thought, Master Shaak Ti entered with the same grace as she had when Din first encountered her several hours previous.

“Any updates, General Ti?” Commander Colt asked as he stood and saluted the Jedi Master.

Din straightened up, nervously toying at the fabric of what the clones fondly referred to as reds, the issued tunic and pant set for clone cadets. The clones at Din’s biological age were broader than he was, but the clothing miraculously fit.

“The council confirmed that they were able to get our message through to the Negotiator as the 212th battalion wrapped things up on Christophsis and rendezvoused with Master Kenobi after his side mission.” 

Din physically jolted at the sensation that tugged at the corners of his mind. It was almost like an invisible hand brushed up against his mind, feelings that were not Din’s enveloped his senses. He barely noticed Master Ti taking a seat across from him.

“Tell me, Din,” Master Ti pointedly made eye contact with him as the sensation — butterfly wings brushing against his skin, the feeling of dipping your hand in the refreshing waters of a babbling brook, the rush of wind flowing through his hair   — brushed against his mind once more. “Have you connected with the Force before?”

Din wordlessly shook his head, confusion and anxiety swirled like a whirlwind in his mind. The sensation backed off slowly, almost as if it had drawn up a wall around itself.

“Was that you, Master Ti?” He asked, reverently staring up at her.

“Yes,” her serene expression morphed into a soft, genuine smile, “I just reached out to you through the Force. Now try and do the same with me.”

Din frowned, unsure of where to start and what to do. He sat there frozen from the sudden wave of embarrassment and shame that hit him like a tidal wave. Every instinct in his brain and body was screaming at him to hide, to cover up his face with the beskar helmet so that no one would see his weaknesses on display. Master Ti made it sound so simple like he should know how to do such a simple request, but Din wasn’t a Jedi and couldn’t use the Force —

“Breathe, Din,” Master Ti gently settled a warm hand on his shoulder, the tension building along the length of his spine unfurling as that same graceful presence edged closer, warming him up from the inside out.

“There’s no right or wrong answer here, I am not trying to test you. Don’t allow yourself to think too hard about what steps to follow and expectations to meet, allow your mind to settle and trust in the Force.”

“But I’m not a Jedi,” Din said, wringing his hands in his lap and unable to make eye contact with her, “I’m not one of you.”

“The entire galaxy is full of life,” Master Ti smiled gently as she explained, “The Force lives in us all. Every living sentient can feel it to some degree, while a special few can connect with and use the Force.”

Din was reminded of the times he had been unable to explain things away — like his uncanny ability to tell when people around him didn’t tell the truth, or how his skin crawled and his mind went fuzzy in crowded rooms with too many people moving about, or his strange amount of luck at avoiding injury to his person.

“Just because you were not raised at the temple and have not been accepted by the Jedi Order does not mean that you can’t access the Force.”

“Is there anything I can do to help your discomfort, Din?” Master Ti, thankfully, didn’t try and touch him, instead maintaining the space between them.

“I-I’m not sure,” Din bit his lip, embarrassed and unsure how to navigate the strangeness of his current predicament. “It’s really loud… ”

Master Ti hummed, the markings over her brow bone furrowed. 

“Master Kenobi may have more to say on the matter, with his previous experience on Mandalore and all,” she said with a wave of a hand, “have you experienced the Force this loud before?”

Din winced as he shook his head no in response. He was battling the urge to request for the beskar helmet he had shown up in, the thought of curling away from the world and hiding his face from view was sounding much more appealing by the second.

“Let’s head to my quarters,” Master Ti slowly stood up, “I can help show you how to meditate and we can explore the Force together. Would you like that, Din?”

Without responding, Din nodded and stood up, accepting the hand she extended toward him.

“Thank you for letting me follow you around, Commander Colt,” Din turned back towards the Commander.

“You’re welcome, verd’ika.” The Commander nodded with a small, reserved smile.

“It means little soldier in Mand’oa,” Master Ti answered Din’s unspoken questions as they stepped into the hall and rounded a corner.

“I’m not a soldier though….” Din muttered, trying not to feel off-put by the Jedi Master hearing his thoughts.

“I am not either,” Master Ti softly said, “none of the Jedi are.”

“Then why are you fighting in a war?”

“That, Din, is a good question,” she answered even more cryptically this time.

Before Din fire more questions away, frustrated and far more confused than before, Master Ti approached a door at the end of the hall and gestured Din inside. The living quarters hardly any personal belongings to decorate the walls or on the shelves, but Din could feel the sense of comfort, safety, and peace that clung to the walls. There was a meditation mat rolled out on the floor in front of a desk holding an arrangement of plants beneath a lavender-tinted lamp.

“These are gifts from my former Master when I was their padawan,” Master Ti smiled fondly down at the plants, running her fingers over the fern-shaped leaves, “Kamino is nothing like the temple on Coruscant, and especially like my homeworld of Shili. I needed a physical reminder of life, that I am a defender of the sentient life of the Republic.”

Din frowned, disappointed at the distinction.

“But not just of the Republic, my dear Din,” Master Ti turned to acknowledge him again, her eyes sharp and knowing, “Before the politics began to sour between the Republic and the remaining planets of the Mid and Outer rims, the Jedi were defenders of all sentient life in the galaxy.”

“Why has that stopped you?” Din snapped out, his skin felt too tight and prickled in discomfort, frustration rumbled dangerously hot beneath the surface.

“The Jedi have served the Republic for years, Din. Our hands are tied when it comes to sending the appropriate help and aid to planets like yours.”

Din snapped his mouth shut, instantly feeling bad for his outburst and struggling to find the words to explain himself or apologize. His feelings were simmering too close to the surface, burning bright like a supernova. It all felt nearly overwhelming, he couldn’t wipe off the scowl from his features no matter how much he tried to push his emotions aside.

“Here Din,” Master Ti turned to rifle through a bag near her cot, she turned back around once she had grabbed whatever it was she was searching for, “this will help you center yourself during our meditation.”

A silver canister-shaped object sat in Master Ti’s outstretched hands, it looked like a weapon of some sort but Din couldn’t be sure. Especially since the object was humming at him.

“What is that?” Din breathed out, the voice in the back of his mind hummed pleasantly in response to the object’s humming, almost as if they were communicating with each other…..

“This appears to be your lightsaber,” Master Ti said, giving him a long searching look, “it was found on the weapons belt with the Mandalorian armor that Commander Colt helped take off of you. You do not have any memory of how you received this saber?”

Din frowned, staring at the lightsaber with a mix of apprehension and confusion. Try as he might, Din hadn’t had any luck thus far in recalling any of his previous memories, especially those about how he got there. It was frustrating, the answer felt so close yet so far, like it was on the tip of his tongue or within sight. 

“There’s no need to worry over it any longer,” Master Ti gestured her hand holding the saber towards Din, “why don’t you take the saber and try reaching out to the kyber crystal within? I can feel its connection with you strongly in the Force. That is how I know it is your saber.”

Din wished the answers to his current predicament were far simpler to receive, he was nearly frozen in indecision and anxious about doing the wrong thing. Cautiously, he reached out and wrapped his hands around the hilt of the weapon. 

As his fingers made contact with the silver metal, a surge of that unnamed sensation swept over him like an ocean wave crashing along the shore. He was swept up in the current that belonged to what Master Ti called a kyber crystal, it felt like the crystal was waving and greeting him enthusiastically as if it were a long-time friend. Tears sprung to Din’s eyes, he tightened his grip around the hilt and held the saber reverently to his chest. 

It felt like coming home, the scent of spices and freshly cooked bread of his Papa’s bakery, the berry and goatmilk soap scent that lingered on every article of clothing that his Mama wore, of…..something else that felt so important for him to remember but was trapped in the crevices of his mind….

“It feels good, right?” Master Ti was smiling at him, “However you received your saber and the crystal, it was meant to be.”

Din wordlessly nodded, finding it instantly easier to push his irritation and frustration aside now that the melodic harmonizing humming of the voice and the crystal intertwined with his soul.

“Now,” Master Ti gestured for him to follow, seating herself down on one side of the meditation mat, “let us meditate and I will show you how to build up some proper shields around your Force presence.”

Chapter Text

54 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

As soon as the Negotiator jumped out of hyperspace above Kamino, Obi-Wan nearly jumped out of his skin at how loud the Force was shouting at him. He could feel Cody’s Force signature blaze bright with alarm, despite the fact that he outwardly didn’t react. Obi-Wan felt a tad bit better to not to be the primary focus of the Force’s will for once. 

“General —” Cody jerked his head at him, his panic palpable and bubbling beneath the surface.

“I am not feeling any urgency from the Force, my dear,” Obi-Wan reached over and placed a hand on Cody’s shoulder, the man leaning into the touch with a shudder. “But something big awaits us on the surface, something that the Force wants us to take note of.”

“I don’t like that it,” Cody grappled with his words for a moment, huffing with ill-concealed frustration, “lingers.”

“Oh, I entirely get what you’re feeling, Commander,” Obi-Wan chuckled, wishing he could see the pinched expression on Cody’s face, “The Force can be as frustrating as it is enlightening.”

Cody huffed in response, grumbling under his breath. Obi-Wan smirked, turning towards his Commander with an innocent expression, entirely unable to help himself.

“Is this you admitting to what I’ve been trying to get you to confirm for me, my dear Commander?”

Cody’s body stilled, his disgruntled emotions humming louder as he cocked his helmet at Obi-Wan instead of responding.

“Note taken then.” Obi-Wan chuckled.

As their LAAT/I was being prepared, and a small group of hand-picked troopers to accompany them down to the surface began boarding the shuttle, Cody slid in at Obi-Wan’s side. To Obi-Wan’s surprise, Cody was able to shakily lower his shields, brushing his Force signature against Obi-Wan’s. The sensation was like a warm beam of light hitting his skin, the rush of an overflowing river of power an undercurrent to the calm surety that so easily defined the man that Cody was.

“I would like to try and talk about it,” Cody murmured, the sound drowned out by his brothers filing into their seats and chatting amongst one another, their presence buzzing with the endless energy they so easily maintained, “I don’t mean to disregard your concerns. It’s just —”

“You don’t need to explain yourself, Cody,” Obi-Wan said gently, “least of all to me.”

Cody nodded at that, his helmet lowering as he glanced down at his feet.

“You and others like you — and yes, I am entirely certain that there are more of your brothers like yourself — were forced to adapt to the circumstances you found yourselves in with the Kaminoans. I do not blame you for not being entirely upfront with me about this, you are entitled to keep things to yourself if you so wish. Just as I did not, and still do not, blame you for not telling me your or your brother's names at the start of the war. That was something I had to earn all of your trust in and I would gladly do it again to honor you and your vode.”

Cody’s Force signature shimmered and sang in response, the warmth of his presence was comfortable to bask in as Cody’s surging happiness wrapped around them.

“Thank you for understanding,” Cody bumped his shoulder pauldron against Obi-Wan’s own, the movement making Cody’s signature hum in that pleasant way that Obi-Wan had learned meant his Commander felt comradeship, usually felt between his vode.

“Of course, my dear,” Obi-Wan said with a smile in his Commander’s direction, purposefully reenacting the pauldron bump with his Force signature against Cody’s.

Cody’s signature startled at the sensation, but quickly recovered and burst like a supernova, his pleasure and happiness easy to read and feel in the Force. Obi-Wan would make a mental note to repeat the action more often, purely to feel his Commander’s tangible happiness soak through him again. His men deserved to feel happy more often than not. They deserved a lot more than the life given to them.

The shuttle started up with a hum and made its way to the surface, the Force hummed the closer they got to the landing pad below. Obi-Wan shut his eyes and slipped himself into a mild meditative trance, still aware of his external surroundings, reaching out to the Force.

What is in store for us? Obi-Wan asked, patiently waiting for the Force’s reply.

A thrum of anticipation met Obi-Wan with a jolt — feelings and sensations swirling in its wake — anxiety sent alarm bells ringing in the back of his mind, followed by a sense of rightness, a warning following in its wake with the reminder that one wrong step could easily catapult the fate of the galaxy into dangerous territory. The Force wasn’t leaning inherently towards the Light, nor was it towards the Dark. Obi-Wan could only assume that the situation they were about to step into could swing one way or the other based on his actions.

As the LAAT/I landed, Cody turned his helmeted head towards him, his shields building up around his Force signature, like a cloud covering the light of the sun from view. The first time Obi-Wan had felt Cody’s shields drop, he physically jolted and nearly choked. It had been six long, grueling months for Obi-Wan to realize that his Commander was Force Sensitive and not, in fact, as null as he had once thought him to be. Cody had explained that he and his brothers had been taught to create their mental shielding, and without proper Jedi training, they had to clumsily devise their version of how to do so. Obi-Wan often brushed up against durasteel-thick shielding, some as strong and impenetrable as beskar — any of the clones in his battalion, and others led by his fellow Jedi Knights and Masters, could easily hide their sensitivity to the Force from prying eyes.

“What are we to expect, sir?” Cody quietly asked.

“I’m not entirely sure still,” Obi-Wan said, barely stifling the urge to sigh, “but what I do know is that there is an opportunity here, something that must be taken advantage of to win the war.”

“It must not be taken in vain,” Obi-Wan said, readying himself for what lay ahead, “we are here to listen and take action, not fight it.”

“I’m at your side every step of the way, sir,” Cody promised, his loyalty unwavering in the Force.

“Thank you, Cody.” Obi-Wan smiled softly at the man, willing his beating heart to stay within the confines of his chest and not leap at the opportunity to attach himself to another, as he was wont to do.

The doors opened, and they were greeted by the sight of Commander Colt and, lo and behold, Alpha-17 standing side by side.

“General,” Commander Colt said as they both saluted. “I hope you can forgive General Ti for not accompanying us here to greet you, sir.”

“The unexpected visitor we had spring upon us was a bigger priority to keep an eye on,” Alpha-17 drawled.

“Was there any issue with the boy?” Cody stepped up next to Obi-Wan, his signature set, and focused on the task at hand — a trait that Obi-Wan found endearing as it was seemingly attractive, despite how flustered it made him.

“No,” Alpha-17 chuckled darkly, “the kid is more anxious than that Captain of yours, Cody. Hasn’t stopped fretting the entire time he’s been here.”

“It was a miracle we were able to convince him to stay out of his armor once we removed it.…” Commander Colt shook his helmeted head.

“What do you mean by that, Commander?” Obi-Wan latched onto the sentence, “A Mandalorian would be notably offended at the idea of giving up his armor.”

“The kid showed up out of nowhere on one of our landing pads,” Alpha-17 jutted in, “in blacks and armor that were three sizes too big for him.”

Obi-Wan reeled back at that, confused and alarmed.

"I was aware that he showed up in armor, but not about the size," Obi-Wan muttered, fingering the edges of his beard and staring out into the distance, lost in thought.

“Like I was going to say,” Commander Colt swiveled his helmeted gaze sharply at Alpha-17, “the kid wasn’t making much sense and mostly spoke with General Ti. He appears in armor and clothing too big for him, and claims he isn’t from Mandalore, but he got twitchy when we took the armor out of his sight. We don’t have much of a sitrep to report to you, sir.

“No worries, Commander,” Obi-Wan reassured him, shoving his confusion and alarm aside. “I’m sure that Shaak will be able to explain what it is that’s going on.”

They turned the corner and came to a stop before a set of doors to Shaak's rooms.

“I’ll head back to the landing bay and direct the batches of shinies approved for your battalion on the extra LAAT/I sent down,” Commander Colt reported, saluting Obi-Wan as he did. 

“Commander Cody, will you be joining us?” Alpha-17 bluntly inquired, his brow raised in that way where he wasn’t asking and was telling you what to do.

Cody looked up at Obi-Wan for a moment, his shields lowering as his signature pressed against Obi-Wan’s tentatively, his concern and protectiveness filled Obi-Wan with a sense of warmth that was unrelated to the natural heat of Cody’s Force signature. Obi-Wan shook his head, pressing his fond assurance to his Commander with a smile.

“I should be fine here, Commander. I can easily get a hold of you if your presence is needed.”

Cody nodded once, his signature nudging Obi-Wan’s as they had done earlier.

“Will do, sir.”

Obi-Wan turned back towards the set of doors and nodded his head in thanks as Commander Colt keyed in the code and gestured him inside. 

Shaak sat in the chair situated in front of the modest desk in the corner of her room. She smiled at him in greeting and stood to greet him properly. There, perched on the edge of her cot, was a young teenager in the same red Under Armor that the clone cadets wore on the ocean planet. The kid sat with his back to the wall and ramrod straight, nervously toying with his sleeves. His dark eyes surveyed him in a shockingly familiar way that Obi-Wan was only accustomed to witnessing in Outer Rim planets, mostly from bounty hunters perched on barstools of Cantinas and the like.

“Greetings, Shaak,” Obi-Wan smiled, accepting the rare hug from his fellow Master and council member. “I see things are going well here so far?”

“As such things can be, yes,” Shaak nodded, her eyes twinkling with amusement, “but as they tend to do, things go bottom side up when you are somehow involved.”

“I try,” Obi-Wan teased back, turning to address the boy, “pardon my manners, I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, and you are?”

The teenager stood up shakily as if expecting the floor to fall out from underneath him. His Force signature was a storm of thoughts, barely concealed by the lack of steady shielding in place. Obi-Wan now understood why Commander Colt had made the comparison between the teenager and Captain Rex, the latter having better shielding but still managed to spill his worry out for any Force-sensitive to feel.

“Din,” the kid answered, pausing awkwardly as they parsed their thoughts, seemingly unsure of revealing something before concluding, “Din Djarin.”

“Greetings, Din Djarin.” Obi-Wan nodded his head and focused on making his movements easily noticeable as he pulled up a chair.

“Now,” he began, pressing into the Force to see how best to approach the topic at hand, “I was made aware that you needed to speak to me. Do you mind my asking how you know me by a name I do not publicly go by?”

Din froze, his shoulders hitching up to his ears.

“I also want to make it known, Din,” Obi-Wan leaned forward, “that I am here to be receptive to what you are about to say. I want you to know and understand how sincere I am in wanting to hear you out; you can speak freely here with me and Shaak present.”

Din nodded jerkily, his shoulders lowering as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“What I am about to say will sound…” He made a frustrated noise, gesturing at Obi-Wan, “Crazy .”

Obi-Wan merely nodded, intent on keeping silent unless Din asked him something.

“I had been on my home planet of Aq Vetina last I remember,” Din shifted in his seat as he continued, “but those memories feel like ages ago in my mind. Like, there are chunks of time that I am missing and don’t remember.”

“Din wanted you to check his mind for any tampering,” Shaak piped up from where she sat herself down in one of her plush chairs, “Apparently that’s how he knew your name.”

“The voice told me it,” Din looked up at Obi-Wan, his eyes wide and pleading as if he suspected that Obi-Wan wouldn’t believe him, “it said that you would help me.”

“Well,” Obi-Wan ran a hand over his beard, opening his shields up for the Force to pour in and let his thoughts filter through until he felt the surety in his bones on how best to proceed, “if you are up to it now I could delve into your mind and search for any sense of traps or Dark-side tricks.”

Obi-Wan didn’t miss the nearly suppressed flinch from the kid when he referred to the Force speaking to Din.

“You’ve never known of your Force-Sensitivity either,” Obi-Wan stated, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, “You are quite strong in the Force, I am surprised that no one has ever suspected anything of your heightened abilities where you came from.”

“I-I don’t know—” Din stuttered, his hands shaking as he clenched his sleeves into his fists, “I-I guess I have always had a way with people, always knew when they were lying to me and could outrun Kai—er, those who meant to do me harm.”

Obi-Wan smiled fondly.

“I, too, had my fair share of run-ins with bullies, Din,” Shaak fondly chuckled from behind him, “You would think that other Jedi Initiates would know how aware other Force-Sensitive Initiates are of those who mean to do us harm.”

Din hesitantly laughed, his posture relaxing.

“I took a Padawan who was a slave in the Outer Rim,” Obi-Wan admitted after a drawn-out beat of silence.

“What’s a Padawan?” Din asked.

“A Padawan is like a student who trains to become a Jedi Knight,” Obi-Wan explained, “They are taught under the tutelage of a Jedi Master until they pass a Knighting Trial.”

Din nodded slowly, and Obi-Wan continued.

“My Padawan, Anakin, was far too old to become a proper Initiate at the temple, but due to insinuating circumstances, I was able to take him on into a Padawanship. If Anakin hadn’t been placed in my care, he would have been returned to a planet of his liking and reunited with his mother and referred to one of the offered Jedi Corps Services to receive a rough education on how to properly use his abilities and not allow them to drive him to insanity. Or worse, to the Dark side of the Force.”

“We talked about the Light and Dark side of the Force,” Shaak reminded Din, who had grown considerably paler.

“Why are you telling me this?” Din muttered.

“It’s quite odd that someone with your level of Force-Sensitivity was not noticed until now,” Obi-Wan explained frankly, “Granted, I know the Jedi’s reach into the Outer Rim has been hit or miss in the past decade, but if the Force brought me into Anakin’s path on Tatooine way back when I am surprised that the Force has chosen now to lead you into our path.”

“There must be a reason that you showed up on Kamino without your recent memories,” Shaak stated, the Force hummed its confirmation, the sensation like a shockwave blasting outward through each one of them.

“So you’re saying…..” Din trailed off, his Force-Signature a storm of confusion and fear, “That something happened to me that I don’t know about?”

“I’m not saying that exactly, Din,” Obi-Wan spoke gently, “But I would like to check your mind and see if I spot any signs of tampering or Dark energy.”

Obi-Wan didn’t want to think of the possibility that Din was being used as bait by the Separatist Army, or by Dooku and the Sith Lord. A young Sith Acolyte would be quite tempting to the Sith, especially if they used the child as a way to spy on the Jedi and the Republic from within. The Force wasn’t ringing any alarm bells, nor was it deathly silent as it tended to be when Obi-Wan’s fate was clouded on the battlefield when facing down the likes of Ventress or Grievous.

Do I have your permission to enter?  

Obi-Wan pushed his request through the Force, smiling fondly as Din’s signature jolted at his voice, so much like a youngling interacting with the Force for the first time. 

Yes, Din responded, shakily lowering his shields for Obi-Wan.

Chapter Text

54 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“Has Kenobi discovered your Force osik yet?” Alpha-17 didn’t beat around the bush, leading Cody down the blinding, unremarkable halls toward the barracks. 

“What do you think?” Cody drawled, unable to help himself from the sassy retort to the man who had made Cody and his fellow CC’s lives hell while also keeping them out of the long-neck’s line of fire.

“Don’t get smart with me, verd’ika,” the older clone slapped the back of Cody’s un-helmeted head before he could duck out of the way, “I’d imagine he didn’t react negatively, since I haven’t seen your shebs sent to decom yet.”

Cody glared at him unamused. Alpha-17 had always had a rather dark sense of humor.

“He’s been trying to get me to admit to having it, actually,” Cody said stiffly as they rounded a corner, nodding to a group of Arcs in training. “He’s one of the good ones. Just last tenday, he sent Helix the data chips for gender and sexuality expressions that most natborn Medics receive and distribute to patients. Some of the vode already knew how they wanted to express themselves, but already we have some troopers requesting surgeries and estrogen medications. There's been some legal pushback from the GAR and Jedi Order on clones' sentient status and if we are allowed to have the same basic medical care as Nat-borns, but the General has been able to negotiate loopholes to work through.”

Alpha-17 grunted in response, nodding firmly as he did. He was normally not one for many words; the more sincere he was, the less he said in response.

“I knew it,” Alpha-17 muttered as they approached the doors to the cadet-level barracks, “he is the perfect jetti to deal with this scenario, then.”

Before Cody could open his mouth and ask any questions, Alpha-17 was opening the doors and striding through the barracks. The room went silent as Cody hesitantly jogged after Alpha-17, smiling awkwardly at the cadets who gaped up at him in awe. 

“Ray,” Alpha-17 barked, the cadet in question jerked up from their sleeping tube, their eyes wide in alarm, “Where’s Jade?”

“I haven’t seen her since late meal,” Ray scrambled down the steps and stood at attention, “one of the trainers was giving her grief over her hair as a long-neck passed by.”

“I tried to calm her down,” another cadet nearby blurted out, his hair was a shade too copper than the Prime’s natural shade, “I swear, Alpha! But the breathing exercises weren’t working and she was starting to freak out…..”

“We both got her out of there in time, but the long neck lingered for far too long.” Ray piped back up, toying nervously with the edge of his reds.

Cody froze, the pieces all coming together to reveal a horrifying picture in his mind.

“Did they take her? Did you see where she went?” Cody strode up to Alpha-17’s side, purposefully ignoring the wide-eyed expressions on the cadets’ faces.

“No, I—”

A disturbance in the Force shut him up, his attention laser-focused on the ceiling vent above their heads.

“I think she’s in the vents,” Cody stated, already beginning to climb the nearest set of stairs.

“I should be —”

“No,” Cody blurted out, motioning for Alpha-17 to stop, “I’m the only one who can truly connect with her here.”

Alpha-17 hesitantly nodded his head, a jerky movement as he backed down and let Cody continue climbing. Cody didn’t look back, even as he heard the cadets whispering their questions below. Popping the vent cover off, Cody crawled into the small crawl space, wincing as he squeezed himself into the tight space that was just wide enough to fit his bulky armor. He wouldn’t be able to move far without the fear of lodging himself in place and getting stuck, but he didn’t need to worry. 

Cody shut his eyes and slowly unraveled his shields, shakily reaching out into the Force to find that flash of a presence he had felt breezing by overhead. 

“Jade?” He called out loud, already sensing the waves of emotion emanating from the clone cadet — the icy cold rush of fear, distrust that tangled itself deep inside and tightened around one’s beating heart in a crushing grip, a spark of blinding hope that flickered within the darkness despite all odds — Cody intentionally breathed in a deep breath and blew it out into the welcoming arms of the Force like he had seen General Kenobi do before.

“I understand you are scared,” he continued, swallowing down his fears and anxieties from years past, “and rightfully so. I was once in your shoes, terrified of making the wrong move and bringing the long necks’ attention down on me.”

Unsure of how best to do so, Cody leaned into the Force’s grip, allowing its wisdom to help channel his desire to bring a memory forth to the front of his mind. He closed his eyes and let the memory take hold of his senses, reaching out further into the Force, until he found that tiny spark of a presence around the corner to his right, and allowed the Force to help push the memory towards the scared girl.

He could feel her surprise at the memory of Cody Force-shoving Wolffe into a wall out of frustration — they both felt the sickly sensation of his horror, the ice-cold shock that froze him on the spot, and the overwhelming gust of fear like the powerful winds that moved Kamino’s ocean waves like it was nothing. The scene ended, but Cody was too distracted by the feel of another Force presence beating in tandem next to his — the Force presence of another clone.

In all the years that Cody had grown up and trained on Kamino, he had never once known that there was anyone else like him out there, besides Rex. Cody had found Rex sobbing in a storage closet and clutching his regulation-length blonde curls in an iron-clad grip, begging for Cody to help him shave it all off, for someone to take away the power that burned within his veins. Cody had always been in the dark and alone when it came to understanding his abilities. Rex hated the reminders of what made him different than the other clones and valiantly ignored anything to do with them. 

Cody had always been one to learn and always loved the flash modules that went over the galaxy’s history, the planet’s varying cultures, and ways of life. Not having definitive answers about what he was and what he could do was pure torture. Slowly, he had learned to push his desire to learn about what he could do deep down within himself, out of necessity and survival — no one could learn about this, for he was just a clone at the end of the day.

Obi-Wan, the annoying bugger that he was, had been right, and Cody had unconsciously always known so — the vode were not just clones, or meat droids, or copies with no personality, they were sentient beings that deserved to be treated as such. Cody’s eyes widened with the realization of what Obi-Wan was trying to make him realize all along.

If a clone trooper could access the Force, that was definitive proof that they were sentient beings.

“I promise you, Jade,” Coduy rasped out, swallowing down the raw emotions building up inside of him, “I will make sure that you and others like us are safe. My General— General Obi-Wan Kenobi will make sure of it as well.”

A soft voice, nearly whispering, responded.

“How can you be so sure?” A pair of green eyes peered at Cody from around the corner.

Cody softly smiled, reaching out to the girl’s presence and sending his reassurance and honesty toward her.

“Because he taught me to do that.” Cody’s smile brightened; he couldn’t stop it if he tried whenever he talked of his General, “He is a very kind and loyal man, I would trust him with my life.”

Chapter Text

54 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Din didn’t know what to expect from the intrusion — what if it was going to be painful? Should he brace himself, hold onto something? It would be so embarrassing to ask Master Ti or Kenobi to hold their hand, but dank ferrik, he wanted some sort of comfort to latch onto! — But this wasn’t what he had expected at all.

Master Kenobi’s Force presence was as strong as steel (almost like beskar… ) and yet was as soft and gentle as feathers in the wind. 

‘There’s no need to be afraid, Din.’ Master Kenobi’s voice echoed around his mind, his presence leaning into Din’s and sending waves of reassurance, peace, and clarity into Din’s very being. ‘ I will be delving into the edges of your Force signature and your natural shielding.’

The voice — the Force, Din corrected himself — hummed its reassurance, intertwining with Kenobi’s as the Jedi Master reached out towards it, wrapping Din up with its resounding honesty and truth in Master Kenobi’s statement. 

‘Are you ready to proceed? This may feel disorienting, but rest assured I am right here and will be by your side the entire time. Say the word and we can take a breather.’

Din slowly reached out toward Master Kenobi’s presence, hoping that his tentative tug was as good of a response as any. 

‘ Good,’ the sensation of pride, like a bubbling warm tea, and encouragement, a solid and steady hand on your shoulder, wrapped themselves around Din, ‘Prepare yourself, here we go.’

It felt strange as Master Kenobi began to dig around in the crevices, nooks, and crannies of Din's mind. He could feel the Jedi Master's confusion and upset whenever he came across the patches of Din's mind that lay blank and vacant, memories plucked out and missing where they had once been. It felt like hours had gone by before Din's eyes fluttered open, Master Kenobi's presence backing out of Din's mind.

"I couldn't find any hint of the Dark side or any traps a Sith would leave behind in your mind," Master Kenobi folded a leg over his knee, situating himself into a more comfortable position, "which is definitely a good thing, but it also doesn't answer the question as to how you ended up here and why."

“What is a Sith trap?” Din asked, gripping the edge of his seat.

“It could be a number of things,” Master Kenobi began to explain, “like a Force suggestion. Force suggestions can make you do or believe in many things, and if a Sith is behind it then you know it’s for nefarious reasons.”

“Would I know if there was one in my head?” Din tried not to let his nerves show, but knew he ultimately failed as Master Kenobi smiled fondly at him.

“Not likely, that is what we have Mindhealers for who can detect these things and remove them.”

“You’re not a Mindhealer though….” Din muttered.

“You are correct, Din,” Master Ti grinned toothily at Master Kenobi, “but with Master Kenobi’s brand of luck on his side, he’s had to pick up some tricks to keep up his sleeves.”

"If you were unsuccessful at identifying anything at a brief glance, Obi-Wan," Master Ti added, "maybe it is a good idea to bring Din to Coruscant and have the Council and a Mindhealer look at his mind further."

“Yes, I agree with you, Master," Obi-Wan nodded, turning back towards Din, "I also fear the repercussions of attempting to uncover your missing memories,” He grimaced, “This may be out of my field of expertise. The good news is that I know just the person to reach out to at the Temple.”

“You’d help me?” Din asked incredulously, unable to believe what the Jedi Master was saying.

“Of course, Din,” Master Kenobi bent down until he was at eye level with Din, “I believe the Force brought us together for a reason and I will help you figure out this mystery as long as I can and am able.”

Overwhelmed, Din nodded his head and allowed himself the moment to be in tune with the rising tide of emotions churning within his gut and very being. 

Master Ti turned towards Din, smiling softly, “Are you willing to have the Jedi Council look at these memories with you, Din?”

Din turned and looked at Master Kenobi, who smiled reassuringly in return.

“I would like that very much,” Din nodded at Master Ti, “Thank you, Master Ti.”

“Of course, Din.” Master Ti grinned, the edge of her canines poking out from the curve of her lips. “I say you should set out with Master Kenobi on the Negotiator as soon as they are able to take off with their new recruits, they are set to head towards Coruscant for some leave anyways.”

“That sounds like a solid plan to me, Master Ti,” Master Kenobi smiled up at her before standing up and straightening his robes out.

Din made to stand up, right as a burst of pain in his head had his legs giving out beneath him.

“Din?! Are you alright?”

“Oh dear!”

Din winced, gasping at the blinding pain. His vision gave out, spots of light dancing behind his eyelids before an image started to shape itself in his mind's eye. His vision wasn’t fully clear, but he got the sense that he was standing in the alleyways of his hometown on Aq Vetina, the smell of spices, teas, and fresh baked goods from his Papa’s bakery filled Din’s nose all at once. He could almost feel the warmth of the sun overhead on his tanned skin, the heady sense of humidity nearly smothering his senses and curling the tips of his hair. All at once, an overwhelming swell of grief overtook him, longing clawed at his insides, and panic hit him square in the chest.

Why was he panicking in the midst of this memory of his home?

“.....Din? Can you hear me?” Master Kenobi’s voice slowly grew clearer, breaking through the faint memory. 

Din tried not to startle as he realized that he had collapsed into Master Kenobi’s arms and was now lying in the Jedi Master’s lap. A warm blush flushed his cheeks and embarrassment soured in the back of his throat.

“Are you alright, Din?” Master Kenobi asked, propping Din up against the side of Master Ti’s cot.

“Yes,” Din mumbled petulantly, forcing himself to look up and make eye contact, willing away the embarrassment with every fiber in his being with very little success, based on Master Ti’s soft chuckle on his other side, “I think a memory of the day I went missing is trying to resurface.”

“That is good news,” Master Kenobi smiled encouragingly at him, “memories coming back naturely is a good sign. A Mindhealer can definitely speed the process along, if you are still willing.”

Din stared up at the Jedi Master, that feeling of panic in the memory sat like a lead balloon in his chest.

“What if I uncover something bad?” To Din’s horror, tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he spoke, voice cracking, “What do I do if something is really wrong and —”

“That is a problem to tackle on another day,” Master Kenobi stated, kind yet firm, “we will take everything in stride and go from there. Just know that you do not have to be alone in this endeavor, Din. Whatever the Council decides to do about your situation, I will try my hardest to support you in any way I can. Alright?”

Din nodded his head jerkily, ducking his chin into his chest to hide the tears that slid down his cheeks.

“Trust in the Force, young one.” Master Kenobi patted Din’s shoulder before offering him a hand up.

Master Kenobi’s comm began to beep as they stood up, Master Ti settled a warm, reassuring hand on Din’s shoulder as Master Kenobi answered the call.

“General Kenobi,” a clone’s voice called through the comm’s speaker, “we have a situation in the clone barracks in the east wing. You will want to come and see this for yourself, sir.”

“On my way, Cody,” Master Kenobi ended the call and smiled at Din, “Now, let’s go see what my lovely Commander has gotten up to, shall we?”

Chapter Text

54 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Obi-Wan was thankful for the warning that Cody had given him through their new bond — a topic of discussion to be had with the Commander once things were settled — for he would have startled just as Shaak Ti had upon feeling not one, but two, Force presences in the cadet barracks.

“What is going on here?” Shaak asked slightly breathlessly, “Obi-Wan, why do you always find yourself in the middle of strange occurrences?”

The female clone cadet was understandably scared but putting on a brave front — her hair had grown out longer than the standard regulation length for cadets and was curling around the shell of her ears, at the base of her neck, and over her forehead. Her eyes were a hazel shade, more green in hue.

“General Ti —” Cody explained, cutting off as Obi-Wan signaled him to pause.

“I believe, Master Ti,” Shaak cocked her head in acknowledgment of the look Obi-Wan threw her, “that this is something of a sensitive nature for the clones.”

“I apologize for cutting you off, Commander,” Cody nodded once as he continued, “but I figured a brief explanation would suffice. For yours and any others in similar situations' sake?”

“I appreciate that, General Kenobi.” Cody’s expression was one of neat professionalism, even as his Force Signature pulsed with gratitude.

“Now,” Obi-Wan started, watching as Alpha-17 checked the doors of his personal quarters and office area, grateful for the additional safety precautions, “What I will be explaining here will not be leaving this room, am I understood?”

Din, quiet in his spot in the farthest corner of the room, nodded seriously, the frown on his face only making his adolescent features even more adorable.

“Several months ago I figured out that Commander Cody was Force Sensitive when I had previously thought he was null.”

“Why is that?" Shaak questioned, "We would have picked up on something like this before if any of the clones were sensitive in any capacity.”

“It is my understanding that the clones,” Obi-Wan eyed Cody as he continued, “or at least with the CCs,” Cody nodded in affirmative, “were taught the basics of shielding their minds in the chance of being captured by the Sith in battle. From what Cody has told me, the lessons were rudimentary at best, many of the CC's expanded these lessons and developed a specialized form of their own.”

“This is true,” Cody spoke up, nodding in thanks to Obi-Wan before turning back towards Shaak, “I was the only one of my batchmates who appeared to be Force Sensitive, and thus the need for shielding was more imperative.”

“I may know the answer to this already, but may I ask why that is, Commander?” Shaak inquired, her lekku twitching as a result of her frustration.

“The Kaminoians, General,” If it were even possible, Cody straightened more so as he continued, “The Jedi Generals have been made aware of how the Kaminoian scientists used to perform mandatory decommissions of any clone troopers displaying any form of difference to the Prime, but they have only just gotten sneakier in how they go about these operations nowadays.”

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and released the flicker of anger that crackled like wildfire in his chest into the Force.

“Wait,” Din sprung up from his seat, eyes wide, “what are decom—”

“Din, maybe it’s best if you—” Shaak began to instruct before Obi-Wan interjected.

“No, it’s alright that he knows, Shaak,” he unfolded his arms, nodding his assurance to her, “Commander, if it’s not too much for you, would you mind explaining what this operation is for young Din here?”

He could feel his Commander’s questions in the Force, he reached out towards Cody’s sunny presence to quell his curiosity.

I will explain more when we get back to the ship, Cody pressed his understanding back towards Obi-Wan, and Din will be coming with us to Coruscant to speak to the Council further about his mysterious circumstances.

“Of course General,” Cody nodded, turning back towards Din, his serious expression softening at the edges for the child, “Decommissioning is a process that the Kaminoian scientists perform to remove “faulty product”, in their terms. The clones are products of the Prime DNA sample from Jango Fett. In the terms of the contract between the Republic and the Kaminoians, the clones must all resemble the Prime in terms of physical, mental, and emotional similarity.”

“Jango Fett was a Mandalorian bounty hunter,” Obi-Wan added, “who was as Force Sensitive as a rock.”

“So,” Din stuttered, his eyes widening, “that means that any of the clones that looked or acted different were…..killed?” The boy’s eyes filled with righteous fury. “That’s not fair! You all feel so different and unique from one another in the Force. You shouldn’t be compared to a man who is so different than all of you!”

Obi-Wan’s heart swelled with pride at the boy’s strong moral compass, the obvious care and passion that had his voice shaking, hands clenched in fists at his side, and eyes lit with a fire that would not burn out easily. The boy would make a good Jedi, Obi-Wan knew it deep in his very bones. He hoped that the Council would think the same and offer Din the opportunity to create a new and better path for himself within their ranks.

Despite the difference in scenarios between Din and Anakin, Obi-Wan couldn't stop the seeds of hope from taking root in his heart.

I have wanted a padawan of my own anyway, the miscommunication with Ahsoka showing up for Anakin and not him still stung, and he knew he needed to meditate on that hurt more, maybe this is what was meant to happen, for me to meet Din and take him as my padawan learner.

He just knew that wherever Qui-Gon was resting beyond in the Force he would be dying of laughter at how Obi-Wan found himself mirroring his stubborn and unconventional ways.

“That’s right, Din,” Obi-Wan smiled reassuringly at the boy, sending a wave of calm and peace to the boy as he did, “it’s not fair. That’s why the Jedi Council has Master Ti stationed here, to make sure that the Kaminoians are not going behind our backs on our agreements.”

“Regardless though,” Shaak frowned, “it appears they are still finding loopholes and ways around me. We must come up with ways to prevent this from happening.”

“I will bring it up with the Council when I arrive on Coruscant then,” Shaak smiled her thanks, her Force presence glowing as Obi-Wan reached for her in the Force, waves of promise, reassurance, and strength flowing between them. “But I believe we may have a solution right in front of us as well, Shaak.”

This time the attention was focused back on the reason for their impromptu meeting in the first place, the clone cadet ducked her head shyly.

“Go ahead, verd’ika ,” Cody patted the cadet’s shoulder gently, his Force presence glowed with the sheer strength of his protectiveness of the girl, “You can tell them.”

Obi-Wan sat on the edge of Alpha-17’s desk where Din was seated, an arm’s length away in the chance that the boy needed any physical reassurance — knowing Anakin and other boys of the same age as Din, Obi-Wan knew that the boy would most likely feel embarrassed to ask for such forms of comfort despite the desire for it.

“I’m Jade,” the girl said, squaring her thin shoulders back and standing as tall as she could, “I believe the long necks were planning on decommissioning me.”

“Some of the trainers have been giving her grief for the length of her hair and desire to be referred to as female,” Alpha-17 growled furiously, his large, muscled arms folded over his broad chest, “but the long necks appeared to notice something else to zero in on.”

Instead of using words, Jade closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as she made the datapads on Alpha-17’s desk float up into the air.

“You are quite strong in the Force, my dear,” Shaak complimented with a soft smile, “there is no need to worry about your fate any longer. I will personally ensure that you are protected and safe under my care until we can come up with some options to offer you.”

“What options?” Jade asked, tilting her head curiously.

“Technically, you are of age to be allowed entry into the Jedi Order,” Shaak explained, “but we would need to consult with the Jedi Council before offering you the option of a Padawanship under a Jedi Master. Becoming a Padawan Learner means that you will learn the ways of the Force to one day take the trials of becoming a Jedi Knight. A Jedi Master can offer you a Padawanship if they wanted to be your Master and be the one to personally teach you what they know. There you would be able to build your lightsaber, and receive lesson plans through the Initiate and Padawan Learning Programs to specialize your path as a Jedi as you grow.”

Jade’s eyes were as wide as the smile stretching across her young face.

“If the path of becoming a Jedi Knight is not for you,” Shaak continued, “there are other ways of furthering your knowledge and education of the Force outside of the Order.”

“The galaxy is full of sentient beings who are sensitive to the Force in varying degrees,” Obi-Wan spoke up this time, “The Force flows through all of us, even those who are null and not sensitive to it. All that to say, the way of the Jedi — who take a vow to protect the galaxy and the Republic before anything else — is not for everyone.”

As Obi-Wan and Shaak continued to explain exactly what they had just shared with Din moments prior, a sense of peace settled over Obi-Wan’s shoulders, one that Cody seemingly picked up on as well. 

Thank you, Cody pushed his thankfulness down the bond, bright and full of dazzling hope bursting in Obi-Wan’s chest, for having my back.

Of course, Commander, Obi-Wan turned to catch his eye, smiling softly at the man, you will always have my support.

The pink flush of Cody’s cheeks was the metaphorical cherry on top of the blue-milk sundae, Obi-Wan mentally memorized the flushed expression in his mind’s eye.

Chapter Text

55 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

A blurred, hazy scene was playing out before Din, the sound of blaster fire filled his ears, and further aggravated Din’s mounting horror as he was unable to look away. The more he stared unblinkingly at the distant memory, the more detailed the blurred subjects became. He could make out the red hue of his home planet’s cultural red robes, ducking and weaving the bright red hue of blaster shots whizzing by. 

“Din,” Din whirled around to see a dark-cloaked man standing before him, “Go get Ben.”

Before Din could open his mouth and throw out some sarcastic retort, the scene behind Din exploded with sound, ear-piercing and overwhelming his senses. He threw his hands over his ears as the sound of blaster fire and screaming rocked through him…. 

Din startled awake with a gasp that came out more like a choked-off sob than anything. He threw the covers off his frame, claustrophobic and needing fresh air. The door suddenly burst open, and there was Master Kenobi, hair tussled from sleep and a hastily thrown-on robe over his underclothes, his expression pinched with concern. 

“Din? Are you alright?”

All Din could do was sob, the nightmare resurfacing to the forefront of his mind in stark clarity. All he wanted was his Papa’s arms to run into and feel enveloped and safe inside. He couldn’t stop himself from letting out his tears, despite how embarrassed he felt doing so in front of Master Kenobi. 

“Oh Din,” Master Kenobi was at his side in an instant, his warm and calloused hands carding through Din’s sweat-soaked curls, pushing them away from his forehead tenderly, “You’re alright, you’re safe here at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.”

Din already hated Coruscant the minute they breached its smoke-filled surface. There was no plant life to be seen, just metal and concrete buildings rising into the airspeeder-clogged traffic for miles, and far too many sentient beings crammed into the depths of the planet’s surface. The Force felt heavy here, now that Din knew where to focus his senses, and it left him with the sensation of an itch left unscratched — almost as if a dark beast had stirred beneath the surface of a calm lake, the hairs on the back of Din’s neck stood on end. 

But here at the Jedi temple, Din felt like he stepped into a sanctuary brimming full of warmth and light. There were so many other people like him here, other beings who felt so bright and glowing in the Force. Feeling their minds brush against his shields was euphoric and overwhelming all at once, Din could have died happily just sitting in the temple and watching as every sentient life form breezed past him. 

Master Kenobi’s living quarters were even better though, in Din’s humble opinion. The rooms were full of life and an easy breeze of contentment and joy that practically leaked out of the walls. There was an undercurrent of grief that lingered in certain corners of the rooms, but tangled up within those complex emotions was so much happiness and a lust for life. Din found that he liked those corners even more than other parts of the space — they gave so much insight into who Master Kenobi was; as a Jedi, a Master, and as a man himself. 

“Can we sit next to your bookshelf in the living quarters?” Din mumbled, unable to look the Jedi Master in the eyes as he spoke. 

“Of course, would you like some tea? I have a brand that’s perfect for nights like these if you’d like to try it.”

“Do you have nightmares too?” Din looked up, feeling hopeful for any sort of advice and solace to lean into. 

“I do from time to time,” Master Kenobi smiled sadly at him, his thumb rubbing the base of Din’s neck as his fingers carded through his hair, “I’ve had them ever since I was about your age.”

Din bit his lip from asking such an invasive question, but he needed to know. 

“Ah,” Master Kenobi spoke for him, glancing away sheepishly, “maybe that’s a story for another time, but I can share some other stories if you’d like. More light-hearted perhaps.”

Din silently nodded and allowed the man to help him out of his tangled sheets and towards the living room. 

“Here,” Master Kenobi handed him a multi-colored, fuzzy wool blanket, “this was a gift from my Master when I needed some comfort after waking up from nightmares. It was passed down to Anakin, my first padawan when he would wake up in the night.”

Din felt his chest both tighten and glow from happiness at the comparison. The thought of becoming the man’s padawan hadn’t been able to leave his mind in the past several days of traveling to Coruscant and landing at the temple. Master Kenobi was calm and collected, smart and witty, but also kind and gentle at the same time. Din couldn’t help the comparison between Master Kenobi and his Papa, the two were so similar in a lot of ways. Plus, they both had been there for Din in times of trouble, he knew he was screwed the minute that Master Kenobi had offered his help in Din’s quest of figuring out what happened to him. He didn’t want to leave the man’s side and wasn’t looking forward to meeting with the Council, too afraid of the Jedi telling him he could never see Master Kenobi again. 

But fear never got Din anywhere, it only held him back. He would face the next day with all that he had and go from there. He had to, for his family’s sake. 

As Master Kenobi turned the tea kettle on in the kitchen, Din bundled himself up in the blanket in the cushioned chair in the far corner of the room next to one of Master Kenobi’s packed full bookcases. The complicated feelings of grief, love, and acceptance were strangely calming to bask in, like a soothing balm to a wound. Din’s attention was caught on a couple of knick-knacks that lined the bookcase shelves. There was a framed holo-picture of what looked like a younger version of Master Kenobi and a group of friends surrounding him, one of the boys nearest Master Kenobi was even pinching his cheek and smirking at the camera. 

“Those are my creche-mates,” Master Kenobi handed a steaming mug to Din, his expression light and full of love as he smiled at the holo Din had been staring at, “Quinlan and I were particularly close, despite his need to harass and tease me all the time.”

“Are you still close?” Din’s heart ached as he glanced back at the picture, he had always wanted another sibling to play with.

“We don’t see each other very often, but when we do we have a good time,” Obi-Wan sat down in the plush chair across from him, “yes, we are still close.”

Din silently nodded and took a sip of his tea, humming approvingly as the slight floral taste graced his tastebuds.

“Would you like to talk about it?” Master Kenobi asked gently. 

Din stared into his cup of tea for a long beat of silence, willing away the sounds of blaster fire and screams from the forefront of his mind. Master Kenobi’s silent support against Din’s mental shields was like a soothing balm against his soul, he couldn’t help but lean into the mental touch and against the support provided.

“Not really,” Din admitted gruffly, he scowled down at his lap and folded his arms tightly around his chest. 

“I understand,” Master Kenobi smiled sadly at him before taking a sip of his tea.

The silence hung heavy and thick between them, Din didn’t dare say anything to not spook the Jedi Master into deciding to not share what was on his mind. 

“I have been on missions that went from bad to worse in the span of a heartbeat,” Master Kenobi sipped his tea as he spoke, “All of these happened when I was about your age.”

Din’s frown deepened at that, earning him a light chuckle in response from the Jedi Master.

“It’s been years since then and I still struggle with the trauma I faced at such a young age. At first, I tried to hide the fact that I had such terrible nightmares, but then they just got worse and I started lashing out at everyone around me when they were just simply trying to help.

“Eventually I told my former Master about them and slowly but surely I noticed a difference. No longer was I full of anxiety and fear all the time, and I even started to have less frequent nightmares. They don’t go away all at once, unfortunately, but finding someone to confide in and share what’s troubling you works better than you may realize.”

Din didn’t realize how badly he was shaking until Master Kenobi lifted his mug of tea out of Din’s hands with the Force, gently setting it on the end table.

“I think my parents died in some sort of Separatist attack.” Din quietly murmured, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. “I could hear blaster fire and droids marching as my parents screamed.”

“Oh Din,” Master Kenobi kneeled next to Din’s chair and settled a warm, calloused hand on Din’s shoulder — just like that the dam on Din’s emotions broke and he was sobbing and reaching out for the Jedi Master, “I am so sorry my dear.”

Din had nearly crawled his way into Master Kenobi’s lap, his fists clenched around the fabric of his robes and his face tucked in the man’s neck. He couldn’t stop himself from crying, but with a hand carding through his hair and Master Kenobi’s sturdy Force presence wrapped around him in a comforting gesture, Din didn’t much care.

“Thank you,” Din accepted the blanket graciously, biting his lip from speaking his thoughts out loud.

As Master Kenobi hummed a tune under his breath and held Din in his arms, the dark-cloaked man kept coming back to the forefront of Din's mind.

"Master Kenobi?" Din's voice croaked, "There's something else from my dream that's bothering me."

"Yes?" Master Kenobi sat back to give Din space but was still close enough within arms reach if Din needed the comfort.

"I keep seeing a man in a dark cloak," Din cleared his throat and fiddled with a loose thread in the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, "he's the one that mentioned you by name."

"You don't recognize this man?" Master Kenobi asked, his brows pinched with concern.

Din paused, thinking about the brief interaction with the man in his dream.

"I can never see his face," Din admitted, "but I feel as if I should know who he is."

"We can discuss this with the council and the Mindhealers tomorrow," Master Kenobi smiled softly at Din, "now, let's see if we can get some sleep again. Are you amenable to building a blanket fort with me?"

Din's face lit up with the weight of his grin.

Chapter Text

55 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“What have you brought us regarding Din Djarin, Obi-Wan?” Mace asked, leveling a concerned glance at Obi-Wan and the dark circles under his eyes.

“I have made plans to have Din meet with the Healers later today to address some worrying gaps in his memories,” Obi-Wan cleared his throat as he continued, “I could not find any obvious outside tampering with his memories or Dark Side influence, but hopefully another thorough glance through will reveal a clearer picture on what is going on.”

“Brought the boy, did you?” Master Yoda gestured towards the doors, where every Master present in the room could feel the boy in question pacing back and forth in the hall. 

“Commander Cody is currently attempting to keep him company,” Obi-Wan nodded, unable to stop himself from smirking behind his hand. 

Cody’s Force presence was shielded heavily beneath his mental shields, but the new bond between the two of them hummed with unease and barely concealed panic at trying to calm poor Din down. It would be foolish to believe that Master Yoda didn’t already suspect something was up with Cody’s signature and the heavily fortified shielding in place. Obi-Wan continued to avoid heavy eye contact with his great-grandmaster and acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. 

Keeping Cody’s Force Sensitivity a secret was far more important than betraying that deep trust that Obi-Wan had worked hard on cultivating.

“We would like to meet with the boy and ask him some questions,” Mace said, “Have you scheduled a time slot with the Healing Halls yet?”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan nodded, “Vokra is looking forward to the chance encounter of me being present in the Halls for an extended period.”

His fellow councilors all chuckled good-naturedly, the Force sparkling in their amusement.

“Good,” Master Yoda hummed to himself, his wrinkled brow furrowing with thought, “Bring the boy inside, will you now, Master Kenobi?”

“Commander,” Obi-Wan called into his comm, “please bring Din inside the chambers.”

“Yes, General.”

Obi-Wan turned towards the doors as they swung open. Master Yoda didn’t outwardly seem fazed, but the older Jedi’s Force presence nudged Obi-Wan’s with a sense of mischief and curiosity, no doubt having already noticed the depth of Cody’s shields in place. Nothing seemed to get past the old bat, Obi Wan fought the urge to roll his eyes at the thought.

“Greetings youngling,” Yoda greeted Din, the boy stopping in the middle of the room. “Scared you are, yes?”

“Yes,” Din muttered shakily, his eyes darting between each councilor in his periphery, “this is my first time off of my home planet.”

A pleased hum rang through the room at Din’s response.

“How are you liking Coruscant, Din?” Master Koon leaned forward, his holo form flickering with the movement.

“It’s loud and overwhelming,” Din bluntly stated, earning a smattering of chuckles around the room. 

“Still feeling troubled, yes?” Master Yoda tilted his head at Din, “Judge unfairly, the Jedi Council will not.”

“It feels….cold here.” 

Master Yoda’s Force presence jolted in alarm, yet his features managed to stay neutral as he continued.

“Cold, yes?”

“Yeah,” Din bit his lip as he ducked his head, peaking up through his bangs at Obi-Wan nervously. “The Force feels weird here.” 

“How so, Din?” Agden inquired, his dark eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“I feel like I am being watched,” Din shivered, “but there is no one there looking at me.”

There really could be a Sith stationed here on Coruscant then, Obi-Wan ran a hand through his beard worriedly, was Dooku right all along?

“We are going to ask you some more questions,” Mace spoke up, “Would you be up for answering a few of them for us?”

Din nodded slowly, straightening to his full height as he steeled himself. Obi-Wan reached out and nudged the boy’s Force presence, smiling at kindly at him as he caught his eye. 

“Thank you, Din,” Adi Gallia leaned forward in the frame of her holo recording, “you didn’t hesitate in admitting your fear when Master Yoda questioned you.”

“What’s the point in lying, Master?” Din asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Many trained Jedi Knights tend to struggle with this simple notion,” Master Mundi stated, “being aware of and in control of one’s emotions is vital to being a Jedi, Din. What are your thoughts on that?”

“It makes sense,” Din agreed, “since Masters Kenobi and Ti explained what the Force was to me. I have been overwhelmed by the emotions of others around me, including myself. It’s nearly driven me insane these past few days traveling here.”

Din paused, clearing his throat before continuing.

“I am not my fear. That’s what my mama used to tell me, at least. Nor am I my sadness or my grief. What matters most is allowing myself to feel and allow those emotions to pass — because that’s all it is; my fear, sadness, and grief are just emotions and cannot hurt me. What hurts most is when you hold onto those emotions and use them against others.”

Obi-Wan was silent as he peered around the council chambers, taking in every council member’s expression. Pride swamped his entire being for the boy before him and his courage to be so open and vulnerable in a room of strangers when he was clearly on edge and rattled from all that had happened to him thus far. Master Koon’s dark eyes caught on his and twinkled mischievously.

Oh no you don’t, Obi-Wan subtly shook his head at the Kel Dor Master, I saw him first!

“That’s an excellent response, Din.” Adi smiled kindly at the boy and leaned back in her seat.

Yoda and Mace exchanged glances before Mace straightened up and addressed Din again.

“Thank you for answering some of our questions, Din. Please accompany Commander Cody into the hall while the Council discusses your situation further.”

Obi-Wan smiled encouragingly at the boy as he passed by, Din’s shoulders drooped with obvious relief. Cody stepped forward and gently placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, guiding him toward the set of doors.

“Let us address the elephant in the room —” Depa chimed in as soon as the doors shut behind Cody and Din.

“Before that, we must discuss what is to be decided on the boy’s future —” Master Mundi started before Depa cut him off.

“It definitely has to do with the very obvious elephant in the room!” 

The far quieter, and less aggressive members, turned and eyed Obi-Wan far too obviously for his liking.

“What are you all looking at me for?” Obi-Wan crossed his leg over his knee, settling himself into his seat for a long round of arguments and heated negotiations.

“You were the one to bring the boy in, Master Kenobi,” Plo stated, his dark eyes sparkling with far too much mirth than was necessary.

“You also have a penchant for the dramatics and finding yourself in rather precarious situations,” Shaak didn’t even hide her grin from the holo cam’s view.

“Whatever am I being accused of?” Obi-Wan ran a hand over his beard, mostly to hide his grin from Master Yoda’s line of sight.

“You took on Knight Skywalker’s unique situation and became his Master,” Depa leaned forward, causing her holo form to go in and out of focus. “What is stopping you from taking on another ‘lost cause’?”

Before Obi-Wan could open his mouth and defend himself, even if it were a lost cause in the first place, Mace cut him off.

“There is a peculiar shatter point surrounding Din Djarin that I took note of,” Mace stared out into the distance, his fingers steepled together in front of his face as he continued, “one that connects with you, Master Kenobi.”

Silence settled around the room as Mace’s words sunk in. Obi-Wan stared between Mace and Yoda for several moments, reveling in his shock and surprise as the latter caught his eye and nodded solemnly.

“Insistent, the Force is,” Yoda chimed in, “Spark of light within the darkness, I sense.”

“Yes,” Mace agreed, “the Force seems lighter and clearer around the boy.”

“The boy did not know of his own Force Sensitivity until now,” Master Mundi butted in, “and he is far too old to be brought into the Temple.”

“The Force is speaking to us clearly on the matter, Master Mundi,” Depa spoke up, “and we have a Padawan-less Master who has experience with training unique cases such as these readily available.”

“I have to agree with Master Billaba, Masters,” Shaak piped up, “my time spent with Din was enlightening, nonetheless. It was the first time I had felt the Force speak so clearly to me since the start of the war, and even far before it. There is hope for the future of the galaxy here before us, why would we let this opportunity pass us by?”

“What think you, Master Kenobi?” Yoda turned towards Obi-Wan, a knowing smile dancing along the edges of his composed mask.

Obi-Wan’s thoughts immediately went to Anakin — what his former Padawan would think of Obi-Wan teaching someone else, the moments where he felt he had failed Anakin over the years, and what he could best offer Din in return. He was confident in his abilities to teach and the knowledge he had cultivated during his own Padawanship and beyond, but there was still a hesitancy that stopped Obi-Wan from speaking readily in favor of the proposition. 

On the surface, Anakin and Din appeared to be quite opposite of one another. But Obi-Wan highlighted their similarities right away, Anakin was loud and outspoken while Din was quiet and observant. They were similarly minded in terms of strategy — Din had surprised Cody and Jay at the command table when Din had observed one of their mission strategy meetings — and devising plans of action, they had a strong moral compass, a short fuse if triggered right, they were stubborn as all hell, and they cared very deeply for the people in their life.

If Obi-Wan could handle Anakin Skywalker, he could handle Din Djarin — this he felt quite confident in.

Chapter Text

55 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Cody’s comm was ringing again. He knew that it was Rex, in that strange way that he always swore was his impeccable intuition, but couldn’t afford to pick up the call. If he did pick up, he wouldn’t be able to lie to his vod— he had to speak to Rex in person, and the di’kut wasn’t even on Coruscant yet. The 501st was currently en route to Coruscant, but making a quick stop at the nearest Med Station to drop off their wounded and critically injured troopers. 

Cody knew his brother well; Rex would only worry himself into a mental corner if Cody revealed everything that had happened to him. 

“Wow, now I understand why you sought me out,” Fox sneered with a roll of his eyes, his fingers continuing to fly across his data pad in hand. “I should never trust your di’kutla face offering 'free' caf.”

Cody took in the small, confined space that the GAR had graciously offered as an office to Fox. There was no window, just a frail lamp that hung from the ceiling and cast a dim circle of light in the room. The desk that Fox was forced to use wobbled precariously whenever enough weight was put on the lower left section, and the bottom tray to carry additional styluses and flimsi pads constantly fell off its hinges and clattered to the stone floor. 

Fox was a Marshal Commander, just as Cody was, and this was how the GAR treated him for defending the Chancellor and the whole planet of Coruscant? The mere thought was enough to detain him for insubordination, but Cody had a bad taste in his mouth every time he caught wind of the treatment towards the Corrie Guard.

“It very easily could have been my cup of caf, vod .” Cody retorted.

“Oh yeah?” Fox leaned forward as he lowered his legs from the surface of his rickety desk, sliding the cup towards Cody. “Drink it then.”

Cody wrinkled his nose up as the scent of strong dark roasted caf wafted up into his face.

“I’ll pass,” Cody pushed the cup back into Fox’s grabby hands, “I don’t have a death wish. Why hasn’t your heart gone out from the lethal amounts of caffeine in this yet?”

“The day won’t come soon enough,” Fox drawled into his cup, taking a long and drawn-out sip, slurp sounds and all. “Now why are you avoiding Rex’ika ? It hurts his feelings and I hate seeing his dumb blonde head get all weepy around me.”

“Oh shut it,” Cody leaned back with a satisfied smirk, “you care for all of us, ori’vod .” 

“Unfortunately,” Fox retorted with a wave of his hand, “it’s a character defect.”

Before Cody could continue making snippy retorts and insults with his brother, Fox cut him off again with a sharp look.

“Stop dancing around it. Why are you here, Cody?”

Cody heaved a deep sigh before subtly using hand signs within Fox’s line of sight. He trusted Fox and always had since Cody’s Force Sensitivity was figured out by their batchmates. Fox was the eldest of their batch and with that responsibility came a natural-born sense of protectivity towards the others younger than him. Cody still chaffed under the protectiveness, but he could understand the inclination now that he was older and not nearly as stubborn as he (still) was.

Fox signed back ‘affirmative’, nodding for him to continue.

“Our battalion was called to Kamino for reinforcements and we stumbled across something…” Cody cleared his throat before continuing, “There is another vod that’s like me and Rex.”

Fox’s eyes widened at the implication.

“What did General Kenobi do?”

“Officially, he hasn’t done anything. He and General Ti are trying to work out logistics on working with the Jedi Temple directly.”

“But if they do join…” Fox uncharacteristically paused, his eyes piercing through Cody’s as he tried to mentally make sense of what Cody was telling him. “ Cody , do you understand what that could mean?”

“Yeah,” Cody waterly chuckled, blinking back the onslaught of tears, “Yeah I do. That’s why I need your help.”

Fox was already two steps ahead and understood what Cody was insinuating. His ori'vod, Cody's eldest brother, was smart like that and always had been. It used to drive Cody up the wall, that he could never outsmart Fox in battle tactics, or outwit him in an argument. But now, desperate for help and answers, Cody was grateful for his ori'vod's brilliant tactical mind.

“I can’t tell you who my contact is outright for the safety of both of you,” Fox stood up and began pacing the length of his cramped office area, “But I can get you a secure line and set something up.”

“I could even meet up with them here since I’m already planet side.” Cody offered.

Fox whirled around, a firm scowl marring his expression.

“ Fuck no,” he growled, “Your safety is more important than this, Cody. I will not allow it, there are way too many eyes and ears open everywhere on this planet.”

Cody froze as the words slowly sunk in and realization dawned on him. The Force had gone deadly silent, goosebumps spread across his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

“Fox,” Cody whispered, afraid of what would happen if he raised his voice any louder, “Be honest with me. Do you know something? Something that could get you killed?”

Fox continued to look him in the eye, his expression carefully blank.

“Even if I did,” Fox murmured, signaling another ‘affirmative’ for Cody to see, “I wouldn’t be able to confirm anything of rumors and general suspicion.”

Fear threatened to engulf Cody’s mind, and the endless list of possibilities and ‘what-ifs’ threatened to bowl him over. Instead, Cody took a deep breath and let the heavy whirlwind of emotions pass him by, letting it all out with a shaky sigh.

“Stay safe, ori’vod . Please? For me and the others peace of mind?”

Fox finally cracked a semblance of a smile, stepping into Cody’s space and wrapping an arm around Cody’s shoulders into a quick hug.

“Of course, di’kut . Now, sit your shebs down and bitch about what your General’s kriffed up while I write my reports.”

“You’re an insatiable gossip.”

“Says you, di’kut !”

Chapter Text

55 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was amazing and left Din in awe every time Master Kenobi showed him a new passageway, classroom, or communal space. What made the Temple so wondrous in Din’s eyes was the sheer number of sentient beings that lived there in harmony. It felt like coming home, wrapping himself up in his mama and papa’s arms, and basking in the warmth of their contentment.

Even the Healing Halls sparked Din’s interest. The smell of antiseptic and bacta usually made him nauseous, but the Force confirmed everything for him — these healing halls were a good place, unmarked by death and pain like other medic tents and hospital bays. 

Plus, Master Kenobi was there to be by Din’s side when he felt uncomfortable. 

“I’ve known Vokra Che since I was your age,” Master Kenobi mentioned as the Healing Assistant flitted around them, preparing the med station for Healer Che, “She’s not as scary as you may think for a Healer.”

“I didn’t think that!” Din exclaimed. 

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” Master Kenobi teased, his eyes sparkling with humor, “there’s nothing to worry about, Din. We will find answers to your situation, I am sure of it.”

“What a surprise,” Din startled as the doors behind them opened, revealing a tall, blue-skinned Twi’lek, “is Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Healing Halls voluntarily ?”

“Now now, Vokra,” Master Kenobi grinned, standing up and offering a hand out to the Head Healer, “don’t tease.”

“In all my years of knowing you, Obi, I fear that I must keep you on your toes,” Vokra shook Master Kenobi’s offered hand, “Now who must this be?”

“This is Din Djarin,” Din stood up and shook Healer Che’s hand, “I brought him here from Kamino where he mysteriously appeared out of thin air with no recollection of how he got there.”

“I see,” Healer Che muttered, pulling up a data pad and started typing. “What is the last thing you can consciously remember, Din?”

“It’s in fragments,” Din began to explain, the tension in his shoulders decreasing as Master Obi-Wan settled a hand on his shoulder, “the only thing I can remember is the sound of gunfire and my parents screaming.”

“I did a rudimentary search of his mind for any traps that a Sith might leave behind and found nothing,” Master Kenobi explained, “it appeared as if his memories have been lost naturally.”

“Did anyone on Kamino notice any head injuries that Din might have suffered?” Healer Che looked at Master Kenobi for confirmation.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Master Kenobi shook his head no, “but you know the clones and how observant they are. They would have spotted something and told us by now.”

“If that’s the case,” Healer Che winced, smiling sadly at Din as she continued, “then I fear that the loss of memories could be attributed to the mind trying to protect itself from whatever traumatic event took place.”

“I was hoping that wasn’t the case,” Master Kenobi sighed, settling a hand on Din’s shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly, “what would you suggest we do about trying to get his memories back? Is that even possible?”

“I think the best way to understand what is going on would be to put you into a meditative trance so that I can efficiently have a look at your memories, and lack thereof.” Healer Che suggested. 

“I couldn’t agree more,” Master Kenobi said, squeezing Din’s shoulder, “What do you think, Din?”

He nodded, smiling at the Jedi Master before turning towards Healer Che. 

“I agree as well.”

“Before we do so, I must warn you about what could potentially come out of this,” Din clenched his fists tightly in his lap as Healer Che continued, “Trying to bring back memories, especially when the mind may fight back, could be a traumatic endeavor. You will witness events that your mind was too traumatized to handle and purposefully forgot. I want you to be aware of this beforehand in the chance that you are not yet prepared to face what happened to you and our family.”

Din wanted to cry, embarrassingly enough. He wanted to admit that he wasn’t ready to know what happened, to hide in the warm folds of Master Kenobi’s robes and hide from reality forever. But he knew, deep down in his gut and the back of his mind that always sounded so much like his mama, that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself not knowing what happened to his family. He needed to know to move forward and find a place in the galaxy for him, whether that be with the Jedi Order or elsewhere. 

Din rolled his shoulders back, took a deep breath, and tried to rid of the cloying anxiety that stuck to his mind like a spider's web. Master Kenobi, having caught on to what Din was doing, squeezed Din’s shoulder and helped give a mental push to the emotions Din was trying to rid himself of. As the anxiety and fear faded from the reaches of his mind, Din felt his chest lighten with relief.

“I’m ready.” Din nodded his head affirmatively.

“Make yourself comfortable then,” Healer Che patted the bed beside her for Din to jump on. “Same goes for you, Obi-Wan, have a seat wherever you’d like.”

“I may sit in on this?” Master Kenobi inquired, cocking his head to the side. 

“Yes,” Healer Che nodded, "Din trusts and has established a connection with you. I’d like for him to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible if I am to get a proper prognosis.”

“Thank you,” Master Kenobi thanked her as Din made himself comfortable.

Din took deep breaths to prepare himself for what he was about to experience and find out. The Force buzzed uncomfortably underneath his skin, Master Kenobi squeezed his hand in a show of comfort. No matter what happened, Din knew that the Jedi Master would see it through until Din had all the answers, and solutions, he needed. He could take comfort in that.

“Now Din,” Healer Che set a handful of crystals down on the side table next to her, “I want you to slip into a light meditative state, Master Kenobi will be able to help you relax and get there if you need.”

Din closed his eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it as he felt Master Kenobi’s Force presence reach out to him with a gentle touch.

“Meditate on the memories you are able to remember. Try and recall the images and sounds you saw in as vivid of detail as possible.”

Din felt as if his body had been dipped in molasses, the Force pulling him deep down under its waves. Suddenly, images blurred together in front of his eyes, the details coming into focus with every second that Din poured his energy into. Master Kenobi helped guide him through the motions, his Force presence moving with surety and well-practiced movements.

He could feel the gaps in his mind where memories should be as he slid deeper into his mind. One spot felt light and happy, tinted with a swell of grief that had been overcome with a tidal wave of joy and relief. Another spot hummed like two lightsabers crashing against one another in a duel, the sound of laughter intertwined pleasantly. He suddenly came across the spot in his memories that he knew he had unconsciously uncapped the night before. a sense of unease and dread poured off the memory in giant, turbulent waves. A warm presence, that could only be Healer Che, manifested at Din's side, urging him to move toward the memory. Hesitating for a brief moment, Din stepped forward and leaned into the memory.....

The streets of Aq Vetina, once so full of life, were crammed and packed with carnage and chaos. His people, in their bright red ceremonial robes, were running from an army of droids — blaster fire blazed through the air and hit innocent people in the back, blasted into the sides of buildings, and smoke filled the air as flames engulfed buildings all around.

Amid the chaos and destruction, Din could see his parents running from the heart of the city towards his Papa’s bakery. Din watched as his parents hugged the memory version of himself close to their chest, whispering assurances and promises they couldn’t keep before they opened the doors of the cellars and dropped him inside. They sealed the cellar doors tight but were too slow to do anything as a droid approached from behind. 

Din abruptly turned around and covered his ears as the blaster shots fired on the backs of his parents.

As his parent's bodies collapsed from the blaster fire, Din hesitantly turned back around to see the droid advance on the basement doors that the memory version of Din had been sealed inside of. Dread pooled in Din’s gut as he watched the droid heave the doors open and aim its blaster inside. He was frozen to the spot, everything in him wanted to scream out for help or cry for his parents to get up and save him. With a jolt, Din realized the emotions he was feeling were coming from the memory version of himself. His stomach churned and he wanted to throw up.

Suddenly, the roar of a jetpack thundered overhead and a fully armored Mandalorian landed directly behind the droid and blasted it in the back. He couldn’t hear what the Mandalorian was saying to the memory version of himself but watched as the Mandalorian extended his arm into the basement. The memory version of Din reached up with shaky hands and accepted the help, only to be pulled in close to the Mandalorian’s chest and flown up into the air above the destruction of his destroyed and charred home...

“Come now, Din,” Master Kenobi's voice broke through the carnage like a knife, his hand resting gently on Din’s shoulder and squeezing reassuringly, “You don’t need to witness this anymore.”

With a start, Din’s eyes flew open and he was once more inside of the halls of healing in the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Master Kenobi was at his side, a questioning look on his face as he opened his arms in invitation.

Din tried to stop himself from being overwhelmed, but the tears that had begun to well up dripped down his cheeks and a sob tore out of his chest. Din collapsed into Master Kenobi’s side and cried, his Force Signature leaning into the gentle metaphorical arms of Master Kenobi’s, gently pressing him to continue emoting and allow his emotions to surface. 

“They’re dead, Master,” Din cried into Master Kenobi’s chest, “they killed them and now they’re dead.”

“I’m sorry, young one,” Master Kenobi’s voice soothed the festering ache deep in Din’s soul, his fingers carded through Din’s messy head of curls, “I’m truly very sorry.”

Din curled even tighter into Master Kenobi’s body, hoping that the warmth of his Force presence wrapped around him and his kind words would rid him of the ache in his chest so that Din wouldn’t ever have to feel it again.

Chapter Text

55 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Obi-Wan was tired. He had been constantly on high alert for months now, fighting a war for the Republic that forced the Jedi into positions of power, commanding an army that had been created in a lab for them. These were men with distinct personalities and desires; men who had ambitions and dreams, and who had never known better than the training forced upon them. It was draining the life out of the Jedi, only a mere six months into the fight. Obi-Wan was tired, but he wasn’t going to give up — not on his men, his former padawan, his fellow Jedi, and most definitely not on Din Djarin. Especially not now, when the young boy had unknowingly wormed his way into Obi-Wan’s heart and had just recovered the memory of what happened to his family and home.

Obi-Wan was willing to fight for Din, to give him a home and a purpose within the Jedi. He just hoped that the Council was still in an agreeable stance since the last Council meeting discussing the boy’s fate.

“General,” Cody’s voice jolted Obi-Wan out of his musing, “are you alright? You’ve been staring out into the distance for a while now.”

Obi-Wan jolted, turning away from the tall windows of the waiting area outside the Council doors. He smiled at his commander, fighting back the insatiable urge to wrap his Force presence around Cody’s so that he could envelop himself in its warmth and kindness.

“I’ll be fine, thank you, Cody.” Obi-Wan turned back to the window, his eyes tracking the lines of speeder traffic flying past. “You don’t have to wait here with me if you don’t want to.”

“I’m fine where I am, General,” Cody scoffed, “You didn’t answer my question.”

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head fondly. Cody was like a dog with a bone when he caught a whiff of something amiss.

“I am worried for Din,” Obi-Wan admitted out loud, “the memory he was able to uncover was disturbing.”

Cody shifted silently, moving closer to brush his shoulder against Obi-Wan’s.

“I trust my fellow Councillors, but I fear that they won’t allow me to take Din on as a padawan. If I am unable to be his Master, then there is very little chance that he will garner enough support to figure out what happened to him and his family.”

“The facts all line up in yours and Din’s favor, Obi-Wan,” Cody uttered his name softly, “Din, a Force-Sensitive youngling with no records linking him to the Temple, suddenly appeared at the Republic’s most important base and could have easily been deemed as a threat. It is in the Jedi’s best interest to figure out how this happened and why.”

Obi-Wan nodded, letting Cody’s words soothe the ball of anxiety that had tangled his insides into knots. 

“If I can be frank,” Cody turned to look Obi-Wan directly in the eye, “I also think you haven’t fully admitted to yourself how scared you are to take on another padawan.”

Obi-Wan could only chuckle, slightly watery to his ears, and shake his head. Cody was far too perceptive for Obi-Wan’s good.

“I know you care for Skywalker a great deal, and so I’ll say this as kindly as possible: you have not failed him as he likes to make you think you have.”

The air left Obi-Wan’s lungs in one fell swoop, his eyes widening as the Force hummed in agreement with Cody’s blunt statement.

“I don’t know a lot about his past to make him act the way that he does, but I know there must be a reason and it most definitely doesn’t have anything to do with what you have or haven’t done for him. You care for him a great deal and have bent over backward time and time again for the man. That much is obvious to me, someone who has only been around the two of you for half a standard year.

“You deserve to have good things, Obi-Wan, and I am certain that your fellow councilors behind these doors will agree with me in that statement. You are a good Master and deserve to have the chance to teach as many younglings as the Force throws your way. If the Force wills it to be, and I am positive that it will, your fellow Jedi will stand behind you in providing a padawanship to Din and will do anything they can to find the answers he seeks.”

Obi-Wan wanted to do something wildly stupid, like throw his arms around Cody’s neck and kiss him senselessly. That dark voice that lingered in the back of his mind from time to time reminded him of every time he had lost something good in his life, how he would always be destined for infinite sadness. Instead, Obi-Wan allowed himself to smile and settle a hand on Cody’s shoulder, leaning into Cody’s easy warmth.

“Thank you, Cody,” he hoped Cody could hear the immense gratitude in his voice and feel its depths in the Force, “you are truly a good friend and confidant. How did I get so lucky to have you at my side?”

Cody’s answering grin sent butterflies through Obi-Wan’s gut, making him feel like a goddamn teenager with a hopeless crush all over again. But this was something more, something deeper than any relationship Obi-Wan had ever shared with anyone before — not even his feelings for Satine at the time felt like this. Cody was a dear friend, a good man, and a cherished soul. Obi-Wan knew that no matter what, Cody would do everything he could to be right there at his side. But at the end of the day, Obi-Wan was relieved to know that Cody would never throw others' lives at risk in Obi-Wan’s name, and would never go too far in his loyalty to him. It was a relief to bask in this knowledge, these feelings that were mutually shared between them.

Obi-Wan knew the true depth of his feelings, but he couldn’t say the same for Cody. But now and then, like the present moment, Cody would stare into Obi-Wan’s eyes with this knowing look and smile softly; an expression that Obi-Wan never saw aimed at anyone but himself.

The doors to the council chambers opened and Adi Galla peeked her head out, the sight of her smile aimed directly at him eased Obi-Wan’s nerves greatly.

“We’ve made a decision,” she told him, a twinkle in her eyes, “come on in, Obi-Wan.”

“I told you so,” Cody muttered, roughly smacking a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes fondly.

“Oh shut up, I know you’re always right about these things, my dear.”

Cody’s answering laugh was music to Obi-Wan’s ears.

Chapter Text

55 ABG (After the 1st Battle of ABG) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“I know you’ve been avoiding me,” Cody froze at the sound of Rex’s voice behind him. “What’s going on, Codes?”

Cody sighed and turned around to face Rex directly, smiling apologetically at him.

“It wasn’t personal, Rex, a lot is going on, okay?”

“Tell me then,” Rex folded his arms over his chest, “You’ve got five minutes before this emergency meeting you called together. You better be glad that General Skywalker was too distracted about getting Ahsoka on a speeder to go visit the Chancellor to not realize that you and General Kenobi are hiding something from him.”

“A Force-sensitive child showed up on Kamino with no recollection of how he got there,” Cody blurted out. He squared his shoulders before finally admitting out loud to someone other than Fox, “And we found a Force-sensitive cadet on Kamino as well.”

Rex’s eyes bugged out of their sockets, his face going pale as he grabbed Cody’s arm and hauled them into the nearest closet, darting his head around to see if anyone had spotted or overheard them.

“What?!” Rex hissed, the air around them thrumming with tension. Now that Cody knew what to look for, he could trace the sensation in the Force back to Rex, his shields parted and letting out whiffs of anxiety into the Force between them. “A-Are they—”

" She has not been decommissioned,” Cody said, emphasizing the cadet's pronouns, “General Ti has taken her aside and is currently pleading a case to train the girl as a padawan.”

“B-But that would mean—”

“The Jedi view us as sentient beings, which could give the clones' rights act in the Senate a real good chance at surviving,” Cody gripped Rex’s arms tightly in excitement, Rex’s anxiety bleeding away to steady thrum of hope and joy. “My General also knows about me, I haven’t told him about you though.”

Rex nodded, blinking furiously at the sudden rush of tears swelling in his eyes. Following his impulse, Cody pulled Rex close to his chest and hugged his vod’ika for the first time since they had been on planet in Christophsis. 

“Would it help,” Rex spoke up after a beat of silence between the two, “if we testified before the Senate? Y’know, other clones who are also ....”

“Force sensitive,” Cody finished for him, running a hand over Rex’s buzzed head fondly, “I think so, but it would have to be done right. We keep it a secret and under wraps for now, until I give you the go-ahead, alright?”

Rex nodded and slowly backed away from Cody as if he didn’t want the hug to end between them. Impulsively, Cody reached through the Force and tugged at Rex’s Force presence, letting his fondness and love for his vod’ika bleed through their shared bond. Rex’s eyes shone with tears again and he laughed, wiping the tears away as he shakily tugged back on the bond between them.

“I bet your General showed you that trick, huh?”

Cody ducked his head to hide the furious blush from view.

“Shut up,” Cody grouched, pushing at his vod’ika’s shoulder until Rex opened the closet doors, giving him the all-clear when the hall was empty.

“Ah, there you are Cody,” Obi-Wan greeted them as they entered the meeting room, smiling warmly as if they hadn’t seen each other an hour previously. “It looks like we have everyone gathered here, are you ready to begin?”

Cody glanced around the room and took in every Jedi General and Clone Commander as they approached the command table and ceased their separate conversations, all eyes and attention on him.

“Here’s what we know,” Cody reported as clearly and concisely as he had been trained, his spine straight and shoulders rolled back, “Din Djarin appeared on Kamino with no knowledge as to how he got there. There was no sign of rough treatment or head injuries, but Djarin’s memories were blank and he couldn’t remember what happened to him.”

The gathering of Jedi Generals and Clone Commanders silently continued to listen to Cody’s report, the blue tint of the holo screen displaying the schematics of Aq Vetina reflected on their faces. There wasn’t much that the Jedi and the GAR could do for Din, frustratingly enough, but to Cody and Obi-Wan’s relief, the Jedi Council wasn’t too fond of the idea of tossing Din’s situation to the side, regardless of the war being their top priority. 

Obi-Wan caught Cody’s eye and smiled reassuringly. Cody took a deep breath and let it out, putting his trust into the Force like Obi-Wan had shown him. All they could do was their best, and if that meant that they gave each Jedi General and Clone Commander as much intel as they could about Din’s situation and what to keep their eyes peeled for, then so be it.

“A memory that was recently recalled reports that a droid army attacked a backwater planet, known as Aq Vetina, that borders along Mandalorian space and annihilated the population in the capital city. It was also reported that a Mandalorian in blue armor, the colors that Death Watch uses on their beskar’gam , managed to grab Din and flew off.”

“What’s this got to do with us, Commander Cody?” Master Undulli asked. “What can we do with this information?”

“What we are intending to do here, Master,” Obi-Wan spoke up, stepping closer to Cody, “is spread the word of what has happened to Din Djarin. We have not been granted a new mission from the Senate to go to Aq Vetina directly and figure out what happened there to the planet’s population and Din’s family, but if anyone happens to be close by and can send a small troop to the surface, we would be most appreciative.”

CT-411: Is this about the child found on Kamino?

Cody didn’t turn and acknowledge Ponds but quickly drafted a message in response through his helmet's internal comms.

CC-2224: Yes, did your General give you a sitrep?

CT-411: Enough of one to know that the ad is going to run you ragged

CT-411: Rex is going to be so jealous that his spot’s been taken

Cody rolled his eyes and ignored the curious nudge from his General. 

“We will keep our eyes and ears peeled, Master Kenobi, Commander Cody,” General Koon promised.

“Master Yoda and I will continue to seek out any form of aid from the senate that we can muster on this front,” General Windu said, “It is concerning that droids have attacked that close to Mandalorian space.”

“Even the fact that Din recalled spotting a member of Death Watch grabbing him and taking him off planet is concerning,” Obi-Wan rubbed his chin and frowned, “Duchess Kryze’s father was murdered by members of Death Watch and has been firm in her political stances towards non-violence. She will not like to hear that Death Watch is back and actively recruiting young children across the Outer Rim again, but if we can bring her insurmountable evidence she will be most grateful.”

“Who is currently the closest to Mandalorian space, Master Kenobi?” General Gallia asked.

“No one, currently,” Obi-Wan said, “but Masters Jeth and Huun will be a couple systems away in the next ten days. We will try and get in contact with them when they get out of hyperspace tomorrow and let them know to try and make the effort to check if they can.”

“We will do what we can,” General Windu said as Cody turned off the holo-projector, the other Generals and Commanders being dismissed. “We will see you upstairs at 17:00 for Din’s ceremony. Will you be joining us, Commander?”

Cody was startled at the invitation and turned to stare at Obi-Wan incredulously.

“Of course, he will be,” Obi-Wan stated, “I will be Din’s Master, but Cody here will be in charge of training Din in all ways of the GAR. I want to encourage a united front between us when it comes to Din’s training.”

General Windu smirked suddenly and flicked his gaze to Obi-Wan.

“You saw how poorly it went with Ahsoka and Anakin and want to go about Din’s introduction into the GAR better,” Obi-Wan huffed at the insinuation and folded his arms across his chest, “I know you, Obi-Wan, don’t try and lie to me.”

Rex snorted loudly from across the room.

“We’ll see you upstairs in the Council Chambers at 17:00, Mace!” Obi-Wan grabbed Cody by the wrist and yanked him toward the elevators. “Rex, if you see Anakin, please tell him to come by my quarters and I will share everything with him!”

“Will do, General,” Rex saluted, his tone bordering on a hint of sarcasm.

Cody rolled his eyes as Obi-Wan laughed.

“You know,” Cody spoke up as they stepped into the elevator, the doors closing on them, “even if we do mess up along the way, maybe even worse than Anakin and Ahsoka did, I have faith in us.”

Obi-Wan turned and smiled at Cody, the sheer force of his grin blinding in its beauty.

“I do too,” Obi-Wan turned back to the doors, “thank you, Cody.”

“Anytime, Obi-Wan.”

Chapter Text

55 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“Wait, you aren’t a Mandalorian? I’m confused.” Petro, the human boy with way too much energy for Din’s liking, asked with a comically scrunched-up expression.

“I haven’t heard of your home planet before,” Katooni, the Tholothian girl, spoke from Din’s other side, also way too energetic, “but it sounds pretty small. What was it called again?”

“Aq Vetina,” Din murmured, once again missing the comfort and safety that the Mandalorian helmet he had been found in provided, “it borders Mandalorian space.”

“Oh,” Petro pouted and kicked at a stone in front of them on the path, “I think you could still be a Mandalorian if you wanted to. It would be pretty cool if you had all the armor and weapons that they do.”

“You do realize that Mandalorians typically don’t even like the Jedi?” Katooni pointed out, addressing Petro and leaning too close into Din’s space as she did.

“I could make a Mandalorian like me,” Petro stated confidently.

“Sure you could,” a dark haired human boy scoffed, followed by a red haired human boy who looked hesitant at approaching them, “Have you ever met one?”

“Well n-no,” Petro stammered, his easy confidence fading in the face of the older boys, “But they are all sentient beneath the armor, I bet there’s a few that are nice.”

“Sure,” the dark haired boy rolled his eyes, “they’d blast you sky high before you could see behind their armor, Petro.”

“Maybe we should go, Caleb,” the red-haired boy tugged on the dark-haired boy’s sleeve.

“Have you met a Mandalorian?” Katooni fired back to Din’s surprise, she had been arguing with Petro all afternoon as their Crechemaster instructed them to give Din a tour of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, it was odd to see her jump to Petro’s defense all of a sudden. 

“Oh yeah, loads of ‘em, “ Caleb argued back, his olive-tinted skin flushing bright red.

“You haven’t been chosen by a Master yet, so there’s no way you could have met one anyways.” Katooni pointed out, her arms folded over her chest.

Before Caleb could lash out, Din took a step forward between Katooni and Caleb.

“I have,” Din blurted out.

“Who are you again?” Caleb frowned.

“This is Din,” Katooni spoke up for him, “Master Kenobi brought him here because he has no memory of how he was kidnapped from his homeworld.”

“You’ve met Master Kenobi?!” The red-haired kid exclaimed.

“What are Mandalorians like then?” Caleb folded his arms over his chest, raising a brow at him pointedly.

“They keep to themselves,” Din found himself saying, “they value family, their weapons, and culture.”

A headache pulsed behind Din’s temples and Din closed his eyes, wincing at the pressure that was steadily building. 

Clang-clang-clang-clang

“Some of them can be brash and trigger-happy, but they are good people that value respect and loyalty. You cross them, then they will have their blaster raised before you can think twice.”

The words coming out of Din’s mouth didn’t feel like his own, but he couldn’t stop it. It was like his body was on autopilot, his mouth moving through the motions as his mind froze at what to do.

Clang-clang-clang-clang

“So you really have met Mandalorians?” Caleb asked, his curiosity winning out over his sour mood. “Do they ever take the armor off?”

“No,” Din frowned at the surety in his voice.

Clang-clang-clang-clang

The headache pulsed in time with, what Din suddenly realized with a jolt, was the sound of a hammer pounding against metal and the metallic ringing of beskar . 

“Din?” Katooni’s voice faded to the foreground, the ringing growing louder and louder in Din’s mind.

He winced and squeezed his eyes closed, his headache reaching a crescendo that had him gritting his teeth in order to stop himself from yelling out loud. Suddenly, the pressure popped, blasting outward, and Din opened his eyes…..

It was dark, hardly any natural light. Din could almost smell the scent of oil, the coppery scent that accompanied metal working, and smoke from the hearth of an armorer’s armory. He caught flashes of gold-tinted beskar armor, of a helmet lined with gold horns, a fur cape, and a steady voice calling out instructions as they threw their weight into working out the shape of a new piece of beskar armor.

“....Mandalorians wear their armor with pride, ad,” their voice clipped at the end due to the helmet’s modulator, “You are no longer a Mandalorian without it….”

“....you okay?” Katooni’s voice suddenly pierced through the memory and Din realized he had his eyes closed and his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

“Sorry,” Din murmured, jerkily moving away from the group, “I-I need some space….”

“Wait! I can call for Crechemaster J’hara—”

Din turned around and bolted down the path they had just come from. His head still ached from the memory that had torn through Din’s mind, that was still lingering and playing out in the back of his mind’s eye.

“....it’s important that we stay hidden from the galaxy, ad…..”

“....for the sake of our culture….our future….our survival….”

“....there is nothing for us out there….the galaxy….they have abandoned us….”

Suddenly Din was falling, his foot tripping over a root, and he rolled down the side of a steep embankment, falling face first in a muddy puddle. He groaned and slowly sat up. He had landed next to a murky pond, lilly-pads and moss covered logs covering the still surface. He scooted himself closer to the ancient-looking tree, its gnarled limbs dangling above the surface of the pond. 

The ringing of the armorer’s hammer in his memory slowly faded to the background of Din’s mind, but he found that he was still shaking in the wake of it all. The armorer didn’t look like the Mandalorian that had kidnapped him from his planet, but they spoke with a sense of authority that immediately had Din assuming they were in charge of whichever operation was going around and kidnapping children. He desperately wanted to curl up in Master Kenobi’s lap and wrap himself up in the comforting scent of his well-worn robes and the warm sense of safety that his Force presence provided whenever it tugged at Din’s. Embarrassingly enough, tears welled up at the corners of his eyes, he curled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around himself.

Din jerked his head up at a sudden noise next to him, and he was met with a tiny, green creature that looked like a miniature, and far younger, version of Master Yoda. It had big, brown eyes and its ears twitched around its small head, comically larger than the creature's tiny frame. It cocked its head up at Din, its ears twitching up in what he assumed was curiosity, and made that same chirping noise at him. 

“Uh….” Din awkwardly stammered, “What?” 

He jerked as a very enthusiastic Force presence collided with his own, an overwhelming flood of curiosity, concern, and wonder filling his mind.

Hello! Okay? Hurt, you are?

“I-I’m fine,” Din winced and tried to focus on placing his shields up in hopes of pushing back the overwhelming force of the green child’s overwhelming emotions. “I tripped over a root.”

Help, I can? The child reached for Din’s ankle, which was starting to swell up like a balloon.

“No, it’s fine, I’m okay,” Din reassured the child, going so far as to pick the kid up, placing them on a log farther away from Din’s wounded ankle. “I’ll go to the Healers.”

The kid’s ears drooped at that, but perked back up with a tentative twitch. Din winced, his head aching and the pressure mounting once again. He was coming to realize that these were the symptoms of oncoming memories pushing their way to the surface. While it really sucked, Din couldn’t really complain if it gave him more answers as to how he got here, and on the landing pad of Kamino’s clone facilities. He just wished that the memories would give him a clearer picture as to what happened to him.

Hurts, mind does?

“Yeah, a little bit,” Din admitted, he was surprised by how comfortable he felt around the kid. Despite his headache pulsing behind his eyes once more, he found himself dropping his guard, his shoulders losing their tension and drooping in relief. The more his body physically relaxed, the easier it felt to embrace the oncoming memory shoving it’s way forward, finally slotting in place…..

…..the body slumped to the ground and a wave of relief hit Din in the chest. He stared down at the cradle, where the green child cooed up at him, his tiny clawed hand reaching up to him through the swaddle of blankets. As if in a daze, Din reached forward and touched his gloved finger to the child’s—

“I know you….” Din muttered, his coming back to him as the memory faded into the background.

The child stared up at him in awe, their curiosity and excitement swelling up against Din’s shields like a babbling brook.

“Wanna come with me to the Healers?” Din asked, reaching for the child in question.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

“Alright,” Din grinned in the face of the child’s excitement, “what’s your name? I’m Din.”

Grogu!

“Let’s go, Grogu,” Din winced as he stood up, grabbing a stick from the base of the tree and leaned on it, he reached down for Grogu and couldn’t help but giggle as the child scrambled up his arm and snuggled against the base of Din’s neck.

“I think we’re gonna be good friends, don’t you?”

Yes! Friend, mine, Din!

“I guess that answers the question of your species,” Din chuckled, hoisting himself up over the embankment, “you speak like Master Yoda too.”

Chapter Text

55 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“When was I going to find out about this, Obi-Wan?” Anakin threw his hands up in the air, a dark scowl painting his features. “The Chancellor just so happened to grant us a short window of leave yesterday. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have figured this out until we crossed paths on a battlefield!”

Obi-Wan grimaced, running a hand down his face, and continued to press more strength into his shields as the force of Anakin’s frustration slammed up against them. He was glad that he had sent Cody off to check up on Din in the Healing Halls. The Commander had gone visibly pale and slammed his shields down before hurrying out of Obi-Wan’s rooms right as Anakin had shown up, his Force signature pulsing red-hot with fury. Vokra had commed him an hour ago to report that the boy had shown up with a twisted ankle and a new friend in tow, but also had hesitantly let Vokra know that he had been hit with two intense headaches as some memories had come forth. Cody would be better suited to make sure Din was feeling alright for the ceremony later, that and for the sake of his shaky handle on using the Force. 

Nobody could handle an irate Anakin Skywalker, unlike Obi-Wan, who had practiced and learned how to build up strong shields and mental protection against a force like his former padawan.

“Anakin, if you would calm down, I would tell you—”

“ Don’t tell me to calm down! ” Anakin bellowed, the cutlery on the far wall of Obi-Wan’s kitchenette shook dangerously close to the edge of the cabinet.

“Well you better do so, you’re scaring your padawan!” Obi-Wan snapped, gesturing to Ahsoka, shaking and staring wide-eyed between her Master and Grandmaster.

At the reminder of Ahsoka’s presence, Anakin visibly calmed down, his Force presence slinking away from Obi-Wan’s shields, but his frustration simmered in the background.

“I was going to comm and let you know what was going on,” Obi-Wan lowered his shields enough, allowing Anakin to feel his surety. “Din’s situation has been hard to navigate, it’s only been two days since we found him on Kamino.”

“What was a child doing there?” Anakin frowned.

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Obi-Wan chuckled humorlessly, “Din has no memory of how he got there, but his memories have been slowly resurfacing and they don’t paint a pretty picture.”

“So you are going to train him as your padawan?” Ahsoka asked, inching more into the room, her montrails twitching anxiously. “He’s Force-Sensitive?”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan nodded, folding his arms into the sleeves of his robes, “The council approved it just this morning, despite his age.”

Anakin scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“How typical of them,” he muttered venomously.

“It’s actually because of you that the council agreed to me training Din,” Obi-Wan found himself saying, turning to address Anakin head on, his hands on his hips.

At Anakin’s wide eyes, Obi-Wan barreled ahead.

“They agreed that Din should be trained, that he wouldn’t benefit from joining the Agricorps or being placed with a foster family because of his strength in the Force. But they all agreed that because I could train you into such a well-rounded Jedi Knight, that I could easily take on Din and his situation with ease.”

“So they see me as a problem to be fixed?!”

“That’s not what I, nor the council, is saying, Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed, “You are incredibly powerful in the Force, which would require a Master who would be able to properly teach you. The council was only saying that because I succeeded in your training, they have faith in my abilities to take on another padawan of similar circumstances to yours.”

Anakin was still scowling at him, even as his Force presence stopped vibrating with frustration and hurt, his arms folded across his chest defensively. Obi-Wan slowly stepped towards his former padawan, smiling softly and reaching out in the Force for his familiar presence, the bond between them humming to life as Anakin let him approach. Obi-Wan settled a hand on Anakin’s shoulder and squeezed, knowing that his former padawan had always been incredibly tactile as a youngling and despite his angsty front, still did appreciate the warm touch or hug from his Master.

“Because of you, Din has the chance to be a Jedi and find a new home after his was taken from him.” Obi-Wan smiled apologetically, “I do apologize for not telling you sooner, it was in my heart to reach out and let you know but there’s been a lot to organize and look into since landing on Coruscant.”

“I accept your apology, Master,” Anakin said with a deep sigh, a smile slowly cracked across his features, lighting up his youthful face once more, “When can I meet the kid? Where is he?”

“I got word that he was in the Halls of Healing before you showed up, Cody went to go and see how he was doing,” Obi-Wan explained, relief filling his mind and body in a rush. 

Obi-Wan had been prepared to take on and train Din despite Anakin’s feelings on the matter, but it was so much easier to manage with Anakin’s begrudging acceptance of having a little padawan brother in their small lineage. Ever since his apprenticeship and hearing about his fallen and reputed older padawan brothers, watching his Master die before his eyes, and witnessing his Grandmaster turn to the darkside, Obi-Wan hadn’t thought much of his Jedi lineage. But when he watched Ahsoka and Anakin walk off with each other on Christophsis, his former Padawan and Grandpadawan, he felt his heart clench at the sight. Despite the pain and heartbreak that had fallen on his lineage, he was starting over and creating new branches in their metaphorical family tree.

“What happened to him?” Anakin scowled worriedly, Obi-Wan wanted to laugh at how quickly Anakin had accepted Din as one of his own.

“Vokra mentioned that he sprained his ankle and that he was complaining of intense headaches brought on by some of his memories coming back,” Obi-Wan said, motioning for Anakin to follow, “You can come with me and meet him there if he’s feeling up to it.”

“Isn’t his ceremony later today?” Ahsoka asked, her lekku trembling in what Obi-Wan had learned to interpret from other Togrutas as excitement, “I can’t wait to meet him, Grandmaster!”

“He’s a little shy and keeps to himself, so be sure to not overwhelm him, young one,” Obi-Wan mentioned, locking his door behind him. “But I’m sure he’ll appreciate getting to know the both of you. Now tell me, how was the journey here from your last mission?”

Obi-Wan basked in the warmth emanating from his Grandpadawan as she recalled a story where Rex was walking her through a sparring lesson and made the mistake of letting the newest shiny, Hardcase, be his test subject. Anakin chimed in with his own commentary every now and then, stories of bonding with the men and his attempts at getting the newer recruits to warm up to the 501st’s ‘unconventional’ style. The mood between the three of them had leveled out, long forgotten was the anxiety and anger that had wafted through the Force when Anakin and Ahsoka had barged into Obi-Wan’s quarters, now replaced with an easy contentment. 

His mood brightened considerably as they turned the corner and approached Cody and Din exiting the Halls of Healing, not a scratch or cast to be seen.

“Why hello there,” Obi-Wan grinned at the pair, Cody had an arm slung around Din’s shoulder, and in Din’s arms was a tiny, green youngling that Obi-Wan had become all-too familiar with seeing in the creche, “I see you have met Grogu.”

“Yeah, he’s a pretty good friend so far,” Din shrugged, his cheeks flushing bright red as Grogu playfully reached up for the underside of Din’s chin. 

“Speaking of friends,” Obi-Wan gestured to Ahsoka and Anakin, “I would like to introduce you to a couple of mine. This is my good friend, and former padawan, Anakin Skywalker, and his new padawan, Ahsoka Tano.”

Having only seen it once before, Obi-Wan tried not to startle at the glazed over look in Din’s eye as he stared up at Anakin. The boy was silent for a long beat before jerking into motion, blinking the supposed vision from his mind’s eye. 

“Din Djarin,” Din extended his hand and shook Anakin’s, then Ahsoka’s, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Well met, Din Djarin,” Ahsoka grinned, leaning in conspiratorially, “since our Masters team up on battles so often, we are gonna have to figure out some cool battlefield tricks together. Rex, my Captain, was showing me this one trick—”

“Oh dear, they are going to be up to no good, we best not encourage this friendship,” Obi-Wan playfully groaned.

“Oh don’t worry Master,” Anakin teased, “they’ll be a breeze to handle. Like you said, if you could handle me before, you can handle this.”

“Don’t you throw my own words back at me!” Obi-Wan joked, “I fear we will be kept on our toes with these two younglings in our care.”

“Looking forward to it,” Cody sighed dejectedly, who was eyeing the whispering teens with open distrust. “Shall we make our way upstairs?”

“Are we going now?” Din jerked his head up, his eyes gleaming with barely-hidden excitement. 

Obi-Wan chuckled at the sight, knowing Din well enough at this point to know that the boy was one to keep his emotions tucked close to his chest. It was thrilling to see him react like a child his age, to be openly enthusiastic for his padawan ceremony.

“That we are, you ready?” Obi-Wan asked, opening his arms in invitation as Din slid up next to him, allowing Obi-Wan to hold the boy close as their group made their way down the hall towards the elevators.

“Yes,” Din ducked his head for a moment before glancing back up at Obi-Wan hesitantly, “after the ceremony, can I talk to you about the memories I had?”

“Of course you can,” Obi-Wan’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much, “that’s what Masters are for.”

Din’s responding grin filled Obi-Wan’s chest with warmth.

Chapter Text

55 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“Now, Padawan ,” Master Obi-Wan rounded the corner from the kitchen and into the living room, a candle in hand, “you will come to find out that this is my favorite part of the day. No matter where we are or whatever it is that we are caught up in, I must end my day with some meditation.”

“What’s it like? Meditation?” Din asked, intrigued.

“It’s something that I’d argue all Jedi must partake to stay sane in the tumultuous galaxy that we live in,” Master Obi-Wan retorted, seating himself across from Din on the meditation mat that he had dragged out to the living quarters from his bedroom, “It feels like slipping beneath the waves on a hot summer's day, cooling off and letting go of everything above the surface. You are letting go of the weight that you carry throughout the day; all of the heavy emotions, the pain, the fear, the sorrow, and the anger, all of it are released into the Force.”

Din frowned, puzzling over the concept. 

“Does that mean I have to get rid of all of my emotions completely?”

“Heavens no, you wouldn’t be sentient if you got rid of all your emotions,” Obi-Wan chuckled good-naturedly, “No, what meditation is doing is releasing the weight that your emotions carry on your shoulders and your soul.

“For example, when I was ten years standard, I stole my best friend’s cookie from his tray because it was the last one in the flavor I liked. The guilt weighed on me all day until I finally meditated with my Crechemaster and was able to confess my crime. They helped me meditate on my guilt and released the weight that had been on my shoulders all day into the Force. The very next day when I apologized to my friend I still felt guilty, but it wasn’t as unbearable as it had been before. Does this make more sense now, Din?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Din nodded, before folding his legs exactly as Obi-Wan was doing, mirroring his posture to a tee, “I would like to try it.”

“Good,” Master Obi-Wan smiled, his eyes twinkling in humor, “before we launch into our meditation, you expressed earlier that you wanted to talk through the memories that had come to you earlier. Would you like to talk about it now?”

Din shifted a little to get more comfortable and nodded. Obi-Wan was silent as he waited for Din to open up and start talking, which he appreciated. Words and communicating had always been difficult for him growing up, his mama had always teased him that he would be the ‘silent and brooding’ type when he was grown up, ‘a man of very little words’.

“Just like your papa,” she told him, pinching his cheeks fondly. “A lot of ladies — and men — like that in a man, you know.”

Din’s heart ached at the memory, how he had blushed bright red and whined at his mama for being embarrassing and weird. He would do anything to be back in that moment with his mama, he wouldn’t be embarrassed to curl up in her arms and let her run her nails through his hair. Instead of lingering on the pain of the past, Din closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, pushing the heavy emotions aside so that he could meditate on them later. His shoulders dropped much of their tension as Master Obi-Wan’s light touch in the Force helped guide him through the motions.

“I think I had a memory of one of the leaders who kidnapped me,” Din started, “they were an armorer.”

“Did you see their face? Do you know what they looked like?” Obi-Wan asked.

“No,” Din shook his head, “the armorer was insistent on the fact that Mandalorians must always wear their armor, or else they aren’t Mandalorian. They were wearing distinctive gold armor, their helmet had horns and they were wearing a fur cape.”

“That is strange,” Obi-Wan frowned, running his hands over his beard, “this sounds like some sort of religious cultish belief that could be stemming out of Death Watch. Is that all that you remember?”

“I heard voices,” Din said, “speaking about how the galaxy had wronged them, that they were to stay hidden.”

“We’ll have to reach out to someone on Mandalore and get some feelers out, ask some questions about possible Mandalorian cults and Death Watch sightings on the rise.”

Din nodded, shaking away the lingering fear from the memories. Now that he had heard Obi-Wan describe what meditation was used for and its benefits, he was really looking forward to ridding himself of the emotions still clinging to him from the memories that had resurfaced.

“Master?” Din hated how his voice came out so shaky and unsure, “Are you and Commander Cody going to figure out what happened to my family?”

“Of course we are,” Master Obi-Wan reassured, “it may not be immediate or exactly like what we would want to do, but we will figure out what’s happened to your family and home planet.”

Din sighed with relief, his shoulders drooping from their tense position around his ears.

“Right now, our main goal is to find a way to get to Aq Vetina in order to figure out what exactly happened and provide aid if need be. Once on the planet’s surface, we may be able to find proof of who took you and locate any remaining evidence that could lead us to your kidnappers.

“If Death Watch was really behind this, then it will become an even bigger deal than we thought. It would mean that a band of Mandalorians, who have been vocal in their neutrality, are attacking planets alongside droid armies. It would be another act of war that could jeopardize Mandalore’s neutrality.”

“This is much bigger than what happened to me,” Din muttered, his eyes widening at the implications, “It’s a miracle I ended up on Kamino, or else you and the Republic would never have found out.”

“Exactly,” Obi-Wan agreed, “but it would also mean I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to meet you and take you on as my padawan. We are both very lucky indeed.”

Din silently nodded.

“I’m glad that you came to help me on Kamino.”

Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him and pulled him in for a hug. It wasn’t the same as his papa’s hugs, but it still filled Din with a sense of warmth and safety.

“I had another memory, but this one is just odd….” Din trailed off, biting his lip as he tried to make sense of it.

“What is it?”

“I think I knew Grogu before….” As the words left Din’s mouth, the more sure he felt, “It wasn’t a long memory, or anything super clear, but I’ve met him before.”

Obi-Wan frowned at that.

“As far as I am aware, Grogu has been at the temple since he was a year old. That was over twenty years ago, Din.”

“Alright….” Din murmured, feeling strange about the conversation, but unable to put a finger on what it was.

“Did you have a memory that hit you when I introduced you to Anakin earlier?” Master Obi-Wan asked and Din winced.

He had really hoped that Master Obi-Wan wouldn’t have noticed, but his Master was far too keen to let something like that slip him by. This memory was harder to explain and had only left Din feeling puzzled and wrong-footed whenever he had to interact with his elder padawan brother throughout the evening.

“I think so?”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Din muttered, “it just kept hitting me whenever I would look him in the eye….”

“I noticed you were avoiding eye contact,” Obi-Wan noted, “whatever it is, I hope you know you can share it with me.”

“I know,” Din smiled reassuringly, “it’s just….”

Din paused, sorting his words out until they made sense.

“I kept looking at Knight Skywalker and….” Din paused, biting his lip before shakily proceeding, “It’s like his features change before my eyes.”

“How so?” Master Obi-Wan asked.

“His eyes were yellow,” Din spoke above a whisper, his heart thumping against his chest, the fear that had slammed into him the moment he had first made eye contact with Skywalker simmered beneath the surface of his mind and freezing him to the spot. “But then I would look at him again and his eyes were normal.”

“I’m not sure what this means,” Master Obi-Wan said, his voice sounding unsure even to Din’s ears, “but we can still meditate on it all and see how we feel in the aftermath. Alright?”

Din nodded, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly through his nose. 

“I also want to encourage you that if you start to sense more memories falling into place, let them come. I think the headaches are worse when you tense up at the feeling of an oncoming memory. If I am around when one comes, just tug on my sleeve or on the bond we are about to create together and I will help you breathe through it. Promise me?”

“I promise, Master,” Din nodded.

“Good,” Master Obi-Wan smiled encouragingly, “Ready to meditate then?”

“Lead the way, Master,” Din smiled back.

Chapter Text

He was in a forest, and sounds of life were surrounding him. It was a very humid planet that he was on, sweat dripped down his nose in rivulets, and there was a moist haze that covered every inch of the vegetation surrounding him. He didn’t know where he was, this wasn’t a planet that he was familiar with at all. But there was something…. familiar about the planet that he couldn’t place. He swatted at the insects that buzzed past his ears, dive-bombing against his face and arms, and tried to get a good look at his surroundings, but all that he could see was the tangle of vines and tree limbs, trunks so wide they blocked out any signs of life from view. 

The Force felt odd like it was moving against an invincible current, jerking and forcefully pushing against itself. He looked up and happened to catch a glimpse of old, moss-covered stone in the distance through a break in the trees. Silently, he moved towards the stone, a building slowly coming into view the closer he got to it. The Force grew stronger with every step, now nipping at his heels and pushing him forward. 

The building looming before him was a temple, its stones were old and decaying, covered in layers of moss and vines. Despite its abandoned exterior, the stones were also buzzing with life, a low hum filled the Force as he reached down and placed his palm against the warm stone. The Force was insistent now, pulling and tugging at his very being to climb up the steps and walk inside the temple’s dark corridors. The sound of whispers blended together with the forest life behind him, indistinguishable words, but their intent was obvious: he needed to go inside.

“Din,” a familiar voice called out to him, he turned around to see a man in a brown, worn cloak. “Use the Force, Din.”

The man’s face was covered by the cloak, but what little he could see of the man was jarring. The man had no discernable age — one minute his face was unmarred and younger than him, the next his beard was as white as snow. He frowned at the man, not understanding what the man meant; the Force was clear, couldn’t the man hear it?

“Use the Force, Din.” The man said once again.

He closed his eyes and obeyed the man, reaching out with a tentative hand towards the Force…..

……the thunderous roar of lava spurted out from the murky red sea below his feet, the stone crumbled beneath him and he leaped out of the way….. the hum of a blue lightsaber crashed towards him….pain, rage, and fear swirled like a whirlwind through him, crushing every hint of hope and life left in his heart…..

……bullets slammed into her body, one after the other, pain searing through her back and gut as she toppled over…..why would they do this…..what had she done to deserve this fate……

…….lightning seared through his body and he couldn’t hold back his screams any longer, his body alight with pain and agony….father…..help me…..please…..

……kenobi…..you are my only hope…..the planet was gone, right before her eyes…..how could it all be gone…..

.......what was happening......why was he firing at her......his head hurt so kriffing bad.......

……good soldiers…..follow orders……

“Din,” the man in the dark cloak from his other visions was suddenly right in front of him, his face indiscernible still, but his voice so distinct to his ears, “go and get Ben. This is a vision, go and get Ben…..”

Chapter Text

56 to 57 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“There was a temple, and I was in a forest, a-and you were there, I think?” Din’s voice cracked, his eyes wide and full of tears, his body rocking back and forth even as Obi-Wan held him close to his chest. “A-And the Force felt so weird .”

“Shhh, calm down, Din, take a deep breath,” Obi-Wan instructed, demonstrating the action himself by taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly through his nose. He patiently ran through several beats of the same thing with Din until the boy could take a deep breath on his own without choking on his tears. 

“Now, I am going to go and make us some tea, and we will discuss your vision while it’s brewing. Would you like to wrap yourself up in one of my blankets and join me at the table?”

Din nodded wordlessly, allowing Obi-Wan to cover his small, shaking frame in one of his wool blankets. As Din pulled himself together, Obi-Wan turned and walked towards the kitchenette, taking a moment just for himself. It had been heartbreaking to jerk awake to the sound of Din crying and yelling out for him, calling for Ben over and over again. It still baffled him that Din would know that name about himself, but then again, the Force worked in mysterious and strange ways.

While Din was suffering from amnesia and getting his memories back, he was also showing an uncanny strength in the Cosmic Force; visions intermixing with forgotten memories and leaving the poor boy disoriented and confused. Every night since they boarded the Negotiator, Obi-Wan had been awoken by Din’s screams and had allowed his new padawan to cuddle up next to him on his bed. It had freaked out the men at first, when on the first night Din had woken up screaming, their doors had been kicked down by the poor troopers stuck on the night shift. But as the week passed slowly in hyperspace, the men had calmed down when it came to Din’s night terrors. 

Obi-Wan had also been plagued by visions when he was Din’s age and younger, naturally falling out of them as he got older and would have them every once in a while as the Force willed it. His Master had dealt with Obi-Wan’s visions in a manner that now left Obi-Wan feeling bereft and disquieted, which was the opposite of what he wanted Din to feel with him. He wanted to encourage Din to come and talk to him when he felt scared or needed guidance on what was a lost memory and what was a vision, and how to discern their meaning. 

He set the kettle on and grabbed two mugs from the tiny cupboard, picking out one of his favorite herbal tea blends that he always made sure to stock up on when away from Coruscant. He smiled at the sound of Din’s feet pitter-pattering across the floor to the tiny table bolted to the far wall. It was nice to have a padawan in his space again, to feel another life-form so close to love and care for. Even if it used to irk him before with Anakin, Obi-Wan even found a stupid amount of joy in the mess that Din forgot to clean up. Like the shoes that Din forgot to stack up neatly against the door, and his flimsi pads and styluses spread out across the table.

“Have I told you that I used to get visions a lot when I was your age?”

“No,” Din muttered tiredly, his voice breaking as he yawned, “were they bad?”

“Some of them were pretty awful,” Obi-Wan shuddered at the one that would still haunt him from time to time, one filled with pain and fire and lightsabers clashing, “but with help and guidance, I was able to discern what some of them meant.”

“You mean, I could figure out what the man in the cloak was trying to tell me?” 

“Perhaps,” Obi-Wan poured the hot water over the tea bags, “there are some visions that may frustrate you because of their lack of meaning.”

At Din’s confused and troubled expression, Obi-Wan carried the mugs over and started to explain as best as he could.

“Visions typically don’t give you the full picture of an event that could transpire. You get glimpses behind the curtain, so to speak, of what could be a possible path in your future.”

“So I just need to ignore them?” Din asked, a dejected frown on his young face.

“No, not necessarily,” Obi-Wan reassured, reaching over and squeezing Din’s shoulder, “What you can do after each vision is meditate on it, discuss it with someone you trust, or journal about it. What helps you decide how to act upon a vision is what you feel, the sensations that hit you, and what the Force is trying to tell you.”

“The Force felt so strange in that vision,” Din sipped his tea and frowned, lost in thought for a moment before continuing, “I was so insistent on following the Force, but the brown-cloaked man kept telling me to use the Force, and I wasn’t doing that at first. But when I did stop and do as he said, I heard and felt so many different things. I couldn’t possibly understand what it all meant.”

“Perhaps, for now, you don’t need to understand it all,” Obi-Wan suggested, hiding a smile behind his mug at the unamused scowl Din aimed his way, “My advice would be to trust in the Force, that it will help guide you in the right direction. If it guides you to a better understanding of what this vision meant, then it will do so.”

Din closed his eyes and shakily dropped his shields, doing just as Obi-Wan had suggested, and leaned into the Force. Obi-Wan helped guide him through it, the two of them taking deep breaths together and letting all of Din’s worries and anxieties go. After several minutes of a loose meditation, Din opened his eyes and smiled up at Obi-Wan gratefully.

“Thank you, Master, I needed that.”

Obi-Wan squeezed his padawan’s shoulder with a grin.

“It’s my pleasure, Padawan.”

Obi-Wan’s comm beeped, his usual morning alarm jolting them out of the moment.

“I guess we'd better get started on the day, shall we?”

“Do you think Commander Cody will show me that spin-kick move that Boil was showing me on his comm the other day?”

“If you give him your best, tooka eyes, possibly,” Obi-Wan grinned mischievously. “You may just be the only one that could get him to give a tutorial to.”

Din whooped in victory and dashed down the hall towards his separate rooms to get changed, leaving Obi-Wan to gulp down the rest of his tea. He took a quick pass through the sonic and freshened up in the fresher, answering comm messages to Helix in the infirmary about the announcement to be made over the newly mandated stim supply, and to Cody who had already arrived on deck at the starboard and was already complaining about Nexxus and Nebula’s inability to go without gossipping loudly over the public channels. 

“I’m all ready, Master,” Din grinned up at Obi-Wan as he exited the fresher. Obi-Wan couldn’t help the smile from growing at the sight of Din’s bright red robes, the Jedi insignia on the left sleeve, and the insignia that Din had insisted on having stitched onto the right that was similar to the one on the pauldron from the Mandalorian armor Din had been found in. “I’m starving !”

“Come along, padawan-mine,” Obi-Wan pulled Din close to his side, “let’s go feed you before your stomach growls louder than the ship's horn.”

He laughed as Din’s stomach growled, right on cue. Din squawked indignantly.

~*~*~*~

“Are there any other topics to be discussed in today's meeting?” Master Koon inquired, his blue-tinted holo form glitching every few minutes. “We will be arriving at our destination shortly, and our comms are overheating.”

Obi-Wan leaned forward, his intention to speak reverberated through the Force. Each Master turned their head towards him expectantly. 

“I won’t be too long, I understand if you have to leave Master Koon,” Obi-Wan nodded in Plo’s direction, “Have there been any updates on our proposed detour to Aq Vetina, Masters?” 

Mace sighed and shook his head, a hint of frustration flared through the Force in response. 

“The Chancellor has been hesitant to approve it, what with the amount of missions and battles popping up on opposite ends of the galaxy.”

Obi-Wan frowned, running a hand over his beard in thought. The thought popped into his head out of the blue, that it was almost uncanny to suddenly have missions pop up in the opposite direction they were requesting to go to. Almost like it was planned, to keep their attention away from what happened on the small agricultural planet in the Outer Rim.

But that was ridiculous, Obi-Wan mused, listening in as other Masters spoke up offering their insight on why the number of missions had been picking up, and the strange comings and goings that fellow councillors had with the communications team that worked for the Chancellor’s office.

The thought continued to linger with him throughout the day, however, and Obi-Wan found himself feeling strangely distracted and off-kilter in every interaction he had. Cody, of course, happened to notice and pointed it out when they were both standing on the observation deck of the command center.

“You’ve been distracted all day,” Cody stated, his gaze focused on the white and blue streams of hyperspace in front of them. “Spill it, General. We can’t have you distracted before our next mission.”

“You know me too well, my dear,” Obi-Wan couldn’t help but smile. He sighed and dropped his hands from anxiously fiddling with his beard, instead clasping them behind his back.

“The Chancellor keeps denying our request to check out Aq Vetina. The council says that the excuse is over the amount of missions that keep popping up across the galaxy and nowhere close to the Outer Rim territories.”

“It’s a valid excuse,” Cody turned to speak directly to him, “but that doesn’t explain why you are still thinking about it.”

“I can’t help but feel like it’s odd timing,” Obi-Wan admitted with another sigh, “which is strange of me for thinking. But I can’t shake it, Cody. Something about this feels…off.”

The Force felt eerily still, coiled tightly like a snake ready to pounce. He could tell that Cody felt it too, in the way he straightened suddenly and knew he wasn’t going crazy.

“Do you have any proof?”

“No,” Obi-Wan winced, “all I’ve got is a gut instinct, not even the Force is saying anything on the subject.”

“We’ll just have to keep our eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary, then,” Cody nodded determinedly at him, “and also find the perfect time to steal away for Aq Vetina for ourselves.”

“Why, Commander , are you suggesting a stealth mission?”

Cody smirked instead of saying anything. He straightened up and turned back to the command station beneath them.

“The real problem we have to deal with now is Nexxus and Nebula’s misuse of GAR channels–”

“Oh, relax, why don’t you? I happen to look forward to the gossip hour, and I know you secretly love it too.” Obi-Wan pointed a finger accusingly at his Commander.

“I do not!”

“Then explain the soap opera I found on your holo pad the other day. You, my charming Commander, love the drama!”

It was worth it, Obi-Wan reasoned with himself later, after the entire ship got to witness their Marshall Commander chasing their General through the upper deck halls. 

Chapter Text

60 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“I’m just going to come out and say it,” Cody tore his helmet off and gripped it tight at his side, glaring at the console until he stopped seeing red, “What the hell is wrong with your former padawan?!”

“A lot of things,” Obi-Wan said dryly, still glaring up at the spot that Anakin’s holo form had last been, “I appreciate the strength that took you to not say it directly to his face, Commander.”

“Does he do that a lot?” Din asked from his spot at Obi-Wan’s side, nervously toying with the hems on his sleeves.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Cody sighed, before straightening up and addressing the onlookers around them on deck, “I apologize for my unprofessional behavior, everyone, now get back to work!”

“Sir,” Nebula nervously approached, her eyes darting back and forth between Obi-Wan and Cody, “I just received word from General Windu that General Koon, General Skywalker, Commander Tano, and Commander Wolffe have boarded the Resolute and are en route to our location.”

“Good,” Cody nodded at Nebula, dismissing her before she could start stuttering, “One of us will have to have a word with General Skywalker about following orders when deadly enemy ships are employed.”

“The bright side, my dear,” Obi-Wan cocked his head playfully at Cody, “is that Commander Wolffe is alive and well, which would not have been the case if Anakin and Ahsoka didn’t stick out their necks for him and Plo.”

Cody sighed, making eye contact with Din behind Obi-Wan’s back.

“This is why you listen to your Master, verd’ika , he is always right.”

“Now I love the sound of that,” Obi-Wan laughed, Cody’s comm chiming with an incoming message.

Cody pulled up the message notification and frowned, the headline of the message reading: Private – Do Not Open In Public .

“Commander, General,” Jet called out to them, “Incoming friendlies, the Resolute is coming out of hyperspace now.”

Cody swiped the message away from his screen and focused his attention ahead as the Resolute materialized in place before them.

“Negotiator, this is the Resolute speaking. Requesting to board, over.”

Cody nodded his assent to Jet and placed his helmet back on, sealing it tight and secure.

“This is the Negotiator . Permission granted, Resolute . Please let Generals Skywalker and Koon, Commanders Tano and Wolffe, and Captain Rex know to meet General Kenobi, Marshal Commander Cody, and Commander Djarin in conference room 1A.”

“I heard Waxer and Boil saying that the conference rooms are referred to as ‘Scream at Skywalker rooms’. I’m starting to think that is true.” Din muttered.

“Maybe Skywalker will develop a Pavlovian response to hearing us direct him towards the conference rooms and will fess up to whatever he did wrong.” Nexxus chimed in, they quickly darted a glance at the natborn admiral, not paying attention to them on the other side of the deck.

“And maybe next time you and Nebula have some gossip to share, you will stop pressing the public channel and use a private one instead.” Cody fired back with a pointed look.

He dutifully ignored the way Jet nearly choked on his caf and the humorous glint in Obi-Wan’s eyes. Obi-Wan poked at the bond between them as they walked out of the starboard and into the main hallway, Din racing after them. 

“Padawan, I would like you to sit close to me and silently observe the conversation we are about to have. You can save your commentary until after we have concluded this meeting. Can you do this for me?”

“Of course, Master,” Din assured seriously, his expression and body language once again tugging at a memory in the back of Cody’s head. It was one of the rare times that he had encountered the Prime back on Kamino, where he observed Cody and his batchmates go through a series of katas, he had sat in the back of the classroom so eerily still and yet so aware. 

Din was mirroring Jango’s posture and facial expression perfectly , and Cody didn’t know how to feel about it.

They finally approached the conference room, and Cody braced for impact, feeling out and tugging at the bond between him and Rex in preparation. He was met with Rex’s tangled ball of emotions — hope, relief, frustration, joy, dismay, fear, anxiety — and offered a hand in helping Rex push those feelings into the Force, his shields up and impenetrable around both of them. Rex sent a thrum of relief down their bond right as Obi-Wan opened the doors and gestured for Cody to enter first.

“General Koon, Commander Wolffe,” Cody focused on keeping his tone professional and not reacting to the heavy bags under his ori’vod’s eyes, “it’s good to see you alive and well. I am sorry for your loss.”

“It is a miracle that General Skywalker and Commander Tano were so close by and just so happened to lend us a hand,” General Koon commented, his Force presence light with ill-concealed humor and admonishment. “The Force was on our side today, but it very easily could not have been.”

“That is quite true, Master Koon,” Obi-Wan stated, leveling his gaze with a surly looking General Skywalker, who had his arms folded defensively across his chest. “Anything to say for yourselves, Knight Skywalker? Padawan Tano?”

“It was my idea to try and rescue them, Master Kenobi—” Commander Tano blurted out, but Anakin cut her off, “They could have died , Master! We had to go in and save them, it was the only option!”

“No, your only option was to keep you and the underage padawan in your care alive so that you could return to your battleship that you command in this army,” Obi-Wan snapped, his tone level even in the face of his frustration,  “Anakin, you are a General of an entire army! You cannot afford to put yourself in dangerous circumstances like these without thinking about the consequences! We already lost a majority of Master Koon’s army today, we can’t afford to lose yours too!”

Anakin continued to glare up at Obi-Wan, stewing in the haze of his anger and frustration, the likes of which were starting to give Cody a headache at the sheer proximity. 

“Padawan Tano,” Obi-Wan addressed the young Togruta directly, “this circumstance does not fall entirely on your shoulders, you are not all at fault here. While you made a mistake and had a lapse in judgment, it was up to your superior to call you out on it and command you appropriately. I don’t want you to carry this burden any longer, and if you have any further questions about what to do in similar circumstances in the future, you can ask your Master or any of the other Masters you see fit. We are here to help guide and educate you, not admonish the choices you’ve made. Am I clear?”

Commander Tano nodded her head affirmatively, but glanced at General Skywalker out of the corner of her eye awkwardly.

“I am calling this meeting to a close,” Obi-Wan announced, turning to General Koon and Wolffe, “Master Koon, Commander Wolffe, you are free to make yourselves at home on the Negotiator until we receive direct order from GAR command. I can have Private Sunny make up some extra rooms for you if you’d like to freshen up or rest.”

“Unbelievable,” General Skywalker muttered beneath his breath and shot to his feet, “C’mon Ahsoka, let’s get out of here.”

Commander Tano hesitated and stared up at Obi-Wan. At that, General Skywalker huffed and stormed out of the room.

“Ahsoka, you don’t have to join if you don’t want to,” Obi-Wan said gently, “I will go ahead and talk to your Master if you want to stay here and catch up with Master Koon.”

“Sure,” Commander Tano nodded, ducking her head from view, “I-I’d like that, Master.” 

“I’m sure you can also keep Din and Cody company for me while I’m gone as well?” Obi-Wan ducked his head until Commander Tano looked up and made eye contact with him, earning a smile from the girl.

“I’ll be right back,” Obi-Wan said as he squeezed Cody’s elbow and walked out of the room after General Skywalker.

As soon as Obi-Wan was gone, Commander Tano launched herself at General Koon.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Master.”

“Trust in the Force, little one,” General Koon hugged her back, “When you do, good things will always come.”

“You have two lightsabers,” Din commented, pointing at the sabers on Commander Tano’s hips. “Are they both the same color?”

She grinned and unclipped both blades, flipping them on and twirling them around, the blades casting green and blue light through the room.

“You never showed me yours, by the way,” Commander Tano taunted him.

Din just smiled and slowly unsheathed his blade.

“Any guesses?”

CC-3636: holy kriff

CC-3636: it’s as if you and kenobi had a tubie together

CC-3636: he’s got the same lil shit gleam in his eyes as you did at his size

Cody turned and glared at Wolffe through his helmet, refusing to respond to the messages his ori’vod typed out on his wrist comm. The unread private message blinked up at Cody, reminding him that he needed to find the time to sit down and read through what the message said. It was a direct, private message to himself and looked heavily encrypted. He didn’t want to get his hopes up in case it wasn’t the contact that Fox promised would reach out to him, but one couldn’t take any chances with prankster batchmates like he had.

“I’m guessing it’s gonna be blue, like your Master’s,” Commander Tano guessed.

Din nodded, a mischievous glint in his eye, “You want to bet on it?”

“What have you got to bet with, verd’ika ?” Rex asked, chuckling.

“The jerky flavored ration packs,” Din grinned, and Cody was immensely proud of how quickly he captured Commander Tano’s attention.

“Deal,” she shook Din’s hand firmly, “I’m gonna change my answer to green, by the way.”

“Is that your final guess?”

CC-3636: you know, don’t you?

Cody grinned and typed back a response.

CC-2224: Perhaps

CC-3636: see? little. shit.

“Yes,” Commander Tano tilted her chin up, grinning victoriously at Din, “I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Nope,” Din grinned and flipped his saber on, the yellow blade bursting forth with a low thrum of energy, the kyber inside singing a low melodic tune that Cody had quickly learned was the essence of who Din was; it was the sound of unsheathing a blade, the haunting ring of beskar , the low timber of laughter deep in ones chest, the steady rush of waves crashing against the shore, the screech of a hawk when going in for its prey.

“ Kriff !” Commander Tano exclaimed, Cody couldn’t help but laugh as Rex snorted at her expense.

“Now you have to give up our good rations, Commander!” He teased, shoving her thin shoulder playfully.

“Shut it, Rexster, I don’t want to hear it.”

“Commander,” General Koon said, “I think Commander Wolffe and I will take you and Master Kenobi up on those spare rooms, would you mind directing us there?”

“Of course, General,” Cody nodded, pulling up Sunny’s contact on his comm and ringing her through, “Sunny? Please make up two additional rooms for our guests on the General’s floor, please.”

“Copy that, Commander!” Sunny responded as chipper as always, given the namesake.

“Ah, perfect timing,” Obi-Wan breezed into the conference room and motioned for General Koon to follow him. “You can follow me, Master. I’ll brew you up some of that tea you always like, I just so happen to have a stash of it somewhere in my quarters.”

Obi-Wan glanced over at Commander Tano and addressed her with a smile.

“Ahsoka, you can join us as well, if you’d like. I’m sure the good Captain will go and spend some quality time with the Commander while we are busy.”

“That’s code for brotherly sparring time,” Wolffe retorted, Cody sneering under his helmet at him.

“Can I come watch?” Din asked, his tooka eyes only getting better and better every time he deployed them.

“Sure thing,” Cody said, taking his helmet off and clipping it to his belt. “But first things first, would you mind accompanying Rex to my quarters so he can change out of the armor he doesn’t want to fight in? I’ll meet you two at the sparring rooms in ten, sounds good?”

“Sure!” Din grinned and grabbed Rex’s hand, tugging him up from his seat.

As they all split up, Cody let out a sigh of relief and sped walked to one of the vacant corner conference rooms that usually went unused this time of day. He quickly scanned the hallway, making sure he was alone, and closed the doors, blocking out the windows, and finally opened up his comm messages. He pulled up the private message and clicked on it, breathing a breath of relief when the secure credentials pop-up came on screen. He typed in his user passcode, the only passcode that would be accepted for the secure message, and skimmed his eyes over the brief message.

Private – Do Not Read In Public

our mutual Friend has Organized a secure video call between us. when can I eXpect your response? i look forward to working with you and the betterment for you and yours alike. 

sincerely,

a friend in a high, domed place

Cody took a moment to think up a smart response and began typing.

Private – Do Not Read In Public

Tell our mutual friEnd, that he shouldN’t hand juST AnyoNe’s comm number out these DAys. Respectfully, I will have to Decline, i have a war to fight for you and your friends. i don’t have all DAY to anSwer comm messages or respond to requests from civilians.

may the force be with you,

marshal commander cody (cc-22:24)

With a grin, Cody sent the message off and deleted its history from his messages. Hopefully, this secret correspondent understood his message. Cody closed his eyes and couldn’t help but send a prayer up into the Force and crossed his fingers behind his back.

Chapter Text

61 ABG (After the Battle of Geonosis) // 22 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“Did I ever tell you the story of when ‘Soka, Fives, Echo, and I started a prank war with the General?”

…..the smell of meat cooking filled the air, the heady scent of spices and herbs intermingled with the smoke coming from the stone hearth in the corner. An old man stood at the kitchen counter, his strong arms kneading dough with practiced movements. His arms were covered in flour, age spots littered his skin, as well as wrinkles and coarse white hair traveled up towards his elbows……

…..Rex landed a well-timed kick to Cody’s gut, knocking the Commander to the ground, but only momentarily as Cody spun into a barrel roll and bounced back up on his feet. Rex’s wide grin made his face look so much younger than he appeared; gone were the heavy bags beneath his eyes, and the worn wrinkles that were starting to line his eyes and mouth from constant frowning and disappointment. Here, Rex looked his age, like the little brother that he was, play-fighting with his older brother, who’s matching grin did wonders for his well-worn expressions.

“Do that against a clanker, and you’ll do just fine, Rex’ika,” Cody boasted, dodging Rex’s next swing…….

……the sun shone through the windows of the hut, right as the old man turned towards him. Despite not being able to see his face clearly, he knew that the old man was smiling warmly at him.

“Successes in training should be rewarded,” the old man stated, “It won’t be the best, but I have the ingredients for Uj’alayi…….”

……his mother pinched his cheeks, smiling warmly at him. She had toned down on the public displays of affection, for his sake and teenage angst, but whenever they were alone or at home she would slip and be as physically affectionate as she wanted. He could never say no to her here, especially when he could practically feel the strength of her pride and joy in him….

“I’m so proud of you, mi pequeña estrella…..”

Din startled awake, clutching at the blankets that had twisted themselves around his limbs. Catching his breath, he looked over at the clock on his nightstand and grimaced. His alarm would go off any minute now, there was no more time to lay back down and catch some more sleep. 

But it wouldn’t have mattered anyways, Din had not gone a single night without visions and memories leaking through into his dreams. It didn’t help that he genuinely couldn’t tell the difference between what was a memory and what was a vision. If he had to guess, the old man in his dream had been a vision, but it easily could have been a memory too. It could have possibly been a grandparent he had never met, or someone from his neighborhood who took care of him when his parents were busy or at work. 

Instead of stewing in his own emotions, Din sat up and crawled out of bed towards the fresher. He murmured in greeting at his Master, who was already awake at such an ungodly hour, with Commander Cody at the kitchenette table, the both of them sipping on separate cups of tea and scrolling through a giant stack of flimsi pads. Din quickly brushed his teeth and jumped through the sonic, washing away the sweat that had accumulated from the constant tossing and turning and dreams that had plagued his sleep. 

“Post mission reports will be the bane of my existence,” Master Obi-Wan grumbled as he stretched and yawned.

“I’ll have you know that filling out these forms is literally part of what I was created for, so I don’t want to hear your complaints, General ,” Commander Cody retorted back sassily, his voice thick and groggy from lack of sleep.

Din snorted as he walked past them on his way to his rooms to get changed.

Knowing that his Master was going to still be working on his reports with the Commander, Din left to head towards the cafeteria, his stomach rumbling unhappily. He had a stack of flimsi pads full of new homework assignments that his Master had downloaded for him with the help of the Master of the Educorps, and scrolled through them meaninglessly as he waited for the lift to arrive on his floor.

“Hey kid,” Captain Rex greeted as he came around the corner, his eyes glazing over for a split second, “I’m guessing that Cody and Kenobi are still working through reports, eh?”

Din nodded, biting his tongue from asking the burning question that had been on the tip of his tongue since the 501st had docked alongside the 212th above Coruscant, awaiting new orders to ship out. No one had been allowed to get off the ships and onto the planet’s varying surfaces, as new shipment orders were reportedly about to be sent out within the next day or so, but that didn’t stop the two armies from intermixing between ships while they all waited.

In the amount of time that he had spent with the Captain so far, Din couldn’t help but feel on edge, like something was missing, and unable to tell what it was. It was like looking in a mirror and expecting to see his reflection move on its own, like he could catch whatever it was before it happened. 

“What’ve you got there?” Rex asked as the lift doors opened.

“Schoolwork, a lot of catch-up work that the other initiates and padawans my age already know,” Din mumbled the last part of his sentence, an embarrassed flush rising on his cheeks.

“Do you need help studying?” Rex asked genuinely, “When Soka has been struggling with her workload, some of us troopers have created a study circle to help her.”

“Maybe,” Din smiled, his brain latching onto the way that Rex said ‘Soka, reminding him of the vision he had in his sleep, “I’ll let you know if I do.”

“Good,” Rex smiled at him, not noticing the slip in Din’s demeanor, “After you’ve done some studying, if Cody allows it, I could slip in on your lessons with him. He always lightens up when I can get him to spar with me.”

It was intriguing how well the Captain knew Commander Cody, almost too well for it to be natural. It was like they could read each other’s minds, but that made sense for Commander Cody, being Force Sensitive and all….

The realization hit Din like a ton of bricks, and it took everything in him not to react outwardly. He darted a glance up at the Captain and drew a sigh of relief that he hadn’t noticed Din’s momentary panic. He contemplated bringing it up, but the Force jerked away at the idea, alarm bells ringing in Din’s mind that it was too soon and that he needed to tread delicately with this realization. 

Instead, Din focused on acting as normally as he could throughout breakfast; he even laughed when Hardcase made a terrible dad joke. He watched as members of the 212th finished their meals and ran off to report for duty, assignments to complete that Din still felt out of sorts in. Since the 212th had been deployed, he was given the rank of Jedi Commander but hadn’t been assigned work or been given instruction dependent on his status. He felt like the odd man out, but it was also relieving to not be forced to jump into the thick of everything while he still learned how to act like a Jedi padawan for the first time. There was so much that he needed to catch up on and learn, and sometimes Din wished that he could process intel as quickly as the clones to fit in and adapt to his new reality.

The only people who had seemed to understand where he was coming from were his Master, Commander Cody (who was so patient with him when he had way too many questions about the GAR and fighting techniques), and Captain Rex, weirdly enough.

“Have I ever told you about the time when Cody stole me from my unit on Kamino and forced me to join his batchmates?” The Captain interrupted Din’s internal grumblings, probably having picked up on his dejected thoughts.

Once again, Rex’s question reminded him of the old man from his dream and the question he had asked; Did I ever tell you the story of when ‘Soka, Fives, Echo, and I started a prank war with the General? It had to be a vision, if the old man from his dream was Rex…. because who was Fives and Echo? There weren’t any troopers in either the 212th or the 501st with those names…. but something was lingering in the question, in the man’s appearance in his mind that was tripping Din up, like an itch he couldn’t scratch…..

“Now, who said it was stealing?” Commander Cody suddenly appeared behind them, gripping Captain Rex’s shoulders and playfully jerking him around. “How I remember it is that I was kindly offering up a space with my wonderful batchmates, who all also felt bad for the poor blondie in the whole joint.”

Din was suddenly reminded of Jade, the Force-sensitive girl on Kamino, and how scared she had felt in the Force at being found out by the long-necks, just for her gender expression that went against the contract for the clone army. Glancing back up at the Captain, he steeled himself in his resolve not to ask his burning questions until Rex told him himself. He happened to catch Commander Cody’s eye, his brow with his infamous scar tilting up in question at Din. He hurriedly avoided eye contact and scooted over to provide an extra spot for his Master and the Commander to sit with them.

For the next hour, Master Obi-Wan allowed Din to follow him around the top decks and ask him questions about his homework assignments, even going so far as to give Din personalized lectures on the subjects he was currently learning. It was obvious that Din had lucked out with his Master; the man was passionate about learning and being a Jedi. Din hoped to be just as amazing as him one day.

With his assignments for the day completed, Din hurried to the sparring gym and walked through the katas that Commander Cody had him working on since the day before, this time adding more speed to the movements so that Din could get the fluidity right. It was surprisingly easy for him to get these movements down, as if it were second nature, and the Commander knew it too. 

“I’m going to have to adjust my teaching plan here. You need something harder to get you sweating more.”

It was even more fun with the Captain here to egg Commander Cody on, even going so far as to let Din spar and use his new moves he had learned against the Captain. Din still lost, but he gave a good fight, which earned him pats on the back from the men who lingered around the sparring ring.

He even enjoyed the lessons the Commander gave him after their sparring sessions, when they had showered and the Commander had to report back up to the naval top decks. Here, he could ask the Commander as many questions as possible about the GAR chain of command, what his role would look like alongside Cody, the Marshall Commander of the 7th Sky Corps, and what it would be like to issue orders and have command over multiple companies and groups.

“I am second-in-command to General Kenobi,” the Commander explained, “so you will essentially be my second-in-command. I have a lot of duties when it comes to being a Marshall Commander that extend outside of the realms of commanding the 212th. I am also in charge of the whole 7th Sky Corps. So to establish a solid line of communication, and to provide back-up for me when my duties with the 212th get overwhelmed, I will have you help where needed.”

“Okay, I guess that makes a little more sense,” Din reasoned, his gaze focused on the naval officers flitting around the deck ahead of them. “So I am technically in charge of everyone in this room?”

“Not the Admirals,” Commander Cody chuckled, “they represent the GAR more directly than we do. We are just the foot soldiers while they are the ones who receive communications to and from the Senate and GAR Headquarters on Coruscant.”

Din side-eyed the Admiral across the deck, who was in the middle of explaining something to Private Nexxus, who looked mere seconds close to visibly rolling their eyes in the Admiral’s face.

“I’m not sure if I like him, Admiral Kelley.” 

“Me neither,” Commander Cody muttered beneath his breath, “There’s only a small handful of natborn Admirals in the Corps that I can stand.”

“Can I state an observation?” Din asked as they moved out of the naval deck into the quieter hallways. 

“Of course,” the Commander said, lifting his helmet off his head and clipping it to his belt, his dark eyes searching Din’s own as if he could read his mind.

“A lot of natborns aren’t very kind to you and the vode .”

“Yes,” Commander Cody nodded, his voice rough. “It’s something that we as clones have always had, and will continue to endure.”

“Do you think it’s because a lot of them aren’t Force-sensitive and can’t see how different you all are in the Force?”

“I think so, verd’ika ,” the Commander cleared his throat and ducked his head from view, “A lot of natborns take people and sentient life forms at face value, they don’t care to take the time and make genuine connections with those that they come across.”

“Even if that means that they are fooling themselves?” Din frowned, “I heard Admiral Kelley talking down about you and your position. He feels jealous in the Force, and what he has to say about you is awful.

“I don’t understand why he would think such a thing when you are already effectively doing his job without him realizing it, on top of your official duties. You aren’t just a brainless meat droid like they all make you out to be, and it baffles me that these natborns can’t see that.”

“You noticed, huh?” Commander Cody smirked.

“Of course I did!” Din threw his hands up in the air, before letting them fall at his sides dejectedly, “but I guess my biggest question is this: what can I do for you and the rest of the men, that I will be in charge of, to keep them safe and out of harm’s way from assholes like Admiral Kelley and other awful natborns across the galaxy?”

Commander Cody’s eyes widened, and his brows hit the edge of his hairline. He ducked down until he was on his knees in front of Din, clutching both of his shoulders in a firm, yet steady, grip.

“You keep doing what you are doing by being understanding and empathetic to others around you.” Tears sprang up at the corners of the Commander’s eyes, “If you want to look up to someone as an example, then follow your Master’s example. He took the time and the effort to get to know every single man in our battalion, he asked questions to better understand what each and every one of us was comfortable with, and he never pressed if anyone put up a boundary. 

“But most importantly, he cares, and so do you; so you are already on the right track, Din.”

Din sniffled, ducking his head as tears welled up and threatened to spill over.

“What if I come across other clones like you,” Din bit his lip tentatively, “or like Jade.”

The Commander’s eyes widened at the implication.

“You mean, if they are Force Sensitive?”

Din nodded.

“If you want, you can ask them in private, and respect their boundaries if they are hesitant to tell you anything. If they do share anything with you, you mustn’t go around sharing their information with anyone else. This is information that could easily get one of us decommissioned if it got to the wrong person.”

“Like the Admiralty,” Din muttered.

“Exactly,” Commander Cody nodded, “I have a feeling that I know who it is you are asking about, though, am I right?”

Din nodded affirmatively.

“This is a sore subject for him, it always has been, and isn't something you should take personally if he doesn’t want to share it with you. I would suggest getting to know him more, establishing a sense of trust, and asking him later on down the line.”

“Okay,” Din smiled gratefully, “thank you, Commander.”

“You can call me Cody, alright, verd’ika ?” Cody stood up, ruffling Din’s hair playfully.

“Okay, thank you, Cody ,” Din said right as he felt a gossamer-thin line connecting himself with Cody through the Force like a puzzle piece sliding into place. Cody’s surprise washing up against Din’s exuberance felt like a cool breeze on a hot summer's day.

“Anytime, Din .”

Chapter Text

64 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 21 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Obi-Wan hadn’t been in the Halls of Healing for not even ten minutes before the doors were being kicked down by his loved ones. Luckily, Bant was in the Halls and kept them at bay in the waiting rooms, but Obi-Wan could still feel his Padawan and Cody’s worry leaking through their separate bonds. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his own Force presence around them, to soothe their anxieties and lean into their comforting touches, but the lingering effects of the Sith temple and whatever curses had befallen him while aiding Senator Organa on the planet Zigoola were taking their toll on him. Even he knew it would be wise to allow Vokra and the other Healers to take their time focusing on healing him and his ragged Force presence.

“You always find yourself in predicaments like these, Obi-Wan,” Vokra chided, most of her focus on the healing crystals she was placing on his forehead and chest, “What are we going to do with you?”

In between healing sessions with Vokra’s crystals and a couple of dips into the bacta tank, Obi-Wan slept as much as he could, woken up by sudden nightmares and visions that hadn’t plagued him in some time. He kept seeing that same scene from his childhood playing out again in murky hues of red-hot lava and blue sabers clashing, but other various visions left him confused and shaken. 

…..he looked up to the sky and pressed all of his longing out into the open air, wishing for a change and that some cosmic force would show its hand…..he wished desperately to get his hands on a ship and fly into the skies, disappear into the streams of hyperspace, and never look back…..if only his uncle would let him…..

……she stared at the spot that her home had been, unable to comprehend what had just happened…..all of her people, her family, all gone…..with a spark of determination and rage beating its drum against her chest, she glared up at the dark mask of the man who had killed her family, wishing him, and the people he loved most, dead……

…..A few clicks away from the temple, he almost tripped over his own feet from the sensation that hit him full force…... The sensation in the Force felt off, not necessarily bad, but not inherently good either……It was just strange …… he realized the Force had a grasp on him and was pulling him to move forward, like a black hole sucking in everything in its path……

“....Master? Are you awake?”

With a deep groan, Obi-Wan slowly blinked his eyes open. Din had his right hand in a vice grip, his brown eyes sharp and assessing as Obi-Wan slowly began to sit up without hurting himself more in the process.

“Hello there, padawan,” Obi-Wan smiled at him, reaching across with his other hand to ruffle Din’s messy curls, his hand drifted down to the padawan braid and he tugged playfully at it, “Have you been keeping Cody in line while I’ve been gone?”

“You know it,” Din smirked, his Force presence lighting up as Obi-Wan reached out and tugged at their bond the same way he had done with the braid, embedding his feelings of fondness and relief into it.

“We’ve been keeping each other in line,” Cody’s voice sounded from Obi-Wan’s other side, the man seated as close as possible without being on Obi-Wan’s bed directly, his voice soft and knowing as he smiled at him, “How are you feeling, Obi-Wan?”

“Much better, now that you are all here,” Obi-Wan answered honestly, unable to stop how his Force presence gravitated towards Cody’s, their bond singing with waves of reliefguilthopeworryjoy. “How are the men faring?”

“They get some extended leave while you are recovering. They are faring quite well, if you ask me,” Cody rolled his eyes fondly. “But they all send their best regards and well-wishes.”

“That is good,” Obi-Wan sighed, settling back into the bed more comfortably, “they need a good break.”

“So do you, preferably one where you’re not laid up in the Halls of Healing, sir ,” Cody retorted with a raised brow, his scar stretching with the movement.

“Just get me Grogu and he’ll happily heal me up in no time,” Obi-Wan joked.

“No you don’t understand,” Din shook his head vehemently, “it took so long to convince him to not sneak through the rafters to get to you, please don’t!”

Obi-Wan and Cody erupted into peals of laughter at the look of fear on Din’s face, the movement causing Obi-Wan’s ribs to ache but he ignored it. He didn’t get moments like these too often, especially with Anakin choosing to spend his time with a certain Senator. It was rare for Obi-Wan to live vicariously in the present and enjoy himself and the few loved ones that were beginning to worm their way into his inner circle.

Obi-Wan found that he couldn’t complain one bit, not when he had Din bullying his way under Obi-Wan’s arms to snuggle close as possibly to his side, Cody propping his feet up on the edge of his bed as he scrolled through data pads and worked on his reports.

~*~*~*~

“Master, are you sure you’re okay?” Anakin asked, the quality of his voice through the comm was shaky at best, and the signal was always troublesome when going through hyperspace.

“I am fine, Anakin,” Obi-Wan tried not to audibly sigh, “now, let’s get back to the reason that you called me. How are the reports going for the munitions needed on this upcoming battle for the 501st?”

Anakin continued to glare at Obi-Wan through the holo, before inevitably letting out a deep sigh and did as instructed. Obi-Wan listened as his former padawan laid out the details of their battle plans for the upcoming mission through gritted teeth. He didn’t have to be in the same room as Anakin to keenly feel the rolling waves of frustration and worry slamming up against his shields in the Force. 

Instead of speaking his mind, how worried he was that the war would only make Anakin worse than he was and if their relationship would last in the fallout, Obi-Wan sat back and tried to focus on what he could do now in the present. It wasn’t until later in the day, after sitting down for a meal with his padawan and Bant, that Mace found him tucked away in his favorite spot to meditate in the gardens.

“I thought I’d find you here,” he said, taking a seat next to Obi-Wan beneath a Galek tree that had been brought to the temple hundreds of years ago, notably before the Mandalorian and Jedi wars. “I heard that you have been having visions again.”

Back when Obi-Wan was still a padawan and had been reunited with his Master after the whole ordeal that took place on Melida/Daan, Mace had purposefully gone out of his way to be there for Obi-Wan if he needed someone to talk to or confide in. 

It was well-known in the temple that Obi-Wan had been having visions sporadically throughout his life up until his teen years. He knew it hadn’t been malicious and purposeful, but when Master Qui-Gon had taken Obi-Wan as his padawan he had started discouraging Obi-Wan from putting his attention on his visions and what they could mean. Slowly but surely, his visions stopped. 

Mace had been one of the most vocal Masters to speak his mind to Master Qui-Gon, and had even made comments about helping Obi-Wan discern the meaning of any visions that would come to Obi-Wan. Nothing ever came of the offer, but Obi-Wan learned to rely on Mace as a friend if he ever needed someone to confide in. But now the offer was back on the table and Obi-Wan didn’t know how to let himself accept it, especially when he wasn’t sure if the vision had been a fluke or not.

“Just one, and that was after I came back from a planet submerged in the Dark side of the Force.” Obi-Wan retorted dryly.

“How long has it been since your last vision?” Mace asked pointedly, his brow raised.

Obi-Wan wordlessly huffed and rolled his eyes.

“We are all experiencing more stress and anxiety lately due to the war,” Mace settled against the tree trunk and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not surprising that you are experiencing visions again. Especially so with your new padawan, he is growing stronger in the Cosmic Force with each day.”

“He is?” Obi-Wan turned and faced Mace head-on, surprised at the admission. He knew that Din was having more visions with each passing day, sometimes multiple times a day. But to be growing stronger at such a fast rate? It was interesting, to say the least.

Mace nodded solemnly.

“You felt it,” Mace stated, “when you met Din for the first time. You felt the Force shift , as did I.”

Obi-Wan could only nod; his throat felt too tight to vocalize his thoughts. Even then, his mind was still grappling with it all and what it meant, what it would mean for Din as well. The Force was speaking to them, and through Din, was it speaking through Obi-Wan now?

“What does it mean?” Obi-Wan whispered, the Force felt thick and heavy all around them, like they were huddled under a blanket and hiding from an unknown intruder. The hairs on the back of his neck were raised, and goosebumps spread down his spine and arms.

“Be cautious and open to the Force for when the time is right,” Mace’s eyes were unfocused, his sense of awareness far away from the present moment, “the Force feels like a minefield of shatterpoints, but there is one slowly growing bigger and bigger.”

“We must be smart from here on out, keeping our eyes peeled for any sign of danger,” Mace turned and locked eyes with Obi-Wan, “or for opportunity.”

Obi-Wan was silent as he absorbed everything Mace said and what he implied. A lot was happening in the galaxy, and even right in front of them. It would be easy to get overwhelmed by it all, but they couldn’t afford to get swept away in the emotion of it all. 

“Speaking as a High Councillor and as a friend, keep an eye on Skywalker as well.”

Obi-Wan shivered as the Force swept through him, like a cool gust of frigid wind.

“There are too many shatterpoints around your former padawan,” Mace stood up and offered a hand to Obi-Wan, helping him up, “Too many for comfort.”

Obi-Wan wasn’t as strong in the Cosmic Force as Mace was, but he was surprised by his lack of surprise. If he was being gut-level honest with himself, there had always been a strange, nagging feeling in the back of his head whenever Anakin pulled off some foolish stunt or allowed his temper to get the better of him. 

“I will,” Obi-Wan’s voice was grave and deep to his ears. 

He tried to push past the guilt souring the back of his throat and allowed Mace to wrap a steadying arm around his shoulders, even leaning into it like he would as a young, insecure padawan unable to speak up against his actual Master.

~*~*~*~

There was only so long that Obi-Wan could stay still and cooperate with the Healer's instructions before he had to get up and start moving. He started small, by going on walks with his padawan in between the lessons he could attend in the temple while they were on Coruscant and answering as many of Din’s questions on historic hyperspace routes and political tensions in the Mid-Rim during the early years of the Republic. 

He meditated with whichever Council member was currently on planet, which happened to be Depa and Kit since Mace had to leave for a sudden mission, on the visions he had been having to no avail. 

“I’m going to have to go on missions with you eventually,” Din commented to him one afternoon on one of their walks, “You’ve walked me through basic katas and Shii-Cho, but Cal was telling me about how he had started learning Djem So and that it felt right in the Force. I want to feel that!”

Obi-Wan smiled fondly at his padawan. Truly, all initiates have the same ambitions in mind at that age , he thought to himself with a chuckle.

“I can show you some of the forms, but most of them will have to wait until I am feeling more spry and able to participate in some of the moves until after my ribs are fully healed,” Obi-Wan sighed, “but what I can do is at least show you my preferred lightsaber form, if you’d like. You may not like it, and it may not be the right one for you, but there is no pressure to claim it as your own if you don’t feel it is right.”

“Caleb said that you are one of the only Masters of Soresu. Is that true?” Din asked.

“Well, yes, but—”

“I would love to learn it from you,” Din said vehemently, his eyes wide in their sincerity, “especially since it is you who is the expert on it.”

Obi-Wan’s heart swelled with gratitude for the boy, and to have the opportunity to experience a padawanship that didn’t feel like he was constantly failing all the time. Of course, the guilt crept in and lingered in the dark recesses of his mind, but in the moment, his joy fully encompassed anything else.

“After you, my dear padawan,” Obi-Wan gestured for the hall leading towards the training salle.

The next couple of hours were both some of the best and weirdest moments of his life so far. He wasn’t surprised at how quickly Din started picking up the movements of each Soresu kata, but what surprised Obi-Wan was seeing his padawan move through each kata he was shown, and then would reflexively start completing movements and form variations that Obi-Wan hadn’t shown him yet.

After watching Din fluidly move through a full set of katas and end it with Obi-Wan's signature flourish, Obi-Wan couldn’t help the errant thought from crossing his mind: Have I taught him this before? Each lightsaber form had its own rules and movements that looked the same in each Knight that learned them, but there were areas in each set of katas that a Jedi could add their signature style or flourish to. 

Din was performing each of Obi-Wan’s unique flourishes without having been shown them before. 

Despite how strange it was and the unsettled sensation building in Obi-Wan’s mind, he pushed it to the foreground and clapped as Din stood up straight and shut his saber off, a wide, boyish grin on his sweaty face.

Obi-Wan would have to mention this to Mace next time he saw him….

~*~*~*~

“I don’t want to hear it, Commander,” Obi-Wan muttered, wincing as he settled into his favorite seat by the hearth, “I have rested enough already.”

“If you had rested enough, we wouldn’t be here,” Cody dryly retorted, “now stay still. I’m making you your precious tea so you don’t have to get up to make it.”

“How generous of you,” he hissed in pain as he slowly leaned back into his seat.

“Tell me again,” Cody’s voice, his tone bordering on teasing, echoed off the tile of Obi-Wan’s kitchen, glasses clinked together in the cupboards, and the kettle switched on; all a melodious tune that had Obi-Wan’s muscles relaxing into the cushions, “How did you find yourself giving a lightsaber demonstration to an entire group of younglings when you were 'only going on a stroll with your padawan' then?”

“Come now, my dear, you know I hate it when you chastise me so—”

“I rather think you like it when I chastise you, from how often I’m having to do so.”

“Lies and slander.”

The silence that filled Obi-Wan’s rooms was comfortable, homy even. The thought made his cheeks flush at how easy it was to be around his Commander, their shared spaces intertwining in the most natural of ways. No matter what happened between them, Obi-Wan would cherish the type of relationship the two of them shared. It made him even more determined to win the bloody war and bring peace back to the galaxy and to help create a space for the clones to finally have something for themselves, a chance and an opportunity to do right by the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the cause.

“There you go,” Cody’s voice jolted Obi-Wan out of his thoughts, “your favorite tea. Hopefully, this loosens your tongue.”

Obi-Wan raised his brows in question at his Commander and took a sip of his tea. Cody merely raised his brow back, leaning back into the cushions of his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, the fabric of his blacks stretching across his chest and muscles obscenely.

“Whatever do you mean, Cody?”

“I mean,” Cody leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he held Obi-Wan’s eye, “the great ball of thoughts that you have tangled up in all that overthinking that you have been doing. Now, spit it out or else you’re going to give me a headache.”

Obi-Wan took his time sipping his drink, which did him no favors since his Commander knew him too well and was willing to sit and wait him out.

“Did you know that it took me this long, practically my entire life, to realize that something was wrong?”

Cody didn’t say anything as he leaned back in his seat, arms folded across his chest, as he listened to Obi-Wan as intently as he did when Obi-Wan was going over the schematics for a battle they were prepping for. He would never truly get used to the level of dedication and attention his men, and his dear Commander, most importantly, levelled Obi-Wan with from one day to the next. Cody’s eyes spoke nothing but the truth, and to have that amount of intense trust and admiration levelled at himself with the utmost reverence was enough to make Obi-Wan weak in the knees. 

“Getting back from Zigoola, after being plagued by the Dark Side for days and coming back to the temple, it didn’t dawn on me until the second day that I woke up in the healing halls…” 

“What is it, Obi-Wan?” Cody patiently asked.

“The Force doesn’t feel that much different,” Obi-Wan choked out, “it feels just as clouded and murky here at the temple as it does at the Sith temple on Zigoola.”

“It’s always felt like this, if I really sit here and think back on it into my oldest memories. It may not have been as bad as it does now, but all I’ve known of the Force was comfort and safety, and to realize that it’s been slowly growing cloudier by the day is distressing to say the least.”

“I used to have visions as a youngling,” Obi-Wan took another sip of his tea, “but as the years went on, I fell out of them. I would have one now and then, usually when the Force needed to scream something at me to get my attention, but it’s been many years now since my last one.”

“You had one recently, did you?” Cody stated. “What did you see?”

“Hope,” the words fell off Obi-Wan’s lips before he could fully process them, “the minute I woke up, I could feel a shred of light return to the Force, the Darkness recoiling back ever so slowly.”

“Well,” Cody lifted his tea cup, most likely full of Obi-Wan’s cherished whiskey that he kept hidden from the wandering hands of his former padawan and Quinlan’s snooping nature, “here is to hope.”

Obi-Wan raised his teacup and clinked it against Cody’s.

“May the Force be with us.”

Chapter Text

67 ABG (After the 1st Battle of Geonosis) // 21 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Cody stared down at the screen of his comm unit, silently willing it to either start ringing or burst into flames. This is it, he thought to himself, and continued to shift the unit between his hands in the same reflexive motion that he had been doing for an hour now, things will change from here on out . 

The day that Fox’s secret contact was supposed to comm him had finally rolled around, and Cody nearly forgot all about it. With Obi-Wan being grievously injured on some half-cocked mission to a Sith planet with a senator in tow and the 212th being forced on leave while he recovered, there had been more important things on Cody’s mind. 

He looked away from the screen and out the window in front of him, the white streaks of hyperspace whizzing past. He was still worried about his General’s health, having held back the intense urge to shake Obi-Wan by the shoulders until he could see sense. Seeing how frail and sickly his General looked, lying against the stark white sheets of the healing halls had struck him deep in his gut, more so than he had in the war thus far. He was heavily reminded of how human his General was, Jedi or not, and the thought of losing the man that he had spent so long growing to trust and hold in high regard was overwhelming. 

Even though with every passing day Cody’s heart picked up an extra beat in the vicinity of Obi-Wan’s presence, he knew that if his General were to ever pass into the Force and leave them all behind that he would pick up Obi-Wan’s fallen saber and carry on the good fight. It’s what his General would want, and ultimately what Cody did too. Not just because order and the qualities of what it meant to be a soldier were drilled into him from decantation, but because helping those in need was the right and only thing to do. He had sat and listened as Obi-Wan explained the intricacies and spiritual aspects of the Order many times, and while he still didn’t fully understand their abilities and the depth of their beliefs Cody could reason with one in particular: the weirdly controversial topic of attachment. Cody would never want someone to cling to him, and he didn’t want to be a possessive person who took and gate-kept his loved ones from the world at the expense of others' lives. 

He sighed and shook his head, he always got introspective and moody when dealing with high amounts of stress. 

Another minute ticked closer to when the comm call would connect. Cody took a deep breath and let it out slowly, emptying his mind of his doubts and fears into the Force. The action had grown reflexive ever since he started sitting in on some of Obi-Wan and Din’s meditation sessions. It had started off with Cody arriving at their quarters to fill out data pads reports early and stumbled across the two Jedi mid-meditation. Instead of sitting awkwardly at the dining room table until they finished, he decided to take off some of his armor and join them. What could it hurt? At first, he didn’t know how to relax and slip under the waves of the Force and wasn’t sure if he was doing it right. But Obi-Wan, ever the patient and kind man that he was, took the time to turn it into a lesson for Din and helped show Cody how to allow his mind to go quiet and let go of his thoughts.

“This is beneficial to know when you are in moments of stress or are unable to calm your mind, padawan,” Obi-Wan said as he looked at Din, taking the pressure off of Cody to relax and not feel embarrassed, “Now, pay attention closely as I walk our dear Cody through this alternate method of clearing your mind for meditation.”

It made Cody feel a lot better when Obi-Wan phrased it that way, that there wasn’t one right way to meditate and on a deeper level, to be a Jedi as well.

“Anakin doesn’t meditate as often as I would like him to,” Obi-Wan explained, as they sorted through data pads on evening, the sound of Din’s holo recordings of his lessons playing quietly in the background, “but when he did, I found the best way to get him to relax was with moving meditation. He loved going over his lightsaber forms and learning new fighting styles, so it was easy to get him into the right mindset during those sessions and release some of his emotions into the Force.”

“So you tricked him into meditation, is what I’m hearing?” Cody teased, kicking Obi-Wan’s shin playfully under the table, “I approve of your mischievous ways.”

“I thought you said you hated my mischievousness on the battlefield?” Obi-Wan hid a grin behind his hand as he kicked Cody’s shin back, “I’m getting mixed signals here.”

Din groaned dramatically in the background. Cody didn’t envy the kid one bit, especially when it came to how boring the history of Coruscant’s laws and reforms were.

Meditation had quickly become a necessary and revered practice in his day-to-day life. He didn’t snap at the shinies as often anymore, and his boring meetings with the Admiralty didn’t make him want to gouge his eyes out. He wouldn’t admit it outloud to Obi-Wan, especially with the way his General would smugly smile when he noticed Cody taking a moment to breathe and empty his emotions into the Force, but he was eternally grateful to the man for being patient with him and teaching him ways to cope and use his ability to channel the Force.

Once again for the thousandth time, Cody wished that he had opened up and spilled his guts to Obi-Wan about this meeting. He could use some of the Jedi’s vaguely sardonic retorts rolled up in a layer of wisdom that left him feeling flayed open in the best of ways. 

Things had started changing between the clones and the Jedi, which complicated things. When they were all small and going through training on Kamino, Cody and his vode had made a pact amongst each other after watching an entire batch disappear overnight after the Kaminoian scientists pulled them away from their lessons. They swore to each other that after the war they were created for was over, that they would have a plan in place for their future. There were a lot of working parts that would need to be put in place in order for it to work, but his brothers were all determined to see it through no matter what it took. It all started as a plan amongst them, and they all knew it was safer to keep it that way; the less the Jedi knew, the better. It was also a reality that Cody sadly acknowledged that not every Jedi General was like him and so accepting of the troopers under their command. If those Jedi General’s found out what the Vode had planned, it would all fall apart. 

Suddenly, the comm chimed, an incoming call from a blocked number ringing out in the silence of the empty conference room Cody had sequestered himself away in. Steeling himself, Cody pulled on his bucket and accepted the call. 

“Greetings Commander,” the heavily filtered voice greeted, its owner just as mysterious underneath the deep hood hiding their face from view, “I apologize for the secrecy, but you seem to understand the gravity of this meeting as well, I presume?”

Cody smirked beneath the unpainted helmet, trying not to show how uncomfortable he was in the accompanying blank set of armor. 

“Of course,” he nodded, “it’s the first time I’ve ever relished in the anonymity I am rewarded by merely being a clone.”

“It does prove to have its conveniences at the best of times,” the hooded figure agreed.

“What must I call you?”

“My name will be Mavan. I will refer to you as Kyrdir, as requested by our mutual friend.”

Cody couldn’t hide the way his shoulders shook in silent laughter, internally cursing Fox in his head.

“The Prime gave you your name?!” Fox exclaimed, his eyes narrowed into slits and his cheeks flushing bright red with rage. “What kind of bullshit name is Kote? What is he trying to say by naming you that? Who is he to even name one of us?!”

“Why Kyrdir?” Wolffe asked.

“There is no glory in naming us if you aren’t going to do anything to stop the Cuy’val Dar from their abuse or the long-necks from their decommissionings,” Fox spat, “Name one of our brothers’ Kyrdir because we will put a stop to this. Mark my words, brothers, Jango Fett will rue the day he decided to turn his back on us!”

“Why not a more subtle name?” Ponds chimed in, his face set in a pensive frown. “Instead of Kote , 2224 could go by Cody . It sounds similar enough, but it’s still a silent rebellion against the Prime.” 

Fox had always been vindictive and brimming with a deeply rooted sense of justice and anger at their superiors. Fox wasn’t the type to have a short fuse and react, instead he held onto his rage and silently judged everyone around him. Cody knew Fox was close to whoever ‘Mavan’ was, especially for him to name them liberty . Fox only ever vented and let his frustrations show to Cody and the rest of their batchmates. Cody was honestly shocked that there was someone outside of their batch that Fox could trust with the knowledge of what that name meant to him and Cody. 

Behind his bucket, Cody scrutinized everything about Mavan that he could garner through narrowed eyes. He was far more curious about the identity of this person and just what they meant to his ori’vod .

“Before we discuss anything, is our mutual friend okay?”

“As much as they can be,” Mavan dryly retorted, “They are spending their time mostly worrying about you and the rest of your siblings.”

Cody nodded solemnly. Fox did have a tendency to overthink and worry himself sick.

“Speaking of, there is a lot we must discuss. What has our friend shared with you?”

“Not a damn thing,” Cody said, chuckling lightly, “But I do know that there’s validity to the case you and your friends are building, which is why you are finally reaching out.”

“You would be correct on that assessment,” Mavan pulled a datapad into their lap, “Now I have a series of questions to ask you. Are you ready?”

“What kind of questions are these?”

“They are to prove your sentience. It is also a chance for you to offer up any insight, events, or personal matters that could pertain to the case we are building. If this works, we will use this list as a template to use with anyone else who would like to contribute to the cause.”

Cody nodded and sat up straighter.

“I’m ready.”

“Can you describe an event that made you feel scared?”

Cody froze, his mind immediately latching onto the worst day of his life: the day he nearly lost Rex.

“Um,” Cody cleared his throat, “it was the day when my  vod’ika–er, little brother–was nearly decommissioned.”

“For the record, what are decommissionings?”

Cody tilted his head, taking in the tenseness in her tone. Fox has told them what it means, Cody realized with a start, this is someone really special to him, then….

“Decommissions are surgical procedures that the Kaminoan scientists would perform if ‘the product malfunctioned’. Or, in less psychotic terms, they would kill any of my vode if they strayed too far from the original copy.”

“What are some examples that would get your siblings decommissioned?”

“We are clones of Jango Fett, a biologically male bounty hunter with dark hair and eyes. If any of my brothers were sisters , born with a different hair or eye shade, or had any physical or mental ‘deformities’, they were targeted for decommission if they ever stepped a toe out of line.”

Cody cleared his throat and continued with the story.

“My brother was born with blonde hair, his whole batch was actually. As they grew and went through training, one by one, they were all decommissioned until he was the last one remaining. I pulled him into my batch one day and refused to let him leave.”

Mavan’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.

“I take it you two are close?”

“Yeah,” Cody’s voice was rough with emotion, “we are. We got even closer after he made a mistake in one of his training sessions and got himself noticed by the Kaminoans. My batchmates and I were able to cover for his mistake, but it was nearly a close call where we almost thought we lost him.”

“You and your batchmates look out for one another,” Mavan commented. “Is every batch the same about their siblings?”

“Yes and no,” Cody admitted, “there’s a general understanding amongst us, the vode , that we all support each other no matter what. Each one of us has deeper connections with certain siblings over others, and those can be in your batch or outside of it.”

“You keep bringing up this word, votay , is this a made-up word or a different language?”

“It’s pronounced vo- day ,” Cody corrected, “and it’s Mandalorian for ‘sibling’. Jango Fett taught the Alpha batches how to speak Mandalorian, and they taught us. We would only get to know what certain words were and what they meant if we did well in our training or lessons for the day, so we were all very competitive with each other.”

“Our mutual friend mentioned that you have even created your own language through sign, which is a mix of Mandalorian, Basic, and what they coined as Vode-Speak. Is this true?”

“Yes, it became essential to have our own language when we were in training sims. It’s been very helpful out on real battlefields.”

Mavan suddenly checked their wrist comm and set the datapad down.

“Our time is up for today. I will send you a message when I have a time and day set for more questions.”

He bit his tongue as a wave of disappointment crashed through him. He would have to wait until next time to tell Mavan about clones being Force sensitive.

“Thank you for doing this,” Cody tilted his head to her, “it takes guts to do what you and your friends are doing.”

“It’s what any decent person should be doing; it is no trouble for me to do this.”

“I can tell why our mutual friend likes you,” Cody couldn’t help but tease. Any chance to embarrass his brother was an opportunity he was willing to take.

Mavan ducked their head, undoubtedly fending off a blush at the comment.

“We will get into deeper questions next time. But until then, compile a list of designations you think I should reach out to. We have burner comms, so nothing can be traced back to us.”

Cody immediately had a few names come to mind. The project would benefit from having the personal insight from troopers like Clone Force 99 or Sister that recently joined the 501st, Cody mused, thinking over a way to discreetly contact them.

“I will let you know,” Cody nodded, “may the Force be with you.”

“May the Force be with us all,” Mavan said gravely.

Cody waited until the call ended and Mavan’s mysterious figure faded from view before pulling the uncomfortable helmet off. He set his comm unit and the helmet at his side and stared back out the window where the stars bled together in the white and blue shades of hyperspace. 

~*~*~*~

In the days following the call, Cody started mentally cataloging various topics to bring up to Mavan. They were attempting to prove how the clones were sentient beings capable of feeling, thinking, and acting as their own individual selves, and Cody was nearly overwhelmed by how he was proven right by these claims every single day. His vode was bursting with life, and it was baffling that anybody in the galaxy couldn’t see that. One didn’t need to be Force-Sensitive to see how unique each clone was from one another, how every one of them had their unique sense of style, taste in both food and sexual partners, and mannerisms that defined who they were. 

Waxer loved the white chocolate-covered raisins that he could only find at this very specific stand in the Coruscant markets, romantic poetry, and furry creatures big and small. Boil hated chocolate but loved those disgusting pickled peppers found at any Dathomirian store in the public markets on any planet they ended up on, he liked this specific brand of mustache gel that smelled of pine trees, and was not a morning person in the slightest. Wooley liked the fuzzy wool sweaters that Obi-Wan had shown the battalion when they ran across an Alderaanian trading post; he cried at every holofilm he watched, and loved to let the kids on the planets they were posted on paint his nails any color they wanted. 

Cody knew that Bly had always thought women taller than him were attractive, while Rex had never once expressed any interest in anyone sexually or romantically, that Wolffe loved a lot of sugar in his caf, and Fox would only drink his caf as dark and black as possible. He knew that roughly 3% of the active duty clones across the galaxy had received gender affirming care before the crackdown from the Senate, that there were roughly twenty female and nearly 10 non-binary troopers currently serving under the 212th. He didn’t know an exact number, but he now knew that he wasn’t the only Force-Sensitive clone in the whole army. His Force Sensitivity would be the key to the whole operation, once and for all proving the Vode’s sentience and right to support themselves during and after the war in the Republic.

He doesn’t trust Mavan just yet, even though Fox may trust this individual to a degree that makes Cody proud of his ori’vod . But he felt the calm assurance from the Force gently wash through him. One day he will, he knows this without a shadow of a doubt. He would need to be smart with what he would share with them to keep Mavan and Fox safe as well. 

Every single one of his vode was so unique and special, Cody would do anything to protect them. This was how Obi-Wan found him, sitting on one of the upper-level walkways and watching the cafeteria below his feet.

“You’ve been distracted all day,” Obi-Wan stated, not beating around the bush as he usually would, “Do you need a distraction or a listening ear?”

Gratitude welled up within Cody’s chest, and he smiled appreciatively at his General. Everything in him wanted to spill his guts and share everything with Obi-Wan, instinctively knowing that he would do anything he could to help get the Clone's Rights Act passed. But it was risky sharing anything with him, with anyone. The less people knew, the better. 

But he could share a half-truth at least, that way Obi-Wan could understand where he was at and still be there for him if Cody required it.

“I’ve been asked to keep a secret for one of my brothers,” Cody began, quickly forming a solid scenario for Obi-Wan to accept, “and it’s requiring a lot out of me. I want to share everything with you, even get your advice, but I don’t want to put this trooper in a tough spot.”

Obi-Wan frowned, his concern washing off of him in waves.

“I’m sorry that this is causing you a lot of distress. Do you need to talk about it? In broad terms, if need be, I’d hate to cause this trooper any harm with me knowing any key details. Is it one of our men?”

“No, it’s not,” Cody shook his head, “They are in a different battalion across the galaxy.”

He pursed his lips and mentally sorted his thoughts in order, coming up with a vague enough explanation to get off his chest.

“This trooper has information that could help provide all of the vode with better safeguards. They asked me for help in order to make sure that this information gets into the right hands, but they are surrounded by individuals who do not have our best interests in mind. It’s a painstaking process of obtaining this information and making sure they are safe, but it’s weighing on me.”

“You want to do more to help this trooper out,” Obi-Wan smiled fondly at him. “You are a good man, Cody. The fact that you are trying to help in the first place is more than enough, and I’m sure this trooper knows that as well.”

“I just hope that I can keep them safe,” Cody admitted, a breath of relief pouring out of him at being able to speak his thoughts and anxieties out loud. “I am scared that I am going to do or say something wrong and get them, or even you, in trouble for harboring these secrets.”

“I may not know everything that you do, but I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to keep you and your vode safe.”

Cody felt like he could cry. He hurriedly blinked the tears away and ducked his head so Obi-Wan wouldn’t see the rosy hue spreading across his face. 

“Thank you, Obi-Wan,” Cody whispered, his voice rough with emotion, “I am sorry that I cannot share everything with you.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for,” Obi-Wan reached over and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, “I understand where you are at and admire the efforts that you are making. I will always be here if you need to vent your anxieties away or to sit in meditation to cleanse your consciousness of any guilt you may be harboring.”

Cody nodded wordlessly, a lump forming in his throat. He wanted to loudly proclaim his undying love for his General and to close the distance between them with a mind-blowing kiss that kept haunting his dreams. Instead of doing that, he settled for leaning his shoulder against Obi-Wan’s and lifted his shields enough to let Obi-Wan’s Force presence embrace his own.

“Now,” Obi-Wan cleared his throat, the tips of his ears just as red as Cody's, “How much do you want to bet that Hammer is going to start a food fight?”

“Nothing,” Cody smirked, “It’s going to be Wooley who accidentally flings that spoonful of potatoes in Boil’s face, and then Hammer and Vel will join in after Boil retaliates.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, the sound reverberating through Cody.

“You’re on, Commander. I want some of that specialty caf that you hide away if I win.”

“I look forward to kicking my feet up as you take over my stack of reports waiting for us in your quarters.”

In the end, Cody won, as per usual.

Chapter Text

70 ABG (After the 1st battle of Geonosis) // 21 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Din knew the plan was going to go to shit. He silently watched as Commander Cody shared his thoughts with Master Obi-Wan and agreed with his assessment of the plan. Still, his Master went with the hair-brained scheme and instructed Knight Skywalker to start his part of the mission: getting himself caught by Dooku. 

He even watched as Ahsoka begged her Master to be included on the plan and tried not to be obvious in his disgruntlement when Knight Skywalker firmly turned her down. He knew that he wouldn’t get positive results if he asked his Master to join the mission, but at least he could rely on Master Obi-Wan speaking to him with logic and poorly concealed affection. He wasn’t an equal with his Master, not by a long shot, but Master Obi-Wan made an effort to communicate and answer Din’s questions without making him feel like a youngling. 

He had his chance to raise his concerns with his Master right after Knight Skywalker left in his shuttle for the set coordinates they knew that Dooku would be travelling past.

“Go ahead, Din,” Master Obi-Wan turned to him and smiled. “What is it you need to speak with me about?”

Din nervously bit his lip and glanced behind him, making sure that nobody was close enough to overhear them.

“I have a bad feeling about this plan,” Din said, unable to meet his Master’s eyes. “Why does it have to be just you and Knight Skywalker? Why can’t we provide you with backup in case Dooku tries to get away?”

Obi-Wan squatted until he got down to Din’s eye level and pulled Din close, his hands running up the sides of Din’s arms and to his shoulders in a soothing gesture. Din felt a majority of the tension unspool in his neck and shoulders at the action. Obi-Wan ducked his head until he could meet Din’s eyes and smiled softly.

“Anakin and I are the best for this mission, since it has to be as stealthy as we can manage.”

Din raised his brow, unimpressed.

“Okay, I will try to be stealthy. I cannot promise that my former padawan will be able to do so.” 

Din nodded, still mentally tossing his questions and concerns around in his head until he had it worded exactly right.

“I tried meditating on this feeling earlier, but it is still there,” Din looked up at his Master through his bangs, “What do you do when you get this feeling that something will go wrong?”

Master Obi-Wan sighed and shifted so he was kneeling a little more comfortably.

“I keep one ear on what the Force is telling me, and my feet firmly planted in the present. I work hard to find a balance between trusting in the Force and what is currently happening around me. When you do have that balance, it opens your senses up to everything around and grounds you in the moment. That’s what I do, my dear padawan.”

It seemed so simple, but it felt nearly impossible to do at the moment. Din took a deep breath and focused on letting his worries go into the Force. Master Obi-Wan followed him in stride and coaxed Din’s efforts along in the Force. It took a few minutes which Din felt his muscles relax and his heart swell with love and gratitude for his Master. He was surprised when Master Obi-Wan returned the rush of affection. When they were done, Din rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his Master’s torso in a hug. The feeling of his Master’s arms wrapping around him, the smell of his beard oil and his favorite brand of tea, and his soothing Force presence was the perfect balm to Din’s worried mind.

“I hope I can join you one day,” Din admitted, “but I understand why you haven’t allowed me to join you now.”

“If it were up to me, you would be far away from the frontlines of this war, Din,” Obi-Wan ran a hand through Din’s hair, “But for now, I will continue to train you as best as I can.”

“Thank you, Master,” Din whispered, squeezing his Master one last time before stepping back from his warm embrace.

“You will be an amazing Jedi one day, Din,” Obi-Wan said, standing up, unsuccessfully hiding a wince as his knees cracked, “You and Cody hold down the fort for me while I’m gone, okay?”

Din felt another rush of nerves hit him at the prospect: he was going to have to take on an active role in his Commander duties for the first time without his Master there to support him.

“You’ve got this, my padawan,” Obi-Wan ruffled Din’s hair playfully, chuckling when Din ducked away, “Cody will be there to help you if you need the support. He won’t let you fail, trust in him and the Force.”

Din nodded and straightened up as the speakers crackled the life overhead.

“This is CC-2224 requesting General Kenobi, please report to the command deck. T-minus ten minutes until hyperspace takeoff. CC-2224 out.”

“You'd better go before the Commander sends a search party out for you,” Din teased, remembering the time that he witnessed a group of clones, led by Mischief and Nelle, actively chasing after Master Obi-Wan on the third-floor decks.

“Knowing my darling Commander, he probably already has one out hunting me down,” Master Obi-Wan shook his head fondly, “You best find Ahsoka, I think she may need the company of someone who understands where she is at.”

Din nodded and took off for the landing bay where he had last seen her. He was prepared to have to create a search party for her, but was pleasantly surprised to see Ahsoka in the same spot she had been in, staring forlornly at the doors her Master’s ship had left through moments before.

“Ahsoka?” Din announced his presence, startling her out of her thoughts and whirled around to face him. “Are you okay?”

He felt a little awkward asking, unsure if he was going about this the right way. He didn’t want to offend or anger her in any way, since she was already in a heated mood after getting into a yelling match with Knight Skywalker. Ahsoka glanced away and wiped at her face roughly.

“I-I’m fine,” she muttered gruffly, “Am I needed for something?”

An idea hit Din suddenly, and he decided to trust his intuition and the Force urging him along.

“Actually, yes,” Ahsoka straightened, turning her body towards him with her full attention, “I need your help with something.”

“What is it? If it is help with any homework, I am going to be completely useless. You’re better off saving your questions for Master Kenobi.”

“This will be the first time my duty as a commander will be more prominent with my Master gone. Do you have any tips or advice?”

“Oh wow,” Ahsoka stared at him wide-eyed, “you want my help with that? Why don’t you ask Commander Cody? He’s a Marshall Commander and was trained for the role; he’s the best suited for that.”

“I want your advice. You know what it’s like from a padawan and a Jedi’s perspective just like me.” Din said pointedly. “Besides, I’ve already grilled Commander Cody with thousands of questions already.”

“Alright,” Ahsoka shrugged, motioning for him to follow her, “we might as well head to the command deck, that’s where we will be stationed for the next few hours to observe all incoming communication and receive orders if need be.”

As Ahsoka began to answer his questions, Din felt the last of his worries melt away. He had someone close to his age to rely on, and he was also the perfect distraction for her to get her mind off of missing Knight Skywalker.

“You know,” Ahsoka grinned mischievously as the elevator opened on the command floor, “we are kind of padawan cousins.”

Din nodded in acknowledgment.

“So that means we are going to see each other a lot,” Ahsoka pointed out, “which means we have to come up with ways to prank our Masters.”

“I’ve already got some ideas up my sleeve.”

~*~*~*~

Din had known the plan was shit to begin with, but he didn’t think his Master would fail this badly. Landing themselves in a nest of Gundarks, only to be saved by their padawans, and losing Count Dooku to pirates was quite the low point for both Master Obi-Wan and Knight Skywalker to find themselves in. Din didn’t have it in him to beg to join his Master a second time in hunting down the Count from the pirates. He and Commander Cody shared a knowing look and rolled their eyes, knowing that things would go downhill once again.

Now his Master was captured by the very same pirates and the Republic was forced to make a deal with them. 

“You Master baffles me,” Cody muttered, shaking his head as he closed down the comm call with the Chancellor’s office. “He is incredibly competent and great at what he does, but has the worst luck of all time.”

“I’m starting to notice that,” Din agreed, “So we are only going to be in orbit once we get confirmation that the Senate committee has made contact with Captain Ohnaka?”

“Yes, for now,” the Commander took his helmet off and settled it on the command table, “unless we got orders to assist with ground backup.”

Din swallowed down his frustration and impatience, a shaky effort nonetheless. After a beat of silence, Cody turned and cleared his throat.

“I mentioned to the General that I want to have you out on the field. When we get our next orders, General Kenobi wants you to work alongside him, but after that, I want to have you work with my men in Ghost company. That way you can learn how we communicate and operate in the heat of battle. One day you’ll be leading a company of men, and in order to get to that point you need to know how we work in the field.”

Din nodded wordlessly, too amazed to say anything.

“If I am being honest, kid,” at this, Commander Cody leaned down to speak in a tone that was much quieter than before, “Commander Tano was rushed out onto the front lines and expected to pick everything up right away. We have been wanting to take our time in training you so that you are better prepared for what to expect on the frontlines. I hope you know that the General and I aren’t sidelining you because we don’t think you are good enough, we have so much faith in your abilities and want you to succeed.”

“I understand, Commander,” Din nodded, “I haven’t doubted you about it. I am much newer to being a Jedi than Ahsoka is; there’s still a lot that I have needed to learn anyway.”

“You are doing very well,” Commander Cody smiled, the scar over his eye wrinkling with the motion, “The General and I are very proud of how well you have been doing.”

Before Din could respond, Nexxus cautiously approached them and awkwardly cleared their throat.

“Commanders? We have been given the green light to make the jump to hyperspace by GAR headquarters.”

Commander Cody stood up and nodded, placing his helmet back over his head.

“Have the coordinates been calculated and punched in?”

“Yes, Captain Jett has them in the system and ready to go.”

“Commander Djarin?” Din straightened as Commander Cody addressed him, “Would you care to do final safety checks?”

“Yes sir,” Din couldn’t help but throw in a cheeky salute, forcing his expression to remain neutral. “Lieutenant Jinx, what are the engine vitals reading?”

~*~*~*~

“....I guess this means we won’t be friends….”

A blaster shot rang out and hit Obi-Wan square in the shoulder. He cried out and lost his grip on one of Dooku’s hands. Another shot rang out and hit Dooku’s Force-resistant cuffs, the mechanism springing free from his wrist. Before Obi-Wan could react, Dooku had his hand raised and Force lightning springing out of his fingertips.

The two of them fall to the ground below, but before the pirate’s can rush forward Dooku is up and pushing the crowd back violently with the Force. He turned and hit Obi-Wan with another round of lightning, grinning wildly as Obi-Wan began to scream from the onslaught.

“Say hello to your Master for me……”

“....Din?! Din, wake up, it’s just a vision! Din !”

Din’s eyes sprang open, and he jolted at the feeling of arms around him, his chest tightening in panic.

“Hey, hey, hey, Din, it’s okay,” the voice belonged to Commander Cody, Din reminded himself, and allowed himself to lean into the Commander’s strong frame, “You’re on the command deck of the Negotiator. We just arrived at the destination to provide backup for General Kenobi and Skywalker.”

“Is my Master okay? Is he safe?” Din asked, unable to stop the panic from rising in his chest again. “He’s in trouble! We have to save him, Cody. Please , we have to save him!”

“Hey, calm down, take a deep breath for me, okay?” The Commander gripped his shoulders tightly. “In for five, and out for five. Can you do that for me? Follow my breath.”

Din hesitantly did as he was told, tears falling down his cheeks as he forced himself to calm down and breathe. After several rounds of breaths back and forth, the Commander nodded encouragingly at him.

“Good, you feel better, kid?” When Din nodded in response, Cody squeezed his shoulders and reached for his utility belt, producing a handkerchief that he used to wipe up the tears from Din’s face. “Good. Here’s what we are going to do: I am going to try and make contact with the Senators again, and once we get confirmation from Commander Stone, we will board a shuttle and meet up with the General. Sounds like a plan?”

“What if he’s hurt?” Din whimpered. The image of his Master writhing on the ground from Force lightning was unbearable. “I had a vision that Dooku was torturing him with Force lightning.”

“What did your Master say about these visions?” 

Din bit his lip and ducked his head, feeling ashamed of his reaction.

“Hey, enough of that,” Cody chided, “What you just experienced was scary, I know I would be freaked out if I were in your shoes. Now tell me, what wise words did your Master tell you about how to handle these visions?”

“He said to be mindful of them,” Din repeated, wiping his nose against his sleeve, “to trust in what the Force is telling me and proceed with caution. Sometimes visions don’t happen as they play out, but are a warning to be mindful of your actions. I need to meditate on the vision and listen to the Force.”

“Okay, do you want any help meditating? I haven’t done it that often with the General, but I can at least be there for you if you’d like.” 

Din nodded, his fingers clutching the edges of Cody’s chest piece. 

“Alright, we’ll go find a room and settle down for a moment. Sounds good?” When Din nodded again, the Commander turned his head to someone over his shoulder. “Captain Jett, keep tabs on the communications table and comm me when you have received word from Commander Stone on the ground.”

“Yes, sir!”

Din kept his head low so he wouldn’t have to see the looks on everyone’s faces as they walked past. His face was hot with embarrassment, and all he wanted was to hide it from sight. He was envious of the clones and their helmets, missing the beskar helmet he had arrived on Kamino with as if it were a missing limb.

Cody pulled them into a conference room and shut the door and blinds, then began to take off pieces of his armor.

“Go ahead and get comfortable, Din,” Cody instructed in a soft but firm tone that Din couldn’t help but obey.

He settled on the ground, pushing a couple of the chairs around the conference table away. When the Commander’s chest and leg pieces were off, he sat directly across from Din and reached his hands out. Confused, Din obliged and let the Commander grab his hands in his large, calloused ones.

“Now, I’ve watched Obi-Wan do this a few times to get the gist of how you meditate best, but I am relying on your expertise here, kid.”

Din nodded and closed his eyes.

“We will start with several deep breaths,” Din repeated the instructions his Master had given him the first time they meditated together, “and reach inwards to where the Force lies within us.”

Din lost track of time as the two of them reached out to the Force and slowly began to unpack their emotions, sending them into the Force one by one. It became soothing, performing the repetitive movements over and over again. Din’s chest felt lighter, and the weight of his fear had lessened to barely nothing. 

“That feels better,” Cody murmured after a moment, his hands squeezing Din’s as they breached the surface and into reality again, “How are you feeling?”

“Thank you, Commander,” Din blurted out, ducking his head, “I’m sorry for my reaction around everyone—”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Din,” Cody smiled softly at him, “like I said before, you had a very valid response to something very scary to you. I’m just glad I was there to help you through it.”

Din didn’t know what to say, so he rushed forward and hugged the Commander instead. He had always been better at actions than words anyway. The Commander grunted at the impact and chuckled, his hands running through the back of Din’s hair and up his back in a soothing pattern.

“You’re a good kid, you know that?” The Commander said as he pulled away, purposefully making eye contact with Din, “You also have the makings of a good Commander and an even better Jedi. Trust in yourself, you’ll go far, I promise.”

“Thank you,” Din whispered.

“Now, how about we go and see if your Master has caught Count Dooku. How does that sound?”

Din grinned and clasped his hand in Cody’s as they walked out of the conference room and back onto the command deck.

~*~*~*~

Din was ashamed of himself and unable to do anything about it. He knew he had reacted irrationally, but the rush of anxiety at spotting his Master board the Negotiator after returning safely from his brief imprisonment was too much for him to handle. So he fled, like a skittish Tooka, and found a quiet dark alcove to tuck himself away in. He couldn’t face his Master after he had freaked out on the command deck during his first opportunity to help out on a mission. 

He was also scared of how his vision had left such an impact on him. Din had only been having visions at night and while he was sleeping, none had hit him with that much intensity during the day. He felt like a liability and unprepared for the sense of duty awaiting him as a Commander of the 212th. 

Logically, Din knew that his Master would have some wise words of wisdom for him and would not cast him aside for his reaction to his visions, but the voice of reason in his head was severely lacking any volume and was being drowned out by fear and anxiety. He tried taking a deep breath to calm his mind and re-center himself, but his breathing was still shaky and his body was thrumming with too much adrenaline for him to handle. His chest ached, and his lungs were beginning to burn. It felt like he was slowly dying, and no one was around to help him.

Dank ferik , Din put his head in his hands and tried to muffle his sobs. I should have faced Master Obi-Wan head-on and gotten this all taken care of….

Suddenly, a strong sensation wrapped itself around his Force presence, his mind went silent, and the rush of anxiety came to a sudden stop. Din jerked his head up as a hand settled on his shoulder. Through bleary eyes, he made out the face of Knight Skywalker frowning at him.

“Hey, Din, you’re alright,” Knight Skywalker knelt in front of him, both hands settling carefully on Din’s shoulders, “just breathe, okay? Follow my breath, okay? In for five and out for five, got it?”

Din nodded and shakily followed the instructions, his cheeks bright red at being caught in such an embarrassing state.

“There we go, that’s a lot better,” Knight Skywalker squeezed his shoulders and smiled at him, “I used to have freak-outs like these all the time. I could never get myself to calm down, until Obi-Wan found me one day and taught me that breathing exercise.”

“You freaked out like this, too?” Din wiped his face with the edge of his robes and lowered himself into a more comfortable position. Knight Skywalker mirrored his movements.

“Oh yeah, all the time,” Knight Skywalker looked away, his fingers anxiously beating against his thigh, “The Force has always been too loud, too much for me — especially when I was a teenager, just ask Obi-Wan.”

“Are these your shields around us?” Din asked as he mentally poked at the strong barriers surrounding him in the Force.

“Yep, Obi-Wan helped me build them. All of my teachers at the Temple hadn’t dealt with a student like me before and didn’t know how to help me. So Obi-Wan showed me how to reinforce them and build them up.”

Din bit his lip, nervous to ask the question that came to mind.

“What is it? You can tell me, we’re Padawan brothers now, we'd better start bonding when we can.”

Din cracked a grin and ducked his head, parsing through his thoughts and how to phrase himself right without offending the guy.

“How do you connect with the Force? I can barely feel it in here….doesn’t it feel lonely?”

Knight Skywalker paused, his attention latching onto Din’s face, his fingers stilling against his thigh.

“I can still feel it,” Skywalker shrugged, “but it helps me focus and puts less pressure on other Jedi around me.”

Din was reminded of the sheer strength he had felt over the past few weeks in between missions with the 501st, where Knight Skywalker would inevitably lose his cool and start arguing with Master Obi-Wan over battle schematics. He shivered at the reminder, thankful for the thought that Knight Skywalker had put into caring for those around him.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Skywalker spoke up again after a beat of silence, “what was it that you were freaking out about? I saw how you sprinted away when Obi-Wan got out of the LAAT/I.”

Din frowned and hugged his knees to his chest.

“You can tell me, I probably have some solid advice if it's about Obi-Wan. Did you do something wrong? Break an order or something?”

“No!” Din exclaimed, “I-I….”

Skywalker scooted closer until he was sitting next to Din and carefully urged Din to scoot backwards until their backs hit the cool metal wall behind them. Din tried to grapple with his thoughts, but he was distracted by the lack of movement in the Force.

“Do you mind…. I think I’m calm enough now, you can let me out of your shields.”

“Are you sure?” Skywalker asked, his brow scrunched in clear concern. “You can take as long as you need to calm down. I don’t mind sitting with you while you catch your breath.”

Din smiled, a fond rush of relief warmed his chest at the kind gesture. Despite his rash and impatient demeanor, Anakin Skywalker was thoughtful and kind. There was still a little voice in the back of his head that had him on alert around the older Jedi, which would randomly scream in warning whenever he was near. Din couldn’t put a finger on why Knight Skywalker had him so on edge, but he decided to at least try and offer the man the chance to connect with him if he was going to make the effort himself. 

“I’m good, I promise,” Din said as he took another deep breath with no issue to prove his case further.

“Alright, if you say so,” Skywalker agreed and lifted his shields from around Din’s Force presence.

The Force rushed back in through Din’s senses, filling him up as if he were a life-sized balloon. He couldn’t help but feel immensely relieved and glad to be rid of the strange sensation that was Skywalker’s intense shielding. He glanced up at the man out of the corner of his eye, taking in the intensity of Skywalker’s expression and how he held himself. The Force nudged at him gently, and Din felt better about sharing his thoughts with him. He did say we were Padawan brothers , Din reasoned with himself, I never had a brother before….

“I had a vision while working on the command deck for the first time,” Din admitted as he fiddled with the edge of his sleeves, “I feel embarrassed and that I am just a liability to everyone around me.”

“Visions can be pretty intense, I get that,” Knight Skywalker nodded, bumping his shoulder against Din’s, “but I am sure that Obi-Wan has told you about how to deal with them, right? You trust in the Force and listen to what it tells you. Trust in what is true and the Force will guide you well.”

Din looked up, impressed by the wisdom in his Padawan brother’s tone.

“That does sound like something Master Obi-Wan would say.”

“It does, doesn’t it? Here, let me do it in his voice,” Skywalker cleared his voice and spoke in a poor rendition of Master Obi-Wan’s posh Coruscanti accent. “Trust in the Force and listen to what it tells you, padawan.”

Din began to giggle until it morphed into full-blown laughter, his gut aching from how hard he was laughing.

“That was terrible !” Din said in between bouts of laughter.

“I’d like to see you try! Nobody can sound as prissy as he does!” Skywalker retorted, wiping his eyes from tears of his own laughter.

Din cleared his throat and screwed his face up as he attempted his own impression.

“My darling Commander, would you be a dear—” Din snorted as his voice cracked, the two of them bursting into laughter again.

“Now what is the meaning of all this?” Master Obi-Wan suddenly appeared in the hallway, his hands on his hips as the Commander stepped into view next to him.

He dared a look up at Skywalker and promptly burst into laughter again.

Chapter Text

74 ABG (After the 1st battle of Geonosis) // 21 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

“Senator Chuchi,” Anakin called out over the loud din of ship engines around them, “are you needing a ride back to Coruscant?”

The Pantoran senator nodded and accepted the hand that Obi-Wan held out for her to climb up into the shuttle the Resolute had sent down to Orto Plutonia’s surface to collect them with.

“If you would be so kind, I would greatly appreciate it.”

“Of course, Senator, it’s no hair off our backs.” 

“I appreciate your generosity, Master Kenobi,” Senator Chuchi ducked her head, “I also appreciate the good advice you gave me.”

“The people chose you for a reason, Senator. You are more than capable of doing your job well.”

“Strap yourselves in, we are ready for takeoff!” Rex called out from the front of the shuttle.

“May I sit with you, Master Kenobi?”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan gestured at the free seat next to him, “you can call me Obi-Wan if you’d like.”

“Well met, Obi-Wan,” she stuck her hand out to him for a shake, to which he obliged, “You can call me Riyo.”

“Well met, Riyo,” Obi-Wan settled into his seat, pulling his coat higher up to his chin to keep the sharp winds out. “How long have you been serving in the senate?”

“Nearly a year now. It’s been quite the adjustment, getting used to everything .” Riyo leaned back in her seat, her headpieces jingling with the movement.

“I can imagine the Senate has never been my favorite place to dwell in for very long.”

“There are days when I feel the same,” Riyo nodded vehemently, “But there are also really good days that outshine the bad, days where I can make effective change for the galaxy and my people.”

“You have far more patience than I; I admire your strength.”

“I beg to differ on that,” Riyo shifted more to face Obi-Wan directly, “even before the war, the Jedi were peacekeepers and negotiators, correct?”

“Negotiating is where my specialties lie,” Obi-Wan admitted.

“To be a negotiator requires a lot of patience and keen observational skills. I don’t doubt that you are a very patient man just for that fact alone.”

“I concede my point,” Obi-Wan threw his hands in the air, making her laugh, “it does require some skill that many lack. Like you said, I have my days where I do not feel like I have enough patience to pull forth.”

Riyo paused for a moment and stared down at her lap. Obi-Wan studied her closely, now that things were calm around them and they weren’t in the middle of a potential war breaking out before their very eyes. She was young, that he had known, but despite the nervousness that hung around her like a cloak, there was something about her that the Force kept insisting he pay attention to, incessantly nudging him about. 

“Did you know that I barely won the vote in the election?” 

“No, I didn’t,” Obi-Wan answered, leaning back in his seat.

“I went up against a popular conservative politician,” she chuckled dryly, fiddling with the rings on her fingers, “it made a lot of people mad when I was elected, and the efforts to buy his victory didn’t pan out.”

It was an unfortunately common theme in politics, Obi-Wan had found in his travels across the galaxy. Good people who deserved to represent their people hardly ever made it to the Senate dome. It was a testament to Riyo’s tenacity and strength that she happened to win, despite the odds balanced against her.

“Ever since I landed on Coruscant, I have been bombarded by so much corruption and truly awful politicians who have it out against me because they struck out on having another alliance with Pantora because a woman won the seat. If it weren’t for the vigilance of the Coruscant Guard, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“I’m glad that the clones have had your back through everything,” Obi-Wan said, taking note of the faint blush tinting her blue skin a deep purple hue. 

“Yes, as am I,” Riyo nodded, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “Do you have any advice? What helps you recenter?”

“I meditate, as do many of the Jedi do to connect with the ways of the Force. It’s a way for us to shrug off the burdens and weight that pile up throughout your day, to recenter and feel the Force move around and through us.”

“That sounds magical ,” Riyo said with a dreamy sigh, “what does the Force feel like to you? Is that an insensitive question to ask?”

“No, it’s alright,” Obi-Wan waved her off, “the Force feels like diving beneath the surface of a deep ocean on a hot day, surrounded by blissful silence on all sides. It feels like coming home and feeling your shoulders relax as you step into your own space. It has always felt like a warm hug to me.”

“I love that,” Riyo leaned her head against the side of the shuttle wall, “Are there ways for non-Force Sensitives to meditate?”

“Oh yes, we have free meditation sessions at the temple every other day in the mornings and evenings.”

“Really?!” Riyo exclaimed, her face brightening at the revelation, “I am going to have to take part in this.”

As Obi-Wan pulled up Jocasta’s contact information, the shuttle pulled into the heart of the 501st’s Resolute. 

“Senator Chuchi,” Rex approached them as the rest of the troopers deboarded, “you can follow me, I’ll show you where our guest rooms are for you to freshen up.”

“Thank you kindly, Captain,” Riyo stood up with Obi-Wan, “thank you for the advice, Obi-Wan.”

“The honor is all mine, Riyo,” Obi-Wan bowed to her, “and remember: you are more than capable of doing great things.”

Riyo bowed back, a purple-tinted blush flooding her cheeks.

“Same goes for you,” Riyo winked playfully as Rex led her out the door.

Suddenly, Anakin slid up out of nowhere, a cheeky grin on his face that screamed of mischief.

“She was totally flirting with you, Master, and if I’m not mistaken, you were flirting back.”

“ Anakin !” Obi-Wan smacked the side of his head, “Cut that out! She was merely asking for my advice. Nothing more.”

“Ow, hey!” Anakin squawked indignantly, “Well, how am I supposed to tell the difference! You're constantly flirting with anything that moves!”

“It’s called being friendly and conversational, look it up.”

~*~*~*~

The minute the comm call connected and Din’s smiling face appeared, Obi-Wan felt all the tension from the day drain out of him. 

“Hello, Master! How was Orto Plutonia? Did you have time to get into a snowball fight with Torrent Company?”

“We did not have the time, unfortunately. Fives tried his damndest to instigate one with poor Captain Rex.”

“I can imagine that didn’t end well.” Din laughed at that.

“How was your mission? Did you do well out on the field with the men?”

At that, Din grinned from ear to ear. Obi-Wan’s heart soared at the sight.

“It was good! I focused on those breathing exercises you and Anakin showed me and was able to get into the flow of the Force without getting too overwhelmed. Cody had to pull me aside in between missions to help ground me, but other than that, it went well!”

“Good, I’m glad you had Cody there with you through your first mission.” Obi-Wan smiled fondly at his padawan. “We’re going to have to add an extra bead to your braid to commemorate it.”

“When are you guys getting to Coruscant? We just arrived and are waiting on ground control to let us land.”

“Cody’s favorite part of naval operations,” Obi-Wan joked, picturing the disgruntled look on his Commander’s face as he was forced to wait for ground control to give them confirmation.

“Oh yeah, I was banished from the command deck because I kept laughing at him,” Din grinned just as cheekily as Obi-Wan’s former padawan.

“I’m sure he loved that as well,” Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.  “Where are you on your homework?”

“I’m almost done with my notes for Galactic History,” Din groaned, running a hand down his face. “This section is so boring, Master!”

“What is it that you are learning?”

“The foundation of the Corellian Trade Spine,” Din pouted into the holo lens, “it’s so boring without having you here to read it to me.”

“Oh, so you do pay attention when I help with your lessons.”

“Master!” Din whined. “No one on this ship can help me, and I have so many questions.”

“Why can’t they help you?” Obi-Wan frowned, “I’m sure that Cody would be more than willing to sit down with you if you asked.”

“I already tried!” Din threw his hands up, frustratedly, “He keeps reading off the information like a cyborg droid would without looking at the page! It’s creepy, how do they do that?!” 

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but laugh, a full belly laugh that had tears streaming down the sides of his face. He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed this hard, but it was nice to experience once again. His soul felt lighter at the sound of Din’s accompanying laughter through the holo screen.

“That would be the flash training that the clones went through on Kamino,” Obi-Wan explained once he had reigned himself in, “send me a copy of the text you’re reading from and I’ll break your lesson down for you.”

“Thank you, Professor Kenobi,” Din grinned wickedly, the same mischievous gleam in his eyes as Anakin’s.

Obi-Wan’s heart stuttered in his chest at the sight. Lately, it had felt as if his former padawan was slipping through his fingertips, the only thing remaining being a mountain of frustration and anger that had been building between them for years before the war had begun. A well of grief had been slowly filling up within Obi-Wan every time he was reminded of the good times between himself and Anakin, of a future lost where Obi-Wan would watch his lineage rebuild before his very eyes and be connected to every new member that joined them. But recently, life had sparked in his former padawan’s eyes, and their relationship felt reminiscent of what it once was, and any lingering bitterness towards Obi-Wan taking Din in as a padawan had all but vanished. It also helped that the two started bonding more one-on-one, especially when Din showed an interest in all things mechanical and was willing to listen to Anakin’s ramblings and even contribute his thoughts to the conversation.

Hope sparked within Obi-Wan’s chest, a tiny, fragile thing that he cradled close in reverence. Maybe they could all make it out of the war alive and well enough to be in each other’s lives, coexisting peacefully in the temple. Obi-Wan wouldn’t even be mad if Anakin wanted to explore his relationship with Senator Amidala and leave the Order to start a family; as long as his former padawan was happy, so was he.

~*~*~*~

“I never thought I’d say this, but I am so glad to be back on this blasted planet again,” Riyo breathed a sigh of relief, the doors to the shuttle opening up on one of the Senate landing pads.

Obi-Wan extended a hand and helped her step down on solid ground.

“I do feel your sentiment, Riyo,” Obi-Wan folded his arms into the sleeves of his robes, “even though the Jedi Temple resides here and is my home, I do tire of the constant politics and politicians myself.”

Riyo laughed and accepted her bag from Captain Rex.

“Whenever you do find yourself back on planet again, I have a wonderful tea shop that I think you’d enjoy. You can whisk me away from the pains of politics for an afternoon on the very essential ‘Jedi business’.”

Obi-Wan bowed and kissed her hand politely as one of the Commanders from the Coruscant Guard approached them.

“I will have to take you up on that offer sometime,” Obi-Wan straightened and nodded at the Commander, withholding the urge to smirk as the force of his protectiveness and jealousy hit Obi-Wan in the Force. “Greetings, Commander. Here is the lovely Senator back in one piece.”

“General,” the Commander said shortly, “Senator, may I grab your bags?”

“Yes, please, thank you, Commander Fox,” Riyo grinned at him, her face flushed pleasantly. 

“Thank you for your help on Orto Plutonia with the Talz, Master Kenobi,” Riyo nodded to him, “May the Force be with you.”

“May the Force be with you as well, Senator Chuchi,” Obi-Wan bowed once more and watched the two unite with the rest of the Coruscant Guard.

He couldn’t wait to tell Cody about his ori’vod’s crush on one certain Senator.

Chapter Text

78 ABG (After the 1st battle of Geonosis) // 21 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)

Cody was awakened in the early hours to his comm ringing off the hook, his heart thundering in his chest as he blinked awake from the strange dreams he had woken from. There was nothing discernible that he could remember; all he was left with was the emotions reverberating through his mind and body: panic, anger, and grief.

“This is CC-2224,” Cody responded, thankful that it was an audio call and not a holo.

“Cody, I apologize for waking you, but I have a request,” Obi-Wan’s voice filtered in through the speakers. He sounded like he usually did, voice calm and confident. But there was a hint of something in his voice that only someone close to the Master Jedi would pick up on. If this were a holo call, Cody would bet anything that there was a telltale crease between Obi-Wan’s brows that hinted at the worry brewing beneath the surface.

“What’s wrong, Obi-Wan?” Cody sat up against his bed frame and the wall, already reaching for his blacks on the side table.

“It’s Din,” Obi-Wan’s voice wavered, “I need you to call him and keep him and the others awake for me, okay?”

Cody’s heart froze. He nearly dropped the comm from his hands but managed to keep a good grip on the device. He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat and began to pull his blacks on over his legs, setting the comm device on the table beside him.

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“Cody,” Obi-Wan warned, “You have to promise me you won’t do anything rash, alright? I know I can trust you to do so, but—” He paused, but Cody was fluent in Obi-Wan at this point.

“Let me guess, Skywalker’s giving you room to doubt others' self-control, right?” Cody dryly asked, standing up and shimmying his blacks up over his hips. “You can trust me to not hop into the closest available jet and abandon our men in the middle of our post-battle clean up.”

The huff on the other end of the call brought a smile to Cody’s face. He always loved being right about these things.

“The Blue Shadow Virus has been recreated on Naboo,” Obi-Wan began, “Those afflicted by it are currently being quarantined in an underground bunker while Anakin and I are flying back with the cure.”

Cody swallowed around that damned lump in his throat again, his heart sinking into his gut like a lead weight.

“Din is one of the afflicted,” Cody could barely bring his voice above a whisper, not wanting to speak the horrible reality any louder into existence. “How far away are you and Skywalker?”

“We are minutes away from entering the Naboo system,” Obi-Wan answered, his voice tense, “Cody, I can feel him…. He is getting worse, and I don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll give him a call and keep him awake,” Cody zipped up his blacks and sat back down on the edge of his bed, “I’ve got him, Obi-Wan.”

For a moment, Obi-Wan didn’t say anything. But Cody could hear the harsh breathing on the other line; he could imagine his General sucking in calming breaths to keep his emotions in line and pushing the bad out into the Force.

“Thank you, Cody,” Obi-Wan murmured.

“You’re welcome,” Cody cleared his throat and ended the call, mentally steeling himself for the next one he was about to make.

He waited in tense silence as the holo call rang, waiting to connect. Right before the last ring, the call connected, and Din’s pale face popped up into view, deep black bags hung under his eyes, and a clammy sheen covered every inch of his skin.

“....Cody?” Din’s voice was raspy and rough. He began to cough violently into his sleeve, the holo distorting from the jerky movements. “Are you real?”

“Yeah,” Cody clenched his fist into the sheets beneath him, “I’m real and so are you, kid.”

Din coughed again and wiped his face with the edge of his sleeve, his eyes unfocused.

“I couldn’t save Blaster and Fire,” Din’s voice wavered, and tears welled up in his eyes. Cody gave a mental prayer to the vode in Rex’s company, knowing that his vod’ika was going to be mourning their loss just as hard as Din currently was, if not harder. “They sacrificed themselves for me so I could make it into the safe room, just like my—”

“Hey, Din ,” Cody leaned forward, putting more strength in his voice like he did for the shinies in his command, snapping Din out of his spiral, “Listen to me: it is not your fault. Blaster and Fire did what they could so you could survive; they did that because they cared for you. The same goes for your parents, alright? They loved you so much and did everything in their power to make sure you were okay.”

“But now they’re d-dead!” Din cried, tears and snot dripping down his face. “Why do they have to keep dying and leaving me?”

“What would your Master say to you right now?” Cody demanded, his stomach churning as he watched the time on the corner of his comm unit. 

T-minus 8 minutes before Obi-Wan and Skywalker landed on Naboo.

Din cried harder, triggering another coughing fit that sounded even worse to Cody’s ears.

“ Din’ika , tell me,” Cody snapped, “What would your Master tell you right now?”

The nickname seemed to jolt Din out of his stupor. He sniffled and wiped at his face again, his breaths evening out was like music to Cody’s ears.

“Master Obi-Wan would say that death is a natural part of life,” his lip wobbled but he pressed on, pride bursting in Cody’s chest, “We cannot control or cheat death. When it is our time, we become one with the Force and move on from this plane of existence.”

“That’s right,” Cody nodded, his voice catching as he watched Din’s eyelids flutter closed. “Hey! Din, stay awake for me, okay? Talk to me!”

“Cody,” Din whined, blinking his eyes open slowly, “I don’t feel good….”

T-minus 6 minutes until Obi-Wan and Skywalker landed.

“Your Master is on his way, Din’ika ,” Cody tried to sound reassuring, but he could hear the desperation threading its way through his voice. “Tell me about one of your dreams recently. Anything , talk to me and stay awake.”

Din coughed again, this time it sounded wetter than before. Din’s lips were tinted red, despite the blue holo screen discoloring his features.

“....I was fighting someone with a long metal pole…..the man had a black lightsaber….. He took something from me….”

“Where were you? Describe your surroundings for me.” Cody glanced over at the time again.

T-minus 4 minutes until Obi-Wan and Skywalker landed.

“A cruiser….” Din murmured, “No clones were manning it…..it was empty…..”

Cody froze, suddenly realizing that the Force felt unnaturally still. There was something about this dream of Din’s that was unsettling to him.

“Din, did you talk to your Master about this vision? What did he say?”

“I haven’t…. told him…. Just had it before…. You called……”

Cody frowned at that, not sure what to think of it. All he knew was that there was something wrong about it, something entirely unnatural….

“I was dying there too….” Din trailed off, his head lolling to the side before he jerked himself awake, his eyes unfocused as he stared off into the distance. “The saber got me several times…..it burns… ..”

T-minus 1 minute until Obi-Wan and Skywalker landed.

“Din!” Cody yelled, jumping to his feet as Din’s eyes closed once more, “Wake up for me, kid! C’mon, Obi-Wan is almost there!”

Suddenly, Din jolted awake, his eyes still unfocused as they latched onto Cody’s through the holo, but not seeing what was actually in front of him. His voice was unnaturally deep, an otherworldly inflection to it.

“The son burns in the flames of his own making….. The daughter is cast aside into the void…… the father withers away in exile, unable to carry the weight any longer…..”

“Din?!” A voice off-screen called out, and Cody recognized it as Rex; his heart clenched painfully in his chest. “Snap out of it!”

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the background right as Din’s fingers lost their hold on his comm unit.

“Din?!” He yelled as his heart raced violently against his chest, “ Din!”

There was a lot of shuffling and voices mixing, too indiscernible to point out. Cody couldn’t breathe, his mind conjuring up horrible images of Din— his kid, Din’ika — dying a slow and painful death. Suddenly, one of Rex’s troopers in a quarantine suit stepped into view of the holo.

“Commander Cody, sir,” the trooper greeted him formally. Cody barely recognized the higher lilt in the trooper's tone and recognized who was speaking to him, “Generals Skywalker and Kenobi just arrived with the cure for the Blue Shadow Virus. Commanders Tano and Djarin are currently being sent up to the surface for an injection. Captain Rex and Senator Amidala are next in line.”

Cody collapsed to his bed in relief, his knees too weak to support him any further. His tent flap suddenly flew open, and Waxer and Helix stood there with twin looks of concern. 

“Thank you, Sister,” Cody breathed out, “Let the General know to give me a ring once things have settled down and Commander Djarin and Captain Rex’s vitals are stabilized.”

“Will do, sir,” Sister saluted, “over and out.”

Cody sighed in relief, his knees nearly giving out beneath him. He had been meaning to give Sister a ring anyway; now he had the perfect excuse to thank her for coming to Din’s aide.

“Cody, what the hell was all that yelling about?” Helix demanded, storming inside.

“Is the kid alright?” Waxer’s face was pale, and he was visibly shaking.

“He will be now,” Cody nodded, running a hand over his face and into his curls. “Waxer, comm the Negotiator . Tell them to send a ship down here for me and to call the Jedi Council. I have a request for them.”

“Right on it, sir,” Waxer hastily saluted and turned out of the tent.

“Helix, where are we at distributing the medical supplies to the civies?” Cody stood back up and beelined for his armor rack.

“We have one last shipment to unload,” Helix dutifully responded, despite the scowl scrunching his face up. “What just happened, Cody? Tell me something.”

“There was a close call,” Cody strapped his leg pieces on one by one, “I’ll give you details later when I have more information, alright?”

Helix relented and nodded tersely, crossing his arms over his chest.

“How much longer will it take for the nearest cleanup squad and Medicorps team to get here?”

“T-minus 2 hours,” Helix checked his chrono, “that was the latest update.”

“Good,” Cody nodded and pulled his chest plate over his head. “I can work with that.”

~*~*~*~

Getting approval to leave their post by the Jedi Council was surprisingly easy, much to Cody’s relief. It helped that a new mission had popped up for them, and retrieving Obi-Wan and Din themselves was much easier. He had the whole 212th packed up and ready to go in record time, making the jump to hyperspace with barely any hiccups. 

Cody didn’t sleep as they pushed the engines through hyperspace to Naboo. He kept hearing Din’s fading voice in his head, the horrible coughs that shook his body. He also couldn’t stop replaying whatever vision had hit Din right before the 501st came to their rescue.

The son burns in the flames of his own making….. The daughter is better off dead, cast aside into the void…… the father withers away in exile, unable to carry the weight any longer…..

The Force was eerily silent on the matter. It made Cody feel so exposed and uncomfortable, like he was being watched from all angles. He would definitely be mentioning it to Obi-Wan when they reunited.

When they came out of hyperspace above Naboo, Cody felt like he could breathe properly again when he could actually feel how close both his General and ad were. He was one of the first in the shuttle, already buckled in before anyone had fully sat down yet. The ride down to the surface was quiet, a tense silence amongst the men as they all collectively hoped and prayed for Din to be alright. It hadn’t been long since Din had joined the 212th at Obi-Wan’s side, but already he had carved out a spot for himself there amongst the men. They all adored him and treated him as if he were a damn mascot half the time. 

Cody could feel his bond with Din and Obi-Wan growing stronger the closer they got to the makeshift base outside the capital, and yet he was still nervous as all hell for what he was going to be greeted with once those doors opened. As the shuttle landed, Cody stood up on shaky legs and pressed the release for the doors. Obi-Wan stood before them with a small smile on his face and bags under his eyes.

“Hello there, my dear,” He greeted Cody fondly.

“How is he?” Cody jumped down and strode across the field to his General, unable to stop himself from grabbing onto Obi-Wan’s shoulders with shaking hands.

“He’s okay,” Obi-Wan’s voice cracked, tears welling up in his eyes, “He’s going to be okay, all because you kept him awake. I cannot thank you enough, Cody.”

A sob tore its way out of his mouth, and suddenly Obi-Wan was pulling Cody in for a bone-crushing hug. Tears spilled down Cody’s cheeks as he sobbed into Obi-Wan’s shoulder, gripping the back of Obi-Wan’s robes desperately.

“I thought I lost him,” Cody choked out, “I thought he was gone.”

“You did good, Commander,” Obi-Wan said, pulling away and wiping the tears from Cody’s cheeks with his thumb. “You kept our boy alive.”

“ Our ?” Cody stared at Obi-Wan in awe as the man nodded.

“Yes, Cody,” Obi-Wan grinned, “You care for him just as much as I do. I shall grant you shared custody.”

Cody snorted, an ugly wet sound from all the tears and snot, but he couldn’t give less of a shit now. He felt like he was in a dream, that this moment was going to be the best moment of his life.

“I’ll hold you to that, General.”

“Good,” Obi-Wan winked and held his arm out for Cody to loop his arm into, “now let’s go see how our boy is doing, shall we?”