Chapter Text
There are few things worse for a Clone than being a defect. Very few Clones are lucky enough to be allowed to train and be allowed in combat despite being considered a ‘defect’. His vod'ika, Rex, with his blond hair, is one of those lucky Clones and Cody couldn't be more proud of him. Rex is at a point where he is proud of being different, he has overcome his shame and is a successful soldier in the 501st. Cody was never that strong. He had known he was different from his brothers since he was a cadet. He felt things that they didn't, he could feel them moving or approaching him even when he couldn't see them, he could feel their emotions, he could feel beyond their rooms, beyond the training facility and beyond Kamino. He brought it up once with his bunk mates and they looked at him so oddly that he was terrified they were going to report him for being a defect. Since then has he hidden this part of him, never mentioning or acknowledging it again.
It wasn't until he met the Jedi that he realised that his weird feelings are impressions of the force. He can feel when General Kenobi uses the force, it feels like a shift in the air and when Cody looks at him for long enough, he can see the force around his General and around most other people too, it's like the force is pulsating around people and the more attuned to the force they are, the bigger and more visible this signature is to Cody. He tries not to see them. Because he doesn't want anyone to find out that he's defective and he doesn't see the point in dwelling on these feelings that he isn't supposed to have in the first place. However, trying to ignore how enchanting his General’s force is, is nearly impossible. Just standing next to him is throwing off Cody's focus, he can feel the warm feeling of his force brushing up against him.
General Kenobi's force is a soft orange, it's warm and comforting like a beautiful sunrise after a hard battle. It always manages to lower Cody's guard when he isn't purposefully suppressing his ability to notice such things. The first time he saw his General meditate did he nearly get lost in the sight, not only did Kenobi look so peaceful, so relaxed and calm but his force was spreading out like a blanket and covering the room that lulls Cody into a relaxed state as well and he only snapped out of it when his General opened his eyes and addressed his presence. Cody needed a while to stop reacting to the Jedi using the force around him, it was easy on Kamino because no one was force sensitive there but it was infinitely harder to pretend not to notice when he's constantly next to his General or other Jedi.
But Cody is a good soldier so he adapted. He will function as intended and hide his defect from everyone around him.
General Kenobi, General Skywalker and Padawan Tano had been sent out to assist a republican planet that had been invaded by separatists. It was a rather simple mission for them and it had barely taken them a few days to destroy all the droids and clear out their bases so the locals have invited the Jedi's as well as the 501st and 212th to drinks and food before their departure the next day. General Skywalker had immediately agreed before anyone could object and that's how they found themselves here. Skywalker is already six shots in and getting hammered while only getting held up by Ahsoka, who is having the time of her life watching her Master embarrass himself. Rex and the rest of their brothers are also drinking and having fun but much more responsibly. The only people not drinking are Cody, since he has to watch over his brothers, Ahsoka since she's too young and General Kenobi who is standing on the side and just stares off into space.
“General? You look tired, perhaps you should head to bed. You fought hard in the past days, you deserve some rest, Sir.” Cody suggests while watching Kenobi closely. He doesn't react at all at first before blinking and shaking his head slowly.
“I'm sorry Cody, I must've zoned out. What did you say?” Kenobi smiles at him but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.
“I said you should go to bed, I'll stay here and make sure that no one gets in trouble.” Cody repeats again, noting the slightly confused look on his Generals face.
“Yes, perhaps that'd be a good idea… Thank you Cody…” Kenobi nods and just stands there for a few moments before heading towards the door. He misses the door handle the first time he reaches for it and only grabs it properly the second time and leaves the room.
Cody watches him leave with a frown, he has never seen his General act like this, not even after much harder missions. But perhaps even Jedi can have bad days and his General is just tired. Before he can think too much about it, Rex leans against his table, a smirk on his face and clearly tipsy.
“Ori'vod! Why are you making such a face? You should relax and have a drink.” Rex pushes a glass with some alcoholic liquid towards him but Cody just shakes his head.
“No thank you. Someone has to make sure all of you aren't making a fool of yourself and portraying a bad image of the republic.” Cody gives him a disapproving look but Rex just laughs it off, not overly worried.
“You really need to loosen up sometimes, where even is your cyare?” Rex teases with a grin and Cody needs all his self control not to blush a deep crimson red.
“Do not refer to him as such. There is nothing going on between us and he is not my beloved. Is that clear?" Cody growls, gripping the table tightly.
“Details.” Rex waves him off. “But seriously, where is Kenobi?” He asks and takes a sip from the glass he had gotten for Cody.
“General Kenobi has already gone off to bed, he seemed a bit out of it.” Cody glances towards the door that Kenobi had left through, still worried about his General's weird behaviour from earlier.
“Out of it? He seemed just fine when I saw him earlier tonight.” Rex muses and keeps sipping his drink while leaning on the table.
“I'm not sure, he was zoning out and didn't even notice at first when I spoke to him…” Cody taps his fingers on the table, he knows logically that his General is probably fine but he can't help but worry about things when he has no control over any given situation.
“Huh, that is weird but are Jedi anything but.” Rex shrugs and empties the glass.
“Perhaps but this is odd, even for him. I'm just worried that maybe there's some-” He gets interrupted when Ahsoka calls out for Rex across the room.
“Rex! Come over here before Skyguy fully passes out!” She holds General Skywalker up with her entire body while he is barely coherent and trying to say something but it just sounds like drunk nonsense. Rex gives an apologetic shrug before quickly rushing over to his General and helping Ahsoka hold him up. Cody sighs and rubs his temples, this night is getting out of hand. He straightens up and begins making his round to tell all their brothers to head to bed since they need to leave early. They all grumble a little but ultimately do as he says and begin to say their goodbyes.
Lastly Cody walks over to Rex, Ahsoka and General Skywalker, who is completely unconscious by now.
“You two should also go to sleep. We leave at 0600 sharp tomorrow. I'll bring General Skywalker to bed myself.” He says while lifting the General up onto his back.
“Are you sure Cody? He's a bit of a handful.” Ahsoka says with an exasperated grin.
“I'm sure Commander.” He assures while adjusting his grip on the General. Ahsoka nods and gives him a smile.
“Thanks Cody, you're the best.” She yawns and waves at him before heading out with Rex. Cody sighs and carries the General out and heads to their temporary barracks. When General Skywalker is this close, he can feel and see the force surrounding him. It's a swirling dark blue that feels like rainy days, refreshing but with a storm brooding not far under the surface and there's energy always zapping through to the surface.
Cody grits his teeth and pushes these sensations to the side and continues walking until he reaches the tent reserved for General Skywalker. He lowers him down into the hammock and puts the blanket over him before leaving the tent once again. Cody makes his way towards the tent of the 212th when he spots a familiar figure standing just outside of their temporary barracks.
“General Kenobi?” He calls out but his General doesn't react, just stands there and looks up at the sky. Cody hesitates for a moment, contemplating if he should really approach him but ultimately decides this can not be normal behaviour so he takes a deep breath and walks over. He carefully puts a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
“General Kenobi, you should head to bed, Sir.” He says carefully and watches as his General slowly turns his head towards him, looking at him with a confused expression.
“Cody?” Kenobi tilts his head, as if he doesn't properly recognise him.
Cody frowns, now he's definitely worried.
“Yes General, it's me. I'll bring you to bed.” He tightens his grip on Kenobi's shoulder and another one on his hip, carefully guiding him towards the tents. His General just lets himself be led without protest but still has this blank expression on his face. Cody tries not to panic too much and breathes as calmly as he can in a situation like this, focusing on the warm feeling of Kenobi's force around him when he notices that something is… off. His Generals force doesn't feel the same as it usually does, it feels kind of murky like it's somehow muted. That only worries Cody even more, something was wrong and it's getting harder to convince himself that this is mere exhaustion. He'll ask Kix to take a look at General Kenobi if he isn't back to normal by morning.
He leads his General into his tent and helps him into his hammock.
“Sleep well, Sir.” He says while pulling the blanket up and gently tugging him in. General Kenobi nods slightly and closes his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep. Cody stays beside him until he's sure that his General is really asleep before hesitantly leaving the tent. He heads back over to the tent of his own battalion. He quietly steps inside, seeing all his brothers already asleep, he yawns and stretches before taking off all his armor and neatly placing it beside his hammock before laying down. He hates sleeping in hammocks, he much prefers the rock hard mattresses they usually sleep on but they're not practical for transport so they get these ridiculous hammocks instead. He tosses and turns for a while, Kenobi's behaviour is still worrying him and he can't quite seem to settle down like he usually does.
Cody closes his eyes and takes slow, deep breaths while focusing on everything he can feel around him. He can feel his brothers sleeping in their hammocks, their peaceful emotions drifting through the air, he can feel the plants and small animals that live close to their temporary barracks and he can faintly feel his Generals force signature as he sleeps and the familiar, warm feeling of the morning sun shining on his face manages to lull Cody off into a peaceful slumber.
Cody and the other clones wake up at precisely 0500 and begin to pack up their things. Cody slips away after he finishes his portion to go check on General Kenobi. He walks over to his tent and raises his hand to knock when he hears his General's voice.
“Come inside Cody.” At least Kenobi sounds normal again so Cody steps into the tent.
“Good morning General Kenobi.” He stands straight to attention but Kenobi just smiles and gestures for him to relax.
“Good morning to you too Cody, would you like some tea as well?” He smiles at Cody while sipping on a cup of tea himself.
“No thank you, General. I just wanted to inform you that we are leaving in about forty minutes.” He eyes his General up and down, looking for any signs that he isn't all right. Kenobi seems to have picked up on his worry because his smile softens ever so slightly.
“I must apologise for my behaviour yesterday, I must've been very exhausted and I don't recall all of it but I feel a lot better now.”
“I'm glad to hear that General. I'll get back to packing up our things for departure.” He nods his head respectfully and quickly leaves the tent again. He heads back to his battalion and helps them load everything into their ship. While carrying boxes does he see General Skywalker groggily dragging himself out of his tent, looking absolutely miserable and Cody can't say that he feels sorry for the Jedi Knight. He should know better by now than to get blackout drunk when they need to leave early the next day. Ahsoka seems to be poking fun at him and laughing with Rex while packing together. Seeing Rex laughing and happy warms Cody's heart. Many of his brothers don't have the opportunity to serve under kind Generals that appreciate them and that give their Clones the opportunity to be happy. He had always worried about Rex the most because he was considered a defect and Cody feared he may not get accepted for being different and it always makes him happy to see that he was wrong in this regard.
He catches sight of Kix checking their medical supplies and approaches him.
“Kix, I need a favor from you.” He feels a bit uncomfortable requesting something from a medic of a different battalion, especially because he may just be overly paranoid but he simply needs to know.
“Of course Commander, what can I do for you?” Kix looks up at him, one eyebrow a bit raised while he stands up straight.
“You'll probably check over General Skywalker anyway but I'd request you take a look at General Kenobi as well.” He keeps his voice even, letting nothing of his worry shine through his facade.
“General Kenobi famously hates getting examined, is there something specific that worries you about him?” Kix asks and seems to mentally already go through some sort of checklist of what could be wrong.
Cody hesitates, it could be nothing but he needs to be sure that his General is alright or his mind just won't calm down again.
“He… he seemed very confused yesterday, didn't immediately react when spoken to and seemed very zoned out. This morning he expressed to me that he had trouble recalling what happened yesterday despite not partaking in any of the provided alcohol. It could just be exhaustion but I'd prefer to have it checked out just to be sure.” Cody only manages to suppress his urge to fidget thanks to years of conditioning. Kix frowns a little but nods after a few seconds.
“I'll see what I can do.” The medic says with a thoughtful expression.
“Thank you Kix.” He nods and turns to leave to get some last boxes and bags.
“You're welcome Commander” Kix calls after him before going back to checking the supplies.
Cody packs the last things and at 0600 sharp are all troopers on the ship, Kenobi is also on board and only Skywalker and Ahsoka are currently approaching the ship. Skywalker still looks absolutely miserable while his Padawan is in high spirits next to him.
“Good morning Commander!” Ahsoka greets Cody with a smile. Most people don't know it but Ahsoka and Cody get along surprisingly well, especially when they band their knowledge together to tease Rex.
“Good morning to you too, Commander.” He nods his head respectfully towards her. Skywalker just grumbles something and pushes past him to slump down in some corner and close his eyes. Ahsoka just shakes her head and smiles before turning back to Cody and tilting her head.
“Are you alright Cody?” She has that knowing look in her eyes, she was always able to read him more easily than others do and it doesn't bother him as much as he at first thought.
“I'm fine, I just got to bed late.” He glances around them but all the others are busy with something or chatting amongst themselves and Cody can even see Kix approaching Skywalker and Kenobi.
“Hm, are you sure that's all there is to it?” She furrows her brows and looks him up and down with a critical gaze.
“I'm alright ad'ika, no need to worry.” He tries to assure but she just keeps looking at him without saying anything until he relents.
“There was… a situation with General Kenobi yesterday night. I found him outside, seemingly a bit out of it and just staring at the Sky. I wasn't sure if that was simply a weird Jedi thing or…” He trails off, looking at the Padawan in hopes that she'll tell him it's just a meditation thing or something similar.
“Hm… Master Kenobi has always been fascinated with the stars and planets. He might've just been out admiring them after a hard battle.” She shrugs easily, not seemingly overly worried. It wasn't the answer that Cody had hoped for but it did ease his nerves a tiny bit. He takes a deep breath and nods.
“You are probably right, it just worried me a little.” He tries to sound nonchalant but she can always see right through him.
“It's alright Ori'jag, Master Kenobi is fine and just a bit of an odd one. We all are.” She grins up at him and it actually manages to ease his nerves a bit more. A nods at her and she seems to pick up on his appreciation for her words and company.
When he looks at her in this enclosed space can he see her force signature very clearly. It's like a jungle green, with vines winding themselves in the air around her like a defensive cocoon that can lash out at enemies if necessary. It's always moving and a bit playful just like she is but fiercely protective, it's one of the things that Cody appreciates about her. She values every life, especially that of the Clones and all her friends and would give her life to protect the innocent. She's eager to learn, active and playful but still knows when to be serious and how to be respectful and polite if necessary. He enjoys talking to her or discussing strategies, especially when they talk to Rex and can both one up each other until his vod'ika is completely lost and confused. It's always amusing to Cody. Not that Rex wasn't smart, he is captain of the 501st for a reason but when Cody and Ahsoka get excited about a topic can they even outpace him.
Ahsoka eventually retreats to check up on Skywalker after Kix is finished with him. Cody watches closely as Kix talks to Kenobi and seems to wrangle him into submission for at least a basic examination. Cody feels his anxiety rising again but quickly does his best to hide it as he watches Kix do his examination while Kenobi looks decidedly unamused by the entire process. After a few minutes does Kix give a satisfied nod and step away so that Kenobi can go back to reading through his data pads. Kix makes eye contact with Cody and gives him a small nod and mouths ‘all good’ towards him. Cody feels a weight lifting off his shoulders and smiles a bit. His General is alright. He was just being paranoid. Everything is okay.
Cody is accompanying Kenobi to the Jedi temple while the rest of his battalion has the day off. Kenobi's force signature is even stronger than usual and a subtle scent of books and tea hangs in the air and Cody needs all his self control not to close his eyes and just sink into the sensation of his Generals presence but he obviously can't do that as it would be entirely unprofessional so he just keeps walking, helmet under his arm and face blank as always while chatting about their comrades and latest battles. It's easy to talk to Kenobi this way and Cody nearly wishes that everyday could be like this, just the two of them talking, reading and bantering a little. But obviously he'd never voice that. It's entirely wrong and irrational for him to think this way. He is a Clone. He is made to fight and die for the republic and Kenobi is a Jedi, meant to protect peace and stay true to the vows he had taken.
He glances over at Kenobi when he feels a shift in his force aura. He frowns when he notices the usually warm and beautiful orange become murky again just as Kenobi seems to zone out again and nearly walks straight into a wall if Cody wouldn't have interjected and quickly grabs his General before he collides with the wall.
“General! Are you alright?!” He doesn't even bother trying to hide how worried he is.
“Wha- yes, yes sorry Cody… I just… I felt this weird tugging in my force…” Kenobi shakes his head, blinking rapidly as if to try and ground himself again. Cody still holds him by the shoulder, his mind racing with worry.
“A tugging? General, with all due respect, you nearly ran straight into a wall.” He tries to sound stern but it comes out as more of an exasperated sigh.
“I'm sorry if I scared you, I just lost focus for a moment” His General tries to reassure him but he still speaks slower and more confused than usual. His force aura is also still murky but slowly starting to clear up into its usual warm orange. However the worry has already lodged itself deep into Cody's heart. The last time he could excuse Kenobi's weird behaviour with mere exhaustion due to the battle but now he should be well rested but it still happened again.
“Are you sure you're alright, General? We could go back or take a short break if you'd like.” Cody would prefer to drag his General right off to the healers and get him fully checked through but he really has no grounds to do so aside from some zoning out and no one will take that seriously.
He also can't really tell them about the changes in Kenobi's force aura without giving his own ability away. Plus Kenobi is infamous for escaping healers and medics at every possible opportunity and needing to be on the verge of death before allowing a proper examination. That Kix managed to get a look at him earlier was a small miracle to begin with but getting him to actual Jedi healers would be an impossible feat.
“Cody I'm fine, really. Don't worry about it.” Kenobi insists and straightens up properly. Cody hesitantly lets go off his shoulder but stays close by his side just to be sure.
They continue walking through the temple but Cody can't stop glancing at his General to check on his force signature. It has returned back to its normal, mesmerising orange but Cody's worries aren't eased by that in the slightest. He knows something is wrong but he doesn't know how to address it. Jedi are known for being weird so maybe this is like the Jedi version of having the flu but it doesn't feel like just that. But he tries to push it down. He knows he must be projecting his worries to every Jedi in a five mile radius so he takes a few deep breaths while they walk together. He needs to get a grip. He tries to clear his mind and push down all the worries until they won't be noticeable for anyone around him. He needs to bottle this up before Kenobi finds his disproportionate amount of worry suspicious. He is probably just overreacting anyway, right? He just needs to push it all down. It's better this way. It's safer this way.
“Would you mind waiting here for me? I assure you I won't be gone for long.” Kenobi asks with a small smile once they've reached the outer rim of the heart of the temple.
“Of course General, I'll be right here.” Cody assures and watches as Kenobi nods and heads through the doors in front of them. Outsiders aren't allowed deeper into the temple so Cody is forced to wait out here until his General returns. But he doesn't mind. He'll wait for hours, even days if he has to. He looks up when he feels a strong force presence coming his way. He turns his head to the side and sees the small figure of Jedi master Yoda turning the corner.
“Good day Master Yoda.” He nods his head towards the old Yedi.
“Ah, nice it is to see you, Commander Cody.” Yoda greets with a smile and walks towards him, stopping in front of him and looking up.
“How have you been, Sir?” Cody asks, he hasn't spoken to Yoda a lot but he holds a great deal of respect for the elderly Jedi.
“Good, meditated a lot I have.” Yoda replies, leaning on his cane but Cody knows that the Jedi is not as frail as he may appear.
“Felt anything interesting?” He is just making conversation at this point but it would be more than rude to cut the conversation short in any way.
“Hm, problems approaching there are. Danger close by, I can feel…” Yoda says thoughtfully, tapping his cane. His words sent Cody's worries spiraling but he tries to reign it in, he doubts that Yoda's cryptic visions have anything to do with Kenobi. He is again just being paranoid over nothing.
“Whenever is there no trouble approaching?” He tries to joke to lighten the atmosphere but it sounds forced even in his own ears.
Yoda nods slightly and seems to be a bit in thought. When Cody looks at him for a while can he easily see the Jedi's force signature. It's a soft green, like the grass on a sunny day but with golden specks sprinkled throughout it. It's honestly quite mesmerising but Cody has trained himself not to directly look at it so he won't be oddly staring into the air around people and arouse suspicion.
“Are you also headed into the library, Sir?” Cody asks to change topics, trying to ignore the knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach with every passing minute. His skin itches to see Kenobi again, just to assure himself that his General is still healthy and okay.
“Yes, looking for books I am.” Yoda nods while looking towards the doors Kenobi had gone through a few minutes prior.
“I hope you'll find them. Have a good day, Sir.” Cody says politely and Yoda gives him a small smile and straightens up a little.
“You too, Commander.” He nods at Cody before slowly walking to the door, pushing them open with the force and stepping through into the deeper parts of the temple.
Cody stands there for what feels like forever but it's probably closer to forty minutes. It's always weird for him to be in the Jedi temple. The force is nearly alive and buzzing in this place, swirling around in the air and all due to all the Jedi around does he see dozens of force signatures in the corridors. It's a bit over stimulating and it gives him a headache after a while but he keeps his mouth firmly shut about it. He has survived worse than a bit of a headache. He looks over when he feels a familiar, calming force presence approaching the doors and lets out a sigh of relief before straightening up just before General Kenobi pushes open the doors.
“Thanks for waiting, Cody.” Kenobi smiles at him as he walks towards him and immediately his headache seems to just magically melt away at the sight of his General.
“No problem General. Did you find everything you need?” He asks as they begin to walk together again. He looks straight ahead so as to not get lost in the sight of Kenobi.
“I did, yes. You know how I get when I have no new reading material during flights.” Kenobi chuckles and smiles.
“I think ‘cranky’ would be the word, Sir.” Cody tries to sound professional but a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. His General just laughs good naturedly, not taking any offense.
“Indeed, that would be accurate I assume.” Cody feels his heart flutter slightly, that laugh is so honest, so beautiful, so enchanting that it nearly makes his legs give in. He shakes his head, trying to dislodge those thoughts while continuing to talk to Kenobi, hoping his General won't pick up on his feelings.
His feelings are just another proof that he's a defect. He isn't meant to be like this, he's defective and never should've gotten as far as he did but he is too selfish to give it all up and be honest about how broken he is. No. He needs to hide all his defects, his flaws, so that he won't be discarded like the mistake he really is.