Chapter Text
“Absolutely not,” Cody crossed his arms and leveled a serious look at Obi-Wan, not in the least bit happy about this little situation.
“It’s only for a few months,” Obi-Wan placated, “And it’s commonplace among the Jedi. I will do the majority of work in this instance.”
“General,” Cody started, pinching his nose between his fingers, knowing Obi-Wan hated it when he pulled out the titles, “I cannot have a child fighting with and leading this battalion. I know other battalions have it down to a science, but we can’t exactly afford to make a learning curve in the middle of a civil war.”
“You would still be leading,” Obi-Wan assured him, leaning back against the holo-table in the conference room, “She’d be more akin to a captain than anything, and I already told Anakin yes.”
Cody withheld his glower only on account that this was his general he was talking to.
“Besides, it would be good for her to train with people she doesn’t know yet.”
“She’s known you her entire life,” Cody grumbled, “And we’re clones. Not like there’s a huge variation there.”
Obi-Wan gave him that disapproving look he always got whenever Cody made comments about the cloning process, but Cody couldn’t find it in himself to care at this moment. They may be unique in the Force, but they still fought the exact same as the 501st. Well, maybe a little differently considering some of the stories he heard coming from Torrent. But his point still stood.
“Ahsoka will need the practice either way,” Obi-Wan tried again, “I know she’s young, but even the youngest Jedi are formidable opponents.”
“I’m not doubting that,” Cody laughed sarcastically, “But skill means nothing if she doesn’t have the knowledge or experience to back it up.”
They’d been having this argument for a few days now. Obi-Wan had first broached the subject a week ago, but Cody had been conveniently called away and then completely forgotten about it until the temporary transfer confirmation appeared on his desk.
He’d quickly found Obi-Wan and voiced his grievances (and wasn’t it crazy that he could just…do that), but it seemed for every reason he could come up with that Padawan Tano shouldn’t join, Obi-Wan came up with five more for why she should.
The whole ‘why’ behind this situation was that the Torrent was being called in for a delicate extraction operation. Their prowess on Umbara apparently pleased some higher-ups, but the company had to go full black-out. The larger 501st battalion would still operate under Admiral Yularen, but General Skywalker wanted Tano to be able to continue her training in his extended absence. Obi-Wan was either volunteered or volunteered himself, the details on which were still foggy as the man in question had danced around the subject, and that was supposedly that.
“Captain Rex has spoken very highly of her improvement, and you yourself have witnessed her prowess on several missions thus far,” Obi-Wan reminded him in a light tone that meant he was getting frustrated.
“I’m not saying Commander Tano is incapable,” Cody said with a forced calmness, “I’m saying that, as incredible as the 501st is, not only will she be joining a battalion that heads the 7th Sky Corps, but she’ll be placed in a position that you and I both spent months having to be vetted for. She’d have to be perfect in every way-”
“She is still learning,” Obi-Wan reminded him, his expression hardening, “The Council expects failure from her and will not punish her if such a thing occurs.”
“And what about the lives that will be lost when that failure occurs?”
“ If that failure occurs.”
“ When .”
“Enough,” Obi-Wan said harshly, “I will not have you questioning my orders, especially when it has to do with the Jedi Order.”
Cody snapped his mouth shut and fixed his gaze over Obi-Wan’s shoulder, the rare reminder of exactly how little power Cody had in this instance warning him off of arguing more.
Obi-Wan paused, sorting through whatever he wanted to say. The tension between them was thick in a way it hadn’t been in a few months now. It was rare that they had real disagreements, but when it happened it always seemed to hover over their heads for days after.
“This is happening Cody,” he said eventually, “Asking you is a formality, a necessary one, yes, but still a formality. I have final say and the transfer forms have already all been filled out except for your signature.”
Cody stilled for a moment, but at the end of the day he was a professional. If Obi-Wan wanted to play it like this, he knew how to adapt.
“I’ll have the forms sent to you tonight,” Cody said blankly, ignoring the way Obi-Wan’s expression tightened at his sudden snap back to parade rest, “And I’ll make the necessary preparations.”
“I can do that,” Obi-Wan sighed, “She is effectively my padawan for the time being.”
“Yessir.”
Cody shoved his bucket back on and waited for Obi-Wan to dismiss him.
“Cody,” Obi-Wan said gently but firmly, “It is my duty to help her. I understand your concerns, and I will tend to them as best I can, as I always do. But we must present a united front both to her and to others that I’m sure have similar worries.”
Cody’s eye twitched, “Am I dismissed? Sir?”
Obi-Wan closed his eyes in frustration and furrowed his brow, “Yes. You are dismissed. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Cody left without another word.
—
“Are you sure it’ll be okay?” Ahsoka asked again, “I’ve heard stories about Commander Cody and he seems -”
“Ahsoka,” Rex said firmly, but not unkindly, “Cody may be a hardass, but he’s not without reason. As long as you stick to what you’ve been taught and follow the General’s lead, it’ll be fine.”
Ahsoka frowned slightly, tugging gently at her padawan beads. She was excited to spend some time with the 212th despite the stakes of the mission Torrent was going on. She and Anakin had argued several times over whether or not she was going, but the Council put an end to it themselves and ruled that she ought to stay behind.
The only problem was Commander Cody.
She’d gotten the sense that he disapproved of her the last few times the 212th and 501st worked together, but she couldn’t figure out why. He never stuck around to chat like Rex did and he was the constant picture of professionalism. They’d exchanged maybe five words when Ahsoka first landed on Christophsis, but that had made sense at the time.
Now though, she worried that maybe she hadn’t made a good impression and that was why he didn’t like her. Or maybe it was something she’d done that she didn’t even know about during their many brief interactions over the past year.
She’d heard stories from the men in Torrent when she asked around about how he operated, and it seemed a lot more strict than Rex and Anakin’s usual policies. Fives claimed that when he and Echo first started out Commander Cody used to visit and make them run laps until they almost passed out. Tup said that he heard from one of the 212th shinies that the Commander hated Jedi, and was only putting up with Obi-Wan because he had to. Jesse told her that he would drill new recruits for up to ten hours at a time, putting them through physical and mental hell for a week straight until he was satisfied with their performance.
Rex had just laughed.
Rex and Commander Cody had always been close, she knew that. The first time she’d heard any term of affection coming from the troopers was when Rex referred to him as “ori’vod” in greeting, but even the keldabe that followed had been far harsher than the ones Ahsoka was used to Rex sharing with his men. But it was still the reason she was talking to him now before her departure in the morning, trying to soothe her nerves one last time.
“Is there anything specific I can do?” Ahsoka asked, “Besides what you already said?”
Rex smiled at her obvious nervousness, “Trust your gut. Don’t overthink things. Cody is straightforward and direct, he doesn’t like people that skirt around issues or sweet talk their way into things.”
Ahsoka thought about that for a moment before thinking about Obi-Wan’s general demeanor. She wondered how that dynamic worked behind the scenes.
“He’ll probably try to put you in armor,” Rex mused, mostly to himself, but he still caught the face Ahsoka made and laughed, “Good luck trying to escape it.”
“It impedes my movement,” Ahsoka argued, “How am I supposed to move with all that weighing me down?”
“You work out with it until you can,” Rex shrugged, “And General Kenobi might be able to get you out of it, but then again, Cody’s got him in armor too.”
Ahsoka made a face at him before leaning back and crossing her arms, “What about Ghost Company?”
“What about them?”
“How should I try to fit in? Should I try to fit in?” Ahsoka looked down, her brow furrowed, “Or should I just leave them alone?”
“Teamwork is an essential part of any unit,” Rex reminded her gently, “And you’ll still be a commander when you go over there. You’ll be leading them when Cody can’t, and building that trust is important.”
“But how do I do that?” Ahsoka asked in frustration, finally meeting Rex’s eyes, “I don’t even really know how I did it here!”
Rex frowned slightly, standing from his position on the bed and walking over to the desk she was currently leaning against. He took a moment to study her, taking in her slightly hunched posture and frustrated snarl.
“‘Soka,” he put a warm hand on her shoulder, “You’ll be fine. I know Torrent is easy-going, but that doesn’t mean everyone else is impossible. There’s a reason Ghost and Torrent work so well and are paired up so frequently. They’ve been around you plenty, and I’m sure General Kenobi has briefed them and made sure they’re prepared.”
Ahsoka slumped, feeling suddenly drained. She hadn’t been this anxious over something since the trip down to Christophsis, and she’d been able to play that off easily. This was different. These people knew of her and would be looking to her as a leader, not just their general’s apprentice.
“Okay,” she said finally, giving Rex a small nod, “Thanks for talking with me.”
“Anytime Commander,” Rex gave her a small grin that she tentatively returned, “If you need anything, Kix will be staying behind and I’m sure he’d be happy to talk.”
Ahsoka gave him a hug, squeezing him just a little tighter than normal, “You be safe too, okay?”
“I always am,” Rex laughed, but she could feel the way the Force contracted around him in a show of nervous protection danger deflect . She was still clumsy with interpreting individual feelings and signatures, but this was one she’d felt many times before surrounding the men on board.
The truth was, she didn’t doubt her own skills or abilities. Anakin was a tough teacher, but she’d proven to him and the others that she can hold her own time and time again. She also knew that sometimes that didn’t translate and all people saw was a kid with a lightsaber.
“I’ll be with you when we drop you off,” Rex said after he pulled back, “I can introduce the two of you and help you get started with him.”
Ahsoka sighed in relief, a small amount of tension leaving her shoulders, “Thanks Rexter. Remind me to return the favor someday.”
Rex laughed lightly, “Not a problem, Commander. Now go get some shut eye, it’s well past curfew.”
Ahsoka rolled her eyes as a slight smile crept across her face, “You’re starting to sound like Anakin.”
Rex cringed, “Please don’t say that.”
Ahsoka laughed as she moved toward the door, feeling marginally better than she had when she walked in seeking both advice and comfort, “I’ll see you in the morning, Captain.”
“See you tomorrow Commander.” Rex gave her one last reassuring look before the door closed. Ahsoka stood there for a few more moments, taking the time to collect herself. She’d do a more full meditation in the morning before her, Anakin, and Rex took a ship over to the 212th to drop her off, but her mind was still too restless for her to sleep.
When she felt steady enough she returned to her quarters, double checking to make sure everything she needed was packed. She’d be okay, even if the Commander didn’t like her. She didn’t need his approval in order to graduate, nor was it necessary for her rank in the army.
But he was Rex’s brother. And one of Master Obi-Wan’s closest friends. She didn’t need his approval but…he was family to the people she considered family. And that had to count for something.
—
The shuttle up to the Negotiator was a long one. Anakin kept a hand on her shoulder pretty much the whole time while Rex went over a report on his datapad. They hadn’t said much, but a thick tension had settled in the air between the three of them. Anakin was worried about Ahsoka going so far away from him and Rex’s mind was split between thoughts of her and thoughts of his men getting prepared for their mission.
Two and a half months with no contact. She wouldn’t know where they were or what they were doing. She wouldn’t be able to check in or chat with Anakin like she did whenever she had lessons to complete at the Temple. She didn’t like it.
Neither did they.
When their pilot announced the incoming landing, Anakin’s hand tightened slightly.
“Do you have everything you need?”
“All good,” Ahsoka said with a forced cheeriness, “And Master Obi-Wan said if I missed something they usually have base extras laying around.”
“Good,” Anakin said shortly, his tense expression unchanged, “And you know…you know everything’s going to be okay, right?”
Ahsoka fixed her gaze on the rapidly approaching ship, her hand coming up to squeeze Anakin’s in a silent show of support and understanding, “I know.”
Rex cast a quick glance over at the pair before passing off the datapad to Anakin. Ahsoka’s master took it without looking, clicking it off and tucking it away to analyze later. Rex stood on the other side of Ahsoka, fitting his helmet into place and standing like a soldier at her side.
She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about the picture the three of them made.
When the shuttle door opened and the ramp lowered, they were immediately thrown into the chaos that was the landing bay. The venator landing bays were never not busy, to be fair, and Master Obi-Wan was waiting for them with a small smile, arms folded into his robes.
Anakin led the way as they approached, bowing respectfully to Obi-Wan, before gesturing to Ahsoka to do the same. She almost immediately relaxed at the peace that always seemed to saturate Obi-Wan’s aura and smiled playfully up at the other man as she copied her master’s lead.
“Master Obi-Wan,” she greeted, “It’s good to see you again.”
“I could say the same,” Obi-Wan gave her a warm smile, “And Anakin, lovely to see you’re still as disheveled as ever.”
“Hey,” Anakin whined, “Why are you always so nice to her?”
“Well she is now my padawan,” Obi-Wan said with a twinkle in his eye, knowing he was riling Anakin up, “Though not even her skills could fix your lack of attention to schedules. You’re late.”
Anakin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but Ahsoka could feel the glimmer of a familial bond come to life between the two men, “And what about your commander? How come he gets a pass?”
“Ah,” Obi-Wan’s face fell slightly at the mention of Commander Cody, “He was here on time, but was called away just before you landed. He should be back soon, it was just an issue with crew clearances I believe.”
Anakin huffed, but let it go. Obi-Wan turned to Rex next and greeted him while Ahsoka looked around. The venator was exactly the same, just as the military pamphlets advertised, but the nose paint decorating various shuttles and fighters were all new to her. The bright yellows and oranges made the place feel strangely lighter than the usual dark blues she was accustomed to.
Ahsoka was just about to head for a LAAT with some interesting symbols she’d never seen before on it before Obi-Wan announced, “Here he is! Allow me to reintroduce Commander Cody, Commander, I believe you and Ahsoka have met before.”
Ahsoka turned to face the Commander, unsurprised to find him with his helmet still on, and gave him a welcoming smile, trying to copy the way Obi-Wan did it. He snapped into a salute once he came to rest at Obi-Wan’s side, but Ahsoka was more taken aback by his lack of presence in the Force than anything else.
“Commander Tano,” he spoke, his voice slightly less growly than Rex’s, “It’s good to have you aboard.”
“Commander Cody,” she said, “You can be at ease, we’re the same rank, after all.”
He fell into a practiced parade rest, the eerie stillness of his actions putting her slightly off, “General Skywalker, Captain Rex, good to see you -”
Rex moved forward, pulling Cody into a keldabe and mumbling something in Mando’a that she didn’t understand. Cody must have though, because he laughed politely and pulled back, grasping Rex’s forearm and clapping his other hand on his shoulder.
Obi-Wan watched them with an amused look on his face before turning back to the other two Jedi, “Do you feel prepared?”
She knew the question was for Anakin, but when Obi-Wan’s gaze fell on her she lifted her suitcase in response.
“We’re as ready as we can be,” Anakin answered honestly, “We shouldn’t see battle until a month after we start and we have plenty of time to ready supplies until then.”
Obi-Wan nodded, “And the men? Are they set?”
Anakin’s smile turned cocky at his master’s question, “They’re itching for a fight. I don’t think I could pull them away from this if I tried.”
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, but they began to move out of the hangar as they talked about the blackout process and other mission specs Ahsoka wasn’t actually supposed to know about. Cody and Rex followed behind them in silence, listening intently to the two generals at the front.
Ahsoka took it as her cue to fall into step with her captain and commander, but hesitated as she tried to figure out what to say.
Rex must’ve sensed her discomfort because he took care of that, saying, “Ahsoka usually trains with the men when Skywalker can’t make it or he thinks she needs a switch up.”
“Good to know,” every word out of Cody was sharp and succinct, clipped in a way that reminded her of the way Master Windu got when he was frustrated or giving orders. In fact, he and Cody probably would’ve gotten along well.
“She’s an excellent defensive fighter,” Rex continued, undeterred by Cody’s behavior, “but needs to work more on her offensive tactics.”
“Jedi are supposed to be defensive,” Ahsoka cut in, “Anakin’s had me working on my blocks for a few months now.”
Rex sighed, but this was a familiar argument between the two of them. Rex thought it was necessary for living in a war for her to take a more offensive stance against her enemy, and Anakin didn’t exactly disagree. But Anakin’s job wasn’t to train her for war, it was to train her to keep the peace, and both Jedi agreed that teaching a more diplomatic form of lightsaber combat would benefit her in the long run.
“I’m sure General Kenobi would love to help you with either one,” Cody said neutrally, but the dismissal hidden in his words was clear. She tried not to wilt at that.
“Come now, Cody,” Obi-Wan said playfully, apparently listening far more intently than the trio had realized, “If you can spar against me and come out with only bruises to show, you may have much to teach Ahsoka.”
“You spar against Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked in surprise, turning over his shoulder to get another look at Cody, a new light of appreciation in his eyes.
“The general and I have worked on it a few times, yes,” Cody said plainly. Ahsoka didn’t like how little he emoted, so unlike Rex or any of the 501st. It felt so…droid-like. “But I haven’t beaten him yet.”
“He holds his own quite admirably,” Obi-Wan smirked and Ahsoka got the feeling there was some inside joke happening that the rest of them weren’t aware of, “Don’t sell yourself short Cody.”
If she had to guess, she’d say one of Cody’s eyes was twitching as he responded, “Of course, General.”
Obi-Wan threw his commander a smile and a wink before backing off, “Ahsoka will train with me for the time being until the men get a little more comfortable having a padawan on board, but thank you for letting us know about that Rex. Is there anything else we ought to know?”
“I’m working on my double saber form,” Ahsoka said before anyone else could dictate for her, “The shoto is still giving me some trouble.”
Obi-Wan stroked his beard unconsciously, “It’s been a while since I’ve revisited Jar’Kai, but I’m sure we can make it work.”
They’d just reached the exit for the hangar when Obi-Wan stopped and turned to face the group, “Anakin, Captain Rex, if you would follow me. Ahsoka, Cody can take you to the med bay to ensure your medical files are all in order and our CMO, Helix, can do the typical onboarding scans.”
“I can make my own way,” Ahsoka said quickly, glancing at Cody momentarily before fixing her attention on her grand-master, “I’m sure the Commander has a lot to do.”
It was then that Ahsoka felt the first flicker around Cody’s previously blank Force signature. It was too fast for her to read it, but she saw the way both of the other Jedi quickly glanced at him, concern in Obi-Wan’s eyes and curiosity in Anakin’s.
“If that’s what you wish,” Obi-Wan said slowly before tearing his gaze away from his commander, “But Cody really is quite available to show you around.”
“It’s okay,” Ahsoka assured him, not wanting to be a burden to someone who was already on the fence about her, “Most of the venators are the same, I don’t need him to show me around what’s essentially the same place I’ve been living for a year,” she joked.
It seemed to fall flat, but she couldn’t quite understand why.
“Right,” Cody said after a moment of awkward silence, “In that case, I’ll be off. I think Waxer wanted to go over requisitions from the 104th one more time before we sent them out.”
“I’ll come find you in the med bay once we’re done here,” Obi-Wan told Ahsoka before turning to Cody, “And would you mind coming by my office this evening? We need to discuss a few logistical issues.”
Again, Ahsoka got the feeling that she was out of whatever loop Cody and Obi-Wan seemed to work within. Anakin gave his master a look as well, but Rex was glancing between Cody and Ahsoka with a wary look on his face.
Did she really mess it up already?
—
That night found Cody standing outside of Obi-Wan’s door, waiting more or less patiently for his general to allow him in. He’d already knocked and double checked his comm in case he missed a message telling him plans had changed, but it was silence on both ends. He shifted uneasily, rolling his shoulders and knocking again as he listened for any sign of life on the other side of the door.
It wouldn’t be the first time Obi-Wan had gotten distracted with something or other, but he usually let Cody know or rescheduled altogether. He’d never left Cody hanging before.
Cody waited a few more minutes in silence before sighing and letting his shoulders slump. It was fine. He was a general. He didn’t have to give Cody a life update every few hours.
Cody wasn’t exactly thrilled with how they left things off before Ahsoka’s arrival. He was even less happy with Ahsoka’s easy dismissal of him earlier, but if she wanted him to stay out of sight then she had another thing coming. He technically outranked her, and padawan or no, he wasn’t afraid to pull that card if things got dicey between them. He’d learned to stand his ground with the natborns within the first few weeks of his assignment on board the Negotiator.
He turned to leave as he sent off a message to Obi-Wan about his availability tomorrow. He’d barely made it out of the hallway when his comm chimed in response. He elected to ignore it in favor of getting to the mess hall.
After getting his food, he slid into a seat next to Helix who had his datapad out and was looking over something with a furrowed brow. Cody gave Waxer and Boil a nod as the pair sat opposite them before quickly glancing over at what Helix was looking at. It looked like Ahsoka’s scans from earlier that day, but beyond that he couldn’t understand it.
“Evening, Commander,” Boil started, “You and Waxer get those requisitions cleared up?”
“Yup,” Cody said tiredly, the day beginning to catch up with him, “Should hold off Wolffe a little longer so we can get the budget in order for the search and rescue divisions.”
“How’s Commander Tano settling in?” Waxer asked before stuffing his face with rations.
Cody shrugged, “Don’t know. Haven’t seen her or the general since she got on board.”
“She’s fine,” Helix answered absentmindedly, “But I’m going to need to specially recalibrate some machines for her.”
That explained the look.
“Like what?” Boil pushed since Waxer was still wolfing down his food like it was about to jump off of his plate.
“Her lekku, for one,” Helix sighed and clicked the pad off, “They’re sensitive organs that help with hormone balance and development. Her montrals could get seriously damaged or stunted if something were to happen.”
“Montrals?”
“Her horns,” Helix leveled an exhausted glare at the men across from him, “We took a whole module on Kamino about it.”
“Maybe the medics did,” Boil laughed, “Ours were more ‘point and shoot’ oriented.”
“Regardless,” Cody cut in as he turned to face Helix, “What sort of recalibration are we looking at here? How long is it going to take?”
“What happened to the ‘no work at the table’ rule?” Waxer complained, sticking his fork over into Cody’s plate.
Cody flicked it out of his hand without looking and ignored the offended ‘hey!’ in the background. Helix rolled his eyes, but answered, “Not long, I just need to make sure we get them right.”
“Get the droids to do it,” Boil said, watching with great delight as Waxer got on his hands and knees trying to find his fork, “They’re not still out from the EMP thing, right?”
“No,” Helix finally started eating, “We’re just having some power cell problems.” He glanced at Cody out of the corner of his eye, “It would go quicker if we got someone to install new ones so they don’t keep dying on us.”
Cody sighed heavily, mentally adding that to his to-do list, “I’ll find someone for you.”
“Thank you,” Helix gave him a small apologetic smile, “But otherwise the kid’s good. A little nervous, but good.”
“Nervous?” Waxer’s head popped back up as he apparently gave up on finding his utensil, going for the spoon instead, “Why would she be nervous?”
“She’s in a completely new place with completely new people,” Helix responded around his mouthful of food. Cody wrinkled his nose, wondering where his brothers learned this kind of behavior, “It’s natural for her to be a little worried. Plus I got the feeling she had a rough start.”
Three sets of eyes fell on Cody.
He rolled his eyes, resting his elbows on the table as he said, “She didn’t want me to show her around.”
Helix raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Cody said defensively, “I offered, Obi-Wan offered, she said she had it!”
“Did you talk about anything else?” Waxer prompted.
“Not really,” Cody huffed, “Rex said she needs to work on offensive combat tactics and I said Obi-Wan could help with that.”
“You didn’t offer then?”
“What do I have to offer her?” Cody stiffened, getting a little frustrated, “She’s Obi-Wan’s padawan for the time being, it’s neither my place nor my prerogative to train her.”
“But if Rex has been helping her train…” Boil trailed off at Cody’s look.
“She’s a Jedi. She doesn’t need my help.” Cody said stubbornly.
“But maybe she wants it,” Waxer suggested, “I mean, if she and Rex are that close then chances are she values our input.”
Cody considered that for a second. It was true, Rex wouldn’t have come to like her so much if she was disrespectful or dismissive of him. But to be fair, it wasn’t that Cody didn’t like her. In fact, were things different, he would’ve loved taking the time to get to know her considering her bond with his general.
His reservations stood more on the grounds of inexperience and, to be honest, worry. He was worried she was going to get someone else hurt. He was worried she was going to set back their standard of production and rile even more senators up. Skywalker’s tactics, while effective, were not standard, and the waves his mission reports made among senators was not something to applaud. She couldn’t operate here how she did with him, and he was afraid that she wasn’t going to see that and do something to get his men killed.
“I don’t know,” Cody said eventually, “I’m sure she’s a lovely young woman, but this is war. I’m not going to coddle her.”
Helix gave Cody a long look.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Helix said quickly, “It’s just…I don’t get the feeling many people have coddled her.”
Cody narrowed his eyes and gestured for Helix to explain.
“She’s a Jedi, yes,” Helix said slowly, gathering his thoughts, “But she’s only fifteen. She would still be considered a cadet by clone standards, and she’s out there leading with the best of them.”
“Don’t underestimate her,” Cody said seriously, “She can hold her own, we’ve all seen it.”
“I know that,” Helix huffed, “I’m just letting you know that I don’t think that girl has been a kid since she first landed on Christophsis.”
The table went silent.
“Well,” Boil said awkwardly, “Thanks for that depressing thought, Helix.”
“My pleasure,” the man in question grumbled, going back to his datapad and poking half-heartedly at his meal.
Cody’s comm chimed again. He sighed as he opened it to see a few notifications from Obi-Wan and a calendar reminder for their upcoming strategy meeting with the admirals the next day. He still needed to finish putting together his plans and cross-reference them with other battalions who’d engaged in similar areas.
The 212th was planning on heading into a campaign of their own in the next few weeks on Elek’i, a planet in the same system as Ryloth. It seemed the rebels had moved and set up a few bases for guerilla fighters on the planet, a tactic that had only worked for a few weeks before Separatist technology was able to track them down. Now they were calling for Republic aid, again, and Ghost had been selected to spearhead the movement.
“I’ve got to go,” Cody said after taking one last bite of his dinner, “Take care boys.”
Waxer opened his mouth to respond before flicking his gaze over to the entrance of the mess hall, a shadow briefly twisting his features. Cody turned in confusion only to make a similar face.
The newest admiral on board, Jukka Puris, swaggered through the automatic doors, flanked on either side by other natborn officers.
It wasn’t that Puris was a bad officer, though an argument could most certainly be made, it was more that he was one of those ‘holier than thou’ types that loved to look down their noses at the vode. Cody’s first interaction with him had been fraught with disrespectful jabs and obvious disdain for Cody’s status on board. Obi-Wan had kindly reminded Puris that Cody had earned his place, but Cody knew well enough to know that problem wasn’t going away any time soon.
“Think it’s time for all of us to make our exit,” Boil sighed as he caught on to what the others were looking at, “I’m supposed to go help the boys down in mechanics anyway.”
“Something wrong?” Helix asked without looking.
“Just the usual repairs,” Boil answered as he stood, “The T-56 exhaust still isn’t working right, Eles said they were having trouble with it getting clogged.”
Helix made a non-commital noise, still focused on his reports. Cody shook his head and flicked his CMO on the nose, receiving an automatic slap on the hand back before his brother finally looked up and realized they were heading out.
“What’s - oh. Fair enough then.”
Cody gave him a tired smile as he led the way to the tray return, setting his things back in their respective slots neatly.
He’d nearly made it out without incident when he accidentally made eye contact with Admiral Asoara Phasel who waved at him amicably. She was nicer than most and always seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say.
The problem was that this attracted the attention of the other natborn officers.
“Commander Cody!”
Cody tried not to automatically tense at Admiral Puris’ nasally voice cutting above the din of the mess hall.
Boil patted him sympathetically at the shoulder before scurrying out along with Waxer. Helix laughed and leaned over, telling Cody, “Have fun with that crew, mate.”
Assholes, the lot of them.
Cody plastered on his best professional smile and took his time meandering over, “Admirals. Good to see you again.”
Phasel gave him a small side hug, her pink lekku twitching affectionately against his arm. He wasn’t sure why she’d attached herself to him, but it meant one less admiral actively working against him, so he’d take it.
“I trust you have your plan ready for tomorrow?” Puris questioned pointedly.
Before Cody could answer, Phasel cut in, “Give him a break,” she said playfully, “He works hard enough without us breathing down his neck, isn’t that right Commander?”
Cody gave her a strained smile, “I do my best to keep up, sir.”
Puris scoffed quietly, “Is that why I’m still waiting on those reports I requested this afternoon?”
“I’ve seen the requests, sir,” Cody tried as respectfully as he could, “But they fall under General Kenobi’s distinction, and he has been rather busy with Padawan-Commander Tano’s arrival.”
The smile that crept across Puris’ face was one that Cody neither wanted nor expected to see on the man, “Yes, so I’ve heard. She has a stunning reputation with the 501st, does she not?”
“She does,” Cody answered, his smile growing tight, “I look forward to seeing her skills in action.”
“Perhaps we should extend an invitation to her for the meeting tomorrow, hm? See if perhaps she could teach us all a thing or two,” Puris suggested. Cody’s hands creaked into fists where they were hidden behind his back. He wasn’t stupid enough to not see the plain insult hidden in this man’s words.
“That could be interesting,” Phasel cut in, “She could certainly benefit from hearing the Commander’s expertise.”
Cody sent her a grateful smile, which she responded to by knocking her foot lightly against his.
“I suppose,” Puris’ tone soured slightly, “I will send a missive to the General for his allowance after dinner.”
“Would you like to sit with us?” Phasel offered. Cody was suddenly incredibly glad he’d eaten earlier than normal.
“Thank you for the offer, but I have some work to get done. I actually just finished my meal.” He tried to be as diplomatic about it as possible, gesturing to the doors behind him, “It’s been a busy day, and as Admiral Puris has pointed out, there’s always some paperwork that needs doing.”
The admiral in question looked at him critically out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing. Phasel just nodded and said her goodbyes, for which Cody was glad. He’d only ever eaten with the natborns once or twice before when they were in a particularly long session and needed a break and it had not been the most pleasant experience. Obi-Wan was a different matter of course. They’d shared many meals at this point, but even his presence couldn’t make those few awkward lunches any better.
As soon as he was out in the hall he pulled up his comm again, checking the messages from Obi-Wan
Obi-Wan: Cody I am so sorry, I was showing Ahsoka around and lost track of time
Obi-Wan: We can speak before the admirals meeting tomorrow
Obi-Wan: Cody?
CC-2224: Apologies sir, I was in the mess. That works fine.
He tried not to feel slighted by the fact that Ahsoka had vehemently refused his offer to show her around, but had taken up Obi-Wan on his.
She was his padawan, after all, and there was very little space for Cody in that dynamic.