Chapter Text
Ben Young– formerly Obi-Wan Kenobi– child of no name or clan– might have made a grave mistake.
A mistake that’s going to cause the small planet of Melida-Daan to house millions of clones.
Millions.
The war is over; the chancellor is dead. And Ben made the grave mistake of opening his mouth when the room was asked ‘who will house them?’ only for a silence so thick to settle that while looking at the apprehension on the senators faces that anger took over and he said ‘Melida-Daan will’.
Now there he is, greeting the 212th battalion– first of many ships in orbit– while Neild and Cerasi stand behind him with headaches bigger than Melida-Daan’s moon through the Force.
The troopers walk in formation towards them, going in pairs in sync that has Ben feel an uncanniness as he watches them.
“Commander Cody.” Ben greets the one with their armour painted orange-gold. He’s watched too many holos and seen too many pictures of the man for him not to be recognisable.
“Senator Young.” The man tilts his helmet towards him.
There’s another man beside him, painted in blue.
“How rude of me, and you are?” He asks the soldier.
“Captain Rex of the 501st, sir.” The man says through his helmet.
They’re both identical in build and height, if not for their different Force signatures and paint Ben might have trouble telling them apart outside of their armour.
“This is Senator Neild Young and Senator Cerasi Young.” He nods behind him.
“At your Service.” Says Cerasi, while Neild nods in confirmation. “It's a pleasure to have you.” He says.
“Welcome to Melida-Daan, soldiers.” Ben smiles. It's all teeth, tiredness and stress mixed into one.
.
Cody doesn’t know what to think of the whole mess.
First Fox kills the Chancellor who turns out to be a sith lord, next the vode are stuck in outer space waiting for orders that have now completely stopped because the war was orchestrated by the Chancellor, and they have no place to go.
The natborns all return home to their designated planets while the vode wait for the senate to decide their fates.
What happens is not what Cody expects. He doesn’t expect an outer rim senator to declare them citizens, on the first senate meeting about the clones no less.
What he expects in months of delegation over where to dump the clones. Months more of flimsiwork and holopads and battles over citizenship as clones aren’t seen as people. Then months more of trying to house the five million clones in their arsenal like they’re an army waiting on orders to strike.
He doesn’t expect much, but six hours of labour a day on rotation for those fit enough to work as stipulation for citizenship in the first few planet rotation is not it. Far from it really.
“What are you doing brooding Codes?” Asks Rex.
They’re on the Negotiator; in Cody’s own private room after the ship has landed safely on the outskirts of Zehava, the only functioning city on the whole planet, and Cody is having doubts that becoming these natborns citizens was a good idea.
“Just thinking. Nothing major.” He says, halfway through thinking about how long the fleets would be able to last on their own without having to go planet side to restock if they needed to make a break for it.
“Sure it's not.” Rex rolls his eyes.
“It's just… They don’t even have the capacity for one battalion to live on the planet. How long do they expect us to wait for housing? Do they even have the amount of resources needed to feed even a quarter of us?” Cody's brows furrow just thinking about it.
Because they definitely don’t.
Cody will eat his blaster if they manage to source enough food to feed all of them for a week.
Rex sighs, he’s weary too from the looks of it.
“I don’t know Cody, I just don’t know.” He mutters as he looks away into the distance that's really just a grey wall.
They’ll all be staying on their ships till the housing situation is sorted, how long that's going to be is still in the air.
.
The senate is a cold building, with its high windows and white walls its nothing close to homely with its standoffish guards and immoral senators. Luckily Ben is not in their presence at the moment as he spots his favourite two of the bunch.
“Padame!” Ben greets with open arms as she goes in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek which Ben returns. “Bail, my dear!” He greets him with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek as well.
“Good to see you well, Ben.” She smiles. “How are things?” She asks, all concerned.
“Things are…not great at the moment but with your and Bail’s help we’re getting there.” He gives her a strained smile.
“It's the least we could do.” Bail says with a wave of his hand.
The two of them have helped immensely with not only sending over relief workers and architects but they also planned a supply route with building and food supplies to come every other week so the now ex-soldiers don’t run out of food and have to rely on their Kaminian rations to stay fed.
“Thank you both for the aid. I don’t know what I’d do without the both of you.” He says affectionately.
“Let us talk of simpler matters.” Bail waves him off with a smile of his own, “How is this quarter's agricultural budget looking like Padame?” He redirects the conversation.
“And how is that any simpler Melida-Daan’s relief efforts Bail?” Padame asks.
“Oh, you know me, anything to stop Ben thinking on matters that keep him up at night.” He half jokes. The other half radiating concern like a fire off of his body.
Ben wouldn’t call them anything worse than his close friends as they settle out in the halls of the senate for a quick few minutes or respite before the hours of senate meetings start.