Chapter Text
‘The dark side is growing’, Obi-Wan thinks as he is slowly and needlessly spun around in the containment field. There is little else, in fact nothing else, to do in containment fields but think. He hopes Anakin forwarded his recording to the Temple - Geonosis is turning out to be a much larger issue than he had expected. Not that he had truly expected anything specific when he had first gone to find his missing planet. So he waits. And thinks. And spins.
Until the door opens, and Count Dooku, Obi-Wan’s Fallen Grandmaster, steps into the room. Obi-Wan listens as Dooku proclaims that the Republic is now under the control of a Dark Lord of the Sith. Points out that the dark side is clouding the Jedi’s visions. Asks Obi-Wan to join his side. And leaves Obi-Wan to think and spin some more.
Obi-Wan is aware that he is stubborn and self reliant. He likes to think he’s not a fool, though he supposes most fools entertain the same idea. He also likes to think that he can think for himself, even if Anakin and others tend to see him as the Council’s puppet. And now Dooku has made a bold claim, one that will affect the lives of hundreds of billions. If it is true.
A conversation he was not supposed to have overheard between Yoda and Windu floats into his head. The dark side is growing, and hiding the future and its dangers. Only those who have turned to the dark side can sense the possibilities of the future. But journeys to the dark side were not to be taken lightly. Obi-Wan has seen what it can do, to Quin, to Qui-Gon, now to Dooku, and for a few horrible minutes a decade ago, to himself. However, if there is one thing Obi-Wan has spent his life seeking more than anything else in the galaxy, it is the truth.
Dooku returns, and the conversation is short. Obi-Wan is chained to a pole next to Anakin and Senator Amidala. Hundreds of Jedi die. A man in Mandalorian armour dies. War begins. And when asked to recount his conversation with Dooku later to the Council, Obi-Wan looks Yoda in the eye and tells him that he told Dooku he would never join him.
Cody wordlessly follows Kenobi into the Jedi's room on The Negotiator . He stands by the door, watching in quiet fondness as Kenobi carefully drops the datapads he's accumulated throughout the day and immediately starts his kettle for tea. Cody sets his bucket by the door and settles into the only chair in the room as Kenobi flutters around. The Jedi may be a picture of calm stillness when necessary, but in these rooms, with just Cody, it's not, he’s not. They're silent as the water boils and Kenobi pours two mugs. Cody waits until Kenobi has surrendered the second mug to him and curled up barefoot on his bunk before speaking.
"Helix wants you to sleep tonight."
Cody wants Kenobi to sleep tonight. Cody prides himself on being one of the few people that may actually know Obi-Wan Kenobi (the list is short), which is why he knows his Jedi hasn't been sleeping recently. There’s nothing about Kenobi that directly gives it away, his posture and attention throughout the day have been as perfect as always, and the bags under his eyes don’t truly help Cody because the dark bruises have been a constant from the day they met almost two years ago. Still, there's something, some subtle unknowable thing that tells Cody Helix's worries are right.
Kenobi gives him an unimpressed stare from over the rim of his mug. "I'm sure you're quite aware of all of those pads beside you I just set down."
Cody gives his own unimpressed stare. If it were a vod he was delivering it to, there wouldn't even be a need to continue the conversation. "Sir."
Kenobi looked ready to retort and spin the simple matter of sleeping into some philosophical debate when his comm flashes, beeping a distinct pattern that was ever so slightly different from the normal comm call code. Cody sighs to himself, knowing exactly what it meant. Or, more accurately, having no idea what it truly meant but knowing it would keep Kenobi up for hours more, and remove Cody from his jedi’s room. Whoever was on the other end of the comm has been since before Cody even met Kenobi, and they demanded very private conversations from Kenobi. So private Cody has never even gotten a name or gender or species to refer to the mystery caller with.
In the beginning, Cody hadn’t questioned it. His jedi was a High General, in charge of the 3rd Systems Army, of course he would have a private conversation here or there. It wasn’t until he’d mentioned it to some of the other commanders that he had gotten curious, as his brothers had all blatantly stated none of their generals had any calls like those Kenobi got. So he had asked Kenobi about it, exactly once. Kenobi had looked through him, in that eerie way he got immediately after visions, and simply told Cody, quite ominously, “In due time.” The look alone was enough to deter Cody from pressing further any time soon.
So Cody and Kenobi watched the comm flash for a moment. Standing with a deliberate sigh, Cody grabbed his bucket and headed for the door. Stepping into the hall, he turns back to his general to give some final remark about sleeping soon please dear gods, but the look on Kenobi’s face, staring down the comm like it was General Grievous, caught the words in his throat. Cody left his general and his secret caller silently.
It didn’t bother Cody that Kenobi had secrets from him. It was expected. But, at the same time, for everything else, there were no secrets between them. Not that Cody really had anything to hide, but Kenobi had always been open, encouraging questions and getting to know each other. But this one thing, this one comm and person on the other side, it shouldn’t bother him. But Rex had told him about Skywalker’s private calls to Senator Amidala and thinking about Kenobi having some secret relationship itched at Cody. It shouldn’t. Cody and Kenobi weren’t together, Kenobi would never look at him like that, there was no reason for Cody to be jealous of a secret caller. For all Cody knows, it could be General Yoda calling Kenobi, and wouldn’t that make Cody feel like an ass. So it’s fine, these hidden calls, they didn’t bother Cody.
What did bother Cody was how the secret caller always seemed to drain so much energy out of his jedi. It wasn’t obvious to the rest of the 212th, they didn’t know Kenobi like Cody, didn’t know about the calls, but Cody could see how tired Kenobi got. And distracted. Kenobi put on a good front, but after those calls Cody could often see that while Kenobi may be right beside him physically, his mind was lightyears away. What Cody wouldn’t give to find this mystery caller and give them a piece of his mind about mental health and not further exhausting his already permanently exhausted jedi. But he couldn’t. Instead, Cody could work on the forms Kenobi had amassed today, and in the morning make sure there was a cup of tea and as few responsibilities as possible waiting for Kenobi.
A week later, Cody spends way too long searching The Negotiator for Kenobi. He recognizes he can just comm the unaccounted for man, but the flight techs have also informed Cody that a small unmarked ship docked in the night that none of them cleared and Cody wants to clear up that possible mess in person, mainly because of the huge security risk it poses. Finally, Cody heads to the small battle prep room near the bridge that Kenobi had all but claimed as his own.
Waving the door open, Cody gets met with not just his jedi’s stare, but the stares of three others. General Vos, Cody recognizes, but the other two are strangers. They’re both human, a male and a female from the looks of it, but Cody isn’t one to assume. The female looking one is slight, a few inches shorter than Kenobi with dark blonde hair and skin the same shade as Kenobi’s. The male looking one is tall, taller than even Vos, with long dark hair pulled into a ponytail and skin close to Cody’s own. There’s nothing on either of them to mark them as Jedi, not even a sabre hilt or a sigil, but Cody has been around enough Jedi to recognize the look in their eyes, the slight energy the air around them always seems to have.
And right now, being stared down by four Jedi with no warning (because even Kenobi is giving him a hard look), Cody freezes. They’re crowded around the holotable, and as Cody’s eyes drift to whatever it’s showing, Vos hits a button and powers the table down. Cody is not supposed to be here. Finally, Kenobi moves, pushing himself up from where he’d been hunched over the table.
“Commander.” Kenobi’s smile doesn’t meet his eyes.
Cody finds his voice, still pinned under the stares of Vos and the other two. “Sorry for interrupting sir, but I was to inform you we’ve been ordered to reconvene with the 501st and assist them in finishing their campaign.” Kenobi nods. It strikes Cody that he already knows this, somehow. “Also,” Cody continues, glancing to the two unknown Jedi, “there was an unmarked and uncleared ship that landed last night.”
Vos laughs. “You didn’t clear us, Obes? I’m hurt.”
Kenobi’s smile is now real this time, almost sheepish, as he inclines his head to the three others. “My apologies for any undue stress, Cody. You know Vos, and this is Siri Tachi,” He gestures to the short blonde, “and Garen Muln.” Then to the tall one. Cody inclines his head to them. “I’ve grown up with them both.”
It doesn’t clear up what they and Vos are doing here, but Cody doesn’t assume he’ll get an answer to that at the moment. It does ease him to know they’re childhood friends, probably as familiar with Kenobi as Vos is.
“Thank you for the information, Commander.” Cody recognizes Kenobi’s dismissal, and with a nod, backs out of the room.
He asks Kenobi later that night, in Kenobi’s room. The jedi is a fan of the concept of there being a time and place for every conversation, and Cody has worked hard to recognize these times and places. Around the holotable was neither the time or place. Here, though, in Kenobi’s room, is both for at least some information. Because that’s the other half of Kenobi’s belief: the right time and place for the first half of a conversation, the first bits of information, may not be the right time and place for the second half, or further info. It was infuriating at first, to have to stop a conversation halfway through and accept the reasoning for such a decision was simply “In due time”, but Cody has since learned to appreciate the subtle art of it. He’s grown to appreciate all of Kenobi’s subtle skills, including his negotiations and manipulations. But it is a give and take he has yet to perfect, so he’s usually a little more blatant about starting a conversation of this sort.
“Am I allowed to ask?” Cody begins. He doesn’t look up from his datapad, even when he feels Kenobi’s eyes on him for long seconds.
“Yes.”
With permission granted, Cody has to work on his phrasing. He’s fallen prey to Kenobi’s wordplay one too many times to think without speaking. Besides, being able to ask doesn’t guarantee an answer. He picks at something that had struck him earlier. “How does meeting up with the 501st correlate with those three being here?”
He looks up to see Kenobi beam at him. Cody allows himself a small amount of pride, knowing he’s gotten much better at picking Kenobi apart, and knows he’s high on that short list of people that know Kenobi.
“We were originally heading roughly to the same place as Quin, Siri, and Garen, and given that they are close friends of mine I hadn’t seen in quite some time, it made sense to offer them a ride, so to speak.” Kenobi holds his gaze after he’s done speaking, watching Cody pick through every word and look for a different meaning. Cody is almost positive Kenobi enjoys having someone able to keep up with his wordplay.
“Okay.” Cody accepts Kenobi’s statement. “But we’ve changed course, and they haven’t left. I find it hard to believe the 501st needs the 212th and three additional Jedi.”
“Ah, but we haven’t reached the point for those three to leave yet.” Kenobi points out. Without knowing what the trio’s true destination is, it’s hard to dispute.
“So when we hit that point, they will leave?” Cody double checks.
“Yes.” Kenobi confirms easily.
It all adds up. Technically. But that’s what Kenobi is good at. Maybe Cody’s overthinking it, maybe he’s so used to Kenobi always planning for more that the one time there’s a simple answer it’s difficult to believe. He rests his elbows on his knees, staring at Kenobi. Kenobi, for his part, allows himself to be studied quietly and goes back to his pad. Finally, Cody has an a-ha moment.
“If you all are just using this time to catch up before they go on their own mission and us on ours, then why were you in the planning room with info you wouldn’t let me see?”
Kenobi’s head snaps up and he looks startled. Cody grins. Kenobi blinks at him before allowing himself to smile as well. “ Very good, Cody.” With that, he returns his gaze to his pad. “I’m afraid I cannot say.”
Cody recognizes the line, hears it often directed both at himself and numerous others. It had taken him longer than it should have to find the simple work around. “What will you say?” Just because Kenobi isn’t allowed to say doesn’t mean he won’t, or doesn’t want to, but everyone else hears ‘cannot’ and accepts the roadblock.
Kenobi looks back to him, seemingly debating what this is the place and time for. His fingers twitch unconsciously against the pad. “It’s a dangerous mission, requiring as many Jedi as possible. The issue is, due to the nature of the danger, only Jedi with incredibly strong mental shields and some experience in the Dark side have been asked to go.”
It’s innocent enough a comment without context. Without knowing Kenobi. Cody doesn’t press farther, just nods and returns to his own pad. The next morning, Cody asks the flight techs to let him know when the unmarked ship leaves. He gets a message from them later that night as he’s climbing into his bunk, and is the only vod unsurprised to find Kenobi suddenly gone in the morning with the other three, leaving Cody as the CO until they meet up with Skywalker mere hours later. Cody can appreciate it’s a very well thought out plan, but his anxiety still gnaws at him thinking of how Kenobi described the Jedis’ mission.
The 212th fights beside the 501st for a week, and the two battalions stay together for another two days dealing with losses and enjoying the time together. Cody explains Kenobi’s absence to Rex, explains the anxiety and slightly gloats in being able to catch Kenobi verbally off guard. He doesn’t think Rex is supposed to know half the shit Cody tells him, but he figures he isn’t supposed to know it either, and he trusts Rex as much as he does Kenobi.
Two days after saying their goodbyes to the 501st and setting course to Coruscant, a flight tech comms Cody, saying the unmarked ship has returned and been given access to land. It’s late in their sleepcycle, and the comm wakes Cody. He thanks the tech and heads for the hangars. Halfway there, Kenobi comms him. Or, it’s Kenobi’s code, but when Cody accepts it, an unfamiliar voice is on the other end.
“Commander Cody?” The voice asks. They sound tired. “It’s Garen Muln. Obi-Wan said to comm you. We’re landing soon, but we’re gonna need a medic.”
Cody swears. “Understood, sir. What’s the statuses?”
Muln makes a noncommittal noise that Cody’s irritation flares at. “Siri’s got a broken leg, think Obi-Wan has some screwed up ribs, Vos fucked up his arm, and I’m guessing concussions all around, but it’s hard to tell.”
Cody accepts the unhelpful answer, signs off, and calls Helix to wake him and relay the information. Cody meets the seething medic nearly at the hangar, overstuffed medpack around his shoulder, and they make their way through the deserted hangar to the unmarked ship.
The door opens as they near, and Muln walks out first, Tachi on his back. Muln looks completely fine, but Tachi’s covered in dirt and blood, whole body limp in Muln’s hold but conscious enough to meet Cody’s eyes. After Muln, Kenobi and Vos stumble out together, leaning on each other for support and looking as well put together as Tachi. A distant piece of Cody’s mind recognizes that Muln was just the pilot. He rushes towards Kenobi, who looks downright delirious, and takes his weight off Vos. It worries Cody that Kenobi offers little more than a mumble of Cody’s name, letting himself be pulled against Cody. Helix takes Vos’ side much the same way and the three pairs make their way to medical.
“What happened?” Helix hisses as they begin their trek.
Muln turns to give him a look. He’s way too calm about the whole situation. “Can’t really say.”
Helix downright growls, and Cody can’t blame him. As they walk, Kenobi tucks his head against Cody’s shoulder with a mumble. The fact he’s still walking is the only clue he’s even awake.
Once Kenobi, Vos, and Tachi had all been deposited into medical beds, Helix gives them all a scan before sending Muln a baffled look. “There’s…” Helix looks back down at his scans. “There’s really not a whole lot wrong with them. Like you said, leg, ribs, arm, some head trauma, but nothing to really explain why they’re like this.” Like this meaning looking more dead than alive.
Muln shrugs. Cody sucks in a breath and very carefully lets it go. Whatever is wrong, then, is Force shit, specifically the Dark side, and is probably a lot more in their heads than anything. But Cody’s not supposed to know that, so he can’t tell Helix. Helix fixes the three up as best he can before forcing them to sleep. Then he, Cody, and Muln sit and wait throughout the rest of the night. Near morning, Muln falls asleep sitting up and Helix leaves to prep the morning shift of medics and warn them about the new Jedi additions. So Cody sits by himself.
Eventually, Vos wakes first. He meets Cody’s eyes and groans before noticing the sling around his arm and groans again. Though he’d never admit it out loud, Vos’ childishness loosens something in Cody’s gut. Cody won’t ask him about the mission, both because he knows he won’t get answers and because something in Vos’ eyes look hollow. It’s a look reflected in both Tachi and Kenobi’s eyes when they wake later.
Helix allows the trio to move to Kenobi’s room the next morning with promises from both Muln and Cody to look after them and make sure they take it easy. Which leads to Cody finding himself in the middle of a pile of sluggish Jedi on Kenobi’s floor, mattresses and blankets under and around them. Muln explains the trio will head right to Jedi mind healers once they reach Coruscant, and whatever they’re struggling with mentally is what’s making them all tired and (amusingly) slightly touch starved. It’s the most info Cody gets about what happened.
He spends the next few days talking with Muln a lot as Kenobi and the other two laze around or on them. Turns out Muln is constantly laid back, and is probably the most relaxed Jedi Cody had ever met. His humour is similar to Kenobi’s in its deadpan nature, and he’s got years of stories about Kenobi, Vos, Tachi, and even General Unduli that Cody plans to relay to Gree at a later date. It’s nice, Cody thinks, spending so much time talking to someone that isn’t a brother or Kenobi. Not that he has anything against Kenobi, but change is nice. Once they land on Coruscant, Muln bundles the other three Jedi back up on his ship, and leaves. Cody hopes to see him, and Tachi, again. For now, though, they’ve got a slightly indefinite shore leave, probably due to Kenobi’s mental state, and Cody has other things to spend his time on.