I Still Love you the Same

by Blue-Haired-Wonder

As young cadets on Kamino, Cody and Fox were as close as cadets could be. They had been together for as long as they could both remember, both were the at the top of their classes, and had a friendly rivalry during sparring matches. The Kaminoans objected to this and interfered, causing their relationship to deteriorate over the years.

1. Chapter 1- Kamino

Me: Looks guys: a new fic! This is what you wanted, right?

You guys: Um, what about your other fics?

Me:...I'll get to them?

The idea for this fic came to me when I was reading the headcanons from here: post/662135174926139392/hmmm-30-for-the-star-wars-asks. I know I have other fics going on right now, but once the headcanon about Cody and Fox was in my mind, it just wouldn't leave and I had to write it. Amiko's art was also a huge inspiration, and you may recognize some oh her work being described in later chapters. Because of these circumstances, I have chosen to gift this work to Amiko. Considering how many ideas came from her, I feel it's only fair.

As a warning, these chapters will be long. This chapter is almost 15, 000 words long, so I hope you guys like long chapters!

Also, I included an edited version of a meme somewhere in this chapter! Kudos to you guys if you catch the reference to it! :)

Another important note, the Kaminoans are assholes. Their actions, although not heavily described, are essentially the basis for the entire story. Amiko and I have created a petition to fight them. Feel free to join up! :)

The title for this fic comes from the song, "Call Me" by Shinedown. I can and will find a way to insert them into all my fics. None of you can stop me. :)

The biggest note I want to make on this work is the *biggest* possible thank you to you, Amiko! You've let me use your ideas to write this fic, you've provided me even more headcanons, you've let me rant to about Fox's treatment in a lot of the Star Wars fandom, you've listened to my ideas, you were patient and encouraging every time I messaged you with an update, *and* you've provided us with some great art (even though I'm terrible at reblogging, I'm sorry). You have my utmost appreciation and I really hope you enjoy this.

To anyone else who was interested enough to click on this, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

---

CC-1010 landed, on his stomach, on the mat below him with a groan. He quickly tried to stand in order to keep sparring, but his opponent moved too fast for him after he had just been kicked in the head. Before CC-1010 could even comprehend it, his opponent was on top of him, pinning one of his arms to the mat and the other behind his own back. Not ready to give up the match, CC-1010 struggled as hard as he could, but his opponent's grip was unyielding and now his legs were pinned as well. CC-1010 sighed, accepting his defeat. He relaxed into his opponent's hold and, using the hand pinned to the mat, tapped out.

Immediately, the weight on him was gone. CC-1010 groaned in relief, moving to his knees in an attempt to stand. A hand entered his field of vision and annoyance flickered through him. About to tell his opponent he could get up himself, thank you very much, CC-1010 looked up to meet CC-2224's eyes.

It wasn't very often CC-1010 got so absorbed in a sparring match that he nearly forgot who he was fighting against, but this had been a long one; matches against CC-2224 always were. It was inevitable, given how they were both the top command class cadets, but it made the loss sting less; they were both the best and logically, neither of them would always win. CC-2224's gaze also helped take away the sting; it was never cruel or mocking CC-1010 when he lost, only hints of a friendly competition slowly dissipating now that the spar was over. CC-1010 couldn't judge, he would look at him the same way if he had won.

Letting the annoyance fade away, CC-1010 gave CC-2224 a light smile and accepted the hand to help him up. "Good spar," he complimented CC-2224 as they got off the mats. Two others made their way onto the mats—he was pretty sure they were Gree and CC-1993—nodding at them as they passed.

CC-2224 gave a tiny, smug smile. "It was, wasn't it?" The smugness evaporated to something more playful. "You had me worried for a second when you tackled me and kneed me in the crotch."

CC-1010 hid a frown with a light smirk. Usually, trying to pull a move like that on CC-2224 would've gotten you flipped onto your shebs, so CC-1010 knew something had been distracting his brother when he almost lost to that move. CC-1010 may not have been the strongest or biggest out of all the command class, but he was clever. "That spin-kick was pretty impressive. Where did you learn that?"

"A few of us were watching A-17 and Prime last night. 17 used that against him and it looked like it could be effective if someone wasn't expecting it." CC-1010 rolled his eyes as they approached the group of other CC's.

"Prime even let some of us go against him," Fil added once they close enough. "'24 did pretty good, considering we're only six."

CC-1010 noticed CC-2224 looking a bit tense at the mention of last night. About to call him on it, he was distracted by a hand on his shoulder. "Better luck next time, '10."

The deep rumble made it obvious who he was. "Save that for yourself, Wolffe," CC-1010 snarked, smirking a bit mockingly. "You're the one who can't win against either of us."

Wolffe exaggeratingly rolled his eyes, then moved his hand to flick CC-1010's forehead. "Brat," he muttered, something akin to fondness in his tone. CC-1010 knew Wolffe was trying to hide that it bothered him that he couldn't win against either of them, both younger than Wolffe himself.

"Besides," CC-5052, ever the peacekeeper between them all, cut in, "'10's still got himself a fanboy, he'll be fine."

CC-1010 quickly masked his surprise at CC-5052's observation. His expression deadpan, he turned to him. "Is something wrong with your eyes?"

CC-5052 gave a small smile and gestured to another group of CC's a bit away from them. "See for yourself, '10."

He directed his gaze towards the other group and, sure enough, there was a younger vod—CC-3786, he believed—staring at him. There was a star-struck expression on his face and when he caught CC-1010 looking at him, he spun around as fast as a flash. A couple of them laughed. "How sweet," Wolffe remarked with a smirk.

CC-1010 glared at him, trying to hide his discomfort. "Stop it, guys," CC-2224 hissed, making a gesture. "The Kaminiise are watching!" CC-1010 looked subtly where the Kaminiise usually stood and none of them were paying them any mind, focused on the spar between Gree and CC-1993. He shot CC-2224 a grateful look; his vod could always tell when he'd had enough and was uncomfortable.

The others all quieted down, either watching the spar between Gree and CC-1993 or pretending that they were. Once everyone's attention was no longer on them CC-1010 leaned closer to CC-2224. "What's wrong?" he muttered.

CC-2224 gave him an odd look. "Nothing," he whispered.

CC-1010 barely resisted the urge to sigh and roll his eyes. How long would it take CC-2224 to realize he couldn't lie to him? The two of them were as close as clone cadets could be, given the similarities between them allowed for an element of understanding. They had been together for as long as CC-1010 could remember and he could read almost everything about him. CC-2224 had the gall to lie to him? He almost scoffed. "Forgive me, it must've been the other CC-2224 looking tense when we talked about last night." He couldn't contain the sarcasm, apparently.

Looking at the others around them, CC-2224 sighed. CC-1010 raised an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes. "After I fought Prime last night, he…called me something. Said it'd be a good name."

CC-1010 couldn't hide his surprise this time. Prime caring enough about any of them—besides the little one that aged normally—to name them? If it was going to be any of them, it'd be CC-2224. "What'd he say?"

CC-2224 hesitated. "Kote. 17 said that it means glory."

Thinking about it, CC-1010 could see the appeal. Judging by CC-2224's expression and tone, there was something wrong with it, however. "You don't want it?"

"I like the sound of it, it's just… I don't wanna be named by Prime. I want to choose my own name or be named by one of you," CC-2224 explained quietly.

CC-1010 thought that was fair enough. After internally considering the issue, he made a suggestion, "What about Cody? It sounds similar enough to Kote and I suggested it, not Prime."

CC-2224 looked thoughtful for a moment. "Cody," he tested out the name and a broad smile overtook his face. "I like it. Thanks, '10."

He shrugged in response, not wanting to show affection in such an open space. "No problem. It's easier on all of us if we say Cody instead of your designation, anyway."

CC-2224—Cody, he corrected—rolled his eyes and lightly nudged him affectionately. "Whatever you say, vod'ika."

Unwillingly, a smile played at the corners of CC-1010's lips. He let his wrist rest against Cody's, feeling happy for a brief moment.

It was quickly ruined by the feeling of eyes on the back of his neck. Subtly, he turned to face the source and saw the cold, calculating eyes of a Kaminii watching him and Cody. Self-conscious, CC-1010 moved his arms behind his back and tried to keep his thoughts blank.

---

"I can't believe the Kaminiise are making us spar together again," Cody quietly complained as they made their way to the training. "Especially so soon after last time. What happened to the variety?"

CC-1010 nodded in agreement. He had noticed that the Kaminiise were definitely up to something. After the last sparring matches, the Kaminiise seemed determined to change something about CC-1010 and Cody. The patrols in their barracks had significantly increased, making it more difficult for them to sneak into each other's pods. Whenever they had theoretical learning, the two were no longer allowed to sit next to each other. In the mess hall, one of them was always moved to sit at another table. Now, having to spar against each other despite doing so not too long ago. There was something going on and CC-1010 wasn't sure if he wanted to learn what. When he did figure it out—and he would, he always did—there wouldn't be anything he could do to prevent it. The Kaminiise always won in the end.

Deciding to just get their spar out of the way, the two of them made their way to the mats and none of the others argued. CC-1010 could see Wolffe giving them a confused look and shrugged at him.

They both took their stances, CC-1010 keeping himself sturdy and eyes catching every twitch Cody's body did. Eventually, Cody made the first move, aiming a punch at his jaw. Immediately noticing Cody hadn't placed much weight behind it, CC-1010 didn't react and, unsurprisingly, Cody used his other hand to try to punch CC-1010's nose. He ducked as quickly as he could, just barely missing the punch. While Cody was trying to right himself, CC-1010 flung up and successfully landed a punch in Cody's right cheek. He immediately backed away and went into his fighting stance, letting Cody catch his breath.

Once righted, Cody's eyes narrowed as he observed the other cadet. CC-1010 kept his face a blank mask, allowing nothing to escape, and awaited Cody's next move.

The majority of the match went on like that, Cody making a move and CC-1010 only countering. Occasionally, Cody tried to goad him into making an offensive move, but CC-1010 kept his composure. He wanted to keep his plan and lull Cody into a false sense of security about CC-1010 staying on the defensive.

As the spar dragged on with both of them getting hits, but nothing too bad, he could see the frustration wearing Cody down and quickly kicked down the excitement that was rising in him. He hadn't won yet.

CC-1010 saw it coming before it happened. Frustration finally overriding Cody's patience, he aimed a spin-kick at CC-1010's head. Allowing himself a small, victorious smirk, CC-1010 caught Cody's leg before it hit him and squeezed his ankle as hard as he could. He noticed Cody's grimace of pain and, using his grip on Cody's ankle, quickly pulled him closer and punching him in the stomach.

He felt and heard Cody's breath get knocked out of him. Not giving him a chance to recover, CC-1010 swept a leg up to hit Cody's knee not in the air and knocked him off his feet. He released Cody, who fell to the mats with a groan. Having a feeling Cody was ready to tap out, but not willing to take the risk, he leapt on top of him and held down his limbs. Not surprising CC-1010, Cody tapped the mats.

CC-1010 smirked at his victory and quickly removed himself from Cody. He didn't try to stand, just laying on his stomach on the mats. He moved to stand in front of him and offered a hand to help him up. Cody looked up at him. "Just give me a minute."

Rolling his eyes, CC-1010 kicked him not-so-gently. "You don't have a minute; the others need to spar." Cody groaned, bringing himself to a knee and grabbed CC-1010's hand.

They made their way off to the side, Cody rubbing his stomach and CC-1010 giving a smug smirk to Wolffe as he passed on his way to the mats to spar against CC-5052.

Once Cody had regained his composure and they were watching Wolffe and CC-5052, he turned accusing eyes to CC-1010. "You were being deceitful."

His gaze impish, CC-1010 looked at his closest vod. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Cody."

Cody's expression was disbelieving. "You wanted me to think you would stay on the defensive in order to frustrate me. You wanted me to try and kick you so you could do that."

CC-1010 hummed, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "It was pretty interesting trying to counter your spin-kick."

Cody huffed fondly, giving him a light shove. "You sly fox."

He stiffened slightly at Cody's comment, thoughts racing. Then, a genuine smile started to stretch across his face. At the lack of response, Cody turned to fully face his brother and was surprised at the genuine smile on his face. That smile wasn't so common on CC-1010 anymore.

He put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, '10?"

CC-1010 looked him in the eye. "Cody," he said with a hint of excitement in his voice. Cody raised an eyebrow at that. "You should start calling me Fox from now on."

Cody wasn't able to stop a smile from forming at his brother's announcement. "Fox, huh? It suits you." Uncaring about any eyes that may be on them, Cody wrapped an arm around his shoulders and looked at him, expression soft. "I'm proud of you, Fox'ika."

Allowing himself this moment, Fox grinned and leaned into the warm and comforting presence that was Cody.

---

Fox enjoyed theoretical learning almost as much as actual training. He really enjoyed the method of learning as it allowed him to go through so many problems and solutions which, while they could do during physical training, it was often quick and dampened by fists flying toward you.

Ready for the lesson of the day, Fox made his way to his new usual spot beside Wolffe. His older brother greeted him with an eye roll and sigh as if Fox was the bane of his existence. Sitting down, Fox returned the favour by kicking Wolffe. He noticed Wolffe bite his lip in an effort not to make a noise and he glared at Fox. Fox smirked at him.

As he was setting up, it just occurred to Fox that hadn't even tried to sit beside Cody this time. He directed his gaze to where he used to sit with Cody, noticing that his once closest vod was now sitting with Ponds. Resolutely, Fox turned away, not allowing himself to feel guilty. Cody had stopped trying to sit with him in the mess hall; logically, Fox knew they would just be separated, but it still hurt that Cody didn't even try anymore.

Fox told himself that he was fine with it. He had been getting closer to Wolffe recently and, while he didn't get or know Fox the same way Cody did, he was grateful for him nonetheless.

Throughout the activity, Fox devoted his entire attention to it. He was considered top in military tactics for a reason and it wasn't because he slacked off. He was also an expert at ignoring the calculating gaze of the Kaminii observing their progress. Apparently, Fox being top of this course wasn't enough for them and they had to keep watching him like he was a science experiment. If it had been anyone else, Fox would've said it was fair enough, but the Kaminiise didn't deserve that pass.

His focus paid off and he finished the activity rather quickly, though was disappointed to see he was one point away from perfect. Looking around the room, Fox noticed some of the others finishing their activities and getting ready to leave, Cody being one of them. Looking at his activity, he noticed a perfect score and drew Cody's attention him. "I see you've got better tactics now than to run in and punch everything."

Cody turned to him, his expression cold and professional. "It's called growing up and not goofing off." He went back to preparing to leave.

Fox scoffed inwardly. His vod had become much more serious lately and seemed to have a perpetual stick up his shebs.

He turned to Wolffe, who had just finished. "How'd you do?"

Wolffe shrugged. "Pretty easy; only three away from perfect. You?" He cut himself off, holding up a hand. "Wait, let me guess. Perfectly perfect?"

Fox narrowed his eyes. "One away from perfect."

Wolffe had an expression of mock surprise on his face. "Wow, you're capable of not being a perfect brat who has a stick up his shebs? I'm shocked." Fox glared, willing Wolffe to shut up. He wasn't anything like Cody.

They were just getting ready to leave when an authoritative, monotone voice rang out, "CC-1010, stay behind."

Wolffe shot him a concerned look and Fox fought to not roll his eyes. "I'll be fine, di'kut. I haven't done anything."

"Like they need a reason," Wolffe muttered bitterly, and then straightened up. "I'll wait for you down the hall."

He was gone before Fox could respond and he rolled his eyes. Wolffe could really be overprotective and, while Fox appreciated it sometimes, he could take care of himself. It made the hole in him that was distinctly Cody-shaped ache a bit more; sure, Cody could be an overprotective bastard whose self-preservation seemed to fly out the window when other vode were threatened, but he knew when to back off and let Fox handle himself. He had also been more likely to give advice on how to fix and improve a situation, than to just hover worriedly. Force, he really missed—

Fox cut off his thoughts before they could continue. They were no good right now. Instead, he made his way to stand at-attention in front of the Kaminii. "Yes, sir?"

The Kaminii didn't acknowledge Fox's existence right away, instead scrolling through the datapad in their hands. After a couple minutes, they finally deemed Fox worthy of their attention. "Your performance has started to become very disappointing, CC-1010."

Fox just barely concealed his expression of horrified shock. "Sir?"

"Your theoretical learning scores have started to drop and you're becoming less successful in your sparring matches against CC-2224. This needs to be rectified or we will be required to send you for...remedial learning to improve yourself."

A lump arose in his throat and Fox was unable to stop himself from paling at the Kaminii's words. He couldn't have gotten that bad, he hadn't even noticed a change. Losing to Cody a few times in a row wasn't odd, just like Cody losing to him a few times in a row was normal. Theoretical work was mostly the same as before with the odd one or two points away from perfect. Added together, maybe they had made a big enough difference? "It won't be a problem, sir. This behaviour won't continue."

The Kaminii made eye contact with him. "It better not. Command class clone require more training than the standard model and while CC-2224 could very easily take your place, it would cost more to replace the empty slot."

"Understood, sir," Fox replied, his face expressionless and tone dull.

"Good. Dismissed cadet."

Numbly, Fox exited the room and walked away. He stopped just in time to avoid crashing into Wolffe. "What was that about?" Wolffe demanded.

Fox shrugged. "Just the long necks being shabuirs again, nothing important."

Wolffe narrowed his eyes at him and a part of Fox wondered, hoped, he would push it, but he didn't. His eyes were still suspicious, but he placed a hand on Fox's shoulder and began moving them away. "Okay, let's go then. We'll be late."

"Force forbid they do anything without us there to show them up," Fox snarked, smirking lightly.

"They can't do anything without us there to hold their hands," Wolffe continued, shaking his head mockingly.

Wolffe wasn't Cody, would never be, but he was doing a good job of distracting Fox from the shakiness in his hands and the bile rising in his throat. A part of Fox was now relieved that Cody wasn't beside him; he didn't need the only vod capable of replacing him hearing that he was apparently struggling. It would also stop him from wondering how disappointed Cody would be in him.

---

Fox cursed himself as Cody slammed him down on the mat. He fought as hard as he could to free himself from Cody's grip, which had a hint of desperation in it. Eventually, Fox was forced to accept he was either tapping out or struggling to exhaustion. He stopped struggling, but didn't relax in Cody's hold, and tapped out. He could feel the gaze of a Kaminii burning into him. Fox may not have won against Cody, but he was getting ready to fight the long-necked assholes.

Cody's weight immediately vanished a hand appeared in Fox's line of sight. Disappointment and shame building in his stomach, Fox stood up on his own and made his way over to Wolffe, forcing himself to not turn and look at Cody.

---

Every day, Fox could feel himself slowly getting older, approaching eight years-old, and saw his fellow command clones going through the same thing.

The increase in height was most noticeable, as Fox and the others were slowly reaching 17's height. Fox couldn't wait for that day; he really wanted to put a stop to 17's snide comments about being surrounded by children. All the extra work Fox was doing, he certainly didn't feel like a child.

Improving his already great scores was difficult, but Fox wasn't a quitter. He pushed himself to the brink in physical training and ran mental circles in his theoretical learning. Progress seemed to be happening as Fox hadn't had any more talks with the Kaminiise lately.

Stretching his arms after a long day and massaging his shoulders, Fox stifled a yawn. He was about to climb the ladder to his pod when the doors to the command class barracks opened. Fox turned to look and his eyes narrowed at the sight of Cody entering the barracks, though it wasn't Cody that had his attention this time; it was the other cadet he had entered with.

He wore the same clothes as the rest of the clone cadets and was definitely a bit younger than Cody and Fox themselves. Both of them were carrying water pouches and had there was visible sweat on their foreheads. The most eye-catching thing was the other cadet's hair: it wasn't black, it was blonde.

"And this is the command barracks," Cody said to the younger vod, gesturing with his free hand. Fox noticed the look on Cody's face as he looked at the younger cadet, a look of fondness and pride, the look Cody had used to look at him with. He felt an ugly feeling churning in his stomach and Fox violently crushed it with a heavy boulder.

"Um, Cody?" Ponds questioned hesitantly, glancing at the blonde vod. "Whatcha got there?"

Cody paused, stopping his words to the other cadet. He held up the pouch in one of his hands. "Water?" All of the command clones paying attention to the conversation turned towards Cody and the cadet beside him, staring at Cody with a deadpan expression. Cody sighed, but stared at them all resolutely. "This is CT-7567; he doesn't have a name yet. I met him a few weeks ago and we've been doing some training together."

"And now you're showing him our barracks?" Colt asked, sceptically.

"Yes," Cody responding shortly, nodding. "I need to talk to you guys. Would one of you stay with '67 for a minute?"

"I will!" CC-5052—Bly, Fox corrected himself—enthusiastically volunteered, making his way over to the barrack entrance.

Cody said something to CT-7567, too quiet for Fox to hear, but it caused the blonde vod to nod and smile at Bly as he stood in front of them. Cody clapped CT-7567 on the shoulder and gave him a fond smile. Fox turned his head away from the sight.

"I need your guys' help with something," Cody muttered to the large crowd of command clones, keeping his voice quiet so CT-7567 wouldn't overhear them.

Ponds snorted. "Clearly. You seem to have acquired yourself a stray."

Fox elbowed him in the side. Despite that ugly feeling, Fox could see how important this was to Cody and wanted to hear him out. "What about him, Cody?"

Said vod gave him a subtle grateful look, then sighed. "'67 overheard some of the Kaminiise talking about…taking him away." All of them in the crowd stiffened at that. "Apparently because of his hair, they've been watching him more closely than the average CT for any mistake. Even the smallest thing and they count it as a total failure."

Neyo crossed his arms. "And you expect us to do…what exactly?"

"I wanna have him with us," Cody responded. "He'd sleep in our barracks, eat with us, train with us; he'd be a command class clone in all but designation. '67 would also be a lot safer with us; you know 17 would be willing to help, despite all that he complains, and fight tooth and nail to keep the Kaminiise away from him."

Fox couldn't help but feel a bit surprised at how much Cody had thought this through. He also couldn't help the bit of bitterness the surged through him; how long had Cody been considering this? It wasn't too long ago that Cody would've talked to him about this. "You said he was a CT?" he asked. Cody nodded. "He hasn't had the same training as us. Would he be able to keep up with us? If not, he'd only draw more unwanted attention." Cody may not care about being professional right now, but Fox did.

"I'm sure he'll be able to," Cody replied immediately. "I've been practicing with him and he has a lot of potential. He'll have to put in some extra work to catch up, but he'll do it."

Fox sighed, thinking it through. Cody was rarely wrong about people, so if he said CT-7567 was capable at training with them, Fox was inclined to believe him. Some of the other command cadets looked ready to welcome the blonde vod into their midst. Looking over to where the blonde was still conversing with Bly, the look on the command cadet's face told Fox he would welcome the CT with open arms.

He looked at Cody. He stood professionally, seriously, and a bit closed off, but Fox could still read him. Cody was worried they'd turn the blonde cadet away and they'd be separated, making it obvious to Fox how much Cody already valued the CT cadet. Under the stoic mask, Fox could clearly see the look on Cody's face; it was the same worry that had been in his eyes the first time a Kaminii had dragged Fox away from him in the mess hall. That told Fox all he needed to make his decision, professionalism aside.

"I'm in," he told Cody, his voice serious and hiding the lingering doubt he was feeling.

Cody gave him a soft look that had hints of pride in it. "Thanks, Fox'ika."

He nodded in response, not letting his eyes tear-up at the nickname he hadn't heard from Cody in so long. Slowly, all the other command cadets voiced their approval until they were all in agreement. Cody made his way over to the blonde vod and Bly, likely to explain the outcome.

Fox could only hope he wouldn't regret this.

---

Just as Cody predicted, 17 helped them. CT-7567 was now considered part of the command class cadets and there was little the Kaminiise would do about it. Prime didn't really care about any of them, except that little vod that always followed him around like a lost tooka, but that also meant he didn't care enough to stop what was going on when the Kaminiise went to him. Apparently, 17 had argued quite ferociously to keep CT-7567 here and, after watching the blonde vod train, Prime had agreed he could stay so long as he kept it up. Fox kind of wished he could've seen their trainer and Prime argue; he would've liked to see the shabuir knocked down a peg or two.

None of them went easy on CT-7567, Cody included. They kept up with their regular command class training, sometimes adding an extra challenge in order for CT-7567 to prove himself. Not only did the blonde cadet never complain—during actual training, anyway—he met every challenge head-on. He didn't always succeed, especially in the beginning, but he never gave up and kept pushing himself.

As much as Fox hated to admit it, a small part of him was starting to regret agreeing to have CT-7567 in the command training. After about five months of training with him, the ugly feeling in Fox's stomach had only continued to get worse and worse. Every proud look Cody sent in the blonde's direction, every hug, every time Cody called him vod'ika, every time they fought together, and every time someone mentioned how in sync you two are made Fox's blood boil.

He and Cody had been like that once. What was so special about CT-7567? Fox could do everything he could do—better, sometimes—so why was Cody so determined to replace him? What did CT-7567 have that he didn't?

As CC-3786 and CC-1119 finished their spar—CC-3786 victorious—Fox sighed, mentally preparing himself for his spar against Cody. Unsurprisingly, the Kaminiise were still having them spar against each other during these events and Fox was getting really karking sick of it. He turned to gesture Cody to the mats, but froze at the interaction between Cody and his CT.

They were standing in the same spot they had been in since CT-7567 had returned from his spar against Ponds, victorious. The two of them were standing close together, their wrists occasionally bumping. Fox and Cody had stood there after their respective sparring matches, back what felt like years ago now.

Cody looked over at Fox and he gestured at the mats. He nodded in acknowledgement and bumped his wrist against CT-7567's, a hint of softness in his eyes. Fox was just barely able to hear what he told the blonde cadet, "Wish me luck, Rex'ika."

Part of Fox wondered when the blonde had decided on a name. It must've been after his spar against Ponds; he had heard Cody calling him '67 during Wolffe and Colt's spar. The other part of Fox, the part that made the ugly feeling in his stomach grow bigger and that was slowly growing, was seeing red. That was the same look Cody had given Fox after he'd picked his name. Adding on the affectionate ending to the name had been exactly what Cody had done for him.

Fox quickly schooled what little expression he'd shown behind a blank mask and made his way to the mats. Usually, he didn't fight angry; it seemed to do nothing other than make someone sloppier, but he couldn't stop the ice cold rage filling him. Cody took his position on the mats and fell into his fighting stance, his face a blank mask just as Fox's was. Something deep in Fox whispered about how similar they still were, but he shoved it aside like the useless, waste of space it was.

As soon as the signal was given that they could start their match, Fox went straight into it, uncaring about how stupid of a move it was and may cause him another failure. Cody clearly hadn't been expecting the punch aimed straight at his nose and was struck, barely managing to roll with it to get less damage.

Cody tried to attack him, but with a speed Fox would later question the origin of, he immediately dodged and performed a counterattack. It hit Cody dead on his left check. Not even pausing to marvel at getting two attacks in a row on Cody, Fox immediately began his next move.

He moved faster than he ever remembered moving, using every dirty move he could think of. Was it cheap? Most definitely, but Fox was far beyond caring.

It was one of the shortest spars between them ever, ending when Cody fell onto the mats on his back and tapped out. Fox could barely even remember what had gone on and, while the rage wasn't gone, it had settled slightly. It would have to do.

Just remembering to offer to help Cody up, Fox turned to him and was slightly surprised to see Cody already on his feet and moving towards Rex. Fox narrowed his eyes at the retreating back, but didn't say anything. He shrugged and made his way over to Wolffe, briefly noticing CC-3786 giving him an admiring look.

"Holy shit, vod," Wolffe said when he was close enough to hear. If Fox wasn't mistaken, there seemed to an impressed note in his tone. "I've never seen you fight like that. You really showed Cody."

Fox smirked lightly, shoving Wolffe with his shoulder. He barely hid the wince as he hit one of the few spots where Cody had managed to get a hit. "Cody will just have to get better, I guess."

Wolffe snorted. "Clearly."

He glanced at where Cody and Rex stood on the other together. They were whispering. Now that the ugly feeling had calmed significantly, Fox was able to turn back to watch the next spar, banishing any lingering thoughts about Cody and Rex.

---

Fox loved the firing range. It allowed him a sense of peace and firing a blaster was one of the easiest things he'd ever done. You took the right stance, aimed so your hands didn't shake, and then fired. It had always been so second nature to Fox.

He picked up the blaster in front of him, careful to keep his finger off the trigger, and took care in arranging his stance. Then he raised the blaster with methodical precision and aimed at the center of the target. Fox placed his finger on the trigger, turned off the safety, and exhaled. He fired one test shot, paused, then fired multiple times in a row.

Fox flicked the safety back on and gently set the blaster down. He pulled the lever to bring the target closer to his spot and couldn't stop his smirk of satisfaction at the results. All his shots had hit the center except one, and the one stray was right on the edge of the center. He took the target off the board and replaced it with another, then sent it back a reasonable distance.

He was about to pick up the blaster and the second one he had checked out of the armoury—he was getting much better handling two blasters at once—when he heard a light bang on one of the stations over. It wasn't quite the sound of blaster fire, more akin to a blaster being not-so-gently placed down.

Fox made his way over to where the sound had come from. He was slightly surprised to see Rex glaring down at the blaster on the table in front of him. "Rex?"

The glare fell off the blonde's face as he turned to face Fox. "Oh, hi Fox."

He glanced at the space around Rex. The two weren't particularly close—every time he looked at Rex, he could feel bitterness at Cody steadily rising—but the younger cadet looked slightly miserable. Fox knew he would feel guilty if he didn't say anything; it was disgusting. He wondered how to best broach this topic… "Where's Cody? You don't really go anywhere without him."

Rex glared at him, though there wasn't much heat to it. "He said he had to take care of something, so I came here to practice shooting."

Fox nodded, acknowledging his explanation as he looked at the target Rex had been targeting with. He barely hid his wince at the sight of the target; for all that the blonde was improving in all other aspects of training, his marksmanship apparently needed work. Fox couldn't help but snark, "You're gonna end up hitting more of your own than the clankers at this point, kid."

The younger cadet sighed in frustration. "I don't know why I can't do this; Cody's even been given me extra lessons! I'm getting better at everything else, but it's like I just keep getting worse with a blaster."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the mention of Cody, but stopped the motion short, hoping that Rex hadn't noticed. This wasn't about his and Cody's problems. "Take your stance and I'll see if I can help."

Rex obeyed, taking his usual stance. Fox hummed as he observed it. The stance was quite similar to his own with a bit of a difference. He moved closer, adjusting Rex's stance a bit. He replaced the target with a new one and sent it back, then stepped back. "Am I good?" Rex asked.

"Yes. Try it now." The younger cadet turned the safety off and fired the blaster multiple times. Once the safety was back on and the blaster was set down, Fox pulled the target back to take a look at it. There was still a lot of room for improvement, but it was slightly better than before.

"How was I?" Rex eagerly demanded.

"Better," Fox replied. "But still needs improvement. Would it help if you watched me fire a bit?

Rex shrugged. "Worth a shot."

Not bothering to replace the target, Fox sent it back and picked up the blaster. "Watch me carefully."

The other cadet nodded, his gaze fixed intently upon Fox. This time, Fox made sure his movements were slow and a bit exaggerated so Rex could see exactly what he was doing. After firing a few shots, Fox safely put the blaster down and had the target pulled closer to them. All were right in the center.

"Did that help any?" Fox asked, looking back at him.

Rex had a considering look on his face, then nodded. "I think so. Let me try again."

Fox replaced the target and moved to stand behind Rex. After repeating the process again, they checked the target.

"Much better," Fox noted. "I'd recommend to just keep practicing now and get comfortable."

"Okay," Rex replied. "Thanks Fox! I can't wait to show Cody! He's going to be so proud."

Fox's heart dropped and he quickly turned his face away so Rex wouldn't see his expression. "I'm sure he will be," Fox said, a bit shortly. "Good luck." He turned to head back to his spot, not stopping to look back at the other cadet.

Maybe practice wielding two blasters would help this ugly feeling in his stomach go away.

---

Some part of Fox could tell that the day was slowly, but surely, getting closer to when they'd be ready for war. According to some of the ARCs he'd been eavesdropping on a week ago, most of the command class would be done training in about a year from now.

Unfortunately, until then, Fox was stuck participating in and watching boring sparring matches. Their skills were already pretty established, so Fox saw little reason to keep these going.

At least he was fighting CC-3786 this time, not Cody. Their sparring had started to become more brutal ever since their first one after Rex had joined the command class. Fox could admit that it was partly on him. For the most part, all the not-so-charitable thoughts he had about Cody were shoved so far into the back of Fox's mind that he could sometimes delude himself into believing nothing was wrong. It was only when they faced each other on the mats, throwing punches and kicks at each other, did Fox scream with his actions that he was still there, he was just as good as Rex, and that he didn't need Cody's approval. It was only in the darkness of his pod that he would acknowledge how much he missed his vod.

Cody and Neyo walked off the mats after the conclusion of their spar, Cody victorious to the surprise of absolutely nobody. Fox made eye contact with CC-3786 and they both nodded, making their way to the mats. CC-3786 had an excited skip to his steps. Fox rolled his eyes in exasperation.

They took their positions across from each other but, when the signal was given that they could start, Fox didn't immediately go for the other cadet. He hadn't fought CC-3786 in a while and, while he had observed him many times, Fox wasn't about to be taken off guard because he expected CC-3786 to be predictable.

It started off slowly, Fox making cautious strikes. CC-3786 was a bit more aggressive with his moves and mostly aimed for Fox's sides. One kick in particular managed to hit him in the side at full force. As he struggled to keep from falling to the mats, Fox could only think of how kriffing strong CC-3786 was.

Taking advantage of Fox trying to right himself, CC-3786 aimed a punch at his stomach and Fox was too slow to respond. It hit him right on and the air briefly went out of Fox. Before he could fall to the mats, CC-3786 picked him up and practically threw Fox over his shoulder. If it had been any other situation, Fox would've been embarrassed by the squeak that escaped his mouth.

CC-3786's arm was wrapped securely around Fox's side, pinning him in place. Pain went through Fox's body as CC-3786's arm dug into his sides and he couldn't get free no matter how much he struggled.

Thinking quickly before CC-3786 inevitably released him from the hold and threw him onto the mat, Fox leaned over to the shoulder he wasn't currently draped over and bit down as hard as he could. He heard the younger vod let out a pained gasp and his grip on Fox loosened.

Fox didn't waste his chance. He slid off CC-3786's shoulder as fast as he could, landing as steadily as the pain in his sides allowed him. He moved like lightning, punching CC-3786's nose and then moving to kick him in the stomach to push him back.

CC-3786 fell to the mats, but before Fox could pounce and pin him down, he desperately tapped out. The younger cadet groaned in pain, grasping his shoulder where Fox had bit him. Fox winced in sympathy, holding a hand out to help him out.

"Thanks," CC-3786 said, taking his hand and letting Fox help pull him up. "That really hurt, by the way."

Fox shrugged, letting go of his hand once he was on his feet. "It was meant to. I figured I'd pay you back for being such a thorn in my side. Those hits to my sides were becoming irritating."

A grin had started to climb up CC-3786's face at Fox's words. "Glad to know I could be an irritation to you. I've wanted to spar you for awhile now."

He nodded, remembering all the times CC-3786 had stared at him with an awestruck gaze. "I'd figured. Do you...need help getting back?" Fox asked, seeing how hard he was gripping his shoulder.

CC-3786 shook his head, smiling disarmingly. "No, it's all good. Not even that deep of a bite."

"If you're sure." Fox nodded goodbye, then made his way back to the sidelines to stand beside Wolffe. He ignored all the gazes of shock on him.

Once Fox had stopped beside him, Wolffe looked at him with a light smirk. "I thought you said my method of fighting was substandard."

Fox glared at him. "It was a necessary evil."

An expression of mock sadness spread across Wolffe's face and he wiped away a fake tear. "They grow up so fast."

Ignoring the comment, Fox turned back to the mats to watch the spar between Bacara and Appo.

---

There weren't many calm moments on Kamino, in the training complex or outside. Inside, there was always something going on whether it be meals, physical training, theoretical learning, shots from the firing range, or just vode, trainers, and Kaminiise wandering the halls. Outside, there was almost always raging, unstoppable storms that could practically blow you into the waters below or drench you with rainwater so badly you'd feel like you could never be dry again.

A lifetime ago, back when Fox and Cody had been close, they had sneaked out together during a storm to feel the rain on their skin. They hadn't anticipated the wind and just how strong it was. Thankfully, they had been on a platform with railings, so they hadn't been pushed into the cold, murky water below; that hadn't stopped them from being absolutely terrified at the time. 17 had come across them desperately trying to make their way back to the entry and had stormed out, seemingly impervious to the harsh wind, and had violently yanked the two young cadets back in. After holding them close for a few minutes, ignoring anyone who had passed them, 17 had told them off for not thinking and almost getting killed. He had walked them back to their barracks—a hand on one of both of their shoulders the whole time—and hadn't even put up a token protest when Fox had climbed into Cody's pod to cling to him the whole sleep cycle.

Fox almost smiled at the memory. Sure, it had been absolutely terrifying at the time, but it had solidified how much 17 and Cody cared about him. Or had cared about him, in Cody's case, as Fox couldn't stop the bitter thought.

It wasn't a night like that. Tonight, the weather of Kamino was almost calm. There wasn't any rain, but the rumbling in the distance alerted Fox that there would likely be a storm soon, and the wind wasn't dangerously strong. It wasn't that cold out, just enough that a light breeze would make Fox feel refreshed.

Fox took a deep breath as the breeze ran over him, closing his eyes in content. He hadn't felt this content in so long, able to forget everything. He likely wouldn't feel this way for a long time again, as he was almost done his training and the Jetiise would soon be here for him and his vode, ready to take them to war. At least, he hoped they would be here soon; none of Fox's eavesdropping had told him when the Jetiise were coming for them or if they had changed their mind about them.

He was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of the entryway opening behind him. Fox quickly spun around, ready to provide an excuse for his presence out here but stopped at the sight of Wolffe. His older vod simply raised a critical eyebrow at him, moving to lean against the railing beside Fox, who moved back into his previous position.

"I didn't think you'd come out here after what happened last time with Cody," Wolffe casually started.

Fox's gaze quickly darted over to him. "How did you know about that? We never told anyone." They hadn't and Fox was positive 17 hadn't reported the incident.

"You didn't," Wolffe acknowledged, nodding as a smirk slipped onto his face, "but some of us heard you and Cody crying like babies the whole sleep cycle."

Fox didn't flush embarrassedly at the remark, he didn't. However, he did retort, "Kriff off, you utter bastard."

Wolffe laughed at his response, shifting closing to Fox so their shoulders were touching. There was silence between them for awhile, only the sounds of thunder in the distance and the occasional rush of wind. Eventually, Wolffe broke it, "Why'd you come out here?"

He hesitated before just shrugging. "Just needed a quieter space to think, I guess. And just…saying goodbye in a way."

"Why would you need to say goodbye?" Wolffe asked, tilting his head questioningly.

Fox gave Wolffe a look. "There's not really anything left for us to learn, Wolffe. We can lead our men, we can work together, we can fight hand-to-hand, we can shoot, we know all the tactics… We're ready, so the Jetiise will be coming for us soon. Who knows if I'll ever get this opportunity again?"

Wolffe was quiet for a moment, then, "You really think they're coming for us?" When Fox gave him an odd look, he elaborated, "The Jetiise. I mean, it's been almost ten years and they've never even been here to check on our progress."

It could be considered a bit odd, but what did Fox know about this kind of thing? "They've probably just been busy. We can't be the only thing they're concerned about."

Rolling his eyes and sighing, Wolffe replied, "I guess you have a point."

Fox nodded knowingly, a small smirk on his face. "Of course I do. I haven't made it this far being a di'kut like the rest of you."

Wolffe lightly nudged him with his shoulder. "Don't let 17 hear you say that; he'd say you were the worst."

"17 would say that we're all equally disappointments," Fox replied snorting.

"I'm sure he's right on some level," Wolffe acknowledged, laughing. The chatter between them stopped for a few minutes and they leaned against each other in a comfortable silence. Once again, Wolffe broke it, "I'm gonna make sure they don't regret us." Fox gave him a questioning look. I'm gonna be the best commander the Jetii could possibly want."

Fox hummed. "No, you'll be the second best. I'm gonna be the best."

Wolffe narrowed his eyes. "Bring it on, vod'ika."

He suddenly pulled away from the railing and turned to face his younger vod directly. Fox turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. Wolffe pulled Fox into his arms, holding him close. Fox remained tense for a moment, surprised and not sure how to react, before slowly relaxing and placing his head on Wolffe's shoulder. They stayed like that for a minute, before Wolffe leaned away slightly to rest his forehead against Fox's. Neither closed their eyes, choosing to communicate with the stare.

Fox was startled out of the moment when he felt something wet land in his hair and heard rain falling around them. He pulled away from Wolffe, tugging him towards the entryway. "C'mon, let's get in before it gets really bad."

Wolffe scoffed playfully. "Afraid of a bit of rain, vod?"

"It's more for your sake than mine," Fox retorted, hiding his smirk. "The wind would be able to blow you away like a leaf."

Fox let out a light laugh as he moved to dodge the infuriated swat aimed at him.

---

Fox gritted his teeth, glaring daggers at Cody as he was pinned to the mats and Cody struggled to keep him there. He tried throwing his weight up, but Cody held firm, blood from his nose—when Fox had punched him earlier—falling onto Fox's cheek. Had it been any other situation, Fox would probably have grimaced in disgust.

Getting ready to accept defeat, Fox almost used one of his pinned hands to tap out when he noticed two things in his peripheral vision.

The first thing caused fear to spike through him. A Kaminii was watching him with cold, studious eyes. When their eyes lowered to record something on the pad in front of them, Fox almost went cold with dread.

The second thing made him want to throw up and caused rage to course through him. Rex was staring at Cody, a look of delighted pride on his face, the kind of look you only gave when someone you loved was going to be successful. The same look Fox had given Cody when he beat Ponds for the first time, the look Cody had given Fox the first time he had beaten Cody. The ugly feeling in Fox's stomach became tenfold at the sight of that kriffing look.

All of Fox's remaining energy and strength surged through him and he shoved up, head butting Cody. Cody clearly hadn't expected Fox to keep fighting and got hit straight on, his hold on Fox loosening as he groaned in pain.

Fox took advantage, wiggling out from under Cody and getting to his feet. He kicked out, not even aiming for a specific spot. It ended up almost hitting Cody in the head, who quickly rolled out of the way and to his feet, turning furious eyes to Fox. He simply replied with a challenging look and fell back into his starting stance.

They both played it safe for the next few minutes, trading blows and countering. At one attempt to punch Fox, Cody placed all his weight into it and Fox quickly dodged. Barely giving him a chance to recover, Fox punched Cody's temple. Before Cody could fall to the mats, Fox pulled him close and brought his knee up to the other's crotch. Fox then released him, kicking him in the stomach to get Cody to fall.

Fox let out a deep exhale, then moved to roughly pin Cody to the mats. Cody didn't even try to fight him. Adrenaline running through his veins, Fox violently tugged Cody's arm behind his back, but froze as a snap echoed throughout the room.

Fox froze as Cody let out a pained sound beneath him. He threw himself off Cody. "Medic!" he screamed.

After a few moments where Fox felt like he was an observer in his own body, a medic who looked about his age was rushing in. Fox didn't know his name or designation.

The medic lightly pushed him away. "Please give me space."

Fox nodded numbly, starting to feel sick as he stared down at Cody on the mats. He absentmindedly made his way off to the side, feeling the gazes of others on him. Belatedly, Fox made sure to stand away from everyone else.

He wasn't sure how long he just stared at the sight of the medic hurriedly helping Cody. The Kaminii in the room had slowly made their way over to the commotion, overseeing the medic's work and likely seeing how bad the damage was.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Fox turned his gaze to the sound and met Wolffe's eyes. His older brother moved to stand beside him, leaning so their shoulders were touching. They were quiet for a few moments and Fox's eyes started to blur from the lack of blinking. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

Wolffe snorted. "As if anything could keep Cody down permanently. Give him a couple of days and he'll be back as annoyingly perfect as ever."

Fox let out a harsh breath. "I...I didn't mean to hurt him that...badly. I just..." he trailed off.

Wolffe nodded, his gaze slowly drifting towards where Rex was worriedly looking at Cody. "I know," he said, as if it was so simple.

For perhaps the only time ever, Fox was kind of glad Wolffe could read him decently well and he had known Fox for long enough. It meant he didn't have to explain the complicated whirlwind going on inside him.

---

Fox did his best to look around the planet from inside the LAAT/i transporting him and his men to where the other generals needed them. After many years of waiting, it had finally happened: the Jetiise had come for them and needed them. Fox was all too happy to do what he could.

The gunship swerved and Fox caught sight of an arena filled to the brim with droids and natborns dressed similarly to the Jetii he had seen back on Kamino. Many of them were on the ground, unconscious or dead—Fox couldn't tell from the distance.

Following the lead of the gunship they were trailing behind, the one carrying the tiny, green Jetii, the gunship carrying them moved toward the ground of the Arena. Once they were low enough, Fox immediately began shooting the droids trying to stop the Jetiise from making their escape into the surrounding gunships. Once they were closer to the ground, Fox didn't hesitate to jump the small distance to the sandy ground, rolled to prevent serious injury, and began firing at the droids, closer-range now.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed many of his men following his lead. He couldn't stop the pride that surged through him before he refocused his effort to defending the Jetiise. Now outside the gunship, Fox was able to make out how unbearably hot the air of Geonosis was and grimaced in disgust.

None of the Jetiise were close enough to them to get to their gunship safely, but Fox was fine with simply providing them cover. Once the other gunships began to rise, Fox quickly made his way back to theirs, providing cover fire for his men and his men doing the same for him.

As they followed the other transports, Fox did a headcount and he was missing four of his thirty men. Definitely could be worse, Fox acknowledged, but he definitely hadn't wanted to lose any of them. He couldn't worry about it now, though; he would grieve them later.

Once he was back on the ground in an assembly area, Fox was able to make out Ponds addressing a dark-skinned Jetii man and his vod signalled him closer. Before Fox moved closer, he noticed Rex putting his helmet back on not that far away. He moved closer to the younger vod and said, "Um, stay alive, Rex. Cody would never forgive me if you didn't."

Rex sagged in his armour, something similar to disappointment. Nonetheless, he responded, "You too, Fox."

They went their separate ways, Rex back into the firefight and Fox getting called to the forward command centre. Fox didn't really want to be there, he'd much prefer being in the firefight with his men, but orders were orders.

Fox oversaw many of the different assaults, consulting on the best strategies. It was only when he and General Yoda noticed a particular point causing trouble for the troopers, a factory that was heavily defended with the many troopers not having a defence. "Causing trouble, that factory is," General Yoda noted, pointing it out on the map in front of them. "Take it, we must."

Deciding to ignore his very reasonable question as to why the general spoke that way, Fox quickly ran through the possible solutions in his head. Many of the Jetiise were already dealing with their own problems and many troopers still had their own objectives they couldn't be taken off. Fox proposed the most reasonable solution he saw, "Sir, I'll handle it. I'll take my remaining men and infiltrate the factory discreetly."

General Yoda hummed thoughtfully. "Handle it, you think you can?"

"I know I can, sir," Fox began, his voice plain, "these men are some of the best I've ever worked with."

"Go, you will, commander," General Yoda decided, nodding sharply.

"Yes sir!" Fox replied, saluting smartly, and then quickly made his way to an LAAT/i about to fly back to the assembly area. Fox raised up the comm channel he had with his men and informed them, "Men, fallback to the assembly area. We have a new assignment."

The ride was short and as Fox landed, he did another headcount. He was down to sixteen. He allowed himself a brief second, and then got out of the gunship. It was less than ideal, but he would work with it.

"Orders, sir?" Rider asked.

He pulled up the map on the holoprojector on his wrist. "This factory has been causing trouble on one of the major fronts. We are to infiltrate it discreetly, with minimal destruction to the factory itself. It may have information the Republic needs."

Fox and his men had been trained well. Infiltrating the factory discreetly hadn't been too difficult on its own, but when one of them accidently tripped a silent alarm, all hell broke loose.

Droids and Geonosians came at them from almost every direction. Fox let all his hours training in the firing range be put to good use, hitting most of his enemies head-on. One Geonosian flew straight at him, grabbing his arm and trying to pull his blaster away from him. Fox pulled out his vibroknife from a secure part of his armour and thrust it into his opponent, who quickly went down.

Fox and his men slowly made progress through the factory, making their way to the command centre. The further they advanced, the more of his men went down. Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven left.

One of the men, Fox thought it was Cal, got overwhelmed even though the rest of them were trying to take out the droids and Geonosians around him. Desperation evident even with the armour, Cal punched one of the Geonosians and then spin-kicked a droid that got too close. He couldn't cover every angle; he was shot by a droid, then fell to the ground and didn't move again.

Even with the ten left running through his head, Fox couldn't help the exasperation he felt at Cal's actions. Cody needed to stop infecting Fox's men with his ridiculous tactics. The well of emotion he felt at the thought of Cody almost distracted him. Cody should be here; he would've been here, if he wasn't still recovering in the medbay on Kamino from the concussion and broken arm Fox had given him.

At the sight of one of his men falling to the ground from a blaster bolt, Fox quickly snapped back to the moment and lunged at the droid that had shot him. He hit it with his blaster, using all his strength, and then shot it. Nine left.

Fox could tell they were getting close; the Geonosians were clearly getting more desperate. "Keep it up, men!" he shouted at the nine remaining—eight remaining, Fox corrected as he watched Hal go down—men, wanting to give them some reassurance.

Seven, six, five left, as they made their way into the command centre. The Geonosians fought ferociously and were ordering the droids frantically. It was no use, though; Fox and his men were soon victorious.

Once there was a lull in the action, Fox attempted to pull up General Yoda on his comm channel. "General Yoda, sir?"

One of his men, Haze, went over to the large computers and began typing. After a minute, his attention still focused on the keyboard, he said, "It's no use, Commander Fox. We're too far away and I think they've found a way to block our long-range communications."

Before Fox could respond, a blaring alarm ran throughout the factory, causing most of them to wince at the sudden loud noise. "What is that, Haze?"

Frantically typing, Haze replied, "There are droids and Geonosians in the lower levels of the factory. They set a bomb that's about to go off, likely so this place doesn't fall into Republic hands."

Fox cursed. "Rider, with me. The rest of you, try to get the comms back up."

He rushed out of the command centre, Rider right on his heels. Fox rushed to the lower levels of the factory with single-minded focus, he and Rider shooting any droid or Geonosian getting in their way.

He had quickly memorized the layout of the factory when he had been assigned the mission, so Fox was able to quickly get them to the lower levels. The only thing standing in their way was the occasional cluster of droids and Geonosians, but those were quickly dealt with. Fox wondered just how many of them were left throughout the factory.

As soon as they reached the lower levels, Fox immediately saw the bomb they had to disarm. He carefully made his way over, not wanting to accidently trigger anything.

"How do we disarm this, sir?" Rider asked.

Fox shook his head as he stared at the contraption in front of them. He had no idea, so he raised Haze up on the comm channel. "Does the system say anything about how to disarm the bomb, Haze?"

The other was silent for a few moments, and then let out a frustrated sigh. "No, sir, it doesn't. They must've not created a disarm code—better the entire factory blows up than it falls into our hands."

"Of course," Fox muttered scathingly. "So the bomb is gonna have to be opened and disarmed that way?"

Before Haze could respond, a red light started flashing all over the lower levels in sync with the blaring alarm. Then, a loud, automated voice rang throughout the area, "Five minutes until detonation will occur."

Rider looked at Fox, horror and desperation clear despite the armour. He could hear Haze's frantic typing continue. "Yeah, it'll have to be disarmed that way, sir."

Fox exhaled deeply, suppressing the rising panic. "Were you able to repair long-range communications?"

"No, sir" Haze replied immediately. "The troops on this front are probably still making their way here to help secure the rest of the factory, sir."

It didn't take Fox long to make a plan. "I'll do my best to disarm this thing. The rest of you, get out and make your way to the rest of the men to try and warn them about the possible danger."

"Yes, sir!" he heard Haze and the others in the command centre exclaim, and then heard the sound of pounding footsteps.

"That means you too, Rider," Fox said dryly when he didn't hear the man with him racing to get out.

"With all due respect, sir—"

Fox cut him off before he could continue, "We don't have time to argue. There's no guarantee I'll get this right and you all need to leave." He had to keep as many alive as possible.

"But—"

"Not now, trooper. Get out!" Fox put as much authority as he could in his voice, moving closer to the bomb to carefully open the side panel.

He didn't hear if Rider said anything in response to his order, but he could hear the sound of footsteps moving away. Fox couldn't stop the relief that flowed through him—his men should have about three minutes to get out of the factory, which should be more than enough time.

Fox stared at the five wires that went inside the bomb—red, green, purple, blue, and orange—and was unsure of which one—ones, even—to cut. He also didn't have time to over think it; he only had two minutes and fifteen second left.

Once again, Fox was unable to stop the well of emotion at Cody not being here. Cody would know what to do; he always did. He knew the most, he was so sure of himself, the most sensible, the most reasonable the most grounded... Grounded.

Fox's eyes narrowed as he stared at the green wire and thought back to his electronics training. Green wire often meant grounded and a bomb had to be grounded in order to work.

He swallowed as he pulled out his vibroknife and held it to the green wire. Fox knew next to nothing about bombs and this was the most logical conclusion he could make, but he could still be wrong. With about forty-five seconds left, though, at least his five remaining men were safe anyway.

Bracing himself and closing his eyes, Fox cut the green wire.

The red light stopped flashing and the alarm stopped blaring. After about ten seconds of nothing more happening, Fox sagged in relief and stepped away from the bomb.

He pulled up the comm channel with his men. "Rider? Haze? Click? Does anyone read me?" There was no response other than static. Fox figured they must have gotten far enough away.

He put his vibroknife away, grabbed his blaster, and began quickly making his way to the command centre. He figured it was better to keep a hold on the factory and wait for the others to arrive.

About halfway to the command centre, Fox came across a collection of droids around the bodies of five of his men. He didn't remember coming through this area during their initial sweep of the factory, but Fox supposed he must've been too focused on the attack. Taking cover behind a wall, Fox began picking off the droids and felt his adrenaline rise again as he was fighting.

Fox let out a sound of surprised pain as a blaster bolt wedged itself into his right lower thigh. He quickly turned to face the direction he had come from and saw that a group of Geonosians had snuck up on him while he was dealing with the droids.

He didn't have time to deal with wound, ending up constantly switching back and forth between droids in front and Geonosians behind. His aim had always been excellent, so Fox was making good progress on the two groups of enemies. Unfortunately, he couldn't guard all himself at once, groaning and feeling tears well in his eyes as the forearm of his left arm was shot by a droid.

For the most part, the adrenaline coursing through him managed to distract him after the initial pain and he quickly swivelled to finish off the remain droids. Once the final one fell to the ground, Fox felt a weight crash into him and realized one of the remaining Geonosians had tackled him. He was unable to keep a grip on his blaster and it went skidding across the floor.

The Geonosian that had tackled him struggled to keep him pinned to the floor. Despite the blaster bolt in Fox's left forearm, he fought as viciously as he could. Fox refused to go out like this.

Fox shot up, head butting the Geonosian and used his right arm to punch them in the throat. As they were knocked away, he pulled out his vibroknife and quickly stabbed their forehead. The Geonosian went still.

Pulling his vibroknife out, Fox immediately slashed the next Geonosian that tried to tackle him. They feel to the ground. Three more came at him, which took a bit longer for him to deal with and much of it blurred together, but Fox was soon left standing victorious.

Fox kept his vibroknife out as he made his way to his blaster on the floor. It was better to have both weapons out with him in case he came across droids and Geonosians. Picking up his blaster, adrenaline still running through him, Fox made a beeline for the command centre. Once there, he would take care of any droids or Geonosians if any of them had taken the area back. Then, he would barricade the area until the men on this front made it to the factory.

Most of the journey to the command centre blurred together, but he didn't come across anymore enemies. Once in the command centre, he did a quick sweep—finding some bacta patches in the process—to make sure nothing was hiding and then barricaded any entrances.

Fox sighed as he settled behind a counter in the room. He had made sure to choose an area that no one could sneak up on him and he had an eye on every entrance. He couldn't stand anymore; his legs were starting to feel weak, his hands were beginning to shake, and his blaster wounds hurt. Unfortunately, slapping on the bacta patches were the best he could do for now.

He picked up his blaster from beside him and aimed it at the main entrance. At the first sight of any unfriendly face, he would fire. Fox would die for the Republic if he needed to, but he'd much prefer to live in order to fight for it.

Fox didn't know he long he was crouched there for, his pain and the urge to just sleep steadily growing, but he was eventually able to hear the sound of careful footsteps approaching. He swallowed, focusing his aim on the main entrance where the footsteps were behind. Someone tried to open the doors, but they held from the barricade Fox had created.

Instead of trying to open the doors again, someone tried to kick them open. The first two tries were unsuccessful, but on the third kick, the barricade broke and the doors flew open.

Fox put his finger on the trigger, preparing to shoot, but relief flooded through him at the sight of similar white armour quickly filling the room. One of the men quickly noticed him and alerted the others. Although they first pointed their weapons at him, they were quickly pointed elsewhere when they saw the familiar armour and the symbol indicating his rank.

"Commander?" one of the men asked, approaching him hesitantly. Fox lowered his blaster and tried to stand. He was nearly successful but stumbled at the last moment, dizziness suddenly overwhelming him. The man approaching him moved like lightning to catch him and lowered him to the floor, calling, "Metal!"

Another one of the men—Metal, presumably—rushed over and the symbol on his shoulder indicated his medical training. Not even needing the order, he settled on the floor and began looking over Fox. "What happened, Commander?"

"Men and I cleared the fact'ry," Fox said, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. From the head tilt of Metal, he wasn't doing too well, though. "Bomb, though. Sent them 'way to warn you and I dis'rmed it. Shot twice on m'way back. Made it here."

Metal groaned in frustration as he looked at the shoddy job Fox had done with his wounds. Fox felt a brief surge of annoyance; it's not like he'd had much to work with.

"We haven't found anything besides you, sir," the first man replied. "You and your men must've gotten them all."

Despite his less-than-ideal-state, Fox couldn't help the feeling of pride that went through him. Of course they had.

Metal's work briefly paused but resumed quickly. "Wait, we didn't know there was a bomb, sir."

Fox felt confusion overwhelm him. "But I sent m'men to warn you?" he slurred, not liking the weak quality of his voice.

The first man turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, sir," he started, his voice gentle, "but no one came to warn us."

He felt like he'd been punched in the heart. The pain in his left forearm and right thigh seemed minimal compared to this. What could've happened to his men? Why hadn't they gotten to the—

Fox briefly flashed back to the collection of droids standing over the bodies of five of his men. He knew they hadn't been in that area during the initial strike. How could he have been so stupid?

The guilt came crashing down on him. He had been able to disarm the bomb. If he had kept Rider with him and ordered Haze and the others to stay in the command centre, they would've been fine. Fox's breathing quickly became rapid and he couldn't stop the tears from welling in his eyes. His very first assignment and had karked it up like an inexperienced cadet.

"Sir, you need to calm down," Metal's voice barely registered to him and his breathing only got worse.

He couldn't breath and his heart felt ready to fly out of his chest with how hard it was pounding. All your fault, you failed them, what would the Kaminiise think, what would the Jetiise think, what would Cody think. His thoughts kept racing even as he couldn't breathe, and Fox choked.

"—Sedative!" was the only thing Fox was able to make out from the noise surrounding him.

Suddenly, he was able to feel something stabbed into his neck where the armour and helmet couldn't protect. In what felt like seconds, Fox knew no more.

---

Waking up was a slow process for Fox.

He didn't feel any pain, but there was a vague sense of discomfort. His entire body felt heavy and his throat was incredibly dry. He fought the toughest battle with his eyes, which didn't want to open.

Nonetheless, Fox was a stubborn bastard and soon won that fight. The entire area was bright for a few minutes, then eventually dulled enough that he could see it was almost completely white. His other senses quickly returning, Fox noticed just how sterile the smell of the area was. With dread, Fox realized where he was: a medbay. Not just any medbay, the on one Kamino.

Desperate to find out what the fuck he was doing here, Fox tried to sit up, groaning. He was unsuccessful, both from his little amount of strength and the hand on his chest pushing him down.

"Not so fast, sir." Fox turned his gaze to his left and met the eyes of a vod medic He wasn't sure who it was. "You're healing relatively well, but don't test your luck."

"What happened?" Fox croaked; his voice was rusty after not using it for however long he'd been out.

The medic raised an eyebrow and moved to get him some water. "You don't remember Geonosis?"

Geono—oh. Hearing the name, Fox remembered. The Jetiise, the unbearably hot planet, the factory, his men.

The medic handed him some water and Fox gratefully sipped from the cup. After the cold liquid had thoroughly soothed his throat, Fox replied, "Yeah, I remember."

"I thought you would. Hard to forget." There was a certain shadow to the medic's eyes. Fox wondered what battles he'd fought on that hellhole of a planet.

"How long was I out?" Fox asked, choosing to change the subject from that planet.

"You've been in and out of it since we left Geonosis. You were in the bacta tank for only a few hours. So, not that long," the medic summarized.

"Why was I taken back here instead of just being treated on Kamino? Is…something wrong with me?" Fox asked, a bit confused.

"No, no, you're fine," the medic rushed to assure you. "Apparently, the Supreme Chancellor just wants you in perfect condition."

Fox went slack with shock. The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic wanted Fox in perfect condition? Why in the absolute kark would he care about Fox's condition? Why would he want Fox in perfect condition? "Why?" Fox eventually managed to ask, very composed.

The medic gave him an amused look. "Word's spread about what you did on Geonosis. Volunteering yourself for one of the most dangerous missions, sending your men away to save as many as possible, willing to get blown up if it meant trying to stop the bomb, holding onto the factory despite two blaster shots… I overheard some of the Jetiise talking and, apparently, the Supreme Chancellor said he has the perfect position in mind for you."

"What," Fox was unable to stop himself from saying.

"I'll let General Yoda explain the rest to you," the medic said. "He's supposed to be coming by to do so soon and he can explain it better than me."

Despite wanting to shake the other man and demand answers, Fox prevented himself from doing so. He exhaled deeply. "Okay, so how much longer will I be stuck here?"

The medic hummed, checking over his vitals. "I can probably release you tomorrow. For now, though, I have to keep you in perfect condition."

Hating that response but accepting that he couldn't fight anymore since he was already there, Fox sighed in dismay. The medic's eyes shined with amusement, and Fox was convinced they all knew exactly what they were doing.

Fox was antsy for the rest of the day and the only thing that convinced him to try and sleep was the medic—whose name Fox had learned was Tale—threatening sedation. He was finally able to calm down when, the next day, General Yoda entered the medbay, walking with his cane.

"General Yoda, sir," Fox greeted, straightening as best as he could.

The tiny, green general gives a light chuckle and waves him off, pulling himself up on a chair next to the bed Fox has been kept prisoner in. "Good to see you awake, it is."

"Thank you, General." Fox kept it simple, not sure how to interact with a Jetii outside of a battlefield.

"Great job on the factory, you and your men did. Drew the attention of the Supreme Chancellor, you have," General Yoda explained.

Fox nodded. "My medic mentioned that, sir. He also mentioned the Supreme Chancellor had a position in mind for me?"

General Yoda nodded. "On Coruscant, the Chancellor wants you. Keeping the planet safe and being the last line of defence, he feels you would be great at."

He could feel the pride at the Supreme karking Chancellor thinking this of him—and the Chancellor hadn't even met him—rising, but didn't want to get ahead of himself. "Last line of defence, sir?"

"Unlikely it is, that the fighting will reach Coruscant. Most populated planet in the Galactic Republic, Coruscant is. Civilians, senators, and the Chancellor would be at risk, if something were to happen. Convinced you will do what it takes, the Chancellor is, from your actions on Geonosis. A division of your own men, you will have," General Yoda informed him.

Fox nodded, his years of training being the only thing that kept his face blank and not showing the absolute glee he was feeling. There was a strange look in the general's eyes, though, almost like he could tell what Fox was feeling. Regardless, Fox managed to keep his voice clear and calm when he spoke, "Sir, I am honoured by the Supreme Chancellor's faith in me. When does he want me on Coruscant, sir?"

"As soon as you are in perfect condition, he wants you."

"My medic has said that he may be able to release me today, sir," Fox told him, hoping Tale's words from the day before would still hold true.

General Yoda nodded. "Talk to him, you will. Meet me at the landing pad, if you are released."

Fox saluted. "Yes, sir!"

The Jetii hopped off the chair and slowly made his way out of the medbay. Tale quickly made his way back over to him. "Explained it well, sir?"

"Yes," Fox replied, trying to hide his prideful smile. He was good enough to protect some of the most important people in the entire Galactic Republic. "Can I get out of here?"

Tale rolled his eyes, but began checking Fox's vitals. "What, you don't want to stay here with me?" He laughed at the slightly horrified look on Fox's face. After a few minutes of quiet, he spoke again, "Everything's in order, sir. You're free to go."

Fox nodded his thanks and stood up, feeling much better than he had yesterday. Picking up the blacks that had been left on the table beside him, Fox pulled them on. "Do you know what happened to my armour?"

"I think General Yoda already had it moved to his ship," Tale replied. "Good luck on Coruscant, Commander Fox."

"Good luck to you as well, Tale, and wherever you are sent." Fox nodded goodbye and began to make his way to the exit.

Not too far from his bed, Fox caught sight of a vod glaring daggers at him. The vod had regulation-length hair and one of their arms in a sling. Cody.

"Is there something wrong, Cody?" Fox asked, stopping by Cody's bed.

Cody pursed his lips, the glare never falling. "I just think it's a bit suspicious."

"What is?" Fox was confused. Cody didn't get confused by a lot of things.

His vod let out a harsh laugh, no humour to be found. "We're both the best. Only I can compete with you and only you can compete with me." Fox nodded along to Cody's words, resisting the urge to cut in Yes, thank you Cody for telling me what I already knew. The Kaminoan's words from what felt like millions of years ago about Cody being a good replacement for him if necessary rang through his head. "If anyone else was going to be chosen specifically by the Chancellor other than you, it'd be me. But, a week before I get a chance to prove myself, I'm suddenly stuck in the medbay, put here by the only one who can beat me."

He couldn't stop the shock that showed on his face; it seemed to always be a problem with Cody. "Are you insinuating that I put you here, purposefully?"

Cody shrugged, forced casualness oozing from him. "I'm just saying it's weird."

Fox saw red. Cody couldn't be serious. After all these years, after everything Cody had put him through—the pulling away, the ignoring him, the replacing him—he had the audacity to accuse Fox of purposefully hurting him? Except...the look on Cody's face, his posture...he was very serious.

A part of Fox felt his heart break again. Another part, the larger part that was slowly growing, was fed up of being heartbroken because of Cody. He didn't want to be heartbroken, he wanted to be angry, and he wanted to hurt Cody like Cody had been hurting him for years. He wanted Cody to feel even just a fraction of what Fox had felt.

Fox felt a cruel smile spread across his face. "Maybe Kote," he spit that word—the word Prime had wanted to be Cody's name, the name Cody had rejected because he wanted to name himself or by one of his vode—like it was a curse, "if you had spent more time actually training instead of holding a CT's hand, you might've had a chance against me."

An outraged expression crossed Cody's face and it seemed like he didn't even try to hide it. Fox inwardly scoffed because Cody was getting sloppy. "I would've been fine if you hadn't sabotaged me, Fox!"

Fox scoffed outwardly this time. "Face it, vod." There was no love to the word, not like there was once. "You didn't need me to sabotage you; you've been doing a perfectly good job of it yourself."

Cody laughed cruelly. "You really think you're that much better than me, Fox? Newsflash: most people here don't like you! You're arrogant, mean, and you don't care about anyone besides Wolffe! How can you possibly expect to lead?"

Just barely hiding his flinch in time, Fox clenched his fist. The faces of his men on Geonosis quickly ran through his head before he violently suppressed it. Cody did not need to know about that. "You know how I expect to lead? You know how I'm that much better than you? Because the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic believes in my abilities. Something you seem to be lacking, considering you're still here in the medbay and I'll be going to Coruscant."

He saw Cody freeze. "I swear, as soon as I'm out of here..." Cody trailed off.

Fox smirked. Once again, he'd won. "If you'll excuse me, Cody, General Yoda is awaiting my arrival. Enjoy your assignment."

With that, Fox waved a mocking goodbye and continued out of the medbay.

Deep down, Fox knew he would regret the argument as soon as he'd had time to calm down. He knew he'd want to apologize and perhaps reconcile. He'd want to take back every hurtful thing he'd thrown at Cody.

But right now, Fox was still fired up. Right now, he told himself that he didn't need Cody anymore; he hadn't needed or even had Cody in a long time. Cody was just jealous that Fox could finally be called better than him. Cody just wanted to hurt Fox, like he had been for years.

Right now, Fox told himself that Cody's opinion didn't matter to him anymore. And why should it? The Chancellor believed in him and wouldn't his opinion always be worth more than Cody's in the grand scheme of things?

Eyes slightly narrowed and fists clenched tight, Fox made his way to the landing pad. He couldn't keep General Yoda waiting any longer.

---

Just a few extra notes I want to make about this chapter!

Both Cody and Fox are the victims of the Kaminoans being assholes. This is from Fox's POV, so we don't really get a look into what's going on for Cody. I don't know yet if I'll dedicate a section to his thoughts in the next chapters yet, but we will learn more about his side of the story. Fox doesn't know what's happening to Cody, just as Cody doesn't know what's happening to Fox, because this was the Kaminoans intention. They thought their friendly relationship made it possible they weren't being their best, so wanted to separate them. Cody and Fox not being able to talk to each other was part of the plan.

Second, I *know* I can't write fight scenes very well. Please don't call me on it, I'm trying. :'(

Finally, there is a hint in some dialogue about who CC-3786 is. If you caught on, you know we'll be seeing more of him! ;)

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