Rex was captured. Rex and Skywalker, at two different bases, and there was only one authorized rescue mission. Only enough resources to free one of them. Cody wasn't surprised when Kenobi picked Skywalker. Kenobi assured him they'd find Rex, but Cody knew better. In two days, the Separatists would leave, taking all prisoners with them. Rex would be out of reach. Kenobi knew it too.

"We will find him, Cody." Kenobi repeated.

"Whatever you say, general." Cody sighed, tired of arguing. "When do we leave to find Skywalker?"

"I think you should stay Cody. I need someone in charge here." Cody knew that there were plenty of capable officers. He protested.

"There are fully capable—"

"Cody, you will stay here." Kenobi said. It was an order. Cody submitted.

"Yes sir." Cody said, his tone void of his irritation. Not only was he abandoning his brother, but he couldn't even complete a mission to take his mind off it!

"Cody, do not send out a rescue mission." Kenobi warned. "And do not leave."

"Yes sir. I understand." Cody said, his annoyance heightening. He was rarely this upset at Kenobi when the general wasn't putting his life in danger…but it was Rex he was being ordered to abandon.

"Cody…"

"Sir, I understand!" Cody said. This time his frustration was evident in his voice. Kenobi sighed and nodded.

"I don't like it either, Cody."

"Sir, can I go?" Cody asked. "It's been a long day." He couldn't deal with Kenobi right now; he might snap and yell at his general. Kenobi hesitated before nodding again.

"Very well, Cody. You're dismissed." Cody wheeled and left. He didn't stop until he got to his quarters, where he locked the door and ripped his helmet off. Rex. He was abandoning his closest brother. He flipped the com switch on his armor.

"Rex? Come in." There was no reply, of course. Cody sighed and turned the com off. He dropped his helmet onto the ground and sat down next to it. Why, general? Why are you leaving me here? I can't stay and do nothing. It was too tempting to break orders and run after Rex. He flipped the com back on.

"General Kenobi?"

"Cody. What is it?"

"Do you have any other orders?" Have you changed your mind? Can I come with? Or pursue Rex?

"No, Cody." Kenobi's tone told Cody that the Jedi knew exactly what Cody had meant.

"Yes sir." Cody sighed. He turned the com off and leaned his head back against the wall. Thirty-five hours until Rex is gone.

Kenobi left—Cody could hear the transport take off. Cody sat in his room. Cody didn't move. Thirty-four hours and forty-five minutes. It was torture, waiting for his brother to die…and the general to come back joyfully with his brother. Skywalker. Cody felt bitterness at the name, although he knew it wasn't Skywalker's fault.

Cody finally stood and left his quarters. He had gathered intel for both rescue missions before the orders came. He knew where the base was. He could go, find Rex, and rescue him. Cody knew that disobedient clones were reconditioned or terminated. He didn't particularly want to die or be brainwashed—or whatever happened in reconditioning—but he'd rather face the punishment than let Rex suffer in a Separatist prison before a painful death. With a sigh, Cody turned on his com.

"Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir? Are you leaving?"

"What?"

"To find the captain."

"Um…yes." Of course he knew. I just hope Kenobi didn't.

"Alright, sir. We'll cover for you as long as we can. Don't worry, everything is under control."

"Yeah, don't worry about us!" Waxer's voice chimed in. "We'll help you."

"Thank you." Cody said. He took one of the transports and left the ship. In an hour, Cody located the base. He walked closer to it. There were droid guards at the entrance, but the hangar was wide open. The problem was that it was at the top of the base. Cody studied the walls. Cables. He decided.

Cody got to the wall and leaned in close, avoiding the cameras. Then he aimed upwards and shot. The cable looped around the railing. Cody tugged. It was secure. Carefully, he began an upward trek to the hangar. It was slow work, but Cody got there. He grabbed the top rail and pulled himself over onto the landing platform before continuing into the base. Cody had studied the plans of the base over and over. He knew exactly how to find Rex. Entering the detention block, Cody found the door to Rex's cell. It was open. Cody darted behind a column and watched. The most likely conclusion was that Rex had been taken to be questioned. Cody waited. He glanced at his chrono. Thirty-four hours left. The general should be back in twenty. Cody stiffened as footsteps echoed down the hall. A guard came along, dragging Rex. To Cody's relief, Rex was conscious and seemed mostly unharmed. The guard tossed Rex into the cell and closed the door before leaving again. Cody breathed a sigh of relief. Rex was unguarded. He crept close and entered the code that his men had hacked from the Separatist data. The door opened. Rex looked up, defensive.

"Leave me alone!" Then he sagged.

"Cody?" He shook his head. "You're not really here, are you? They said you'd gone to rescue General Skywalker."

"I'm here, Rex. We need to go. Are you injured?"

"Nothing serious." Rex replied, standing. He approached Cody and poked him. "You feel real." Cody frowned, though Rex couldn't see it.

"Come on, Rex. We need to go." Rex followed, apparently deciding that Cody was real enough. There were guards at the end of the hall that hadn't been there before. Cody handed Rex his pistol and they shot both droids before going back up to the hangar. That was when Cody realized they had no way to get down.

"We're gonna steal a transport." He said when Rex asked. Rex accepted the plan with a shrug. They entered the docking bay and Rex pointed out a ship.

"That one." He said.

"Why?" Cody whispered, heading towards it.

"Hyperspace capability and cannons." Rex said. "Seems handy." Cody shrugged and entered the ship, forcing Rex to take the co-pilot's seat.

"You're injured. I'm flying." He said sternly. Rex obeyed.

"At least I'm the gunner." He said.

"We don't want to attract attention." Cody warned as he lifted the ship off. An alarm blared. "Okay, shoot any pursuers!" Cody amended. Rex stood and ran off. Cody sped the ship up, aiming towards the atmosphere. The fighters that came after them were shot down and Cody made it to the Negotiator. He dragged Rex off to his rooms. Only nineteen hours 'til the generals get back. I've gotta make them count.

"Where are you injured?" He demanded.

"My arm." Rex said. "I think I pulled something."

"How'd you get captured?" Cody asked, suspicious. Rex went red.

"Um…I fell."

"You fell."

"Yes. A battle droid pushed me down a hole." Rex replied, sounding embarrassed. It was definitely not a heroic way to get captured. Skywalker must be rubbing off on him. Cody suppressed a smile. "I hit my head, but I don't have a concussion. Some med-droid checked me out. Just a pulled muscle in my arm and some bruises. But, Cody, what aren't you telling me?" Cody sighed.

"The rescue…wasn't authorized." Rex was quiet for a moment.

"That's not all."

"Kenobi ordered me to stay here and not send out a team." Cody admitted. A look of panic crossed Rex's face.

"You disobeyed a direct order? Cody!"

"I know Rex." Cody said.

"You could be reconditioned. You could be killed!"

"I know, Rex." Cody repeated. "But I couldn't let you die!" Rex stared at him.

"I don't wanna lose you either, Cody. But you could have come after me later. I'm sure the general would've allowed it."

"The base was being evacuated tomorrow. You would have either been executed or moved somewhere else. There would have been no way to track you."

"…Thank you, Codes." Rex said. He knew exactly how much Cody had done. Cody nodded, accepting the thanks.

"Anytime, ner vod."

"Well…shall we go see the men? I'm sure they're wondering about our adventure." Rex offered. Cody nodded. They went out to the mess hall, where most of the troopers were gathered. Boil pushed a plate of food in front of Cody.

"Eat, commander." He said. It was the last of the real food. They'd been saving it and eating rations.

"Boil…"

"Sir." Boil met his gaze. "Eat." Cody did, understanding what Boil was doing. It could be Cody's last meal for a while. Or ever. Rex and Cody took turns telling about the rescue, and each trooper watched them with apprehension and grief. Every clone knew that there was a good chance Cody would not return once the general came back. They stayed up late into the night, playing games and enjoying themselves. Any other night, Cody would not have let them stay up past midnight, but…why not? He wanted to spend time with his brothers. It was late morning when Cody woke, surrounded by sleeping clones. They'd dragged blankets and pillows into the mess hall and slept in there. Cody's com beeped again and he covered it with a hand before slipping out into the corridor.

"This is Cody." He said.

"Cody, is everything all right?" It was General Kenobi. Cody's stomach lurched. It was time.

"Yes sir. But there's something I need to tell you."

"I think so." Of course Kenobi had known something was up. Cody swallowed hard. "I'll meet you on the bridge, commander." Kenobi said.

"Yes sir." Cody replied, shutting off the comlink. He took a deep breath, aware that he was shaking.

"I'm with you, vod." Rex said. Cody jumped a little, and then turned to his brother.

"You should stay."

"You always came with me when I got in trouble, Codes. Even if it would get you in trouble too."

"This is different."

"No." Rex met Cody's gaze. He would not be swayed. And…he was right. Cody nodded.

"All right." Rex smiled, though there was no joy in it. Cody forced a smile himself and turned to walk to the bridge. Once they entered, both clones stood at attention. Skywalker, Tano, and Kenobi were there. Tano beamed up at them.

"Rex!" She shouted. Rex didn't react. Reverting to protocol was his way of showing that he was displeased. Skywalker knew this, and frowned.

"Rex, are you alright?"

"Yes sir." Rex said in a clipped tone. Kenobi walked over.

"Cody." He said with a sigh.

"Yes sir." Cody replied.

"You disobeyed my orders."

"I did, sir. I am prepared to accept whatever punishment you decide is appropriate." He hesitated. "I understand that reconditioning and termination are completely acceptable punishments for my actions."

"Termination!" Skywalker choked. "Obi-wan!"

"I will not kill you, Cody." Kenobi said with a stern glance at Skywalker. "Nor will I send you to be reconditioned. However, your actions cannot be repeated."

"I understand, sir." Cody said when Kenobi paused.

"I will decide what to do later." Kenobi said, looking distressed.

"Obi-wan." Skywalker said. "I don't agree with this."

"Anakin, he's under my command."

"I know. But I still don't agree. He went to save Rex. I would've—I have—done the same thing. Yeah, he disobeyed your orders. But he was right." Skywalker met Kenobi's gaze. "Don't be harsh with him, Master."

"I am not harsh with my men, Anakin." Kenobi said, sounding displeased.

"I know." Skywalker shrugged. "I'm just telling you not to start. Well, Ahsoka, Rex, and I should be getting back to the Resolute." Rex is leaving? So soon? I had hoped he could stay until…the punishment.

"We can fly you there." Kenobi offered. Anakin glanced at his Padawan.

"What do you think, Snips?" Ahsoka looked at Rex.

"We should stay with Master Kenobi." She said. Cody breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Thank you, commander." Rex whispered. Ahsoka smiled. Anakin nodded.

"Thanks for your offer, Master. Guess we'll take you up on that."

"Cody, I'd like to talk to you." Kenobi said. Anakin gently pushed Ahsoka from the room, leaving Kenobi, Cody, and Rex. Kenobi glanced at Rex.

"Privately."

"With respect, sir…" Rex started. Cody shook his head.

"Go, Rex." Rex glared at Cody through the visor.

"Cody!" He pleaded through the helmet com.

"Go. Thank you for coming, Rex, but I need to talk to him alone."

"All right." Rex slowly walked from the room, glancing back at Cody before the door shut. Cody took a deep breath and looked up at Kenobi.

"You can take your helmet off, Cody. This isn't formal." Kenobi said. Cody slipped the helmet off, knowing it was a request. He tucked it under his arm as he waited for Kenobi to continue.

"I don't know what to do." Kenobi said finally. "You disobeyed my orders. But you did what I would have done. I'm not sure how I can punish you for that."

"I understood what the consequences would be when I did it, sir." Cody said. "I…thought I'd be terminated. Or reconditioned." He concealed a shudder.

"You thought I'd kill you?"

"I…don't know. Maybe. It would have been my choice given the two." Cody admitted. Kenobi looked grim.

"I will do neither, Cody. But why did you disobey your orders thinking that would happen?"

"I couldn't leave him, sir!" Cody replied. "I knew that even if I never saw him afterwards, I had to rescue him. And I didn't plan to, not at first. I thought that the mission would distract me and I'd get back when it was too late to go after him."

"But I left you here, thinking it would be best." Kenobi said, and then sighed. "I shouldn't condone your behavior."

"I don't expect you to."

"Still…I don't blame you. This one time I will let you off." Cody stared.

"Really? Not even…I don't know, cutting my rations or something? Cleaning duty?" He was shocked. Kenobi chuckled.

"I honestly don't think that would do anything Cody. Knowing Rex, he'd do it for you and bring you food." Cody allowed himself to relax slightly.

"I wouldn't let him, sir." He said. Kenobi smiled.

"No, you wouldn't. But no, Cody. I will not punish you. At all." Cody let out a shaky sigh.

"Thank you, general." He said.

"Go tell Rex." Kenobi said, placing a hand on Cody's shoulder. "He's probably waiting to ambush me if I try to harm you." Kenobi raised an eyebrow. Cody grinned.

"He knows you won't hurt me. Even if we forget sometimes."

"I think your men forgot that too. I must be doing something wrong if they expect me to turn on you for a small thing like that."

"It's not you, sir!" Cody protested. "We're trained to think that."

"I'll brainwash you." Kenobi said, straight-faced but hiding laughter. "Maybe you'll forget."

"Doubtful, sir." Cody replied.

"Ah, Cody, I don't know what I'd do without you." Kenobi muttered. "If I ever lost you, this ship would be in rubble within an hour."

"That long, sir?" Cody teased. "But really, general, you will do fine when I…" He winced. "You'll do fine."

"Thank you, Cody, though I hope it never happens." Kenobi furrowed his brow, and then motioned to the door. "Go reassure Rex. I'll wait for Anakin." Cody nodded and left. Rex was waiting in the hall, pacing. He turned to Cody; panic written across his face.

"What's happening?" He asked.

"Nothing." Cody replied. He grasped Rex's shoulder. "He's letting me off." Rex sagged with relief.

"Cody, if you do that ever again, I swear, I will bring Fives and let him and Waxer prank you to their hearts' content."

"I'm terrified." Cody replied. Rex smacked him lightly on the shoulder.

"You should be. Fives is bad enough by himself." Cody nodded.

"Well, Rex, don't get captured and we should be fine."

"Not get captured? Are you sure you know who you're talking to?" Cody sighed.

"Fine. You can get captured as long as you're with a Jedi. The Council won't abandon a Jedi."

"I'll do my best." Rex said. Then he gave a shaky sigh. "I can't believe he's letting you off."

"Me either." Cody replied. "I thought I would be court-martialed. And terminated." Rex glared.

"And you still came after me!? Don't ever—ever—do that again." Cody shook his head.

"Can't promise that." Rex glowered, but didn't protest. He would have done the same thing. Rex's com beeped. It was Skywalker.

"Council wants their report, Rex. You and Cody head to the meeting room."

"Yes sir." Rex replied. The two clones made their way to the room. Kenobi and Skywalker were waiting. Mace Windu raised his eyebrows as they entered.

"So, it seems you pulled off two rescue missions, despite the Council's orders." He said. Kenobi folded his arms.

"If I hadn't authorized it, Anakin would have gone off the moment we got back." He glanced at Cody.

"True." Windu sighed. "Well, give the report." Kenobi gave a report, Cody knew he had made half of it up when he was talking about Cody going to find Rex, but he was fine with it. If Kenobi didn't want the Council to know about Cody's disobedience, they would not know. Cody was glad he had a general who would protect him. And he was just as glad to have his brother at his side.


Author's Note: I'm not really sure about this one. I don't like Obi-wan, but I couldn't decide how he'd react. So, this happened. Sorry if Obi-wan's a little out of character.

Mando'a Translations:

Ori'vod is big brother

Ner vod is my brother

Vod'ika is little brother