The Cost of Victory
It was always difficult for a clone to get any sleep just before a mission and today was no exception. In fact, if anything Cody was actually finding it harder to sleep right now even though he should be sleeping like a baby. That phrase, 'sleeping like a baby,' he knew it had to be a common saying among civilians in the core but he couldn't stop himself from associating it with Rex. The Captain, scratch that Commander now, had snores that were strangely comforting. They were gone now and although the two of them endured separation before for long periods of time, this felt different. Final. Maybe it was just all of the other changes going on around here that made him feel that way. The ships were different, the armor was 'evolving,' osik even the bedding was more comfortable. And that wasn't even beginning to touch on the fact that the war was over. Or maybe his sense of dread came from knowing Rex well enough to guess that he wouldn't follow an order he didn't one hundred percent agree with and deep down Cody couldn't lie and say he didn't understand the sentiment. He still remembered the order coming down like a ton of durasteel around his shoulders.
"Commander Cody, the time has come. Execute Order 66." Chancellor Palpatine declared in a raspy voice.
Cody made sure he responded instantly, "Yes my Lord."
He remembered the slightest moment of hesitation watching General Kenobi charge up the cliff side on Utapau. Could Obi-Wan Kenobi really betray the Republic like the Chancellor's order suggested? Cody always viewed the man as a paragon of honor and duty to the institutions they served, even more than Skywalker. He assumed that was the reason why the two of them worked so well together. However, he had seen what just one Jedi could do to a battle formation of droids. If what the Chancellor told him was true, could he really risk his men's lives asking questions? Now that he had his lightsaber again, Kenobi could turn back around and kill him if he wasn't careful. Still a part of Cody wanted to ask the General why the Jedi turned on them, even if it was just for his own closure. That was until he started seeing all of his fellow brothers raise their weapons towards Kenobi. All of them must've gotten the order simultaneously and taking it at face value.
Due to the fact they were still in the middle of a battle with thousands of clankers, Cody felt like he had to retain control of the situation and thus all of his men. "Blast him!"
Only now did he regret making such a split second decision. It was what he was trained for wasn't it? Protect the Republic and the Chancellor no matter the cost? While that was all true, he couldn't help but feel as though there wasn't really a Republic left to protect. Senators no longer had any real say in anything anymore, the civilian laws were down right barbaric in some places, and clones weren't allowed to give any input into equipment designs. He'd like to think the Jedi wouldn't have sat back whilet they were dragged kicking and screaming into obscurity. Kenobi would've listened when he told him their new armor was so uncomfortable he had a hard time concentrating on hitting his targets. Cody feared the more civilian friendly armor was designed that way so he and his brothers could be phased out for cheaper volunteers. He constantly feared what that meant long term for all of his brothers, how was he supposed to protect them when it was the very government they served that was turning against them? Rex would have the answer, he always did when Cody was lost. They just had to find him first.
A loud inconsiderate beep from his communicator stirred him preventing Cody from real sleep, "We are approaching Sector #3762 soldier. I suggest you get ready for a battle in case there are hostile survivors."
He wasn't used to that kind of disrespect but that's what happens when the entire army was reorganized to the Emperors specifications, "Understood, I'll be down in hangar four in two minutes."
Despite having to put on the horrendous standard Stormtrooper armor on once more, he did so with a sense of urgency. In reality only a month had passed since the order came through his comm and Commander Tano's Venator was tracked to this moon in the middle of nowhere. However, to Cody it felt like a lifetime not knowing what happened to Rex. Early scans indicated the vessel crashed with no survivors yet Lord Vader wanted to explore the crash site anyways. Could he have had a personal connection to anyone on the ship? Regardless, Cody jumped at the possibility of joining him on the Devastator's maiden voyage since Rex had been with Tano on Mandalore. A Venator had enough supplies for a single clone to survive even without power, Rex could still be alive waiting for him albeit with a healthy beard surrounding his handsome jaw. And if Rex made the 'mistake' of refusing to follow Order 66, he would be there to make sure they could avoid any uecessary bloodshed. No matter what was going on in that crash, the two of them would figure this out, together.
Even though he technically wasn't their Commander anymore, the other clones still treated Cody with the respect of one. Each guard he passed took the opportunity to salute him as he made his way through the complicated halls of the new Star Destroyer towards the hangar. Kuati Driveyards might have out done themselves when it came to sheer firepower but, the Venator would always be the best when it came to efficiency. Instead of one long hangar running down the center of the ship, the Devastator had three. One below the ship to transport larger craft like shuttles for important officials, and two more on either side for the new Tie craft. Problem was none of the signs on the ship detailed which hangar was which. Meaning he was going to have to wander around potentially for twenty minutes just to find the wrong hangar. Some of the clones claimed he would get used to it while his new commanding officers implied clones were just too intellectually deficient to understand which direction to go in. Now more than ever he wished Rex was here, his Captain was always better with navigation no matter where they were.
Eventually Cody made his way to the LAAT planning to take them to the surface and the crash site. Outwardly he was as stoic as ever but on the inside he felt as though he was on pins and needles. On pretty much every other mission he could expect to see clankers, this planet was full of unknowns. His men were the first to touch down on the planet's surface and the sheer silence made his gut twist in knots. Upon first glance all Cody could see was twisted metal covered in snow. No fires, no power signatures, just empty space and the light whistle of the dull winds. If Rex was still here and loyal to this new Empire, shouldn't he be running towards their shuttle for help? Either Rex was dead or he was doing everything he could to protect Ahsoka. Cody didn't know which was worse. At least him dying in the crash would give Cody the closure he needed to be able to move on, alive would mean a lot of unknown variables that he couldn't control.
One of the Snowtroopers approached him with a tilt of his head, "Where do we start sir?"
Cody sighed glaring at him from under his hard to see through helmet, "You're not supposed to call me that anymore trooper. We follow Lord Vader's search plans but keep our wits about us. Now deploy the Viper droids."
The trooper sounded offended already starting to turn away from him, "Trooper? I have a name you know, but I guess that doesn't matter anymore does it?" Just before Cody could ask the trooper what his name was they continued, "You heard him men, get our clankers on the hunt."
Those words hit him like a punch to the teeth realizing how much damage the Empire had already done to their identities. They weren't allowed to have names, weren't allowed to customize their armor, and weren't allowed to modify their weapons. He didn't have an excuse as to why he didn't know the names to one of his men other than regulations and the whirlwind of the past few weeks. Was he really doing everything he could to protect his men? Could he be arguing more with the civilian Admirals pushing for better treatment? Surely at least one of them could remind the Emperor how much blood sweat and tears the clones sacrificed for him. After the search was over he told himself he would go straight to whoever was in charge and try to make the lives of his brothers better. Right now though he needed to focus on potentially saving Rex.
Cody continued to watch as the droids started to zip through the snow searching for any signs of life. After a few minutes though, he too was starting to search for anything that would give him hope. Unfortunately, the closer they got to the main hull of the Venator the bleaker the situation became. Rex would've tried to search the rubble for any kind of way to repair communications yet there was no evidence of that. Every piece of junk Cody passed still had all of it's technical equipment needed to survive without power. To make things worse he didn't see any makeshift traps that could have been used to catch the local wild life on the planet. Tears started to well up in his eyes at the possibility that all of the clones died in the unknown crash. His decision to kill Kenobi was put in perspective seeing as Ahsoka, a padawan, was able to take down an entire Venator and murder all of the crew on her own. How much damage could a Jedi master have done to his men? What choice could he have made to protect the majority of his brothers? Would siding with the Jedi have caused less harm to the Republic then what course he actually took?
The unamed trooper returned with slumped shoulders, "Sir, we found something in front of the engines... Your going to want to see this Cody."
Before he could dreadfully ask what they found, he heard the soft sound of the new Imperial shuttle landing next to the LAAT. As the entrance ramp started to open he somehow felt colder than he already was. A second later he heard constant mechanical breathing he now associated with the Emperor's primary enforcer Darth Vader. Cody had been with enough Jedi in the war to know Vader had full power of the force but he was different. His best guess was that Vader was a Sith similar to Count Dooku but that didn't make any sense. The whole point of the war was to stop the Sith. Why would the Chancellor change his mind about that on a whim? Vader didn't promote the calm confidence of Kenobi or even the cocky swagger Skywalker had, all he felt when Vader was around was pain. Perhaps Cody just transferred his own pain over the loss of Rex and Kenobi on to the mysterious figure. Whether or not that was the truth he decided to follow behind the force user from a far distance, he brought them here for a reason, maybe it was the same reason.
Vader stopped in the middle of the snow to regard the broken hull of the destroyer. Once again Cody couldn't help but wonder if the cyborg had a more personal reason for being here that wasn't just hunting down a Jedi. Just as he was about to ask Lord Vader what he was looking at, he bent down which allowed Cody to see what the trooper he encountered earlier wanted him to find. There was a field of phase 2 painted 501st helmets scattered everywhere in what he could only assume was a grave site. So many of his brothers dead and never coming back for no reason. Who could have done this? Why would Ahsoka take the time to do this if she was on the run? Why wouldn't Rex try to use one of the helmet communicators to call for help if he did this to honor his men? None of this made any sense. Then his heart started to lift once Vader stood back up and he heard the snap hiss of a lightsaber. It was blue and shorter than average, that was one of Ahsoka's blade! Rex must've followed Order 66 after all, except...where was her other saber?
Cody had stepped to Vader's side to see the details of the lightsaber only to see what was in front of his feet. All of the hope that had surged within him a second earlier vanished at the sight of a particular helmet. It didn't have the same Ahsoka inspired paint job but instead had multiple hash marks indicating how many clankers he killed as well as a pair of Jaig eyes just above his T shaped visor. He knew he needed to be stoic around Vader but, Cody desperately had to get a closer look. For the past month he had been trying to convince himself Rex could have survived out here on his own. That once he found him the two of them could run off together. That they could have the life that some of their commando brothers had been determined to create for themselves. All of those hopes had turned to ash at the realization none of that could happen. No more caff in the early mornings, no more listening to his loud snores, no more watching each others backs in a fight...or the fresher, and no more playful arguments about which one of their generals were better.
He noticed Vader appeared to be staring up into the sky at a strange green owl that was circling the grave. It was the only opportunity he was going to have to mourn his...friend and so he was going to have to take it. He quickly stepped to the grave and kneeled in front of it to stare into the empty T visor not knowing what to say. There was so much on his mind that wouldn't be appropriate to say in front of Vader. Like those three little words he had refused to say when they last separated. Or promise him they would have run away together at the best moment. How he had always felt about him and that he was sorry he wasn't there to help Rex when he needed it most. All he could probably get away with was reach forward to cup the side of his helmet affectionately while his other hand rested on the grave. What he didn't notice was that his gloved hand sunk into the earth where the grave was supposed to be.
The deep intimidating voice of Darth Vader filled his ears, "Step aside trooper."
Cody scrambled away from the grave terrified he had been discovered and was going to be questioned for reconditioning. Vader surprised him when he deactivated Ahsoka's lightsaber and used the force to push the ground away from the grave. Instantly Cody wanted to object that he was disrespecting the dead except, there wasn't any body in the grave. No armor, no skeletons, no blasters, nothing but an empty hole. Vader stood staring down at the hole his expression unknowable. That being said the usual pain that surrounded him lessened. Was that a chuckle he heard between the heavy breathing? For his part, Cody wanted to shout for joy that Rex survived. He was still out there and that meant they had a chance to be together still. He could still tell him all the things he always regreted not saying. The problem was Rex was still alive and that meant the Empire was going to have to hunt him. He was going to have to hunt Rex on behalf of the Emperor until one of them died.
Vader's voice pulled him from his thoughts, "Ahsoka Tano and CT-7567 were found dead as a result of their Venator crashing through this moon's dangerous atmosphere. That is what you will report. Understood?"
The request stunned him not sure how to respond. They didn't find a body for either of them so how could he even jump to that conclusion? All they had was one of Ahsoka's lightsaber and Rex's helmet, both of which could be discarded easily. Especially if they were planning to go on the run off as a pair. Their mutual survival would have also explained all of the graves for clones that were all around them. Weren't the two of them considered terrorists that needed to be stopped in the eyes of the Empire? And yet Vader was asking Cody to lie on an official report to the Emperor. If there was any doubt the potential Sith had a connection to Ahsoka or Rex, he didn't have any now. He was taken back to that moment on Utapau when he hesitated killing Kenobi for the good of the Republic. Vader was forcing him to make that choice again and this time he wasn't going to hesitate the same way.
"Of course sir, the explosion from the crash vaporized any other identifying features that we could have used to guarantee the bodies were them." Cody said almost robotically determined to set himself on this path.
Vader started to turn away only to turn back to him, "You are a good soldier Commander. I may have further uses for you on the Devastator."
Cody bit his lower lip noticing the green owl landed on top of Rex's helmet, "Yes sir, I'll report back to the ship at your pleasure."
He didn't know exactly what the future was going to hold but, someone willing to keep the survival of Ahsoka and Rex under wraps would probably be his best bet to ever get to them.