Author's Notes: And in this chapter, we get little hints from other people. I wanted to address what Dooku was doing in the wake of Qui-Gon's survival. As Aidan says here, he's walking a dangerous path … trying to remain balanced between the Light, all the while tricking Sidious. He's not telling me yet how he's doing that, but assures me that he knows what he's doing. Uh-huh. We'll see about that. In the meantime, I wanted to check in with Aidan and Ami, see what they were doing now to prevent all-out chaos. Aidan and Ami have a slightly different role that Merit does … Merit is focusing on the Jedi Order, whereas Aidan and Ami are Time-Jumpers, making seemingly small changes in the galaxy as a whole. To date, I've been focusing on the changes made that impact the Jedi Order (Asajj and the clones), but they've also been helping normal, everyday people. I'm also thinking about how the clones react the first time they see a pregnant woman. Should be … interesting.
Part Two
Pushing Back the Darkness
Cloning Facility, Kamino
Eight years before the beginning of the Clone Wars
"Well, Master … Kenobi, is it? Greetings and welcome! We hadn't expected to receive any Jedi at our facility so soon!"
The bearded man smiled and dipped his head, answering, "That was the purpose of my surprise visit. The Jedi Council wanted a fresh set of eyes, and I thought it would be a good idea for my padawan to accompany me. We would, of course, be happy to wait until a guide was available …" He let his voice trail off and the Kaminoan inclined his head, glancing at the blond youngster standing beside the Jedi Master.
"Of course, you'll want a status update. I shall return directly with an appropriate guide. Please, wait here," the being answered and left the room. Amidala Kenobi looked at her father, raising an eyebrow in a way that reminded Aidan Kenobi so much of their missing friends, it made his heart ache. However, he didn't reprimand her … they both missed the Solo brother-and-sister team keenly, as well as the few friends they had in the future.
"Papa, this may not be a very Jedi thing to say, but this place creeps me out. I mean, going to sleep in one time period and waking up in another is bad enough, but clones? The original Stormtroopers were clones?" Ami asked in a voice barely above a whisper. She gave a full-body shudder. Aidan offered his daughter a half-smile … he couldn't argue with her about any of this. The planet itself wasn't creepy, but this facility was, and the idea that these children were being grown as an army … it was horrifying. What was even worse was the youngsters weren't being given names, only letters and numbers. They weren't individuals, but things … and to say that Aidan found that distasteful was an understatement of galactic proportions. Then there was the whole matter of the accelerated aging mentioned in the briefing packet he'd received from Master Dooku when they made contact with the elder Jedi nearly two weeks earlier.
Master Dooku was running a black op undercover as a Sith called 'Darth Tyranus.' It was a dangerous game he was playing, and Aidan feared that his grandfather's grandmaster would lose his life … or far worse, lose himself. But it was Dooku's choice to make … his promise to keep. Aidan hadn't asked what he meant by that … he really wasn't sure he wanted to know. Nor had he asked when his daughter inhaled sharply upon meeting the elder Jedi Master. She'd seen Dooku before, he realized immediately … in those last hours before they fled into the past? More than likely, but ultimately unimportant.
He told his daughter now, "Your upbringing as a Jedi has been anything but orthodox … and since we're here to protect the galaxy from falling into madness, not support the Council, we won't worry about whether considering this place 'creepy' is un-Jedi-like. That being said, be mindful of who you say that around." Ami nodded in acknowledgement. It was something she knew anyhow, but it bore repeating. He went on, "Still, I have to agree with you. Not Kamino, but this facility. Has anything struck you as … troublesome?"
His thirteen year old rolled her eyes (a habit she evidently picked up from Asajj Ventress when they first arrived in the past) and replied, "Too many things, Papa … the accelerated growth, the lack of names. But it was something that … the last Kaminoan we talked to … something that he mentioned that made me twitch. Do you remember when he mentioned a chip?" Aidan stiffened, because it was something he also picked up on. Ami went on, "I know that the chips are listed as behavior modification. But ... where's the line between behavior modification and taking away free will? Papa, we've already seen that the clones aren't regarded as individuals … what if it doesn't end there? What is the difference between the clones and slaves?" His daughter was raising some very good points, things he'd been considering himself ever since they arrived on Kamino and they'd been provided with a full account of the clones, from nutrition to training to the so-called 'behavior modification.' Behavior modification. He shuddered again, and Ami asked uncertainly, "Papa?"
"You wouldn't remember this, I don't think … it was right after Merit and Thane rescued us. Cadeus had captured a Resistance fighter and implanted a chip into his head before releasing him. The idea was to take out Cadeus' children without it being traced back to him," Aidan told his daughter. Ami inhaled sharply, her eyes narrowing, and the Master-father went on before she could interrupt, "The chip went bad and he went insane. Ate his blaster in front of Ral and Merit." It was terribly blunt, but raising a daughter and a padawan in the time he had, trying to shield her from the ugliness only served to make her more vulnerable.
"What do we do, Papa? What they're doing to the clones, it's wrong! And I don't think it was part of Master Dooku's instructions to the cloners," Ami murmured. Her eyes widened, and she added, her voice dropping even further, "Papa … they are intended to be an army, for the Republic … to fight alongside the Jedi. What if …?" She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't have to, because Aidan was seeing the outlines himself. He thought of the various scenarios of how they should move ahead with this knowledge, rejecting each one until …
"We know the puppet master is Palpatine. We can't do anything against him directly, but we can interrupt the signal, or perhaps even block it all together. I know, you want to countermand the instructions given to the cloners, but that's just a temporary fix, and won't end up helping the clones in the long run. Call on the Force, Ami, you know I'm right." This was said as his daughter opened her mouth to protest. Her mouth snapped shut and she closed her eyes as the Force confirmed Aidan's words. The Jedi Master went on, "If we do that, Sidious will just find another way to control them. This way, we can give them a fighting chance. We also find individual clones and tell them. These are sentient beings, Ami … if they know that they're being controlled, what do you think will happen?" Aidan asked his daughter. Her eyes brightened and a mischievous smile lit her face. Aidan all but groaned as he realized he'd just asked a teenager that question.
However, Ami said only, "We have company, Papa." Aidan stiffened and turned toward the direction of his daughter's gaze, to see a small boy standing in the doorway. He looked to be no more than five or six, but … he didn't behave as an ordinary five or six year old. Ami smiled and said, "Hello … my name is Amidala. This is my father, Aidan. Are you the guide promised to us?" Aidan looked at his daughter … what? But the Force bade him to let her continue, whispering that this was the first step to save the clones and the Jedi.
"I'm CC-2224. I'm not supposed to be here," the boy answered matter-of-factly. Intellectually, Aidan knew that the clones didn't have name, just designations. CC indicated that he would be a commander, while CT designated troopers. The boy went on, "What are you? You're not Kaminoan, and you're not vod … what are you?" Not who are you, but what. Aidan called upon the limited Mando'a he knew … vod. Brother or close colleague, a familial term.
"We are Jedi," his daughter answered simply. Aidan hissed down the bond, Ami! His daughter, however, was unrepentant, responding, Papa, they need to know these things. Right now, we're just faceless entities to them. Yes, we have to figure out a way to deal with the chip, but they need positive reinforcement, and we both know that there are bad Jedi. If we can make a positive first impression, that can only help us down the road, right? Aidan growled, because his daughter was right (worse though was the fact that he wasn't hearing his thirteen year old daughter in those words, but the twenty-five year old Knight who was her surrogate mother). Fine, he answered, but don't confuse the boy or give him conflicting orders.
Papa! was the indignant response and Aidan felt a smile pulling at his lips as he returned his attention to the boy. The youngster asked slowly, "Jetii? The ones we were made for?" Aidan now found himself in the position now that he just told his daughter to avoid. However, he was a Master, while she was a padawan … it was his job as a Master and as a father to protect his child. Besides, while he made a point of telling people in their own time that he wasn't his grandfather, 'the Negotiator,' he had learned some diplomatic skills from his mother.
Thus, Aidan smiled at the youngling, saying, "In a manner of speaking, yes. We are vod, you and I, and Amidala. Family. You've been told by your teachers here that you were made for us, to keep us safe?" The young clone nodded, and Aidan went on, "That makes us family. I don't look at you as a brother, though, but as a son." Even as he talked, Aidan was formulating a plan in his head in the event the boy was caught in here. Yes. Yes, that might just work. As he did when Ami was (much) smaller, Aidan dropped to his knees in front of the boy and went on, "Now, since I regard you as a son, it's my place to name you."
From what he could gather, in the original timeline, the clones named themselves or each other. But in naming this young clone, he was claiming him, in a manner of speaking. And he knew the name given to/claimed by CC-2224 in the original timeline. The boy looked at him curiously, and Aidan went on, "I think I shall call you 'Cody.' That was the name of my grandfather's dearest friend." And aside from Skywalker, there was no one whom Obi-Wan Kenobi trusted more once the Clone Wars began. This young Cody didn't need to know that right now. Nor did he need to know that his namesake/previous self tried to kill the man he was sworn to protect. Because it wouldn't happen again.
"Co-dee," the boy tested out, tasting the name on his lips, lips that curled up into a smile, a smile that lit up his eyes as well. And in that moment, Aidan realized what he'd done. Oh yes, he'd named the child who would grow up to be Commander Cody, and he'd claimed that same child as his own son … but he'd also given the boy his first gift, the gift of a name. Aidan didn't fool himself into thinking that it would change anything … they would have to knock out the chip to do that … but it would help.
There was still the matter of the tour promised to him and Ami, and they had to get Cody out of here before he was discovered, but the Force felt lighter, pushing back against the darkness. No, it didn't solve anything … but every little bit helped.
TBC