Thanks for the reviews, all you reviewers! :) Since everyone was fine with a follow-up to the Obi-Wan story, here you are. . .
As always, I hope you enjoy it!
The gunship was silent, except for the sound of Obi-Wan's calm and slightly off-key humming. Cody stood near the blast doors, one hand gripping the ceiling support.
Rex, standing to his right, cast occasional questioning glances at Cody, all of which Cody ignored with the ease of long practice. Anakin lounged against one wall, arms folded over his chest as he regarded his master with amusement. Wolffe and Plo Koon stood in the precise center of the ship. Neither of them were holding onto the supports; both of them had their arms folded; and both of them, despite their respective masks, contrived to look amused.
And then Obi-Wan piped up again. "Are we there yet?"
Cody decided to use the tone he most often employed to quell shinies' eager questions. "Negative. Sir."
But the general would not be quelled. "We must consider," he continued in all seriousness. "Where exactly is 'there'?"
"I couldn't say." Cody shot a look at Rex, who did not come to his aid.
Obi-Wan sat cross-legged, rested his hands on his knees, and looked severely at Anakin. "Why didn't you learn the answer as I told you to, Anakin? I've been gone for nearly a week."
Anakin spluttered. "That was Cody who answered you! I'm Anakin!"
Cody had no idea why General Kenobi kept mixing him and Anakin up – maybe it was the fact that they both had facial scars? No, that couldn't be it. Wolffe has a facial scar too. . . Maybe it's because Skywalker and I spend so much time with Kenobi?
He then decided that theorizing was hopeless, and therefore a waste of time.
"Master," said Anakin, holding out a hand. "Listen, let's wait until we get back to the ship, and then –"
"One must not put off truth," retorted Obi-Wan, getting suddenly to his feet.
And then Plo Koon stepped in. "What truth are you seeking, Obi-Wan?"
"General," groaned Cody.
All three generals looked at him – Plo Koon innocently, Anakin questioningly, and Obi-Wan blankly.
Rex chuckled.
Wolffe cleared his throat.
Cody lifted his comlink. "Crash! How soon are we landing?"
"Thirty seconds, sir. Is something wrong back there?"
. . . Yes, Cody thought. I've got three generals to deal with. One is being weird, one is driving him on, and the other is getting annoyed. "No, nothing wrong."
He turned back to his general. "We'll be there in a few seconds, sir."
"There!" cried Obi-Wan, then stroked his beard. "That's what I meant! There! What, precisely, is there? And is it truly a 'what', or is it a 'where' or a 'when'?"
Plo Koon had never sounded so deliberately wise as he did when he answered, at that moment, "Perhaps . . . it is all three."
Anakin gave him a look that implied future vengeance.
So did Cody.
The ship landed, and the blast doors sprang open.
One by one, they left the gunship – except for Obi-Wan, who was staring into space as though the deepest secrets of the Force had just been revealed to him. Maybe they had, and Obi-Wan would be catatonic the rest of his natural life. It would be just Cody's luck, that was for sure.
He reached back into the gunship and tapped his general's arm. "We're here, sir."
Then he winced. Okay, that was one of the stupidest things I've ever done . . . Don't say it, General, don't say it –!
"Here. . ." mused Obi-Wan, ambling out. "Is here there? Or is there here?"
Rex and Anakin edged away.
Cowards.
Obi-Wan drew closer, one hand tugging at the end of his beard. His eyes focused on Cody, and he frowned thoughtfully. "Is 'there' the end of this journey, or of all? Do all journeys end in a there, or in a here?"
Cody flung out a hand, grabbed Rex, and jerked him to a forceful halt. "You two, get him to medbay," he ordered. "Now."
"But – Cody, I –" Anakin looked around frantically. "I've got to find Ahsoka and get onto that next, uh, briefing –?"
Cody yanked off his helmet. "NOW, General."
Anakin was smart enough to obey. "Come on, Obi-Wan," he said, shooting Cody a glower over his shoulder.
Cody couldn't care less. He outranked everyone here except for Obi-Wan. There isn't much General Skywalker can do –
Anakin's glower turned into a devilish smirk. "Any orders for Cody, Master?"
– except that.
Obi-Wan, who had been wandering after Anakin, stopped short, his expression confused. "Orders? For Cody?"
Plo Koon hummed thoughtfully. "Commander. . ."
"Yes, sir," replied Wolffe and Cody.
Rex snorted again.
Cody switched his comlink channel with a level of deliberate control that he did not feel. "Cody to medbay."
"Medbay. This is Stitch."
"General Kenobi inhaled something that's making him act weird," Cody said bluntly. "Non-fatal, but get up here, will you?"
"On my way."
"I am NOT acting weird," Obi-Wan proclaimed, hopping up to sit on the nose of the gunship. "And I don't breathe."
Anakin choked on a sudden laugh. "Really?"
"The Jedi Code forbids breathing," Obi-Wan told him. "It's non-fatal."
Force help us all, he's going to die of asphyxiation.
And wouldn't that be one for the records. Cody could see the report now: 'Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi suffocated to death while safely on the Negotiator, due to a mistaken belief that his Code forbids breathing.'
He flinched.
Anakin, apparently, was getting the same ideas. "Uh, Master. . ."
"Obi-Wan," said Plo Koon, the first hint of concern entering his voice. "Let us proceed to medbay."
"Very well, but you don't have to be so difficult about it!" Obi-Wan actually sounded offended. He dropped to the ground, turned, and walked right into the gunship's wing just as Stitch entered the hangar bay.
The 212th's medic sidled up to Cody. "Situation, sir?"
Cody waved a hand towards Obi-Wan, who was clutching at his nose.
Stitch stood motionless for a long moment, apparently assessing the others who stood around. Plo Koon and Anakin stood side by side, watching Obi-Wan cautiously, while Wolffe and Rex waited without speaking.
"CODY!" shouted Obi-Wan suddenly.
"Yes, sir."
"WE MUST COMPLETE THE MISSION!"
Cody started to assure him that the mission was completed, but changed tactics at the last second. "Right, sir. Final mission objective is to talk to Stitch."
"I don't need stitches, though perhaps a cup of tea would be in order," Obi-Wan declared.
Cody rather thought a sedative would be in order.
Wait. . . Maybe I can ask Stitch to sedate all the generals, and Rex, and Wolffe.
"No, sir," said Stitch firmly.
Anakin looked over, a suspicious look on his face. "No, sir, what?"
Cody hesitated.
"Doctor-patient confidentiality," Stitch cut in, his voice smooth as ever. "Now, General Kenobi, let me run a scan, and –"
Obi-Wan backed away. "What's that? Is that the same nothing the grey Rex used?"
Stitch paused for perhaps half a second, but apparently he was able to follow the workings of a Jedi's mind, because he looked almost immediately at Wolffe.
Wolffe handed him the scanner he'd used.
Stitch took it, one eyebrow raised as he looked over the readouts. "Well, General, whatever you breathed in – it's a good thing you're not a Plutonian."
Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber and turned it on, gazing almost lovingly at the blue blade. "You are indeed correct. Plutonians like green light better than blue, and if I were Plutonian, it must follow that I would have a green lightsaber."
Cody wasn't exactly sure how Jedi built their lightsabers, but he'd never heard that the blade's color was a matter of 'liking' and 'disliking'. Well, maybe except for the red lightsabers, which the Sith seemed fond of. . .?
Also, he was pretty sure that Obi-Wan should not be using a lightsaber at all right now, Jedi or not.
Obi-Wan waved the blade thoughtfully about, humming along with the sounds it made, then stopped short, still staring at it. "A Jedi's lifesaber is his light."
Rex and Wolffe exchanged concerned looks. Anakin cleared his throat in alarm, and even Plo Koon took a thoughtful pace back.
But Stitch was not senior medic for nothing. He nodded smoothly, drawing closer at the same time. "Yes, General."
Obi-Wan staggered dizzily and brushed his hair back from his forehead with the hand holding the lightsaber.
Stitch reached out, twisted the weapon neatly out of his hand, and pressed the activation stud. The blade vanished, and Obi-Wan looked at Stitch in abject betrayal.
Stitch remained unmoved. "You can have this back if you come nicely to the medbay and let me treat you."
Obi-Wan folded his arms petulantly.
General Skywalker looked between them, vastly amused.
Cody gave the young Jedi a look that was as close to pleading as he would ever come. "General . . ." he said.
Anakin glanced at him, rolled his eyes, and sighed loudly. "Fine. Obi-Wan, come on, listen to Stitch."
"Yes, yes, all right, Cody."
No one was foolish enough to correct his mistake this time. They watched with bated breath as Anakin left for medbay, Obi-Wan wandering after and Stitch following both of them.
As soon as they vanished, Cody let out a sigh of relief. At last he could get back to business. "General Koon, I'll get someone to show you to your quarters."
"I would appreciate that, Commander."
Cody gave him a short nod, commed for Waxer, checked in with Crash, told Rex about the reports they had to look over together, waited while General Koon was escorted out, turned to Wolffe, and said, "You owe me for today."
Wolffe smirked. "Yeah, I suppose I do."
He turned to follow his general.
Cody pulled out his datapad.
As Wolffe reached the door, he spoke over his shoulder. "Hey, Cody. . . Fox is going to love that recording, isn't he?"
"Hmm." Cody glanced at the newest requisition form – why exactly had the 501st lieutenants submitted another request for sonic detonators when he'd refused them three times already in the past week? Maybe they thought getting Skywalker and Tano to sign off on it would help them. Well, it won't.
"Rex," he said aloud, denying the request again and sending it back. "You'd better talk to Jesse and – wait, Wolffe! Wolffe, what recording?!"
Wolffe popped back into the room, his helmet off and his prosthetic eye gleaming evilly. "The recording of General Kenobi talking about the senators."
And he left.
Cody stared after him for a long moment.
Rex cleared his throat delicately. "Cody, maybe –"
"That's a security breach," Cody said disbelievingly. "He . . . No. No. Wolffe can't do this, he's not . . ."
A sudden shout echoed down the hall. Cody stared from Rex to the door, wondering what this new disaster could possibly be. Obi-Wan came streaking into the hall. Stitch dashed after him, side by side with Anakin.
Obi-Wan skidded to a halt in front of his commander. "CODY!" he shouted, at a volume normally reserved for giving orders during a bombardment. "WE FORGOT ABOUT FOX!"
"What?" said Rex. "Cody, what –?"
Feeling beset on all sides, Cody turned on him viciously, his voice quiet. "So help me, Rex, I will promote you."
Rex immediately stood to attention and clamped his mouth shut. Anakin stopped, his eyes widening at Cody's tone, and stood quietly as well. Wolffe came back into the hangar, apparently alarmed by the racket, and Stitch glanced sidelong at Cody.
Cody tossed his helmet to Rex, pinched the bridge of his nose until he'd regained his equilibrium, and turned to Anakin. "General Skywalker. How did he escape you?"
"Caught me off-guard," replied Anakin, rather shame-facedly.
Stitch nodded. "He was just walking along. . . Then he got excited and started shouting about Commander Fox."
"Will sedation harm him?"
Stitch considered. "No."
"Good," said Cody. "General Kenobi, I'll speak with you when you've been released from medbay."
"Medbay is for Padawans," replied Obi-Wan, in what had to be the most brazen lie of the day. "And –"
Stitch approached with his hypo and injected the sedative.
"OUCH!" Obi-Wan paused his speech long enough to look offended. "Cody, I really think –"
"I'll handle Fox, General," said Cody, in tones of sugared death.
Wolffe looked concerned.
Cody glanced over at Anakin. "General Skywalker?"
"Right." Anakin grabbed Obi-Wan as the Jedi Master tipped forward.
The two of them, plus Stitch, vanished again.
Cody turned to Wolffe. "About that recording, Wolffe. Is it audio or video?"
"Audio only. . . And I didn't actually get the part about the senators, don't worry."
"Play it back."
Wolffe hit his wrist comm.
First came Cody's voice. "Wolffe!"
Then Obi-Wan. "Commander Fox? I recently spoke with him, some years back! Do you know, he stunned Senator Twill. I was quite shocked."
"Wolffe."
"Dear me, Cody, you're not being very friendly. . . Wolffe didn't shoot Twill, Fox did. And besides, Twill deserved it."
"Really, sir?"
There was a cracking sound, and Rex raised an eyebrow.
Wolffe glanced at him. "I think Cody broke my jetpack."
Cody rolled his eyes.
"Yes. . ." Obi-Wan's voice was muffled for a moment. He'd probably been stroking his beard at the time. "Fox would know more about it. I just know that Twill deserved it. He was risking something important."
"Fox's sanity?"
Rex chuckled, and Wolffe grinned. Cody eyed them both, deciding he was above such things at the moment.
"Sanity? Fox says that the latest bill the Senate passed is insane. I haven't had time to look into it, but –"
"Trust Fox to have opinions on politics," Wolffe's voice growled. "The idiot is going to get himself –"
A dull thumping noise followed.
Rex tilted his head, and Cody explained, with calm superiority, "He seemed to think that banging his forehead against the wall would solve his problems."
He did not tell Rex that he'd been considering the exact same thing.
"It seems to me that he knew what he's talking about." Obi-Wan spoke again. "He's head of the Coruscant Guard, you know. Even though he thought he was talking to himself at the time. I suspect he was unaware that I was in the ventilator shaft."
The recording cut off.
Cody glanced at Rex, then at Wolffe. "I just thought of something," he said. "Fox doesn't know the general overheard him."
"No," mused Wolffe. "He doesn't, does he?"
Cody rested his chin in one hand and considered, then glanced from Rex to Wolffe. A slow smirk crossed his face. "Wolffe, send me that recording."
I have to say. . . Well, no, I don't. But I'd like to say that this one was the most fun of all to write. So far, anyway. :D
Also, it just so happens that Cody's theory was correct - Obi-Wan mixed him and Anakin up because he spent a lot of time with each of them. :)
