When Cody returned to the open hatch, he found the previously-doomed tank being pulled up ahead, slowly but surely back onto its feet against the canyon wall. It felt surreal knowing this rescue would proceed missile-free. In fact, now that Cody thought of it, the whole operation was practically guaranteed to go smoothly - with the ballistic assault out of the way courtesy of Boil and Switch. The only remaining source of interference would be the presence of snipers, though it seemed they were only around to prevent anyone from going outside the AT-TEs: a plan which had clearly become little more than a nuisance, rather than insurance. Macrobinoculars raised, he watched the Generals ascend together once the craft was stable enough for Ahsoka to take a position that enabled the use of her other arm. Even insensitive to the Force, Cody imagined she must be exhausted. He zoomed in on top of their tank where the Generals were dropped in a heap. Unsurprisingly, Ahsoka collapsed without greetings. General Skywalker disentangled himself from General Kenobi then, and seemed to shuffle for a time in indecision between attending to his Master or his apprentice. General Kenobi managed to drag himself onto his knees in the meantime, only to heave up another half a lung's worth of blood and thereafter follow the example of Ahsoka. Cody, having had enough of the show, lifted his arm yet again. "General Skywalker. The source of the missiles has been eliminated. Report status." He received no response. Watching his own General lying immobile from afar, it took a fair amount of discipline to keep his voice level. "I said report status, General Skywalker."
Gasping in short breaths on his back, Obi-Wan motioned weakly for Anakin to answer his comm. Anakin shook his head in defiance. He leaned over his Master just as before, eyes on the verge of tears, attempting through tattered concentration to reenter the healing trance he began back when he thought things couldn't get any worse. Cody contacted Ahsoka instead. He watched her tired body flop to the side at the transmission's end, confirming its receipt, and then saw her sit up, head drooping, raising the comm to her mouth at last.
"…Commander…?" she sounded drained beyond measure.
"I said the missiles won't be a problem anymore, sir. Report status." He watched painfully as she glanced over in the other Jedi's direction. If only sympathy could heal wounds.
"…Master Anakin…'s got it covered," she mumbled vaguely. Cody watched her topple to the side. She wouldn't answer further calls.
Cody considered taking the ascension cable from his own belt and hopping over to address the situation more personally, but aside from being unwilling to leave his men unattended during a crisis, their entire tank revved loudly to no one's expectation, and started to crawl again with unprecedented speed and vigor. The clones inside looked at each other in perplexity. As far as they knew, their tank was being serviced by General Skywalker, who was now well-understood to be aboard a different tank. Nevertheless, they all gave a cheer. Majum rode silently on the underside of their machine, accepting a moment to enjoy the fruits of his labor before beginning the climb to the top to resume his work mowing down another set of snipers.
All in all, Cody settled for the indirect approach. He had the clones inside the Jedi's tank coax or carry everyone on top back inside by any means necessary, and monitored the operation's progress from below. He found that the hatch's heavy door made an effective shield against blaster fire, to his gratification, and became quite comfortable after a while hearing the bolts ping away uselessly right next to his head. During the otherwise refreshing climb up to the top, it was discovered that Cody's tank had acquired a second anti-sniper feature, in the form of Majum's obnoxious cannon that discharged on time about every ten seconds. No one had witnessed a red bolt in several minutes by the time the final vehicle crested the cliffs and returned to a normal angle heading north. The injured resting on the bottommost hatches inside were maneuvered quickly onto the floor at that same moment, cutting short anyone's desire to celebrate. In response to the sudden overflow, Cody authorized a number of rather eager volunteers to exit the cramped interior and ride the rest of the way on the hood. The threat of being sniped was practically neutralized at the sight of Majum outside. He stood with the clones, ready and inert with his visor at his scope, stepping in a slow circle at the highest point on the AT-TE as it crawled ahead.
Anakin spent the first half of the arduous return trip with his face buried in his Master's chest. He cried there unabashedly, clutching Obi-Wan's singed robes and bearing his soul for all to see. The men of the 212th present with him made a tacit vow never to speak of the scene to anyone but those who witnessed it in person. Most fortunately, however, neither Obi-Wan nor Ahsoka were awake to experience the same loss in confidence. Liiqua accepted the unofficial title as caretaker for Ahsoka while she slept, adorned with cuts, bruises and burns, slumping resignedly against her shoulder. Eventually Anakin calmed down to a level that enabled him to resume healing. The clones guessed this was the case, at any rate; at some point the cabin took on an eerie sort of quiet in the absence of his sobs.
Emotions between the troops were mixed as they were strong. Some clones enjoyed a jovial game of volley between the tanks as they rode on top. Others remained haunted by the battle, huddled close inside their cabins as though the ground might collapse at any second. Others yet were just confused. Was there still a 501st? Who were they supposed to look to for orders? Did a clone Commander really supersede a General today? Was General Kenobi presumed KIA? To be a clone was to have a well-defined place in the Grand Army of the Republic, from the very day one was manufactured. The current lack of identity that many felt was disconcerting in a way they hadn't even imagined. This, of course, was just another item on the to-do list being compiled by Cody the entire way back to the outpost.
Cody was not relieved, nor scared, nor upset in any way. If anything, upon reaching level ground above the canyon, it finally hit him at full capacity just what it meant to be responsible for two battalions with no one to delegate to. While commanding a battle, things were comparatively easy: orders were relayed and executed as the situation evolved. But in times of peace? Without the immediacy and urgency of combat, the true burden of rank emerged. Clones would need to be re-divided and re-appropriated with new hierarchy according to their preestablished ranks. The Jedi Council would need to be notified of the mission's adjustment in light of Obi-Wan's absence and Anakin's loss of authority. The camp up north would need new orders and a temporary shift in chain of command. The mission report would need dramatic updates, and the corresponding casualty report was to be significantly expanded. There was additionally the company of the uninvited Twi'Lek and the apparently-unaffiliated Sand-Wraith-looking person to be accounted for, Cody remembered, to say nothing of the unresolved status of his General's life. This short ride across the desert was to be absolutely cherished, Cody realized, and in the span of about fifteen minutes, he typed furiously upon his datapad like the fate of the war depended on it.
He contacted the outpost with approximated numbers and descriptions of the injuries they would be expected to treat. He ordered medical staff up front in the hangar, re-authorized the tower's use of its cannons (conditional upon Cody's express approval), and requested outpost-stationed officers to report along with the medical staff for briefing on the newly reorganized hierarchy. As a result, no one missed a beat when the last of the tanks lined up at the creaky old entrance to the outpost's bottom floor. The injured were expertly escorted in file to the disused facilities. Anakin was allowed to accompany Obi-Wan to the hastily prepared emergency room once it became apparent he was deeply involved in some healing procedure that none of the clones wanted to make assumptions about. In the meantime, Cody directed those outstanding to wait at attention until all were arranged as ordered. He stood in front of them, taut and imposing, save for the sniper rifle besmirching his image. Once again he relied on it to keep him upright, propped under his left arm while his helmet was tucked firmly under his right.
"…You've done a good job out there, men," he began. "The stakes were high, but we proved today that it takes more than a few lousy missiles to see us surrender." He sprang deftly on his crutch to meet the other half of the amassed clones. "Now, I know it's unclear the way things turned out with command. So let's get one thing straight: at the core of every clone's training is a foundation of personal integrity. And that means no matter the situation, no matter who is or isn't around to give orders, we keep our eyes on the mission and our loyalty with the Jedi. With that in mind, I'd like to confirm to all of you that as of today, General Kenobi has placed me in charge of the 212th Attack Battalion. It is also true that I have been entrusted with authority over General Skywalker."
A minor stir of head-turning and foot-shifting rose among the clones, then dissipated on its own without a sound. Cody anticipated the disruption. He allotted a short space of silence before moving on.
"It is not my place to decide if this assignment will be temporary or permanent, but as good soldiers, I expect every one of you to adapt to the situation without complaint. I will also make it clear that I still recognize the 501st as an existing military unit."
A cascade of relief permeated a decent majority of the troops at those words. Cody paced back into his original position.
"However. For the time being, we're operating without the direct oversight of the Jedi. That means we're all going to make some adjustments until further notice. Specifically, while I also recognize the retention of General Skywalker's rank," he stressed, "I want all matters isolated within the 501st to be reported to Captain Rex. And Captain Rex? Any of these reports in need of elevation will be brought to my attention first." He locked eyes with Rex standing militant up front. "501st, have I made myself clear?"
Each man belonging to the unit stood straighter on address, and answered in a crisp, enthusiastic, "Sir! Yes sir!" But underlying his perfect salute, Rex sincerely hoped he'd find the time soon to mock his friend – he simply couldn't be the only clone of the bunch watching the very picture of Obi-Wan himself up there, tending to administrative duties with a big black hole from a blaster bolt in his leg. Cody elaborated for some time longer. He went about distributing tasks among sections of the 501st, divided by Lieutenants and their respectively assigned cohorts. Nothing too important, not to be shoving the men from one job to another, but important enough that no clone felt his place in the mission came to a standstill when the Jedi were off duty. A sizeable collection of the 501st were set to make preparations to depart to the camp further north housing the greater lot of the 212th brought in to Florrum. The camp was due for a supply run, anyway, and fresh troops would be something of a gift. …Until they learned that their General wouldn't be rejoining them, that is.
