The Clone of Kamino

by Hyperteenager24

The Republic are in the middle of a war with the Separatists. Their army consists of clones, which are kept locked away in the barracks until they are needed, even when they are out, they have to wear the helmet at all times. However, one clone goes against this…and sets off a chain of events that change the war forever.

2. Out There

Due to the success of my Christmas Carol AU for this fandom, I have decided to write a Codywan centric one, in a Hunchback of Notre Dame AU :)

Enjoy and please read and review :)

…..

CC-2224 yawned as the sun peeked up over the walls of the barracks, shining into his sleeping quarters. Listening to the sounds of his brothers stirring in the bunks next to him, he quickly got dressed and went to the slightly open windows, where a small nest was situated. Within the nest, was a small white bird, cheeping eagerly as dawn swept over the city.

"Good morning…" whispered CC-2224, "…will today be the day? Are you ready to fly?"

The bird didn't look very eager, or so CC-2224 thought, "You sure? Good day to try…." He gently lifted the bird into his hands and held them (and it) over the ledge, "If I picked a day to fly, this would be it! The Festival of Life! It'll be fun…the jugglers, and music, and dancing…"

Whilst he was describing the different activities, he had begun to lightly bounce his hands up and down, encouraging the bird to flap its wings and fly. Once it was up in the air, CC-2224 moved his hands out from under it and grinned. After a few seconds, he quickly placed his hands back under the bird and caught it as it stopped flying. A flock of birds flew past, causing the small bird to chirp eagerly again.

CC-2224 smiled, "Go on…" he urged, "…no-one wants to stay cooped up in here forever."

Almost immediately, the bird flew after the flock, leaving CC-2224 alone by the window….well, until he was joined by one of his brothers. "Man, I thought he'd never leave!" groaned CT-5555, aka Fives, "No more getting woken up at dawn by that incessant cheeping!"

"We're meant to get up at dawn anyway…." Scolded CT-21-0408, aka Echo.

Fives rolled his eyes, "Oh go scare a protocol droid…" he glanced out of the window and grinned, "Hey, what's going out there. A fight?"

"A festival." Noted Echo.

"The Festival of Life!" Fives grinned, "Pour the wine and cut the cheese!"

Echo shook his head at his brother's antics, but smiled all the same. "It is good fun to watch the festival….maybe they'll have the jugglers again?"

"And we have the best view to watch it from, don't we Cody!?" Fives chuckled, nudging CC-2224, aka Cody, in the side.

Cody sighed and shook his head, "Yeah…watching." He moved away from the window, and Fives was quick to take his place.

"Oh look…." Smirked Fives, "…a mime. Hey Echo, why don't you take up a job like that?"

Echo just rolled his eyes, before gesturing to Cody silently. Upon seeing that his brother was striding away, Fives frowned in confusion, "Hey! Aren't you going to watch the festival with us?"

Silence.

"I don't get it." Sighed Fives.

Echo's eyes widened in panic, "Maybe he's ill?!"

"Impossible…" scolded CT-7567, aka Rex, "…if ten years of listening to you two hasn't made him sick by now, nothing will!"

"But watching the festival has always been the highlight of Cody's year!" worried Echo.

"What's the point of watching the party if you never get to go…at least without these kriffing helmets!" Rex rounded the corner to find his brother sitting morosely on his bed. "Hey Codes…" sighed Rex, sitting beside his brother, "…what's up? The shinies are worried."

Cody shrugged, "I guess I didn't feel like watching the festival this year…"

"Have you thought about going instead?"

"Sure! But you've heard Lama Su….it's forbidden."

Rolling his eyes at Cody, Rex sighed as Fives and Echo made their way.

"Quit beating around the barracks and go!" Fives practically ordered, with Echo nervously nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you should!"

"Me?!" Cody exclaimed in shock, causing his brothers to sigh."

"No, Senator Amidala…." Stated Fives sarcastically, "….yes, you!"

"It would be very educational!" Echo exclaimed.

"Wine, women and song."

"You can try some new and exciting foods!"

"Bobbing for apples!"

"Music!"

Before Echo could say anything else, Fives whacked a bucket over his younger brother's head and grinned, "Playing dunk the monk!"

Rex resisted the urge to hit his forehead and turned his back on his younger brothers, "Take it from me. Life's not a spectator sport. If watching's all you're going to do, then you're going to watch your life go by without you!"

Fives nodded eagerly, "Yeah, these senators all forget that we're human as well! We need sunlight and freedom too! Right Echo?"

Echo, who had removed the bucket, nodded and slammed the bucket onto Fives head. Ignoring the pair, Rex continued, "Just grab a fresh set of clothes and-"

"Thanks for the encouragement, but you're all forgetting one thing!" Glancing around, Cody sighed at the look of confusion on the other's face, "Lama Su? And Chancellor Palpatine?"

The three other clones all winced, Echo sighed. "Well, when he says we're forbidden from ever leaving the barracks, does he mean 'ever ever'?"

Cody shook his head, "Never ever! And Lama Su hates the Festival of Life! He'd be furious if I asked to go."

Fives smirked, "Who says you gotta ask?"

"Nooooooo."

"You sneak out...

Rex nodded, "It's just one afternoon..."

"I couldn't—"

"...and you sneak back in."

"He'll never know you were gone."

"I mean, if I got caught—"

Echo shrugged, "Better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission."

"He might see me. And no offense, but we all look the same, he'll realise one clone is breaking the rules as soon as he sees me."

Fives grabbed a hooded top and shook it at his brother, "You could wear a disguise. Just this once. What Lama Su and Palpatine don't know can't hurt you!"

"Ignorance is bliss." Grinned Echo, yelping as Fives dragged him into a headlock and roughly ruffled up his hair.

"Look who's talking!"

Rex patted his brother on the back, "Nobody wants to stay cooped up in here forever."

Cody thought to himself for a moment, then a smile crept across his face. "You're right! I'll go…I'll get cleaned up and I'll quickly sneak out and-"

"Good morning, CC-224" interrupted a tall, long-necked alien, who had suddenly appeared in the doorway.

Cody stopped in his tracks, and saluted nervously, practically hearing his brothers snap to attention behind him. "Morning Sir!"

Lama Su nodded and glanced at the other clones, "It seems as though you four were having an interesting conversation. Care to share?"

They tried to look as unassuming as possible as the Kamino Cloner moved on, "You four should be doing your drills right about now…you know we don't tolerate lateness in this establishment."

There was only silence from the clones, so Lama Su continued, "But then, I suppose all that planning on sneaking out to go to the Festival, would make the time fly by."

Cody attempted to talk his way out of it, "It's just that you go every year Sir and-"

"I am a public official CC-2224, I must go. But I don't enjoy any of it!"

The clones all glanced at each other and Cody sighed, "We...didn't mean to upset you Sir…"

Lama Su shook his head and sighed, "You don't understand….the world doesn't understand clones, and they certainly wouldn't accept you. You are just slaves and soldiers to them…and that's all you'll ever be."

Cody fought the urge to argue and simply nodded, "Yes Sir…sorry Sir."

Lama Su nodded in forgiveness and turned to head back out of the room, "This is a sanctuary for you boys…you would do well to remember that."

Cody waited for a few minutes after Lama Su left, before shaking his head and sighing, "Yeah…sanctuary." Glancing out of the window, he began to hum softly to himself.

"Safe behind these windows and these parapets of stone

Gazing at the people down below me

All my life I watch them as I hide up here alone

Hungry for the histories they show me

All my life I memorize their faces

Knowing them as they will never know me

All my life I wonder how it feels to pass a day

Not above them

But part of them…."

Cody smiled softly as Echo nodded in agreement, knowing that his brother had tried to take out books on the history of Coruscant, only to be rejected under the statement that clones didn't need to learn things like that.

"And out there

Living in the sun

Give me one day out there

All I ask is one

To hold forever

Out there

Where they all live unaware

What I'd give

What I'd dare

Just to live one day out there…."

Fives grinned, "Preferably a sunny day!" he exclaimed, wincing as Rex cuffed the back of his head. Undeterred and smiling, Cody continued.

"Out there among the Jedi and the traders and their wives

Through the bars and glass I can see them

Every day they shout and scold and go about their lives

Heedless of the gift it is to be them

If I was in their skin

I'd treasure every instant!

Out there

Strolling by the stalls

Taste a morning out there

Like ordinary men

Who freely walk about there

Just one day and then

I swear I'll be content

With my share

Won't resent

Won't despair

Old and bent

I won't care

I'll have spent

One day

Out there!"