Chapter 2 - Bonding

Nightmares are common enough, memories of his brothers blowing up in front of him, of hearing their final scream before they die are common, even if Cody is used to it. So he doesn't think that's what wakes up abruptly in the middle of the night. He opens his eyes, blinking a few times at the constant darkness surrounding them. It's not any darker at night than during the day. He's about to just go back to sleep but he turns his head to see that… Anakin isn't the spot where Anakin had laid down in is empty.

Cody jerks upright, scanning the surroundings. There's a number of his brothers on guard of course so they would have noticed if he took off somewhere but that doesn't stop Cody's instant wariness.

Keeping an eye on the Sith is his responsibility, after all.

He pushes himself to his feet, scanning the nearby trees.

It's not hard to make out the dark-clothed figure now that he's looking, since all his brothers are sleeping in their armor and that sticks out a bit in the darkness.

Anakin doesn't.

Which is not very convenient now that he's thinking about it.

He's standing a few paces away, leaning against the trunk of a tree, head turned away from him.

"What are you doing?" Cody asks, stepping over the others who are sleeping nearby as he approaches him.

Anakin starts slightly, head twisting toward him. He looks away just as fast. He's breathing unevenly. Cody can hear it now that he's closer.

Wait.

Is he crying?

That is not normal.

Maybe he just saw wrong. Because he can't for the life of him imagine anyone doing that in front of their captors. At least none of the clones certainly would. Cody hasn't cried since he was a cadet.

"Nothing important," Anakin mutters. He's talking slowly as though trying to cover up the shake in his voice. Sounds a bit like he's breathing fast too. Like he's panicking again.

"Nightmare?" Cody asks, hardly sure why he is but it seemed like a reasonable guess. He's torn between just backing off and leaving him alone and staying to finish the conversation now that he initiated it. It is not as if the Sith's… feelings are really important so he's not sure why he's staying.

Anakin's hand clenches tightly. He doesn't turn around. "What's it like?" he asks finally. His breathing is evening out but somehow the slightest shake in his voice is more obvious. "To have so many brothers who will always stand with you?"

The strangeness of the question catches him by surprise. He's never known any other life and he can't imagine what it would be like not to have that.

"We may never know all of each other well but we are all brothers," Cody replies, "We will always fight for the same thing. We can always trust each other." And when they die, they know their endless brothers will always avenge their deaths.

"So you're never alone," he says, dully.

The comment sounds far too personal.

It probably is. There aren't very many Sith, after all.

"No," Cody agrees, "We never are." Not even in death. Not really. And that's true no atter how many they lose, no matter how much he sometimes misses some of the brothers he knew so well. No matter how much he wishes some of them were still here.

"How do you handle it?" Anakin inquires, slowly turning around. If he was crying, it's not really visible anymore. "Watching them die all the time?"

"It is what we were made for even if it isn't always easy," Cody replies. He might not want it to happen but it's been expected from the time they were young.

"I can't… imagine that," he says, quietly, "I lost my mother when the Sith took me. I can never forget her. I can never stop missing her."

"I don't forget any of the brothers I knew either," Cody points out. There is a difference, though. A little bit. It's not like he knows all the brothers who have died, though. And then the rest of what Anakin said catches up to him. "The Sith killed your mother?"

Whatever a mother even is.

Anakin's hands clench again. There's a look of raw, gutted agony in his eyes for a moment. "Yes."

"Then why would you be loyal to him?" He's genuinely confused now. Unless it's that – he doesn't want to be. That is what it's beginning to seem like but Cody doesn't fully understand why he doesn't just leave, then.

Anakin looks away. "I – I do not want to. But my master does not tolerate failure. He will not tolerate that I have failed here, either. He will not let… this go." He gestures a bit with his still stun-cuffed hands.

Ahh.

So he's going to be in trouble for being captured. Is that what he's been afraid of this whole time? Cody thought it was of the Republic but not.…of his own master?

Not as if Cody wasn't afraid of some of his trainers when he was younger – not all of them were pleasant.

But this isn't just fear. It's an all-consuming terror.

He knows Sith don't take well to failures. He heard General Kenobi making fun of Ventress for that once. Cody didn't much care for upset that made Ventress considering how many of his brothers shed just slaughtered but with Anakin… He can't shake the urge to say at least something reassuring.

"The Republic will keep you safe from him, if you cooperate."

Anakin shakes his head. "You do not understand. There is nowhere I can escape from him. Least of all in the Republic. He – " He abruptly cut himself off, before saying… whatever he was about to reveal, perhaps.

"I'm sure General Kenobi can work something out with you." He doesn't understand why what Anakin's saying would be true but he doesn't know much about these Sith. That's something for his general to worry about, not him. It still makes him a bit uneasy to hear, though.

Anakin sighs, nodding a little but he doesn't reply.

The silence that falls over them feels deafening.

Anakin finally looks up after a long moment. "I didn't mean to wake you," he says, something oddly worn and defeated in his voice.

"We should get back to rest while there is still time," Cody agrees, so he doesn't know why he's still lingering himself, "Why do you keep acting as though we're… well acquainted?"

Like they're friends or something. He doesn't get it.

Anakin opens his mouth and then closes it again, as though swallowing back whatever he was going to initially say. "You remind me of someone," he says at last, "A friend I used to have. His name was… Kitster. I haven't seen him since the Sith took me."

That… probably isn't important information for the Republic but it's good to know.

"I'd suggest at least considering the General's offer to you," Cody advises, turning to go.

Doesn't know what else to say to him and they do need to get back to sleep before there's another attack. So Cody doesn't know why he kind of wants to keep talking to him.

**w**

When Cody wakes up again, it's the distant sound of a number of the boys talking. Anakin isn't sleeping anymore either when he sits up.

And once glance around the nearby forest to see a group of helmets levitated in the air over a group of the boys heads says about enough of just where the Sith disappeared too.

What are they even doing over there?

Cody stands, approaching them.

Waxer is grabbing at his helmet and missing spectacularly because it floats just out of his reach.

"How do you do that?" he asks, sounding amused.

Anakin laughs.

He spins the helmets a bit faster as the other boys try and fail miserably at catching them.

Most of the men are laughing, just... goofing off.

Except Boil who's standing off to the side looking a bit scandalized about the whole thing. He turns at the sound of the movement, his eyes widening comically when he sees Cody approaching.

If he didn't have to be serious for the sake of his position and the number of responsibilities under him, Cody might have laughed at the look on his face.

Waxer finally snatches his helmet out of the air, still laughing.

"Want to try that again?" Anakin asks, dryly.

Boil very loudly coughs, the point obvious.

The others look up and they all freeze like they were just caught committing the most heinous crime in the galaxy. The way Anakin sort of freezes along with them is somehow even more amusing. Just a little.

"I'm not going to ask," Cody says flatly.

Anakin drops the helmets into the boys' hands.

"Sir," Boil greets awkwardly.

Not as if what they were doing was a crime but he really won't ask how they ended up fooling around with this Sith. Anakin's mood from the middle of the night seems gone now. He looks about as cheerful as ever again.

How he flips back and forth so much, Cody has no idea.

There's a certain intensity to everything about him that he finds a little... intriguing, if he's being honest. He's never had that many personal conversations with any natborns before. None of them ask him personal things like that. So maybe that's the real reason.

He's about to say something more when his comm beeps.

It must be an important call.

"I'll be back," he says, though that's mostly to Anakin who he still has to be keeping an eye on.

The Sith nods as he turns to go.

"I can't believe you agreed to that," he hears Boil saying as he moves away.

"It was entertaining," Waxer defends.

Cody smothers his amusement as he answers the call somewhere a little more private where no one will be overhearing. It's General Kenobi and General Krell calls in too. Rex is standing near him, rigid and unmoving.

Cody's gaze lingers on him for a long moment, not that he can talk to him right now. They have to focus on the mission and what's important but every time he sees Rex, he can't help feeling like General Krell is just – He's like some of the worse trainers on Kamino even if Cody shouldn't be thinking like that.

He can't help noticing that the Commander isn't here right now – Krell's padawan, Ahsoka Tano. Cody doesn't really know her but her and Rex are often together when he sees them. She could be busy elsewhere, though.

"It's refreshing to have good news," General Kenobi comments, when General Krell reports that they took an Umbaran airbase.

"There will be time for celebration when we've taken that capital," General Krell replies.

"Yes," General Kenobi agrees, "Well, I'm afraid that's going to be more difficult than anticipated. Their attacks have increased and their long-range missiles are forcing us to retreat from our positions."

"I was hoping we cut off their arms shipments and supplies when we took this airbase," General Krell objects, crossing his arms.

"It seems they're receiving new arms shipments directly from a supply ship orbiting – "

The hologram suddenly starts flickering in front of them, nearly fading out entirely. They're signals are being jammed, aren't they?

"Is there no way to destroy the supply ship?" Cody speaks up. If General Kenobi is having a hard time holding his position, it's not going to be long before more Umbaran fighters reach him.

"We're trying but with little success. Their fleet outnumbers ours and the extra ships we were promised have not yet arrived," General Kenobi replies.

Well, so much for that.

Cody can feel eyes on him and he glances away from the hologram a moment to see Anakin looking at him. He can't hear them from here, can he? That... wouldn't be good. They're discussing the next step of their battle plans, after all.

General Krell settles back a little. "We'll just have to take that capital regardless of the missiles," he replies firmly, "My battalion will meet you at the rendezvous coordinates."

Cody's gaze jumps to Rex instinctively.

His brother hasn't really twitched at all – never does when his general is present – but Cody can still see the slightest movement of how his hand clenches a little. When Krell says regardless of the resistance, he means it in every sense of the word.

At least he wins but Cody has seen the casualties numbers. No other Jedi has reckless strategies like that. And if he's saying that now, Cody doesn't know what it's going to mean for the 501st or Rex. Rex could easily end up dead on one of these missions and it's inevitable that most of the brothers he knows – maybe even himself – will be lost but that doesn't mean it needs to happen for nothing.

He already tried to do something about it once and it didn't go anywhere, though. There's not really anything else he can do.

They all know the cost of the missions, in the end. This is what they were made for. That doesn't mean Cody has to like the way Krell leads, based off what he's heard from Rex.

Nor does it mean that their preferences are... important.

The comm call flickers before they lose the connection entirely and Cody turns the comm off, turning away. They have a position to hold, for now. That's what's important.

Anakin moves towards him once the call is over, expression more serious. "Is everything alright?"

He can't possibly be probing for information that obviously, can he?

"The situation here isn't good," Cody replies, arms crossed.

Anakin is staring at him with that intense look again, as though reading his every – everything. And Jedi can read minds so it's disturbing.

"You are worried for your brother with the other General." He hesitates. "I do not mean to intrude on your – mind but I cannot prevent myself from feeling it if you are... emotional about something."

Oh great. So he can't even help that he's sensing Cody's thoughts. That's even less reassuring.

"Krell has tough strategies," Cody answers finally. Doesn't know why he's saying this but Anakin's mentioned so many personal things about himself for no real reason, and he... It's not like this information is classified somehow. It's not something Cody's ever really had anyone to talk to about, either. "Rex is his captain. He's told me before that they often lose a lot of men, especially in battles like this."

Anakin's gaze sharpens. "He is careless with them?"

It feels wrong to say yes but Cody knows it's true. He can't help but be upset about it even if it's not his place. "To a point. But he's doing it to win."

"That does not make it right," Anakin replies fiercely, "I thought he was a Jedi."

"Not all Jedi are the same. And he gets the mission done. That's what we need right now."

"There are lives depending on him. Keeping as many of you alive as he can should be one of his top priorities, too." He's very visibly unhappy.

Cody can't deny that he feels the same but there's nothing he can do. "Most of the Jedi aren't like that. I mentioned it to General Kenobi once. I believe the Jedi Council might have addressed it with him."

"It doesn't appear like that changed anything, from what you are saying," Anakin objects, "I did not realize the Jedi were falling this far."

The uncomfortable feeling that twists inside of him isn't something he knows what to do with. It feels disrespectful to talk bad about any of the Jedi when they're their superiors but – They serve the Republic, not the Jedi, technically so... Not that that makes it feel much better.

"Even if this is your duty, that doesn't give any of your superiors an excuse for not treating you fairly," Anakin goes on fiercely.

Cody... doesn't reply.

He doesn't really know what to say.

He can't well say that everything he knows Rex has been through is right but... This is their purpose and what's important is the mission.

"Obi-Wan is better than that, I hope?" Anakin asks.

"...yes," Cody says. Takes a moment to remember that that's General Kenobi's first name. He still doesn't get the point of having multiple names. "He... respects us."

"And respects that each of you are people too, not just born to die?"

"As much as is possible in the battlefield," Cody replies bluntly, "And we were – This is what we were born for."

"You're still a person. You're all people. Not just numbers. And it's not – not wrong to want something more than just the mission. To not want your brothers to die."

Why does he keep repeating that? If he's trying to make him feel disloyal to the Republic, it's not going to work. "The mission is what we were made for," Cody says, maybe just a little frustrated, "That is what's important to all of us. That's what should be."

Anakin sighs. "I am not trying to question what you believe. But just – remember what I said, please."

"You're still a person. You're all people. Not just numbers."

Are they? Really? Does it matter anyway?

"How do you know General Kenobi?" Easier to think about that than what Anakin was saying.

"He was going to take me as a padawan once. Before the Council refused to let me be trained."

...Oh.

Does that mean he would've been a 212th commander also?

He probably would be a Knight by now given his age but it's strange to imagine a world where Anakin might not have been his enemy. He thinks he might have liked that a little bit. Maybe. Why's he even thinking about it?

"We're moving out," Cody says, glancing around, "Stay close."

Anakin nods, stepping back as Cody turns to give orders to the others.

There's bases they need to be taking so the squads they leave behind will have to hold this position. The 501st is going to need help in getting to the capital.

They cover ground quickly once they start moving, or at least they do until they run right into a group of Umbarans.

Between the blaster shots they're changing, a flash of light draws Cody's gaze up to the sky. There's ships incoming and they're not Republic. Laser shots abruptly fire from the ship, ripping their way through his brothers on the ground. Cody lifts his blaster and starts firing back but the shots aren't penetrating through the shield. And the entire ship themselves are ray-shielded.

This is not good.

"There's no way to get through those things!" Waxer yells.

Laser shots tear through the ground right near where Cody's standing, throwing him to the ground. He rolls out of the way as they keep on shooting, waiting to get to his feet until the ship has swerved up into the sky.

"We'll have to fall back," Cody calls. They don't have a choice. They need to find a way to get past those things first of all. The Umbarans have the complete advantage right now. "They're getting more of these from the supply ship as is."

"Why doesn't someone take out the supply ship?" Anakin inquires, materializing at his side as they retreat back into the trees the way they came.

"Working on it with no success," he replies breathlessly, looking up warily as the ships comes swooping down again, open firing on them. "You know this technology, don't you? Is there a way for us to get through?"

Anakin's expression tightens. "No. Not with the firepower you have."

Cody doesn't think he's lying.

And that is not reassuring in the slightest.

He ducks back several more steps into the trees to avoid the laser fire as the ships keep shooting at them. Anakin crouches near him, a look of intense focus in his face as he glances between Cody and the incoming ships.

He didn't take the time to think much of it.

Maybe he should have.

"I have an idea but you will have to trust me," Anakin calls, over the noise of the explosions. He's talking loudly but Cody can hardly hear him. "There's no time to explain."

He's too busy shooting back at the Umbaran ground fighters to have the breath to reply which is probably the Sith's point. But what's he even talking about –

Anakin turns away and takes off into the trees, in between the laser shots hitting the ground. He lifts his hand at just the right angle somehow and a shot goes cleanly through his binders.

Wait –

What.

What is he doing?!

If he's running –

"You will have to trust me."

He really does not. Doesn't know this hasn't all been a ploy. So he has no idea why he suddenly feels so ridiculously betrayed when it's not like they were on the same side in the first place. He should shoot after him, while he can.

General Kenobi said they wanted him alive, not uninjured.

So he doesn't know what stops him in the moment he has a clear shot. He is a little busy trying to shoot down the Umbarans, though.

Anakin Force-jumps to the top of one of the trees, then flips from there onto the top of one of the fighters. Cody doesn't see what he does – maybe something with the Force? – except the thing goes crashing down into the midst of the trees, the ray shield deactivating. Anakin jumps into the pilot seat, knocking the Umbaran unconscious and pushing him out before he fires up the ship again.

It takes off into the air, before he swings it around and starts shooting at the other fighters.

Wait –

The shots send all the remaining fighters crashing into the dirt below, their ray shields flickering off even if they weren't totally destroyed. Anakin's ship streaks off into the sky then, rapidly disappearing from sight.

What... Why would he help them and then leave? Or was it an apology for leaving or... something? Considering how strange he's been this whole time, Cody has no idea. All he does know is that he was under specific orders to make sure the Sith didn't escape and he just failed that.

"I can go after him, sir," one of the boys speaks up.

Cody glances over at him.

It's Oddball, one of the pilots who's ship was shot down so he's here on the ground and hasn't been able to get a fighter to get back in the air.

"With what?" Cody objects.

"One of those ships. I'm sure I could figure out how to use them," Oddball proposes. He seems a little excited at the thought of getting to play around with trying to fly them, period. Which Cody can sort of understand even if now isn't the time or place for that.

But he was under direct orders from General Kenobi to keep Anakin here and he's failing that mission. He has no delusion that the prisoner's just going to come back.

"Go ahead," he concedes finally.

Oddball perks up with a distinct amount of eagerness. He turns and takes off, running to one of the Umbaran fighters that still looks to be in the best shape.

The ship fires up after a couple minutes, taking off. Cody watches it disappear into the sky before he turns his attention back to the battle. That's where he needs to keep his focus.

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