Note: Ironically this is the perfect image to go with the first part of this section.
“Sir, I am not thrilled you’re going after General Grievous without backup.” Cody didn’t like the General’s plans, then again he rarely did. “At least take Ghost Company with you, I can lead the rest of the 212th in, when you send the signal.”
“If I land with a LAAT, Grievous will know, and we’ll lose the element of surprise.” He stroked his beard, looking over the plans one last time. “I promise to leave some of the seppies for you and the men.”
“Don’t do anything stupid.” He gave his Mate a pointed look. “I don’t want to have to deal with Snap, if I had to drag you into the medbay, because you decided to go cliff diving. There may be some deep water pools, but let’s not test the theory.”
“Would I do that?” He held his hand over his heart looking innocent. He ignored Boil’s snickering and Waxer’s snort, along with the fistbump between them. “I promise you ner ali’verde, I will do only what is needed.”
“That is not helpful.” Cody shook his head, wanting nothing but to give his Mate a kiss, instead reached out and squeezed his arm. “We’ll be right behind you, General.”
“I would have it no other way.” Though he hated flying, he wasn’t a bad pilot, despite what Anakin said. After some bickering with R4, he maneuvered the ship out of the Negotiator’s hanger bay, and with one last look he caught his Mate watching him. Cody gave him a salute, then put on his bucket and began ordering the men to prep for battle.
He took a deep breath, and let the Force flow through him. Obi-Wan knew this was going to be a shit show, there was no doubt in his mind. The bad feeling he got the moment Anakin was called back to Coruscant, only intensified as they got closer to Utapia.
Intelligence came back that Grievous was hiding, along with some of the Seperatist Leaders, the odds of finding and catching the lot of them were not in their favor. The amount of battles they actually won were low, the amount of times intelligence was wrong or the oddity of the Seperatist knowing where they were going to be, started to be suspicious.
‘Commander, I want you to look over these battle reports. Don’t look at them as someone who fought them, but as an objective observer.’ He gestured to a handful of datapands, that had notes on battles he had pulled together, to see if his theories panned out.
‘Sir?’ He looked down at the stack on the General’s desk, then over at the Jedi.
‘It’s a theory I’m working on’ He moved across the room and fixed them a cup of tea, well he had tea, he still hadn’t convinced the Commander how wonderful tea was, so he got a cup of caf. He knew something had triggered, when Cody ignored the caf and was reading three different datapads, while writing notes on a fourth.
A few hours later, he glanced up at the General wide eyed. ‘General if what I’m seeing is your theory – we have a spy, not just on the Negotiator, but in the whole of the GAR.’
‘That was my theory.’ He set down a fresh cup of caf. ‘Now the question is what are going to do about it?’
He sipped his caf, stared at his General, not liking the sparkle of mischief in his eyes. ‘You’re going to either set a trap or trigger the trap in place.’
Obi-Wan’s smile wasn’t encouraging.
It was during the next battle he had gone full Dragon to protect Cody and his men. The Intel had been devastatingly wrong, and after ripping to shreds at least three Intelligence officers, he discovered they had gotten the information directly from the Chancellor’s office.
Add in his recent conversations with his Padawan, he was starting to see who was truly leading this war. The implications were devastating, so he sent Mace a communication, trusting Captain Rex to hand it over personally. He also had no fear anyone would be able to intercept the message, there was an advantage of communicating in a language no one believed existed.
He knew Cody was worried about this particular mission, it felt like a trap. He just didn’t know for who, Grievous or himself.
Maybe both.
Kenobi landed at the designated area, then proceeded to get out of the fighter, and made his way to the approaching welcome party. He gave them a small smile, making a show that he just needed some fuel, before heading back out. The leader of the group nodded sagely, gesturing to workers nearby, who proceeded to take care of the starship, then leaned forward and quietly gave the needed information.
Grievous, along with members of the Seperatist Leaders, were hiding in higher levels. Dooku, it would seem, was expected but there was no clarification on that information. Obi-Wan gave a nod, assured him no harm would come to his people, indicating they should bunker down, his men would take care of the Separatists.
Obi-Wan felt the call of his smaller cousins. The wranglers stared at him, as the lizards started pushing to get closer to the Jedi. He kinda gave them a shrug, playing on the ‘it’s a Jedi thing’. The one who wiggled her way to the front, stole his heart. He gave her a pet, placing his head to her nose. “Hello Boga.”
The wranglers just shook their heads, and let him ride off.
Boga was eager to please, and chirped excitedly. She led him right to the Separatists, they smelled odd, and weren’t nice. She took him to the high areas, as to give him a better view of what was going on down below. He slid off her saddle, giving her a pat on the neck, watched Grievous pace around for a few moments. He slipped off his cloak, tossed it over the saddle. “Wait here little one, I call for you when I need you.”
She pranced slightly, giving him a soft chirp. When he jumped right into the middle of the ones who smelled bad, she shook her head – something wasn’t right with him.
“Hello there.”
He could almost feel his Mate’s exasperation.
Moving into Soresu defense stance, he waited for Grievous to start spotting threats, he wasn’t disappointed. With ease he countered each of them, flirting and teasing, as he made his way through the guards. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a few of the Seperatist leaders, most of the smaller ones – the ones that could be sacrificed if the trap hadn’t worked.
The moment the 212th landed, Grievous ran, leaving behind those he was supposed to protect. Without a thought he called for Boga, and chased after the cyborg. The two slid down the sheer cliffs, scrambling until they landed a few levels down.
He was going to have to do this old fashion way.
He dismounted from Boga, unhooked his lightsaber and tied it to the saddle, then wrapped his belt and gear into his cloak securing it with the weapon. “Go find Cody.” With a slight use of the Force he pushed an image of the Commander, with an intent for her to find him. She pranced on all fours, chirped then ran off.
He closed his eyes, centered himself, ignoring the chaos around him, and when he opened them, he let out a roar, chasing after Grievous. As he ran through the complex, he took out droids as he went, there were cheers as he ran by, though some of the shinies had come to a stand still, not sure what to make of the red Dragon running havoc through the Seppie Army.
Obi-Wan jumped off the ledge, sliding down until he caught up with Grievous’ vehicle. Not being able to stop, he slammed into it sending them tumbling over the edge onto one of the landing platforms.
He slowly stood, towering over the Seperatist General. “Surrender.”
“Kenobi!” Grievous coughed as he stared at the creature. “So it is true.”
“That I’m more handsome?” He circled around the cyborg. “Then yes it is true.”
The cough got worse. “My people hunted Dragons for centuries.”
“Then I owe them for their hospitality.” He snarled, teeth showing. “You’re beaten.”
“Never!” He pulled his lightsabers, advancing onto the Dragon. “I’ll slice you into parts and sell them to the highest bidder.”
Obi-Wan dodge one of the lightsabers, hissing slightly as another caught one of his back legs. He whipped his tail around hitting Grievous in the chest slamming him backwards.
“We’re heading for your home planet Kenobi, and will hunt down all the Dragons…” The mechanical voice screamed as the plasma flame engulfed his frame. Obi-Wan slowly walked over to the dying Kaleesh, his paw landing on his chest. The coughing became a gurgle. “You can’t hide now.”
“It’s over.” His large head moved down to the dying cyborg. “I know who Sidious is, and I will end him.” And with one last cough, the once Warlord died under the paw of a mythical creature.
“Sir.” Obi-Wan glanced up to see Waxer and Boil, moving towards him. “We’ve secured the area, and have captured the Seperatist leaders. They were making their way to a shuttle, on one of the higher levels. It would seem some of the local lizards, escaped their pens and chased them down.”
The grin on the Dragon was positively viscous. “Then they deserve some treats.”
“I would agree, sir.” Boil shook his head, then looked down at Grievous. “Is he really dead? Could this war actually end?”
“We’re close.” He lifted his paw, to flick off the remains, before stepping away from the once Seperatist General and moving closer he leaned down to nuzzle his men.
“We’re with you to the end.” Both assured him, giving pets, making the Tooka purr softly.
“Let’s go find the Commander, I’m sure he wants to yell at me.” He shook his head, some of the dirt and grime flinging off of him.
“He saw the slide, and when the lizard showed up with your gear, he lost his much earned composure for about ten seconds.” Waxer chuckled at the memory.
The Commander stared at the lizard who had barreled through a line of men. It chirped at him, then presented it’s wares. Cody had ripped his bucket off, stared at the thing, cursed the General, before taking a breath and calmed down. He unhooked the gear, set it aside, gave the creature a pet who chirped at him, and the Commander just nodded as if totally agreeing that Obi-Wan was just not right in the head. It was Mythic who took the reins and led the lizard away promising to bring her to the General later. Somehow the whole incident was just a normal day for the 212th.
“Be prepared for some glares, growls, and pointed looks. And we may not mention the limp sir, but I’m sure Snap will push the Commander out of the way to get to you first.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll punish me when we’re alone.” Obi-Wan’s pranced slightly, head shaking in mirth.
“Kinky.” Boil patted the Dragon as they made their way through the complex.
“General!” Whoever betted on Snap getting to the General first, won a lot of credits. “Don’t even think of hiding your injuries, I could see the burn mark on your leg as you approached.”
“My dear baar’ur, it’s a small wound. With the Dragon’s healing powers, and a moment of quiet meditation I’ll be fine.”
He crossed his arms, shook his head, and ignored the di’kut. He would let Cody deal with his Mate while he examined the wound.
Obi-Wan sighed, but let his medic do his job. “Commander.”
“General.” He had his bucket off, giving his Mate a disappointed glare. “Good job taking out Grievous, but don’t think for a second we’re not having words later.”
“I look forward to it.” He purred head tilting down to rub against him.
“Oh you are not sweet talking your way out of it, sir.”
The way the sir dripped with sarcasm, was enough to know that Obi-Wan was likely going to get tied to a bed, then lectured before his Mate drove him to the edge with need. He shivered in anticipation.
“We have the Seperatist Leaders locked in a cell, guards on a rotating shift. I will contact Commander Bly, for backup. We’re going to need a heavily armed escort while moving them back to Coruscant.”
“I agree. Let’s round up the rest of the army, then send in our report.” Obi-Wan glanced towards the cliffs. “The last remaining droids are upon the tenth level. I’ll lead the charge, Ghost with me, and we’ll finish this up.”
Cody nodded. “Your gear is stored, I have your Lightsaber. The lizard is in the back, eager to see you.”
“Boga is a good girl.” He lifted his head, sending out a few chirps, smiling when he heard her answer. “Let’s finish this Commander.”
“Yes sir.” He patted the Dragon on the nose, then slammed his bucket back on, as the General ran for the path that went up the cliffside. It was actually big enough for the local lizards to use, but Obi-Wan was able to easily navigate the winding trail.
He was ready to order Boil and Waxer to follow, when his comm beeped.
‘Commander Cody, it is time to Execute Order 66.’
“Yes, my Lord.” He turned off the comm, heart lurching as the order seeped into his brain.
No.
Good Soldiers Follow Orders.
No.
He pulled off the bucket, knee hitting the ground as his head began to ache, a throbbing pain pulsating … right where the chip Snap had found. The one he warned Fox about …
No.
Obi-Wan was not a traitor. The Jedi fought alongside the vod. His Mate loved him.
No.
He felt rage like he never felt before, bubble up from inside him.
No.
He was Kote.
And Good Soldiers Do NOT Follow Orders of a Traitor.
“Sir!” Wooley’s bucket was off, he was grimacing painfully while holding his head. As Cody looked around, so many of the men were in the same position, fighting the order that had gone over his comm.
“Fight it.” They all knew that tone, it was not to be argued with, and then he watched in horror as one of the shiniest of shinies shifted the cannon and shot the General off the cliff face. Something inside his head snapped, pulling him away from darkness that had been creeping through his mind. “Obi-Wan!”
There was a second shot, and the shiny fell from the canon. The Commander’s head snapped towards the direction it had come from, to see Longshot drop to his knees, weapon landing on the ground next to him, head buried in his hands.
Obi-Wan had known something was wrong instantly.
He felt his men wavering in the Force, some disappearing, then reappearing. Cody, always a warm presence, suddenly went cold. His Mate was in pain, and he had no idea why. The Force called out a warning, just as the blast exploded against the rockcliff next to him. He stumbled off the small path, falling downwards towards the pools of water. His body flipped around, until he had his paws under him when he hit the water. He sunk a few feet, before he was able to propel himself back to the surface.
Reaching out towards his men, he could feel their painful struggle. Scrambling out of the pool, and up the wall, he ran back down to the headquarters. “Cody?”
“Obi-Wan.” He cried in relief seeing the soaking wet Dragon. “Something’s wrong…”
“All the men are in pain, hurting, they’re fading in and out of the Force.” He looked around noticing the oldest, the ones who had been by his side for years, were in the most pain. The shinies were eyeing him, guns drawn … taking aim.
“Put your weapons down!” Cody yelled, grimacing as he did it.
“He’s a traitor. We must kill the traitor!” One of them yelled, yet the General could see the struggle within him.
“Cody? What is going on?” Obi-Wan faced the men who were set on harming him, body lowered, ready to pounce if need be.
“He’s not a Jedi.” Boil broke into the circle, along with Waxer and Crys. “He’s a Dragon.”
The shinies stared at him, a few ripping off their buckets. “Sirs?”
“Yes. Dragon.” Mythic nodded, stepping forward removing his own bucket, expression pained yet hopeful. “They are mythical creatures, you missed my lectures. They are of old, and not traitors to the Republic.” He glanced at Boil, following his tratic. The headache was starting to ease. “Come with me, I’ll tell you all about the Dragons.” He was able to herd the shinies away from the General, telling them what he had learned about Dragons.
“Cody?” Obi-Wan leaned down to his Mate, rubbing against him. “You feel very cold.”
“It’s something in our heads.” He reached out running a hand over the wet snout. “I got an order, and I felt darkness creeping in, telling me to be a Good Soldier and kill the traitors.”
“The traitors being the Jedi?” Obi-Wan glanced around to see a few of the men coming closer, desperate to be near the Dragon. “But, I’m not a Jedi right now.”
“Whatever you do sir, don’t transfer back.” Boil reached out to touch him, laying his head against one of the General’s front legs. “As much as I would be happy to see you naked, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“What was this order?” He sat on his haunches, getting the verde to focus on the Dragon. There were at least two soldiers whose attention was now on his twitching tail instead of this order.
“Order 66.”
All the men stiffened hearing it, and for a moment … disappeared. Obi-Wan tensed ready to flee, but they came back online. “I never thought I would be this happy that you are a Dragon.” Waxer breathed against the General’s side, petting him. “It’s the only thing stopping whatever this is…”
“It’s control chips.” Snap stepped next to Cody, and looked at his General. “I found them when I was doing a scan on Cody. I wanted to find out what they were, so before we arrived I programmed one of the medical droids to take mine out. I’m the only one not affected. I have no inclination to hurt you. I have no drive to hunt down the Jedi.”
“Chips?” Obi-Wan felt sick. The clones, his men, his Mate had chips in their head to make them into … suddenly it all fell into place. Dooku, Jango ‘They’ll do what they are meant to do’, the war, consolidation of power, manipulation of Anakin … the Dragon was pissed. How dare the Sith hurt his protectees, manipulate his Padawan, hurt his Mate. “How fast can you get them out?”
“Not that fast.” Snap gave him a half smile. He had been at the makeshift medical tent, when the order came through. He saw how the injured soldiers reacted, only a few fought it, the others were trying to grab their weapons. Without hesitation he hypod the lot of them, and went to find the Commander. “But fast enough.”
Cody sighed. “We can’t wait for you to do surgery on the whole 212th. We have shinies who don’t know about the Dragon, we have nat borns who will get suspicious fast, and I’m pretty damn sure the Chancellor is going to be asking for an update.”
“I have no idea how to counter it.” Snap glared at him, though was pissed at himself for not forcing Cody to have the surgery. He thought he had time, how wrong he was. After they finished this, he would need to apologize to the Commander and the General for his hesitation. “I haven’t had any time to study it, let alone get it to one of our slicers.”
“Chancellor?” Longshot stared at his Commander in shock. “The Chancellor ordered us to kill our Jedi. The Chancellor of the Republic?”
“The Sith Lord.” Obi-Wan flopped to the ground, not surprised when those near him were now leaning against him. He let them settle in, knowing they needed the comfort as much as he did. Wooley was sitting on his paw petting him, while he was sure it was Crys and Waxer who were playing with his tail.
“Kriff.” Cody snarled, his headache fading, and any intent that he had to hurt his Mate had all but disappeared.
“Can’t you order us to stop following it?” Wooley looked up at Obi-Wan. “You’re our General.”
“It wouldn’t work.” Boil shook his head, following his fellow vods train of thought. “He’s been declared a traitor, which means technically we can’t follow his order.” He paused and glanced at the Commander. “But, at this moment you’re the highest ranking officer.”
“It’s that or I hypo you like the last batch, and then see how fast I can crack your skulls open.”
Cody gave the medic a side-eye, then sighed. Nothing was ever this easy, he took a deep breath. “As Field Marshal Commander, I hereby cancel Order 66, it is now null and void.”
Longshot slumped to the ground, as the pressure gave away. Boil choked out a laugh, laying his head against the General and cried. Wooley, kept petting Obi-Wan’s paw, his own tears falling.
“I can’t believe that worked.” Cody blinked, feeling the last of his tension disappear. He grabbed his bucket, and sent out the same order to the rest of the 212th. He heard cries of relief, sobbed out thanks, and a few hollars.
“Well there is one way to find out.” Before the Commander could stop him, Obi-Wan went from Dragon to naked Jedi. Cody grabbed his Mate, yanked his bucket off again, dropped it down to make sure nothing was being exposed, only to drop it slightly to cover all of him. The General smirked at his Mate’s antics, then gazed at his men. “Any urges to shoot me?”
“No, but I will say the Commander is one lucky clone.” Boil whistled, taking in the beauty of a naked General. “And if that was the last thing I saw, it would’ve been worth it.”
Cody snarled.
Obi-Wan gave him a playful wink, only to get his Mate to growl. “Cody, I want you to send a message to all the Commanders, including Rex as he’s near Anakin. If my theory is right, this was a test run, to specifically get me out of the way, let’s make sure the whole army doesn’t turn on their Generals.”
“Bly and Wolffe would never forgive themselves.” Cody pulled out his comm, and keyed in all the Commanders, including Fox, he only hoped he had taken what Cody had told him to heart.
“This is Marshal Commander CC-2224. This message is for all Commanders of the Grand Army of the Republic. Order 66 is null and void. I repeat, Order 66 is null and void. Do not act upon the order if received it is a threat to the Republic, the Jedi, and our very lives.” He paused, took a deep breath. “To my vode, do not answer any communications unless they are from myself, your commander, or your Jedi.”
“Now what?” Longshot asked, bucket back on, weapon in hand ready to hunt down the traitor.
“Snap, how fast can you get the chips out?” The General asked the medic.
“How long do I have?” He answered, sensing there was more to the question.
“As long as it takes us to get back to Coruscant.” Obi-Wan turned toward his Mate. “Get the LAATs down here. We have to get back to the Negotiator, and finish this war.”
It was Mythic who walked up to the group, holding Obi-Wan’s robe. “Here you go sir, for the safety of the shinies. I would hate for them to survive only to be killed by the Commander, for staring at your shebs.”
“Thank you.” Obi-Wan wrapped the robe around him, letting Cody put his bucket back on. “Ner verde, you have been by my side for three years. Stand with me now, to finish this.”
“I told you that the 212th would take on the Republic for you.” Cody shifted to look at his General. “We’re behind you sir, all the way.”
“Let’s go kick some Sith shebs!” Boil slammed on his bucket, and pulled up his weapon. “No one touches our Dragon General.”
Whew, that was too close…
—-Naj ❤❤