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Chapter Text

They were almost to Kamino, and Obi-Wan couldn't be more grateful. Honestly, he loved the Vode; he really did. It's just that there were so many of them so tightly crowded together. Things were so cramped that people could barely fit through most of the Negotiator's halls.

Obi-Wan attempted to make his way to the bridge for last-minute preparations, but it was slow going. He had to keep stepping over troopers who were napping or playing games in the corridors. He misjudged a step and almost tripped when sturdy hands caught him.

"Hi, precious," said Threepwood with a grin. He held on to Obi-Wan's arms until he managed to steady his feet. A trooper shifted more out of the way with a sleepy apology.

"Hello there, lovebug," replied Obi-Wan gratefully.

"Are you heading to the bridge?" Threepwood asked, turning to walk with Obi-Wan.

"Yes. Walk with me, will you, my love?" Obi-Wan asked, tucking his hand in the crook of Threepwood's elbow.

"It'd be my pleasure, darling. I've missed you." Threepwood smiled down at him. Obi-Wan smiled back with a rueful sigh. With everything so crowded, he'd spent little time alone with his husbands. Forget about any sort of physical intimacy, either. Obi-Wan had happily given up his quarters and office for troopers who needed a quiet place to recuperate after surgery with Snapper and his medics. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of privacy in the barracks.

(And while Obi-Wan might not mind a bit of exhibitionism, he only wanted to show off for his husbands. Thank you very much.)

It would be nice to have their own space again. Obi-Wan had been brainstorming ideas for a more permanent home for him and the 212th one day. And wouldn't that be the best?

For now, though, things were crowded. But to have all these brothers back? – how could anyone complain?

"How's everyone doing, lovebug?" asked Obi-Wan. Threepwood was one of, if not the best, resources for gossip in the entire Vode.

Threepwood grinned at him as they stepped over a pile of paint cans. Someone would soon hear from Cody or Bonus for leaving a mess like that. "Morale is high," Threepwood explained. "Crys told me that the high volume of calls going in and out almost overloaded the comm systems, but they've cobbled together a stronger system. Sure-Shot said we've got plenty of supplies for several more weeks, even with all the extra troopers, which will help feed everyone once we get to Kamino. On the other hand, he is annoyed that we've packed everything so tightly that things are hard to get to."

"I'll send him some more help," mused Obi-Wan.

"He'll appreciate it," said Threepwood. The 212th quartermaster was incredibly organized and hardworking. Unfortunately, he tended to get techy when anyone messed with his almost perfectionistic organizational systems.

"I have a meeting with Snapper later today, but how are the other medics doing?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Good overall. The medics wish they could do more, but the docs at Kamino will have better resources." Threepwood paused momentarily in the hall before continuing with his steps and words. "There's always an underlying fear when a brother is injured. Will their injury be too severe? Are they not worth the resources to save them?"

Obi-Wan let out a slow breath, biting his cheek and letting Threepwood continue. He was sick and tired of the low-grade horror his husbands and their Vode experienced daily.

"But you're here, General Ori'Vod. We trust you one hundred percent. We know you'll fight for every one of us no matter what." Threepwood gave his head a shake before smiling back at Obi-Wan. "We trust you, precious. It's just hard to let go of that old fear."

Obi-Wan stopped and faced Threepwood, holding his hands in his. Fortunately, this part of the corridor was mostly empty. Releasing his emotions, Obi-Wan said, "Thank you, my sweet love. I will protect your brothers. They will be cared for no matter what, even if I have to do everything myself."

Threepwood smiled blindingly. "I know, precious. We all know." He leaned forward and kissed Obi-Wan, long and sweet.

When they pulled away, Threepwood wrapped his arm around Obi-Wan's shoulders as they continued toward the bridge.

Earlier that day, in one of the overcrowded cargo holds, Cody addressed a small group of the 212th. "I'm sure you know why I've invited you all here today."

"We're getting promoted?" asked Crys, grinning hopefully.

Cody did a double-take. "No, Crys, you di'kut, you're not getting promoted." Grimacing, he rubbed his forehead.

Boil smacked Crys on the back of the head. Crys yelped sarcastically, "Oh, I'm soooo sorry," and lunged for Boil. A minor scuffle broke out, but Waxer and Threepwood separated the pair.

"All right, are you ready to listen?" asked Cody, already exhausted.

"Yes, Commander," said Sergeant Charm, glaring at the rest, especially Borderline, who held back snickers.

"Clearly, I shouldn't have assumed," Cody began again, "but I thought you would have noticed how many of the Vode are getting handsy with General Vod."

The group let out a collective "Oooooh!"

With a nod, Waxer jumped in, "It's been pretty bad." The ordinarily cheerful trooper crossed his arms and frowned.

Eyeball added, "Quarters are so close that they've been getting away with a lot of touching."

"I haven't seen anything too scandalous," said Boil with a disgruntled glare. "Just a lot of hugging and hand-holding."

Cody nodded. "Not wanting to repeat the mistake of assuming anything, I checked with General Vod. He said nothing untoward has happened, but you know him."

"He's too soft," said Charm, more fond than irritated.

"I've let the officers know what's going on, but they're just as devious," said Cody with a tired shake of his head. "Especially Rex." Favorite brother, his shebs.

"It's been getting worse," said Threepwood. "Little Table is in the medbay after fighting off three ARCs from the 104th Battalion. One of them tried to pinch General Ori'Vod's…" his voice dropped to a whisper, "butt!"

"Good for Table," said Eyeball, impressed. "He's turning into quite the little scrapper."

"Is Tab'ika okay?" asked Waxer.

"He's fine," said Borderline, chuckling. "You should see the ARCs!"

"Good for Table!" repeated Eyeball.

"That's what we need to do," explained Cody.

"Beat up ARC troopers?" blurted Crys with too much excitement.

"No, Crys, come on," Cody said, shaking his head again. "We need to have someone watching over Ob'ika. And we'll need to switch up 212th boys so he doesn't notice that we're following him around."

"Do you think he'll mind?" asked Waxer.

"He won't mind being with us," said Cody firmly.

"But he might mind us 'protecting' him from the Vode," continued Charm, nodding in understanding.

"Exactly," finished Cody. "We have to be subtle." Never mind that 'subtly' was not a skill they possessed.

"I'll go first," offered Threepwood with a smile. "I'm up next for alone time with Ob'ika whenever we have the space again. Besides, it's not like hanging out with him is a hardship."

"We need to let the rest of the 212th know," added Charm.

"Yeah, tell them 'whenever you see Ob'ika alone, stay with him until another 212th can relieve you,' something like that," Borderline said.

"I'll spread the word," Waxer volunteered.

"I'll help!" said Threepwood and Crys together.

Cody sighed in relief. They had a plan. Being protective of Obi-Wan was a habit for the 212th, after all. And they were good at it.

After that, it was uncommon to see Obi-Wan without a member of the 212th hovering nearby, often with an arm slung around his shoulders or hands interlaced. If Obi-Wan caught on to their possessive attitudes, he was generous enough not to confront them. Their visiting brothers certainly noticed, but a few glares (and, if necessary, a few beatdowns on the sparring mats) put them to rights.

They were only a few days from Kamino when Obi-Wan and the senior officers commandeered a small briefing room for their meeting. They had to kick out a few napping brothers, but no one complained. Obi-Wan was just too sweet and apologetic.

"What are our objectives, General?" Cody asked, starting the meeting on time. This mission was officially off the books. Despite their complaining, the Council had kept the fact that Obi-Wan appropriated the Negotiator and taken her to Kamino a secret from the Senate. And besides vaguely threatening promises, Obi-Wan kept his thoughts and motives to himself, even from his husbands and officers.

Admiral Block kept their destination a secret from Navy Sector despite being held in the dark. He cited communication issues and (somewhat gleefully) pretended the various holos that Sector kept sending him were breaking up. (Normally straight-faced SCC Bonus had burst out laughing when Block pretended to fly through a tunnel.) The other nat-borns officers had kept their confusion in check, willing to follow the lead of their Admiral and General.

Now that Obi-Wan had called his officers to this meeting, they were hoping for some light to be shed. Cody, his three captains, and all his lieutenants were sitting around the large conference table. Obi-Wan had invited Captain Rex and the various clone commanders rescued from Serenno.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and a moment to organize his thoughts as he looked around the room at the gathered officers. Then, he smiled softly before clearing his throat. "I have multiple goals that I wish to accomplish at Kamino, but the main one is this: getting you and your brothers free."

"How do you mean, sir?" asked Gregor, leaning in, eyes alight with curiosity.

Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest. "The war is over, but technically you all are still the property of the Republic." He spat the word 'property' with vehement disgust. "However, I will use that vile term if I must to get you all away from Kaminoans. Bail Organa and others are furiously working to grant you rights." He paused and frowned, ducking his head. "No, not 'grant' – you can't be given rights because that would imply they could be taken away. Even if you weren't 'born' into them," he muttered angrily before shaking his head and continuing. "None of this should have happened; I'm still so furious at the abhorrent violation of sentient rights—well, never mind that now."

Ending his rant, Obi-Wan looked up and gave them a stiff smile. "I will continue to work out the details on that front. But for now, I will use what I am given and transfer you to the Republic immediately. I know it's a risk, but we'll discuss the other details later."

Cody reached over and laid a hand on Obi-Wan's trembling shoulder. Obi-Wan turned to him and smiled back – a raw but honest smile. "I am so sorry, best beloved."

"Not your fault, sweetheart," replied Cody, squeezing his shoulder. "You – and most of the Jedi – have never treated us less. Never."

"Thank you, sweet Cody." Then, with another deep breath, Obi-Wan continued, "Well, that's the main objective of our mission."

"Can you clarify more, mesh'la?" asked Cog. "What exactly do you want?"

"I want you and your brothers free from Kamino in every possible way. I want every genetic map of your DNA, every tissue sample, every bit of data, and every word of research. I want all of you and everything that belongs to you down to the youngest embryo off that miserable, wet planet. Permanently."

"And what would you do with everything?" asked Snapper, grinning widely in growing excitement.

"Hold on until we can convince the Senate that it belongs to you and you alone. Until your ownership is your own."

"And if we can't convince them?" asked Gryxx, leaning in.

"Doesn't matter; I'm not karking giving it to them," snapped Obi-Wan.

"If they insist?" asked Rex.

"Too fucking bad. I'll—I'll—I'll go on the run if I have to!" Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "I don't care. You are yours and yours alone. And I'm sick of what they made me do – no, what I did – in this war. I'm done. I'm karking done. I've made too many little compromises one after the other, but now I'm finished. I'm not making another one. I don't give a flying fuck." Obi-Wan finished, panting and blinking back angry tears.

In his righteous fury, Obi-Wan hadn't noticed his husbands getting up and crowding around him. With Cog and Snapper's arms wrapped around Obi-Wan's neck and shoulders, Cody leaned over his lap and took his face in his hands, squeezing so gently. Finally, Obi-Wan's teary eyes focused, and he looked up at Cody.

Cody smiled at him. "There you are, sweetheart. We've got you." He kissed Obi-Wan softly on the lips.

"We love you, cyare. So much," whispered Snapper, lips brushing the side of his neck.

"We all do, sir," Rex said across the room. He longed to comfort Obi-Wan but respectfully kept his seat.

"I may not have worked with you much, sir," said Commander Ponds, "but I know my general. And I know all of the Jedi never meant to harm us."

"But we did," whispered Obi-Wan.

"No, pretty, no," said Basher. "You led us into battle. You fought with us, protected us."

"We should have—I should never have—"

"No, dear heart, don't put this on yourself," begged Waxer, squeezing next to Cody. He kissed Obi-Wan on the forehead. "Please, dear heart, know that we love you and that none of us blame you. But being without the Jedi? Without you? That would have hurt us."

"But with you, Obi-Wan? We were so much stronger than without," said Cody, his voice firm. He had gone into full Marshal Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic mode, but his expression was soft, begging Obi-Wan to hear and feel their devotion.

Obi-Wan blinked, rolled his shoulders, and sighed. He took another moment before responding. "All right, my loves. I trust you, and I believe you."

Allowing the comfort to last a few more minutes, Obi-Wan relaxed. Eventually, everyone returned to their spots around the conference table and awaited further instructions. "Well, then," started Obi-Wan, voice steady and sure once again, "I do believe we have plans to make. First off, I want to limit the number of us meeting with the Kaminoans. At the start, at least. Second, I want Cody with me, along with Gregor and his squad in complete commando gear," He ticked off the list of people on his fingers. "I want Feemor to come with us for more Jedi support and Dooku for intimidation." Finally, he looked over at Cody. "Do you think we can keep Dooku under control without a guard?"

Taking a moment to consider Dooku's recent behavior, Cody nodded. "Shouldn't be a problem, sir."

"I'm glad we agree, my dear," continued Obi-Wan. "That's all for now. Once we reach an agreement, I want all of Ghost's medics, all available ARCs, and the rest of the commandos. And not just the 212th," he looked over at Rex and Ponds, "I want all healthy ARCs and commandos kitted out and ready to go. Quartermaster Sure-Shot can kit everyone with spare 212th gear for anyone needing armor or weaponry."

"Yes, sir," replied Rex, excitement twitching at the corners of his mouth. "You expecting a battle, sir?"

Obi-Wan's smile was sharp and cold. "No, my dear, but I believe the adage of speaking softly and carrying a big blaster is wise in this situation. The Kaminoans are not fighters themselves, after all. They use science and technology to keep people fearful and subdued. I am very interested in how they will respond to a force that isn't afraid of them and who is mightier than them. I think it will help us get what we want."

"So you want us a crack a few longneck skulls?" said Gregor with a broad, dangerous grin.

"If you must," said Obi-Wan with a sniff, "but if we're intimidating enough, I don't think we'll have to."

"Shucks," exclaimed Gregor, laughing.

"Oh, my lovely captain, I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun." Obi-Wan grinned at the rest of the troopers. "I'm certain you all will. But one step at a time." With that, they turned back to planning, each enthusiastically devious.

Chapter Text

A few cycles later, Obi-Wan, Cody, Gregor, and half of his D-Squad stepped onto the landing platform of Tipoca City. Vonty, the Lucky Jedi crew, Feemor, and the other half of D-Squad would remain on the platform with Dooku until Obi-Wan was ready for him. (As the Negotiator himself, Obi-Wan knew better than to reveal all his tricks. So he'd keep Dooku up his sleeve for now.)

The near-constant rain had diminished to a drizzle as they strode in formation toward the entrance. Prime Minister Lama Su, his aide, Taun We, and scientist Nala Se stood inside to welcome them. Obi-Wan led the way, with Cody a step behind and to his right, Gregor on the left, and the four commandos taking the rear. Their DC-15s weren't aimed, but they raised them loosely at elbow level in a show of forceful solidarity.

Once inside, the three Kaminoans stepped back to give them room; Obi-Wan inclined his head in a bow barely low enough not to be blatantly rude. The troopers did not. "Greetings, Prime Minister, Taun We, Nala Se. I trust you have been well since last we met." It wasn't a question; it was a brusque statement to put them slightly on the defensive.

"Thank you for your concern, Master Kenobi," said Lama Su in his slow voice. "I hope you have been well also."

"Well, I've ended a war," said Obi-Wan, smiling, sharp and dangerous. Cody shifted behind him, armor creaking, making his presence intimidatingly known.

"Ah, yes," said the prime minister, smoothing his elegant tunic with elongated hands. "I assume that is why you arranged this visit?"

Really? 'Arranged?' Or did he just show up, flash his high general codes, and waltz right in? Obi-Wan smiled. "That is definitely one of the reasons, Prime Minister."

After waiting for a beat, Taun We invited, "Will you accompany us to a meeting room for privacy and refreshments?" She motioned down the hallway in invitation.

"That sounds delightful," said Obi-Wan. Then, as they followed the statuesque Kaminoans down the colorless hallways, he requested, "If you would, please, have Master Ti and Commander Blitz join us. I need their perspectives on how things currently are here in Tipoca City."

After another pause, Lama Su replied. "Of course, Master Jedi."

In the meeting room, two cadets scrambled to attention at their arrival. The pair had finished setting up the refreshments but were lingering to glimpse a real-life Jedi.

"Hello there," said Obi-Wan. Glee radiated from him as he swiftly saluted in reply to theirs.

"Apologies, Master Jedi," said Nala Se. "They should not be here—"

"And what are your names, my dears?" interrupted Obi-Wan, having made his way over to the two boys, still holding their salutes.

"CT-93-5135, sir!"

"CT-93-5513, sir!"

Obi-Wan's soft smile hid his pain exceedingly well. "I'm delighted to meet you, CT-93-5935 and CT-93-5513. I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Yes, sir!" the pair replied as one.

"This is Marshal Commander Cody," Obi-Wan introduced. Their eyes grew wider as Cody walked behind them and gently lowered their still-saluting arms to their sides.

"At ease, cadets," said Cody dryly. They need names, thought Cody or Obi-Wan would cry. But, more importantly, they are children. They are children, and children need names. Now, that was a new realization.

Oh Force, Obi-Wan would be embarrassingly proud of him.

"Yes, sir!" they replied. They widened their stances and shifted their hands behind their backs in a well-practiced move. Their eyes darted between Obi-Wan, Cody, the commandos, and the Kaminoan leaders.

"They are not supposed—" insisted Nala Se.

Once again, Obi-Wan interrupted, "I believe I have you two to thank for this lovely-looking setup. Be sure to thank the cooks for preparing these treats for us with such short notice."

"You're welcome, sir," said CT-93-5913 hesitantly.

"We volunteered, sir," said CT-93-5935. He bounced on his toes once before settling back into the at-ease position, an embarrassed blush creeping up his neck.

"I'm thrilled you did," replied Obi-Wan. "That way, we got to meet you." The pair smiled shyly up at him, then glanced over at the contingent of commandos, who were standing behind Obi-Wan. "But, my dears, I am afraid I must excuse you for now." He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. "We adults are going to have a boring meeting that I'm sure you'd rather miss out on. CT-93-5913 giggled, but CT-93-5935 looked as if he wouldn't mind if it meant he got to spend more time with a Jedi general, a marshal commander, and a bunch of totally wizard commandos.

Obi-Wan straightened back up. "I will want to see you after the meeting, though." He glanced over at Nala Se. "I'm sure that can be arranged." The pair nodded enthusiastically. Obi-Wan clasped his hands together. "Now, grab a plate of treats for your batches and run along. Tell your instructor that all the cadets have the rest of the day off."

"Thank you, sir!" the two boys piped, clearly overwhelmed.

"Master Jedi, that will interfere with their training—" said Nala Se, irritation sneaking into her voice.

"It will not be an issue," interrupted Lama Su curtly.

"I'm sure," said Obi-Wan.

Cody took the two cadets by the shoulders and guided them to the treat table. Then, when the pair seemed absolutely unable to decide, he grabbed a plate of sweet dumplings, put it in their hands, and scooted them off to the door.

"Bye, Master Jedi," called CT-93-5935 as he darted out the door. CT-93-5913 paused and gave a little wave before blushing and running off.

"No running," came Blitz's voice from outside the hall.

"Ah, said," Obi-Wan, "It appears more of our group have arrived." He faced the entryway with a small smile.

ARC Commander Blitz strode in, looking around sharply and taking everything in before snapping to attention and firing off a salute. "Sirs!" he said crisply as Master Shaak Ti glided into the room behind him.

Cody and the commandos saluted in return, and Obi-Wan warmly greeted Blitz and Shaak Ti.

"You and your men are welcome, Master Kenobi," said Shaak Ti with a graceful bow. Her keen eyes belied her placid face as she asked, "To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure? Are you here to resupply? Or is there some secret message from the Council that you alone could deliver?"

Obi-Wan smiled at her guesses. "Wrong on both counts, but I do hope this will be a pleasure, Master Ti." He paused and straightened. "However, I am prepared for it not to be."

"For what?" Lama Su interjected, anxiety spilling over before he reined in his emotions. He continued, "How can Kamino assist you, Master Jedi? Of course, we will endeavor to help you in every way possible."

"I am glad to hear that," said Obi-Wan. "I have come to take exhaustive control of the persons, property, and rights of the clone troopers, effectively immediately, on behalf of the Jedi Council."

A moment of stunned silence filled the room before fear and anger burst from the Kaminoans. "You cannot—!" snapped Nala Se before the prime minister cut her off.

"I am afraid it is not so simple," said Lama Su cooly. "The clones do not belong to the Jedi."

"Well, if they must belong to someone, then who do they belong to?" said Obi-Wan coldly.

Lama Su sniffed before continuing, "The Republic bought the clones, but all scientific, medical, and intellectual property belongs to Kamino. That is how this works."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms. "I object to your first point. You recall I was the one who first discovered the clones, correct? And you knew way back then that I had no idea about their creation, nor did the Jedi, the Senate, or anyone in the Republic. Of course, you knew that right from the beginning, didn't you?"

"I assure you—"

"Don't. Bother." Obi-Wan strode right up to Lama Su. Despite being much shorter, Obi-Wan made an intimidating figure as he glared at the Kaminoan. "I know everything. I know the person who contacted you and arranged the purchase was Darth Tyrannus. And I know you have been in contact with Darth Sidious prior to his timely death."

"I never have—"

"I'm going to ask you not to interrupt me again, Prime Minister," Obi-Wan said firmly.

"How dare you—"

Cody strode up, blaster not precisely pointed at Lama Su, but it was close. "The high general asked you politely to mind your manners." The commandos filled in behind him. "We won't be so polite."

At that, all three Kaminoans paled and stepped back. Lama Su nervously nodded for Obi-Wan to continue.

"Thank you. As I was saying, I know you worked with the Sith. You were willing accomplices. I know Kamino is not in Republic territory, but what do you imagine both the Republic and the Separatists will do to you when it is revealed that you knowingly aided and abetted the Sith? The same Sith Master who orchestrated the entire war on both sides. With hundreds of thousands dead and trillions lost in credits, all for a war over nothing, I doubt they'll be forgiving."

"You have no proof!" shrieked Nala Se. "How dare you threaten us with wild accusations!?"

Obi-Wan nodded to Cody. Cody and Gregor grabbed Nala Se's arms none too gently and tugged her as she protested towards the door. Blitz and Shaak Ti, silently watching the exchange, stepped out of the way. Obi-Wan said, "Commander Blitz, please escort her to somewhere secure and have a guard put on her. If any Kaminoans protest, advise them they are welcome to join her."

Lama Su looked ready to object, but he backed off. Taun We's hands fluttered nervously, and she refused to make eye contact with anyone. Shaak Ti watched the proceedings detachedly, but Obi-Wan knew she was carefully evaluating everything.

Obi-Wan turned to the other commandos. "Exa, please radio for our special guest to join us." Then, with a smile at Lama Su and Taun We, he poured himself and Shaak Ti fruit-infused water.

"Who is your guest?" Shaak Ti asked, declining the drink with a wave of her long, elegant hand.

"Why Darth Tyranus, of course," said Obi-Wan, covering his smile with a sip.

"'Of course?'" she questioned, lekku twitching. "Why would you bring a Sith here?"

"I thought my grandmaster could help clear a few things up."

"Your grandmaster?" gasped Lama Su. "Darth Tyranus is coming here? Now!?"

"Why you and I have worked together for so many years, Prime Minister. I would have thought you'd be happier to see me," said Dooku, making a dramatic entrance and looking sinisterly gleeful as he swept into the room. "I understand there's been some confusion about our contract."

"N-n-n-no, sir! N-n-not at all!"

Chapter Text

With Count Dooku's (or Darth Tyranus as the Kaminoans knew him) support of Obi-Wan, the attitudes of the Kaminoans changed dramatically. Their former chilled self-importance had melted away into a sense of vague terror. So naturally, Obi-Wan felt a little guilty, but not enough to make Dooku stop being so frightening. After all, these scientists had forced his Vode to grow up in an environment full of more horrors than most could imagine.

Feemor stayed with Dooku and the Kaminoan leaders, offering his perspective and Jedi support. And guard Dooku, in case the maybe-probably-former Sith tried anything nefarious.

While Dooku put the fear of the Sith into the Kaminoans, Cody and Blitz rapidly sent messages to the officers stationed in Rancor Battalion on Kamino. "Block all internal communication unless it is between Vode. Block all external communication until we get our men in the comms room and control tower. Send all non-essential troopers to their barracks until otherwise notified by Vode leadership. Escort all Kaminoan personnel to their workstations and trainers to their rooms. Keep hallways clear. Only follow orders from your direct superior, Cody, Blitz, or a Jedi. Do not antagonize the Kaminoans."

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan met with Nala Se's underlings since the head scientist had found herself in confinement. Lama Su had tried to join Obi-Wan, but Dooku had insisted on going over his contract with him in minute detail. Taun We swallowed her fears and stayed by the prime minister's side in loyal support. With Commander Blitz by her side, Shaak Ti followed Obi-Wan and offered helpful suggestions despite still not knowing what was happening. She knew enough not to call out Obi-Wan in front of everyone, but Obi-Wan could feel her growing confusion.

Cody, Gregor, and D-Squad joined Obi-Wan as they toured the facilities. Everyone was okay with leaving Dooku with the prime minister. It wasn't like anyone could escape the planet with the Negotiator watching in high orbit. And Feemor was with him.

"We're shutting it all down," said Obi-Wan without preamble to the assembled scientists, clapping his hands together.

"All of it, Master Jedi?" asked a baffled Kaminoan. He appeared to be the youngest in the room, based on height alone.

"Yes, the cloning process will cease from this point forward," Obi-Wan said, looking up at the thousands of cloning tanks in the massive room. "All clones, from the smallest embryo to the older babies, will be immediately 'grown.'" He spat the last word with distaste. "I want them out of their tanks as soon as safely possible.

Obi-Wan strode across the large room and peered into the nearest cloning tank. It contained a young clone that looked comparable to a three-month-old nat-born embryo. "How long will it take for the youngest to be 'decanted?'"

"Technically, we can decant the youngest in four months—"

"Can that time frame be accelerated?"

"Yes, but—"

"Do it."

"Sir, that's not the issue!"

Obi-Wan looked up from the sleeping unborn baby. "What is the issue?"

"The issue is that there would be thousands of stage-one juveniles! Unfortunately, we don't have the resources to care for them all simultaneously, sir." The scientists looked flustered.

Obi-Wan smiled softly. "What does an infant need?"

"Sir?"

"Love, care, attention? These little ones will get all that and more from their brothers. Of which there are hundreds of thousands." Obi-Wan looked over at Cody, who nodded firmly back. "No child will be left uncared for."

"There is no time in their duties for childcare, sir. I don't think you understand—."

"Let me stop you there; I believe you do not understand. Things are changing around here. Everything, in fact. I am shutting everything down and taking everyone with me. As soon as possible. Training stops immediately. Every single clone will come aboard my ship post haste. I will work with Master Ti and certain clone leaders to organize the exodus."

"I don't—"

Obi-Wan condescended to pat the scientist on the arm. "Don't worry, my dear; follow my instructions, and everything will come together. We'll be out of your—erm—gills in no time. Now, how quickly can we get everyone out of these cloning tubes? We can rent some to put on our ship if necessary."

As Obi-Wan quizzed the scientists about the various needs of the youngest Vode, Blitz sidled up to Cody. "No offense, sir," he said through internal comms, "but has your general lost his mind?"

"Nope," Cody quipped.

Blitz's fingers twitched. He glanced over at Shaak Ti. "My general looks worried," he hissed.

"How can you tell?" asked Cody, observing the still façade of the statuesque Togruta Jedi.

"I know her," explained Blitz, "and she has no idea what the kark is going on. And if she doesn't, does the Jedi Council? Does the Senate?" Cody could feel Blitz's glare. "Sith-hells, Commander, what the kriff is your general doing, strolling in here, saying we're all leaving? Never mind bringing a karking Sith to our home?"

"Kamino's not our home," said Cody firmly.

"It's all many of us have ever known," Blitz defended. "If not here, then where's our home, Commander?"

"He is my home," said Cody gently, nodding at Obi-Wan. Feeling Cody's affection surge, Obi-Wan took a moment to smile over at him. Cody winked back.

Blitz crossed his arms and grumbled, "I doubt you're willing to rent out your home."

Cody snorted and said, "Don't worry, Commander, we'll find you an actual, physical home, too. All of the Vode." With that firm declaration, Cody walked up to Obi-Wan, lending silent support.

Comms off, Blitz muttered, "Whatever you say, Cody, you kotep di'kut."

"I must not be being clear," said Obi-Wan, re-explaining everything for the third time. "We are stopping, shutting down, ceasing, and halting all further production of clone troopers. But any fertilized cells will immediately be 'grown' and 'decanted.' After that, the rapid aging stops."

"We understand that, sir," said a female scientist.

"Then where am I losing you?"

"Why do you want to stop the rapid aging? The new stage-ones will take years to mature into soldiers."

"Ah, I see. The younglings are not going to be soldiers." Obi-Wan crossed his arms.

The Kaminoan's jaw dropped. "But—but—"

"The war is over," said Obi-Wan patiently. "They don't need to be soldiers, not if they don't want to be. The Republic will hardly need nor be able to afford a standing army of millions anymore."

"But what will they do?" asked the young male scientist curiously.

"We're still figuring that out, but ultimately, it will be entirely up to them," smiled Obi-Wan. "Also, to further clarify, I want all the rapid-aging processes stopped, even on the older clones. No more half-lives for these men. They get to grow up normally."

"Sir!?"

Obi-Wan turned to Cody. "I'm assuming that is all right with you, my love."

"Of course, sir. The Vode will be thrilled. Well, maybe not the ones that will have to experience full puberty, but they'll survive," Cody deadpanned.

Obi-Wan laughed. "That they will, my love, that they will."

Obi-Wan was busy skimming the medical files when Commando Exa approached him. "Sir, word from the Nego: We have visitors," Exa informed Obi-Wan, tapping his antenna.

"Understood," said Obi-Wan, pulling Exa to the side for a private conversation. "Friendlies?"

"Jedi, at least."

Obi-Wan nodded. Mace, probably, he thought. "Let's go greet them since the prime minister is unavailable to play host," he said to the room. Then, leaving the scientists with Shaak Ti, the group walked to the starcraft. As they walked, Obi-Wan turned to Cody and asked, "If I send for Windu's men to join us from the Negotiator, how many other Vode do you think will stowaway to join us?"

"How many can fit on a Larty?" Cody replied dryly. He had constantly deleted troopers' requests to come down to Kamino all morning. Of course, he kept refusing, but he knew that wouldn't mean much if Rex, Cog, Gryxx, Bonus, and the others weren't maintaining order on the ship.

"Well, I think we'd better risk it. A happy reunion might soften Windu's disposition," Obi-Wan said as the entrance doors swished open. "We don't need it, but I would prefer his support."

As Obi-Wan stepped forward, Cody sent a quick comm message to Bonus to send down Windu's "special package." He took another moment to scan Rex's eighteen messages, all asking for permission to come planetside in increasing levels of hostility. Cody decided to ignore him, and then he muted Rex's number.

The rain had let up on the landing platform, but the thick fog made it difficult to see the spacecraft. Once it had safely landed, High Jedi General Mace Windu and Marshal Commander Neyo strode out.

Noticing that only Obi-Wan and clone troopers were on the deck, Windu immediately launched into a tirade. "What are you doing in the name of the Light side, Obi-Wan!? I've had a blasted headache ever since we last talked, and it's gotten worse with every hour we traveled closer. So what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Obi-Wan smiled gently. "I've only been doing what we—what I should have done from the start." There was plenty of guilt to be assigned, but he could only take responsibility for his failings.

"And what's that?"

Obi-Wan ignored him and turned to Neyo. "Welcome, Commander Neyo. I hope your flight was uneventful."

"Sir," said Neyo, expressionless as usual. He nodded toward Cody and disregarded the others.

"Don't ignore me, Kenobi," snapped Windu.

Obi-Wan blinked innocently at him and continued to ignore his words. "Let's get you two inside, out of the damp. You managed to come down in a break in the weather, but who knows how long that will last."

"Not long, sir," interjected Blitz.

"Too true," joked Obi-Wan. He followed Blitz's lead inside.

"Kenobi!" Mace stopped inside the entrance and refused to make one step farther. Neyo stuck close to his shoulder. "Tell me what is going on now."

"I'm rescuing them – our men," Obi-Wan allowed a hint of his emotions to slip through his shields. Determination swallowed his anger and guilt. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them with a smile. "Well, they'll have to do most of the rescuing of themselves; I'm simply—ah—providing the means."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi…" Windu trailed off, then he took a deep, fortifying breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He shook his head with a shrug as he made his decision. "Fine. What's your plan?"

"We are going to need transport," Obi-Wan started. "The Negotiator is already over the crew limit, but we can squeeze more in if we must. Of course, we'll need specialized ships for the cloning tubes, that is, if we can't wait for the four month-plus it will take for the babies—"

"Kenobi!" Windu held up a hand to pause Obi-Wan. "Back up. How will you convince the Kaminoans to let you claim and take them all?"

Obi-Wan's voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm going to trick them. It's going pretty well."

"For Force's sake," said Windu, rubbing his head. "You're a mad bastard, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan's smile was decidedly gleeful. Then, he whispered, "Come on, then; you'll be Dooku's backup."

"I most certainly will not," stated Windu, insulted.

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, but his smile turned mischievous.

Windu held back a groan. "What part of your plan have I now stumbled upon?"

After turning to Exa and getting a nod, Obi-Wan answered, "I think you'll like this part of my scheme very much, General Windu."

Windu said nothing, only crossed his arms in response. Obi-Wan's smile grew as the entry doors slid open once again. The rain had already started up again. Windu and Neyo jostled back to escape from the moisture blowing in with the wind. Across the deck, a dozen troopers hustled toward them, some in armor, some without. They poured quickly in; those inside pushed back to give them space.

Windu didn't gasp when he recognized two familiar Force essences, but it was a near thing. Without conscious thought, he jerked forward to greet his formerly long-lost men, Neyo close behind as always. "Ponds. Hawkeye. It's good to see you both in person."

And then, Mace Windu actually smiled.

Someone gasped.

"It's good to see you, sir," said Ponds, reaching forward to clasp his general's forearm. Back at Windu's left shoulder, Neyo stiffened.

Hawkeye stepped up, eyes bright. "We're back, sir. We're back home." His grin was brilliant, and everyone could tell what he meant by 'home" by his fond look up at his general.

As Windu, Ponds, and Hawkeye caught up, Cody assessed the other troopers who had, as predicted, disobeyed orders and joined them.

"Wooley, kark it, why are you even here?" Cody snapped, shaking his head. "Why do you always do this?"

"It's tradition!" the young trooper explained, sidling to Obi-Wan. Then, unrepentant, he kissed Obi-Wan on the cheek.

"It's not a tradition, at least not a very good one," Obi-Wan protested, accepting his kiss. "Who have you brought with you, little lamb?"

"Apologies, General Kenobi," said Commander Colt, stepping forward. "Havoc and I knew we could be useful to you here on Kamino."

"And you wanted to see your brothers in Rancor Battalion," Wooley chirped.

"And we wanted to see our brothers in Rancor Battalion," said Commander Colt with a cheeky grin.

"I swear," muttered Cody, rubbing his head through his helmet, not that it did much good, "I'm going to feed you to the rancors." Then, looking around at the other men who had joined, he asked, "Why are you all down here?" He held up a hand. "No, don't tell me. You're here to 'help' but actually to see your brothers."

The men shrugged and tried not to be blatant in their excitement. Cody sighed.

Cody straightened his shoulders and snapped, "Listen up, I need full cooperation from all of you here. The particulars of this mission are need to know. Of course, gossip will spread, but we must keep the Vode calm. You know what this will mean to everyone; we must keep everyone under control until we're organized and ready to go."

Cody glanced at Obi-Wan, who gave him the go-ahead-and-take-charge-my-love nod. Cody pulled off his helmet; his face was stern. "Blitz, take Colt and Havoc; go greet your brothers. I'll give you five minutes to hug and kiss. Then I want a squad of ARCs with General Ti. Next, send the rest of your boys around to pick up any Kaminoan stragglers. I want them all guarded in a centralized location. Be polite; no need for violence unless they resist. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" The three saluted and jogged off to the trooper quarters.

Cody continued, "Neyo, Ponds, Hawkeye," the three looked over from where they had been conversing quietly with Windu, "Pay attention. I want the three of you with General Windu at all times."

"I can guard my general alone," said Neyo smartly. "I don't need help." Ponds and Hawkeye glared.

"I didn't ask," said Cody dryly. "Help him in keeping an eye on Dooku."

"Understood, sir," said Ponds, giving Neyo a judgmental side-eye. Neyo ignored him.

"Wooley and the rest of you stowaways, I want you down with the cadets. Obi-Wan gave them treats and the afternoon off, so there's bound to be some chaos and confusion." Obi-Wan shrugged, unrepentant. "Keep them calm, occupied, and distracted. Find Knight Feemor and bring him with you."

"I can stay with Obi-Wan," offered Wooley helpfully.

"You can do what you're told," snapped Cody. He'd had it up to here.

"Go on, my lamb. Go play with the little ones," said Obi-Wan, giving him a quick goodbye kiss. Wooley sighed, all forlorn.

Latrine duty, thought Cody. No, diaper duty. Diaper duty for weeks and weeks.

Sensing Cody's fury, Wooley scampered off, leading the others briskly down the hallway.

"D-Squad is with Obi-Wan," offered Captain Gregor, predicting Cody's upcoming command.

"Right, Captain," said Cody. "You're my favorite today, Gregor."

"Thanks, sir," said Gregor with a laugh. "I do what I can."

"Satisfied, best beloved?" Obi-Wan asked. "That seems like a good plan."

Cody smiled at him, "Sweetheart, there is no plan. That is, nothing other than your confidence in your bluff."

"And trickery," offered Obi-Wan with a cheery grin.

"And trickery."

After that, Obi-Wan met Shaak Ti and her troopers in the medical wing. It was crowded, but the soldiers stood to the sides to give them as much room as possible.

"We need access to your prosthetics program. Also, what basic physical therapy methods did your doctors use for minor and moderate casualties?" Obi-Wan was trying to get answers from the team of increasingly bewildered Kaminoan doctors.

"We don't really have an official prosthetics program, sir," one of them tried to explain. "Some of us have dabbled."

"Nonsense, I can list multiple troopers with prosthetic eyes alone. So surely there must be more," said Obi-Wan.

The doctor stepped back, unwilling to face the Jedi's displeasure by giving him the bad news.

Another doctor stepped forward, annoyance marring her pale face. "Unless the damage is minor, scraping the product and replacing it with a new model is more cost-effective. At least, that was the policy until your Jedi interference. No offense," she finished, voice dripping with offense. Her large eyes narrowed, and a vulgar expression marred her face.

Shaak Ti stepped forward, placing a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Yes, the Jedi and the Republic determined that growing and training a new trooper is more expensive and less efficient than keeping the experienced troopers serving for as long as possible."

"I disagree," insisted the doctor, fury rising. "You dare deny science!? Studies have shown that—"

"I believe you have given us enough information, doctor," interjected Shaak Ti. Blitz hovered menacingly at her side. "Commander Blitz, can you ensure she makes it safely to the other Kaminoans?"

"Right away, ma'am," said Blitz, none too gently grabbing her arm and escorting her from the room. The scientist strode proudly beside him, feeling no guilt for her depravity.

The other doctors shuffled nervously, clearly wondering what their place would or wouldn't be in this new arrangement. What would happen to those that the Jedi's commandos were taking away? What would happen to them all?

After a few tense moments, Obi-Wan clapped his hands together. "Well, let's move on. Doctors, we must download all the troopers' medical information, histories, and genetic mapping data. So we'll need access to your computers to download all relevant info."

Another doctor said, "I can help with that, Master Jedi."

"Good," replied Obi-Wan. "We will also need any physical specimens: tissue, blood, bone samples, et cetera. I'll send a team of my medics to work with your trooper doctors to rig up a transport system."

"How many samples will you need, sir?"

"All of it," Obi-Wan explained firmly. "I want to make sure you all understand fully. We are taking everything, every last bit and byte of data, every tissue sample, every zygote, embryo, child, all the way up. Everything. The troopers have a unique place in the galaxy, especially medically speaking. We must ensure we have all the data for their future."

"That will require a lot of storage, sir, and will take some time." Then, seeing Obi-Wan's determination, the doctor continued, "We can make it happen, but you already said your ship was over capacity."

"More ships are on their way," said Exa, tapping away at his comm.

Obi-Wan gave him a grateful smile. "Who is coming?" he asked.

"Still too far out, sir, but we've sliced into the long-range sensors. They've picked up around half a dozen Republic ships. Shouldn't be more than a few hours before arrival," Exa said, eyes darting up once to give Obi-Wan a smile.

After a deep breath, a doctor said, "You'll need to talk with the techs, but I think it would be easier to physically take our servers than to wait hours to download all that data."

"I can talk to Captain Cog about that," offered Cody. "He can liaise with the team planetside. He'll know the specs of the ships and what they'll need."

"Excellent," praised Obi-Wan. "Now, doctors, how will we get those babies hatched?"

"Hatched, sir?"

Dooku's meeting with the prime minister went better than expected. Lama Su was unsurprisingly willing to back down in the face of a possibly-former-but-maybe-still-a-Sith. Add to that Obi-Wan's veiled threats from earlier and Dooku's current, blatant threats certainly helped. He made no slight insinuations that he would ensure everyone knew their involvement in the war. That would help prevent Lama Su from weaseling out of their deal to release everything they had concerning the clones.

"After all, we have paid you in full," said Dooku. "I have receipts. You have no case against us."

When Mace Windu arrived, he greeted Dooku brusquely and the Kaminons cooly. As he took a datapad from Dooku to review, Neyo took a step away to relieve Feemor. Relieved, Feemor left with a bow and followed Neyo's instructions to the cadet barracks.

Lama Su wrung his hands. "Our only concern is the loss of knowledge. Our scientists, doctors, and geneticists have worked for many years and have learned much. Therefore, it would be fair to allow us to keep a copy of the digital information, even if you are unwilling to leave us with any physical samples."

Taun We offered, "Perhaps a clone or two could stay with us?"

"Absolutely not," snapped Dooku. "You were mistaken if you thought you had patent rights to any information. Everything comes with us."

"The Count is correct," added Mace Windu in his grave way. Ponds and Neyo stood intimidatingly behind each of his shoulders.

"As you say," said the Prime Minister with a slow bow, his massive eyes darting helplessly.

"We'll have our best slicers check through your computers to make sure no files get accidentally copied or left behind," said Windu, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lama Su's answering smile was less polite and more guilty. He appeared resigned to the fact that they were losing everything. All they had was their payment, most of which had already been frivolously spent by their government. And if the threats were to be believed (and he knew they were), the Kaminoans would find themselves in trouble with the Republic and the Separatists if they ever took on another large job like this again. Of course, another prime minister may be brave enough to try again in a few decades. But not him. No, thank you.

After that, things started to get more organized. Shaak Ti met with the trainers and arranged to buy out their contracts with an added credit incentive for quick departure. After all, they wouldn't need their services anymore. The prime minister had hidden away in his office, leaving Taun We to deal with the hopefully-former Sith. Windu was working in the communications center, radioing back and forth between the Negotiator and the other incoming ships to see who could handle what. Six large vessels and fifteen smaller spacecraft were now only five hours or less out.

Obi-Wan, Cody, and Gregor were meeting with a select team of scientists and doctors who seemed willing to cooperate. There weren't many, but a few seemed decent or, at least, savvy enough to realize that the winds had shifted and keeping the bossy Jedi happy was a wise choice. They were gathered back in the massive room of cloning tanks, trying to figure out what they would do.

"My apologies, but the cloning tanks simply can't be disconnected," said one doctor, shaking her head in distress.

"Ma'am, can you attach a battery and unhook the power supply?" Gregor asked. "That way, we could get them on the ships."

The doctor frowned. "The risk is too great. But, to clarify my answer, each unit does have an emergency battery, which only lasts a few minutes. It might be worth trying with older juvenile batches, but I would not recommend it for the youngest groups. Strictly speaking, the older ones can survive an early decanting if something went wrong, but their accelerated growth would be slowed."

"Ultimately, that is our goal for the little nippers and the rest of us," said Gregor. "But I see your point."

They tried to think of solutions for a few more minutes, but eventually, Obi-Wan decided, "We're just going to have to leave them here for now. However, we will rent the use of tanks from the Kaminoans until they've grown." He would give the Kaminoans no legal maneuverability in their "ownership."

"I will organize a guard and medic rotation to stay on Kamino," said Cody.

"I believe Shaak Ti would be willing to stay awhile longer," guessed Obi-Wan. "We can ask her and some other Jedi to help supervise, I imagine."

"Is there any way we can further accelerate their growth, but just in the tanks?" asked Gregor. "Not after they get out, of course."

Another doctor spoke up. "I'm sorry, not, we—er—experienced too many physical—ah—issues when we tried a more potent chemical acceleration solution."

A scientist added, regret tinging her voice, "And our leaders have always demanded perfection no matter the cost."

"And so you 'decommissioned' the imperfect?" said Gregor, voice sharp.

"Ah—well—you see—" stammered the second doctor.

"Not when we didn't have to – when we could get away with avoiding it," the first doctor boldly confessed. "If the irregularities were unnoticeable, we left them off the reports. Some of us felt minor surgery was acceptable if we could fix them in the embryonic stage." She gestured to a droid that had been hovering nearby. "Explain."

"Hello, I am AZI-345211896246498721347!" chirped the cheery droid as he darted over to hover in front of Obi-Wan.

"Hello there, my little friend," said Obi-Wan, grinning widely. "You'll have to forgive me if I cannot remember your full name, my dear."

"We call him AZ," interjected one of the doctors with a long-suffering sigh.

"Ah, yes!" said AZI-3, his eyes glowing brightly. "I help the doctors perform surgeries on my clones." His cheery voice dropped to a whisper. "Sometimes the surgeries are not officially permitted, but my programming states to help all my patients foremost. So these doctors help me keep the necessary surgeries a secret." His body twirled, head staying focused on Obi-Wan. "I like helping all my patients."

"Excellent, AZ," said Obi-Wan. "I want you to continue helping them with us. Will you do that?"

"Oh, yes; oh, yes!" said AZI-3, twirling fully in a widening circle. "I will help all my patients!"

One of the doctors stepped forward. "Of course, we don't have the abilities or resources to fix all of them. So we gave as many others as we could spare jobs as janitors or custodians. I have a stage-two juvenile with a club foot as a personal assistant myself. He's healing nicely with a brace, but he'd never make the speed or agility trials."

Another doctor continued, "Some were shipped off to other cities across Kamino as indentured servants to do unpaid manual labor. The prime minister approved of those transfers."

"Where were they sent?" asked Cody, vibrating with excitement.

"I will make sure you get a list of their locations. We kept detailed records if we needed to test or compare them with optimal specimens—clones—er, sorry."

"We'll need that list," said Obi-Wan, pleased.

"Would you like to meet some of them?" offered the first doctor, hesitant warmth coloring her voice.

"Absolutely we would," Obi-Wan said.

Chapter Text

"This is my assistant; I call him '14," said the Kaminoan doctor, her long fingers curled gently over the cadet's shoulder. The boy appeared to be about eight years old physically. He turned slightly away, hiding his braced foot behind his other leg, but stood straight and tall, looking them in the eye.

"I'm CT-1-08-4414," said the boy. "I help the doctors."

"I can see that you are a big help, my dear," said Obi-Wan, leaning down toward the boy with a soft smile. "It's very nice to meet you." Obi-Wan nodded at the assembled Kaminoans as they moved towards the opposite side of the lab to give them some privacy.

"Are you a real Jedi?" '14 asked, peering up at Obi-Wan. His big brown eyes narrowed in skepticism.

"Yes, I am, my dear," said Obi-Wan, shifting his robes so '14 could see his lightsaber hooked to his hip.

"Wizard!" said '14. Then, after a moment of interested study, '14 looked back up at Obi-Wan with an accepting smile and wrinkled his nose. "But my name's not 'my dear,' Mr. Jedi."

Cody snorted but turned it into a cough.

"My sincerest apologies," said Obi-Wan. "May I call you '14 then, or do you have another name you prefer me to use?"

"Doctor says we're not sus'possed to," said '14 with a nonchalant shrug. "But some of the big brothers do anyways. Guess what? I don' tell."

Obi-Wan leaned closer and put his hands on '14's shoulders. "That's a good kind of secret to keep. Your brothers only tell their names to people they trust. You must be a very trustworthy young man."

"Yes," said '14 with a grave nod. "I'm the most trus'worthy of ev'rybody."

Obi-Wan nodded in return and ignored the sounds of amusement and delight from his men. "Would you like to know these brothers' names?"

'14 looked unimpressed but shrugged and said, "Okay." He watched critically as Obi-Wan gestured to each trooper, who waved or nodded in turn.

"This is Marshal Commander Cody, Captain Gregor, and his squad of troopers: Exa, Lee, Lock, Windward, Spider, Hot Rod, Boy Edgar, and Vinny." As Obi-Wan introduced D-Squad, '14 listened carefully.

When Obi-Wan finished, '14 furrowed his brow, thinking. "Okay, guess what? You can name me too!" He grinned up at Obi-Wan.

"I was introducing—I didn't actually name—" protested Obi-Wan, hands tucking back into his sleeves.

"Come on, sir," interjected Cody, grinning madly. "Our vod'ika is asking you to name him; that's quite the honor."

"Yeah, stunner, give the little pipsqueak a name," teased Gregor, leaning in to bump Obi-Wan with his hip.

"I'll name him Gregor if you don't behave," hissed Obi-Wan, elbowing him right back.

'14 reached forward and tugged Obi-Wan's robe. "I like that one!" he exclaimed once Obi-Wan's attention was back on him.

"What? Which one, '14?"

"Gregor!" The cadet grinned up at Obi-Wan.

"Oh no, you don't, pipsqueak!" said Gregor, half-amused and half-terrified. "That's my name!"

"I get to name him," said Obi-Wan, giving the captain a dirty look. He turned once back to '14. "Do you like that name – Gregor? We could shorten it to Greg?"

'14 rubbed his buzzed head, thinking carefully. "Yep! Guess what? I like it! It's my favoritest, best name."

"Greg, it is!" said Cody. "Very nice name – strong, succinct, easy to remember."

"For k—er, for Force's sake," said Gregor, rubbing his hand through his hair. Then, after a moment, he grinned and laughed, "Mini-Greg it is."

"'M not Mini-Greg! I'm reg'lar Greg!" protested Greg, formerly known as '14.

"Okay, regular-sized Greg," said Gregor, tugging Greg away from Obi-Wan and rubbing his head.

"'M not reg'lar-sized!" laughed Greg, standing on tip-toes to try and rub Gregor's hair in return. Gregor obligingly leaned over and allowed Greg to scramble into his arms and muss his hair to his content.

After that, Obi-Wan and company were introduced to other clones who had not passed various qualifications. They were primarily young cadets; apparently, it was easier for the young ones to gain sympathy from the Kaminoans. They proved this by quickly endearing themselves to Obi-Wan and the 212th men. In the little group, a few had minor to moderate physical deformities; one young man was mute, others explained that they had poor vision tracking or were color blind, one had flat feet, another a heart murmur, and a few seemed to have more nervous and timid dispositions. However, they all seemed bright and willing, if wary and self-deprecating.

"The older oneth all got taken to the work pla'eth," said a shy boy with a pronounced lisp, who had found comfort in holding Exa's hand.

An extra small cadet jumped forward and exclaimed, "But the doctors promised that nothing bad is happening to them. They just have to work really, really, really hard!" With each "really," his arms expanded wider and wider until they were stretched wide above his head.

"We do, too!" said another as he climbed Lee's back.

"And if we work really, really hard, we can be like Clone Force 99," said Greg, still in Gregor's arms. He had been directing his namesake around the room as he pleased.

A hushed awe fell over the assembled children. "The Bad Batch…" whispered one in awe.

"But we gotta learn how to fight to be a Bad Batch," said the extra small cadet, bouncing on his toes before him. Fingers wiggling toward Cody's blaster, the boy giggled as Cody shifted his hip away. Cody lifted the boy and threw him over his shoulder, where the boy twisted around until he was draped ungainly across Cody's back and head, kicking and shrieking with laughter. Cody patiently allowed him to climb around, keeping his hands on whatever arm or leg he could grab for safety. He only grunted, amused, when an elbow or knee knocked him in the face.

The others laughed, a few more feeling brave enough to climb a commando. Obi-Wan ended up saving Cody by tugging the tiny one off him. Since Obi-Wan didn't have armor, he was less fun to climb on, and the boy calmed down, face snuggled into Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"They're the best," sighed another as he stood on Hot Rod's boots and held on to his belt for balance, leaning backward.

"I wanna be a Bad Batch," said one, ducking behind a doctor when eyes turned toward him.

"Well, I wanna be a Jedi," said another one.

Free from wild, savage monster-children, Cody reached down and pulled the last shy child into his arms. The little one traced his scar in wonder. Smiling, Cody got everyone's attention and said, "All right, cadets, if you want to be a trooper or part of Clone Force 99, you must learn how to fight. But not right now. I understand that you've been excellent helpers." The children beamed at him, some blushing, some head-butting their claimed commandos. "Right now, the general and I need your help."

Cody paused for the chorus of I'll-help-yous and pick-me-pick-mes. "We need all of your help. All the other cadets will be scared or nervous with all these changes, but you must be very good at doing things differently. We need you to help them feel calm."

"But the regs don't like us," said the boy in Cody's arms. "They're scary."

"Ssome of them call uth 'rejecth' instead of regth. Ss'not nith."

"That is unkind, but remember, they're just younglings like you," said Obi-Wan. "They get scared and nervous like you do, and these changes might be frightening for them. They're used to doing everything one way – the same way – all the time. They'll need your help."

"But what if they don't like us?"

"It doesn't matter. You still need to help your Vode," said Cody firmly. "We look out for each other, no matter what."

The little ones nodded seriously and promised to do their best to help their brothers.

Deciding that they needed to start organizing all the clones, Cody first led the way down to the cadet barracks.

As they left the room, Greg spoke up, "Guess what!? If you ask, Mr. Jedi will give you all names!"

As all the cadets started begging for names, Obi-Wan groaned loudly. His commandos – the traitors – only laughed at him.

As the group neared the cadet quarters, two Alpha troopers marched down the hall toward them. One was in red and the other in blue.

"Oh, hello there, Alpha-17 and Fordo!" said Obi-Wan, coming to a stop and grinning happily.

The pair ignored him and strode to Cody instead. "Sir," said Fordo, bowing his head respectfully.

"Good to see you, Fordo and Alpha-17," replied Cody. The two Alphas wore all their heavy armor and were an entire foot taller than the regular troopers. Fordo's arms were crossed, and Alpha-17 was practically vibrating with anger. The shy boy in Cody's arms had burrowed into his shoulder with only an eye peeking out. Despite that, Alpha-17 and Fordo gave Cody their respectful attention. Clearly, Cody was the boss.

"We need to speak with the general," said Fordo. "In private, please, Codes."

Cody looked them over, nodded once, and took the squirmy boy from Obi-Wan. The pair in his arms immediately started fighting, but Cody ignored them and continued down the hall, leading the others away. The commandos gave Obi-Wan sympathetic nods as they passed.

Now alone in the hallway with the ARC troopers, Obi-Wan tried again, "I'm very pleased to see you both." He smiled sweetly, trying to ignore the tension.

"What do you think you are doing, you di'kut?" snapped Alpha-17, arms crossed across his barrel of a chest made more prominent by his heavy armor.

"I—I—I'm just trying—"

Fordo jumped in, "You don't comm, you don't write, you don't come to visit…"

"What the fuck are you thinking?" Alpha-17 snarled, growing angrier by the second.

"I don't—I'm sorry—what—"

Fordo interrupted again, "Alpha's just pissed because you didn't come to say hi." He shrugged.

"What? I'm sorry, but—"

Alpha leaned down to get right in Obi-Wan's face. He yanked off his helmet, almost smacking the Jedi in the nose. His big, scarred face glared a few inches away from Obi-Wan's.

Obi-Wan blinked up at him, calm and unafraid. "I apologize for not coming to see you, Alpha-17." He pursed his lips in annoyance and continued, "I'm so sorry that I've been too busy dealing with evil Kaminoans and a maybe-former Sith Lord and so many babies and not-so-evil Kaminoans and all these little cadets that want me to name them, and there's just too many of them, and I don't even know them yet…" he trailed off with a huff. "I was coming to visit you next anyway!"

Alpha-17 blinked at him. "All right then." He stepped back, arms dropping to his hips and a hint of a smile twisting his scarred cheek.

Obi-Wan threw his hands up and groaned in exasperation.

Fordo grinned and wrapped Obi-Wan up in a rib-crushing hug. "You're forgiven, sir! We've missed working with you." When he gently set Obi-Wan down, he asked, "How can we help, sir?"

"Also, what's the rumor about you getting married to all your men, you actual slut?" Alpha-17 asked.

"Alpha-17, you can't call your general that," gasped Obi-Wan, forcing himself to bite back a snicker and give the taller man a dirty look.

"He's just jealous," explained Fordo. "Me too, as a point of fact, but we'll deal with that later."

Obi-Wan stared at the two Alphas as they tramped down the hall ahead of him. Force, not more of them. Cody was going to be so pissed.

After catching up with the others, Obi-Wan and the Alphas stared at the sight before them. At first glance, it seemed like disaster had struck the large room based on the screams and chaos. Yet, all the cadets didn't seem scared or upset; rather, they were busy playing some sort of tag game. 'Catch the Commando,' perhaps. Wooley and the other stowaways were now lying on the floor, covered in massive piles of cadets. Gregor and his squad had taken over the game for them. Feemor sat with a pile of younger, panting boys, guiding them in a breathing exercise as they caught their breaths. Cody encouraged the last few shy "reject batchers" to join the game.

"Oh my stars," said Obi-Wan with a huge grin. He turned to look up at Alpha-17 and Fordo. "Are you going to join them?"

"No," snapped Alpha-17, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"What are they doing?" Fordo asked, tugging off his helmet and peering at the rambunctious scene before him.

"They're playing, my dear," explained Obi-Wan. "Tag, I believe."

"What's the objective?" asked Fordo, eyes darting, searching for strategy or organization.

Smiling, Obi-Wan said, "Ultimately, the goal is to have fun. But in tag, usually, one person is called 'it,' and they try to catch someone else, and they become the tagger. But there are many variations; this looks like all the cadets are trying to catch all the commandos." Fordo nodded in understanding; Alpha-17 remained unconvinced.

Captain Gregor ran up, three boys hanging from him, "We've reprieved Wooley and the boys, sir." Gregor saluted, and the boy hanging from his right arm laughed until he fell off. "They failed to complete the mission, sir."

Obi-Wan smiled and said, "Well, the objective – fun – has certainly been achieved, and no one is feeling frightened whatsoever, so I would say it's mission accomplished." He sidled over to Alpha-17. "I may have more backup for you," he teased, putting an arm up on Alpha-17's massive pauldron.

"No-fucking-way, sir," snapped Alpha-17, scooting so his back was against the nearest wall.

"Language!" scolded Gregor as he darted by. "There are cadets present."

"Bite me, Captain."

CT-93-5135 and CT-93-5513, from their first meeting with the prime minister so much earlier, came running up to Obi-Wan and started tugging on his robes, trying to pull him into the fray.

"Greg says that you named him," raved CT-93-5135, bouncing on his toes.

"Will you name us too, please, sir?" begged CT-93-5513, big brown eyes staring up at him.

"Go on then, sir," said Alpha-17, giving Obi-Wan a shove toward them. Obi-Wan almost toppled over, but the two cadets grabbed him by the hands and tugged him forward.

Obi-Wan gave Alpha-17 a dirty look over his shoulder as the pair pulled him into a mass of excited, laughing children. "I'll need some help, my dears, but we can get you names," Obi-Wan promised. "If you're sure you don't want to choose your own."

A happy chorus of protests rang out against that silly idea.

Not long later, Obi-Wan sat on the hard barracks floor with two little cadets in his lap. Feemor was nearby, helping occupy the children by playing a float-the-pillow game.

Cody and D-Squad had left to let the older cadets and other troopers know what was happening. Then, he called the Negotiator and sent for several transport ships full of support staff to help him organize everything. Windu had said that the other ships had arrived, and he was coordinating with their crews. Shaak Ti had gotten most of the data organized for transport. Snapper, Kix, and a team of engineers were trying to figure out a solution to the cloning tanks' problem.

Soon, very soon, they all – every last one of them – would be off this waterlogged planet.

And on their way… somewhere. Obi-Wan hadn't gotten that far ahead.

But for now, he was taking a break. Most of the littlest cadets had worn themselves out and were napping on whoever's lap they could commandeer. Some others crowded around Obi-Wan as he searched through baby names on his datapad. So far, Mandalorian names were the most popular – being so warlike. A couple of them decided to wait until they met 'all the Jedi' so that they could pick a favorite to name them.

Kall, the cadet formerly known as CT-93-5135, was helping Obi-Wan by writing down all the new names in a datapad. Esok, formerly CT-93-5513, was helping him, and both took their self-assigned job of approving all the names very seriously.

"But I wanna be Cody," said the little rascally boy. His pouting lower lip was starting to tremble.

"We already have a Cody," said Kall, refusing to write down his choice. "You met him!"

Trying to make peace, Obi-Wan said, "We can have two Codies. I know two troopers named Havoc, for example. You can name yourself what you like, my dear."

"No," insisted Kall, "he needs a different name."

"It'll be way too confusing," said Esok, nodding his head with all the wisdom a preteen possesses.

"It's quite all right," Obi-Wan tried again. "Cody won't mind at all…"

"No, Mr. Obi-Wan, he needs to pick something else!" said Kall.

"Maybe he can shorten it like me," suggested Greg, toes digging into the gap beneath Captain Gregor's cuirass. Gregor grabbed his foot and threatened to tickle, causing little Greg to roll away.

"It's already pretty short," mused Esok.

"Cod sounds funny," laughed Kall. "Like a fish!"

"No. I want Cody!" said the rascal, crossing his arms. He crawled into Obi-Wan's lap and glared up at him. Big brown eyes squinted up at him, crocodile tears gathering.

"All right, all right," said Obi-Wan, giving the boy a kiss on the head. "How about changing a letter? K-o-d-y? Or we could change it to Kote, which is Mando'a for 'glory,' if I remember correctly, and it sounds almost the same."

"I don't know my letters yet," said the boy, but his pout faded, and he looked more interested.

"Let me show you," said Obi-Wan, typing several spellings on his pad in Aurebesh.

After a few moments of careful consideration of the different letters, the boy decided. "I like that one!" he said triumphantly.

"Very good, my dear," said Obi-Wan, erasing the others and typing K-o-t-y for his official name. "I am very pleased to meet you, Koty."

Newly christened, Koty grinned up at him. "Thanks! I'm very pleased to meetcha too."

Others, too, decided on names. They came up with Aran for the boy with a lisp after his only request was that it was easy to pronounce, avoiding any s's.

The shy one had been pouting since he'd had to release Cody so the commander could organize everyone. Still, he had perked up after he claimed the name Ani after the Master Jedi's very own former padawan. "Will I get to meet him?" he asked, ducking his head into Obi-Wan's sleeve.

"I hope so, my dear Ani," Obi-Wan replied. He shifted a bit to include Ani in the pile of cadets encircling him and wrapped his arm around him, too.

"May my new friend please have a name, Mr. Jedi?" asked the newly named Jetter. The cadet, with a heart murmur, tugged his new reg friend forward.

"Of course; come sit," said Obi-Wan, taking their hands and tugging them gently to sit before him. Koty, Qui, Saxon, and Bail shifted reluctantly to give them room. "What kind of name were you thinking of, sweetling?"

The boy, who looked about seven years old, smiled and shrugged. "I dunno." He paused and thought. "I want a nice name, like Jetter's."

"Well," said Obi-Wan stroking his beard. Koty's little hand sneaked up and patted his other cheek for him. Someone else dared to brush his hair as they leaned on his back, fingers damp on his neck. Obi-Wan ignored them, saying a quick thanks to the Force that the clones were immune to most communicable diseases. (Otherwise, he'd be coming down with some sort of ick like he did every other time he visited the crèche.) "Do you like Mandalorian names or Jedi names better?"

The little one thought for a moment before replying, "Jedi!"

"How about Plo? We don't have a little Plo yet," offered one of the stowaway troopers as he tugged more of the child-sized mattress onto the floor. Despite losing a lot of his identifying armor, rescued trooper Dire was still loyal to the Wolfpack. After tossing two giggling cadets onto the now-larger mattress pile, Dire squatted by Obi-Wan's cluster. "Jedi Master Plo Koon is one of the best, kid. I think that'd be a perfect name."

The cadet looked back at Obi-Wan, who nodded in agreement. "Master Plo is one of my dearest friends, an exemplary Jedi master, a brave warrior, and a kind soul."

"I wanna be exem'erly too. I like the name Plo, please. Thank you."

"No problem, kid," said Dire, ruffling his hair. Little Plo looked delighted.

All in all, Obi-Wan had come up with enough names to satisfy the boys who didn't want to wait to name themselves. He used up almost every Mandalorian name he could think of – there were the newly named Gar, Pax, Tarre, Viz, and Wren. There were several names of friends from Obi-Wan's past, like Garen, Si, Guerra, and Nield. Kall and Esok kept a careful record to ensure no repeats. Some were patient and wanted to wait. By now, several hundred cadets were crowded onto the floor in various piles.

Wooley and the other stowaways had various groups snuggled up with them. Most of them had drifted off after such an exciting day, and their bigger brothers were shamelessly snoring with them. Fordo circled around the room, checking on the cadets, tugging little ones into more comfortable positions, and adjusting blankets and pillows as he saw fit. Feemor cradled a boy barely big enough to fit into his red and gray uniform as he watched the sleeping piles.

Settling in and absolutely covered with children, Obi-Wan's heart clenched in happiness, knowing these gentle, loving touches were the first these little ones had received from anyone save perhaps a batchmate. He released his joy into the Force, feeling it echo throughout the room.

After standing grumpily by the doorway, Alpha-17 finally deigned to sit near Obi-Wan. Cadets scooted away to give his bulk room and warily kept their distance. However, Little Ani didn't share their caution and crawled over to perch on his armored knee. Too badass to startle and not enough of a bastard to shove the kid off, Alpha-17 wrapped his large hands around the kid's torso and held him steady. Seeing the giant of a man holding his younger brother so gingerly was amusing. Ani started to suck his thumb. Alpha-17 thought about chastising him but let it go instead.

Obi-Wan's heart was melting.

Apparently sensing his affection, Alpha-17 turned and raised a wry eyebrow at Obi-Wan. Keeping his voice low, Alpha-17 asked, "Where's your shadow anyway? I thought he'd be right here with you, causing trouble."

"Hmm?" asked Obi-Wan, shifting little Bail's head off his hipbone onto a pillow.

"You know, General Idiot?"

Obi-Wan snorted, biting back a louder sound. "Oh, are you the one who gave him that nickname?" he whispered, full of mirth.

Alpha-17 rolled his eyes. "Duh. I've got more."

"Oh, I've heard them. My dear former padawan is on his honeymoon."

Alpha-17 bark of laughter jolted little Ani, who turned and glared at him. "Relax, squirt." He gave Obi-Wan an incredulous look. "Who in the f—never mind. Who would marry that idiot?" He gasped softly. "Not Senator Pretty-Pretty!? Oh, I liked her. What a shame."

Obi-Wan had to use every ounce of self-control to not burst into laughter. Oh, he had missed his surly Alpha captain. Fondly, he shook his head at Alpha-17 and settled back against someone. His heart was full.

And his eyes were getting heavy. Obi-Wan soon succumbed to the same drowsiness that had already claimed most of the room.

After around a half-hour, Wooley apologetically woke Obi-Wan up. "Sorry, General Vod," he whispered. "You're going to want to hear this."

Obi-Wan smiled at him. "Help rescue me?" he whispered. Wooley grinned and started carefully untangling Obi-Wan from his entrapment of cadets. Fordo joined in to help. Alpha-17 did, too, just less gently. (He tossed children. Onto mattresses, but still. Then yanked Obi-Wan to his feet.)

"Gentle, you big bastard," hissed Wooley.

Alpha-17 gave him a dirty look.

Wooley glared right back.

"At ease, my dears," said Obi-Wan, using Fordo's elbow for balance as he stepped over sleeping bodies toward the doorway. Wooley and Alpha-17 followed, managing not to snarl too loudly at each other. Feemor waved at them as they headed out into the hallway.

"Hey, sweetheart," greeted Boil, waiting outside for Obi-Wan with a small group of troopers.

"Oh, hello, my sweet," said Obi-Wan, kissing Boil's cheek. "Hello, Waxer. I see you brought friends." He smiled at Rex. "Captain, I thought you were helping organize the Negotiator."

Unbeknownst to Cody, Rex had decided not to wait for permission to come down to Tipoca City. Since his many, very polite and not at all annoying requests had gone ignored, Rex figured Cody was busy, so he'd take the initiative and come to help. Fives and Echo had asked to join, and since Rex was a good captain and knew how to utilize everyone's strengths, he said yes. It was easy enough to convince Lieutenant Waxer to let the three of them jump on their LAAT ride down.

Rex stood tall and explained. "Yes, sir. Things are well organized up there. I thought my leadership could be better used here, sir." Rex's face was impressively impassive without an ounce of sheepishness.

Obi-Wan's gaze passed over Fives and Echo. Despite both of them still having their helmets on, Fives vibrated excitedly, and Echo was dying of embarrassment. Obi-Wan looked at Waxer and Boil. Waxer shrugged.

"I am glad to have your help then, men," Obi-Wan finally replied, letting them off the hook. "Do be a dear and let Cody know you've arrived."

"Right away, sir," said Rex. He grinned at Obi-Wan, unrepentantly cheeky. Rex absolutely did not message Cody; he winked at Obi-Wan instead.

"Captain!" said Waxer with a gasp, seeing the look Rex was giving Obi-Wan.

"Lieutenant?" drawled Rex, not bothering to look at Waxer, and continued to smolder at Obi-Wan.

Waxer and Boil stiffened. Wooley stepped closer to his brothers. Obi-Wan sensed danger.

"Ah, Boil and Waxer, have you met my previous captains?" Obi-Wan said, smoothly stepping forward and tugging Boil and Waxer over to where Alpha-17 and Fordo were watching the proceedings in amusement. "This is Alpha-17 and Fordo, excellent men I am proud to have served with."

"Pleased to meet you, sirs," said Waxer, failing to not look impressed. Fives and Echo peered around Rex at the large Alphas in awe.

Boil nodded and muttered something about big fellers.

Fordo shook their hands.

"Hmmm…" mused Alpha-17. "212th gold? You must be part of Obi-Wan's har—."

"All right!" interrupted Obi-Wan, clapping his hands together. Force, there was going to be a fight. He tugged Waxer and Boil away from the Alphas. "Captain Rex, what's your plan?"

Rex stepped forward, ready to get to work. "I don't know if you've met 99 yet, sir, but I've messaged him, and he says there's someone we can help." He cocked his head, "I was planning on taking Fives and Echo with me, but a Jedi might be useful too, sir, if you'd like to come with."

"We'll come too," said Boil, stepping forward.

"No need," said Rex with a smile. "We can keep an eye on the general." Fives nodded, completely missing the tension.

"Won't be a problem, sir," Boil said, getting snappish with the sir.

"Boil and Waxer will come with Rex, Fives, Echo, and me," Obi-Wan interrupted. Force! "Wooley, you're in charge of the cadets." He ignored Wooley's whine. "Seventeen and Fordo, please stay here and guard the younglings. We'll be back soon."

"Yes, sir," said Fordo, the only one managing to not look sour at their assignments.

A bit later, Obi-Wan's group found themselves greeting 99. They were in the science labs, Nala Se's lab in particular.

A bit shy, 99 peered up at them with his crooked smile. "I've got someone that you can help, sirs. Nala Se tried to keep all this a secret, but I see things. I keep watch over everyone; don't want anyone getting lonely." Obi-Wan smiled sweetly at him, touching his hunched back gently. (He made a note to himself to find out what could be done to ease 99's pain.)

"Who is he?" asked Rex, concerned.

"Who is she?" corrected 99. "Why, Omega is your sister."

Fives and Echo almost stumbled into Rex as he suddenly stopped dead. Waxer did trip, but Boil caught him.

"Come on, then," said 99 with a laugh. "Come meet your big sister." 99 led them through Nala Se's office to a concealed passageway. Obi-Wan wondered what other secrets the head scientist would be trying to keep. She would fail. At the end was an office and a small laboratory, and inside was a young girl who suddenly peered nervously at the crowd in her space.

"She's little!" gasped Fives, staring at Omega, both wide-eyed.

99 walked forward and held her hand. "She's older than you."

"She's blonde," Rex said with a grin, rubbing a hand over his flaxen buzzcut. "Hello, Omega. I'm Rex. These are my men: Fives and Echo."

"Nice to meet you," said Omega with a shy smile.

Obi-Wan knelt down to Omega's eye level and introduced himself, "Hello, my dear, my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am a Jedi and work with many of your brothers – like Boil and Waxer here."

"Hey, kiddo," said Boil. Waxer looked ready to adopt, hands clasped under his chin.

Omega looked awed at Obi-Wan. "I've never met anyone who wasn't a clone or a Kaminoan," she blurted, blushing.

"She's adorable!" gasped Fives. He reached forward to ruffle her hair.

Omega stepped away from Fives, still smiling but wary.

Echo yanked Fives back. "Knock it off, di'kut. Don't harass her; she doesn't like it." Big brother mode immediately activated, Echo crouched down and held out his hand. "Heya, sweetheart."

Amused, Omega placed her hand in his, letting him hug her. She giggled as Echo stood up, swinging her around to ride on his back. "She's not Ahsoka; you have to be gentle," said Echo superiorly as he made sure she was secure.

Extremely jealous, Waxer asked, "Are you sure you know what you're doing? Maybe you should let me carry her."

"I've got more experience with girls," said Echo with a sniff. "I take care of Ahsoka."

Undaunted, Fives clasped his hands together and turned to Rex. "Can we get more girls? More sisters!?" he begged.

Rex rubbed his face. "Fives, how would I know that?" 99 and Obi-Wan laughed.

Fives looked at him pitifully.

"Okay, fine," sighed Rex. "I'll see what I can do about getting you more little sisters. That'll be my number one priority, you know, right after we evacuate and before the court marshallings."

"Yes!" yelled Fives. "Can I hold Omega now, Echo? I promise I'll be so gentle."

"No!" snapped Echo, turning so that Omega was farther from Fives.

Boil took his chance and inched forward around Echo's other side.

"Back off, Boil," warned Echo, spinning away.

Omega giggled as Echo twisted around to ward off their big brothers.

Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, Rex opened his arms. Omega jumped to him, and Rex passed her off to Obi-Wan. She was almost too big to be held, but they both looked pleased as Obi-Wan settled her on his hip.

"Well, my dear Omega, tell me about yourself," asked Obi-Wan.

"I'm the only girl clone, I think," Omega said, scrunching her nose. "I don't see my brothers very much, except when they're babies. I'm Nala Se's assistant, and she doesn't like me wandering around." She looked a bit guilty as she confessed, "But I still do sometimes. That's how I met 99. He's my friend."

Rubbing her back comfortingly, he said, "I'm so glad you did, my dear. 99 sounds like an excellent friend." He paused to think for a moment. "Would you like to be a special assistant to the Jedi looking after the babies? Her name is Shaak Ti."

"A lady Jedi!?" squeaked Omega. She nodded fervently, eyes wide with awe. "I can be a big help, sir."

"Very well," said Obi-Wan. He passed Omega back to Echo, who looked supremely proud. "Rex, Echo, and Fives, will you escort Miss Omega to General Ti. Boil and Waxer, we'll head back to the cadets. 99 would you like to join us?"

99 nodded. Obi-Wan smiled and turned back to Omega. "I'll see you again soon, my dear."

Omega grinned and waved goodbye to them all.

Obi-Wan tucked his hands in Boil and Waxer's elbows as they walked back to the cadet dormitory down the hallways. A mildly excited buzz permeated the Force, but the stark halls of Kamino felt more peaceful now than they ever had before. Obi-Wan smiled and tugged Boil and Waxer closer to his sides.

Chapter Text

Despite the hecticness of everything, Mace Windu's day was going surprisingly well. The massive amount of shatterpoints encircling Obi-Wan had all but disappeared earlier when Windu had rubbed the bridge of his nose and given in to the younger master's insane idea of kidnapping the clones. In fact, that was when his building headache had started to recede as well. By the time Windu had greeted his long-lost men, he had forgotten that he'd had a headache in the first place. Even Ponds and Neyo's bickering hadn't irritated him enough to bring any pain back. Nor had Dooku's smug superiority directed at the sniveling Kaminoans during their meeting brought it back.

But right now, the headache might reappear as he tried to organize the various incoming ships.

Force, he was a High Council Member, the High Jedi General of the Systems Army Alpha, and the Master of Vaapad, not an air traffic controller.

Nevertheless, he would do his best to get this mess organized.

And kill Kenobi later.

"Get me the Triumphant," commanded Windu, keeping his annoyance in check. Kenobi's trooper hurried to comply.

"Go ahead, Tower; this is Triumphant. Awaiting direction," came the tinny voice of a clone through the comms.

"Triumphant, get me Plo Koon on the line."

"Confirmed. Master Koon has been summoned. ETA one minute."

Windu leaned back in his chair, waiting, as another comm chimed. "Tower, this is the Vigorous. Requesting Master Windu."

"Denied," snapped Windu.

Over the trooper's repeated request, Depa Billaba broke in, "Master, you can't keep ignor—"

Wanna bet? thought Windu, cutting off her transmission.

"This is Master Koon," squawked the radio, the Jedi's voice sounding as serene as usual.

About time. "Master Koon, what is the Council's status?" he asked.

"Still confused and arguing, I imagine," offered Plo Koon. "I decided you and Obi-Wan needed my immediate help more."

"You'd be correct," said Windu, wryly. "Leave the Triumphant in orbit above Tipoca City, parallel to the Negotiator. You are cleared to shuttle down to Deck C at your earliest convenience."

"I'll see you soon, Mace," replied Plo Koon. "Over and out."

Mace Windu looked at the radar screen and commed the next ship. "Come in, Naboo Cruiser."

"This is Naboo Cruiser, Commander Olié speaking. We've come as representatives of Queen Neeyutnee at the request of Senator Amidala. We're here to offer support."

News travels fast. "Appreciated, Commander Olié. Bring your ship down to the main hangar southeast of the city. I will send troopers to escort you to the conference room, where we'll meet in two hours."

"Thank you, Tower."

Depa's voice broke in again, "Master, I really think it's important—"

Mace Windu cut her off, intending to radio the Obi-Wan's ship instead. "What's your name, trooper?" he asked Kenobi's controller seated next to him.

"Radar, sir."

"Radar, get me the Negotiator. The clone gave him a half-smile before typing in the code, fingers flying. Once connected, Windu spoke, "Negotiator, you have clearance to send your next batch of transports down, decks right twelve through eighteen."

"Thank you, Master Windu," came Admiral Block's slightly amused voice. "What's the news from the City, sir?"

"Surprisingly peaceful," replied Windu. "Though your general is causing trouble, as usual."

"Ha! I wouldn't expect anything else. Supplies and men are loaded, so I'll send those transports down ASAP. Let me know if you need anything else, sir."

"Thank you, Admiral."

After a few seconds of rest, Caleb's squeak came through the radio, "Grandmaster! It's me, Caleb Dume. I have a question for you!"

Windu sighed deeply before pressing the comms button. "What is it, Padawan?"

"Um…" Caleb trailed off before whispering to his master. "What am I supposed to ask—oh, right!" His voice grew louder, "I'm supposed to ask if I can come down and help. Please?"

"No."

Sounds of a scuffle came over the radio before Windu shut them off again.

His radio pinged again with another call. "Go ahead, Eta-2."

A moment of silence, then, "Oh, hi, Master Windu! I'm surprised to hear your voice. I've come to help. Over!"

Windu rubbed his forehead. "Padawan Tano, do you realize how much trouble you are in, running off across the galaxy alone?"

A beat passed before Ahsoka's cheery voice sounded again. "I'm not alone, sir; I brought Arseven! Over!"

Beside him, Radar covered a snort with a cough. He was clearly used to Tano's Sith-may-care attitude about rules, but that wouldn't continue under Windu's watch. The things Skywalker let her get away with. Almost as bad as what Kenobi let Skywalker… Qui-Gon! It was all Qui-Gon's fault. Maybe Yoda's, too. Once he had a moment to spare, he would speak with Dooku about his lineage. No time for that now. He turned back to the mic. "Padawan, get yourself and your droid down to Deck C immediately. Master Plo Koon will be waiting for you. Stay with him."

"Gotcha, sir. Over!"

Windu took a deep, cleansing breath.

"Looking forward to seeing you, sir! Over!"

"Get off the radio, Tano."

"Er, right, sir. Over and out!"

Now Hawkeye was laughing, too. Fine. He'd put them in charge of supervising her punishments.

The green light from the Vigorous flashed again. "Really, Master, I need to talk to you!"

After a deep breath, Windu finally replied to Depa. "What do you want?"

"Oh, hello, Master. I thought you weren't talking to me."

"I shouldn't be. I shouldn't be able to talk to you since you should be lightyears away on Kaller, fighting their remaining Separatist stronghold."

"We finished, sir," replied Captain Grey, sounding like he was talking from afar.

"Yeah," added Caleb, full of excitement, "the bad guys are all taken care of!"

Windu could hear something that sounded like a shove. Depa continued, "So, Master, once we heard the news, we decided to come and help you."

He'd bite. "All right, fine. What news did you hear?"

"Ah, well, the scuttlebutt is that Kenobi was supposed to return to Coruscant with all the rescued troopers. We were getting messages throughout the ranks of their success. But then we heard he decided to change course without telling anyone why. I heard from Aalya Secura, who heard from Quinlan Vos, who heard from the Temple Guards that the Council was all in a tizzy about Kenobi. Apparently, he was 'going rogue' and might be 'destroying the Republic as we know it!'"

Windu's headache was definitely returning. "That's not what—"

Caleb's excited voice broke in, "Then we heard from my friend Jinx – do you know Jinx? He works at the Temple now after he got rescued – anyways, (I know, Master!) my friend Jinx told me that he heard that Master Kenobi was running away and getting married."

"But we already knew that he was married awhile back!" Captain Grey broke in again.

"Yeah!" continued Caleb, unbothered. "We already knew that. Well, I didn't, but the troopers already did. (I'm not too young, Grey! I'm older than you, buttface! Yes, Master. Sorry, Grey!. But Master Billaba said, 'No way!' so we asked Jinx to check again, and that's when he found out that the Council didn't even know where Master Kenobi had gone! But then Grey… (no—okay, fine, you can tell this part!)."

Grey continued, clearly having shoved Caleb aside to get at the mic, "My chief medic was communicating with the 212th's medic about ideas about rehabilitation plans, and he found out that you all were headed to Kamino first."

"You tell it boring."

"Do not!"

"Stop it, you two."

"Yeah! Stop it, Grey!" Caleb shoved his way back to the front. "Anyways, that's how we found out first, and we got ready to go first, and we would have gotten there first, but we were farther away. So, it's not fair that you're letting others come down already when we knew first!"

"I think I knew first, Padawan," said Windu dryly.

"How did you find out!?"

"Kenobi told me back on—you know what? Never mind, it doesn't matter. We need to keep the line clear for communications." Windu gave Radar, who was busily working without his help, a sideways glance. Radar kept his smile to himself. Wise man.

"I still think we should help, Master," said Depa, sounding far too smug.

"Fine. Send one shuttle down – you, your padawan, and your captain. No one else, for now, understood?"

"Yes, Master. We'll see you soon."

"Too soon," muttered Windu, not looking forward to the confusing mess.

"Radar, I will need a long-range, high-security connection to the Temple." Radar nodded. "I've got some rumors to squelch and some people to convince."

Despite the dampness of Tipoca City seeping through his high-quality robes, Dooku was having a fantastic day.

Yoda could harp all he wanted about the Light Side and the Greater Good and Serving the Republic, but honestly, being the bad guy was much more fun. And yes, he was trying to undo some of the Evil he had been tricked willingly committed and restore some peace to the galaxy. But if he could have some fun with it before being locked away in the Temple dungeons forever, he darn well would. Pardon the language.

So when dear Obi-Wan had told him his plan for a dramatic entrance, Dooku hadn't thrown back his head and cackled with maniacal glee, but he had wanted to. So he'd waited patiently on one of those inelegant, little Republic transports on the deck for his cue. Bafflingly, the troopers onboard "guarding" him still insisted on making friendly small talk instead of taking revenge on him.

Good manners, he supposed. Dear Obi-Wan had taught them well.

The wait was worth it when he finally got to sweep into the room, cape a-flutter, startling the worthless Lama Su into terrified, stammered excuses.

Pathetic, worthless weakling.

So, while dear Obi-Wan took Master Ti to rescue puppies or whatever his plan was, Dooku got to continue intimidating Lama Su and his lackey, whatever her name was. He demanded flimsi copies of their contract. Lama Su balked, clearly not wanting a flimsi-trail, but had relented annoyingly quickly. Dooku didn't even have the chance to make the lightest of veiled threats.

Then Dooku went through the contract line by line, pointing out random items and asking questions ad nauseam until Lama Su seemed thoroughly discombobulated.

A few hours later, when Mace Windu arrived as backup, Dooku could feel the tension in the room ratchet up. But, to his surprise, Windu had only given him a stern look and turned to Lama Su, giving the prime minister a downright disturbing glare.

With Windu's help, the obviously-former-Sith grilled Lama Su, eventually working the Kaminoan into such a panicked state that he nodded and agreed to everything they said.

"Yes, yes, yes, of course, sirs. Kamino forfeits all rights to the clones, their persons, and property, including scientific and medical data. And, of course, we will immediately help you vacate Kamino at your convenience," stammered Lama Su. And they hadn't even needed to mind trick him. And barely any threats. Dull.

The prime minister's aide was about ready to protest, but the combined glares of Dooku and Windu were enough to shut her tiny trap.

Lama Su had said all this, but if the Kaminoans found some courage later on and decided to take them to the Republic Courts, things would be different. But possession was nine-tenths of the law after all. Once they got off the planet, there was little chance of getting the clones or anything else back. And as long as everyone did their parts and worked quickly, they'd be gone before the prime minister could realize what he'd agreed to.

So now, they'd let Lama Su calm down in his offices while Windu organized transportation. Dooku spent more time intimidating Lama Su's aide, ensuring she wouldn't grow a backbone and convince her boss to do something stupid.

After she seemed thoroughly cowed, Dooku simply had to wait. Belatedly, it occurred to him that he could leave the room that he'd been stashed in and wander around. There might be more Kaminoans who need a good fright. Alas, the idea came to him too late; he only thought of it when the door opened again, and a familiar presence peeked in.

His face might be covered with a new helmet donated by his 212th brothers, but Dooku would recognize Cutup's sunny chaos anywhere.

"'Ello dere, sa'! Ah'm glad Ah foound ye here!" Cutup pushed his way into the room.

"Hello, Cutup," Dooku greeted, allowing the slightest hint of warmth into his voice.

The Kaminoan aide looked about, ready to protest the interruption, but after a moment, she sighed and turned away.

"Iffen yer nae busy, sa', Ah'd like ta take ye aroond th' city. Show ye th' sites an' aw!" Cutup was bouncing on his heels.

"Well, if my host doesn't need me any longer…" Dooku trailed off with a look at the aide.

"No, no, that's quite all right," the female Kaminoan hurried to encourage him to leave. "Go ahead, er—cl—trooper, take Count Dooku wherever he wants."

"Dat'll be gran'!" said Cutup, taking Dooku's elbow and tugging him toward the door. The Kaminoan gasped at his daring; Dooku ignored her.

Cutup took him on a tour of the facilities, stopping only to explain in detail various points of interest on the tour. He was incredibly proud of the training simulation rooms. "Dis is where Domino Squad and Ah learned tae wark tahgether an' become gran' soldiers." He grinned as he confessed, "Ye ken, we ahmost didnae make it; ahmost got decommissioned fer failin' tae be a team. But we made it in th' end an' aw, we did."

"Barbaric practices," sniffed Dooku. The Kaminoans used such backward methods. And based on the stories he'd heard, the Republic did little to stop them as long as they got their "product" on time. Credit where credit was due: the Jedi did put a stop to as much as they could when they figured things out. Still, heads needed to roll.

Sensing his anger, Cutup patted him on the arm as he led Dooku to the next area. "It's wasnae aw bad, sa'. Once we stahped fightin', me brothers aye had me back."

Out in the hallway, Cutup said that he was leading him to the barracks. "Ye'll like meetin' th' rest o' me brothers!"

Dooku wasn't sure they'd like to meet him in return, but he followed nonetheless.

On the way, they ran into a group of cadets led by his trusty guards, Cale and Reed.

"Oh, Count Dooku, there you are," said Cale, stopping in the hall.

"Good thing we ran into you," explained Reed. "General Vod asked us to find you." He turned with alacrity to the older cadets, who blinked wide-eyed at him. They were older than cadets, appearing around fifteen or sixteen standard. They would have soon been on the front lines had the war not ended. "Now, none of you can call General Vod "General Vod" got it?"

"He's General Kenobi to you lot," Cale clarified. "Or Master Kenobi." He waved toward Dooku and introduced him, "This is Count Dooku."

"I don't know for how much longer I can lay claim to that title," sniffed Dooku.

"Well, these little 'uns still need to show respect. Got it, kiddos?" said Reed.

The group nodded as one. Satisfied, Cale and Reed turned back to Dooku and Cutup.

"Whit are ye two doin' wit' dese bairns?" asked Cutup, grinning madly at the confused expressions on the teens' faces.

"General Verd canceled all the classes today," said Cale. "So, we're moving this lot down to one of the large training rooms. Cody's got plans for them." He turned back to the teens and said, "That's Marshal Commander Cody to you lot, got it?"

"After that, we can take you to General Vod. There's no rush; the meeting's not for an hour," Reed added, leading them back down the hall.

Refusing to feel awkward, Dooku followed to the side of the group, a bit behind his current? former? guards. Cutup took the tail end, immediately annoying the last cadets in the line with pokes.

One of the cadets kept glancing over at Dooku. A few yards down the hall, he had summoned enough courage to ask, "Are you really Count Dooku?"

"Would I lie to you?" Cale responded for him, an amused bite in his tone.

"No, sir," the cadet replied quickly.

A few more yards passed before the cadet asked another question. "Were you really the leader of the Separatists?"

Another boy asked, "Did you really surrender without a fight?"

Hiding a sigh, Dooku replied, "Yes, and yes."

Taking it in, the first cadet replied, "That's pretty wizard."

Cutup laughed.

Dooku sniffed, "What is your name, cadet?"

"I don't have one yet, sir."

"Hmmm…" mused Dooku. "You should pick a name for yourself, young man. Names are important."

"I know, but I'm having a hard time." The boy paused, then stopped in the hallway, his brothers tumbling as they stopped suddenly to keep from running into him. "You wouldn't have any suggestions, would you, sir?"

Cale and Reed stopped as well. Dooku glanced at them, hoping they'd intervene, but they simply waited.

Dooku did not flounder. "I—well, I suppose… I've always been partial to the name Yan. It's quite popular on my home planet of Serenno."

The boy pondered it for a moment, then grinned. "I like it! Call me Yan, everybody!"

"Well done, Yan," said Cale, he and Reed smacking the kid on the back and ruffling his hair. Newly christened Yan was grinning from ear to ear.

Another boy pushed forward, and Dooku grimaced, but the boy asked a different question. "Do you know Darth Maul?"

"Ah, yes?"

"He's so cool! Double lightsabers!"

"No, he's not. He's super lame. Grievous is the coolest. He's got like four lightsabers."

"Ugh, you are dead wrong!"

"Well, I like Asajj Ventress. She's so pretty!"

"She's bald!!!"

"And a murderer!"

"Aalya Secura is pretty!"

"So's Senator Chuchi!"

"Senator Amidala is prettier!"

"Shaak Ti is the prettiest!"

"No, she's not; she's mom!"

"Mom can be pretty!"

Reed whistled loudly before the group could break down further, and the teens darted back into formation. "Enough of that nonsense. We need to keep moving."

"You can argue once we're in the training room," continued Cale as they marched down the hall. "And General Kenobi is the prettiest."

A chorus of "Ah, yeses!" and dreamy sighs confirmed that statement. Dooku sighed. His grandpadawan was far too charming for anyone's good.

They finally reached the training room and got most of the cadets inside. Yan turned to Dooku and asked with an expectant look, "Do you want to spar with us!?"

"Ooo! I wanna fight Mr. Dooku!"

"Me first – I can take him!"

"For the Republic!"

"Absolutely not," chided Reed, trying vainly to shut the door on their enthusiastic bodies.

"Aw, why doncha let 'em?" asked Cutup, tears of laughter in his eyes.

"Not right now," said Cale, shoving arms and heads back inside.

"Maybe later," muttered Reed, finally getting the doors shut. "Cody wants them secure."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," stated Dooku, backing away.

"Ah, it'll be gran', sa'!" laughed Cutup. "Th' bairns would love tae fight ye! It'd be good fur 'em!"

Cale and Reed flanked Dooku as they took him back down the hall. "As fun as that might be, we have a meeting to get the count to," said Cale. Cutup followed along behind them, still chuckling to himself.

Despite Obi-Wan Kenobi's abrupt entrance and having to quickly adlib with his nonsense, Shaak Ti was having a lovely time. At first, she had to release her annoyance of not getting a tip-off from Obi-Wan about his plan, but she could sense his intentions were both determined and pure.

Shaak Ti's viewpoint that the clones had personhood had often clashed with the Kaminoans during her years as the supervising Jedi. So, she did not feel a small amount of satisfaction at seeing the confusion and fear in the prime minister's eyes. She'd have to find time to meditate on that later.

Then, getting to watch dear Commander Blitz get to haul that nasty Nala Se away… well, today was an absolutely lovely day. She found it increasingly difficult to pretend sympathy for the various scientists and doctors as they annoyed Obi-Wan and were taken away individually. It took longer than Shaak Ti expected, but some of them wised up and started working with the Jedi, trying to figure out how to get everyone off Kamino quickly and safely. She would remember their names and see if anything could be done for them. Every being should get the chance to prove themselves and not be lumped in with the whole.

Seeing Blitz reunited with his brothers Colt and Havoc was another bonus to this beautiful day. They seemed pleased to see her as well. Shaak Ti felt honored. Much to her surprise, they stuck closely to her sides the rest of the day. On Marshal Commander Cody's orders, they explained, but their emotions swelled with something sweeter than duty. A feeling that she would cherish.

Then Shaak Ti got to fire the trainers.

Oh, sure, she explained it subtly and serenely. But she insinuated that they were horrible people just delicately enough that she could claim innocence. Only a few complained, but she ignored them and paid out the remainder of their contracts. She was as diplomatic as she informed them that she had troopers packing up their belongings and fueling their ships. They got her hints, and most of them left with little more than a dirty look, especially with the entire squad of ARC troopers shadows she seemed to have acquired.

A truly lovely day.

"Does Marshal Commander Cody need anything else from me?" Shaak Ti asked her commanders as they walked away from the hangar. They'd finished waving off the last disgruntled former trainer.

Blitz typed away on his wrist comm. It pinged a few moments later with a response. "He says you could check on the toddlers." He looked up, brow puzzled. "What're toddlers, ma'am?"

Shaak Ti smiled softly as she led the way down the hall. "Toddlers are younglings, usually from one to three years of age in natural-born humans. Similar in Togruta and many other species."

"Oh, the crawlies?" asked Havoc. "We normally aren't allowed to see them."

"That's right. The Kaminoans call these little ones stage twos," explained Shaak Ti. She looked down at Havoc and Colt. "We're going to get the scientists to stop the rapid-aging process. Your little brothers will have full childhoods." She could feel the incredulous wonder swell in the troopers.

"That's amazing, ma'am," said Colt.

"I think so, too," said Shaak Ti, patting his shoulder.

As they arrived in the childcare room, the Jedi and her squad stopped in the entryway. The room was low-lit and warm. Scores of long cribs containing eight to fourteen little clones filled the room. Hundreds of almost identical boys filled the room. Many of the children slept, scrunched together. Others sat up and watched the learning modules on the screens. The ones awake nearest the door stared wide-eyed at their big brothers. The beds had rails and were just the right height for the dozens of nanny droids zipping between them. The nanny droids looked as harried as a droid can look, barely able to give a comforting pat to a crying child as they rushed to change diapers and hold bottles.

Shaak-Ti took a few steps in but stopped when a grey nanny droid wheeled over to them. It placed itself protectively between them and the rows of toddlers. In a smooth, comforting voice, the droid stated, "I am RO-Z67, the nanny droid in charge of this room. How may I assist you?"

"Hello, RO-Z67. I am Master Shaak-Ti. I am the Jedi Master in charge of supervising clone development and training. I regret not having the pleasure of meeting you before today. The Kaminoans insisted against it."

The nanny droid's head tilted to the side as it stared with unblinking yellow eyes. Its head straightened, and it wheeled back and forth twice. "Understood. Are you here to supervise or help?"

"Help," replied Shaak-Ti. "How can we be of use?"

"Understood. Help the children." RO-Z67 spun around and rolled to the closest bed. "Despite my repeated requests, there are not enough nanny droids to properly care for the children. The scientist says the children only need ten minutes of warm, loving comfort and care daily. That is contrary to my childcare programming. We need more nanny droids to help the children grow and develop properly."

Shaak-Ti nodded, determined. "We will help the children." Rolling up her sleeves, Shaak-Ti leaned over the railing and hoisted the closest awake toddler into her arms. She rested him against her chest, and the boy immediately snuggled close. "Come on, men; get to it," she commanded the troopers.

"How are we supposed to help?" Blitz asked, edging closer.

Shaak-Ti gave them a stern look and said no-nonsense, "Take off your upper armor and roll up the sleeves of your body gloves." The men quickly followed her directions, leaving their armor against the wall. "Now, observe how I hold the child; one arm under his bottom, my other supporting his back and head. It doesn't matter left or right." The troopers hesitantly but determinedly followed her instructions. RO-Z67 hovered nearby, adjusting arms and heads to its satisfaction.

When everyone was situated, RO-Z67 twirled once, saying, "Thank you for your assistance. If you require help, call me or one of my nurses. We will help you."

"You are most welcome, RO-Z67," replied Shaak-Ti. "According to your best estimation, how many more nanny droids would enable you to do your job efficiently enough to give more than adequate care to the children?"

"We barely have time to charge ourselves as it is," said RO-Z67. "Thirty more nurse droids would be adequate to fulfill our current needs. However, if the older batches of our children could be trained to help out, we would need only ten more."

Shaak-Ti smiled at the troopers, who were still looking a bit fearful at the entire situation. "That will be arranged. We'll hold these little ones until they need a change or a feeding or when they fall asleep. Then we'll switch."

"Ma'am, we're going to need more brothers," Colt said, watching the baby in his arms. His eyes locked with the little one's stare.

"That we will," said Shaak-Ti. "We'll radio Commander Cody and ask for support in a moment."

Cody's response was swift: more brothers were coming ASAP. A special helper who wanted to meet Shaak-Ti was joining them.

With a nod, she began strolling around the room, murmuring to the little one in her arms and sending tendrils of love and peace in the Force.

Resolute, the squad followed her one by one in a train that wove throughout the room.

Despite absolutely nothing, Cody was having one of the best days of his life.

After leaving Obi-Wan with Wooley and the other stowaways to watch the cadets, Cody and D-Squad headed to the Alphas' barracks. He was glad Obi-Wan was also being watched by Alpha-17 and Fordo. Both men had served directly under Obi-Wan before him, and Cody trusted them to have his husband's back.

But that was all they were allowed to have.

Arriving at the Alphas' barracks, Cody stepped inside. These clones were bigger, faster, stronger, and less inclined to be receptive to orders from Jedi or younger clones. But Cody was Marshal Commander, and everyone knew better than to fight him on anything. (Unless Obi-Wan was concerned, then no one listened to him ever.) And if anyone had a problem with Cody being the boss, he was happy to beat them down with or without the sparring mats.

"Alphas!" Cody barked as he strode forward to the center of the room. D-Squad waited in the hallway outside. While waiting, they checked their gear and comms, answering questions from troopers still onboard the Negotiator and the other ships that had arrived or would be arriving soon.

The Alphas didn't snap to attention like CTs would have, but they did show Cody respect by stopping what they were doing.

"What's going on, Commander?" said Alpha-98, known as Nate. He was dressed in his blacks and lower armor and leaned against the nearest bunk, arms crossing his broad chest.

"We're leaving Kamino," said Cody, firmly. "All of us."

"What if we don't wanna go?" asked Spar, Alpha-Ø2. As he asked, he stood up from his bunk and took a few steps toward Cody.

Bold as beskar, Cody took a few steps toward Spar. "I'd say stay here and mold for all I care, but I'm not leaving anyone behind for the Kamininos to experiment on only because it might affect the rest of the Vode. Don't want them to dissect you to figure out how to get revenge or anything."

Spar shrugged. "Just asking. Wasn't plannin' on stayin'."

"Stop being a dick, Spar," said Stec. To Cody, he loudly whispered, "He's just pissy because you didn't come and say hi."

"Kark off, Stec," said Spar, reaching over and failing to shove his brother, who leaned out of his way with a laugh.

Nate straightened and asked, "We all want off this damp ocean of a planet. What are we doing afterward?"

Cody paused for a moment, brow furrowed. "I don't know yet exactly. We need to gather the rest of our brothers, but we can't leave some posts undefended, so we need to figure that out, too. I know the Jedi and a few key Senators are working on getting us rights under the Republic."

"In the meantime…?" prodded Alpha-66, Muzzle.

"We go to Coruscant. Those were the Council's orders for the Nego anyway. We're just picking up a few brothers—"

"You mean all the brothers on Kamino," interrupted Mar'ek with a laugh.

Cody continued, "Fine. We're picking up all our brothers on the way and continuing to Coruscant. The Jedi Temple has enough resources to support us for a little while, but they're stretched thin trying to help with the war/refugee effort. We'll have to organize ourselves so we don't all starve. Maybe we'll elect a council of our own. We'll figure it all out later. Now, we need to get everyone off this karked-up planet."

Nate nodded and said, "What do you need us to do, Cody?"

Cody allowed himself a small smile. "Get geared up and packed up. Get all your shit on the shuttles down at Deck E ASAP. Captain Gryxx will get your gear onboard. Then divide yourselves up. I need you to take charge of organizing our departure."

"Give us some ideas of what you're looking for, boss," said Nate. He grabbed a datapad and opened up a note-taking program.

Cody took a deep breath, "I'm headed back down to the CC and CT barracks next to explain what's happening to the boys. I want some of you to help them pack up and move out. Most of them haven't been given orders for their platoons or companies yet, so they won't know how to sort themselves. I've got Jedi with the cadets and crawlies. They'll need some backup – someone who can scare our wild vod'ike into obedience but not tears."

Several Alpha laughed at that. "Spar is out then!" crowed Mar'ek, throwing an elbow towards his cantankerous brother.

"Har-de-har," deadpanned Spar with an eye roll. He crossed his arms over his massive chest.

Cody waited until the laughter died down. "I want Alphas in medical, the armory, the kitchens, and the storage rooms. If it's not bolted down, we're taking it. If it is bolted down, unscrew it, and we take it anyway."

"Won't the Kaminoans try to stop us?" asked Alpha-58, Trantos.

"We don't give a fuck." Cody glared. Several Alphas grinned, impressed. "Any Kaminoans with objections get taken into holding and put behind ray shields. If they offer help, don't antagonize them, but don't explain anything. If they question you, send them to General Kenobi."

"Ooo, Red's here?" asked Stec. "Rumors was right!"

"Told you," said Rumors dryly.

"Focus," said Cody, voice dropping in a warning. "I would also appreciate it if a half-dozen of you would volunteer to stay on Kamino for a few months with General Ti. She will supervise the tubies until they can all be safely decanted. Most of Rancor will probably stay as well, but I'd like some Alpha backup."

"We got you, Commander," said Trantos. "I can take the lead on that."

"Good. Any more volunteers?"

"I'll take medical," said Alpha-30, known as Sull.

"I've got the armory," said Muzzle far too enthusiastically. "Don't wanna leave behind all the fun toys that go boom!" Trantos smacked the back of his head.

"I'll help you with the regs," said Nate. "Little brothers always need looking after."

"I'll go with Red," said Stec. "I did work with him under Fordo at the beginning of the war. We're old, old friends. He always appreciated my… big… gun." The lascivious look on his face left no doubt of his meaning. Trantos leaned the other way and smacked the back of his head.

Cody's glare was withering. "He's got Alpha-17 and Fordo with him already." He give Stec his well-earned clobbering later once all this mess was resolved.

"Ah, that's where those slippery bastards sneaked off too," said Stec. "That's all right; I imagine Red could use more help."

"He's with the cadets," Cody smiled wolfishly. "I think they're taking a nap and then having snack time. I hope you like sticky fingers and crumbs all over your armor."

Stec faltered but rallied. "I can—help—with that."

"Great, make sure they're calm and ready to go. Hopefully, by 1800 hours."

"So soon?" said Trantos.

"As I said, we want to be gone before the Kaminoans can get their act together. The quicker, the better."

"Gotcha, Cody." Nate turned to his brothers and shouted, "All right, nerds, get your gear on, pack your bags, and let's be ready to head to the shuttles in five."

Nate nodded once at Cody, who nodded back. "Those of you helping with the troops, meet me at the barracks," Cody instructed.

As Cody left the room, the Alphas hurried to get ready. While the Alphas were notorious for being surly and argumentative, they were clearly prepared to leave Tipoca City behind them. It also would take them only a short time to pack their scant belongings.

After leaving the dome that housed the Alphas, Cody and D-Squad strode down the hallway to the CC barracks. These rooms had been smaller than the CT's quarters because there would always be fewer officers than enlisted troopers. And right now, they were mostly empty.

Weeks earlier, with the ceasefire, Blitz had reported that all but the most basic training had paused while the Kaminaons tried to figure out what the Republic planned on doing after the peace treaties. And, more importantly, how much money they could continue to wring out of them. (Of course, mused Cody, now that Obi-Wan had dropped such a giant bomb on them, the Kaminoans must be panicking. Cody could laugh at the picture of Taun We hiding in his office and desperately trying to figure out what to do now that they had no source of income from the Republic.)

So, since training had slowed since the end of the war, there were only a few CCs in here. There were only six shiny new officers, and half a dozen veterans were here for either recuperation or retraining.

All twelve jumped to their feet and saluted as Cody strode into their barracks. "At ease, men." The men relaxed, and Cody smiled at them. He walked over to two captains he knew personally to greet them. "Captain Jek, how's the shoulder?"

Jek grinned at him, shrugging his arm not in a sling. "Doc said the surgery went well. He says I need to stop using my Z-6 for a while, or I'll tear my rotator cuff again." He rolled his eyes, clearly not intending to follow those instructions. "It's odd, sir; I'm champing at the bit to get back into battle, but with the war over—" He shrugged his good arm again.

"I get it," said Cody. "That's why I'm here, old sport. It might not be a battle, but I have some action for you all." Leaving them hanging, Cody walked over to Captain Wilco and said, "Good to see you too, Captain Wilco. How's your advanced leadership training going?"

"It's been paused, sir," said Wilco. "Come on, sir, what's the mission?"

Cody held back a devilish grin. "How many of you have been posted, and if you have, how many of you have men here on Kamino?"

Jek, Wilco, four lieutenants, and the wing commander had postings; the other five officers had yet to receive orders. They had been in the final testing stages. Only one of the new lieutenants had any men stationed in the city.

"My platoon is all new marines," said the lieutenant, who had introduced himself as Borrower. "We were supposed to head out to fill the ranks of the 21st Nova Corps last month, but well…" He shrugged.

"Good," said Cody, then explained what was happening and the basic plan of leaving Kamino. While the twelve digested the news, Cody paused momentarily to figure out where everyone would best fit. "Borrower, I will have you take charge of your marines today. I want you to support Rancor Battalion. Talk to Commander Blitz; he'll give you an assignment."

"Understood, sir," said Borrower with a determined nod.

Cody turned to the wing commander, "Overboard, as far as I know, you're the highest-ranking naval officer planetside. I want you to coordinate the pilots with General Windu to get our starfighters fueled and in the air. He should still be in the air traffic control tower. If he's not, just listen for the sounds of Ponds and Neyo fighting over which one of them is his favorite."

Overboard groaned while the others laughed.

"The rest of you, I'm putting you in temporary charge of any CTs without a commanding officer on Kamino. You'll come with me, and we'll figure out how to organize everyone."

"We can start by grouping them by their training squads or their batches for the younger ones," said Wilco, planning ahead.

Cody nodded. "According to Blitz, there are over 6,000 in-training CTs here on Kamino, which is almost three regiments, so I might need to give out a few brevets and get you some sergeants and corporals."

"I think we can handle that, sir," said Jek.

"All right then, gear up, pack up, and we'll move out." The twelve officers took little time to gather their kits; Cody gave Jek an extra hand. Soon, they were headed out, ready to take charge of their younger brothers.

Not far down the hall were the CT barracks, which were multiple, much larger rooms. Alpha troopers Nate, Sull, TIny, and Mar'ek were waiting for them, kitted out in full armor, blaster rifles cradled loosely in their arms.

The officers with Cody stared at the four Alphas. But Cody stepped forward, saying, "Thanks for coming so quickly." He quickly made introductions between the two groups. The Alphas looked down, unimpressed by the regs, but the veteran clones at least stared them back down. Mar'ek broke first, smacking Overboard on the shoulder. "You're all right, vod'ika."

"Gee, thanks," said Overboard, rubbing his shoulder.

Jek took a step back and cautiously angled his sling away from Mar'ek.

"How do you want to do this, Commander Cody?" asked Wilco.

Cody sighed. It might be easier to send everyone to the central arena/training room and give instructions there. But with the troopers already in their barracks, getting the thousands down there would be too hectic and time-consuming. "I'm going to explain everything one room at a time, then let you start organizing."

"We can do that, Cod'ika," said Nate fondly. He took Jek's rucksack from Cody and slung it over his shoulder with his bag.

Wilco added, "You tell us what information you want to be communicated to the troopers, and the Alphas can take charge for once."

"I like this one too," said Mar'ek. "He's feisty!"

Wilco wisely kept out of Mar'ek's long range.

Nate added, "The CCs can split everyone up as we go. "

"We can get everyone organized, sir," said Jek. "Let us take charge."

With a grateful sigh of relief, Cody thanked them. "Good ideas. I actually don't have much longer to stay with you. I must be at the Jedi meeting with General Kenobi in less than an hour."

The Alphas and officers huddled and started assigning themselves jobs, with Exa and the others offering suggestions.

During their quick meeting, D-Squad Trooper Lee took a moment to pull Cody aside. "Hey, boss," said Lee, "take this and eat." He handed Cody a ration bar – green, his favorite. "We've been planetside for almost seven hours. And you haven't had a break."

"Thanks, Lee," said Cody. He tugged the wrapper off, let Lee stuff it into a belt pouch, and started chewing.

Gregor and Windward pulled away from the others and walked over. "How're you doing, Codes?" asked Gregor. Cody smiled closed-mouthed as he continued chewing. Gregor's voice dropped. "You know you're doing a great job, right, vod?"

Lee and Windward nodded in vigorous agreement.

Cody smiled again, going for a confident expression but realizing some anxiety was probably leaking through.

Gregor continued, "Because you are. You're everyone's favorite marshal commander for a reason. We follow you, not just because we have to, but because you're actually good at leading." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against Cody's; Lee crowded in, blocking the pair from the others. "So lead us, ori'vod."

"We'll follow," added Lee.

Windward smiled. "We always will."

Cody finally swallowed the last of his mouthful. "What if I kark this up? There's so much at stake," he whispered, allowing for some vulnerability with his battalion.

"So what?" said Gregor with an expressive shrug. "No, seriously. Could Obi-Wan save us by himself?"

"Not that he isn't trying," said Lee with a fond smile.

Gregor continued, "Could all the Jedi rescue us? Could all the good senators? Could all the friends we've made save us by themselves? Nope!" He popped the p in nope with a grin. "So face facts – you ain't that important, Codes. But maybe, just maybe, if we all work together, we can all save ourselves."

Cody nodded and took a deep breath. He confessed, "I'm afraid I'll miss someone. What if the Kaminoans hide some cadets somewhere, and we can't find them and leave without them?"

Gregor grinned madly. "Don't you worry about that. I will personally take D-Squad and some Rancor boys, and we will tear Tipoca City apart. I will search every closet, every cupboard, every single nook and cranny. 99 will help; he knows this city better than anyone. I will x-ray the kriffin' walls if I have to. Plus, we have Boon and Fiddly and all our slicers in their computers; they will crack every locked file and find out where they've sent everyone. Don't even worry about that."

Cody smiled for real this time. "Thank you."

Gregor smacked Cody on the shoulder. "Come on, ori'vod. Let's get more brothers off the Nego to help. Get Rex down here. He's been messaging me every five minutes. It's getting a tad annoying."

"I muted him," Cody confessed with a wicked grin.

"Yeah, thanks for that. Get Cog and Gryxx down here too. Let them work for once in their lives. Bonus can take charge on board. You know he can handle it; I swear, he's more organized than Fox. We got this. You go to the big room, give our Vode an inspiring speech, and prepare for the meeting with all the mucky-mucks. We need you to coordinate all this without trying to take care of all the details yourself."

Cody smiled and said, "Yes, okay. Thank you, Big Greg."

Gregor rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air as he turned away. "Great. Just great. I'm going to go fuck the stupid out of our husband later, kark him." He was still muttering as he grabbed the rest of D-Squad and left the room. "Is Mini-Greg mine now? Am I a father? What am I supposed to do with a child? What do children eat?"

Passing through the hall outside, Overtopp overhead Gregor's mumblings and sassed, "Food, di'kut."

Down the hall, Gregor shouted, "Thank you! And fuck you!"

Overtopp strode up to Cody. "Hello, sir. I need to see General Kenobi. Do you have his location?"

Cody frowned and turned to the room at large. "Does anyone know where General Vod is? Who was last with him?"

"Lost your general, hmm?" teased Tiny.

Jek elbowed Tiny, who grunted in appreciation rather than pain.

Then Cody remembered. "Wooley was last with him." Cody quickly commed Wooley to get a report on Obi-Wan. Wooley replied quickly, typing that Obi-Wan was still in the cadet barracks.

"He's still with the little cadets," Cody told the Overtopp.

"Thank you, sir," said Overtopp, hurrying off.

Cody read Wooley's following message and had to bite back a laugh. For once, his darling husband had been the one captivated and not the other way around.

Lamb: OB still asleep. 100 vod'ike have adopted him!!!!! Advice???

Obi-Wan's Favorite Husband: Don't let OB promise anything. Let him nap. Wake in 45 min. Thx.

Lamb: <3 <3 <3

Cody led his men down to the CT dome. Inside were a couple of hundred troopers. The CTs on Kamino would mostly be older cadets still in training, but there would also be CTs back for specialized training and a few dozen recuperating troopers and ensigns. The first room looked to be primarily cadets who would have needed a few more months of training since most were still in their red cadet outfits.

Cody hung back and listened as Wilco stepped forward and shouted, "Attention!" It was like a wave of dominos as the troopers nearest the door stood to attention. Their brothers, throughout the large room, followed swiftly. As Wilco outlined the plan to the young troopers, Cody worked through the day's backlog of messages on his datapad. There was a lot.

In fact, there were over forty messages from Rex alone.

Well, those could wait.

Instead, he started with the messages from the Negotiator's CC Bonus, who had written up a log of the transports to and from Tipoca City. He told Gryxx to head down to the main big room to start organizing troopers onto transports to the Negotiator, the Triumphant, the Vigorous, and whatever other ships had arrived. Barlex needed advice on where to put all the training fighters they were "commandeering." Cog had a long list of updates about the tech planetside.

Snapper was pleased with the influx of medical data he was getting, but Lieutenant Avep was panicking about overheating their computer systems, so Cody gave him permission to reroute the power he needed to keep things running cool. Cale and Reed had sent dozens of messages with updates of increasing hilarity about Dooku. Radar begged him to send Ponds and Neyo anywhere else. Cody grimaced and quickly told him that Windu would leave soon for the meeting, taking his two devotees with him.

Sergeant Faultline seemed very excited about the armory, and could they really take everything? Absolutely, yes, replied Cody with a grin. Wyler and Nova had gotten the list of where all the "undesirable" clones had been sent around the planet and were leading retrieval teams. Gregor was in the middle of sending messages about how well his search was going, how 99 was helping find secret passageways, and something about a little blonde girl…

"Sir?" a slightly hesitant voice broke through his scrolling. Cody looked up at a group of ten red tunic-wearing troopers. Ah, the rest of his messages would have to wait. Poor Rex.

Cody straightened and nodded, studying the group. "Their squads have picked these ten to lead them," explained Jek.

Cod nodded, "Men. Do any of you have names yet?"

A pair looked at each other before stepping forward. "I'm Punchup, and this is Yola, sir."

"Anyone have any problems with Punchup and Yola being sergeants?" The other eight shook their heads. "Great, Punchup and Yola, you're now sergeants. The rest of you are corporals. Congrats. Led your squads well, and I'll see that you keep the promotion and the responsibilities." Jek listened carefully as he spoke so he could lead the next group in the dormitories.

The young men looked pleased and only a bit terrified.

"Now, then," stated Cody. "Let's get organized. It's your job to get your batches packed up."

"We're really leaving, sir?" asked Punchup. He flushed, shocked as his own daring to question the marshal commander.

"That's right, Punchup," said Cody, seriousness broken by a soft smile. "All of us. That's why I need you. You know your squadmates. You know who gets nervous or forgetful. I need you to take charge – ensure no one or nothing gets left behind."

The group nodded, determined and ready to go.

Cody allowed himself one more smile. "Pack up everything. Spare clothes, blankets, mattresses. Get it all – every little trinket a brother made and left behind in some hideyhole."

The group blinked, a bit shocked that the marshal commander had once stayed, not in these barracks, but in Tipoca City, and knew about their little treasures. They didn't have much, but their creative brothers always had old blacks, broken plastoid, or bits of metal to make special things out of. Brothers usually left them behind, wondering if their future Jedi or nat-born officer would allow them to keep their treasures, seeing as how they were reclaimed from the garbage. So they hid them, and these objects comforted brothers. If they could survive, so could you.

Cody continued, "After your batch is ready, head to the big main room. Captain Gryxx will get you on a LAAT to one of the orbiting ships."

"Then where?" asked Yola in a voice not daring to be louder than a whisper.

Cody placed a comforting hand on Yola's shoulder. "Somewhere better. Somewhere where we can all be together." Punchup, Yola, and the others smiled up at their ori'vod. Cody smiled back, rolling his shoulders to release some of the tension. Maybe he could sweet-talk Obi-Wan into a massage later.

But for now, he had a job to finish up. Then, his brothers would all be free.

Chapter Text

After his second nap with the cadets, Obi-Wan felt well-rested and peaceful. The cadets were starting to wake up and were very excited about packing. 99 was an excellent help in keeping the children organized and calm.

When Wooley informed him that the rest of the Jedi wanted to gather before the official meetings, Obi-Wan took Feemor, and they made a quick exit. Of course, they had to promise they would soon see their new friends again.

"Hello, Master Kenobi," chirped Ahsoka as she skipped down the hall to him. R7-A7 rolled faithfully after her.

"Ahsoka, my dear, what are you doing here?" asked Obi-Wan after pulling her into a hug.

"I'm here to help, Master!" she explained, grabbing his hand. She reached out for Feemor with her other hand. "Hi, Master Feemor. It's good to see you, too!"

"We will talk about this later, love," said Obi-Wan, trying to be disappointed in her reckless action. His mood was too good to be spoiled, however.

"Mmm-hmm! I'm here to help, just like you!" Ahsoka was undeterred as she tugged them back down the hall. "Master Windu said we could meet in the prime minister's personal meeting room before we gathered with everyone else." R7-A7 trundled behind them, beeping excitedly about their travels.

Once safely in Taun We's personal meeting room (Lama Su and his assistant having hidden themselves away), the Jedi greeted one another.

"You've been making quite the stir," said Depa, drolly. Caleb was bouncing with excitement beside her.

"I suppose I have," replied Obi-Wan, stroking his beard. He was unsuccessful in hiding how little he cared.

"I'm proud of you, young one," said Plo Koon. "You put into motion what the Jedi should have done years ago."

"There will be consequences," warned Windu. "But we'll face them together, with or without the Council. Our men deserve our support."

"We won't abandon the Vode," said Feemor firmly, surprising himself. They had claimed him as brothers, after all. That was a precious thing.

"We will give them what help we can," added Shaak Ti, "but I believe they can stand strong on their own."

"We do have some outside support," offered Windu. "Naboo, Rodia, Kashyyyk, Pantora, and Ryloth have sent representatives to help today. Alderaan, Mon Cala, Shili, Chandrila, Mykapo, Lesan, and Lothal have also offered their assistance."

"More will help, given time," said Depa optimistically, "once they see the others helping."

Obi-Wan said, "I truly believe that the Jedi Council will support us, unofficially if they must perhaps. After all, most of the Jedi either fought beside or at least worked with the troopers. They may call us rogues all they like, but ultimately, I believe they will do what is right."

The Jedi nodded in agreement, taking a moment to acknowledge the gravity of their situation.

"What now, Kenobi?" asked Windu.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "We need to have a big meeting with everyone, but first, we should ask the troopers to pick representatives themselves. They need a voice."

"Of course," nodded Plo Koon. "I will speak to Wolffe and have him spread the word."

"I'd rather not." Cody crossed his arms and gave everyone his best shiny-scaring glare.

"It's just temporary," said Gregor, brushing imaginary dust off Cody's armor. "You'll do great, big guy."

"It was unanimous after all," reported Rex, sifting through the piles of flimsi slips. A team had run through the halls of Kamino, grabbing every clone, not carrying something explosive and making them vote for their newly formed council. (Waxer had gotten himself in "trouble" by telling everyone to "just vote for Cody, duh!") Rex suddenly laughed, "No, wait, there was one vote for 'Table.' He's one of your shinies, right, Codes?"

"Not a shiny anymore," grumped Cody, trying to get Gregor to stop preening him or whatever he was doing.

Gregor laughed loudly in Cody's ear as he draped himself over Cody's shoulders. "That was Eyeball! Hilarious! I'm gonna go tell Table he won president. Vod'ika's head will explode. He's gonna die!"

"Wait, is dying an option?" asked Cody, shoving Gregor away.

"Awww, be nice," teased Wolffe. "Your boyfriend would be sad."

"Husband," corrected both Cody and Gregor.

"Whatever," shrugged Wolffe.

"Fordo's not happy either, but he's not complaining," chided Alpha-17. He looked entirely too pleased with himself.

"That's only because you refused," said Cody dryly. "I'm actually impressed with the quality of your bitch fit."

"There was really no reason to point your blaster at me," Fordo snapped at Alpha-17. "Gun safety, di'kut. Cadets were watching."

"Safety was on. Suck it, weenie."

Fordo's smile was dangerous. "You put me on this sithspit council, and now I'm going to put you in charge of so many things, Seventeen."

"Good idea, Fordo," said Cody, clasping his shoulder. "We'll make him suffer. Flimsiwork. So many meetings. Fancy dinner parties."

"Dinner parties?" questioned Grey.

Cody shrugged. "Whatever government officials do. I dunno. But Seventeen will suffer."

"Thank you, Provisional Vode Congress President Cody," Fordo grinned.

"I hate you," sighed Cody.

"The vote was unanimous," Apha-17 pointed out, hoping to spread the blame.

"Except for one vote for Table!"

"You're all bullies."

"Naw, we just love you, Codes," said Gregor, wrapping his arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. "You're the best! Now, go give those senators hell or whatever you're doing. I was not paying attention."

"Thanks a bunch," groused Cody. "Come on, Fordo and the rest of you poor suckers; let's go."

"Well, I'm inspired," said Ponds.

"For once, I agree," replied Neyo. Ponds glared.

By virtue of being the highest ranking troopers on Kamino, Ponds, Neyo, Blitz, Colt, Havoc, Grey, and Wolffe were promoted to temporary leadership positions on the brand new Vode Congress. Rex was also joining despite his grumbling because Cody said so, and he'd threatened he'd either throw down or throw a fit, so no one protested. Fordo was there, too, because Blitz realized someone needed to represent the Alphas, or they'd sulk.

"I think Vode Council sounds better," suggested Havoc.

"High Council of the Vode, maybe?" proposed Grey. "That's pretty boss."

"Let's just get everyone off the planet first," said Cody, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"See, that's why you're the head honcho! You always keep us on track," Gregor gushed. Seeing Cody's glare, Gregor grinned unrepentantly and backed out of the room. "Have fun, boys!"

"Hey, I think we should invite Obi-Wan to be on our council too," said Rex as they walked toward the largest meeting room.

"Great. Put it on the agenda."

A beat. "Who—who do you want to make an agenda?" asked Ponds.

"Rex – he's the secretary," Cody decided.

"Cody, no!" Rex whined.

"That's what you get for coming down here without permission."

"You're not the boss of me!"

"He kinda is," offered Havoc. "You voted for him."

"You were ignoring me, Cody!"

"And here I am, doing it again."

"Love you too," Rex grumbled.

Fordo wrapped an arm around Rex as he said deviously, "Add 'Put Alpha-17 on the council' on your list, Secretary Rex'ika."

"Noted," said Rex with a grimace. It might be nice to watch everyone try to pick on Alpha-17. Then watch their shebs get beat in return.

Tipoca City wasn't known for comfort. The chairs were a little too big and the table a little too tall, but everyone made do. Fordo and Blitz found cushions for the smaller visitors to see better over the massive conference table.

Fortunately, the treats set out earlier by Kall and Esok were still available. Some thoughtful cook had covered them for safety and brought more ice for their drinks.

"Help yourself, everyone," said Obi-Wan with a welcoming smile. He and the other Jedi moved around the room, welcoming their guests. Obi-Wan hurried over to the two representatives from Naboo; Cody followed behind.

"Sabé, my dear," Obi-Wan said, taking the handmaiden's hands. "It's been too long!" He turned to the older man standing beside her. "Commander Olié, it is good to see you as well."

"Do call me Ric," said Ric Olié, shaking Obi-Wan's hand. "Can you believe that pipsqueak you brought to Naboo all those years ago is all grown up and married to our Senator?"

"I really can't," moaned Obi-Wan. Sabé laughed at his distress.

Across the room, Ahsoka hugged Senator Chuchi and said, "It's so good to see you, Riyo! It's been ages! Oh! Have you met Padawan Dume yet?"

"I haven't," replied Riyo Chuchi with a smile. The young senator allowed Ahsoka to drag her over to the young boy.

After introductions, Ahsoka spied the only other young person in the room. "Oh, that must be General Syndulla's daughter." She grabbed Caleb and Riyo's hands. "Let's go say hello!" Riyo Chuchi followed willingly, but Caleb dragged his feet as he stared wide-eyed at the pretty Twi'lek girl.

Meanwhile, Chieftain Tarfful of Kashyyyk was very impressed with the size of the Alpha clones. Commander Ponds was trying to persuade the chieftain and Fordo not to arm wrestle. He was not successful. Windu stood nearby and definitely did not egg the pair of them on.

Count Dooku stood stiffly against the wall until Senator Onaconda Farr from Rodia took pity on him and started a conversation about recent Coruscant events. Senator Farr mentioned to the room at large, "Interim Chancellor Organa desperately wished to be here, but he is busy fielding questions from the rest of the Senate. He asked me to convey his hope and well wishes and that he and Queen Breha would do whatever they could to help support the clone army."

General Cham Syndulla spoke up, "Ryloth agrees. Even if the Senate votes against supporting the clones, our people will help. These brave men have done so much for our people. It is only right."

Chieftain Tarfful paused teaching Fordo and Ponds bodybuilding poses to growl in agreement. Fordo was grinning like a cadet. Ponds was flushed red with embarrassment.

Senator Riyo Chuchi said, "There is a small but determined alliance of senators that agree. Mon Mothma of Chandrilla is hosting a party back on Coruscant to encourage more government leaders to join."

Sabé added, "Prince Lee Char of Mon Cala also expressed his wishes to provide help. Queen Neeyutnee has received word that several Separatist governments are willing to assist."

"Really, ma'am?" asked Commander Grey, shock coloring his voice.

Bowing her head gracefully, Sabé continued, "You clone troopers have made more allies than you realize. Neimoidia, Castell, and Serenno," here she nodded at Dooku, "have all offered resources for clone troopers beyond their obligations put forth in their terms of surrender."

Senator Chuchi spoke up. "Many of my people have been organizing resources and brainstorming ideas for the clone troopers. Pantora is willing to take the lead."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Cody, stepping forward. "We will gladly welcome your help moving forward." All the clone troopers murmured thank-yous, shocked yet sincere.

Shaak Ti spoke up. "I speak for all the Jedi when I offer our whole-hearted gratitude to all the generous people willing to help our men."

"Of course, least we could do," said Commander Olié, brushing off their compliments. "Perhaps we could focus on the immediate issues right now. What do we need to do today?"

"I second that," said General Syndulla warmly. "We should organize transport off this wet planet and ensure we have enough food to feed our troops, and then we'll find them a home."

"And further education, jobs, and everything else they need," said Senator Chuchi firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," said the captain and the general, smiling at the tiny lady.

General Syndulla turned to Cody. "Commander, I believe the logistics of organizing troop carriers may cause my darling daughter to drift off. Is there perhaps something she can help with instead?"

Cody looked over at Hera Syndulla, who used a stuffed sausage roll to demonstrate… something dramatic. Ahsoka was doubled over laughing. Caleb was still staring and blushing, mouth now slightly agape. "I think we can find something for them, sir." He turned to Obi-Wan, who nodded conspiratorily and called over to the trio.

"Ahsoka-sweet, would you, Hera, and Caleb like to help us with a project? Our meeting might be a bit dull for you young ones," said Obi-Wan.

"Yes!" cried Ahsoka and Hera, dragging Caleb behind them.

"All right, my dears, go find Omega and take her to the older cadets. Ahsoka, I'm putting you in charge of the older younglings; you'll find them with Boil, Waxer, Fives, and Echo. Check with Captain Gryxx and make sure he has transport ready before taking them to the flight deck. Keep them organized; they might be a bit nervous."

Ahsoka grinned, "Sweet. I'm super good at taking care of younglings. But what is an Omega?"

"Who," corrected Rex.

"Who is an Omega?"

"She is our sister," said Rex.

"Oh! Neat!"

As the trio traipsed out of the room (Ahsoka and Hera leading, Caleb following, still blushing, eyes still wide, mouth still wide, and now trembling slightly), Cody turned back to the group. Everyone had arranged themselves around the large conference table. He took the chair to Obi-Wan's right. At Obi-Wan's encouraging nod, Cody stated, "While we get everyone loaded on all the ships, I think the first thing we need to decide is where we are going in the meantime and how and when we'll bring all our men from their various posts."

"Bring everyone to Corscant first, I think," said Senator Farr. "Everyone is on edge about what is happening here." The senators all nodded in various degrees of resignation.

"The Jedi Council would appreciate a heads up," added Windu.

"The rest of the Senate needs to be informed as well," continued Senator Farr. "It will have to be delicately done. Our arrival with so many clone troopers might be met with trepidation and confusion."

"Who's going to tell them?" asked Depa Billaba.

"I vote Obi-Wan," said Sabé with a grin. "He is the Negotiator, after all."

Obi-Wan did not groan, but it was a near thing.

"Very good," said General Syndulla. "We need an official clone council to represent them before the Senate. Organa will not require formality, but the fewer senators we can offend, the smoother things will go for us."

"I told you council sounded better than congress," Havoc muttered to Grey.

"I didn't disagree with you," Grey hissed back.

Cody interjected, "We've been elected as a temporary council until we can complete a trooper-wide election. That will take some time."

"There's a lot of us," Wolffe deadpanned.

"We need Jedi on our council, too," offered Fordo.

Obi-Wan spoke up, "I'm sure you don't need us. You are all fully capable of leading yourselves."

"No, yeah, we want you," said Grey.

"If you insist – but only as advisors."

"Yeah, okay," said Grey. "Cody—pardon me, Provisional Vode Congress President Cody…"

("Please no," whispered Cody.)

"Shall we have a vote for our Jedi advisors?" continued Grey, glibly ignoring him.

"Temporary advisors," insisted Windu.

"I nominate Master Windu!" shouted Neyo and Ponds, both trying to be first.

"I nominate Master Kenobi," said Rex with a cheeky grin.

"I nominate Master Ti," said Blitz, looking very bored.

"I nominate Master Billaba," said Grey, giving her a high five.

"I nominate Master Koon," said Wolffe, crossing his arms and scowling.

"I nominate Knight Feemor," said Cody, not wanting any of the Jedi left out. Feemor blinked in surprise.

"All in favor?" asked Cody.

A loud chorus of "ayes" rang out, causing Sabé and Chuchi to giggle. The rest of their guests wore various expressions of impressed, amused, and delighted.

"Well, I think that's it?" asked Cody. He was in charge, sort of, right? Surely, that meant he could just wrap things up. "We've got a plan, a council, advisors, and allies. Now we get everyone loaded up. Go to Coroscant. Tell the Jedi what's going on. Tell the Senate what we want. Get a place for all of us to live. And keep everyone safe and organized and not starving in the meantime."

"Sounds great," said Wolffe. "That's just like six things."

"No problem," said Colt. "We got this."

"We're going to have to restructure the GAR, too," said Havoc, wrinkling his nose. "That's going to be complicated."

"Tomorrow. We can do that tomorrow," begged Cody.

Obi-Wan stood on the bridge the Negotiator. Happy. At peace. He was where he belonged.

Kamino was fading in the background as they jetted to Coruscant. The fight wasn't over, but this battle was. There was more work to do, but the clones were safe. Shaak Ti, Rancor Battalion, three other ARC platoons, and ten alpha-class troopers stayed to watch over the babies and toddlers. Shaak Ti barely had time to say goodbye. She was busy teaching her boys how to hold, care for, and love their baby brothers.

Ahsoka had smuggled a group of cadets up to the Negotiator's bridge and was no help getting them to settle down. Her new best friends were running around asking the bridge officers ten thousand questions. Caleb Dume had been loaned to them by Depa Billaba and was too busy making moon eyes at Hera Syndulla to do much of anything.

Waxer looked like he was in heaven with a sleeping Omega resting in his lap. He had finally wrested her away from Echo. At least partially. Her legs draped over Echo's as he stretched out beside him. Boil was standing watch.

Fives and Wooley were chasing cadets around the room – pretending to try and catch them but really having way too much fun. Commander Bonus was showing 99 how to steer the ship. Admiral Block had Mini-Greg in his lap as he explained his control panel and told the boy about his daughters. Kix explained everything he had learned about slowing their aging process to Feemor, who looked less understanding and more delighted with Kix's exaggerated gestures.

Cody and Obi-Wan were standing to the side, just watching their brothers. Cody was holding Koty, who was about to wiggle out of his arms. Obi-Wan snuggled little Ani closer and squeezed Cody's hand.

"We did it, my love," Obi-Wan whispered in Cody's ear.

Cody's smile was sunshine-bright.

As was well.