The Negotiator and the Fire Fang

The Debriefing

"Hello general." Cody addressed, his arms locked behind his back. The shine had long worn away his white armor. It was decaled in the gold color of the 212th, Kenobi's legion.

The chipped paint colored three stripes on his stomach, the visor of his helmet, and various other pieces of his armor. There were a good number of scuffs and blast marks across its surface despite the fact the commander scrubbed his armor thoroughly after each mission.

Commander Cody was Kenobi's second in command and a good man. He was a talented soldier, smart and reliable. He was a capable leader and had gotten Kenobi out of pinch more times than he would like to admit. His commander was a vital piece of his war operation.

Obi-Wan wasn't sure how he would function without him. Certainly not nearly as smoothly or efficiently. The clone was trustworthy and always worked by the book, which was something you appreciated when one had fought alongside Anakin Skywalker as long as Obi-Wan had. The commander was also one of Kenobi's closest friends.

They had been through a lot together during the war. Even to his own surprise, after the sudden death of his old friend and love, Satine Kryze, Cody was the one who helped him through it the most.

Of course, Anakin and Ahsoka were there for him, as was Senator Amidala, but it was Cody that made everything easier. Not by what he did, but what he didn't do. He understood. He had lost enough brothers on the battlefield to empathize. Sometimes in grief, someone doesn't want a shoulder to cry on. They don't want empty sympathy or for every glance to be full of pity. They want to move past the pain and Cody helped him there. His commander pushed him to focus on the war, which was exactly what he needed. Work was good for grief.

"Hello Cody. This is Cordelia. She will be helping us track down Biron Sykes, a Gray Order deserter who has defected to the Separatists." Kenobi explained. The two clones accompanying his second-in-command were Crackshot and Jack. They too had their armor accented with gold.

"It is a pleasure." Cody said. Cordelia stared for a second before answering.

"It is an honor, commander." she said with a slight dip of her head. She straightened up, her cheekbones raised. She turned to Kenobi as the commander spoke with his two two men.

"He's a clone. That is impressive." she whispered enthusiastically. "I have heard stories of their incredible skills in battle. It's no wonder they're considered the perfect soldier." Obi-Wan gave a chuckle.

"Jack, Crackshot, take Cordelia to the hangar. We'll be right behind you." Cody barked. "Sir yes sir!" the two clones replied in unison, putting a hand to their visors. They backed away.

"Before we go, here." Cordelia said as she dropped a small device in Cody's palm. "It's everything we have on Sykes's meeting." she explained. The three of them headed off towards the hangar, while Kenobi and his commander hung back.

"Did, uhh, she say something about me sir?" Cody asked, never missing a beat as always. Kenobi laughed again.

"Yes, but have no worries commander, it was a compliment. She seemed to be quite interested in the fact that you are a clone. Thought it impressive, to be exact." Kenobi could practically see Cody's confused face through his helmet.

"Well I've never heard it put that way before. So what's the plan sir?" The Ghost Company Commander said as they began walking to the hangar together. Always focused, his commander was.

"Well Sykes is meeting Count Dooku on Nar Shaddaa, which complicates things." Kenobi stated.

"Well first off, that is Hutt controlled space." The door slid into the wall as Obi-Wan pressed the button on the control panel.