Chapter Text
It blindsided Cody. He never saw it coming. He's staring at his innocent datapad with the blinking words on it. Marshal Commander of the Third Systems Army.
Marshal Commander.
Cody's brain refuses to compute. He's a clone. No different than his brothers. He's not qualified to lead the army. Not qualified to make the calls that the position asks him to make. And to top it off, he has no clue what landed him the job. What he did that impressed General Kenobi so much that he landed the highest rank a clone could hold.
His comm dings. Strategy meeting. Right. Cody shook his head, putting down the shocking datapad, and rubbed the balls of his hands into his eyes. Get it together, Kote.
He needed to get to that meeting. Just because he had just been promoted didn't mean he didn't still have his other duties. He made sure to grab his bucket and put it on as he hurried to the meeting.
Under his bucket, he could tell his vode were staring at him with no small amount of awe. He walked in a room, and everyone stood straighter. Had more respect. It was unnerving as it was humbling. He'd been picked to be the leader among his brothers. What a terrifying and amazing idea.
He made it to the meeting on time with General Kenobi and the Admiral. They went over strategies for the next campaign. Another trek of battles across a no-name dirtball Outer Rim planet.
They wrapped up after an hour and a half of prep, and for a moment, Cody really thought no one was going to comment on his promotion that hit every datapad in the company by now. But Kenobi nodded as they prepared to exit with the grace of a diplomat, "Congratulations on your promotion Marshal Commander Cody. You earned it."
Cody bites back his retort of how? and nods, "Thank you, sir."
Kenobi snorts and claps him on the shoulder, "One of these days, since we're about the same rank, I'm gonna get you to call me Obi-Wan."
Call Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Master and high general Obi-Wan? Not on the Manda. "Not yet, sir." Cody shakes his head firmly at that.
Obi-Wan laughs at that, "Eventually. Cody, eventually."
Cody is about to follow him out when he hears the Admiral grumbling about General Kenobi. Something about him following his urges and not his logic. Something in Cody's chest burned at the half-spoken words.
His General was the most caring and thoughtful person he'd ever known. How dare that man think otherwise. The vode were protective, and General Kenobi was theirs.
Cody whirled on the man, "What did you just say?"
The Admiral let out a badly disguised sneer, "You heard me. The only reason you landed your promotion was because General Kenobi insisted on it. Something about threatening to make funding cuts."
Inside, Cody reeled, outwardly, he raised an eyebrow, "I don't care what he did. You'll treat him with the respect he's earned."
The Admiral scoffs and steps close, invading Cody's personal space. Cody's about to grab the man's hand and twist, but the next words freeze him where he stands. "Face it, the only reason you're where you are is because Kenobi wanted you there." The Amiral snarls, brushing past Cody.
The words sting, and the blow-off ignites Cody's rage, but the all-consuming numb void growing in his gut cancels that all out. Obi-Wan wanted him as Marshal Commander. Why?
Cody shoves back on his bucket and numbly goes about his duties as his mind runs through that question over and over again. Kenobi had thrown his weight around to get Cody promoted. Had put effort into it. Cody still didn't know why.
Perhaps because Kenobi realized how reckless he was? Cody grimaced at the thought. He'd lost count of how many times Kenobi had ended up in MedBay for throwing himself headfirst into a reckless situation to protect his men. It wasn't that Cody wasn't grateful for all the lives the General saved; it was just that he wished the man had an ounce more care about his own well-being.
Maybe he was trying to pawn paperwork off on Cody? Kenobi hated paperwork, but he always was dutiful to do it all on time. Cody doubted he would purposefully make someone else do his work, though.
Perhaps he just wanted to rub all the other natborn high-ups by forcing them to treat a clone as an equal. That seemed like Kenobi's kind of humor but also not a great payout for all the work he had to have put in to get the promotion.
So Cody was left with Obi-Wan realizing his own recklessness, which he highly doubted. The man was oblivious to that particular failing of his. And hiding injuries.
Cody didn't particularly like his options, but the fact Kenobi got him the promotion concerned him too much to question. He wasn't sure he wanted to know why.