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It was a simple task, really.
Or at least, it was a simple task for any Jedi that weren’t Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The 212th and 501st had, once again, teamed up on what should have been a simple mission providing aid at a republic colony in the outer rim; but of course when has any mission with 212th and 501st been easy?
Droids had come in from all directions of the small colony, resulting in a long and tiring battle. At some point during the fight, however, Skywalker had dropped his lightsaber and before he or Rex could retrieve it: was crushed by a falling building.
Obi-Wan hadn’t faired much better, losing his lightsaber towards the end of the long battle after being nicked in the shoulder by a droid’s blaster. Unfortunately, Cody had not seen where his Jedi dropped it this time. He had more pressing matters to attend, such as not getting shot and killed, not babysitting a fully grown Jedi master.
It was his own fault, Cody supposed, he should have known Obi-Wan would drop his lightsaber. It had, after all, been over 2 weeks since the last time his general dropped the blasted thing. Their luck was bound to run out eventually. And so Cody’s punishment came in the form of a comm three days later.
‘What do you mean you’re stuck, sirs’, Rex questioned, a mix of confusion and amusement clear in his voice.
‘Well, it’s a long story you see’, Obi-Wan at least had the decency to sound embarrassed.
‘I don’t see what you two expect Rex and I to do, generals’ Cody breathed out while pinching the bridge if his nose, ‘Ilum isn’t exactly an accessible planet to non-Jedi’.
‘It’s really not that hard to find’ Anakin piped up, ‘we’ll give you the exact coordinates to the planet and then the cave-‘
‘Why don’t you get another Jedi to help, sirs’ Cody questioned, cutting Skywalker off before he could list off confusing and unhelpful directions to find the cave the Jedi found themselves trapped in.
‘Yes’ Obi-Wan starts, ‘we did try contacting the council, however…’
As Kenobi trailed off he and Anakin share a very awkward and embarrassed look before turning back to Cody and Rex.
‘They told us we’ve taken too long finding our kyber crystals too many times and need to learn to stop losing our lightsabers’ Anakin continues, ‘so we’re, and I quote “your own, you are on”’.
‘That’s not how master Yoda talks’
‘Not the point Obi-Wan!’
And that’s how Cody found himself and his Rex’ika flying out to Ilum to retrieve their hopeless generals. Gods, he bet his other Vode didn’t have to deal with this type of bantha shit. Why couldn’t he get a chill Jedi like Wolffe’s? He bet General Plo Never lost his lightsaber. Kriff, he’d take Ponds’ general if it meant he didn’t have to play hide and seek with a lightsaber every other battle. Even General Grievous wouldn’t lose his lightsabers; and he isn’t even a force sensitive.
Cody looks towards Rex, who was muttering to himself in mando’a about not being paid enough for this shit. Cody smirks, ‘vod’ika, we don’t get paid at all’.
‘Oh har har, ori’vod, laugh it up’ Rex glances away from the flight controls towards Cody with a huff, ‘it’s your Jetii’s fault mine even loses his lightsaber’.
‘Mine? How is it my Jetii’s fault?’
‘Well Kenobi taught Skywalker, kowakian see, kowakian do’
Cody couldn’t really argue with that logic.
Once on Ilum, it took Cody and Rex about two standard hours to find the cave in question. The two clones stood staring at the ‘wall’ in front of them. Their Jedi had to be joking right?
The wall in question was made entirely of ice; ice that, while sturdy, was thin enough to break through with a little effort. And yet there Kenobi and Skywalker were, standing behind the sheet of ice as if they had been trapped and surrounded by solid cement, waving at their clone Commander and captain frantically. The Jedi shoved at each other the same way the Vode would when teasing one another; or in this case frustrated at one another if the muttered insults were anything to go by.
Cody slowly turned towards his vod’ika, taking off his snow-grade helmet, ‘gee Rex ol’ boy, I don’t see the generals anywhere’.
Cody could tell Rex was startled by his statement, even though the captain kept his helmet on. Cody then moved so his back faced the two Jedi and winked towards his brother.
‘O-oh uh, yes, not sure I see any err sign of Jedi presence here, nope um definitely none here’
Oh Rex’ika, Cody thinks fondly as a betrayed gasp sounds from behind him, ever the terrible liar.
‘Well, guess we better head back to Coruscant to mourn the loss of our generals and tell the boys of our indefinite shore leave’ Cody is sure he hears a second muffled gasp of betrayal behind him, ‘let’s go Rex’ika’.
As Rex follows uncertainly behind him there’s no mistaking the faint yells from the ‘trapped’ Jedi.
‘Cody! Cody this isn’t funny!’
‘Rex, don’t you dare leave me here, he’ll bore me to death with lame mould facts!’
‘Science isn’t boring Anakin’
‘Oh Force, Rex come back before he lectures me!’
‘We’re not really going to leave them are we’ Rex asked with concern once they reached the ship, continuing to start up the engines anyway.
‘If they can’t figure out they can easily break that ice, with or without the force’ Cody shakes his head, ‘then they deserve to stay there’.
Rex snickers, ‘ I can’t believe they haven’t even tried breaking through the ice’.
Cody and Rex were sitting in the barrack playing sabacc about 8 standard hours later when two very wet and very annoyed looking Jedi walk in, causing the other Vode to B-line away to escape their verbal wrath.
‘Hey look Rex ol’ boy, our Jedi found their way home’
‘We were overcome by grief, sirs’
‘Yes, we can see that’ Obi-Wan bites out sarcastically, hands on his hips as if ready to scold a naughty youngling.
‘I can’t believe you left us’ Anakin grouches while Obi-Wan defiantly nods in agreement.
‘Where have you two been?’ Ahsoka, who had been sitting and watching Cody and Rex gradually grow more competitive at their card game, asked with a scrunched up nose.
‘Why don’t you ask our dear commander and captain, padwan’ Obi-Wan says as be sets his disapproving gaze on the clone brothers once again.
‘Well, the generals comm-ed us earlier asking for our help’ Rex starts, before Cody interjects ‘they said they were trapped in a cave at Ilum while looking for their new lightsaber crystals’.
Ahsoka seems to be deep in thought for a moment before she connects the dots Cody was laying out and turns to the older Jedi.
‘You guys didn’t think to break the ice? Ive seen younglings who have thought to do that’ Ahsoka sounds exasperated as she mutters ‘in fact every youngling I’ve seen on Ilum figured out master Yoda was joking’
Obi-Wan and Anakin both stood with blank looks on their faces as they process what their padwan had just said. Clearly their clones had come to this conclusion as soon as they saw the ice wall too.
‘This has not been our brightest hour’ Obi-Wan admits begrudgingly as he pinches the bridge of his nose while Anakin groans into his hands.
‘Well at least you’ve got your new crystals for your lightsabers right’ Rex adds cheerily, until he sees the once again blank looks on the two generals’ faces, ‘…right?’
Obi-Wan and Anakin turned and walk out of the barracks without a single word, ignoring hysterical giggles and chuckles of the 212th and 501st.
With a fond chuckle, Cody shakes his head and decides he wouldn’t want to trade his jetii for anyone else. Looking towards Rex and the fond sparkle in his eyes, Cody could tell his vod’ika had reached the same conclusion.