"I can not believe this is it," Anakin whispered, peeking from behind his shelter to his old Master.

"The battle is not yet over, Padawan-mine," Qui-Gon warned, "we can not afford to celebrate too early."

"Yes, Master," Anakin mumbled, Ahsoka giggling next to him.

"Cody, what is the situation?" Obi-Wan asked into his comm.

"The droids appear to be pulling back," Cody's voice came over the line, "it appears that they are heading towards backup to restrengthen rather than a full retreat."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan nodded, "inform the men to prepare to press forwards."

"Press forwards," Qui-Gon's voice rang out accusingly, "would it not be best to set point here and reinforce our locations before we do something as drastic as that?"

Sighing to himself, Obi-Wan raised his comm to Cody again, "belay that order, hold formation and secure current position."

"Sir, I-"

"Master Jinn has ordered that we are to set point; I am sure you can see the strategy he is using," Obi-Wan sighed.

"Sir, you are the High General; you do outrank him, so your word holds point above his," Cody's voice came through at an almost whisper.

Looking briefly at Qui-Gon as the man was talking with Anakin, Obi-Wan whispered back, "he is still my old Master," Obi-Wan sighed, "I can not go against his word, not when it is over war tactics that a 'good Jedi should not know'."

"Bantha-osik," Cody muttered before barking what was presumably orders for the men, "hold and reinforce positions!"

"Good to see that you saw wisdom," Qui-Gon called, the man standing to walk towards Anakin, even if he was talking to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan muttered to himself as he raised himself to his feet. Brushing the dirt off his legs, he jogged to where Cody was setting up a command station.

"We've planned out where we think the droids are heading," Cody stated, pointing to a location on the holo-map, "strategically, they will not leave that location once they reach it. The location can be heavily fortified, but before they reach there? They are weak."

"What do you suggest?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes scanning over the map.

"A press forwards as you first suggested," Cody stated, "the 501st and 202nd come in with a frontal attack while the 212th close in from behind, cutting off their escape."

"How do you suggest that the 212th get around without being spotted?" Obi-Wan asked.

Cody slowly moved the map, zooming in on a small passage around the side that opens up again at the main pass only five klicks from the ground where the droids were heading, "this passage we'll be able to use, it's tight, so we might not be able to bring anything larger than a standard blaster, but it will get us out behind the droids."

"How much time do we have until this move is impossible?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Not long; our best chance is to act now," Cody stated, "General, you hold rank over everyone; we move on your orders."

Scanning over the map, Obi-Wan nodded, bringing up his comm, "Captain Rex, prepare the 501st and 202nd to press forwards on my signal."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Lowering his comm, Obi-Wan looked at Cody, "Cody, prepare the 212th; we want it light and agile, but designed for an overwhelming amount of enemies."

"Yes, sir!" Cody stated, heading straight out the tent, barking orders to the clones around.

-----

"What is the meaning of this, Captain?" Qui-Gon asked almost at a growl, "your orders are to stand ground, not press forwards!"

"New orders to press forwards came in, General," Rex stated, coming to attention, "the 501st and the 202nd are to press forwards in a frontal attack, the 212th is coming around to attack from behind, General."

"Stop this, right now," Qui-Gon ordered.

"Sorry, General, this is the High General's order; his words take command," Rex stated.

"Where is Commander Leaf?"

"Still unconscious in medical, General," Rex stated, "he got shot during the previous battle; medics have just stabilised him, General."

Qui-Gon eyed Rex sharply before stomping off to where Anakin and Ahsoka were standing.

-----

"Alright, men," Obi-Wan asked as the 212th started down the passage. After receiving the affirmatives, he raised his comm, "Rex, begin the press forwards."

"Right away, sir," Rex stated before a voice started to come over the comm.

"Obi-Wan, this is madness-!" Qui-Gon's voice shouted down the line.

"Jinn, if you had gone to the command tent as protocol states, you will know that standing ground will result in death for our men," Obi-Wan growled, cutting off the comm. 'I'll need to apologise to Rex after all this,' Obi-Wan noted, feeling bad abruptly shutting off the comm.

"Everything alright, sir," Cody asked, moving to stand next to Obi-Wan as they walked.

"I'll have to deal with the repercussions of that once this is over," Obi-Wan sighed but quickly stated when he saw Cody's body language change, "we need to focus our energy on this, not an argument that can be dealt with later."

"Of course, sir."

-----

The battle was grim, even surrounded; the droids put up an admirable fight. Without set shelters, both sides soon started to fall. But, tagged with the strength of four lightsaber wielders, the Republic came out on top.

Reaching out with The Force, blocking himself from the fading stars, he could feel the steady hum of post-battle. The peaks of happiness of victory and the drops of grief flowed over him. Closing his eyes, he could feel the continuously tested calm of his Commander flash in exasperation.

"Do I need to repeat that lecture, sir?" Cody asked, coming to stand in front of the General.

Obi-Wan cracked open his eyes, smiling over at the man. "General, this is an open battlefield; you need to be on constant surveillance. Closing your eyes makes you a target," Obi-Wan recalled, "is that the one you were talking about, Cody?"

"Sir, yes, sir," Cody monotoned, making it clear the expression his bucket was hiding.

"Relax, Cody; The Force will warn me," Obi-Wan brushed off.

"The warnings The Force gives fills the men with dread."

Obi-Wan huffed, choosing to run checks on the men in person instead of condemning himself with that statement by answering.

"General!" A few of the men cheered as they saw the General walk round on his checks.

Obi-Wan smiled back at each of them, nodding an answer to each call. He could feel the excitement and happiness of a shiny as he nodded to them. But, not even that happiness could swamp the dread he felt at the sight of Master Jinn standing cross arms in front of him. "Master Jinn," Obi-Wan bowed, hands tight in his sleeves as his 'stoic Jedi' mask fell in place.

"What was all that, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon snapped.

"Due to information collected, I made a strategic decision," Obi-Wan stated calmly before pointing around them, "one of which has led to a victory for our men and the Republic."

"It was costly and ill-judged; this could have costed the Republic," Qui-Gon stated.

"You mean for the ammunitions? Or for the men, the agol?"

"You know what I mean, Kenobi," Qui-Gon was on the edge of hissing.

"Sir! The scanners have picked up movement, and it's heading straight to us!" Waxer shouted, coming to stand by General Kenobi.

"What directing is it coming from, Waxer?" Obi-Wan asked, turning to look directly at the man.

"From the Separatists retreat space, sir," Waxer stated, pointing in the direction.

"Size?"

"Large, sir, larger than before," Waxer stated.

"Estimated time of arrival?"

"Within the hour, sir," Waxer stated.

"Cody, prepare the men," Obi-Wan ordered, snapping on his heels to face Cody, "I want front line defences formed, three thick. Strengthen our sides and rear, but the focus is on the front."

Cody snapped to attention, heels clicking together as he saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!" Turning and striding off, his voice echoed as he set forward, ordering the troopers into position.

Turning to face the Lieutenant, Obi-Wan continued with his orders, "Waxer, collect a small squad of the best scouts. Lead them and find out what it is that we will be facing."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"So standing ground now?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Master Jinn, this is now an active battlefield," Obi-Wan snapped, "your men need you out there instead of standing here."

Qui-Gon spluttered, watching as Obi-Wan strode towards the clones to assist in preparations. Narrowing his eyes, Qui-Gon turned on his heels and headed off to where Anakin and Ahsoka were.

-----

"That's- that's not just large," Obi-Wan stated, seeing the approaching army, but his eyes were focused on the man with a black robe and red sabre, "that's the Sith Lord."

"How do you know, could be another apprentice?" Qui-Gon stated, gripping the hilt of the lightsaber.

"Can't you feel how life seems to wilt in his presence, how The Force is screaming and made of ice, Master?" Anakin asked, trying not to shuffle his feet.

The ordinarily energetic and confident togruta was close by Anakin's side, both blades gripped in her hands. Ahsoka could feel the darkness trying to break through her shields, trying to drown her.

"Ahsoka, stay with the men, help give them cover," Obi-Wan stated, seeing some of the stress releasing itself of the Padawan, "Anakin, Qui-Gon, we'll keep the Sith occupied. This is a turning point for the war, and we got to keep it away from the civilians."

"The three of us to overwhelm him quickly?" Anakin asked.

"No-," Obi-Wan started before Qui-Gon butted in.

"All men can get overwhelmed; with enough of us like this, he'll go down," Qui-Gon stated, "The Force wills it so."

"All men can get overwhelmed, but this is the Sith Lord; we can not play it risky," Obi-Wan stated firmly, "to overwhelm them, it will take more than us. But he will tire; the Dark Side is a fast-acting boost of energy that can quickly drain without sufficient fuel."

"And how do you know this?" Qui-Gon accused.

"I research, I learn," Obi-Wan stated before turning back to where the army was approaching from, still out of radius, "we do not have time for petty arguments."

-----

The fight was grizzly, Qui-Gon's age and inpatients showing as he quickly tired, a shallow slash catching him against the chest enough that he had to pull back to assist the clones.

Anakin could feel the sweat dripping off him; he could imagine the pool within his boots. He'd had to resort away from his favoured forms as the Sith Master showed unprecedented ability and stamina.

Obi-Wan could feel the constant attacks wearing on him, his lungs grasping harder for air, the start of a sweat shine.

Palpatine enjoyed the chance to test his skills - not with that older one or the scared brown but with the redhead. The man fought strategically; he was sure that even he would be worked to sweat before this was over.
Shame the man was a Jedi; he'd be such a brilliant apprentice. He could feel the utter obedience the man had, how well he could bring tactics into play within seconds. The Jedi was a leader and a follower.
Palpatine's been practising something in the background; he's just found his perfect candidate.

-----

Obi-Wan felt his breath catch as the red blade hovered closer to his neck.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin shouted, running through the droids to try and reach the fallen man.

"Execute order 66."

The sound of boots stomping on the floor from seven hundred men startled everyone. "Yes, my Lord," the voices shouted.

Palpatine looked down at Obi-Wan, confident between the joint forces of the clones and the droids, the Jedis would pose no issues.

Obi-Wan felt what must have been a sledgehammer hit his brain. It shattered his mental shields.

Palpatine smirked the moment he felt the Jedi's control slip and their eyes glass over. He shut off his blade, stepping back as he muttered, "kill them." He could feel the Dark Side swell in delight as the whites of the controlled Jedi turned red.

Anakin stared as the clones parted, leaving him with a direct path to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan, whose eyes were glassy and red. Obi-Wan, whose blade was on in his hand.
Obi-Wan, who looked ready to kill.

Qui-Gon saw it happening before Anakin did, the way the Sith had his eyes locked onto the back of Obi-Wan's head. Sprinting forwards, he watched as Obi-Wan dived forwards, ready to slice into the frozen solid Anakin.

-----

Obi-Wan gasped, his control coming back to him. The haze the Sith had thrown over him disappearing.

"Master?!"

Anakin's shout brought his back, his eyes flinging over to a sight that made his heart drop.

Qui-Gon was laid across the floor, Anakin cradling him against his chest. With the movement, the killing wound was revealed, a blackened mark of a lightsabre through the heart.

Obi-Wan bearly felt the hilt leave his hand as he walked forwards on autopilot, eyes locked on the shape of his dead Master. He gasped as Anakin pushed him harshly away, both their eyes swimming with tears.

"Get away from him, you monster!" Anakin shouted, pushing at Obi-Wan, the man gasping as he hit the floor. "Go, shoo!"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes briefly as he staggered to his feet before stumbling away. Soon, he felt as his mind was taken over again, all his willingness to fight having faded.

Palpatine smirked again as the Jedi quickly fell back into being his puppet. With the Jedi busy with their loss, they hardly noticed as clones, droids, and controlled droids marched away at his command.

-----

CC-2224 looked down at his feet, a glint of silver catching his attention. It called to him, the others marching by as he stood stationary. Reaching down, he grabbed the silver cylinder with his hand.

-

"I look forward to the chance to learn from your skills, Commander," General Kenobi smiled, and CC-2224 felt his chest warm.

-

"Cody, that is a lovely name," General Kenobi smiled, "it suits you."

Cody could not help but smile beneath his helmet.

-

"Cody, you don't have to stay on parade rest; this is as much your room as mine," the General smiled, "you can take your helmet off if you want."

"Thank you, sir," Cody nodded, removing his bucket, biting his tongue to stop his smile.

-

CC-2224 moved the cylinder to a clip on his belt on muscle memory. His eyes widening as more memories played before his eyes.

-

"Ah, thank you, Cody," Obi-Wan smiled, returning the hilt to his belt.

-

"I thought a lightsabre was a Jedi's life, sir," Cody smirked, holding out the lightsabre to Obi-Wan.

"Ah, yes," Obi-Wan blushed, biting his lip through his smile, his eyes sparkling, "let's keep this between us, shall we?"

"Of course, sir," Cody smiled, swearing to himself to get the General's eyes to sparkle like that as much as often.

-

CC-2224 gasped as the memories flooded him; he could feel the warm flow of blood down his nose and out his ears. His head felt like it was being attacked. Ripping his helmet off, he fell to his knees, clutching at his head, wanting the pain to stop.

And like that, it did, his head cleared, and he staggered back to his feet. He has a job to do.

-----

Palpatine frowned when one of the clones completely blanked him. Instead, the clone turned to face his Jedi puppet. He watched as the clone grabbed something from his belt and held it out to the enslaved man.

Obi-Wan felt the haze lift slightly as he stared at his lightsabre hilt as it was handed back to him. Cody's face was blank, revealing no emotions.

Cody's eyes widened as General Kenobi collapsed to his knees. On instinct, he knelt in front of him, one hand coming to rest on the man's forehead.

Obi-Wan gasped as the hand came to rest on his forehead, memories of Cody swirling before him.

-

"Sir, you need to rest," Cody stated, pushing down his datapad.

"I need to get these forms finished, Cody," Obi-Wan explained, lifting the 'pad back up.

Cody sighed, getting up from his seat.

Obi-Wan turned back to his work, letting Cody do as the man pleased. That was why he was startled when a cup of steaming tea was settled next to him. Looking up, he saw the sad smile on Cody's face before the man walked out of the room.

-

"No, no, no," Obi-Wan stated, shaking his head, "the poem clearly talks about how not everything ends in good."

"No, the lines, 'even with how bright the line shined, the darkness surrounded me, but I was not drowning,' clearly states that even in darkness, there is light," Cody explained, pointing to the lines in the poem, "and the line, 'if I look, I'll find stars,' suggests that the light is always there, you just have to look for it."

"But what of the line, 'it burned so bright, I thought I'd burn'?" Obi-Wan asked, leaning forwards as he waited for Cody's response.

"The keyword is 'thought'; they thought they'd get burned," Cody started.

"They only thought they'd get burned?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"It is describing the thought process like they've been hurt too often to trust in anyone," Cody continued. "In reality, the light did not burn them, but guided them through the darkness as the rest of the poem describes."

Obi-Wan leaned back in his chair, hand coming up to stroke his beard as he hummed thoughtfully.

-

Obi-Wan gasped, reaching out for the hilt that was held out for him. His fingers wrapped tight against the metal as another wave of memories flooded through him.

-

'Master Jinn is going to kill me once he realises I've lost another 'sabre,' Obi-Wan groaned to himself.

"Sir," Cody's voice cut through Obi-Wan's internal panic, "I need your signature before I can send off the form."

"Ah, of course, Commander," Obi-Wan nodded, signing the form distractedly.

Cody nodded, walking away with the document after the General handed it back.

"Ah, I see you didn't lose your 'sabre finally," Qui-Gon stated, looking over Obi-Wan before walking away.

Obi-Wan's hand flung down to his hip, but instead of grasping air, it brushed against the cool metal of his lightsabre. Obi-Wan's lips twitched as he realised just what his Commander had done.

-

"I thought a lightsabre was a Jedi's life, sir," Cody smirked, holding out the lightsabre to Obi-Wan.

"Ah, yes," Obi-Wan blushed, biting his lip through his smile, his eyes sparkling, "let's keep this between us, shall we?"

"Of course, sir," Cody smiled.

'Cody's someone I'd trust with my life, and he's proven it time and time again.'

-

Palpatine's eyes widened as he felt his control slip from both Jedi and clone. He attempted to bring up his 'sabre, but he was too slow as blue swept cleanly through one arm.

"How dare you enslave the men," Obi-Wan growled, feeling the links from trooper to Sith.

"How?!" Palpatine screeched.

"When you linked your mind to mine to control me, I could reach yours, Palpatine," Obi-Wan hissed.

"How did you break the control," Palpatine growled.

"Never forget that a kyber crystal can not be controlled," Obi-Wan smirked, launching forwards to attack the Sith Lord.

-----

By the time that Anakin and Ahsoka had reached them, Obi-Wan was stood over a defeated Palpatine. Surrounding them, was kneeling clones, all clutching at their helmets.

"Release your control of the men," Obi-Wan stated, power laced within his words.

"Never," Palpatine hissed through clenched teeth.

Obi-Wan stepped forwards until his fingers were almost brushing against the Sith's head, eyes glowing in the dull light. "Release the men of your control," Obi-Wan ordered, The Force like a sledgehammer behind his words.

Anakin watched as slowly the clones all released their helmets to the floor, blinking at their surroundings in confusion.

"General, what happened?" Rex asked, staggering to his feet to approach General Skywalker.

"The Sith Lord controlled each of you through chips within your brains, ordered you to kill the Jedi," Obi-Wan monotoned from where he was staring at the Lord of the Sith. "I got him to release control, though. We should have enough evidence to arrest him as well. It seems the Chancellor was not who we thought he was."

Just as he said that he walked to the side, revealing Sheev Palpatine's face as the Sith Lord.

-----

Within a week of the arrest, the war came to a close. The clones received full rights for their effort through the war after how they were controlled and forced was revealed.

A day after Clone Rights was released, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cody disappeared off the face of the galaxy.

3558