Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, The Clone Wars, or any of the associated characters.

Summary: Finding and holding onto Obi-Wan's cloak and/or lightsaber until he had the chance to give them back was second nature to Commander Cody by now. The Death Star was no different.

Author Notes: Inspired by several tumblr posts that I can't seem to find again. Title from Hamilton because it seemed appropriate and I am apparently trash for the soundtrack.

One Last Time

There had been a running joke during the Clone Wars: whether Obi-Wan or his Clone Commander would be carrying the General's cloak and/or lightsaber at any given time during a battle.

At the time, CC-2224, Commander Cody, had viewed it as a badge of honour and pride. His Jedi trusted him enough that he would let Cody take temporary custody of his most cherished possessions, the things that marked him as a Jedi as much as his prowess with the Force.

After Order 66, Cody viewed it with remembrance and shame. His Jedi had trusted him, and Cody had not been strong enough to trust his Jedi in return when he was proclaimed traitor, to resist when ordered to kill him.

Far too many of his brothers had turned their blasters on themselves when Order 66 faded from their minds, and they realised what they had done. Cody, loyal commander who betrayed his General far more than anything the new Emperor claimed the Jedi did, had been tempted to do the same, but resisted.

Death was the easy way out; the simple answer. Cody owed a debt to his general, and if he couldn't repay it in person, he would just have to pay it forward.

There were advantages to stormtrooper armour. It made you just one more soldier in a mass of them. As a clone, Cody had already been used to that.

As a faceless stormtrooper he could very obviously go searching when Vader went to hunt down a Force-sensitive, giving them just enough warning to flee… sometimes. It was what Obi-Wan would have done.

As one among thousands, he could find those who wavered, and caution them on how to be smart about getting out of the Imperial forces, without getting shot down before they even made it to hyperspace. Cody had learned how to say goodbye to the dead a long time ago, but that didn't mean he wanted to do so any more than absolutely necessary.

Invisible to commanding officers, he could take care of his fellow clones, even if that meant watching their numbers dwindle, the accelerated ageing that the long-necks spliced into their DNA never having been turned off. General Kenobi had always done his best for the clones, even when there was little anyone could do. Cody would do the same.

Stay invisible, stay alive, and do his best. Hope that when its over, he will have earned General Kenobi's forgiveness.

Twenty years later, Cody heard a hauntingly familiar accent as an old man in distinctly Jedi-like robes, holding an even more familiar lightsaber, faced off against Darth Vader.

Both of their movements were slow and halting, nothing like the breathtaking skill of their youth. General Kenobi had not aged well, although that was understandable, having been one of the few survivors of Order 66, and somehow avoiding Vader for twenty years. There was some of the familiar witty banter between them, though the in-jokes and friendly teasing was nowhere to be found, again for very understandable reasons.

Cody couldn't help a quickly-drawn breath when the General's lightsaber flickered and almost shorted out, and Obi-Wan looked in his direction, zeroing in despite the unfamiliar armour and the years since they had last seen each other. Perhaps it was because General Kenobi never forgot the people who had tried to kill him, but it seemed the General had not lost his knack for knowing Cody's thoughts, because he smiled.

There was forgiveness in the cheeky smile, and a distinct farewell. Cody had never looked away from a battlefield, and he owed his general enough that he would not do so now. One last time, Obi-Wan lifted his lightsaber into a ready stance, looking toward the youth and the princess, with the kind of quiet pride he had once aimed at Anakin and Ahsoka.

Then Vader swung his blade, red as blood and fury and hate, and Obi-Wan vanished, leaving his cloak and lightsaber to fall to the ground with chilling finality. Cody ducked behind a crate as the youth screamed in denial and started shooting, and the smuggler and the princess dragged him onboard the ship, fleeing before Vader and the Stormtroopers could give chase.

Vader stormed off, most likely to report to the emperor, and Cody waited until the rest of the stormtroopers had departed to other tasks. Slowly, he walked over to the place where his general had died, this time for good. Kneeling, he gathered up the brown cloak and the old, battered lightsaber.

One last time.

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A/N: I'm meant to be working on my next book, but then I saw a Tumblr post about Cody on the Death Star, and found myself writing this. Clearly, my masochistic tendencies have not gone away.

As ever, constructive criticism is appreciated.

Thanks

Nat