He remembers the day he was first called Kote.
The pride had swelled in his chest so much he smiled, a real smile as vod alike hugged him after they were allowed to rest after a brutal day of training. Sure, his nose was broken and still bloodied, but the adrenaline of being named was enough to drown out the pain as he and his brothers celebrated with stolen rations and a drink of unspoken origin.
Kote remembers the day his name changes to Cody, hidden under the title of Commander as the war begins.
He's not sure why it has to change, but figures the Jetti they now finally serve don't understand the name. The one called Kenobi hadn't had trouble with it after he had chased Jango and his kih'vod off and away from Komino, but the longnecks say he is Cody, so now he is. Commander Cody's reputation spreads from the beginning of the war with both how quickly he takes to leadership and with the particular Jetti he serves, his yellow armor a beacon for most when he and the 212th charge across the battlefield. He's the first of 4 to be promoted to Marshal Commander, Cody grinning underneath his bucket at the cheers from his men, and the joy radiating from his General as he pins the commendation on his armor.
Cody remembers the day Obi-Wan said his name softly, walking beside the commander toward whatever they had been doing.
They never did make it to their final destination, instead, Cody nearly kicks down the door to an empty room and drags the Jetti inside. Lips meet before their brains catch up, and that damn cloak he's always dropping on the battlefield is now in the way as he aches to hold Obi-Wan close. He can't remember when he started wanting Obi-Wan, the man who understood his normally neutral mannerisms without the need to ask, and completed him in a way he never knew he was incomplete. Cody could melt when Obi-Wan cups his face, saying something but going unheard as he drank in those dazzling eyes and reddened cheeks, smiling for the first time in a long while. He's never been a selfish man, but Cody can't help but think that Obi-Wan is the first thing he's ever wanted for his own, and hopes that it will be easy to make this clear. Of course, Cody doesn't have to try, Obi-Wan always knows, calling him dear and darling after they eventually leave their little spot away from the world.
Cody remembers the first day he was just Cody to those he loves, Commander by day to clean up the corruption and devastation from a war finally ended.
It was a long process, just because the Sith behind it all was gone did not mean his collaborators were just going to stop, but it was fulfilling. Clankers were cut down with ease now they didn't have the drop on the clone troopers, and the rapidly dwindling numbers meant more time away from the front lines. More time to see worlds he had only seen in snippets or brief times on the surface, time to see survivors they'd help save, time to sit in the Temple on Coruscant and listen to Obi-Wan be a leading force towards a better Republic. Cody still finds it strange that most natborns were less hostile as the days pressed on, and sometimes sits with Fox to wonder if the Sith could control so many people on the neverending planet, to which they both shrug and agree that the Force was too weird to try and figure out.
Cody remembers the first time little Luke and Leia called him Ori'vod Kote, the little tubies scooped up into his arms with matching giggles.
Kote enjoys living on Naboo whenever he can drag Obi-Wan away from his work, chuckling when Luke usually traces his many scars while Leia asks for stories with an intense look on her face. He wonders how quickly a tubie can become a Senator, a question that causes Padme to launch into laughter and Skywalker to cover his face with his hands, which in turn makes their children laugh. Kote sometimes thinks of having his own tubies when he and Obi-Wan leave the planet after their visits but knows that their work needs to be finished before that can be allowed, as none of his will live in such a dangerous universe. Still, his (slightly still dangerous) life that Kote has is as perfect as it can be for now, and that's all he really needs.
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Happy 2/2/24 day to my favorite Marshal Commander!
