Alone

When the Tears Run Dry

Overview: Cody does not take the news well. This chapter focuses on his inner monologue. At the end of the chapter we get the reactions of the whole batch

Cody was filling out his paperwork in General Kenobi's room, during one of their nightly tea and paperwork session, eyes blurring from sleep deprivation and data pad strain, when the call came in.

Cody's comm rang and he seized it, answering without looking. "Marshall Commander Cody here."

"Commander Cody," General Skywalker's anxious voice filtered through the comm. Both Cody and General Kenobi instantly jolted to an alert state because General Skywalker almost never contacted Cody, usually only contacting General Kenobi.

"Commander Cody here, Sir!" Cody replied, fighting to keep the dread out of his voice, but judging by the concern on his general's face, he had failed.

"I have some bad news for you, and I need your help a situation," General Skywalker said.

Immediately Cody's mind went to Rex's death and he barely prevented himself from faltering. But before he could continue his spiraling, General Skywalker took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Tonight Fives attacked the Chancellor, and Rex and I had to chase him down. Our objective was to speak to Fives and apprehend him peacefully, but Fives wasn't in his right mind. When Rex and I caught up to him in an abandoned warehouse, he trapped us behind a force field and started rambling about a conspiracy he had unearthed. But by then the Coruscant Guard had tracked Fives down, and when they entered the warehouse, Fives reached for Rex's pistol, which was outside of the forcefield. Commander Fox warned him not to move, but Fives aimed the pistol at the Guard, prompting Commander Fox to shoot Fives in the chest. The bolt was not set to stun and Fives died within minutes in Rex's arms,"General Skywalker finished, voice hitching slightly.

By this point, tears were streaming freely down Cody's face, prompting General Kenobi to wrap his arms around Cody's shoulders and gracefully taking Cody's weight when he all but collapsed.

"Commander, I know that you cared for Fives, but if you could manage it, please call Rex and talk to him. He has taken this loss especially hard, and I fear that he is not in the right mind to be a leader right now, and I am worried about his mental health. The 501st will be deployed again soon, and if Rex can't deal with this loss, then more men will be killed. Please help him, I know that you are one of his closest brothers," General Skywalker implored softly.

"I'll do what I can, General," Cody said, his voice shaking slightly.

"Thank you Commander Cody, I need to get going." General Skywalker said apologetically.

"Thank you again for informing me, general," Cody said softly.

"I'm sorry that I had to inform you at all, may the Force be with you," General Skywalker acknowledged.

As the comm clicked off softly, Cody began to shake, sobs racking his frame. This loss hit him harder than most, and Cody was unprepared for the onslaught of emotions battering him.

Cody could still remember the day that he and Rex picked Echo and Fives up from the Rishi moon, when they had been shiny and enthusiastic to kick some clanker shebs.

Rex had swept them up into Torrent in an instant, but Cody still got to see them often, due to the frequent collaboration of the 212th and the 501st. Cody remembered when Fives and Echo had been promoted to Arc-Troopers, recalling the swell of joy and pride he felt when he first saw them wearing their kamas.

Cody also remembered the pain of losing Echo and what that loss had done to Fives. Fives had become more worn and smiled less but, he remained as loyal and brave as before. Even after Umbara, Fives had kept on marching, holding himself together and latching onto troopers such as Tup, Kix, and Jesse.