Chapter Text
The room was quiet and peaceful as Obi-Wan enjoyed his reading. Normally, he preferred flimsi books, but it was a hassle to find copies of the older texts in this form that weren’t so fragile they required extensive care when handling, or had been poisoned by ancient Sith. Or both.
Also, he had only one hand free.
His other hand was busy scritching Cody’s scalp, running his fingers through his curls and down the back of his neck from time to time as Cody dozed, his mind heavy and slow as molasses.
His Cody had been warming him for over an hour now and was completely boneless in his lap, leaning heavily against his chest, letting out soft little sounds from time to time.
It was, honestly, the most relaxed Obi-Wan had felt in months.
He idly trailed his fingers down the length of Cody’s spine and up again, feeling the little shiver the caress caused and smiled, then went back to reading. He had only a few more minutes of this quiet time before he needed to take care of other things, make several calls to Sith who had seen the way the wind was blowing and now made overtures of, if not friendship, at least alliance.
“My Lord?” Cody mumbled into his neck, not moving in the slightest. He made an inquisitive sound and Cody continued, his words almost slurred.
“May we stay like this for a little longer?”
Obi-Wan hummed, thought about necessity and sycophants, and leaving this blissful, serene little bubble.
“Yes, darling. We will stay like this for a little longer.”
–
Darth Ira was one of the few Sith Lords possessing a brain, and she had contacted him asking for a meeting, to talk about alliance.
Not an audience, he noted with a grin. A meeting of equals. It was rather refreshing.
She was one of the many Sith who weren’t actively participating in the power squabbles, but he knew of her as powerful, brutal, and principled.
It was a good combination.
She arrived alone, which was a display of confidence and willingness to make this alliance work, and she bowed to him but then stood head held high as her eyes roamed over him lounging on his throne and his five Commanders - there had been no reason to deny Rex the rank as well. She paused on Bly, who had his helmet off like they all did. The tattoos Bly had decided on had healed well and the bright yellow stood out in the otherwise dark room and against the black and gold durasteel armour his Commanders all wore.
He was in the process of outfitting his men with their new armour, but like the dechipping, it took time, and in this case, a lot of credits. Not that he was hurting for those - Vader had apparently been a hoarder, not just of wealth but also of artefacts that were worth a lot in their own right. He had kept the more interesting ones, destroyed a few that were just gauche, and sold the rest, then topped this all with auctioning Vader's lightsaber off to the highest bidder.
Of course Cody had gotten the first full set, followed by the other four Commanders.
Obi-Wan had let his men decide on which colours they’d like to sport - his only stipulations had been that they had to settle on two colours, and those colours had to look good together. But he didn’t see any harm in letting them individualise their armour as he had already allowed them to distinguish themselves from one another through their hair and body. It wasn't truly important, in the end, and it was fascinating what designs they were coming up with and it made it easier to tell them apart visually as well.
Speaking of which - Darth Ira was still staring at Bly. Bly himself had noticed that by now - not surprisingly; Obi-Wan didn’t think Darth Ira had blinked once since she had spotted him. He shifted minutely, and swallowed. Ira smiled, low and hungry, and showed mercy, directing her gaze back to Obi-Wan himself with a toss of her lekku that had Bly twitch.
Obi-Wan’s lips quirked and behind and beside him, the other four Commanders were practically dripping with glee and anticipation.
“Welcome, Darth Ira. I do hope you don’t plan on emulating my last visitors - I just got this new throne.”
“I am honoured, Darth Vitiosus. And I’d have brought more explosives in that case. I bring greetings from my former Master, as well. He says you know each other…Darth Umbra.”
Obi-Wan blinked.
“However did that lunatic manage to produce an apprentice like you?” He asked, honestly baffled. Darth Ira snorted in laughter, a very undignified but honest sound.
“He was a very good Master! Very diligent, and strict and- …oh I can’t keep a straight face.” She sighed and then the mirth dripped from her face like melting ice.
“He is my Master, though, and he taught me well. I will not tolerate insults to him.” She said firmly, and Obi-Wan nodded, waving a hand. “It’s a sort of inside joke between us two…or it was, the last time I saw him, which was years ago. I wasn’t even sure he was still alive. What is he doing these days?”
He sat forward, curious now.
Darth Umbra - Quinlan Vos - had been the apprentice to an ally-rival of his own Master, and the two Sith had been fond of testing their apprentice against each other. Obi-Wan and Quinlan used to quietly fantasise about the day they’d ascend to being true Sith in their own right, and what they would do with their power, once they had it.
Obi-Wan had sent him a comm on the day he graduated (so to speak), with a picture attached, and had gotten a comm back almost immediately, with its own picture of Quinlan standing over his Master’s corpse.
OMF Sith-Twins! the message read. He had added several emojis.
“Oh, you might have heard of the Shadow Sabers?” Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.
“He leads the assassins? He named them after himself? …On second thought, that shouldn’t surprise me.”
Darth Ira relaxed subtly, apparently satisfied with that answer.
“He said he wouldn’t mind slitting a few throats for you, if you decide to walk that path.” She raised a brow. “Are you walking that path?”
“I’m fond of walking many paths.”
She opened her mouth, paused, and sighed.
“Look, I know we’re supposed to dance around this for at least thirty more minutes, but I can think of much better things we could do with our time. Can we drop the double-speak formality thing?”
Obi-Wan grinned. “Well, then. Tell me what you hope to gain from this alliance.”
“I’m tired of a handful of power-hungry old men messing up the galaxy for the rest of us. This war is killing us slowly but steadily, and I will not sit by and let that happen. We need a decisive end to this, and we need a clear winner. And out of the possible candidates, you seem to be the best choice for the Sith at large and for the rest of the galaxy.” She looked him up and down slowly, and then threw a glance through the room, at his men.
“So, in short? I want to build you an Empire, Darth Vitiosus.”
There was silence, and then a wave of eagerness and anticipation rose like the tide as the realisation of what she had just said swept through the room.
“My, and it’s not even my life day.” Obi-Wan said, a bit shocked at her words.
“Recent developments aside, I am, however, still a minor player in this engagement.”
“Not for much longer. Power begets power, and it always makes the weak flock to it. Once you make it known that this is your intention, and the more your powerbase grows, the more Sith will join you. And we will make it known you have the explicit approval and support of the Sabers.”
“We, is it? Interesting. I will think on it. There are rooms prepared for you, I would be ever so happy to see you at dinner, my dear.”
Darth Ira’s lekku twitched and she smirked, looking back at Bly.
“Do I get an escort to lead me there? I might get lost otherwise.”
Bly swallowed heavily.
“Oh, fine. Commander, would you…?”
“Yes, my Lord.” He replied, his voice remarkably steady under that hungry gaze boring into him.
“One last thing.” Obi-Wan said. “Just so we’re clear: Commander Bly - and all of my men - are not yours. They belong to me and they are free.”
Darth Ira sketched a cheerful little bow and followed Bly out of the room.
“Will he be safe, my Lord?” Rex asked, always worried about his brothers in regards to other Sith.
Obi-Wan looked at him and nodded. “While Darth Ira definitely wants to throw your brother down on the bed and not let him up before breakfast the next morning, she was Quinlan’s apprentice. She wouldn’t take anything that wasn’t offered to her. After all, she is a freed slave herself, and certainly feels a kind of kinship towards you. Additionally, she understands that I would keep her alive for a long time, should she overstep any boundaries here. Bly is not in any danger, unless he wishes to be.” He grinned. “But I’m also pretty sure he wishes to be.”
He clapped his hands as he got to his feet,
“Anyway, you will join us for dinner, just in case. Come armed. Take the fancy weapons.” He looked towards Cody. and Cody stepped next to him without a word. The remaining three Commanders saluted and watched their Lord leave, followed closely by Cody as most times.
“So, what counts as a fancy weapon?” was the last thing Obi-Wan heard before the doors slid closed behind them.
–
“Now, Commander, you will need to clean up before we can go to dinner later.” Obi-Wan whispered in Cody’s ear, who was already down to his blacks.
“Since I also need to clean up…let’s conserve some water, hm?” He nuzzled into the side of Cody’s neck, where he had left his mark again just this morning.
Cody shivered, his head sinking back.
“That- that seems prudent, my Lord.”
Obi-Wan loved taking his time stripping Cody, uncovering more and more of that perfect body, finding his marks again and often leaving a few more in the process.
Cody’s throat worked hard as he trembled where he stood, already hard for him. Obi-Wan tugged the plug free last, throwing it onto the pile of their dirty clothes for later. He would use a clean one to keep his Cody ready for him later.
“Do you want me to fill you up before we go to dinner, darling? So you can sit there and feel it all through the three courses?”
“Yes, my Lord, please?”
They ended up wasting more water than if they’d showered separately.
–
After Ira - Aayla, as he found out and was granted permission to call her - openly declared her support for Obi-Wan, things began to move. Sith came out of the shadows - those that had never been interested in the large scale squabbles and some of those who had been patiently waiting to see who would come out on top - making overtures. It helped enormously that a few figures of note - lesser but still powerful lords following one of the other factions - suffered sudden and mysterious cases of beheading via lightsaber, found dead in their own homes.
And as Obi-Wan’s power base grew, the two large figures, presiding over the conflicts like huge, fat spiders, noticed.
Tyranus kept his careful distance, never attacking Obi-Wan directly, and not making any grand displays of power so far. He was planning to see Obi-Wan and Sidious tear each other down, and then mop up whoever remained.
A good strategy, if not a particularly impressive one.
But he wasn’t too concerned about Tyranus. The old man had never taken a Clone army for himself, thinking them inferior to battle droids; and Obi-Wan knew his men would have no trouble destroying those.
Sidious struck at him directly, probably still sore about his apprentice’s death. Since Obi-Wan’s fortress was well guarded however, he never managed to hit him where it actually hurt
Obi-Wan considered the matter and decided to make a statement.
–
He looked around the ruins of an outpost of Sidious’, his mind passing idly over the presences of his men, keeping track of Cody, as always. There had been a skeleton crew of Clones manning the base, led by a Sith Lord who made a very surprised face as Ponds fired a slugthrower, and reacted much too slowly.
Honestly, Obi-Wan was just cleaning out the gene pool.
“My Lord.” Ponds approached him, bowing his head once.
“We have gathered all the freed men. A few…were lost. The Sith ordered them…he made them suicide bombers.” Ponds felt like a wound in the Force, raw and grieving brothers he had never known. Obi-Wan drew that pain to himself and fed it into the Dark, and felt the rush of power in return.
“How many of ours, and how many of your newly freed brothers?
“We only lost three, my Lord, in the first explosion. After we realised what they did, we adapted. And…thirty-six of them, from their own explosions, both the bombers and those close to them, before we started to stun the bombers so they couldn’t set their load off.”
“Thirty-nine. He died too quickly. The chips have deactivated with his death?”
Ponds nodded.
“Yes, my Lord. They’re…many are not taking it well. We had one trying to kill himself, but we stopped him in time.”
“How many of them are left? This worm had mostly droids stationed here, right?”
“Yes, my Lord, and a skeleton crew of sixty Clones. Twenty-one are left, including their Commander.”
“Someone you know?”
Ponds hesitated, but then shook his head. “In passing only. He was close to…another of my brothers.”
“There’s one more? I thought I had the complete set, with Rex now here as well.”
“No, my Lord. We are decanted in batches of five. The last one was Fox. He was part of the first contingent Darth Sidious bought.”
“Fox. Is he still alive?”
“I do not know, my Lord. Rex didn’t even know Sidious’ was in possession of Fox. It’s…unlikely.”
“Revenge is a wonderful motivator, Commander. Feel your hate. Let it warm you.”
“Yes my Lord.” Commander Ponds replied loyally, and Obi-Wan didn’t press. As wonderful as hate was, it couldn’t hold a candle to the warmth of a brother.
“Let us go then. The Commander’s name?”
“Stone, sir.”
Commander Stone stood like…well, the metaphor endeared itself, like a statue, silent and unmoving, Rex and Cody close by. Cody’s eyes found him as they approached, as they always did.
Relief showed clearly, and he said something to Commander Stone, who reacted suddenly, jerking his own gaze to Ponds and him approaching. When he was in earshot, the Commander and the surviving, newly freed Clones sank to their knees, bowing their heads.
“Master.”
“Oh, absolutely none of that, the only person calling me Master is a hypothetical future apprentice. Up, up, you don’t kneel to anyone, not even me.”
Commander Stone looked up at him, burning with shock and disbelief, but his face was still…as stone.
Obi-Wan didn’t think he’d tire of the puns anytime soon.
He waited as the kneeling Clones slowly rose back to their feet. He could feel their uncertainty and resignation.
“Have Cody and Rex explained the situation to you yet?” He asked Commander Stone, who nodded, bowing his head submissively.
“Yes, ma- my Lord. We are now your property. To dispose of at your leisure.”
There was a helpless rage in those words, and a hate so strong, it made Obi-Wan shiver in delight.
“First of all you are not property. You are now mine, and you are free. Look at my men. I can give you the same I gave them. The choice to follow. And a fight that’s worth something beyond the stroking of one’s ego.”
“And if we chose not to follow you?”
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.
“Why wouldn’t you? Like this, you are either back under another Sith’s control via the chips, or, more likely dead. Even beyond loyalty, it is just logical to follow me. But if you want me to woo you to my side…”
He stepped closer, right into Commander Stone’s space, his eyes boring into the Clone’s.
“I can lay Sidious’ head at your feet. Would you like to free those still in his possession?” Stone’s eyes widened. The hate burning inside him flared bright as a sun for a second and then became something focused and cold.
Stone cold. Obi-Wan thought delightedly.
“Yes, my Lord. I want that very much.”
Obi-Wan stepped back and smiled, gesturing. “Well then, let’s get you back to our home base, dechipped, treated and into proper durasteel.”
He turned to his Commanders. “You know the drill, gentlemen. Pack up what’s valuable or interesting and let’s leave this dismal place.”
–
“-’s alive?!” Were the first things Obi-Wan heard when he entered the room his Commanders had turned into something of a tactical command center.
He raised an eyebrow curiously and didn’t make his presence known just then, listening in further. It had been Cody who had spoken, and his voice was tight with grief and shock. This was important, then.
“- he was when I was ordered to the outpost.” Commander Stone retorted. “Thorn and Thire are as well, as far as I know. We’re the only CCs he has left, since Kamino isn’t producing anymore.”
Ah, yes. That had been a cheerful little massacre, until one of the scientists, one Lo Banili, had shown him proof the accelerated ageing could be reversed and provided him with the treatment needed for his men.
Lo Banili was the new Prime Minister now, though of a vastly shrunken population of Kaminoans. His men, with express permission, had avenged themselves, and those that did not live to see this day. Only a small group of the Cloners remained alive, and only to ensure a safe decanting for those Clones still in their growth tubes. Now under Obi-Wan’s protection, the Cloning facilities were carefully guarded by a battalion of his men led by Bly and no more Clones were being created for now.
The news hadn’t reached the wider galaxy yet; two Sith who had descended like the vultures they were had swiftly been dealt with, growing the battalion stationed there into a veritable army.
If Sidious knew, however, that would quickly change. He should send Aayla there to back Bly up.
Not just against a wall, but in battle too.
Kamino was integral, both as potential for more soldiers, and more importantly, for the morale of his existing ones.
And speaking of.
“Who is alive? And do we want that to be the case?” He asked, stepping fully into the room, and all of his Commanders turned and came to attention, even Bly who was on the holo. Commander Stone hunched, reflexively, as if he was about to drop to his knees, but hesitated, keeping his gaze on Obi-Wan as he, too, saluted instead.
Obi-Wan inclined his head in acknowledgment and waved his hand dismissively, signalling they could be at ease.
“CC-1010, my Lord. Fox” Cody replied, that heavy sense of grief still floating around him.
“Your lost brother?” Obi-Wan asked, and oh, the way Cody’s eyes went wide with wonder at his knowledge and the fact that he remembered was something he’d never tire of.
“Y-yes. He…”
“Tell me about him.” He prompted. It was easy to see they were all deeply affected by this knowledge, even if he couldn’t feel their grief like an open wound in the Force. Cody came closer to him, looking at his brothers.
“Fox was the youngest in our batch, for what’s that worth, my Lord. He was decanted an hour after us, which is…a bigger difference for Clones than it must be for natborns, like you. He was- he always excelled. He was slotted for special client demonstrations early, and- and we think that’s where he caught Sidious’ eye. He requested him by number specifically.”
“Fox was Sidious’ favourite toy.” Commander Stone picked up, the same stone cold fury in his voice and Force presence as before.
“He used the chips on and off, though he kept the CTs under completely. But he…normally, after prolonged use, you stop being aware of your actions. It’s like just going to sleep. But…” he clenches his fist. “He made sure to wake Fox regularly, so Fox stayed aware. Usually by…” he broke off, looking to the side, his jaw clenched tight.
“You will kill him?” he asked then, and Obi-Wan simply nodded. This wasn’t a time for jokes or sly remarks.
“Yes, I will.”
“Then I will follow you. We all will.”
“Welcome to the fun, then, Commander. Ponds will get you sorted.” Ponds nodded next to Wolffe.
“First order of business, of course, is some lighthearted brain surgery to get the chip out of.” Obi-Wan added on, his mind already on the possible repercussions this obvious display Sidious would visit upon him.
Not that he particularly cared what that disgusting old raisin did.
“We will reconvene here tomorrow afternoon. Commander Stone, you will have to tough it out, I’m afraid, we do not have the time to let you recover fully from the surgery. You’ll also get your new armour.”
He turned to go, waving a hand and Cody turned to follow, interpreting the gesture correctly.
“What did he mean, armour-” followed him out the room.
–
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow as Cody tugged insistently on one of his hands, but acquiesced, curious where this was going, and lifted it from his tight grip on Cody’s hips as he fucked him into their sheets.
Cody’s legs were clamped around his waist, feet hooked together. His other hand was clutching the pillow over his head, and he kept eye contact with Obi-Wan as he brought his hand closer, closer - and put it over his throat.
Obi-Wan felt him swallow heavily, and as he reflexively flexed his hand, grabbing him fully by the throat, Cody moaned, his eyes fluttering, and clenched around him as if he wanted to milk him dry.
“Darling, you do know I don’t need a hand to choke you.” he said amusedly, and Cody’s hand jerked up again to keep his own in place.
“No, my Lord- Obi-Wan, please…wanna feel you. Please?”
Obi-Wan couldn’t bite his growl back, leaning forward, putting weight on his hand on Cody’s throat, folding him almost in half.
“You want to gasp for mercy as I choke you into ecstasy, darling? Want me to decide if you may breathe or not?”
Cody’s cock gave a noticeable twitch at the words, and he tried to nod, his breath already in shallow gasps. His hand stayed where it was, over his head, and when he seemed to be certain Obi-Wan wouldn’t withdraw, his other one joined it, gripping the pillow tightly.
Obi-Wan had never wanted anyone more in his life.
Obi-Wan had never lo-
“How about this? If you manage to make me come…you’re allowed to breathe again.” He tightened his grip into a full on choke, and Cody wasted what little air remained on a high-pitched, needy whine.
–
Obi-Wan knew hate was one of the strongest motivators there was, so he put Commander Stone in charge of capturing and destroying Sidious’ other bases and outposts, sending Rex along to assist him. They both had experienced life under a Sith other than himself, and were well-equipped to handle their newly freed brothers.
He had honestly not expected to come upon them heavily making out - they were half a step away from losing vital armour parts - but if you thought about it, it made sense; they had similar experiences, none of which any of his other Commanders had had to endure.
So he simply picked the staring Cody up with an arm around his waist and a hand over his mouth and left them to it on silent feet.
It wasn’t hard to see that Commander Stone had his sight set on a particular outpost, methodically securing those close to it to isolate the base, and when their legion returned and only Rex stood before him to make his report, he knew why.
“So you stole another of his CCs, then?” Obi-Wan asked with a smirk, and Rex nodded with a fierce grin before sobering.
“Thire, my Lord. He’s not- he’s in the medbay now, Stone is with him. I can call him here for his report to you -”
“No, let him stay with his brother, you are more than qualified to debrief on your own.” Rex ducked his head and nodded, then went on.
“We took the base without much trouble. They were ill-supplied and not prepared for an assault at all. Thire is the worst off, they’re going to put him in a tank as quickly as possible. Overall losses were as predicted on our side, my Lord, though heavy on theirs.”
Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. “You can write a report later, if you wish to lend Stone support. Dismissed for now, Commander.”
Rex went bright red, but just saluted and left.
Proceedings ground to a halt while Thire recovered, since his Commanders were all fretting, and they needed his intel anyway to get any further in their little war of attrition.
–
And then something very interesting happened, right after breakfast.
Obi-Wan received notice that a small fleet of ships were in orbit, with a transporter having descended and asking for permission to land.
It was piloted by Clones, who were very clearly not under the control of their chips.
Intrigued above all measure, Obi-Wan granted them an audience, and waited in his throne room almost tapping his foot in curiosity.
The doors finally opened to show a small squad of Clones entering, one in the lead and the others following behind him.
The leading Clone stopped at a small distance from the throne and saluted.
“My name is Bacara, my Lord. I command this corps” he introduced himself crisply and settled into parade rest.
Obi-Wan nodded, his eyes roving over the small squad.
“Considering you came to see me, you already know who I am. You’re not one of mine, Commander, what brings you to my fortress?”
“We’ve heard you’re going to free us all. Is that true?” The words were directed at his Commanders as much as him, and Obi-Wan tilted his head with a smile.
“Recent actions would indicate so, yes. I am going to free you and your brothers, and bring you all under my protection.”
Commander Bacara had a stare so intense it was easily felt even through his helmet’s visor. Finally he motioned one of his men forward, who stepped around him and in front and set a medium sized trunk on the floor before stepping back. Bacara opened it himself.
“My. People keep bringing me gifts, but I’ve seldom received something this nice.” Obi-Wan said amusedly, looking down at the head nestled in the trunk.
“He heard we were more efficient when not under the chip, and he thought we’d be loyal without it.” Bacara said contemptuously.
“What can you offer me that would make me fight for you?” he demanded then, and Obi-Wan grinned.
“Besides the freedom part you mean? Real armour, better weapons, and a war to use them in, in which you and your brothers are more than meat shields and cannon fodder for idiotic leaders. The chance to kill more Sith, and a protected and privileged place in my new Empire.”
Commander Bacara thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Will you let me hunt more Sith?”
“Developed a taste for it, hm? I see no reason why not, once we de-chip you and outfit you properly. I do have a few allies though, so I’ll have to give you a list.”
“That’s acceptable.” Commander Bacara agreed, and Obi-Wan grinned.
“You seem like the type who’d like a sword along with his slugthrower.”
–
“I do have to admit I didn’t think the old man had enough spine left for this.” Obi-Wan remarked idly to Cody as they watched the battle from the bridge of his new flagship - freshly named the Breaker of Chains. Once more, he had let his men vote on the name, and he found he quite liked it.
“We will soon have the upper hand, my Lord, and break the blockade. We’ve lost communications with the planet, but going by their last transmission…”
“The Kaminoans betrayed me. Well, that’s a pity, then. I do hope Aaly and Bly have left us some droids to destroy, now that we’ve come all this way.”
Fighting alongside another Sith was fascinating, and the certainty he was safe, even with Darth Ira at his back, was nice. She was smart enough to know what trying to assassinate Obi-Wan in the middle of his men would bring her, and wouldn’t double-cross him, even if she’d been the type to do so.
Once again, Obi-Wan could only scoff at Tyranus’ claim droids were more effective than Clones. It might have been true if they’d been under the chip’s control - and led by an imbecile - but they weren’t, and Obi-Wan wasn’t one either. Coupled with their superior armour, it looked a bit like they were picking on the droids. The only reason they hadn’t arrived to the whole thing being over already was that it still took time to clear the city out, and they had to be careful around the areas the growth tubes and younger Clones were kept safe in. Obi-Wan had plenty of opportunity to watch Cody utterly destroy any droid he came across. He was particularly in favour of the kick that sent a droid’s head flying back hard enough to knock another one down. He couldn’t wait to worship those thighs again later.
Nonetheless, the matter was handled swiftly, and before long, the Clone who’d taken a shot for him what seemed like so long ago now - Jesse, he remembered, freshly made lieutenant - brought the shaking soon to be ex-Prime Minister Lo Banili before Aaly and him.
Obi-Wan tutted and shook his head disappointedly.
“Prime Minister, I am deeply disappointed. I thought we had an understanding.”
“We take no sides.” Lo Banili said, masking his fear well. The Force still rang with it.
“Except your own, yes, I know. Still, you yourself tout how superior your Clones are to droids, whyever would you bet on them instead, then?”
“Credits.” Aayla said beside him, her hand still on her saber. “We shut down the facilities and they can no longer sell their product. Tyranus probably promised them they could resume their business.”
“Filthy lucre, then, how distasteful.”
“What do you want to do with him now, my Lord Vitiosus? He defied you. Betrayed you.”
Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully, not looking away from Lo Banili’s eyes.
“The thing you should have considered, Prime Minister…was that the only reason I ordered my men to leave some of you behind was so you could continue operating the tech needed for the Clones still in their tubes.”
He cocked his head.
“And dear Ira here had the men observe and learn most thoroughly.”
The fear ratched up a few more notches.
“I think that means we no longer have need of you…or your people.” At his words, Jesse shifted minutely in place. His face was impassive, but his gaze was fixed on the back of Lo Banili’s head like a predator’s, full of anticipation.
“That would be genocide.” Lo Banili protested.
Obi-Wan made a what can you do? gesture. “Sith Lord, remember?”
“S-Surely we can come to an agreement. There- there are still things you do not know, information I can give you…”
“Yes? You better offer me something very good to keep me interested.”
“The original. We still have the original. He was resistant, and we could not drug him too heavily because it tampered with the samples we needed. But he kept trying to fight, to escape. We put him into cryosleep, in a restricted area of the city.”
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows, looking at Jesse who had lost control over his expression at the revelation, then back down at Lo Banili.
“Consider yourself removed from office for treason. Lieutenant Jesse.” Without needing to be told, Jesse shot the Kaminoan in the back of the head.
Obi-Wan left Aayla and Jesse to organise a thorough search, and allowed himself the pleasure of telling his Commanders it was now open season on any Kaminoans they came across personally.
The decision was a big hit with everyone, as he expected. He could practically swim through the roiling waves of bloodlust and anger.
It didn’t take too long to find the heavily secured room with the single cryopod and some machinery inside, and Obi-Wan had been escorted by his Commanders as they all stared at the man visible through the pod’s glass.
Jango Fett. One of the last of the Mandalorians, since centuries of war had thinned and weakened them. He wasn’t in good shape - his left leg was missing from the knee down, his whole right arm was gone. He had several scars.
“He was one of the things they advertised about you, you know.” Obi-Wan told his gathered Commanders. He had left Stone and Rex in charge of his fortress’ defence, and Wolffe was raiding smaller outposts while Bacara hunted down Sith not allied with Obi-Wan.
Cody, Ponds and Bly looked at him with blank faces, but he could sense their emotional upheaval in the Force.
“An army created from one of the best bounty hunters to ever live, a Mandalorian no less.”
He shook his head. “In hindsight, it should have been obvious he’d never have agreed to this.”
“Is it safe to wake him?”
“We have no way to determine what, if any, kind of damage this repeated freezing has done to him, so all we can do is make it as slow and gentle as possible. Arrange transport for his pod back to the fortress.”
The discovery of their original went through his men like a lightning bolt, leaving them shocked and confused. He let the medics - led by Kix - work as he watched, and was told that they could try and thaw him, but it was impossible to say if they’d get anything more than a husk.
Still, Obi-Wan told them to go ahead. If Jango Fett was still even a thimbleful Mandalorian he’d cherish the discovery of over a million children - and if he wasn’t, well. No one needed to know before he met a merciful end to his suffering.
–
The process would take a while, obviously, so Obi-Wan left his medics in charge and concentrated on what to do with the second old man that gave him problems.
Tyranus. Count Dooku, the third big player in this endeavour, had never before made as a big commitment as a full on assault, and Obi-Wan had no idea why now, of all times.
He’d been sure the old Sith would be content to wait and see who’d emerge victorious - and weakened - from his and Sidious’ fight, and then try and take out the survivor while they were still breathless.
He didn’t like being wrong.
“My Lord.” Stone commed him, dipping his head in a shallow bow while his face remained impassive.
“You have received a call. It is Darth Tyranus.”
Obi-Wan raised his brows. “Really? Has he said what he wants?”
Stone managed to glare without changing his expression at all. “He will not speak to mere Clones, my Lord.”
“Pretentious asshole.” Obi-Wan sighed. “Well. I’m on my way.”
Because Obi-Wan knew the man was obsessed with presentation, he took the comm in his throne room, the present Commanders around him, as usual.
Tyranus was, at the least, nicer to look at than Sidious was; the man had aged well and wore his dignity like an expensive cloak, while Sidious had corrupted his body with Dark rituals so much it now resembled a very angry prune.
“Darth Vitiosus.” the man said in his deep voice. It was very melodic. Obi-Wan idly wondered if the man would ever read some texts aloud and let himself be recorded.
“Darth Tyranus.” he replied with the same gravitas, then smirked. “have you come to beg for mercy after my men absolutely destroyed your droids without even breaking a sweat?”
Tyranus didn’t deign to answer that.
“I have watched you carefully, ever since you decided to take the fight seriously. What has changed?”
Obi-Wan shrugged. He couldn’t say the real reason, that would just make Tyranus think him weak.
“Someone has to emerge the victor, or we’re going to destroy the galaxy eventually. It might as well be me.” He made a face. “And it sure as hell should not be Sidious, which, I think, we agree on.”
Darth Tyranus' dark yellow eyes bored into him for a long moment, before the man nodded.
“Quite. I agree…on both points.”
That, Obi-Wan hadn’t expected.
“I am no fool, young one. I have no desire to unite us into an Empire like in ancient times - I am too old to burden myself with that. But I know you are the best chance we have of attaining such an Empire that is actually strong. Without being inherently doomed for destruction. Sidious would lead us down a path that would see us tear each other apart until there is nothing left but ash.”
“Better ash than dust.” Obi-Wan remarked to that, and a mirthless smile tugged at Tyranus’ lips.
“Spoken like a young Sith. If you ever reach my age, you may learn to appreciate the quiet that dust brings.”
He swept one arm out in something that could be a bow.
“I will withdraw. If you can defeat Sidious…you have my support. As a gesture of good faith, I offer you something for your collection. It should arrive presently. Do try to succeed, Vitiosus. It would be embarrassing to have bet on the wrong contestant.”
The holo flickered out without another word.
“He does know how to make an exit, I do have to admit.” Obi-Wan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Do you trust him, my Lord?” Rex asked, a frown on his face.
“Goodness, no. But I do trust that he doesn’t want Sidious to succeed. I wonder what his gift is…it’s probably not a bomb.”
He looked into the middle distance thoughtfully.
“I’m…pretty sure it won’t be a bomb.”
“I’ll get the IED techs ready, my Lord.” Stone said from beside Rex.
The gift arrived twenty minutes later, and tension racked up a notch. It was a small transporter, piloted by an astromech that cheerfully introduced herself as R4-P17, requesting permission to land, and no, there were no explosives on board whatsoever, promise.
“I don’t like that she said that unprompted.” Ponds muttered to Cody as they watched the ship land, the IED squad Stone had scrambled with impressive efficiency next to them.
The ship touched down gently on the landing pad and all the Clones held their breath - but nothing happened. The ramp lowered slowly, and a red and white astromech wheeled down, approaching fearlessly. Obi-Wan felt his lips twitch up against his will.
“What have you brought me then, R4-P17?” he asked as the astromech came to a stop a respectful distance away, and she beeped a greeting, then said she brought him some more humans.
Obi-Wan’s eyebrows rose. “My Binary has never been the best, did you say-” he looked up as the guards waiting with him and his Commanders gasped, shock and sudden, bursting happiness rolling over the platform, and saw several Clones limp down the ramp, some of them supporting each other.
“Stone, Rex. Go.” they didn’t need clarification, ducking around him and hurrying over to the ship. It didn’t take long before several medics ran out of the fortress to their new arrivals as well.
Obi-Wan turned to R4 again. “So I did get that right. What now?”
No idea, R4 beeped with the astromech equivalent of a shrug. Do you need an astromech?
–
“P-Please! Obi-Wan, please!” Cody was trying to fuck himself on Obi-Wan’s cock, something made difficult because of Obi-Wan’s hand on the back of his neck pressing him down into the sheets, limiting his range of movement. Cody’s head was turned to the side, one eye peering up at him, pupils blown wide with need as his hands grabbed uselessly at the sheets.
Obi-Wan had fucked him right through his first orgasm, not giving him even a moment to catch his breath or get through the aftershocks, and Cody was rapidly hurtling towards the second climax now.
“How many do you think you have in you tonight, hm, darling? Three? Four? Let’s see if you can give me four.” he purred, and Cody’s lips parted in another breathless whine.
“E-everything.” he moaned, visible eye clenched shut as he again tried to push back onto Obi-Wan’s cock. “Wanna give you- everything, please…!”
He used his grip on Cody’s neck to drag him upright and into his lap, back to chest, his head sunk back on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. Obi-Wan’s hand splayed possessively over his chest, fingers brushing over the piercing in his left nipple, which made Cody writhe on his cock.
“Yes.” he growled into Cody’s ear, nuzzling into his throat. “Give me everything.”
–
The Clones Tyranus had gifted him were led by a CC named Gree, who was in even worse shape than the rest of them. Tyranus had kept them alive, but that was the end of the care they’d received, so there were a lot of injuries that had been allowed to heal wrong. These men wouldn’t be ready to fight for a long time.
Some of them would probably never fight again.
Stone delivered the report on their state with the resigned air of a man who knew exactly what his superiors' reaction would be, and Obi-Wan took delight in subverting that. One day he’d manage to make Stone outright gape in surprise, and it would be utterly hilarious.
Even without these men being battle ready, his army just grew, as Clones trickled in after Bacara and Wolffe kept eradicating his foes and eroding Sidious’ power base.
He had Sidious on the backfoot, and it was increasingly obvious to anyone paying attention.
It was time.
–
Preparations took a while, because they had to wait for his deployed Commanders to return. Aayla arrived with Bly, daring him to object and keep her from the fun, and then, as even more of a surprise, Bacara returned with a Sith in tow that Obi-Wan hadn’t seen in years.
“Obi! I have been despoiled by your man most vigorously!” he yelled over the landing pad, waving cheerfully, and Rex jerked so hard in surprise he almost fell off the platform.
Bacara didn’t say anything, but there was a heavy sense of smug satisfaction around him.
Obi-Wan looked at Cody. Well. Apparently he was a bit of a trendsetter.
–
“So, your Clone was good enough in bed to make you want to establish an Empire simply so you could free his brothers?” Quinlan asked him that evening when they were alone, Cody sleeping peacefully in his bed.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I am simply tired of living in a galaxy teeming with imbeciles. And if Sidious winning would doom the Sith sooner or later.” Obi-Wan said mildly, sipping his drink.
“Yes, yes, those are your excuses, and they’re good ones. Some Sith do* say you’re building the largest harem in galactic history, but it’s not really a serious thing.”
Quinlan chuckled, taking a sip himself with a grin, and then looked at him with the bright, calculating eyes that showed the intellect and instinct that had allowed him to kill a Sith twice his age and, at the time, three-times his power level.
“But you do realise you can’t bullshit me, right? I’ve seen the way you look at him. Aayla told me, as well. And even Bacara talks in bed, you know.” He shrugged.
“I can’t blame you - best sex I’ve ever had. You -”
“He’s mine. That’s all there is to it.” Obi-Wan said firmly, keeping eye contact, and Quinlan challenged him for a long moment, before the easygoing grin slipped back onto his face and he laughed softly.
“Fine, fine, keep your smoke and mirrors, oh soon-to-be Emperor.”
He drained his glass and stood up, stretching. “I’ll be off to climb into my own Commander’s bed. Just one thing to think about, Obi…” he tilted his head. “Remember there are still people around who know the look in your eyes when you’re in love.”
And that, Obi-Wan couldn’t deny. He sat there for a long, long moment after Quinlan left, staring into his glass to avoid looking at the man in his bed, mind whirling, then he set the glass down with a decisive click, stood up, and made his way over to his bed, shedding his robe along the way. He climbed into bed quietly, lifting the blanket to slip under it and slowly dragged Cody into his arms, spooning him.
There was a low sigh as Cody’s sleep-flushed body stretched languidly, like a tooka’s, pressing into Obi-Wan’s perfectly.
“M’lord?” the word was mostly a breath, but there was a sleepy, unguarded smile on Cody’s beautiful face and he turned it up, begging silently for a kiss that Obi-Wan gladly granted him.
Cody sighed into it, pressing back more firmly into him, shifting his legs as if to get ready for more, but Obi-Wan stopped him with another kiss and a soft “Hush, darling. Just relax. Go back to sleep.”
“Yes, m’Lord.”
“Obi-Wan.”
Another slow, honest smile.
“Obi-Wan…” Cody agreed and drifted off again, never fully having woken in the first place.
Obi-Wan swallowed, settled down himself, one hand splayed over Cody’s chest possessively, feeling his heartbeat under his palm, and closed his eyes.
Fuck.
–
As the ones with the most experience regarding Sidious’ bases and his fortress, Obi-Wan put Stone, Rex, Wolffe and a still recuperating Thire - in an advisory position - in charge of planning the actual assault that would end this whole affair and finally rid them of the old prune.
There was a palpable feeling of excitement in the air in the days leading up to it. Wherever Obi-Wan went he saw his men doing maintenance on their armour and weapons or training with their slugthrowers.
Apparently getting a Sith-kill in was like a mark of honour now, which gave Obi-Wan some vicious satisfaction.
It was always funny to see an abused massiff bite the hand that used to beat him.
Stone presented the plan as if it was absolute fact they would find both Commander Fox and someone called Thorn still alive, and Obi-Wan didn’t point out how unlikely that was, knowing Sidious’ temperament and hard-on for sadistic cruelty.
Judging by the look Stone and Thire gave each other and their fierce hug before they boarded their ships, they were well aware anyway.
Ponds had volunteered to stay behind with the garrison to keep the fortress protected, the only one with the temperament to do so when there was battle waiting.
Not out of cowardice, but because he knew every one of his brothers was chomping at the bits to go.
Thire, and of course Gree, would remain as well, and surprisingly Quinlan volunteered to stay too, to protect the fortress. Obi-Wan stared at him and Quinlan grinned, shrugging. “Just making sure you have a fortress to return to, oh great and powerful Emperor-to-be.”
He sketched a little bow, as around him, every Clone gave off a wave of excitement at the title.
Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. He’d have to do a complete sweep for listening devices when he returned, especially in his bedroom.
But knowing a Sith of Quinlan’s ability remained to support the garrison did make him feel better.
The plan was simple enough. They’d hit the fortress from different sides, using gunships to ensure Sidious wouldn’t flee by air. They had to act fast; his men used stun bolts against their controlled brothers to limit casualties, but the chip would only deactivate with Sidious’ command - or his death.
So Obi-Wan would lead a small strike team directly, searching for the old Sith and putting him down, finally.
He was accompanied by Cody and Wolffe, along with a squad chosen by the two Commanders.
They got regular updates over the comm - their men secured the medbay as quickly as possible, along with several storage rooms, and used them as makeshift cells until the chips were deactivated.
In the medbay they found Commander Thorn, three-fourths dead, thankfully too weak for resistance as they evacuated him immediately for treatment.
The whole battle made it clear once more how much more effective the Clones were when not controlled by the chips - and, of course, well rested, fed, and equipped. They had no trouble cutting a path through the fortress; Obi-Wan hadn’t even needed to light his saber yet.
They eventually made their way to the throne room, because of course Sidious would choose the most dramatic spot for a final confrontation.
It was, at first glance, empty. The doors closed behind them as they entered, and before they could react or fan out to cover the room, a ray shield flared up around them, trapping them.
His men formed a ring around him, ready to protect him, or serve as shields, which was absolutely not happening. Obi-Wan waved them away.
“Fox!” Wolffe shouted out, and a Clone stepped out of the shadows next to the throne, holding a detonator, his face eerily blank in the way Obi-Wan had only ever seen for a short moment before. It was a bit unnerving to see for longer than a minute.
The Commander looked…not well.
At all.
The difference was even more pronounced because Obi-Wan knew the face of his men, and it was not as gaunt as this.
Commander Fox looked like he was only held upright by the control of the chip at this point.
“Commander. Where might I find your soon-to-be former Sith?”
Commander Fox twitched, his hand holding the detonator jerking a bit, but didn’t respond.
Wolffe took a step closer next to him.
“What are your orders, Commander?” he barked, something broken and hurting in his voice, and that at least got the Commander to respond.
“Master Sidious has ordered me to explode this base in- now four minutes. To aid in his escape.”
“Fox!”
“Commander, Sidious is done. He has lost.” Even as he said it, he knew it was for naught. The Commander was controlled - there was no room for reasoning.
“Master Sidious has ordered me to explode this base in three minutes and thirty seconds.” Commander Fox repeated. “Good soldiers follow orders.”
Wolffe yanked off his bucket, throwing it at the ground.
“Fox, look at me! Do you want to kill your brothers?”
“Good - good soldiers follow orders.”
Interesting.
Obi-Wan took a step back and pushed Cody forward to stand next to Wolffe. Cody understood immediately and took his own helmet off.
“Fox, please. It’s us. Wolffe and Cody. Bly and Ponds are here as well. Stone too, and we have Thire too. We’re treating Thorn. Do you want to kill us all to aid a coward?”
“Good - CC-3410 is dead. I killed him. Master Sidious ordered me to -”
Obi-Wan set his comm to project and called Stone.
“Commander Stone, status update on Commander Thorn, please.”
Commander Fox twitched again.
Stone, bless his quick mind, understood immediately.
“He is still alive, sir. We have medevac’d him to the Breaker and he is about to be thrown into a bacta tank after some emergency surgery.”
“I killed him. Master Sidious ordered me to make it slow. Good soldiers follow- follow -”
“Fox, he is alive. And so are we. We are free.” Cody interjected, and the Commander started to tremble from how tight he held himself.
“Master Sidious- has- has ordered me- me- me- to-” he shook his head violently, slamming his free hand against the side of his head several times.
His eyes were red with burst blood vessels when he looked at them again, and there was desperation in them, and despair and nothing of the empty blankness the chip caused.
Wolffe had fiddled with his comm during this, and now lifted his arm as small holos of Bly and Ponds’ heads appeared, obviously in the midst of battle each.
“Fox!
“Brother!”
They both yelled at the same time, Commander Fox jerked as if electrocuted - and the detonator dropped from his hands.
He collapsed onto his knees, then forward onto his hands, and there was blood dripping from his nose and his ears. He reached with a trembling hand to his wristcomm, pressing a series of buttons, shaking so hard it took him a few long seconds.
The ray shield fizzled out.
Commander Fox crashed to the floor and lay still.
Cody and Wolffe, having stood as close to the ray shield as they could without getting burned, rushed over to him the second it was down, skidding to their knees, and were unceremoniously shoved away by Helix, one of the medics.
Obi-Wan was staring. He hadn’t thought it was possible to defy the control of the chip - though Stone had mentioned Sidious had switched Fox’s off and on again regularly. Perhaps it had been worn down by the constant use?
“My Lord.” Oddball, one of his pilots, called in. “We just shot down a transporter that tried to flee from the fortress. It crashed relatively intact.”
Obi-Wan’s lips quirked into a cold little smile.
“Excellent news, Oddball. Surround the ship - do not approach. Keep your distance, and your slugthrowers ready. If he is still alive, do not engage. This one belongs to me.”
“Sending a transport to the landing pad now, my Lord.”
Obi-Wan looked again to Cody and his brothers, and he motioned to Longshot who stood closest, telling him to keep watch. He had somewhere else to be.
Longshot wavered for just a moment - his gaze flickering between the fallen Fox and Obi-Wan himself - then nodded reluctantly. Obi-Wan left without another word, comming Stone on his way to the pad.
“Stone.”
“I made you a promise once, Stone.” Obi-Wan told him. “Today I plan on delivering. Can you get to the landing pad?”
There was a beat of silence. “I will be there, my Lord.”
–
The ride in the larty was quiet. Stone was practically dripping anticipation and rage, and it infected the men around them. Obi-Wan himself felt like he could get drunk on it.
The sight when they arrived at the crash site was amusing. Sidious, encircled by his men with enough distance he couldn’t attack any of them without risking to go down in a hail of bullets, hissing at them in the manner all cornered animals did.
They parted for Obi-Wan, who drew his lightsaber.
“I’ve waited for this day, old man, though not as eagerly as many of my men.” He greeted Sidious who spat at him.
“You! You dare? First you kill my apprentice, you steal my Clones…!”
“We don’t belong to you.” Stone interrupted him, having drawn his own slugthrower. He was incandescent with rage in the Force, but you’d never known it from his face and posture.
Sidious ignored him, his own lightsaber in his hand being lit.
“Do not interfere. I haven’t gotten to kill anything today yet, it’s my turn.” Obi-Wan called out to his men, and they responded at once.
“Yes, my Lord.”
You could say that the fight wasn’t exactly fair, what with Sidious having just been shot out of the sky.
But fair was for people, not for monsters.
Obi-Wan thought of Stone, Thire, Commander Thorn and above them all, Commander Fox, Cody’s brother.
He thought about Cody serving this Sith.
That was all it took, really.
Obi-Wan powered his saber off and watched as Stone stepped in front of Sidious’ corpse, looking down at it. His eyes were burning with vengeful satisfaction.
“I know I promised a head, implying it’d be sans body. Is this still good enough, Commander?”
Stone looked at him for a long moment, and then went to one knee. The gesture looked different than the kneefalls he had seen Clones do before.
“It will suffice…my Emperor.”
That would have been a very poetic end, but of course it wasn’t that easy.
As with every campaign, the clean up remained as the galaxy exhaled laboriously, settling into new circumstances.
It wasn’t difficult, per se; just time consuming. Though most Sith had understood that things had irrevocably changed now - especially since Tyranus had officially put his support behind Obi-Wan, cleverly wording it in a way that suggested he had been on his side from the start. But some resistance remained, as futile as it was. Sith always were at their best when they could rage against something, and those that had the spine - and lack of common sense - to acquiesce put up a good fight. Bacara had a lot of fun, according to Quinlan. He had, in fact, gotten his hands on a sword and wasn’t shy in using it. Obi-Wan got regular and very inappropriate comms from Quinlan about it.
And all that had led to this day.
His coronation.
The new Sith Empire had officially been declared, and hopefully it would not tear itself apart before their first outside enemy appeared.
Obi-Wan was much too arrogant to create a weak legacy.
“My Emperor.”
He looked up from where he had sat on his throne staring into the air pensively, and met Cody’s eyes, who looked resplendent in the Clones’ new dress uniform.
“Not you too.” he groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “The universal authority is nice. The bootlicking? Gets tiresome very fast.”
Cody walked closer to him. “My Lord.”
“Mhm, better. I do so like the way you say that.” Obi-Wan purred, watching him approach with his chin resting on his hand.
“Ner Alor.”
And - ah, yes. Jango Fett had acclimatised to having a million children with remarkable aplomb, and had started teaching them about his - and now their - culture and language.
Obi-Wan suppressed a shiver. Cody sounded especially enthralling when speaking Mando’a.
“Come here, darling. By imperial decree, it is now a crime for you not to sit in my lap.”
He reached a hand out and Cody took it, letting himself be dragged forward to slide onto the throne astride Obi-Wan’s legs.
“Obi-Wan.” he murmured in the voice of someone testing new ground, and then gasped when Obi-Wan kissed a trail of soft bites along the line of his jaw until he could kiss Cody properly, deeply.
“You are not going to leave.” Obi-Wan ordered lowly. “You will stay right here. Beside me.”
“Under you.” Cody breathed, baring his throat eagerly and moaned quietly when Obi-Wan rewarded him with a harder bite. “Yes, my- Obi-Wan. Please.”
He cupped Obi-Wan’s face in both hands to tug him up and kiss him again.
Tomorrow, Obi-Wan would have to start ruling his Empire.
But right now he had a sweeter duty to indulge in.
End