“Your scarecrow outfit’s starting to smear off,” Cody says with a grin. “Least I dressed up.” Drawing a breath, Rex looks at the holopicture his brother holds up as evidence. The nose is a bit smudged, but nothing else is too out of place. Glancing at his scarecrow mini-me, he’s pleased to see her makeup’s stayed on rather well.

Cody's new to this whole Marshal Commander idea, and he's not even sure if he wants the title—a series of glimpses that made Cody want to be Commander and a few that didn't.

Why the foundling isn’t frightened of him, Echo will never understand. His replaced limbs are hard as iron, and his gears grind giving him a grotesque appearance. He’s barely half-man these days. Simply a mess of tangled wiring and failed experiments.

an individual (especially an Echo) composed of cells of two genetically different types.

Holstering his blaster, Cody’s uncertain if he’s actually seeing what he thinks he’s seeing. Perhaps he hit his head on the steps. Or it was too hot on the beach. Or maybe this is all a dream because this cannot be.

Stopping a few steps from the ghost, he doesn’t understand. It may make sense that Asha can see these types of things, but Cody’s not—

“It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“G-Gen… General?”

“Hmm. I believe after all this time, we’ve earned a first name basis,” he says with a smile. “Haven’t we, Cody?”

Cody wants to sleep, but before he can, he stops by one bunk in particular.

“I owe you my life, trooper.”

The soldier smiles up at him. “It’s Longshot, Sir. My name’s Longshot.”

Cody’s brow furrows as he studies the scaly skin and six legs. “Is..that a krayt?”

“Appears so.”

“But it's only got six legs.” Cody holsters his blaster. “And they’re vicious and monstrous.”

Cody’s brow furrows as he studies the scaly skin and six legs. “Is..that a krayt?”

“Appears so.”

“But it's only got six legs.” Cody holsters his blaster. “And they’re vicious and monstrous.”

“I failed, Rex!” Cody snaps as emotions surge like the raging Kamino seas within him. His long-hidden anger bursts like a supernova. “Failed! Chip or no, we were gonna win the war! We defeated Grievous, and I messed it all up! I killed my general! I lost us the war!”

Eyes opening, Rex’s brow rises.

“I’m the reason for… for ALL THIS!” Head dropping, Cody feels as if he’s being ripped to shreds. As if what the Empire and the chip didn’t do, admitting this guilt now does. “I killed him.”

“I failed, Rex!” Cody snaps as emotions surge like the raging Kamino seas within him. His long-hidden anger bursts like a supernova. “Failed! Chip or no, we were gonna win the war! We defeated Grievous, and I messed it all up! I killed my general! I lost us the war!”

Eyes opening, Rex’s brow rises.

“I’m the reason for… for ALL THIS!” Head dropping, Cody feels as if he’s being ripped to shreds. As if what the Empire and the chip didn’t do, admitting this guilt now does. “I killed him.”

Before he can settle comfortably into the chair, there’s a knock at the door. In the month Cody’s been here, no one has visited. Not that Rex wouldn’t welcome someone, but they normally go to town to visit.

Opening the door, Cody finds a blaster trained on his face.

Asha! In one swift move, his hand is up, and he’s disarmed the intruder. Flipping the blaster, Cody aims it at the man in front of him. A quick scan shows the stranger has his hood pulled low over his head as he raises gloved hands.

“What do you want?” Cody growls.

“Commander?” Slowly, the man pulls back his hood. “Commander, is that you?”