Commander, Meet the Cat

# Description

After a month with the Bad Batch, it's finally time for Shadow to meet Commander Cody. The man has heard a lot from Sergeant Hunter and is eager to speak with Shadow face to face. However, a harmless conversation turns sour, pitting the Marshal Commander and Realm Walker against each other. With no easy resolution in sight.

# Summary

After a mission leaves Sergeant Hunter with a broken arm and Wrecker with a mild concussion, the team decides to take a short break on Naboo while they recover. Shadow Hyder is at first excited, but this quickly changes when Hunter says Commander Cody will be meeting them there. Meanwhile on Coruscant, Cody and Obi-Wan Kenobi discuss Cody's short mission with Cody telling Obi-Wan he looks forward to meeting Shadow even if he doesn't know how the visit will go. Back on Naboo, Shadow and the others land in the secret hangar and make their way through the underground tunnel to the cabin. Shadow once again expresses doubts about meeting the commander, but Hunter assures them it will be alright. Corporal Crosshair then offers to distract Shadow with a game of basketball.

Upon landing, Cody meets with Hunter who warns him of Shadow's distaste for authority figures. He also informs Cody of Shadow's role in the other galaxy as well as the near-tragedy that struck them the night after the Vault, which shocks the commander. However, when Cody mentions Shadow is dangerous, Hunter stresses that the incident did not change them wanting Shadow in their squad. With this in mind, Cody is tactful when he meets Shadow and at first the pair get along fairly well. Despite a hiccup when Cody learns Shadow wields lightsabers, this amiability continues through dinner where Shadow tells the commander the story of their first mission with the Bad Batch.

However, after dinner, things begin to sour when the commander brings up Rishi. It only gets worse when Cody and Shadow talk a walk alone in the woods, where Cody tells Shadow that a fighter with their fur pattern and color-changing sabers was on Rishi but died in the explosion that claimed Hevy's life. With their anxiety triggered, Shadow grows hostile towards the commander who attempts to calm the situation but only causes more trouble when he makes the mistake of using his rank. The argument escalates further when Cody presses Shadow to seek help from the Jedi and Shadow reveals they align with Sergeant Slick's belief that the Jedi do not care about the clones like they should.

Cody, disgusted with the viewpoint, warns Shadow against aligning with traitors such as Slick. Things are briefly calmed when Shadow admits they do trust Obi-Wan Kenobi more or less, but the fragile peace is shattered when Cody tells Shadow he is trying to do "what's best for them". With the situation beyond repair, Shadow snaps at Cody to leave before they say or do something they will really regret. Crosshair, who secretly followed the pair, attempts to calm Shadow down while Cody storms back to Hunter and warns the sergeant against letting Shadow's "traitorous" ideals influence the team. Hunter disputes Shadow being a danger to the team, as he too knows the same fate Shadow fears, but he promises that if Shadow betrays the team then he will hunt them down himself.

# Characters

Below is the complete character list in order of appearance.

* Shadow Hyder
* Sergeant Hunter
* Corporal Crosshair
* Wrecker
* Tech
* Chester Skybyrd
* Commander Cody

# Settings

* Unidentified medical base
* Havoc Marauder
* The Hideaway