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monako-jinn-stories · 6 months

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Echo X Fem! Reader FanFic

A Returning Echo ~ After the Citadel

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Part Thirty Nine

Part Forty One

I'm barely alive and not kicking but here I am battling depression and anxiety with alcoholism and nicotine addiction WOOHOO COLLEGE IS SO FUCKING GREAT

ANyways I'm hoping to be 'back' soon so here's something I've been working on for months

Hope yall are well

Part Forty

As you stare at Tayah’s sickly yellow eyes, you feel the entire universe collapsing around you. Anakin is silent at your side, and you feel his discomfort rising. He’s just lost his padawan, and now you’re being given an offer to save someone close to you, bring them back to the light.

“I can go wait outside,” Anakin offers.

“I would prefer to keep you where I can see you,” Dooku replies, his eyes briefly leaving you to glance at the Jedi Knight. “I am sure you have a lot of internal conflict, but I advise you to make your choice quickly.”

“I-” you start, but then you bite your tongue, unable to speak the words. You stare at Tayah, noticing how helpless and desperate she looks. It’s as though even through the curse she’s pleading for you to help her. You glance at Anakin for help, and you already know what he’s thinking. You want to shake your head, knowing that his idea won’t work. But it’s at least worth a shot, right? “I’ll give myself up,” you say, “but release her curse first.”

“Now now, young one,” Dooku says while shaking his head, “I know better than to trust you deceitful Jedi.”

“I’ll prove my surrender,” you say before unclipping your lightsaber and using the force to pass it to him. He takes hold of it and examines it, a smirk residing on his lips.

“This will make a fine addition to Grievous’s collection,” he says before clipping it somewhere under his cloak. Next, you walk over to stand in front of him, and he motions for Tayah to get up and join you. She glares at you the entire time, eyes filled with the look of murder. “Tayah, you are now released from the sith curse,” he says while waving a hand above her head. You wait, hoping for something to happen, although you know it won’t. This has been pointless, you can’t take the sith curse away from someone. They have to give up the darkside themselves.

Tayah blinks a few times, confusion swirling in her eyes before she looks up at Dooku. “Master? What curse?”

A low, slow chuckle begins deep inside Dooku’s chest, and before you can get yourself back to your senses, his hand is around your neck and your back is pressed against his chest. He’s just barely choking you, and his lightsaber is held just millimeters from your throat. “You foolish Jedi,” he says in a humored tone, “you know there is no such thing as a curse to turn someone to the darkside.”

“It was worth a shot,” Anakin counters, igniting his own lightsaber. Dooku’s saber gets closer to you, and you stare at Anakin with wide eyes.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Dooku says, and you feel his hand loosen on your throat as he moves it to the back of your neck. You tense up, but then his arm is sticking out to the side. “Tayah, shall we show these Jedi all that you have accomplished so far?”

You feel your blood drain as you realize what’s about to happen. You want to scream, but all sound refuses to come out. When she steps forward, she ignites your lightsaber, and the green glow contrasts greatly with her orange skin and yellow eyes. You can remember the first time you’d shown her your lightsaber, how her eyes were silver like Kwol’s back then.

“You don’t have to do this, Tayah,” Anakin says, holding his hand out, “you can come back with us. We can save you.”

“Don’t listen to his lies, Tayah,” Dooku counters, “remember how they abandoned you. How they never went searching for you.”

“We did all that we could, Tayah,” Anakin says, shaking his head, “we never gave up on you.”

“Why isn’t she talking,” Tayah questions slowly and quietly, her head turning to look at you briefly before refocusing on Anakin. “She’s the one who let me get taken.”

“I’m so sorry, Tayah,” you finally speak, “I tried, I did all I could, but when they jumped to hyperspace…We had no idea where they took you.”

“Why didn’t you use the force? You always told me about how you could use it to feel where people are.”

“It’s not that simple,” you counter.

“Yes it is!” she screams, grip tightening on her lightsaber.

“I promise I would have come to you if I was able to!” you plead back, hoping to calm her down.

Dooku’s arm tightens around you, and you resist the urge to struggle in his grasp. “Quiet down, young Num,” he says quietly, “let’s watch this first.” His hand comes up and covers your mouth, and if it weren’t for the gloves on his hands, you would have tried to bite him. “Begin, Tayah.”

With that simple command, Tayah launches herself forward, a growl coming from her as she moves toward Anakin. In defense, he quickly grabs his own lightsaber and ignites it to block her strike. She’s small and quick, but Anakin is still more skilled than her. You watch in horror, unable to say or do anything while trapped in Dooku’s arms.

“This isn’t you,” Anakin says as he backs away from a slash, “you don’t have to give your life away, Tayah!”

“You don’t know me,” she growls back, and when their sabers clash together, something clicks in you.

You take a deep breath through your mouth before you clamp your teeth down on Dooku’s covered palm, at the same time stomping on his foot. His grip loosens just enough for you to slip an arm backwards and grab one of his sabers. You ignite it just as he moves away from you, narrowly avoiding getting cut by it. He ignites the saber he still has and you lunge forward to clash with him.

“No matter what you do, she is already too far gone,” Dooku states as he swings at you. You bend back just in time and swing towards him, which he again dodges.

“You don’t know that!” you shout as you shift into a better stance, “you’ve never tried to bring someone back!”

“You’re right,” he says, “but I tried to fight the urge myself. I tried to fight for your father’s sake, but it didn’t work.”

“Tayah isn’t you, she has family that loves her. Family that wants her back! She won’t be alone!”

“And you think that I would have been alone if I had reached out?” Dooku questions. “What about your father? Don’t you think that he would try to help his former master?”

“I didn’t know my father well,” you start, “but from what I’ve heard about him from others, he would have done anything to bring his master back to the light side.”

“That is the problem with you Jedi,” Dooku says before his eyes flash yellow. He thrusts his hand out, and you can’t dodge the force lightning that strikes your body. “You believe that everyone can be saved, when in fact, not many can be. Myself and Tayah included. You end up slaughtering more people than you save because you are blinded by pointless optimism.”

You scream as you writhe on the ground, and the shouts from Anakin are barely heard by you. You don’t see when Anakin gets angry, but in a matter of moments he’s slashing his saber toward Dooku and you are relieved of the force lightning.

“Look at you! A Jedi flinging an innocent child to the ground!” Dooku’s words make you roll your head to the side and look for Tayah, and the sight of her crumbled on the ground spurs you into action. You reach out and pull a lightsaber towards you before pushing yourself off the ground and running to her.

“Y/n, I need your help!” Anakin yells, and you pause, halfway between him and Tayah. She still hasn’t moved, but you can feel her life force. She’s not dead, but she might be injured. “We can help her after we escape!” Anakin shouts, and you give a silent apology to Tayah for abandoning her again, and you turn and run back toward the dueling pair.

“Finally, a challenge,” Dooku sneers. “Fighting the daughter of my former padawan, and the padawan of his padawan. I can see him in both of you, but that is your weakness.”

You ignore his words and instead focus on blocking the swing of his saber. The force of his attack nearly knocks you down. It surprises you that an old man like him can be so strong, but then again, Yoda is one of the strongest Jedi you know, and he’s ancient.

“If only Obi Wan were here, that would be much more interesting of a fight,” Anakin jokes, but you just roll your eyes before rolling forward and trying to catch Dooku off guard. He jumps out of the way though, and you barely push yourself across the ground in time to avoid his strike.

“Perhaps I overestimated you,” Dooku comments as you stand back up, “I should have known that just because Qui-Gon was your father, that wouldn’t inherently give you skill. I knew Codo was a weak Jedi, it’s a shame that your potential was ruined by him.”

You feel a rush of anger run through you, and you begin acting with less control. How can Dooku stand here and spew hatred about those that once loved him? Those who were once his allies, comrades? People he had spent a majority of his life with, training and becoming closer with the force?

“Codo is far from weak,” you spew out, “he is one of the strongest Jedi I know!”

“He’s a delusional man who believes that he can follow a life of passivity. He ignores the war raging across the galaxy to keep his own conscience clean.” Dooku raises his sabers and swings at both you and Anakin at once, and the power of each shows just how strong he really is. You wonder if it’s purely his skill and strength, or if the dark side is aiding him as well.

“You’re wrong if you think that makes him weak,” you fire back while swinging at him. Your blade nearly clips him, but he moves out of the way just in time, dodging both you and Anakin. “It takes great strength to choose passivity in a time like this!”

“Passivity won’t bring the suffering to an end,” he counters, knocking you back and taking the opportunity to focus on Anakin. As you regain your balance, something coming from behind you feels strange. Your body seems to act on instinct, moving on its own. Anakin glances over to you in a free moment and you see his eyes go wide before he yells at you.

“Behind you!”

You don’t hear the words, but you see them play on his lips. You turn as if someone is controlling you, slashing your lightsaber back before you even look to see what’s–or who is there. You don’t need to, though, as you already know the presence there. Your eyes only take in her face the moment her life leaves her body. It’s like you’re watching everything in slow motion, but you can’t make it stop.

You feel your lightsaber cut through her neck, swiftly and effortlessly. You didn’t even hear any screams of pain, only the rage that had slipped from her as she ran toward you. Nor had you noticed Dooku tossing one of his sabers, which now rests at your feet, having slipped from her grasp as her body fell to the ground. Her head rolled to the side, the tips of her lekku cut and singed from your lightsaber.

You don’t even think about your next moves, you just act. Rage flows through your body, and your vision seems to go red. You feel the saliva flying out of your mouth as you scream in anger. Dooku’s name rings from your lungs as you act with more power than you’ve ever felt before.

It doesn’t register in your mind as Anakin backs off, nor do you notice the utter fear in his eyes as he watches you. You just swing, jab, slash, like there’s nothing else to life. Dooku’s face is contorted in an evil grin, and distantly you hear his chuckling. The noise spurs you on more, and you feel hot tears streaming down your face.

“You killed her!” you seethe out, the words barely more than snarls. Dooku stops chuckling then, and his face changes to one of pure hatred.

“I did not kill young Tayah,” he replies calmly. He pulls his saber back as you jump forward again, and he reaches his spare hand out as he finishes his sentence. “You, y/n Jinn, killed Tayah Caree with your own lightsaber, without a single thought against it.” You’re thrown back into the wall, all of your breath knocked from you by the force of the impact. Crumbling to the ground, you lay there, and in your mind you debate whether or not you should fight unconsciousness. You decide not to, as you don’t want to see the destruction you caused.

“Y/n, you have to tell them something.” Anakin is turned to face you as the ship flies through hyperspace. You’re staring out the viewport, trying to keep your mind off of the sight of Tayah’s headless body.

“Why? She was given to the Jedi Order, her family has had no contact with her or Ringo since. Nobody else is told when their children die, so why would I tell Ahni and Kwol?”

“Because they’re your friends, and Tayah was under your responsibility-”

“No, she was not under my responsibility,” you snap, turning in your seat to glare at him. “I have never been involved with the younglings except for a few lessons here and there. I do not take responsibility for her or for her life, or death for that matter.”

“But you’re the one who brought her here.” When you don’t answer, Anakin stares at you as if you’re crazy, but you stand your ground and don’t back down. “So you’re just going to burn her like any other Jedi? Not tell her family and just let her be dead? What about Ringo?”

“Ringo has likely felt the death of his sister through the force. There is no need to tell him, it’ll only distract him from his training.” Anakin shakes his head and looks away, and you turn back to the viewport. Is it really all that wrong to do this? It would keep so many people from hurting, and only you would bear the weight of knowing how she died. Well, you’ll probably tell Jawa Squad, they’ll know right away that something is up.

“Num is an interesting name,” Anakin comments, and you can tell he’s trying to lighten up the conversation, but it does the opposite.

“My only biological family other than my daughter is dead, and I only found out who I was supposed to be when it was too late. It’s not interesting, it’s utterly devastating.”

A deep sigh comes from him as he slumps in his seat, but he sits up again and turns to you. “You’re not the only one whose mother is dead you know.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you counter, “I didn’t realize that never having even known my mother was comparable to someone who got to spend most of his childhood with his.”

“I’m not comparing our tragedies,” he says, “I’m just saying that I know how it feels to not have a mother.”

“I’ve never had any sort of motherly figure to love me, at least you got some time with one.”

“Maybe that’s worse, because I know what I’ve lost, whereas you never knew her and don’t know who she was or what she could have been for you.”

“You’re right,” you sigh, “but I am a mother now, and with me being a Jedi, Echoa could have to grow up without me if something goes wrong. And Ahni is a mother who had to give up both of her children. We all have different pains, but that doesn’t mean one is greater than the others. From now on, just don’t mention that name.”

“Are you sure? What if we could look for some information about-”

“No,” you say, cutting him off, “I know everything I need to know. The more I find out, the more lost I’ll feel.”

“I understand,” Anakin replies as the ship leaves hyperspace. Coruscant glows below you, and for the first time it doesn’t feel like you’re returning home, it feels like you’re going to a cage. You feel like you’re even more lost than before, and nearly ask Anakin to turn around, but you know you can’t. You have to face the truth sooner or later, and you have to tell the Council what happened. You have to burn Tayah’s body in a proper Jedi funeral, but you know you won’t tell anyone who really cared for her. It’s better this way, you keep telling yourself. It’s better that they just move on, not knowing what happened to her, as at least they can still hope that she’s alive and well.

As he lands the ship, your mind jumps to Codo. You feel the color drain from your face as you imagine having to tell him what happened, what you have done. Is it possible that he can still love you the way he always has if you tell him you murdered your best friends’ child? Will he understand that it was out of instinct and to protect yourself? Or will he merely see it as you killing an innocent child who had needed your help to bring her back to the light?

Your mind then wanders to what Dooku had said about Codo and his passivity. Did he have a point?

“Y/n, it’s going to be okay.” Anakin’s hand rests on your arm as you pull yourself from your spiraling thoughts. You stop the trembling in your hands and take a deep breath. “I…I wish I knew what exactly to say, but I was there, so I know. I understand why it happened. I’ll be here if you need anything at all. Okay?”

“Okay,” you sigh, and he holds out his hand for you to take. You gently do, and he gives you a soft smile before pulling you in for a hug. Tears begin to well up in your eyes and before you can stop them, they spill down your cheeks. Anakin holds you tighter and you grip onto his shirt harder. “Why…why is it always me who suffers? Why do I always lose everyone?”

“I don’t know, y/n,” he replies, his hand rubbing at your shoulders, “I wish I could protect you more, you don’t deserve this.”

“Maybe I was just born cursed,” you sniffle, pushing back slightly to look up at him. “Do I look cursed?” He seems to be taken aback by your words as his eyes go wide and his mouth drops open. His expression quickly changes to one of sympathy as he shakes his head.

“No,” he starts, brushing his hand along your cheek. “You look like a strong Jedi master, a legendary queen, a ruthless and powerful warrior. You look like…” He trails off his words, confliction seeping into his eyes.

You shake your head, knowing why he had stopped. Who are you really? Y/n Monako? Y/n Jinn? Can you possibly be Y/n Num? “Thank you, Anakin,” you reply, wiping your tears from your face.

“I’m always here for you,” he repeats. As you close your eyes and take a steadying breath, he leans down and places a gentle kiss on your forehead. “I wish we could have grown up together. Maybe we would have been able to save each other.”

“I think we were both always destined to be this way,” you whisper, “but I will always love you as a brother.”

“And you’ll always be my little sister.”

You push back from him then, your mood suddenly changing. “Hold on, Skywalker. I'm the older sibling here.”

“But I’m taller,” he counters, “taller always means older.”

“No it doesn’t.”

“It’s just sad if someone is the older sibling and they’re shorter than their younger one.”

“Oh shut it. If anything, I’m the older one because I’m smarter than you.”

Anakin gasps and holds a hand to his chest, his face plastered with offense. “You are not smarter than me!”

“Bantha shit I’m not!”

“Prove it then!”

“What’s twelve plus five?”

“That’s not fair! You know I can’t do math!”

“Hence why I’m smarter than you!”

He huffs and folds his arms, eyes narrowing at you. “No, I don’t accept that. What’s the name of the system Felucia is in?”

“Well, its direct system is the Felucia system, but it is also a part of the bigger Outer Rim system,” you respond, folding your arms to mock him. He just huffs again and rolls his eyes, mumbling to himself as he grabs his cloak. You smirk triumphantly, but it doesn’t last long as you realize that now you have to take Tayah’s body to the funeral pyre.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Anakin asks, but you shake your head no.

“I think it’s best I do this alone,” you reply before adding “maybe I’ll have Codo there since he worked with her the most.”

“You still set on not telling her family?”

“Yes. I don’t need to deal with that right now. Maybe I’ll make the time for it in the future,” you say before using the force to lift up her body. You walk past him as you leave the ship, and for once you’re not greeted by your troopers in the hangar. You hadn’t commed them to let them know you were returning, and they might be getting worried by now, but you have something important to do.

“I’ll see you around then, y/n,” Anakin says before turning away and walking toward the elevators. You sigh and raise your wrist up, comming Codo to ask him to meet you in the funeral room. You then comm Jawa Squad to let them know that you’re safe and back on Coruscant, but it’ll be a little while before they can see you.

~~~

When the door to the funeral room opens, Codo comes in quietly, followed by a small figure. At first you assume it’s Yoda, for obvious reasons, but then you realize it’s exactly who you didn’t want to be here. Ringo shuffles around to stand at Codo’s side, and you can already tell he knows about Tayah.

“Auntie y/n…?” he says quietly, “is that…Tayah?”

You glance from him to Codo, letting out a sigh before nodding. “Yes, it is. She…there was an accident. We tried to save her, but she was too far lost. I’m sorry, Ringo.”

“It’s okay,” he replies while looking down. “I felt her come to me after she died. She said she’d always be here for me. And with me. Master Daawa said it’s a force connection between us since we were twins.”

“I knew something had happened, I felt it as well. There was a disturbance when she left us,” Codo explains. “Is there anyone else who is coming to say goodbye to her?”

“No,” you say, “there’s no one else who needs to be here.”

“What about-”

“No.” You cut Ringo off swiftly, knowing what he had been about to ask. “They already said their goodbyes to you guys when you came here. I’m sorry, but they can’t be here. This is a sacred Jedi ritual, outsiders cannot observe it.” Ringo just nods and steps forward, reaching out to pull back the cloth covering Tayah’s body. “Don’t,” you say, quickly reaching out and moving his hand away. “It’s better if you don’t.”

“But…” Ringo trails off before looking pleadingly at Codo, who then looks at you.

“Are you sure he can’t see her? To give a proper goodbye?”

You take a breath before motioning for Codo to come over to you, wanting to whisper to him instead of speaking aloud. “She was…decapitated…” you say, “I don’t think it would be a good idea for him to see her like that.”

“I think it would help him to move on.”

“But it’ll be traumatizing.”

Codo thinks for a moment, looking back to Ringo who was patiently standing off to the side. “He’ll be fine. He’s strong enough, I can feel it, and I’ve seen it within him.”

“Fine,” you sigh, “but if he has a bad reaction, you’re the one responsible for helping him get through it.” You move back then, looking at Ringo. “You can look at her, but just know that it might not be what you want to see.”

“Okay,” Ringo says. He hesitantly steps forward, taking a moment before reaching up and pulling back the cloth. His face barely changes, and you see it flicker in his eyes for only a moment, but then he goes back to neutral. You realize he has better control over his feelings and emotions than you thought, especially because he is so young. “How did it happen?”

You bite your tongue, shaking your head. “I’d rather not talk about it. It just happened today. I need time to process it.”

“Okay. It probably won’t help to know. The energy just feels so…familiar around her. Like I know the person who did it…”

You take a deep breath and look up to the ceiling. Your emotions are pushing the limits of your control, but you make yourself calm down and proceed with the funeral. You can feel Codo’s eyes on you, questioning what is off about you, but you ignore it and focus on making sure everything goes to plan.

It’s a bit rushed, and definitely not clean, but it gets the job done. It doesn’t matter to you, not really. She’s already gone, and nothing can bring her back. The funeral was the best way to get her close to the Force, and that is your only goal. The only Jedi funeral you’d seen before was your fathers, and you weren’t the one leading it. You didn’t have time to learn how to do it properly, though, as you wanted to get this out of the way and move on. But with the end of the funeral comes the questioning from Codo.

“Are you alright to walk back to the dormitories yourself, Ringo?” Codo asks, and you immediately perk up and shake your head.

“I think you should take him, I need to catch up with the Jawa boys.”

“I know there is a lot on your mind, y/n. I would rather hear it now and help you than let it fester. Besides, Ringo is alright to go alone.”

“I think you should talk to him,” Ringo agrees, “I can sense your feelings as well.”

Strong with the force, while his sister was weak, you think to yourself. You watch Codo nod before Ringo leaves the room, and you follow shortly after, waiting for Codo to speak first. The air is tense between the two of you, and you can feel him walking further away from you than normal. You know why, he can probably sense it, but you don’t know if he’s strong enough to ask it.

“What happened?” Codo finally asks, and you stop walking to address him.

You meet his eyes, making sure you’re holding eye contact before you speak. You stare in a way that holds him there, daring him to look away from you and your truth. “I killed her. I had zero thoughts about it. She was running up behind me, I sensed the danger, I swung my saber back and severed her head.”

Codo shakes his head, still looking at you. “My child…this is not how I trained you.”

“You trained me–no, you raised me–to take care of myself. To sense danger and act on it. To not let myself become the victim.”

“That was not my teaching, that was your Dohbarian military training.” He shakes his head again, looking down now. “They trained you to kill, but I trained you to defend. I trained you to practice peace, they trained you to practice war.”

“Peace can’t be gained without war,” you snap back, anger now boiling through you. “I’m sorry that my people, my culture, turned me into a murderer. I’m sorry I can’t just turn my back on reality like you do! I’m sorry that I have the courage to fight for what’s right, and not just sit in my room and meditate for peace!” Your words get louder with each sentence, and you feel the tears welling in your eyes, but you don’t stop. You can’t stop. You don’t want to. “I’m sorry I’m actually trying to make a difference in this galaxy, that I’m out there risking my life to save people, while you’re sitting here in your peace and safety, watching the drama play out with a karking bag of mantell mix! I’m sorry I’m not a weak, incompetent, old man who can’t bother to actually do something to help end this war!”

You don’t linger around to see his response. You don’t even think he would’ve had one. You’ve never blown up on Codo before, but you’re an adult now. You have the right to defend yourself, especially if he’s disrespecting you and your people. The only thing you didn’t mention, but probably fed into, is the lingering thrill of acting emotionally.

When you fought Dooku after killing Tayah, you had let go. You let everything out, and you had the intention of trying to kill him, even though you knew you couldn’t. And when you blew up on Codo, you had done so with the intent of severing your ties with him, of showing him where the two of you stand in relation to each other. You wanted to show him his wavering importance in your life, and the increasing importance of following your instincts.

The silence in the room rings loud in your ears as Sans, Hex, Steele, and Aid wait for you to talk. You pour them cups of caf and add everything each one of them likes. It still surprises you that you can remember each of their ‘orders’, and manage to slip in a little surprise each time to watch their eyes light up. It doesn’t happen today, though.

“I found out what my mothers name was, and a bit about her,” you say, taking a sip from your own mug. “Well, just that she was a servant at Castle Serreno before she and her brother died.”

“You had an uncle?” Steele questions, his expression softening as he looked down. “I’m sorry, y/n.”

“His name was Estiv, and my mother’s Estia. Num was their last name—what I should have been named.”

“You wouldn’t have taken Jinn from your father?” Sans asks, and you shake your head no.

“If he wasn’t there to raise me with my mother, then I wouldn’t have acknowledged him until I came here. Although I suppose it would have been up to my mother what my name was, at least until I got older.”

Hex takes a drink before setting his mug down, letting Steele fiddle with a string on his undersuit’s sleeve. “I’d argue, respectfully and with my best understanding of your situation and life, that not growing up with your mother, or at least until you would have been brought here, was better than the life you could’ve had if that stuff had happened.”

You look at him with a questioning look, curious as to what he means. “You wouldn’t be the same person as the y/n we know today. You likely wouldn’t have been as strong or smart. You understand your troopers better than all other Jedi generals because you grew up in a culture that emphasized military experience. You’re a kriffing queen for maker’s sake! You could put any of these other Jedi in their place. Hells, you could get the senate or that damned Palpa-piss to sit down and shut up. You are the best leader this Republic has, and if you hadn’t been raised the way you were, by who you were raised, you wouldn’t be these things. We’d probably all be dead if not for you and your leadership.”

You can’t help the small smile that comes to your lips as he speaks, and you look down and take another sip. It doesn’t take long for your smile to drop, though, remembering all that has happened because of you. “Tie wouldn’t be dead if I wasn’t your leader. Bomber wouldn’t be either. Not to mention all the other troopers under my command. And Tayah…”

“You didn’t kill them,” Sans counters, “like Hex said, we all probably would have died sooner if not for you. It’s because of you that we had so much time together, and actually feel as though we’re special.”

“You are special,” you say, setting your mug down. “I just…I don’t know.”

“Did something else happen while you were at castle Serreno?” Hex questions, pulling his hand away from Steele.

“A lot happened,” you reply while leaning forward and resting your head in your hands.

“Did you want to talk about it or just have us take your mind off of it?” Aid asks before adding, “we’re here for you either way.”

“Thank you, Aid. All of you, thank you for always being here for me and dealing with my banthashit.” You lean back and sigh before looking back up at them and starting to explain everything. “It was all a major mess,” you say to start, “it…it turned into something that it never should have. And now we’re never getting Tayah back…”

“You can’t give up hope, y/n. You know that we’ll help you find her, no matter what,” Aid states.

“No…she’s dead,” you reply, shaking your head. “It happened so fast. Me and Anakin were fighting Dooku–well, initially it was Tayah attacking Anakin and I was fighting Dooku, but then Anakin pushed her away with the force. I thought she was knocked out well enough to not wake up, but I was wrong. I got caught up in us fighting Dooku and didn’t sense her wake, but I sensed a presence coming up behind me. I instinctively swung my saber back, as all I felt was evil. But then I turned and watched myself slice through her neck. After that, I lost my grip again. I just…lost myself in my emotions. I couldn’t stop myself from moving, and I felt myself consumed by the same darkness that surrounded Tayah. But this darkness…it felt powerful. Exhilarating. I almost didn’t want to stop, but then Dooku ended the fight pretty quickly.”

“How does it make you feel knowing that you enjoy the power of the…darkside?” Sans questions, straightening out his sleeves.

“I don’t know, honestly. Well, I guess it sorta makes me feel like the Order is restraining me, but I don’t want to turn into a sith.”

“Well, do the Jedi need to know what you do and how you act?” Hex asks before leaning back. “I mean, theoretically, how would they even know? Unless there was another general on a mission with you.”

“You have a point I guess,” you agree, “maybe I can somehow convince…never mind.”

“What?” Aid questions.

“I was going to say maybe I can convince Quin to join me on missions, since he’s not really a Jedi, but then I decided it was probably best to keep him out of the war. Trix doesn’t need anyone else dying on her.”

“Well, who knows. Maybe you can get Codo-”

“No, no way in karking hells am I going to go on a mission with that fishman!” you sneer, and all of their eyes widen at once.

“What hap-”

“I don’t want to talk about it. All you need to know,” you say while standing up and grabbing your mug, “is that I won’t be talking to him for the foreseeable future. I finally spoke my mind to him, and need to move on.”

With that, you walk over to the couch and sit down, waiting for them to join you. Slowly they do, and once they’re settled around you, the tears fall again. They all take turns holding you, with Sans being the most gentle. After a while, you end up falling asleep, and the boys lay you down on the couch and begin to leave. As they do, you wake up and call them back, telling them that you don’t want to be alone. You’ve been alone for too long in your life, you can’t stand another second of it.

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#star wars #the clone wars #clone wars #the bad batch #jinn the storyteller🤍🤍#star wars the clone wars #tcw #star wars: the clone wars #clone troopers #clone trooper #echo #arc trooper echo #clone trooper echo #tbb echo #echo x reader #a returning echo #anakin skywalker #oc clone troopers #count dooku

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monako-jinn-stories · 1 year

Text

Echo x Fem! Reader FanFic

A Returning Echo ~ After the Citadel

Main Master List

Story Master List

Chapter Thirty Six

Chapter Thirty Eight

Chapter Thirty Seven

Warning: there is a vague birth but not descriptive. Basically just saying the reader goes into labor.

You wake up and groan as the light filters in through the windows. You had forgotten to close them last night, but instead of just using the force to close it, you merely roll over onto your side. Well, as much as you can with a baby bump as big as yours is. You sigh, pushing yourself onto your back again and letting your limbs flop out.

“I can’t karking wait until you’re born,” you mumble, and almost immediately you feel a sharp pain. You push yourself up, heat coming to your cheeks as you realize there is a wet spot under you now. “What the-” your words are cut off by another sharp pain, and you lean forward, clutching the spot where it hurt. “AHNI!” you yell, hoping she can hear you.

More than one set of footsteps rushes to your room, and you’re waddling towards the door when it flies open. “Y/n?!” Kwol asks, rushing to your side, “what’s wrong?” Ahni is right behind him, followed by Codo. “Is it the baby?”

“I don’t know,” you reply, tears in your eyes from confusion and pain, “it hurts so much though.”

“It’s probably labor,” Ahni replies, her voice surprisingly calm. Well, she did go through this once before with the twins. And Kwol tends to not know how to handle or process things like this. “Let’s get her to the medical area and get a doctor.”

“Would you like me to come along, my dear?” Codo asks, and you immediately nod your head yes. You need your father with you, especially when going through something like this.

Codo and Ahni race you to the medical area while Kwol runs off to find a doctor and nurse. You feel awful, completely out of breath when you finally flop down onto the medical table. Soon after, Kwol is there with the nurse and she instructs you on how to get ready while the doctor prepares a few things. Codo comes into the room to stand by your side and hold your hand while everything happens, assuring you that you are doing well and that it’s all going okay. Kwol is banished from the room after a while when he can’t get his own emotions under control.

After a few painful hours, everyone is crowded around you as your wide eyed little girl stares up at them. Kwol is crying again and Ahni has a big grin on her face. Codo has the proudest look you’ve ever seen as he smiles down at you and Echoa. In the back of your mind, though, there is the knowledge that someone is missing, perhaps the most important person.

Echo would have melted the second he laid eyes on his daughter. Her eyes match his perfectly, and her tuft of curls bounce on her head in a way that mimicked his own curls. She’s the perfect mixture of you and him, and when you look down at her, you can’t help but cry over him again.

~~~

Fives sits eating his dinner with Hardcase, Kix, and Jesse, cracking jokes between every few bites. He doesn’t notice when Anakin spots him from across the mess hall and begins to make his way over. He only notices him when he sits down in front of him with a wide grin on his face.

“Did you hear the news, Fives?” his general asks, eagerness seeping into each word.

“News? No sir, I haven’t,” Fives responds, slightly confused at Anakin’s overly cheery attitude. Usually, that isn’t a good sign.

“Y/n had her daughter earlier!”

Fives takes a second to process the words, but when he does, he feels everything around him slow. “Wait, what?” Fives’s eyes widen and he drops his fork, completely forgetting how hungry he had been a few minutes ago.

“Yeah, she had her a few hours ago-”

“General Skywalker,” Fives says, standing up and putting his hands on the table, leaning towards him, “I need to go to Dohbar.”

Anakin looks at him blankly, blinking a few times before responding. “What? Fives, I know you want to see her, but you can’t just go to Dohbar right now-“

“You don’t understand sir,” he says, cutting him off and slapping a hand to Anakin’s mouth, “I need to go to Dohbar. That little girl is the daughter of my closest brother, and I have to meet her. I care about her more than I could ever explain. She is one of the most important people that I will ever know.”

When Fives takes his hand away, Anakin sits with his mouth open in surprise for a second before he shakes out of his daze. “Alright, well, Jawa Squad of the 17th is leaving right now to go see her, so I guess you can see if they’ll let you-“

“Thank you sir! Thank you so much!” he says, turning and running faster than Anakin has ever seen him run before. As he runs through the barracks, he pushes and dodges people that are in his way, telling himself the whole time that this was the one thing he can’t be late for. Shaak Ti might have learned to plan dates for an hour ahead because she knows Fives is always late, but a baby won’t wait for anyone. Especially if it’s Echo’s baby.

“Sans!” Fives yells as he bursts into the hanger.

Sans, Hex, Steele, Aid, and Tie all turn to look at the clone running towards them. “Fives, is everything alright?” Sans replies, “you in a rush to head somewhere?”

“Yes, everything is alright. Everything’s perfect, actually,” he bends over as he reaches them, completely out of breath. He holds a hand up, signaling them to wait a moment before he speaks again. “I’m coming with you to Dohbar.”

“You are?” Steele questions, looking at Hex.

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t know either.”

“Yes,” Fives butts in, “I need to meet my niece. Look, Echo was my best brother, and this little girl…she’s all I have left of him. I won’t forgive myself if I don’t meet her.”

“I see. Well,” Sans starts, a smile on his face, “we’ll gladly let you join us in visiting y/n and the baby. We’ll even let you see her first.”

Fives jumps forward and flings his arms around Sans briefly before stepping back and resting his hands on his shoulders. “Thank you, sir. I owe you everything.”

“No you don’t, Fives,” he says, resting his own hand on top of Fives’s shoulder, “We’re brothers. This is what you’ve earned. Echo was a good man.”

“No, he wasn’t a good man. He was the best,” Fives replies, and there’s a hint of sadness in his voice. Sans nods and leads them all onto the ship, and for the entire flight Fives anxiously waits to land on Dohbar. He wonders what it will be like, he had only heard about it briefly from Echo, and had never visited it himself. Will it be just as amazing as he imagined, or will it be completely different.

“Nervous?” Fives snaps out of his mind when he hears the words and looks to see Hex with a slight smirk on his face. “Don’t worry, it’ll be okay. Once you see her, you’ll know everything is going to be just fine.”

“I hope so,” Fives sighs, “I don’t know how to do this whole uncle thing, though. And I just…” His words break and he looks down at the floor, his heart aching again.

Hex leans forward and rests a hand on Fives’s shoulder. “I know you feel guilt over everything. And you don’t think you deserve to be the one here to meet her. But if not Echo, then you. You are the best option that we have. You know him better than any of us, and you can bring the side of him that she never met.”

“But that’s the thing, Echo should be here instead. If I had just-”

“Fives,” Hex says, a little more firmly this time, “look at me.” Fives clears his throat and lifts his head, meeting Hex’s eyes. “I’ve seen someone very close to me lose themself with guilt, thinking that they should have done better to save one of our own. But you both did all that you could. It’s not fair, nothing in this war is. But we wouldn’t be here without it. Echo wouldn’t have existed without it, and our niece, your niece, wouldn’t either. Echo and y/n never would have met, and their daughter would never have been born. Yes, you lost Echo, and we lost Bomber, but you have to keep staying strong for him, like we do for Bomber. You have to love Echoa the way Echo would want you to, with enough love to be from the both of you.”

Fives wipes away the tears that spill from his eyes and nods. He clears his throat and looks up again, meeting Hex’s gaze. “Thank you,” he says quietly, and Hex offers him a small smile.

“Of course. Now, take a few minutes to ready yourself. We’re going to be landing in five.”

Fives sits up straighter, looking out the viewport. He watches as the ship exits hyperspace and holds outside the atmosphere for a minute before beginning to head down. He looks at the land, and it’s indescribable.

“Yeah, it’s pretty great, isn’t it?” Hex chuckles. “We’re lucky that we get to visit here quite often.”

“What? No fair!” Fives whines, “I’m always stuck on Coruscant, Kamino, or in battle.”

“Well, now you have an excuse to come here,” Hex comments before standing and walking out. Fives continues to watch the descent before quickly washing his face off and making sure he looks decent. Not that he needed to impress a baby, but first impressions always stick. Besides, if he can’t be the favorite uncle, then he kriff-well be the most handsome one.

When the ship lands, Fives is practically bursting through the walls. He doesn’t know where he’s going, but he runs out of the hangar and into the palace. The boys of Jawa squad just shrug and chuckle, taking their time as they let Fives meet her first.

After running around for a minute, taking a few left turns and a couple right ones, Fives realizes he’s lost. He looks around at the hall around him, trying to remember which way he came from and which rooms he’d checked, but everything looks unfamiliar to him.

“Excuse me,” he says to someone walking by, “could you help me find where y/n and her daughter are?” Mai-Lee nods and tells him the directions to get to the nursery. Fives nods his thanks and runs off again, this time to actually find you.

You’re peacefully holding your daughter as she sleeps in your arms, trailing a finger down her soft cheek. Her mouth is slightly open, and she’s snoring like her father used to. Everything about her breaks your heart when it reminds you of him. You wipe a tear away before it falls on her, not wanting to disturb her peace. When Fives comes to the room, he stands in the doorway for a second, studying your figure as your back is facing him.

“Fives…” you say softly, sensing him before turning around to face him. You have the most sad but happy look on your face when you see him. But he doesn’t look at you for long. His eyes fall on the tiny little bundle in your arms. You watch as he practically crumbles where he stands, so you look down and smile at your little girl. She’s opened her eyes and is now looking at Fives, reaching out to him slightly with a little arm. You feel the absolute heartbreak and love coming from Fives and so you slowly walk over to him, as you don’t think he could move if he tried. When you’re close enough, he lifts up a shaky hand and runs a finger down her small face.

“She’s so soft…” he mumbles. “Her eyes…they’re as bright and hopeful as his were…”

You nod your head, and hold her out slightly towards him. “Do you want to hold her?” you ask, and his head snaps up to look at you.

“C-can I? Really?” You nod again, a small giggle coming from you. Your daughter copies the sound and when Fives hears it, he lets out a small sob-like noise.

He gently takes her into his arms and stares down at her. “She’s perfect,” he says, his eyes full of awe, “she doesn’t have one flaw…”

“Well, she snores like Echo did,” you joke.

Fives just shakes his head, the awe still in his eyes. “I bet they’re the cutest snores ever.”

“They are.” The next thing you know, you see a tear fall from his cheek. It lands on your daughter's little onesie, and then another soon follows. “Oh, Fives,” you say, placing a hand on his arm. He looks up at you with tears streaming down his face now, not even bothering to fight them back.

“I miss him so much, y/n. Everyday…I-I feel so lost without him,” he says in between sniffs.

“I know, Fives. I know. I miss him too.”

“He would have been so happy,” Fives chokes out. Your daughter reaches up again, putting a hand gently on his chest, right above his heart. That’s the moment that truly breaks him. He holds her close to him as the sobs wrack his body. He falls to his knees as he clutches her, and all you feel coming through the force is pure grief and sorrow. You kneel down and hold him, allowing yourself to cry with him. Your silent tears don’t compare to his sobs, though. It’s as if he’s been holding back all his grief and it’s finally bursting out.

After a while of sitting like that, crying together while Fives holds your daughter, he finally quiets as he looks down at her. “What did you name her?” he asks quietly, running another finger down her soft cheek. He needs to know that you went through with it. He needs to hear her name again.

“Echoa Jinn,” you reply softly, “just like I planned.”

“Echoa…” he repeats. “Echoa Jinn. I’ve never heard a more beautiful name.”

In the morning, you wake up to see Fives standing on your balcony with Echoa in his arms. You can hear him humming something quiet and soft, and you smile to yourself as you throw your covers to the side and leave your bed. You cover a yawn as you walk out, poking Fives lightly in the side to let him know you’re there.

“Oh, goodmorning,” he says, holding Echoa out for you to take, “I just wanted to show her the sunrise. I told her about how Echo always loved to watch them.”

“When he woke up in time to see them, that is,” you giggle. Echoa mimics the sound, and Fives visibly melts where he stands. “You really have a strong hold over your uncle. You’re gonna be so spoiled.”

“Kriff right she is,” Fives says, and you shoot him a glare. “What? I just said-”

“No karking swearing around the kriffing newborn!” you say harshly, and you stare at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“You’re gonna have your mother’s language for sure,” he says, poking Echoa’s nose, making her scrunch it up in reaction. “Let’s just hope she’s not like Echo and doesn’t recite every single manual she ever reads.”

“I doubt she’s going to be reading many manuals,” you reply, “textbooks, maybe, but not manuals.”

Fives looks at you in confusion, not quite understanding what you mean. “Aren’t all books technically textbooks? Because you use text to write them?”

“Well, I mean, I guess,” you shrug, “but textbooks are like…well I guess they’re like school versions of manuals. You learn things in them and you read them for class to study and stuff.”

“Eugh,” he replies, sticking his tongue out, “studying is for losers.”

“Is that why you failed almost all of your manual based tests?” you ask, a smirk on your face.

“Hey, we don’t talk about that,” he shoots back, reaching out and taking Echoa again. “Echoa, I hope I get to help raise you the right way.”

“And what exactly is the right way?” you ask, folding your arms and arching a brow in question.

“The fun way,” he replies before a beeping starts to go off. “Kriff, that’s probably Skywalker.” He holds Echoa in one arm as he reaches into his pocket for his holotransceiver. Sure enough, when he answers, Anakin is there with Rex at his side.

“Hey, Fives. How’s it going there?”

“Good, General,” he replies before holding the holotransceiver so Echoa can be seen. “She’s perfect.”

Anakin and Rex smile, Rex with more pride, but both lovingly. “I’m glad. Although, I hate to tell you, but we’ll be stopping by shortly to pick you up for a mission.”

“Oh,” he says, his face falling. “Okay, I’ll be ready.”

“Sorry, vod,” Rex says, “but you can go back and visit her after.”

“Okay,” Fives says, a bit happier now. He hands you Echoa after the holo ends, smiling sadly and kissing her nose goodbye before heading off to get ready.

“I think it’s time you saw your other uncles,” you say cheerfully, and Echoa gives a gummy grin in response as you begin to head off and find the boys of Jawa Squad.

It doesn’t take long, and as soon as you walk into the room they’re in, Sans swoops in and takes Echoa into his arms. “Finally, I’ve been deprived for so long, and I am finally able to see my niece!” He lifts her up and spins around with her giggling above his head, grinning widely before another pair of hands snatch her away.

“I think her favorite uncle should get to hold her first,” Steele says, holding her close to his chest. He smiles down at her, and she grins back before spitting up on him. “Eugh, gross- here, you take her,” he says, shoving her into Hex’s arms.

“I think I like you a lot more now,” Hex chuckles, grabbing a nearby towel and cleaning off her face. “There, all better. Now, just remember, if you need to spit up on anyone, always spit up on Steele.”

“Excuse me?” Steele says, yanking the towel from Hex with a glare and cleaning himself up.

“You’re excused, and you’re takin’ up too much time,” Tie says, taking Echoa from Hex.

“Di’kut,” Hex mumbles before he notices Aid slowly making his way over to Tie.

“Huh?” Tie says, having felt a tap on his right shoulder. When he turns to look, Aid snatches Echoa and hurries off to the other side of the room. “Oh, you mudscuffer.”

“Out of everyone here, I feel like I’m the most qualified to be holding a baby. Besides y/n, of course,” Aid replies matter-of-factly from his perch in the corner.

“Just because you’re a medic, that doesn’t make you any more qualified than us,” Sans retorts.

“Yeah. Have you ever even held a baby before?” Steele asks, folding his arms across his chest.

“Yeah, you when you stub your toe,” Aid snarks back.

“Oh, you little-”

“Not with the baby in his arms,” Hex warns, “you can tackle him and wrestle him once Echoa is safe in y/n’s arms again.”

“Speaking of which,” you say while walking over, “can I have my daughter back?” Aid looks up at you with pleading eyes, but it just makes your own expression solidify more. He sighs then, giving her back to you, poking her nose when she’s back in your arms. “What are you boys up to today?”

“Not sure yet,” Sans replies, “but I think we might have to be heading back to Coruscant soon.”

“Lucky you. I’ll probably have to be out of battle for a while. Well, unless I can convince them to let me go back sooner.”

“I don’t think that would be terribly hard, although do you really think it’s a good idea?” Steele asks. “I mean, you just had a baby. You don’t want to miss out on anything important.”

You bite your lip as you think, knowing he has a point. But you’ve been out of battle for so long already, and you’re getting restless. Of course you want to be with Echoa, but you also want to be a Jedi again. You want to be the general of the 17th, lead your men into battle, fight for the end of the war. “I’ll…take as much time with her as I think I need,” you reply finally. “But then I’ll be back out and fighting alongside you all.”

“Unless the war is over before then,” Tie adds, “hopefully it will end soon. I’m gettin’ tired of this fightin’. I got a boyfriend that needs me more than the war does.”

“Quin is just fine without you touching him all the time,” Aid retorts, “it’s probably nice that he’s getting a break from you.”

“Hey! I’ll have ya know that Quin loves me and loves when I’m around him.”

“Yeah, but you ever think you’re around him too much?” Hex asks. “I’m purely wondering, not insinuating that you are.”

“I don’t know, I don’t think negatively like that,” Tie counters.

“Really? Didn’t your negative thinking almost break you guys up?”

“Okay, we’re done talkin’ ‘bout my relationship. I love Quin and Quin loves me. That’s the end of it. Besides, at least I have a boyfriend.”

“We’ve been over this, Tie,” Hex sighs, “I’m not into relationships or hooking up. I don’t want to date or have sex. Aroace, remember?”

“Yes, I remember. I jus’ don’t understand you,” Tie mumbles, “but I’m not judgin’. Jus’ don’t think I could ever live without Quin, or Quin’s-”

“Enough,” you say, “that’s enough relationship talk for today. Besides, don’t you boys have somewhere to be?”

“We’ve got time to spend with you and Echoa,” Sans counters, “right, Hex?”

Hex snorts, folding his arms across his chest, “I don’t know, you’re the commander.”

“Yeah, but you’re the guy who plans everything.”

Hex just huffs and rolls his eyes. “Yes, we have time before we have to head back.”

“Good, so we can begin fightin’ for favorite uncle,” Tie says eagerly, reaching again for the baby who was now in Steele’s arms. You roll your eyes and let a small smile creep onto your face. It’s probably best to just let those boys be themselves, you figure. Besides, you know you can always trust them.

After a while, you decide to go start doing other things. Echoa has fallen asleep, so you’re not too worried about anything happening while you go about. Your room is a mess, and there’s lots of new changes that need to be made around. You also need to get a new piercing to symbolize having a child.

As much as you don’t like needles, this is the one thing, other than being raised here, that truly made you a Dohbarian. You don’t have the Dohbarian blood, something the king and queen made sure you’d known growing up. You also don’t have the typical Dohbarian features, but you have the spirit and passion. Not to mention the royal status.

It’s almost as if your whole life you’ve been trying to prove to yourself that you do belong here, that this is your home. The relentless bullying throughout your childhood didn’t help, and being whisked away on royal and jedi training trips almost constantly didn’t do you any favors either. As much as you’re sure your people love you, you’re not quite sure you truly fit. But you’ll do everything in your power to ensure Echoa fits in, and feels as though she belongs.

The piercing doesn’t take long, and Mrs. Orno is the elder you choose to do it. She happily comes to the palace, excited to see you and the baby. She makes sure to give her condolences as well, and shares a short conversation about Echo with you. And then she assures you that no one else could be a better queen than you.

Bounty hunters are always watching. They have to be, it’s a key part of their job. That’s how they knew something was up when you hadn’t been spotted outside of Dohbar in weeks. That’s how they knew when you’d had your daughter. That’s how Bane knew that she was in danger.

One night, a couple weeks after her birth, you put Echoa to bed and receive a very unexpected transmission when you settle down in your room.

“Bane?” you say curiously, the duros showing as a holo in front of you. “What gives me the unexpected honor of talking to you tonight?”

“Little lady, when were you going to tell me about your little girl?”

You let out an amused snort, crossing your arms across your chest. “I didn’t know I was supposed to invite you to the birth.”

“Don’t be sassy with me, pretty Jedi. I’ll make this quick. Your daughter is in danger. She’s not even a standard month old and she’s already got a sizable bounty on her head.”

You almost drop your holotranceiver in shock when he tells you. Your heart sinks and your mouth goes dry. “You can’t be serious,” you say, not wanting to believe him.

“I’m afraid not, little lady,” he sighs. “She’s the daughter of a Jedi and a clone, not to mention she’s also royalty. Add on the fact that she could be force-sensitive, and her value is higher than Coruscant’s tallest building.”

“Kark-how did this even get out?! We did so much to hide my pregnancy and-”

“Oh, it’s not out to the public, don’t worry about that,” he waves a hand dismissively, as if it made everything much better. “It’s just out to bounty hunters.”

“And that’s better?!” you nearly yell, catching yourself just as you remember Echoa is sleeping.

“I never said that. Look, I’m telling you this to warn you. Of all people, I’d hate to see you lose this most. You’ve lost enough, and the war isn’t over yet. You could very well end up losing more.”

“Thanks for the comforting words,” you reply sarcastically, rolling your eyes with a huff.

“Look, I holoed you to warn you. And I’m also going to promise you something.”

Your eyes narrow slightly when he says that. A promise from Bane could mean anything, and likely nothing good. “What could you possibly have to promise or offer me?”

“I’ll do all that I can to protect her,” he says, pulling the toothpick from his mouth and trailing his fingers along the brim of his hat.

“And what are you asking for in return?”

“Nothing. We’re mutually beneficial friends, and you’re one of few people I might care about. If I had that ability, of course. So I’ll do what I can, I promise you that, little lady.”

You stare at him for a few seconds, processing his words. You can barely believe what he was saying, it isn’t like the Bane that you’re used to. “How do I know you’re not going to kill her yourself?”

“Y/n, how many people have we killed together?”

You huff, folding your arms and rolling your eyes. “Too many for me to care to keep count.”

“Exactly. Like I said, we’re mutually beneficial friends. We help each other out and don’t ask questions,” he explains before his tone goes softer. “I’ll do what I can to ensure knowledge of her doesn’t get out into circulation.”

“Thank you, Bane,” you sigh, finding a little relief knowing that he’s on your side. For now, at least.

“No problem, little lady. Give your daughter a kiss for me, and tell her uncle Bane will protect her.” You smile softly as the transmission ends. Bane is one of the last people you could imagine wanting to keep her safe, especially when there’s a bounty on her head. But every word he spoke had sounded sincere and you can’t help but think that maybe he does care a little about you, even if he won’t admit it.

But despite Bane being out there promising to protect your daughter from the underworld, a new reality hit you. Your daughter will be living with a constant threat over her head. If any of the wrong people figure out about her, then the threat will be increased by tenfold or more.

She won’t be safe, not even as a baby. But she is force-sensitive, you can sense that. And one day, with enough training, she can become one of the best warriors you’ve ever seen. With the Dohbarian military training, and the Jedi training you can give her, she could become undefeatable.

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