#do you ever think about echo helping save 501st brothers

[morethansky]

The TBB finale posits that Echo is a foil to Darth Vader, and I am eating it up! Hear me out.

The doors open on Echo. The doors close on Vader. Past the threshold in both scenes lie the dead bodies of their enemies, who belong to the two key opposing factions of this era. Vader wreaks havoc on the rebels on behalf of the Empire. Echo wreaks havoc on the Empire's stormtroopers on behalf of his rebel cell.

Echo walks toward us, and in the following scene, he bends down to retrieve a weapon. Vader walks toward us, and in the next scene (at least in the trailer), the Inquisitors, who are his weapons, bend down to kneel before him.

Anakin was a hero in the war, risking his life by leading his clone battalion from the front to help them make it through. Then he was put under the thrall of the Sith. When that happened, he killed his own people—the Jedi.

Echo was a hero in the war, risking his life in hopes of helping the Jedi escape the Citadel. Then he was put under the thrall of the Techno Union and the Separatists. When that happened, he caused the deaths of his own people—the clones.

Anakin lost his right arm in a feat of reckless courage, when he rushed ahead to take on Dooku alone (Obi-Wan: "No, Anakin, no!"). Echo lost his right arm in a feat of reckless courage, when he rushed ahead to fight the commando droids alone (Fives: "Echo! Look out!"). Vader and Echo are also two of the characters who have suffered the most extreme bodily harm and survived.

Anakin had a slave chip put in him when he was a baby. Echo had an inhibitor chip put in him when he was a baby. Echo was eventually liberated. Anakin spent the majority of his life enslaved.

Vader recruits and trains the Inquisitorius, which includes Jedi children he tortures into serving the Empire. Echo recruits clones for his rebel cell, and trains a clone child who, inspired by his teachings, joins the fight against the Empire.

At the end of Vader's story, he does a good deed by ruining Palpatine's plans, and dies. At the end of Echo's story (for now, I pray), he does a good deed by ruining Palpatine's plans—and lives.

#the bad batch spoilers #anakin skywalker #darth vader #arc trooper echo #tbb echo #flashing gif #do you ever think about echo helping save 501st brothers #do you ever think about him finding out what they were forced to do when their chips activated #and realizing what the logical answer of the identity of the being under the cloak who led them would be #the bad batch #tales of the empire #rogue one #star wars #corporal echo #swedits #swgifs #my gifs #tbb finale #amph talks #amph gifs

[starryevermore]

following orders: the search (2) ✧ tech

following orders ✧ a tech bad batch story | ao3

inspired by: a conversation with @captainsbestgal​

pairing: tech x fem!reader

series summary: you don’t want to live in a galaxy where the love of your life, tech, does not exist. but, you can’t abandon your already grieving family. you devote all of your energy to helping hunter and wrecker save omega from the empire and, perhaps, save the wayward crosshair along the way. but the longer you look for the youngest member of the bad batch, the more you suspect that your lost love is not as lost as you once believed. 

chapter summary: you all try to figure out what happened to omega. 

word count: 5,103

series warnings?: spoilers for “plan 99”, plan 99, canon-typical violence, hurt tech, canon divergent, fix it fic, angst, grief/mourning, torture, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, relationship discussions, mutual pining, clone troopers speak mando’a, depression, suicide ideation, memory loss, brainwashing, jealousy, not proofread

chapter warnings?: grief/mourning, pet name (sen’ika/cyar’ika), not proofread

“Do you have to go?”

Echo looked at you, his shoulders falling. It had been a week since…the incident.  It had also been a week longer than Echo wanted to stay. You and him might not have been particularly close, but you knew he was the kind of man who had to throw himself into his work. He couldn’t just sit around and grieve. He had to distract himself from his feelings. He’s lost so many brothers already. He lost his entire batch. He lost the 501st. Tech was another name in the long list of people he will never get to see again. If he stopped to mourn Tech, he would have to mourn them all. And, oh, how Echo would break if he stopped to mourn them all. 

He stayed this long for your sake, you think. Hunter had probably said something to him. Ever since that moment on the dock, Hunter had been watching you closely, waiting for you to break. It was almost infuriating. Part of you was grateful, of course. It was nice to know that someone cared for you to. And you knew it was something he needed to do—he’d always had mother hen instincts, which had only increased and become more prominent after Omega joined your team. But, kriff, if you found him hovering outside of Tech’s bunk, where you had taken to spend most of your days, you were going to lose it! You weren’t a fragile little flower. You were a bounty hunter before you joined them, you had lost and lost and lost before you joined them. Yes, losing Tech was different, but you had seen these feelings play out before. You would be fine. You didn’t need Hunter to treat you like you were on the verge of collapse every moment of every day. 

(You pretended that you didn’t know he could hear your crying every night, when you thought that no one would pay you any mind. It was the only time you felt safe enough to just grieve.) 

Echo couldn’t be pinned down to this sort of life, though. For as long as you knew him, he’d been the kind of man who had to fight the good fight. He couldn’t take injustice lying down. If he could do anything, if he had the capacity to help people, he had to help them. In his mind, there was no question about it. 

It just hurt to know that your already downsized family was losing another member. How were you supposed to operate with just you, Hunter, and Wrecker? You all were equally capable of managing separately, so if the three of you worked together, surely you would be fine. But, each of your lost team members had benefits, too. You all were still reeling from the loss of Crosshair. Even after all this time, you all still expected him to be up high somewhere, ready to gun down your foes. You all still hadn’t adjusted to Echo being gone. Now with Tech and Omega…

It just really hurt. 

“There’s still a fight I have to fight,” Echo said. He looked over his shoulder, where Rex was waiting on the ship. “Think of it as a good thing—”

“I know, I know. You guys might here something out there. I just…” You looked down at your shoes so that Echo wouldn’t see the way your eyes became glassy. The last thing you wanted him to think was that you were crying so he would feel forced to stay. Of course, Echo was far too much of a gentleman to ever think that. But…well, if you kept him away from his purpose, those feelings of resentment might fester and burrow in his heart. Anything could happen. “Our family is already so much smaller now.”

When you glanced back up, Echo was reaching out, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. He gave you a squeeze, rested his head on top of yours. “I would love to stay. But my place isn’t here. I have to help my brothers.”

A bitter part of you wanted to ask, But what of Hunter and Wrecker? Are they not your brothers, too? Is Crosshair not your brother? Is Omega not your sister? But, the truth was, Echo had a point. He could do more good out there, liberating fellow clones. Not only for the sake of granting them freedom from the Empire’s oppressive regime, but also to hear the whispers of what happens when a clone defects. If he stayed here on Pabu, he would be as useless as the rest of you. 

“You should come with us,” Echo continued. “Your skillset would be a great help. Hunter and Wrecker, too.”

You swallowed hard. You were willing to fight for Omega and Crosshair, fight to get them back. But you were so tired of fighting. You wanted to reunite your family and be done with it. You were done. To Echo, though, you said, “I’ll consider it.”

“That’s all I ask.” He looked back at Rex’s ship, then back to you. “I’ll keep in touch when I can. And if I find out anything—”

“We’ll be the first to know, I know.” You wrapped your arms around his midsection, gave him a tight squeeze. “Be safe out there, okay?”

“I’ll do my best.” He squeezed you back. The hug felt a little too final. It made you feel like this may be the last time you ever see him. Maybe that was the grief talking, though. Maybe it was the reality of the situation, reminding you that nothing was permanent. You could lose Echo—you could lose Hunter—you could lose Wrecker. Still, you hoped. “Ret’urcye mhi.”

“Ret’urcye mhi.”

Maybe we’ll meet again. 

Echo unwound himself from you, taking a step towards Rex’s ship. You raised your hand, waving goodbye. He waved, too, before getting in the ship. The door shut, and after a minute or two, the ship rose into the air before leaving you, and Hunter, and Wrecker behind. You stared at the space where the ship had once been for a few minutes. 

Echo might be working to try and find information about Omega’s whereabouts, but you knew he had others things to worry about, too. He might not have the time he needs to dedicate himself to the task. And, well, you couldn’t just sit around here to do nothing. Surely, there had to be something you were missing. Maybe there was something Tech had missed? Crosshair had contacted the Batch, after all. Maybe there was something more there? You should go check that…

When you turned around to return to the Marauder, your eyes caught Hunter. He’d been leaning against a building, watching the exchange between you and Echo. When he realized he’d caught your attention, he pushed himself off the wall. He took a step toward you. But you only shook your head. 

Not now. 

You had things to do. 

“Plan 88—”

“Plan 88—”

“Plan 88—”

“How long are you going to listen to that?”

You jumped at the sound of Hunter’s voice. When you turned, he had an arm propped on the back of your seat, staring down at you as you poured over the last message Crosshair had sent. Perhaps it was a hopeless endeavor, but you thought that perhaps, if you listened closely enough, you might hear something in the background that would give away his location. If Crosshair had truly turned against the Empire, he might have been taken to the same place as Omega. Or, perhaps, maybe, there was something missing from his words—a hidden message that you all were meant to decipher. 

It, of course, was a fruitless endeavor. 

So, too, had been everything you’d done. Ever since Echo had left, you poured yourself into finding answers. An answer. Even a hint at an answer would have sufficed. You went through every comm channel the Batch had ever used. You combed through records, reports, maps—everything. You didn't have the first clue where to start, and nearly two weeks later, you still didn’t know anything. In fact, you almost felt like you knew less than what you started with. 

“As long as it takes.”

Hunter let out a sigh. He came around, standing in front of you now. When you didn’t look at him, he reached out, tilted your chin towards him. “There’s nothing there. You and I both know Tech would have found something if there was.”

You chewed on your lip, fighting the urge to snap at him. Doesn’t he realize you understand that? Doesn’t he realize that you know this is all stupid? You might foolishly optimistic, but that did not mean you were blind to it.

Instead, you said, “It makes me feel useful, doing this.”

Hunter’s face fell. That, he understood. You had been holed up in the Marauder since Echo left, but you saw how Hunter was out on the island. He found any and every excuse to be helpful. Helped people find lost belongings, helped with gathering and making food, helped watch over the children of Pabu when their parents needed a break. He didn’t know how to find Omega, didn’t have the first clue, but he did know how to distract himself from the unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

“But it doesn’t do you any good.”

“Omega’s out there, Hunter. She needs us. I can’t just…sit here and hope that Echo hears something, or that a big piece of the puzzle falls into our lap. We don’t have anything going for us.” You ducked your head, wiped at your eyes. You weren’t crying, not yet, but you could feel the tears on the verge of leaking. Even if Hunter would hear the tears welling up, or smell the saltiness of them, you didn’t want him to see you cry. That wasn’t fair to him. “This is the only thing in my life right now that I can control.”

Hunter’s hands fell from your shoulders, trailing down your arms, stopping when he reached your hands. He held them tightly, and tugged you out of your seat. You wobbled slightly as you stood. You’d been sitting there for hours. You could hardly feel your legs. Hunter pulled you into his arms, squeezed you hard. You could hardly breathe, but it was a nice distraction from the way your mind was racing. 

If Tech was here, he would have an answer. If Tech was here, he’d know just the right systems to look at to determine where to begin looking. He’d have a grand plan about breaking into Imperial facilities, about how to retrieve any information that could be gleaned from the circumstances. He would know what to do. And if he didn’t, he would figure it out. 

“I don’t want to disappoint him, Hunter,” you whispered. Your voice was thick with tears. It wobbled, teetering on the edge of a breakdown. “I don’t want his sacrifice to be for nothing. He sacrificed himself for his family. He sacrificed himself for her.”

“He sacrificed himself for you, too, sen’ika,” he whispered back. 

The term of endearment tugged at your heartstrings. Little bird. Oh, if you were a bird, you would have flown down and saved Tech. If you were a bird, you all would have never needed the railcar. You would have flown your family back to safety. You would have never lost Tech. You would have never needed to go to Cid’s. You all would never have been sold out to the Empire. You never would have lost the closest person you had to a daughter. 

“I can’t rest until my family is together again. You, me, Wrecker, Omega…Crosshair.”

Hunter sighed, muttered your name. It was a touchy subject, to be sure. Honestly, you were fairly certain that Hunter was the only one who hadn’t been gung-ho about the potential of Crosshair betraying the Empire. After all, it was Tech who was insistent that the message had not been a trap. It was Wrecker who was the most vocal about how much he missed his wayward brother. It was Omega who kept insisting she wanted her family back together. And it was Echo who probably understood what Crosshair was going through the most—

“He sacrificed himself for Crosshair, too.”

“We’ll worry about him another day, sen’ika. Omega, too. Right now, you need to rest,” Hunter said. “When was the last time you even ate something that wasn’t a ration bar?”

You shrugged, your shoulders rising then falling. Truthfully, you didn’t know the last time you even ate a ration bar. You had been so wrapped up in finding an answer, you neglected yourself. Was it healthy? No. But what part of your grieving process had been? Working yourself to the bone, working until your mind felt like goo, hardly did anything for you. 

Hunter repeated your name with a shake of his head. Ever since Omega had joined the Batch, Hunter developed and perfected the disappointed dad look. You found yourself looking away again, if only to not have to see the worry in his eyes. But you knew he could hear the way your stomach gurgled, practically begging for something—anything. 

“I’m sorry,” you said. And, you were. At least, you were sorry that you were only adding to the weight on Hunter’s shoulders. He already had so much on his plate. He shouldn’t have to worry about making sure you were taking care of yourself. 

“C’mon, Shep invited us all to dinner,” Hunter said, unwinding himself from you, ready to walk out of the Marauder, expecting you to follow. When you remained where you stood, he turned his head. “Everyone misses you. You can’t stay in here forever, sen’ika.”

“I’m not gonna stay in here forever. Just until I find out where Omega is.”

Hunter’s jaw ticked. He hated every reminder that she was gone. He hated every reminder that he had been completely powerless to stop Hemlock from taking her. He hated every reminder that there was nothing he could do. 

“She’s our family, Hunter. You made a promise to her.”

A low blow, to be sure. Hunter had sworn that Omega would never have to go back to Kamino again. He had sworn that Omega would never be experimented on again. He broke the first promise months ago. And…Well, neither of you could be certain that the second one had been broken, too, but neither of you would be surprised if that was the case. 

To throw that back into Hunter’s face now, it was a real shitty thing to do. There was no doubt in your mind that Hunter had already thought about that a thousand times over by now. Hunter would never let anyone in his family know he was struggling, but…Well, even without enhanced senses, you could hear him at night when he thought you and Wrecker were asleep. 

He turned more fully, his eyes narrowed at you. “Don’t do that.”

“At least I’m doing something.”

“There’s nothing we can do. Not right now. The facility was already impossible to find. It’ll be even harder now that Hemlock’s got what he wanted. He didn’t spend so much time trying to get Omega just to let her be taken back by us.” Hunter took a step forward, using every inch of his height to tower over you. If you were anyone else, you would have been intimidated. But this was Hunter—he wouldn’t hurt you. “We got lucky with the summit, and we all know how that ended.”

Okay, he might not hurt you with his fists, but he certainly could with his words. Which, you supposed, was fair. You’d started it, after all. Don’t dish out what you can’t take, and all that. Still, your bottom lip quivered at his words. You knew that. You knew how it ended. That’s why you were doing this. That’s why you were doing all of this. 

“Quit fightin’,” came an all-too-familar voice. 

Your face fell when Wrecker’s looming form came into view. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes downcast. He was worse for wear, much like you. Except, unlike you, he showed it in a more obvious way. Wrecker had always been the sort of person, at least as long as you’ve known him, to wear his heart on his sleeve.

“Oh, Wrecker,” you sniffled. It was harder to keep your emotions controlled around him. Where you didn’t want to add to the weight Hunter carried, when it came to Wrecker, you hated for him to feel alone his grief. You stumbled forward, throwing your arms around him. “We’re not fighting. We’re just…We just don’t know what we’re doing.”

“I don't know what I’m doin’ but I ain’t pickin’ fights with my vode,” Wrecker said. 

Behind you, you heard Hunter sigh before walking up to the two of you and joining the hug. Wrecker squeezed you and Hunter tight as Hunter said, “I’m sorry, sen’ika.”

“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“You’re right. We can’t just sit around here anymore.”

You lifted your head, eying hunter. Surely he wasn’t suggesting…? “What are you saying?”

“I think it’s time we do something.”

It felt strange, piloting the Marauder. Tech had been the one to fly the ship most often. If he for any reason couldn’t, Echo took over. Now that Echo was with Rex, and Tech was…gone, the remaining three of you kind of felt like you were drawing straws when it came to deciding who the new de facto pilot would be. Eventually, though, you volunteered. Wrecker was a bit too accident-prone for your liking, and you knew Hunter could better use that time by making plans. So, you slid into Echo’s co-pilot chair, grit your teeth, and bared through it. 

It almost would have been relaxing, if the situation arose under any other circumstances. There was something calming about flying through hyperspace, looking out at all the stars whizzing by. It reminded you of the first time you’d ever flown. How you left the planet you called home for the first time (and never went back). How, even though you were just barely an adult at the time, seeing all those stars made you feel like a little kid again. Even all these years later, you were as mesmerized now as you were then. 

You also felt as alone now as you had then. 

Deciding to sit in Echo’s co-pilot chair had been something of a mistake, you realized when you made the jump into hyperspace. You found yourself looking over at Tech’s chair, imagining what he would be doing if he were still there. Probably telling you about the planet you were traveling to—its history, its native animals, its people. Maybe you would ask him about the system, about the planet’s moons, about its neighboring planets. He would answer every single one without hesitation. 

When you look over his chair now, it hits you that you’ll never get to hear him talk again. That you’ll never get to hear his voice again. How long had it been since you heard it? Edging onto the third week? You could hardly remember what he sounded like. When you shut your eyes, tried to imagine him talking to you, his voice became more and more garbled, became more like the voices of his vode than his unique tone.

For a moment, you squeezed your eyes shut. Now was not the time to be thinking of how much you missed him. You had a job to do now.

Echo was waiting when you landed the Marauder at Rex’s secret base on some far off planet in the Outer Rim. He offered a small smile as you, Wrecker, and Hunter exited the Marauder and approached him. You knew he was probably glad that you all had decided to join the cause, but he was well aware that you all wouldn’t have joined if there were any other options. 

“Long time, no see,” Echo joked, but his tone lacked any mirth. 

It was hard to joke around nowadays. What was the point of being happy, of sharing laughter, when you couldn’t share it with those you’ve lost? Even Wrecker, the usual ball of sunshine, seemed to find less and less to laugh about. At least, that’s what you assumed. Wrecker, by and large, still avoided you, still worried that you blamed him for what happened. When he was around you, like now, he only wore an uncharacteristic sullen look on his face.

“I was almost expecting you all to be slumming it out here,” you mused, looking around the base. It wasn’t spectacular—paled in comparison to the former Republic forces or an Imperial fleet. But it was a larger operation than you expected. “Senator Organa must be quite gracious in his donations.”

“Not as gracious as he’d like.” Rex walked up from behind Echo, smiling at you and his brothers.  “But we make do with what we’ve got.”

“It is impressive,” Hunter said. “So, what do we got to do around here?”

“Well, we just got confirmation that of some defected clones being held on Cato Neimoidia that are looking to join the cause, if you’re up for it.”

“Do we get to blow anything up?” Wrecker asked. 

Rex let out a chuckle. “Probably not for this mission, but maybe the next.”

Wrecker’s shoulders deflated a little. 

“We’re in,” Hunter said. 

Rex nodded. “Echo will take you to the briefing room. Most of the plans have been made, but we could always use your…unconventional flair.”

While the others walked off to the briefing room, you remained in the hangar, looking around. This was everything you all wanted to leave behind when Phee brought you to Pabu. The plan had been to never fight again, unless absolutely necessary. You thought you all might be lucky enough to not have to fight for months, maybe even years. You never expected for the necessary moment to come so soon. 

“You doing okay?”

You jumped at the feeling of a hand on your shoulder. When you turned your head, you saw Rex staring at you, his familiar but oh-so-different brown eyes searching yours. 

“Just thinking about how everything changed so fast. We went from fighting for the Republic, to fighting to survive, to fighting to save our family in the blink of an eye.” You looked away, out at another ship that was landing, clones exiting the ship. Though they were far away, you could see their solemn expressions. A failed mission, you were sure. More lost brothers. “I’m glad to be here. I’m glad to be doing something to help. I’m glad to be in a position where I can find out where Omega has been taking…But, Maker, Rex, I’m sick of fighting. Aren’t you?”

“Of course I am,” Rex said. “But I can’t rest until I know my brothers are safe. My brothers deserve more than being exploited by the Empire.”

“But what if it never ends? What if there’s always a fight? Won’t there come a time when you’re too tired to carry on?”

“I don’t know,” Rex admitted. “I don’t know what the future will hold. But, I do know that I could never forgive myself if I stopped fighting for what I believe in.”

You nodded, glanced back at him. You hesitated, just for a moment. Could you say what you felt? Would Rex judge you for it? You were sure he wouldn’t. Even if he did, you don��t think he would make you feel any lesser for it. 

“I don’t know what I believe in anymore.”

But Rex didn’t meet you with any judgment, no harsh words, no withering looks. Instead, he only offered a sad sort of smile. “I felt the same when Order 66 was executed. Having to fight my brothers, then lose my brothers all in the same day…It was devastating. I was lost for a while.”

“How did you find yourself again?”

“I remembered something that the Jedi used to say, about the Force woking in mysterious ways. While I hated that I couldn’t save my brothers then, I knew that because I had my chip removed, I could use that freedom from the Empire to save my brothers that were still being influenced by the chip.”

You nodded.

“The Force works in mysterious ways,” he repeated. “Even if you’re lost now, you will find your way again. You’re too strong not to.”

But what if you’re tired of being strong?

“C’mon. We better make sure those boys stay in line, yeah? Who knows what insane plan they’ve concocted while we were gone.”

“Hey, give ‘em credit though. For as insane as it’ll be, it’ll be equally fun.”

It was not equally fun. In fact, it was probably the exact opposite of fun.

“So much for no explosives, eh?” you asked, firing your blaster at a trooper over Rex’s shoulder. 

“I said I was sorry!” Wrecker shouted.

Cato Neimoidia, it turned out, was crawling with Imperials. It had the whole operation far more complicated than it needed to be. You all had been expecting Imperials to be there, but it seemed like you guys couldn’t walk more than two feet without nearly running into the very people you all were trying to avoid. You all managed well enough, sneaking through the planet, trying to make it to the rendezvous point. That is, until Wrecker dropped his blaster and it fired at some sort of cargo the Imperials were transporting that immediately exploded on impact.

Now, you all were engaged in a shoot out. Maker, you wished Crosshair was here. This fight would have been over long before it started if he was around. You almost said as much to Hunter, but it felt a little too callous. You were sure he was already thinking the same thing. But that didn’t mean that he would change his mind about rescuing his brother. 

You ducked into an alley, trying to find a way out of this mess. And you found one. Or, rather, a way out found you. A door you hadn’t noticed before opened and a hand came out, grabbing you by the arm and dragging you in. 

“Hey!” you shouted, throwing your elbow on your free arm back. It connected with hard plastoid armor. You whipped your head around, ready to bite whoever grabbed you, when you saw the familiar brown and cybernetic eyes of Wolffe. 

“Easy, cyar’ika,” Wolffe said, letting your arm go. 

“You’re the one we’re supposed to be getting out of here?”

Wolffe hummed. “Boost and Sinker are trying to get the others in here, then we’ll talk. You all make quite the mess. Surprised Crosshair hasn’t taken the Imperials out yet.”

You looked away. He didn’t know. Why would he? “Crosshair is, was, I don’t know—it’s complicated. His chip activated, while the others’ didn’t. He decided to stick with the Empire.”

Wolffe raised a brow. “That doesn’t sound too complicated.”

“We think—I think he defected, but got captured. He sent out a message on one of our old comm channels, said Plan 88. Hunter thought it was a trap.”

“And you think different?”

“The Empire was after Omega for as long as we’ve been on the run.” At his questioning look, you explained, “Omega is your sister, a female clone. She’s a pure genetic replication of Jango Fest. Anyways, the Empire was after her and…then they captured her.”

“Which is why you think Crosshair wasn’t setting a trap.” Wolffe nodded, looking off in the distant. After a moment, he said, “Makes sense. It all does.”

“What do you mean?”

Boost and Sinker arrived with the others before Wolffe could answer. The door slid shut after Rex, the last one to enter, came inside. Sinker locked the door once he made sure everyone was there. For a few moments, everyone just stood there, staring at each other, trying to collect themselves after the fight they just endured. 

But you still had your questions, so you looked at Wolffe and asked again, “What do you mean?”

Wolffe glanced at Boost and Sinker. Then he looked back to you. “The three of us resisted the Order when it was given. We didn’t understand why we felt the urge to kill our buir, didn’t understand that it was a chip, but we knew we couldn’t follow through with the Order. We’ve been stuck here ever since. We tried to get through to our vode, but they were still being influenced by the chip. Eventually, the 104th was taken off this planet. We tried with the vode that took their place. They were more willing to hear us out, but…They were scared.”

Your brows pinched together. You looked at Hunter and Wrecker, wondering if they had the same questions as you. 

“The effects of the chip started to wear off. Our vode started to question the Empire,” Sinker said. 

“We know that already,” Hunter said.

“But do you know what happens when our vode start questioning orders?” Boost asked. 

“They get taken away. We don’t know where, we don’t know what for,” you said. 

“You hear a lot, when you’re in hiding. If you know what to listen for, that is,” Wolffe said. “When we realized that our vode was scared of something more than just being decommissioned, we got curious. It’s all just rumors, nothing confirmed. We don’t have any idea of where our vode are being taken, or even if the rumors are true.”

“They don’t all go there. And they don’t all go there immediately,” Boost said. 

“But we’ve heard it enough times to think it’s credible,” Sinker said. 

“Oh, just tell us already!” Wrecker said. 

Wolffe looked at you, trying to gauge your reaction. Finally, he said, “The rumors are, they’re experimenting on decommissioned clones. The Emperor’s interested in cloning, but we aren’t sure why.”

When you looked to Hunter, you saw the way his jaw clenched, the way his hands squeezed into fists. This wasn’t good. If that was true, if Omega was being experimented on so the Empire could learn more about the cloning process…That could spell for a world of trouble. You needed to save her. You needed to save her yesterday. Oh, how could you all have sat around, waiting for a clue to drop into your lap, when your daughter was being tortured by the Empire?

“Well, that changes everything,” you said.

#following orders: a tech bad batch story #tech imagine #tech x you #tech x y/n #tech x reader #tech x fem!reader #tech x female reader #tech fanfiction #tech fanfic #tech fan fiction #tech fan fic #tech fic #tech bad batch imagine #tech bad batch x you #tech bad batch x y/n #tech bad batch x fem!reader #tech bad batch x female reader #tech bad batch x reader #tech bad batch fanfiction #tech bad batch fanfic #tech bad batch fan fiction #tech bad batch fan fic #tech bad batch fic #starrywrites #starryevermore

[multifandom-nerds-blog]

Bad Batch reaction, EP 15 and 16

Seriously had no time before, I'm so sorry

WHO IS YOUR CONTACT ECHO???

Love that Tech is stanfing in for Crosshair, even though in season 1 he said that he doesn't agree with his point of view

Lol, Pirate lady is still on it 🤣

WHY is that dudes name Hemlock? What kind off name is that?

Seriously, is it a pun that just doesn't make sense in germany or so?

Yes Wrecker, you're absolutely right, we also missed Echo

Sneaky operations again

The soundtrack reminds from that on story with the wolf eating that boys duck or goose, I always forget the name of

Offensive side eye towards Wrecker

Wrecker don't look down

Of course he looks down

Dr. Hemlock really be like: "who even cares about human rights? I don't."

Also screw Tarkin, no one likes you

I love how everything is already going so much smoother because Echo is back with the team 🤣

Omega just put on video game stealth mode

Echo helping Omega by causing chaos, just showing his 501st side

That guy just sighing like: I don't get paid enough for this

Hello there Saw Gerrera

Listen to Tech, you didn't really thought about this on long-term status

Hemlock got a resting bitch face

Echo is here to do the job

Yeah, that does look like a problematic situation

Ep:16

Hunter just throwing Tech up basically

Tech be climbing

Tech be walking

Tech be jumping

Tech be doing his tech

Another day of Tarkin generally not caring for people's lives

Tech be running

Hunter be shooting

Tech be hanging

Why is he hanging there like my mental health during exam period

DON'T you dare Tech

Dammit, that really was to much character development for him this season

TECH, YOU JUST GAVE OMEGA MORE TRAUMA RIGHT NOW

Why is Omega just losing he framily again, and again and again

She just needs a lot of therapy at this point

Our boy AZ is finally back

Man, I think I forgot to mention how much I like Omegas mew hairstyle, Hunter gave her some haircare lessons

I can see the pain in Hunters eyes, how is that possible

Their agreeing on a peaceful future, just what could go wrong from here one

Echo just lost another brother, again, this is so sad

Like, he's not trying to deny anything, or to show sadness, he's just sitting there alone and looks so tired about everything

He's been through so much hell at this point, and it just doesn't end

ZID NO, you just lost my last respect for you 😑

Hunter, since when did Omega ever listen to you in a situation like this?

As long as you're not showing me Techs corpse he ain't dead

His cracked googles don't prove anything 😤

I don't think if anyone ever told Hemlock, but he's clearly not that good at talking to children

Echo causing chaos to save his friends

And Hunter and Wrecker not even questioning who it is 🤣

He may be a Reg, but he's an Arc trooper from the 501st

The chaos is in his blood

How did the Bad Batch go from: 4 - 5 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 5 - 4 - 3

Noooo, I can sense the upcoming trauma for Omega

WHAT

OMG the theory was correct

I don't even think it was such a big theory of her being a clone, I only saw a few people talking about this

Anyways, miss pretty red glasses is actually a clone

WHY ARE YOU WORKING FOR HEMLOCK?!

WHAT

DON'T JUST END IT THERE

How can they just leave us like this?!!!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

I can't believe they are just leaving us at that 😭 I hope we won't have to wait to long for the next season. I can't deal with this.

#tbb season 2 #arc trooper echo #the bad batch season 2 #hunter tbb #clone trooper echo #tbb s2 spoilers #tbb spoilers #tech tbb #tbb tech #omega tbb #omega the bad batch #wrecker tbb #tbb wrecker #dr. hemlock #crosshair tbb #I'm interested for what we're gonna get from Na La Se in the next season though #Also more revolving clones #Wolffe please?!!!! #Come on #We gotta get a bit more of him pre-rebels #PLEASE #Anyways #Since the 2nd season is now over I will be found hyperfixating in other fandoms in the meantime #Like the mario movie and Dr. Stone 3 and EZ2 are all coming out soon #You will find me there

[thistechnologicalterror]

Sorry if this is a weird question, but if you were a General to full legion, why did you go on the Anaxes mission?

... BESIDES TO HELP SUPPORT MY CAPTAIN IN HIS CRISIS?

HM... WELL, I HAVE NEVER BEEN VERY GOOD AT SUPPORTING PEOPLE. BUT I AM VERY GOOD AT ... BONDING.

( WE COULD GO ON ABOUT "ATTACHMENTS" ALL CYCLE, BUT THE NOTION WAS NEVER REALLY DEFINED IN THE FIRST PLACE--SO LET US SAY THAT "YOU CANNOT OWN SOMEONE" OR "YOU CANNOT TRESPASS UPON THEIR PERSON AND OR THEIR SOUL." SO I SHALL PREFER TO USE THE TERM "BONDING" FOR NOW. )

THERE WERE ALWAYS A SELECT GROUP OF MEN IN THE 501ST THAT I BONDED TO. I WOULD CALL THEM FRIENDS FOR I CANNOT CALL THEM BROTHERS.

( GENERALLY, YOU WOULD KNOW THESE TROOPERS. THEY WERE THE ONES WHO APPEARED THE MOST IN THE CLONE WARS HOLO-DOCUMENTARIES. WHY ELSE WOULD THEY APPEAR SO FREQUENTLY, INSPITE OF THE 501ST BEING A LEGION OF THOUSANDS?)

... AND I LOST MOST OF THEM, NEAR THE END.

THE LOLA SAYU MISSION WAS TERRIBLE. I COULD NOT HELP BUT NOTICE THE DISCREPANCY OF VALUE BETWEEN US AS JEDI AND THE TROOPERS. AFTER ALL, WE HAD STOPPED TO HOLD A FUNERAL FOR ONE, AFTER SO MANY TROOPERS LOST AND LEFT BEHIND WITH LITTLE MEMORIAL BESIDES THE MISSION.

WORST OF ALL, I WAS SILENT ABOUT IT. I SAID NOTHING, UNTIL THE THOUGHT BURST IN MY HEAD LONG AFTER.

THERE WAS HARDCASE, LOST AT UMBARA. I GRIEVED FOR A LONG TIME, WISHING THAT KRELL HAD LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO SEE MY LIGHTSABER TO HIM.

DID YOU KNOW HARDCASE TOOK THE LONGEST TO PAINT HIS ARMOR? HE HAD SUCH A HARD TIME SETTLING ON A DESIGN...

( I COULD HAVE LOST SO MANY MORE... AND WHILE MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE JEDI COUNCIL WAS ALWAYS ROCKY--AFTER KRELL, IT ONLY GOT WORSE. A JEDI MASTER, THAT CRUEL AND TERRIBLE, AFTER SO LONG IN THE WAR? AFTER GETTING MY MEN KILLED AND NEARLY KILLING MY CLOSEST? THERE WERE CERTAINLY REASONS WHY I ONCE RAGED FOR AND AT THE TITLE OF "JEDI MASTER" )

( BECAUSE IF THEY LET KRELL BECOME ONE, THEY COULD LET ANYONE, LET US BE HONEST. )

I HAD ONCE BONDED WITH A TROOPER NAMED TUP, AFTER UMBARA, THEN LOST HIM NOT LONG AFTER. THE WORST PART WAS THAT I NEVER FOUND OUT WHY HE WAS NAMED TUP, OR WHAT THE TEARDROP MEANT. I MOURN NEVER ASKING HIM.

... AND THEN.. FIVES. DID YOU KNOW I TALKED WITH FIVES THE MOST? TOLD HIM THINGS ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD THAT I TOLD NO OTHER. SUCH AS CRASHING A SHIP INTO AN ENGINE.

HE WAS PASSIONATELY REBELLIOUS AFTER LOLA SAYU, AND I ADMIRED THAT PASSION.

I WATCHED HIM DIE. THE GRIEF NEVER SETTLED.

THEN... THERE WAS A CHANCE, THAT ECHO STILL LIVED.

AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN VERY GOOD AT LETTING PEOPLE GO.

I THOUGHT, IT WOULD BE LIKE TAKING SOMEONE BACK FROM THE TERRIBLE FIGHTING. SOMEONE WOULD BE SAVED, SOMEONE WOULD LIVE--

... BUT IT WAS SO LATE IN THE WAR, AND I FELT NOTHING. JUST, ANGER AND EXHAUSTION, A CONSTANT EMPTINESS, ALL THE TIME, EVERY CYCLE, IN EVERY NIGHTMARE, ALWAYS. AND HERE, FINALLY, I HELP SAVE SOMEONE I CONSIDERED CLOSE ONCE, HELPED MY OWN CAPTAIN, MET FANTASTICAL TROOPERS, FOR WHOM IN ANOTHER LIFE I WOULD HAVE GLADLY STOLEN THEM FROM COMMANDER CODY (AND KENOBI).

( I AM VERY FOND OF THOSE WHO DO NOT FOLLOW THE RULES.)

AND I STILL FELT NOTHING. IT WAS AKIN TO GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF HOW I SHOULD ACT AS BOTH GENERAL AND JEDI. I WAS PUPPETTING A BODY IN NEARLY ALL SENSES.

IN THE END, I PUSHED THEM ALL AWAY. MADE THE 332ND COMPANY, SHOVED CAPTAIN REX AND THE LAST FRIEND, LIEUTENANT JESSE, IN IT AND THEN WALKED AWAY.

FOR I FELT NOTHING.

AND AFTER THAT? ...NOTHING MATTERED ANYMORE.

HM... CORPORAL ECHO MAY HAVE BEEN THE LAST PERSON I EVER HELPED SAVE BEFORE THE END. I AM... UNCERTAIN HOW I THINK ABOUT THAT.

[the-bi-space-ace]

I’m Ace 🪐

To start with the basics: my pronouns are she/they, & I’m an adult. Writing is a relaxing and fun hobby for me and I love talking about headcanons and fictional characters.

I have an interest in a lot of fandoms but right now my current favorite fandoms are The Bad Batch and The Clone Wars animated series. I play a lot of video games, watch a lot of shows, read a ton of fanfic, and just generally love fandom spaces.

I write a wide variety of fic from fluff to whump to smut.

Follows & likes from thebispaceace

If you want to DM me do it here: thebispaceace.tumblr.com

Masterlist Below!

The Calling Me Home Series

You’re Calling Me Home Like A Ship That Got Wrecked After a short break on Coruscant the Batch moves onto their next mission. Tensions run high as things go south quickly and old ghosts come back to haunt them. Can they pull together and make it out alive? Part 1

Keep These Shadows Out In the aftermath of Echo's capture and rescue from the Separatists a suspicious incident drives the team to abandon their leave and take up arms again. They'll be pushed to their limits while they try to protect not only each other but the Republic as a whole. Part 2

The World Tumbles Down The team must unravel the mystery of who is responsible for the corruption in the senate once and for all - no matter the cost. Part 3 (Ongoing)

There's Always A Place For You & I Cody & Obi-Wan have been falling in love in the background of the Calling Me Home series. This story follows them in the empty spaces. Part 4 (Ongoing)

Multi-Chapter

A Matter of Trust How the batch came to trust Echo and want him to join their squad.

Alive Artemy is dead. Artemy is not supposed to be dead. Daniil is going to bring him back. (NSFW)

The Spy Who Shagged Me Echo & Quinlan are tasked with going undercover in a night club to catch an infamous crime lord. Turns out they were an even better match than anyone could've imagined.

The Clones Celebrate Halloween

The Importance of Tradition Cody’s annual haunted cruiser takes a surprising turn (Order 66 fix it)

His Light is Diminishing Hunter pretending to be the girl from the ring to mess with his brothers

Golden After helping save a small planet from a Separatist occupation the local people invite the 212th and 501st to join in on their Harvest Celebration.

Trick or Trooper the padawans at the Jedi temple really love the clones and Rex and Cody get some time off

Game Over The Batch plays a spooky video game together

Cody & Obi-Wan

Write On Me Rex accidentally reveals Cody’s crush on Obi Wan

Cologne Cody thinks about Obi-Wan alone in his quarters (NSFW)

Be My Valentine Cody & Obi-Wan teach a group of Padawans what Valentine's Day is.

Later Cody & Obi-Wan get together & it is spicy (NSFW)

He's So Beautiful The spicy scene from 'Later' from Obi-Wan's perspective (NSFW)

Anatomically Correct While on a video call with his brothers Cody learns a thing or two about Valentine's Day and decides to plan a Valentine's date for Obi-Wan.

One Shots

Oh, Shut Up Crosshair helps Echo through a nightmare

In Their Own Ways someone hurts Echo and Crosshair gets angry

We’re All You’ve Got Hunter gets a migraine and gets taken care of

I’m Right Here Echo has a nightmare about the Rishi Outpost. Fives is there to make it better.

Liability Tech is insecure about his place in the squad. The batch make sure he knows he’s wanted.

The Stages of Grief: The Bad Batch Loses Their Favorite Restaurant The Batch is hangry

4 Times Wrecker Carried His Brothers & 1 Time They Carried Him the title says it all lol

Hold On & Don’t Let Go the batch sets Tech’s broken femur

Distractions The Batch are little shits while Echo practices scomping in

Valentine's Day on the Marauder Echo doesn’t do a great job at explaining what Valentine’s Day is traditionally. Wrecker decides to throw them the best Valentine’s Day ever.

Whatever It Takes The Techno Union places a bounty on Echo. The Bad Batch and the 501st race to get it removed.

Name Day Echo is floored when he learns that his new squad doesn't celebrate their name days. He sets out to rectify that problem.

again & again & again While rescuing Crosshair from Dr. Hemlock Echo finds himself reminded of his own stay in the clutches of Wat Tambor.

Proud Rex sees the twins in their ARC armor for the first time and remembers just how important they are to him.

On Stage & Off Key the bad batch goes to a karaoke bar

Just The Right Amount of Joy Fives & Echo make their older brothers dance bc they are being grumps

Softie Rex might have been having a little too much fun gossiping with Obi-Wan and Cody overhears it. Fluff follows.

A Promise Kept Hunter makes a promise. Echo holds him to his word. (Major Character Death Heavy Whump)

Maintenance Crosshair internalizes a comment a Kaminoan scientist says to him during a physical exam. It spirals faster than anyone could have expected. (Whump TW Disordered Eating)

Forget Me Not Fives and Echo give each other flowers over the years.

Happy Lula Day When an older cadet makes Wrecker feel unlovable the rest of clone force 99 takes the matter into their own hands by giving Wrecker his first ever Valentine's Day present.

Your Intel Was Good Crosshair & Echo have a heart-to-heart after the mission on Barton IV. Maybe things aren’t as different between them as Crosshair had feared.

Dead Weight When Crosshair is kidnapped by the Haxion brood and forced to fight in the ring he makes an unlikely ally.

Modern AU

You Better Watch Out Wolffe is tasked with distracting the two young twins - Fives & Echo - while Rex, Cody, and Fox wrap their Christmas presents. Wolffe chooses to tell them a story to keep them busy.

Stargate SG-1

Grow Where You Are Planted Episodic slow burn following Jack O’Neill and Daniel Jackson

Trick-or-Treat The Stargate team takes Cassie on her first night of Trick-or-Treating!

Thanks for stopping by ❤️

#get to know me #realized I never posted one of these #ace's masterlist

[chopper-base]

ARCs at a Cost

Fives and Echo

Based on this post

Echo and Fives are painting their new ARC armor. They both know their squad would be proud of them but it's hard to know that their brothers can't see where they stand now.

Also, never leave the Domino Twins unsupervised with paint-

@same-heart-same-blood @the-echo-in-the-room down for a trip down memory lane? (Sorry for tagging you but I really want to know what you think😅)

There is a dash of sad and then a whole lot of fluff

--------------------

Fives carefully dragged the brush over his helmet, leaving a thin blue line behind as the Rishi eel began to take shape. He dipped the brush back in the paint, carefully adding detail after detail.

Across from him, Echo sat with his chest plate settled on his crossed legs, his eyes glued to the blank chest piece that seemed to be staring back at him.

Fives knew what his twin was thinking about without having to ask. The handprint that decorated his original armor was originally put there by Captain Rex, in the blood of the very eel Fives was painting onto his brand new helmet. The same eel that stole one of their brothers from them. The same day the rest of the Domino squad fell.

The twins had made it far since that day and the proof sat right in front of them. They were ARC troopers now. Part of the 501st under the very Captain that helped save their lives on Rishi moon.

Fives set his brush down, leaning it against the paint can so as to not dirty the floor too much. "Hey, Echo?"

Echo looked up from his armor, his eyes falling on his twin. "Hm? What's up?"

Fives stared down at his helmet, his eyes following each brushstrokes that made up the design of the eel. "Do you think they're proud of us?"

Echo was slightly surprised by the question but he didn't show it much. He just let his eyes glide back down to the bright white armor that sat in his lap. "Yeah," he let a small smile appear on his face. "I think they are."

Fives tightened his grip on the helmet in his hands, his eyes never leaving the eel. "I-" he took a deep breath, calming the emotions that threatened to spill over. "I wish they were here to see this." A thought popped into his head causing a laugh to escape his lips. "Though," he looked up towards his twin. "I don't think Rex would be able to handle all five of us."

This caused a laugh to escape Echo as well who looked up to meet his twin's gaze. "Rex would have probably marched all of us back to Kamino asking how to return our dumb asses."

Fives couldn't stop the amused laughs from coming out as he set his helmet in front of him. "Can you imagine, though? All five of us? We would be absolutely chaotic!" Fives exclaimed as he threw his hands out. "Everyone would know of the Domino Squad! No amount of clankers would have taken us down!"

Echo continued to laugh, reminiscing on the memories that started to surface from when they were only cadets. Cutup and Fives were always getting in some sort of trouble, Hevy just gave up trying to stop them. Droidbait would always call them di'kuts but would usually end up doing something stupid right beside them. Echo was always more of the rule follower but he had to admit, he got dragged into some stupid trouble by his twin on more than one occasion. To be honest, Echo was probably the reason they didn't get in more trouble than they did. Domino squad quickly learned that lying was something Echo was scarily good at and no one ever questions the one with the reg manuals memorized.

Fives noticed through his laughter that Echo was still staring at the blank chest piece, a small smile still plastered on his face. An idea popped into Fives' head and he held his hand out. "Hey Echo, hand it over!"

Echo look at his brother then to his outstretched hand in confusion. "Uh, ok?" He reluctantly handed the chest piece over, almost not letting go as his twin pulled out of his reach. To Echo’s complete surprise and utter confusion, Fives dunked his entire hand in the paint. "Fives! What are you-?"

Before Echo could finish, Fives pulled his hand out, shaking off a little access paint before pressing his hand down on the chest plate. Echo sat there, mouth agape as Fives removed his hand, wiping it on his already paint covered thigh. "There!" He exclaimed, handing the chest piece back. "Now you can stop staring at it like it offended you."

Echo took the armor, holding it out in front of him as he examined the blue handprint that now decorated it. He couldn't help the smile that worked its way back on his face. Echo turned back to his twin, about to thank him before bursting into uncontrolled laughter at the sight.

Fives looked at him confused, his head tilting to the side as Echo dropped the chest piece, grasping his sides as he doubled over in laughter. "What did I do??"

Echo attempted to take a breath to explain but it only made him laugh harder. "Did- did you forget you had paint on your hand?" Echo gasped out between giggles.

Fives looked at him confused before it clicked. Fives had just wiped his face with the hand still covered in paint. "Kriffing-" he sighed defeatedly which caused Echo to fall into another round of giggling.

Fives smirked, an idea popping into his head. Echo hadn't expected Fives to dunk his hand again and he also didn't expect his brother to suddenly lunge for him. Echo let out a high pitched squeal as Fives smeared the paint across Echo’s face and hair. Echo tried to push his twin away but Fives had him pinned down, continuing to smear paint across his face and chest.

Echo reached up, grabbing Fives' sides, beginning to tickle him. The reaction was instant as Fives immediately yelped, reaching for Echo’s wrist to attempt to halt his attack. Echo used this to his advantage, pushing his twin off of him and flipping to pin him to the floor. Echo continued to tickle him as Fives practically howled with laughter, attempting and failing to stop the bombardment.

"E-echo ple-please!" He managed to gasp out between his unending laughter.

"Nope!" Echo popped, continuing his attack on his twin, managing to pin one of his arms under his knee. Fives continued to squirm, laughter echoing through the room.

The hiss of the door behind them had Echo immediately freeze, looking over his shoulder to see who walked in. Fives was trying to catch his breath beneath him, not even attempting to look at the newcomer.

In the now open doorway stood Captain Rex followed closely by Commander Cody, both had an amused look on their faces.

"I see painting your armor is going nicely," Rex mused, crossing his arms over his chest. The Captain couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him at the sight of the two paint covered ARC troopers. One of which was still struggling to breathe and pinned underneath the other. "Don't let me stop you." He waved his hand in a dismissing manner. "Seems like Fives did something to deserve it,"

Fives started to squirm desperately beneath him again. "Echo! Don't you da-!" his plea was interrupted by the attempt to draw in a breath as Echo began to tickle him again.

A smirk was plastered on Echo’s face as he continued to tickle his twin. The laughter from his two commanding officers behind him only made him tickle his brother more.

Fives was gasping now, pleadling between breaths of laughter for some sort of mercy that Echo was not giving.

Unfortunately, Echo was unaware of the scheming that had begun behind him til strong arms suddenly grabbed him from behind. It only took Echo a second to realize it was his Captain who had grabbed him but he didn't expect him to wrap his legs around the younger clone's waist. "Sir-?!?" Was all he managed to get out before Rex began tickling the young ARC Trooper.

Echo immediately started to struggle to get free from his Captain's grasp as Fives sat up, howling with laughter as his twin's predicament. "Payback!" Fives yelled in victory.

The victory was short lived as Fives was totally unprepared for the Marshall Commander to suddenly pounce at the unsuspecting clone. Cody had Fives pinned within seconds, immediately starting to tickle the young trooper.

Both twins were now pinned by their commanding officers, being tickled with absolutely no mercy. All four clones were now laughing and gasping for air. Echo and Fives were at the complete mercy of their older brothers and there was nothing either could do about it.

Eventually Rex released Echo, pushing the young clone off as he gasped for breath, his arms wrapped protectively around his middle. Cody followed suit, releasing Fives to let the younger catch his breath. Fives sprawled out on the floor, his limbs laying limply out in a starfish position as he greedily sucked in air.

Echo slowly sat up, still giggling. He met Rex's gaze who had an extremely amused smile plastered on his face. He wrapped his arms around his knees, looking over at his twin who was still sprawled across the floor. Cody, who was still sitting behind him, slowly got to a standing position before offering a hand to Fives who quickly accepted.

Rex followed suit, standing up and offering Echo a hand, pulling the ARC to his feet. Rex slapped his hand firmly on Echo’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly. He turned so he was facing Fives as well who had Cody's hand on his shoulder as well. "Welcome to the 501st, boys!"

#im literally so proud of this fic #it is my favorite thing i have ever wrote #im so proud of myself rn #starwars the clone wars #clone wars fives #clone wars echo #echo and fives #fives and echo #domino squad #domino twins #tcw fives #echo tcw #fives tcw #tcw echo #star wars fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #echo and fives fanfic #fives and echo fanfic

[echos-newlegs]

Number 22 off the prompt list with echo or fives with he/him pronouns 😳😳 pls and thank you 🙏🏽

Missing You

Ahh this would be so cute with Echo. May or may not be biased because— I love him with all my heart, but since you offered you get Echo. You are a medic in this because, uh yeah I am SO creative. But anyways, Echo calls you Doc because I dunno how to use cooler nicknames.

Echo x Male!Reader: “I remember practicing to ask you out in the mirror.”

Warnings: It is a little sad because I am kind of in my feels rn. It has its fair share of happy stuff though, don’t worry.

You were a medic, that often worked along side Kix in the Medbay. The first time you and Echo met he was in with a blaster shot to the leg. It wasn’t anything that you couldn’t help in healing, though. Taking over for Kix as he tended to one of his other brothers.

You were calm and collected. Starting conversation with the man to distract him from the pain as you disinfected and then patched up his wounds. Eyes flickering up to look to him when he would wince and tense up. Though he gave you a look that said, ‘I’m fine, keep going.’ So you did.

Echo always requested to have you helping him. Claiming that you were more gentle than his brother was. Which you were, in some ways, but honestly he just wanted an excuse to hear your voice. To be near you. After a few visits, he would start looking for you when he knew you weren’t working. Go out of his way to walk with you to your quarters, or to the mess. Or to wherever you were going. It made your day. You absolutely loved it. He was so kind, and thoughtful. He listened to you, let you talk, and even shared stories with you on the days that you weren’t really in the mood to hold a solid conversation.

But now? Now that was all gone. Now you wouldn’t be seeing him in the medbay, or the mess, or bump into him in the halls. You wouldn’t be able to sit in your quarters with him and eat some of the snacks you snuck in for him from the last mission that you were needed out on the field. He wasn’t able to bring you trinkets from the planets that he visited. None of that was able to happen again. All you had was your memories.

Your damned memories that seemed to be slowly fading after months went by without him. You were beginning to forget how he laughed. Sure his brothers shared the same laugh, but something about his was unique. You were beginning to forget little details, and it upset you more than anything. The others in the 501st could tell, too. They all knew you and Echo were close. Even Fives could see that the two of you wanted to be more than friends. It wasn’t rocket science. So, the moment Rex found out that Echo could be alive. He made it his mission to not only save him for Echo, but for you as well.

Echo wasn’t the only trooper that loved your smile and your kind heart. So he hoped if he got him back for you. Even the closure of his body, then it would finally put you at ease.

You weren’t told about any of this. Not until you heard troopers talking about how they found a POW. You were curious, to say the least. Finding one of the shines that was talking about it with his brothers. “Who was the prisoner?” You asked with a brow raised. You had lost so many men, so many friends after Echo, that you never believed it would be him. Though a piece of you, deep down. Screamed and shouted in hopes that they would say his name or number.

“An Arc Trooper, sir, went by the name of Echo. They’re bringing him back here with Clone Force 99.” The shiny informed you, and you felt your heart stop. Your eyes were darting around. Breathing picking up a bit, this was a joke, wasn’t it? It had to be. Rushing off past the men to find someone to fill you in on what in stars name was happening.

You sooner or later ended up getting a hold of General Skywalker. He could tell you were distressed. “What sort of sick joke is this?” You spat, starting in before Anakin could even get a word in. “The shinies are talking about how Echo is alive? That’s impossible. I was there when the explosion happened, he’s not, why are they saying this?” You were on the verge of tears as you paced your quarters. Running your hands through your hair. “Oh, he’s alive alright. Why don’t you come outside?” He spoke with a smirk. Anakin knew about your feelings for Echo, and you knew he didn’t mind. He was supportive, even. Anakin always treated you like the little brother he never had, and told you to go for it a number of times. Though you never did, and you greatly regret it.

“Y/n, just come outside and see for yourself.” You were brought back to the conversation. Biting your bottom lip and hanging up on the general. Rushing out the door and down the hall. Until you were exiting the hanger and finding a group of people gathered around.

Your stomach was turning. Heart pounding in your chest. Then the world felt like it froze when you saw him. He was talking with a group that you knew had to be Clone Force 99. You knew it had to be Echo, his armor didn’t match theirs. He looked like a clone, at least. If it was, he looked horrible. But not in a way that you still didn’t want him just as bad as you did nearly a year ago.

You were stuck in place, waiting for him to turn, and when he did. His eyes fell on you. His expression dropped, and he froze up as well. “Cyare..” You watched his lips mouth. Your eyes tearing up, it was him. It was Echo. Your Echo.

You started with a fast walk, and then a jog over to the other. Him moving towards you nearly just as fast. The two of you extending your arms and then engulfing one another in a hug. Something the two of you missed more than you could both remember. “Echo, I- Are you okay? oh my force I’ve missed you so much-“ You sobbed as you burried your face in his neck and he rested his forehead on your shoulder. “I’ve missed you so much, too, Doc, not a day went by I didn’t think about you.” He murmured, and that made the dam break. Tears falling from your eyes in streams.

You were at a loss for words, the two of you holding onto one another for what felt like forever, but honestly it wasn’t long enough. “You’ve changed your hair?” He muttered, reaching up to run his fingers through your hair with his good hand. It was longer than the last time the two of you saw each other. “You changed yours, too.” You murmured. Reaching up and running your fingers over the top of his head. Causing the two of you to snicker a bit.

You both parted slightly so Echo could rest his forehead on your own. His eyes, unlike his skin. Were still bright and had some life in them. Your hand falling to cup his face with a small smile. “Y/n?” You raised your brows a bit. His voice was soft, and stars you missed him saying your name. You missed his voice in general. “Yeah?” You spoke in a near whisper. Shuddering a bit as his hand ran to cup the back of your neck.

He looked nervous. Eyes darting to the side and then back to yours. Gulping, even. “Echo, what is it?” You asked again, and he sighed. “I know, I just got back, but I don’t wanna waste my chance, not now, not ever. Never again,” You stared at him, creasing your brows. What was he saying? “I want to take you on a date, just the two of us, I don’t know where, but.. Kriff, Y/n I like you, and I have since the first time I met you. I maybe even love you, you were what kept me going, you kept me fighting. Because I knew you would be there when I got back. Even if you got into a relationship with someone else, you would be there for me, like old times.”

You were tearing up again, and you could see the panic in his eyes when another tear drop rolled down your cheek. “You do-“ You couldn’t speak, for you knew you would just break down. Which would scare him more. So you reached up and cupped his face with both hands now. Pulling him in for a kiss. Interrupting whatever he was about to say.

The kiss was soft, Echos hand stiffening, then relaxing. Along with his lips. Both your guys’ eyes falling shut as he moved his arms down to wrap around your torso. This was when you felt the metal of his other arm. Making you even more angry and upset. They hurt him so bad, but that didn’t change how you felt about him.

The two of you parting after some time. Huffing out breaths as you both tried to steady your breathing and racing hearts. Even though you were both on cloud nine. “I remember practicing to ask you out in the mirror.” Echo blurted. You looking to him with a shocked expression. “You did?” You asked, and he smiled shyly. Looking down towards the ground. “Yeah.. I did, Fives was tired of hearing me talk about you all day, so he told me to take it like a real one and ask you on a date, so I would talk to myself in the mirror.” He spoke, catching your eyes again.

Your gaze softened on him, and the mention of Fives pained you. You were going to have to tell him about what happened, it was the right thing to do, but it wouldn’t be now. That was a conversation for another time. “Yeah? Well, it paid off in the end.” You hummed, and he tittered. Kissing your forehead with a sigh as you leant agains him. “Yeah, yeah it did.”

#star wars #echo deserves the world #bad batch x reader #star wars writing #the bad batch #the clone wars #writing #clone x reader #echo x reader #echo x male!reader #clone x male!reader #arc trooper echo x reader #arc trooper echo

[imagineyourworld]

The Plan

Echo x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your boyfriend just broke up with you, but you have the perfect plan to get him back (Set before Citadel)

Warnings: Alcohol/drinking, slight allusion to sex, teeny tiny bit smutty towards the end

Check out more of my work here and what’s coming soon

——-

Sure, maybe you were being petty. Maybe you should have spent the evening on your couch with a romantic holo and a bowl full of ice cream. Maybe this plan would backfire and you’d regret it for the rest of your days. But you had to try, not just for yourself, but also for Echo. Echo, who less than twenty four standard hours ago had broken up with you and who you knew would be spending his last night on Coruscant before being deployed again at 79s. And even if he wouldn’t realise that he’d made a mistake by breaking up with you, you could at least spend an evening out with your best friend and her girlfriend while wearing your new fabulous dress. Though you were sure of your plan just a few moments ago, and it had sounded even better coming from your friends mouth, you were no longer certain. As soon as you entered the bar a couple of eyes fell on you and your companions, and though you knew both your friend and her girlfriend looked fabulous, you couldn’t help but feel like they followed you on your way to the bar. “You need to relax”, your friend whispered to you after ordering your drinks. All you managed to do was a shaky nod, and luckily you were saved from having to answer her by someone you weren’t sure you really wanted to see. “You clean up nicely, mesh’la”, someone behind you said and made you turn around. “Thanks, Fives.” Your voice was not as smooth as you wanted it to be. If Fives was here, talking to you, that could only mean that Echo was not far. “I suppose you’re not just here for a drink, are you?” At first you wanted to lie and tell him that that’s exactly why you were at 79s, then you considered telling him that you wanted to forget about Echo by looking for someone else, but you knew that Fives would be able to see through any lie, he could read you almost as well as Echo could. “I suspect Echo told you everything?” Fives didn’t even need to confirm your suspicion, his expression told you everything. “Listen, mesh’la”, he started. This time there was a sad ring to the familiar nickname, that had almost become an inside joke between the two of you. “I understand why Echo did it. I don’t think it was the right choice, but I understand and I know you do too.” You took a moment to answer. First you reached for your drink first, using the movement to glance at your friend, who was in deep conversation with her girlfriend and wouldn’t be any help. “Whose side are you on anyways?”, you asked Fives. He just shrugged, his eyes fixated on something, or someone, behind you, but your pride told you not to turn around. Instead you tried to focus on the familiar warmth of Fives’ hand as he held onto yours and the words you knew would be coming out of his mouth. “You’re one of my best friends, but Echo’s my brother, my vod. But I suppose if everything goes according to your plan there won’t be sides to choose from after tonight.” He didn’t give you time to reply before he placed a gentle kiss on the top of your head and disappeared in the crowd. But for a few more moments you could feel a familiar pair of eyes on you, a pair of eyes that had been watching your entire interaction. “I think Echo saw all of that”, your friend whispered in your ear, confirming your suspicion.

——-

It took you about half an hour to realize that your plan had to change. You knew your dress would catch Echo’s attention, his eyes would be drawn to you and every now and then you caught him staring from the other end of the bar. The blue and white dress mirrored the 501st’s amour, both in colour and in style, was tight at the top and came loose around your knees, which, combined with a sparkling necklace that rested where your breasts began, drew attention to what you knew was Echo’s favourite body part of yours, your boobs. And your eyes, he would always insists. And though you believed him from the countless times he had gotten lost in your eyes, you knew that deep down he was a boobs man through and through, so of course the dress for the night had been strategically chosen. The downside, however, was the second part of your plan. You had been hoping to catch Echo’s attention with your dress and then make him realize what he was missing by flirting with as many of his brothers as possible, because even though he wasn’t possessive, he wasn’t the biggest fan of his brothers getting more of your attention that him. But to really get to him it had to be one of the brothers he was close to, preferably someone from the 501st. Though it seemed as if Echo had warned all of them not to approach you, because every time you caught someone’s eye you saw them looking at Echo before nodding at you and disappearing in the crowd. Only Fives had actually talked to you, but since Echo knew that he was almost like a brother to you that was no use. The next step in your plan would have been to find someone else to flirt with, maybe someone from the 212th or 104th, only this time it wasn’t Echo, but your dress, that ruined your plan. The dress that seemed to be made for you, that made you feel beautiful and confident, also told every clone that you belonged with the 501st, or rather someone in the 501st. So here you were, sipping on your third drink of the night while your friend and her girlfriend were having the time of their lives on the dancefloor. That is until a voice pulled you out of your depressing thoughts. “Since when do you drink alone?” You jumped up from your chair to hug the blond clone. “Rex! It’s good to see you.” You felt rather than heard his low chuckle from how tight you were hugging him. “What are you doing all alone at the bar? The others have a booth in the back and I was just about to join them, why don’t you come with?” You knew that if he set his mind to it, Rex could be quite a good actor, which is why you weren’t sure whether he even knew that Echo had broken up with you. “Rex-”, you began, but before you could protest he slung an arm around your shoulder and pulled you along with him. By the time you reached the booth you still hadn’t come up with a good excuse, which is why you found yourself sitting next to Kix at a table with a few members of the 501st, but no Echo. It was quite awkward at first, but after a few minutes of idle conversation with the boys it was as if you had been there with them all evening, as if nothing had happened. “I really like your dress, by the way. The colours are really-”, Jesse said with a smirk, but he was interrupted by a familiar voice behind you. Yes, most people said that the clones all sounded the same, but you could have told Echo apart by just his breathing, there was no way anyone else would ever say your name like that. “(Y/N), you’re in my seat.” You could tell that Echo was really trying to be casual, to pretend you were acquaintances, maybe even friends, and had never been anything else, just from the way he said your name. But you had heard him say and scream and whisper and moan your name often enough to tell every single emotion he must be feeling right now. And despite the anger, that was practically radiating off of him, it was the love that made you turn around. “Echo.” That’s all you said. Other than him you didn’t even try to hide your emotions, the quiver in your voice or the love in your eyes. There was no point in trying, you knew he could read you just as well as you could read him. “You should leave.” Echo’s tone was harder now that he’d had a moment to conceal his feelings. But there was no way you’d leave now. You finally had his attention, his full attention, and he was actually talking to you. You didn’t say anything, just looked at Echo, who was staring back at you. You knew it would only take a few more seconds, maybe a bit more sadness in your expression, and he’d relent. But then Hardcase, sweet, clueless Hardcase, just had to break the spell. “Don’t be like that, Echo. You can sit next to me, there’s no need to make (Y/N) get up.” What choice did Echo have but to agree? So there he was, almost across from you at the same table, with Kix on your right talking to Fives and Rex and your left putting a reassuring hand on the small of your back. But no matter how much you stared, how much you tried to force Echo to look at you with pure willpower, he ignored you. As time went on he talked to his brothers, laughed with them and pretended you weren’t even there. Even ‘accidentally’ kicking him underneath the table or ‘fixing’ the top of your dress didn’t make him as much as glance in your direction. You were almost ready to give up, to ask Fives or Rex to walk you home, since your friend had found you at the table and asked if it was alright if she and her girlfriend left a while ago, when a clone you didn’t know walked up to you. His amour was a light, almost pastel, green, his hair styled almost exactly the same as Echo’s and a tattoo of some sort of flower ran up the side of his neck. “Sorry to bother you”, he started. Though his words didn’t catch everyone’s attention, they caught yours, and apparently also that of Echo, Fives and Rex. “I was just wondering… Are you with anyone or would you care to dance with me?” He was looking at you with a hopeful expression in his eyes. And even though you had been ready to admit defeat for tonight and just go home, you couldn’t deny his puppy dog eyes and the sweet smile. But it wasn’t just that, the moment the other clone spoke up Echo’s eyes had finally drifted over to you and all of the sudden it seemed as if your plan might work after all. You gently nudged Rex so he’d stand up and let you out of the booth. It wasn’t until you were standing in front of the clone that you answered. “I’d love to dance with you. And no, I’m not with anyone.” You could hear Echo’s sharp intake of breath, which only caused your smile to widen. “Great! That’s great. I just thought that maybe, because your dress is the same colour as their amour that you were in a relationship and I wouldn’t want to come between that. My name is Primrose, by the way.” As you linked your arm with his and looked up at him you noticed that the flowers on his neck were in fact primroses.

——-

“You know, it’s your fault.” “Shut up, Fives”, Echo growled at his brother. “Not only were you the one who broke up with her, you’re also the one who’s been ignoring her all night long.” “Shut up, Fives”, Echo repeated, this time accompanied by a slight kick against his brother’s leg. Echo felt his brothers’ eyes on him as he finished his drink while watching you dance with Primrose. The two of you were closer than you needed to be, your smile was wider than it needed to be and his hands were on your body more than they needed to be. “He’s right”, Jesse said with a nod in your direction. This finally made Echo tear his eyes away from you. “Not you too”, he sighed, wishing he’d either have another drink nearby or that the song would end and you’d return without Primrose. “But Fives is right”, Kix insisted. For just a brief second Echo considered murdering his brothers. The moment passed as soon as it had come, but the desire to make them shut up remained. “Why did you even break up with her? You’re clearly still in love with her”, Rex asked. By the time even his Captain opened his mouth, probably even earlier when Rex had dragged you along with him, Echo knew the entire universe had to be against him. “She deserves better.” That’s all he said. All he had said when he had broken up with you, all he’d tell his brothers. “That’s banthashit and you know i-”, Fives was interrupted by your return to the table. The moment your arse hit the worn out cushion you downed the drink in front of you, not caring that it wasn’t yours, but Rex’s, who stared at you in dismay. “Wow there, mesh’la, was he that bad of a dancer?”, Fives laughed. You shook your head with a smirk. “Quite the opposite, actually. But I’m thirsty and he had to leave because his company is being send on a mission early tomorrow. Speaking of leaving, I think I’d better get home, it’s getting late. Would one of you boys walk me home?” Before anyone could say or do anything Echo shot up from his seat, almost upsetting the table with the rapid movement. “I’ll do it.”

——-

Though you had been happy when Echo first announced he’d walk you home, the happiness didn’t last long. The entire way he didn’t say a word, even to your questions he only nodded or shook his head instead of an actual answer. “You didn’t have to walk me home, you know. One of the others could have done it, or I could have walked alone.” You hadn’t expected Echo to your annoyed statement since he hadn’t said anything to things you had hoped would force him to talk to you. “You know I’d never let you walk home alone in the dark, cyar’ika.” You could tell from the way he tensed up next to you that he hadn’t meant to say that, hadn’t meant to call you by the nickname he knew you loved so much. It was more of a force of habit than anything else. “It speaks”, was your sarcastic reply. You refused to look at Echo, but you had a feeling he was biting his lips to keep himself from saying anything else. Lucky for him you stopped in front of your building just then and there was no need for him to say anything other than goodbye. You walked over to the door, shifting your small purse before looking at Echo over your shoulder. “I guess I’ll see you around.” Quickly you turned back around so he wouldn’t see the tears welling up in your eyes. The evening, the plan, had been a disaster. You were now a hundred percent certain that Echo didn’t want you back, didn’t have feelings for you anymore, and had only walked you home due to… what? A sense of obligation? To not be an even bigger dick? It wasn’t until you had already punched in half of your access code into the keypad next to the door that Echo spoke up. “Can I walk you to your apartment?” You finished typing in your code before you turned around, hoping Echo wouldn’t be able to see how much his words affected you. But all worries, all reasons not to let him into your flat, into your life, again, vanished the second you looked at him. There was no way you could ever say no to him, no way you could deny him anything when he was looking at you with so much hope and fear and… love… in his eyes. “Okay”, you whispered. A weak answer, but the only one you managed without your voice breaking. “Okay”, he repeated, a smile brightening his handsome face. In the blink of an eye he was next to you, holding the door open for you, then guiding you towards the lift. He was standing closer than before, you could feel his body heat through your dress and his amour on the ride to your flat. Once you arrived on your floor you hurried to your door, typing in the code before Echo could see it, but you should have known the ARC trooper would catch the numbers you pressed. “You still have my CT number as your code?” You let him into your flat before following and closing the door behind you. “I didn’t have time to change it yet.” The small smile on his lips vanished at your words. For once it seemed that he had bought your lie. “So you wanted to change it?”, he asked. His voice was quieter than before, his eyes went from you to his shoes and back to you. “Did you come up here to talk about my acess code?” You couldn’t hide the annoyance in your voice. All night Echo had been either ignoring you or glaring at you, then all of the sudden he was being nice and calling you “cyar’ika” again and then all he wanted to talk about was the stupid code for your stupid door? “I… No, that’s not why I wanted to come up. I… Can we sit down?” You nodded and lead Echo over to your small couch, where the two of you sat down, but this time a bit farther apart. Though still close enough that you could touch him if you reached out. “Cya- (Y/N), you need to stop whatever it is you’re doing. Wearing that dress you know I adore, flirting and dancing with my brothers and drawing my eyes to you every waking moment.” He took a deep breath, not meeting your eyes but instead focusing on your nose, your lips, your breasts, your hands. Though he didn’t look into your eyes, his never left your body. “We’re not together anymore.” If it wasn’t for the way his voice shook as he said the last words, the way a single tear threatened to slip out of his left eye, the way he looked at you as if wanting to commit every detail to memory, you would have believed him. But you couldn’t. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but you couldn’t believe he actually meant what he said. “But why? You never gave me a reason for breaking up with me. Maybe, if you told me why, I could accept it, maybe even understand it.” His fingers twitched. Your hands were laying so close together on the couch, it would only take a few millimeters for the to touch. “Echo, why did you break up with me? Why did you break my heart?” Finally he looked at you. Really looked at you and saw you. More tears were welling up in his eyes, though none of them escaped. “I never meant to break your heart, I wanted to save it.” His words were a soft whisper, so soft you could have sworn you had imagined them, but before you could ask him to repeat himself, Echo continued. “I had to break up with you, don’t you understand? I had to make sure you wouldn’t get attached, because if we’re not together, if you don’t love me, your heart won’t get broken when I eventually die in this war.” You opened and closed your mouth a few times, but no words came out. Finally, after what felt like hours of silence, hours of Echo just looking at you, you managed to answer. “Is that the only reason?” It seemed as if he was at a similar loss for words, because Echo simply nodded. You shook your head. You couldn’t believe it. Of course you knew there had to be some sort of reason for Echo to break up with you, the two of you had been happy after all, but you wouldn’t have thought that that could be the reason, though it did explain his hot and cold behaviour. It wasn’t that Echo didn’t want to be with you, didn’t love you, he simply wanted to protect you. Slowly and gently you reached out until your hand cupped Echo’s cheek. You shifted closer to him and held his hand in your other hand. “I’m not even gonna discuss the fact that you think it’s inevitable that you’ll die in this war, that’s a conversation for another day. But Echo, my love, how could you think I wouldn’t be heartbroken if anything were to happen to you just because we’re not together? I love you. I have loved you before we started dating and I didn’t stop when you broke up with me, I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I’ve never felt this way before and of course I don’t want to imagine the heartbreak of losing you, but my heart breaks a little every time you leave, with every single scratch you get and everything you’re forced to endure in this war. And whether or not we’re together doesn’t change that, doesn’t change my love for you.” It wasn’t until you felt Echo’s thumb gently brushing across your cheek that you realized you had started crying. And so did he. Softly you placed your lips on his cheeks and kissed a few tears away, the salty taste speaking of love and hope and heartbreak. “I guess I’m pretty stupid, aren’t I?”, Echo tried to joke. But you shook your head. “No, never. You tried to protect me, even if it was the worst plan in the history of planning, that’s not stupid, that’s brave and selfless and I love you even more for it.” Echo nodded. He nodded and he cried and you cried until you started laughing and couldn’t stop. And when Echo joined in on your laughter you could have sworn your heart was soaring right out of your chest. “So, we’re together again?”, you asked. Instead of answering Echo leaned in until his lips were only inches away from yours and with a small sigh you closed the gap. Kissing him was familiar, but that didn’t make it any less loving and exciting. The kiss started out slow and careful, but soon you gently bit down on Echo’s bottom lip before soothing it with your tongue. Only when both of you needed to catch your breath did you part. “Do you love me again?”, you whispered against Echo’s lips just a second later. You felt, rather than saw, his grin. “I never stopped.” A chuckle made his way past your kiss swollen lips. “Me neither. And I never will.” He hummed in something you interpreted as both agreement and content before he touched your lips with his again. “One more thing, though”, he said between pressing pecks to your lips, his hands winding into your hair. “I hope you’ll wear that dress again soon.” You laughed. That you could do. It was a pretty dress and solely based on the looks he had shot you all night it had quickly become your favourite garment. “Sure. But how about I take it off for now?” Echo didn’t answer. Instead he started kissing, biting and sucking on your neck. You supposed that was a yes.

——-

Honestly, I don’t know what this fic even is! The original idea was smutty with a but of fluff, now it ended up being a fluffy and slightly angsty mess with just a sprinkle of suggested smut. But maybe it was enjoyable nonetheless, let me know! <3

#echo x reader #arc trooper echo x reader #tbb echo x reader #echo x you #arc trooper echo x you #star wars clone wars #clone wars imagine #tbb echo imagine #echo imagine #arc trooper echo imagine #echo x y/n

[greenygreenland]

Tired: Omega x Platonic! Slicer! Reader

-Hi I’m back from the dead

-i write for females, keep that in mind (sorry, it's what I'm comfortable with, so I hope you understand!)

-but really, I write in 2nd POV, so you can't tell for the most part

REQUESTED

Summary: You're a former bounty hunter who's also a slicer for the GAAR. You meet Omega by chance.

Tired. That was the only thing that could describe your mental state. Being assigned to mission after mission was no fun, especially when it was solo. You were a civvie slicer, one who the GAAR hired by chance due to your reputation.

By reputation, that meant ex-mercenary-who-so-happened-to-have-a-knack-or two-for-technology. The clones were nice to you though. For the most part, they didn't care about your previous occupation because it wasn't the first time anyone's hired Bounty Hunters for the GAAR.

The low hum of the ship helped to ease your building worries. You wondered what the boys of Clone Force 99 were up to. It was no secret that you were part of the complete package. No one knew how you and them got along when you were a civvie. Being outsiders themselves, they hated anyone who wasn’t part of their group. But not you. You were different. Kind. Caring. Understanding.

That thought made you frown. You missed the boys. They had been gone for at least seven rotations without comming you once. The fact that they promised didn't help their cause either. Were they okay? Maybe one of them got hurt, or worse, killed? Maker forbid such a thing.

"They better come back to me in one piece, or I'll have them begging on their knees for forgiveness..."

Beep, beep, beep!

You jolted upright, swinging your legs out form under you as you hurriedly fumbled for the holoprojector. You tapped a button and the cockpit flooded with a soft, blue light. "Tech!" you cried. "It's been seven rotations! Why haven't you commed me?" He removed his helmet with a sheepish shrug. "We've been busy of course. And it's seven rotations and fifteen hours, meaning--"

"Yeah, yeah." you cut in with a sigh. "I don't like the idea of not coming with you guys on missions. I know you're just as capable--more if you want me to be honest--but that doesn't mean I can't worry."

There was a rustle behind Tech and he looked over his shoulder. Hunter came into view, an apologetic look in his eyes. "Sorry we didn't comm you. With all that's gone down, I wouldn't say we've had the time." You flopped down in your chair helplessly. "I know, it's just..."

Hunter smiled warmly. "Don't worry about us (Y/n)." Tech pushed up his glasses and nodded in agreement. "If there's anyone who we should be worrying about, it's you. You go on solo missions six out of nine times. We have each other but you only have yourself."

"Wow, I feel so much better Tech." You sarcastically muttered. "Speaking of mission, I'm on my next one."

Hunter knitted his brows. "Where?"

"Skako Minor."

"Skako Minor?" they echoed. You nodded. "Something strange is going on there. According to Rex, the Seppie battle plans have been drawn exactly like the ones he used to do with Echo--that’s one of his men." You recalled the face of that fallen soldier. He was always so sweet to you, giving a wave whenever you passed and smiling as brightly as he could. To say you missed the poor boy was an understatement.

"Isn't Skako Minor under the Techno Union?" inquired a coiled voice. Crosshair made his way into the frame and unceremoniously squeezed himself between his brothers. "You better not be going alone." You waved it off. "Even if I did, it’s fine. I can take care of myself.”

“Like the time you nearly fried yourself with a loose wire on that rock in the Outer Rim? Yeah, I don’t think so.” You averted your gaze to the side in embarrassment. No one needed to remind you of that rookie mistake. You could have gotten yourself killed. The watts were off the chart there. “That was one time. I’m a master at this stuff, don't worry. And besides, Cody, Rex, Jesse, and Kix are with me." Cross's brows shot up. "You're working with regs?"

"Don't worry, they're seasoned soldiers from the 501st.” That was the truth, and you meant it. Working under Rex for months made it clear to you. During that time, he taught you a thing or two about mechanics. “General Skywalker’s men are more than capable. So is Cody."

Cross looked doubtful, and you couldn't blame him. This was enemy territory you were sneaking into. It didn’t matter who you had on your side, because anyone could make a mistake.

A deep laugh echoed from over Cross’s shoulder. Wrecker set down his gonk droid, Lula in the other hand. “You guys need to have faith in (Y/n),” he reminded with a grin. “She’s smarter than me, and she’s always kept up with us. Is there anything she can’t do?” Tech pushed his glasses up with a challenging look. “Uh, actually--”

“Just be careful.” Hunter concluded. “We want to see you back in one piece.” You nodded in understanding. “Copy that, Sarge.” He smiled, and it was filled with unsaid words of care. Cross sent you a nod, eyes all mushy and soft while Tech knitted his brows together worriedly. Wrecker grinned, and it was so bright that it could have blinded you.

“Same goes to you Batchers,” you stated seriously. “Come back to me in one piece, or I’ll come over there and kill you myself.” Tech looked like he wanted to comment on that, but he sensed the shift in mood and kept his mouth shut. You memorised their faces as best as you could. It would be a while until you saw them next.

The hologram flickered out and the soft glow of blue hues disappeared. The cold, dim lighting of the ship fell over you. “Well that’s that.” you muttered with a weak smile. Rex patted your shoulder comfortingly. “They really care about you.”

“Yeah. But it wasn’t always like that. I used to be a stranger too.”

The rest of the ride was spent with the occasional joke from Jesse. He made you laugh, and it helped to soothe your worries. But then the ship landed, and you were thrust into a battle zone. You were thankful Anakin made you wear heavier armour today. If he hadn’t, then you probably would have been vaporized on the spot.

“We need cover!” shouted Rex. That was a no-brainer. Being out in the open at the bottom of a ravine was not in the least tactical. “SBDs!” you called. “Twelve o’clock!”

Jesse raced past you. “Get down!” He threw an EMP. It wasn’t as effective as you hoped it would be. If the Bad Batch were here, this situation would have been completely different. You were on your own. There was no cover, save for the piles of smoking durasteel and the very armour strapped to your vulnerable limbs.

You were in a head-on battle.

“I guess we don’t have much of a choice.” You charged forward, tossing a few EMPs as you blasted away. The best you could do was nail them in the head and hope for the best. Jesse was right beside you, with Cody, Kix, and Rex following suit.

“I didn’t think you would be this daring!” called Jesse. You blasted a few droids and kicked another in the head. It fell with a clank and you smothered it in a healthy dose of blaster fire. “I wasn’t about to be bested by a couple of rust buckets!” you retorted with shake of your head. “Come on, we need to get to that tower.”

You made quick work of the droids. You were no Jango Fett, but you managed with the help of the Regs. Cody congratulated your work and motioned for the squad to continue on. “It’s obvious the enemy knows we’re here. I have my doubts on sneaking in, but perhaps we can manage...”

Past the commando droids, through the front door, then up the lift and a little further down a couple halls. Before the mission, Rex had pulled you aside to speak in private. He thought Echo was alive and that whatever was sending out those Seppie battle plans had to be him. But you weren’t about to get your hopes up. Not when so many of your friends long marched far, far away.

You stopped by a door and plugged in your datapad. “I need to slice open the door. I’m not about to challenge fate here with a charge.” Jesse nodded in understanding. “I’d rather come back with all my legs and arms, thank you very much.” He turned to keep guard as Cody stood close to your side. “Is this the control room?”

“Yes.” The door swished open and you disconnected your ‘pad from the panel. “I’ll slice the computer and retrieve the information we need. Rex, I need you for this portion.” He nodded in understanding and followed suit. You connected your datapad to the communications table. A hologram appeared, where dates and names passed by in the blink of an eye.

“You said this might be Echo.” you quietly stated. Rex nodded. “I can’t be sure, but there isn’t another explanation.” You watched as the information scrolled past at the speed of light. There wasn’t anything of use so far. Only old reports, check-ins and...

The scrolling froze. A file opened up, filling the room with a voice you wouldn’t ever forget. It was scratchy and lifeless, but you were sure it had to be the man who went KIA so long ago. “That’s...”

“Echo’s alive.” Rex affirmed. “It--it has to be him.”

“We’ve got company!” called Jesse.

You transferred the file and stuffed your ‘pad in a safe spot for keeping. “In case anything happens, I’m transferring the data over to you.” you stated. “I wouldn’t want to lose any of this.” The two of you rushed out of the room in a frenzy. Blaster fire sounded above, whizzing way over your head as you sprinted down the hall. The lift wasn’t far, only a couple metres. You just had to run a little more and--

BOOM!

Had a droid thrown a charge? You turned to Rex, eyes wide as he turned to face you. With all of the strength you could muster, you shoved him out of the way. Another BOOM!. You turned just in time to see the flash of brilliant reds and oranges.

The force threw you into the transparisteel windows, which spider-webbed out in long cracks. You were suddenly flying out of the four story building. Shards cut past your face and through your sleeves, tearing away at flesh and fabric without an ounce of mercy. If only you had a doshing jetpack.

“(Y/N)!”

You didn’t scream, but Maker did it kriffing hurt. There was a sickening crack, another blinding flash of sharp pain. You held back a cry.

Just be careful. We want you back in one piece.

Your vision faded in and out. Black blurred the galaxy as you knew it.

I'm sorry, boys.

You fell into the painful jaws of darkness.

-----

The first thing that hit your nose was the sterile smell of bacta. Your eyes fluttered open and you found yourself staring at the blank ceiling of the medbay. The incessant beeping of the heart monitor caught you off guard. How hard did you fall? Much less, what did you break?

A head of dirty blonde hair peeked over the edge of your bed. Her eyes, wide with curiosity made you knit your brows together. She was young, much younger than any girl here should be. You were about to sit up, but the girl frantically straightened.

"You're not supposed to be getting up." She gently pushed you back down. "You have a lot more than a few broken bones." That was when the pain began to settle. You stilled under the thin medbay sheets. "I need to comm someone."

"Now?" the girl incredulously inquired. "You're hurt, you have to rest first." But that was the least of your problems. Where was Rex? Had he completed the mission? How long were you out? Were Jesse, Kix, and Cody alright? You winced and the girl frowned.

"If it makes you feel better, there were a few people who came to visit."

That didn't make you feel better. It meant they saw you like this, in the most vulnerable state you could ever be in. "Who are you?"

The girl pointed at herself like she'd never been asked that before. "Me?" You nodded. "I'm Omega." She smiled and it was a little shy and toothy. "You've been asleep for a while. I thought you weren't going to wake up for another day." You tensed and pursed your lips together. "How long?"

"A week, I think." Omega said. "But it's okay! You're recovering steadily." That wasn't the issue. Recovering steadily wasn't good enough because you were missing out on a mission you needed to complete. If Echo really was alive, then you had to save him. It was the least you could do after he put his life on the line for you so many times before.

"I have to..." You pushed your aching body up. "I have to go."

"No!" Omega forced you back down. "Even if you could walk, you can't fight."

"But I have to..." The look on Omega's face made you pause. She was so small, and in that little body of hers, she stored up a good amount of worry for you. How could you say no to that? A sigh escaped your lips and you begrudgingly relaxed onto the bed.

Omega's shoulders slumped in relief. "I'll get a your holoprojector." You raised a brow with a watchful eye as she scurried away. She rummaged through a lone cabinet in the corner of the room. Your clothes sat there, belt, holsters, blasters and all. Omega pulled out your holoprojector, closed the cabinets, and handed it to you.

"I washed your clothes too if you're wondering," she said with a small smile. "But don't think about going anywhere! You can't walk with broken legs."

A pit formed in your stomach. You can't walk with broken legs. That wouldn't be true if you had seen the blast. If you had ran faster. Maybe you wouldn't have ended up like this, a mess of bandages, casts, and bacta patches. If only you had seen it coming.

"Hey, (Y/n)?" You didn't question how Omega knew your name. Whoever she was, she had to be a someone to wear Kaminoan jewellery anyway. "What is it?" Your voice was quiet, sad almost. Omega played with a loose thread on her sleeve. "That was very brave of you." She stepped closer to the bed and pulled up a chair. "Captain Rex came by this morning. He told me that you saved him from that blast."

You shifted to meet her gaze as best as you could. The holoprojector weighed your hand down like a ten kilo weight. "I just...reacted. Nothing special to congratulate." Omega shook her head. "No, that's everything. If it were me, I don't think I'd be able to do that."

A pull in your gut told you she meant what she said. Your eyes softened. You didn't meet her gaze. Maybe that was because you couldn't. It was a hard enough fact accepting that you were injured, adding on that you were going soft didn't help your cause.

Omega took it as her signal to give you some privacy and exited the room. The doors swished shut behind her, leaving you in a much needed silence. You tapped the projector. It opened up, bathing the snow white room in soft blue hues.

"Rex." you greeted. "I apologize for my absence." His brows were knitted, eyes all sad and cloudy. He tried to keep a straight face, but you knew better. Of course you did. He was your best friend since the moment you joined the GAAR. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I should be asking that to you. Are you alright? That fall was..." He paused and it was like he was choking back tears. "I-I'm sorry. If I had just been more careful, then you wouldn't be..."

"Rex, I'm fine."

"You can't walk." he muttered. "And you can't do much on your own. I took away your independence, this is all my fault." You knitted your brows together. His words made your heart ache, and the very thought of what he faced on his own without you didn't help. Your lips pulled into a frown deeper than Kamino's oceans. "That's not all, is it Rex?"

He clenched a fist as if it would help cease his rolling emotions. "E-Echo...if you had seen him. I'm just glad you weren't there."

"Is he alive?"

"Yes."

"Well where is he?" You had to fight the urge to sit up in anticipation. He was alive. That sweet, loving boy who taught you about protocols and manuals. As boring as it was, all those regulations embedded into your mind saved you more than you'd like to admit. He and Fives always snuck up on you whenever they came back from missions, or commed you in the middle of the night.

They both kept you up at night, but you never minded. Now one of those boys who had marched so far away had the chance of coming home.

"Where is Echo?" you inquired. Rex's eyes fell to the floor. "He's...Watt Tambor made him more machine than man. I-I can't..."

The doors swished open.

"...If only we had..." You shook your head. "Rex, there wasn't anything we could do. It was a miracle you found him in the first place."

The doors closed with a low hiss.

"Found who?"

Your eyes widened and you ripped your gaze away from the projection. A set of worn, tired eyes met yours. He looked different from the bottom up. His new armor, black and red with a familiar 99 on it. His smile, though a bit dampened, remained the same. He made his way over to you and took a seat by your bedside.

"Echo?"

"That's me."

You tried a smile, and it was all watery and shaky. "Oh, you've changed." He chuckled. "So have you. I heard about what happened. That was brave of you." No, it wasn't brave. You did it on instinct, without an ounce of hesitation. "It wasn't brave, I just..."

"Who else is crazy enough to jump in front of an explosion without katarn-class armour?"

You could name a few people. Fives, for example. "Whatever. I just--I'm glad you're alive."

He smiled and it was a little broken. "Me too."

---

Before you knew it, you were up and running again. There was no time to walk because you were needed on a mission today. It was completely solo, but thankfully, a simple retrieval mission with little to no chances of a casualty.

You settled in the cockpit, taking in the familiar scents and smells of the well oiled machinery. Mechanics wasn't your strong suit, but you never minded dabbling in it every now and then. Today, there wasn't time to brush up on your beautiful ship. You had a job to do.

The jump to hyperspace was as smooth as ever. There were no creaks, no fumbling through space, and no bursts of smoke. But that was when you heard a crash from the storage room. Last tine you checked, the door had been sealed shut while the weapons and supplies stowed away as they should be.

Had you forgotten to tie them down? A long sigh escaped your lips. "What a pain."

"So is my backside." piped a chipper voice. Your eyes widened. There was no way you heard that voice correctly. Sure, it was young. You knew a few other people with a young voice. Sure, it sounded girly. You knew a couple other female coworkers.

"Sorry I snuck onboard," the voice added. "I promise, I was going to leave, but then you left and--" You swerved the chair around to face Omega head on. She smiled sheepishly, as if it would fix all the problems in the whole galaxy. Maybe it would have if the whole galaxy were as kind as you.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't turn this ship around and bring you back." you stated. Omega fiddled with the hem of her sleeves like it was the most interesting thing on the ship. "You’re short on time?" You resisted the urge to say something snippy in response. The look of uncertainty on Omega’s little face made you feel just the tiniest bit worried.

Maybe that was because uncertainty could get people killed on the battlefield.

"Omega," you placed a hand to your temple, "do you understand what you've gotten yourself into?" This was bad, really bad. Sure, the mission wasn’t as dangerous as it should have been, but intel was like the weather forecast. It was never correct. Taking Omega along with you wasn’t a good idea in any universe, and like Malachor you’d let her into the crossfire.

“I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sorry. “I didn’t mean to sneak aboard.” She definitely meant to sneak aboard. “I just wanted to do something more than...” She let out a short sigh, as if it explained what she couldn’t put into words. “Being on Kamino all the time is so boring. I want to get out and see the galaxy with my own eyes.”

She threw her arms towards the bright blue of hyperspace. You didn’t miss the look of wonder in her eyes, bright as a sun. “There’s more to life than rain and the ocean and the same people I see every single day!”

You couldn’t argue. Omega was right. Even during your recovery, the frustration of not being on your ship doing anything but sitting settled into you every day. You hated being cooped up in one place more than anything. Poor Omega had to put up with it her whole life, it was nearly unfathomable to understand what she felt.

A sharp sigh escaped your lips. “Fine, you can come. But my only condition is that you stay on the ship.”

Omega did not stay on the ship. More than anything, she was curious. She had no clue what dirt was, what kind of plants were carnivorous and deadly, or how to steer clear of all the battle droids.

You raised your blaster and fired at the rust buckets. “This is exactly why I said you should have stayed on the ship! Can you even fire a blaster?” Omega knitted her brows together and eyes the deece at your hip. More than anything, she was curious. Beyond that? Determined.

“No,” Omega replied, “but I’ll try.” She pulled the deece from your hip and peeked over the top of your hiding spot. The long, durasteel crate was just barely holding up. If you were a Jedi, then you’d say it had to be a miracle only the Force knew about.

The deece wasn’t a perfect fit in Omega’s small hands, but it did the job. She aimed at the droids, eyes focused and hands firmly on the weapon. She fired. Once. Twice. Three times. "Did I hit anything?” You fired your blaster a couple times and glared through the smoky haze.

A collection of bolts and durasteel scraps lay in a pile and you couldn’t help but be proud. Either Omega was a natural or she was incredibly strong with luck. Whichever it was, it helped you through the mission, and before you knew it, you were back on the ship with a data stick and an unharmed Omega.

“See, nothing bad happened!” she exclaimed with a grin. You took the blaster from her hands and strapped it back to your hip. “That was luck, I tell you.” Omega rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t! You saw--I was like, pow pow, and you went and hit that guy right in the face!”

“That was because he called me a filthy bounty hunter.” you said, a small smile creeping up your lips. “I can’t say I took too kindly to his harsh words.” Omega let out a laugh and you joined her. 

Tired. That was the first thing that came to mind when you thought of your mental state. Yet with Omega by your side, smiling, and carefree despite all the action, you couldn’t help but feel the electrifying sense of thrill. 

“Say, Omega? If you want to come back, maybe we can figure out how to get you off that rainy excuse of a planet more often.” you said with a small smile. She beamed, throwing her arms around you with a vigorous nod. “Yes! I’d love that!”

“Me too, kid. We just have to figure out how to convince whoever looks after you.”

BONUS:

A tall kaminoan towered over you with her beady eyes. Omega sheepishly played with her sleeves as you stared down the kaminoan. Stupid long necks. Nala Se blinked. “So this is where you have been, Omega.” That soft, cold voice of hers warmed at the sight of the girl. “Haven’t I told you not to run off? I see you’ve gone somewhere far today.”

Omega frowned shamefully. “Maybe...” Nale Se motioned for her to come to her. “If you would like, you may stay with (Y/n) again--if you are out of harms way that is.” She turned to you and you froze, eyes wide. “Wait, what?”

“I am giving you permission to have Omega under your care, as long as she is out of harms way.” You glanced at Omega, who glanced at you and then Nala Se with the biggest grin on her face. “Really?”

“Yes.” Nala Se smiled. “‘Really’.”

#star wars #star wars the clone wars #star wars x reader #star wars bad batch #Bad Batch #the bad batch x reader #the bad batch

[theeasternempress]

A Message for a Graveless Brother

Summary - On the anniversary of Fives’ death, Echo tells his lost brother of his new family.

Word count - 1.4k 

AO3 

As happy as Echo was to be traveling across the galaxy with the Bad Batch, he couldn’t deny that his late-night thoughts often made him crave his old life. Rex and the entire 501st had held Echo’s heart for so long and even though Echo was happy where he was, Echo was having difficulty forgetting his roots.

His brothers in the 501st had been everything he’d ever wanted, everything he’d ever needed. There were times when they drove him crazy, but now he could only fondly reflect on those times as the happiest time of his life. If he could go back in time, he’d kick himself for spending so much time reading reg manuals instead of spending those precious moments with his brothers.  

Each time he thought of his brothers, he thought of the pain they must have gone through when they believed Echo to be dead. Did they mourn him and if so, for how long? Did they do anything to remember him? Who was the one who cleaned out his bunk and locker? Did they clutch his few belongings tight, fighting back tears?

These thoughts plagued Echo for much longer than he cared to admit, yet the one thought he always cursed was the thought of the heart-wrenching pain Fives had gone through at his loss. He and Fives had been the final members of Domino Squad for so long that he’d been unable to imagine a life without his brother, without his best friend, and he was sure Fives thought the same. 

But now, it was Echo who was the final member of Domino Squad. All the pain and sorrow that Fives had been going through, Echo was now going through as well. In a way, it helped Echo feel better connected to the brother he never got to say goodbye to. 

The rapid buzzing of the comms system broke Echo from his reverie and returned him to his position in the cockpit. When Echo checked the comm line, the communication number matched the one that Rex had given him on Bracca. Everyone else on the ship was asleep, so it would give Echo a private moment to talk to his old Captain. Echo accepted the comm request and impatiently waited for Rex’s figure to appear, despite it only taking seconds. 

Rex was hunched over, draped in the poncho that he’d been wearing in Cid’s parlor, with a weary look on his face. Echo knew that Rex was in serious need of some rest, but he also knew that Rex never rested until all of his work was complete. 

Echo fought the urge to salute Rex, instead saying, “It’s good to see you, Rex. Is everything alright?” 

“Everything’s alright I just … just wanted to talk to you about something,” Rex replied, the tired roughness to his voice making him sound decades older. 

Echo stayed silent as Rex continued, “It’s been a year since Fives’ death and … I don’t know, I felt like I had to contact you to talk about him. Do you remember the plaque I gave you, the one that I painted his helmet insignia on?” 

Of course Echo did. The plaque was nothing more than a roof tile ripped off of a Kaminoan building that had been meticulously painted with Fives’ helmet insignia. Rex had given the plaque to Echo before he left with the Bad Batch as a way of having both Fives and Rex with him. The plaque was small enough that it could easily be tucked into a pocket, so Echo always had it on him. 

Echo pulled the plaque out of his pocket and put it within view of Rex. Even through the slightly distorted hologram, Echo could see Rex’s expression soften and his shoulders drop at the sight of the plaque in Echo’s hands. 

“I always have it with me, Rex. I think of it almost as a good luck charm … as a way of having both you and Fives with me,” Echo spoke softly. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand the circumstances of Fives’ death,” Rex began with a shaky breath, “But I’m damn sure that every day that goes by, I thank Fives more and more for his warning about the inhibitor chips.”

“He was the best brother anyone could ask for. He’d be happy to know he died to save his brothers,” Echo said wistfully. 

Echo and Rex spent the next hour talking of Fives with Echo relaying his favorite memories of his favorite brother while Rex filled Echo in on all of the time Echo had lost with Fives. Eventually, a familiar female voice called out for Rex, leaving the two brothers to say a hasty goodbye before ending the transmission.

With Rex gone, Echo was left alone with the shiny plaque held tight in his hands. The paint job on it was immaculate, and Echo almost couldn’t believe how perfectly Rex had been able to recreate Fives’ helmet. Echo softly traced the blue design before pressing it to his forehead and sighing. He’d never be able to rest his helmet against Fives’ in the way they did after every successful mission, so this would have to do. 

The memory of his lost brother reminded Echo of his new brothers and little sister. He’d had his entire life ripped away from him by the Techno Union, but his new family was helping him rebuild his life brick-by-brick. It was taking time, but they gave him more patience than he thought he deserved. 

It made Echo wonder, what would Fives think of his new family? Would he be upset with him for not staying with Rex and the 501st, or would he be happy that he’d found a new family on his own?

Staring at the plaque in his hands, Echo knew that Fives would only want whatever would make Echo the most happy. He’d been like that their entire lives, one time going so far as to steal a bag of candy for him after Echo off-handedly mentioned craving some. Echo berated him for the act, but smiled every time he unwrapped a piece of candy. The sweet memory still made Echo smile. 

With his gaze locked on the familiar blue paint, Echo began to whisper, “I miss you so much, Fives. I have a new family now and even if they’ll never be the same as Domino Squad, they’ve given me a home.”

Echo paused to collect himself while carefully choosing his next words, “I think you’d like them. I mean, Crosshair is kind of a jerk and I know you two would butt heads, but I’d still trust him with my life. Wrecker, on the other hand, you would absolutely adore. He’s almost as crazy as you, but he’s got a heart of gold. He’s a gentle giant if I’ve ever met one.”

“Hunter is our leader, our sergeant, and is definitely the tamest out of the four of them. Not like that’s hard,” Echo laughed to himself, “He’s a good brother who puts a lot of the team’s worries on his shoulders, too many of them if I’m being honest. Tech … he’s the hardest to describe. He and I work together the most and I enjoy his company. We definitely bicker a lot, but at the end of the day he’s still a good brother. We’d be in a lot of trouble without him.” 

“I think your favorite would be Omega, though. She’s our little sister, and I know you would have loved to meet her. She’d laugh at every single joke you’d make, even if it was one of your stupid ones that only you thought were funny. You … you would be a good older brother to her.” 

The thought of Fives being unable to meet the brothers and sister he so dearly loved brought tears to Echo’s eyes. He knew they’d all jokingly complain about the addition of another reg to their team, but Echo had a strong feeling that Fives would easily find a place among them. Echo wiped away his tears, replacing them with the smile that he knew Fives would want from him. 

With the blue of hyperspace swirling around him, Echo allowed himself to tilt his head back and try to fall asleep. He replaced the grief at the life he had lost with Fives with replays of his favorite memories of Fives, Rex, Domino Squad, and the 501st. With those nostalgic memories in his mind, Echo fell asleep with a soft smile on his face. 

Unbeknownst to a sleeping Echo, a familiar hand now rested on his shoulder as the ghost of Fives stared fondly at his slumbering brother. 

#tbb #the bad batch #tbb echo #echo #captain rex #fives #hurt/comfort #no plot just feelings #tcw #the clone wars #my writing

[oxzebi997]

Day 7 Simp

Read it on AO3

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“Fives will you shut up!” Echo groaned “training’s hard enough without you jerking off up there!”

“I am n-“ he huffed but didn’t really care that much, they were nearly finished with their ARC training and Fives couldn’t keep quiet about getting back to the 501st.

He desperately wanted to impress Rex. Their captain who had saved their skins, on a number of occasions, had given Echo his signature look, their Captain. Trying to play it cool… never worked, so he decided to just live his excitement as it came to him.

Echo was excited too, could hardly think about anything else but having Rex put a new fresh handprint on his bright clean chest plate. Tell them how proud he was of what they’d accomplished, the thought of the praise made his head spin.

You’re not shinies anymore

They’d get to work even more closely now that they were all going to be ARCs under the same command, they couldn’t help but think about it. Would they be as close and in synch with their captain as he was with the Marshall Commander? Was that kind of closeness even possible outside of batchmates? They could try, their own batch now gone and Rex keeping them so close as they worked under him.

Echo jerked as his sleep pod slid open and saw Fives on the ladder, who then slid into the pod, laying on his side, forcing echo to do the same, and closed the pod again.

His voice hushed but practically shaking, “final exams and training are tomorrow Ec,” he beamed, “then we get to go home, how are you not just shaking with excitement??”

“Have you considered that as happy as I am, I’m tired from all of the training?” Echo smiled some in the dim golden light of the pod’s walls.

“That’s ridiculous Echo, there’s no time to sleep, we have to make a cool entrance when we get back, we have to get his attention!”

“Fives when we show back up as genuine ARCs, every eye in the battalion is gonna be on us. Especially the Captain.”

Fives rolled flat on his back, shoving Echo suddenly against the wall of his own pod, “that’s why we gotta look great! I don’t want him thinking he sponsored us getting special training just to look like a pair of shinies in kamas.”

“Fives you don’t look like a shiny, and Rex is going to walk right up to us, slap a hand on each of our shoulders, tell us how great we did, and how proud he is to serve with men like us, then sneak us off to the mess for something so sweet and hard to come by we’ll never know why the civvies even like dessert.”

“Well, well, looks like you’ve planned this whole thing out.” Fives grinned rolling back onto his side smacking a hand onto Echo’s chest where the print would go on his armor.

“You’re not the only one who’s excited to get back to him- them!” Echo corrected, but Fives was already giggling at him, “shut up and go to sleep Fives.”

Fives relaxed his position but stayed in Echo’s pod as they fell asleep dreaming of praise and congratulations and ARCs.

———

Rex paced in his quarters, maybe the only benefit to being a captain was the slight privacy he had, new shinies coming in, new ARCs coming with them.

Maker! he missed those two! His little brothers who had seen too much of the war from day one and who stuck by his side almost especially since then. He couldn’t wait for them to step off that transport, to show off, catch up, they could swap stories about training and he could show them Wolffe’s private liquor cabinet, which always led to an enjoyable drinking contest and everything that followed, he wondered if Echo had ever picked out a pattern for his new armor, if Fives was going to get that memorial tattoo on his shoulder.

He sat, he’d been up and down all morning, and the sun wasn’t even up on this side of Naboo yet, though the Resilience’s lights were always up, crossed his hands and rested his chin on his knuckles. Fives would come in and try to act cool, which would work until he noticed how many brothers were watching him with stars in their eyes and then falter and tell a joke that would fall flatter than stale beer. Echo would laugh at him, then straighten up with a perfect salute and a very wide grin when he and the General walked up to congratulate them. Then maybe he’d let Fives think he had really been pretty cool when they returned and sneak one of those sweets the Commander was always trying to get past her master.

He smiled, how will they have changed?, he wondered, what kind of men has their new training made them into?

He couldn’t wait to find out, to see them, to laugh and tease and feel safe in their presence like he so rarely did. These boys, his boys, now men… he was already so proud he could hardly stand it.

He got back up, feeling antsy, but pleasant as he thought about the new world tomorrow would bring when that transport docked in the landing bay. He smiled again, sure he’d never done so much grinning since he left Kamino the first time, he couldn’t wait to have his brothers back home again.

#star wars #ao3 writer #clonetober2021 #star wars tcw #clone trooper echo #fives clone wars #captain rex

[growup-thatbeautiful]

sad but not alone

Ahsoka and Rex post-order 66 fic

Word Count: 1,382

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, death, angst

Please let me know if you want to be on a tag list!

This is for @radbatch !! Happiest of birthdays! (Ik i’m late, but i wanted to do a little more) Share the Ahsoka love a little :))

Ahsoka doesn’t ask for help when she needs it. That’s something Rex has known for a very long time. It’s something all of the Jedi share, he’s learned. Cody has come to him countless times, complaining about General Kenobi’s recklessness and sleeplessness. Now is one of those times that Ahsoka isn’t asking for help.

It’s not like Rex is in some mentally stable place either, though. He’s probably one of the least qualified people to give advice in the face of an intergalactic crisis. Force, he just lost all of his brothers in a matter of hours. For the first time, he’s truly alone. No, he reminds himself, Ahsoka’s still here. Ahsoka, who’s so young and has had so much pain bestowed upon her, who treated every single man under her like a person, not a clone, who used to laugh with General Skywalker to distract the rest of them from death.

If he’s lost all his brothers today, she’s lost everyone slowly over time, taking the blows she’s been dealt standing tall. He doesn’t know what’s running through her head right now, but whatever it is he wants to be there with her for it. She’s the only person he’s really seen grow up, and he would be lying if he said he isn’t impressed with the fighter she’s become. But the Jedi aren’t supposed to be fighters, they’re supposed to protect peace. Peace, an idea he’s not even sure he could recognize.

If there’s one thing the 501st taught him, it’s that having someone to be sad with is better than having no one to be sad with.

Fives had been big on that. When they lost Echo, they had spent countless hours together, sitting in the silence of hyperspace. Rex would open his mouth to say something, maybe try and help Fives get through the loss, but he genuinely had nothing to say then. He still doesn’t have anything to say, but he still talks to Fives all the time. Ahsoka says that it’s healthy and that he could be out there listening. Rex doesn’t know if he believes her, but it’s a nice thought.

They walked away from the grave together, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow that they didn’t try at all to cover up. No one was supposed to survive that crash. That alone had given them the time they needed to build the grave in the first place.

It had been Ahsoka’s idea. The duty of burying the dead usually fell to clones below Rex, but he tried to be there most of the time to say goodbye. It’s always a sad occasion, of course it is. Saying goodbye to someone you’ve fought beside is never easy. Today was different. They didn’t lose in a hard-fought battle. Those men didn’t die protecting the Republic, they died with weapons pointed at their beloved Commander.

Ahsoka didn’t take the job lightly. Each body she found in various levels of destruction she treated tenderly, rearranging cold, dead limbs into peaceful, sleeping positions. Wiping the blood away, really just smearing it around. It breaks Rex’s heart how familiar she is with these motions. He’s no stranger to them either, and he would never make Ahsoka do it alone. For each of the brothers that he finds, the names fall off his lips like the meditative prayers of Kenobi. There’s so many of them. If it was ever eerie to see something so close to his own face staring back up at him, dead, that’s worn off. Years of this have made sure of it.

“Rex.” It’s one of the first things Ahsoka’s said since the crash. He follows her haunted voice, stopping when he sees why she called out.

Jesse. His helmet is cracked, a canyon through the Republic’s crest and Ahsoka’s paint, splitting it down the middle. His body is wrapped around himself, curled up like a child, like he was hiding from the screams and chaos. The armour on his chest is stained red, and his neck is bent at a broken angle. It brings Rex to his knees, hitting the floor hard. He doesn’t notice the impact, too preoccupied with the blinding and overwhelming pain from inside and the feel of tears streaming down his cheeks.

Ahsoka is on her knees beside him, a comforting hand on his back where he’s doubled over, making these terrible hitching noises in the back of his throat. He knows that whatever he’s feeling Ahsoka can feel too, and he doesn’t want to be the one to hurt her even more, but he can’t help it. The waves of tears keep coming until there aren’t any more, and he’s left with scratchy eyes and red cheeks. Through it all, Ahsoka stayed by his side. He looks up at her to see his tears mirrored on her face, quiet and impassive. One of her hands is facing palm up, resting on her knees, and she’s whispering soothing words for Jesse. Or Rex. Or both.

They help each other to their feet, ignoring the battle pains. The helmets are set up on pikes, the most they can do. Ahsoka leaves her lightsabers in the snow with the dead. Rex doesn’t have the energy to think about that significance.

They build a camp in a cave a little ways away, figuring that it’s better to be safe and wait it out a few days in case anyone comes looking. Rex doesn’t actually think that anyone will, and he’s pretty sure Ahsoka doesn’t either. But this isn’t a battle that they can recover from easily. No, they have to take a second to regroup.

Ahsoka starts a fire and Rex grabs some ration bars that he grabbed from the wreck. They sit side by side, shoulders pressed together tightly, reassuring each other that someone is there.

To his surprise, she opens up before he can ask her. It saves him the trouble of figuring out what to say. “I can’t feel anything. I’ve always had the force beside me, inside me, and now it’s out of balance. It’s like there’s this gaping darkness that was never there before, and I don’t know why. I don’t know if-“ her voice breaks here, and she covers her mouth, hiding a sob.

Predictably, she pushes through. “I don’t know if I made this happen. What if it’s my fault? It’s never felt this…wrong, and, stars, I can’t feel Anakin. It’s not the same as when I left the Order. Then it was distant, but he was still there with me. Now that part of me feels broken and painful. I think he’s gone.” A quiet confession by the fire, her face lit in shadows. It doesn’t surprise Rex as much as it should, but he knows the Padawan-Master bond is strong. If she says it, it’s true.

“I’m scared. Rex, I don’t want to be alone.” He knows this takes a lot for her to admit this. She’s usually the epitome of strength, never letting her guard down in front of the people counting on her. It’s a habit that she most likely picked up from Obi-Wan. Force knows it’s not Skywalker’s style. He can’t just leave that hanging, though.

“Hey, kid, it’s alright. You’ve been lost before, yeah? You’re gonna find your way again. Everything’s going to work out.” The last sentence falls flat. He’s not even fooling himself. “And maybe things won’t be okay, but we’re still us, right? I’ve still got my Commander with me, and you’ve still got your Captain. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”

“Look, I can’t pretend to understand the force, but I know that, so far, it hasn’t led you wrong. Things are changing in the galaxy, and we can’t control that, so we might as well be along for the ride. I know you, Commander, and you’re not going to let this change you. Sure, you’re gonna grow with it, but you’ll always have what he taught you. What they all taught you. What I taught you.”

“So, trust in the force.” It’s something he’s heard General Kenobi say a million times to his Padawan and Grandpadawan. “Let it guide you. I’ll be right there with you.”

“Thank you, Rex.”

“Of course, Commander.”

#ahsoka tano #ahsoka star wars #ahsoka #ahsoka and rex #rex #captain rex #commander tano #commander rex #order 66 #post order 66 #ahsoka fic #ahsoka tano fic #rex fic #clone wars #clone wars fic #nxvna writing #nxvna post

[siennahrobek]

Ahsoka couldn’t stop staring at him.

Vaguely, she knew some things about her lineage, although honestly, it always had felt like it was just her, Anakin and Obi-Wan. She knew a man named Qui-Gon Jinn had been Obi-Wan’s master, and that Anakin sometimes wouldn’t shut up about that guy. She knew that Count Dooku was Master Jinn’s, which was just so weird to think about, especially him being part of their lineage. Or supposed to be. It made some sense, on some level, she supposed, because Dooku had kept complimenting Master Obi-Wan, and she had even heard that the man tried to turn her grandmaster. It sounded ridiculous, Master Obi-Wan ever leaving the Order.

Master Obi-Wan didn’t talk about his own master that much. Apparently, he hadn’t even met Count Dooku until he had left the Jedi and the war was about to start. Anakin had only known Qui-Gon for something of a week and didn’t know him that well, despite the way he talked about him, one would have thought that he was not only Anakin’s hero but also knew him for a long time. She supposed it made sense that Qui-Gon would have had other padawans before her own grandmaster, he had achieved the rank of master and was around the age of sixty by the time he had died.

If Master Obi-Wan knew about Qui-Gon’s other padawans, he didn’t really say anything. Although then again, they had been in the middle of the war. There was not a lot of time for that sort of thing.

She wondered if Master Obi-Wan knew about Feemor.

Somehow, she kind of doubted it.

Ahsoka and Feemor had been sequestered in one of the rooms in the Healing Halls, as the glue on his cut was drying and she was trying to get her mind back in working order. She hadn’t answered him when he said he was Master Obi-Wan’s brother. She had just stared at him for a moment before completely changing the subject. He seemed to get a hint of some kind and didn’t pursue it. He told her that Rex was either prepping for or in the middle of a surgery, that it wouldn’t take very long as it was a rather straightforward and short surgery and explained a little more about the chips that had been in the clones’ heads. It made her sick. If Rex or any one of the 322nd had gotten those orders during flight…if Master Obi-Wan hadn’t warned her…she didn’t want to think what would have happened.

The fact that Commander Cody had attacked Master Obi-Wan seemed insane enough.

She wasn’t thinking of Anakin when she spoke again, and it had been nearly half an hour. There had to be something more to that. Perhaps he had a chip in his brain. Ahsoka couldn’t even imagine a thought on why Anakin would murder children without being forced.

“What do we do now?”

Feemor looked up at her, but he didn’t seem to have an answer. She figured he would suggest going back to the fight. It was a horrifying choice, she didn’t want to fight anyone, much less the 501st. They were her family too.

“We prepare,” a new voice replied, calm and stern.

Both Jedi glanced over. Rex was in his blacks, standing tall with a bandage slapped on the side of his head where the incision must have been. He looked scared and tired but determined.

“What do you mean?” Ahsoka asked.

“They have the near entirety of the 501st legion,” Rex pointed out, grimly. “Even with defensive positions and the defense of the Temple itself, the Jedi can’t hold out forever, especially with most of their warriors being out in the field with the rest of the troopers.”

“Evacuation,” Feemor pointed out, stroking his chin as he glanced at the floor in thought. Ahsoka stared, as it was rather reminiscent of Master Obi-Wan with the same action. “When Obi-Wan contacted Kamino before the battle started, he mentioned that we may have to flee. He also mentioned it when he talked to one of the troopers in the 212th, warning them about communications. I think he was certain we would have to. And I think he is right.”

Rex nodded, even though he had shot Master Feemor a look Ahsoka couldn’t identify. “Us three aren’t going to be a lot of help in the battle itself. We have to trust the leaders who are doing it for the moment to keep the others at bay. But we can get a head start on preparations for evacuation.”

“Obi-Wan’s 212th knows,” Feemor added, gesturing above them. “They are blocking all communications so they can’t get Orders. From what we can gather, the chips are activated when the Sith Lord says certain things and then can be activated if a clone trooper is near an activated chip of another. So right now, the 212th is relatively safe. The only problem is, I don’t think we will be able to contact them. If they followed Obi-Wan’s instructions, there is only one clone with communications, and I don’t think he will accept anything from anyone but Obi-Wan.”

“Let me guess,” Rex said in some sort of tone that was a mix of amused and flat. “Waxer or Boil.”

Feemor blinked. “Uh…Boil I think.”

“Knew it,” Rex muttered with a faint smirk. Given an odd glimpse, Rex just shrugged. “Pretty sure those two are General Kenobi’s favorites.”

“We should contact Jesse and the 332nd,” Ahsoka added, quickly. She already got up from her cot, a little dizzy, but continued to move. “We may still be able to save them.”

Feemor shrugged. “Alright. I’m sure Master Healer Che would be okay with us using her office for a holocall,” he continued, following Ahsoka into standing. Without another word, he turned towards the door. It took a few minutes to find her office – Ahsoka didn’t really know off the top of her head, but they did.

Ahsoka clicked in the number for her ship, Jesse and Echo’s forms popping up in the signature holo blue. “Commander!” Jesse greeted. “You just took a shuttle and hightailed it out of here. What happened? Were you going after Maul? You should have brought back up!”

Feemor glanced at the young togruta. “No. I didn’t go after Maul. Jesse, have you gotten any communications from anyone planet side?”

“No, sir. We blocked communications like you ordered. We weren’t entirely sure what you wanted after you left,” he admitted. “What is happening?”

“No, you did good,” Ahsoka assured. “There is a lot going on down here. I don’t have a lot of information but there are chips in every trooper’s head’s and the Sith has been using that to brainwash them into killing Jedi.”

Both Jesse and Echo’s face fell as they stared at her wide-eyed. “Tup.”

“Yes.”

“Fives was right then,” Jesse whispered.

“It appears so,” Ahsoka replied mournfully. “It seems the orders are transferred verbally from a single source and then passed on as one chip is activated, they all do according to proximity.”

“We need to get them out,” Echo hissed.

“I agree but things are…bad down here.”

“Bad?” Echo questioned, warily.

Ahsoka hesitated but Feemor answered for her. “The 501st legion is laying siege on the Temple, killing Jedi.”

No one said a word for a long minute.

Feemor continued, speaking in the silence. Ahsoka didn’t know what to say, how could she? “We are going to be evacuating once we can press the troopers back and have an opening. You need to be ready to flee when it happens. I’m very sorry but if you stay, the Sith will enslave you.”

“I understand, sir,” Echo’s voice was quiet and soft. “We will be ready for your communications and ready to come down and help if necessary.”

“Thank you, troopers,” Feemor replied. “We wanted to warn you about this before anything happens. A lot of soldiers are activated but please, don’t give away your location. We can’t help your brothers without a plan, and we don’t have enough people to do anything yet.”

“Understood, sir,” Jesse muttered.

“We have to go,” Ahsoka finally chimed in. “I will contact you soon.”

The holo blinked out. “I know that was hard, Ahsoka,” Feemor said quietly. “And we will save as many as we can.”

“We have supposedly been trying to do that for the entire war,” Ahsoka grumbled bitterly.

Rex came to the rescue. “We should move.”

“We should rescue Anakin.”

Feemor’s head snapped so fast, both nearly thought he would break it. “Save him?” he asked, with emphasis. Rex tried to get them through the door and out of the office. He mostly succeeded. “What does he need saving from, Ahsoka?”

“I think he might be chipped,” she replied, a bit defensively.

“You think he might be chipped.” Feemor echoed, flatly.

It appeared Rex didn’t really know where he was leading the two Jedi, but all he knew is that he needed to get them moving.

“Yes,” Ahsoka pouted, her lip curling. “He was my master. I know him. He would never do something like this.”

“He is leading a massacre on the Temple, against the Jedi, against his family,” Feemor added. Rex shoots an uneasy glance at the both of them, slowly working through the halls.

“He wouldn’t… there must be some explanation.”

“What possible explanation could there be for this?”

“You don’t know him!” Ahsoka snapped.

“You’re right. I don’t,” Feemor agreed, fighting to remain calm. Tensions too high would do them no good, even she knew that. But she was frustrated, and this was much all too difficult for her to understand or wrap her head around. It didn’t make any sense. “But I don’t need to right now. I saw him lead the siege on the Temple. I saw him cut down Jedi like they were nothing. You and I both saw him murder a defenseless youngling and young padawan. They were children,” he pointed out, bluntly. There was no sugar-coating the truth. Rex’s jaw clenched as he looked behind at the two of them again. Feemor shook his head and his voice softened. “This is what it means to be a Jedi, putting others’ lives above that of one, above oneself. You didn’t see the look on Obi-Wan’s face when he had to fight Anakin.”

Ahsoka stared at him, her feet moving without her even noticing.

“He knew,” Feemor shook his head softly. “And it was tearing him up inside. You don’t have to trust me or take my word for it, but you should trust Obi-Wan. He does know Anakin. Better than you.”

She hated that he was right; that if anyone knew Anakin, it would be Master Obi-Wan. He raised Anakin since he was young. But that didn’t mean she wanted to believe it. There was nothing to be said for a few moments before Rex stopped in his tracks and the two jedi nearly ran into him. “What is it?” Ahsoka asked.

“Do you hear that?”

Once they settled into silence, they could hear faint banging against a door. The three of them ran down the halls towards the sound. It became apparent once they got closer, the door moving as someone was throwing themselves at it, furniture and debris blockading it. They all looked at each other curiously. As Feemor and Ahsoka used the Force to move the debris, Rex readied his blasters. The two Jedi swung to the sides of the hall, just out of sight. As the door unlocked and opened, several troopers fell out.

“Good soldiers follow orders,” one of them mumbled.

Rex narrowed his eyes, slamming the butt of one of his guns hard against him, knocking him out. Feemor and Ahsoka ran into the brief fray as well, Ahsoka tangling around one of them to knock him unconscious while Feemor sent a wave of a force suggestion to the others.

“These are 501st,” Rex realized.

“The Jedi have been trying to trap them instead of kill,” Feemor answered. “We should get them to the Healing Halls to get their chips removed. Perhaps they can give us some information on how to stop the attack.”

Ahsoka didn’t look at him for a moment but quickly hooked her arms underneath a body to move it. Rex and Feemor had an easier time but eventually, they had gotten the troopers to the medical rooms. Ahsoka didn’t leave their side as Feemor found a med droid free and practically pushed the droid over.

The surgeries were quick and efficient; it didn’t take much.

When the first soldier came to not a couple of minutes later, he had immediately burst into tears which quickly turned into full out sobbing. Rex looked a little shocked but knelt at the soldier’s side. “Hey, it’s okay, you’re okay now,” he tried to comfort him. It was to little prevail, as the trooper just kept crying into his hands, his shoulders shuddering and his chest heaving heavily. Feemor reached out towards his presence and projected better feelings. Calm, safe, peace. It only helped a little, as it was enough that the trooper could get himself to speak.

“We thought we could trust him,” the trooper let out, gritting his teeth. He was quaking near violently, trying to gasp in breath. “We thought he cared. About us…but…he…he doesn’t.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What is your name, trooper,” Feemor approached and asked, quietly.

“CT-.”

“Your name,” Feemor urged, softly.

“Impulse, sir,” the soldier responded, trying to keep down his cries. The tears still came but the sobs had died down.

“Hello Impulse, my name is Feemor. Can you tell us what you mean?” he asked, keeping his voice soft, although the jedi was fairly certain he knew who the trooper was speaking of.

“General Skywalker,” Impulse winced. “He…he led us on the Temple. We just killed everyone. No one is safe.”

Ahsoka’s face twisted. “He may be chipped or something, like you. We don’t know what is going on,” she tried, quiet and gentle.

The trooper stared at her, wide-eyed. “He was so angry when the Jedi put down ray shields at the doors and he couldn’t get in quietly. And when the jedi there spoke, he got frustrated and lashed out. He took my brother’s head clean off. He was just…just standing there! No one could do anything, no one even could even flinch! His head and helmet rolled to my feet. He was my batchmate, my best friend!”

Rex put a hand on the trooper’s shoulder and muttered quiet apologies but everyone could see his body became as stiff as a board. Ahsoka was nearly in tears as she stepped back, wide-eyed and horrified and Feemor stood up and ushered her away and out of sight of the two soldiers. She shook her head again and again. “It’s not possible.” She sounded more like she was talking to herself than anyone else, trying to convince herself that it couldn't be true. How could it be true?

“We don’t know what is going on yet,” Feemor assured but even he knew he didn’t sound very convinced. Ahsoka was fighting everything. From what she had learned, the chipped clones had been trapped inside themselves, unable to do much of anything outside of orders. Unable to express or speak when wanting too. Anakin seemed to be the opposite. But how could what she knew of Anakin be so wrong? “Is there anyone you can speak to for any insights or answers?”

“Padme,” Ahsoka replied, in realization.

Feemor’s eyes narrowed, confused. “Who?”

“Senator Padme Amidala,” Ahsoka repeated. “She’s a friend to the jedi and Anakin’s friend.”

She said friend like it meant something different. Ahsoka was pretty sure he understood what she meant. Ahsoka bounced back into Che’s office, the older master on her heels. She clicked in another number, but it took a few moments for the youthful face of the Senator to pop up. Her expression washed away into something of relief and joy when she saw Ahsoka. “Ahsoka!” she greeted.

“Padme,” Ahsoka smiled. “I have a lot to ask you and I’m not sure if I have much time.”

Her face turned to confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I’m on Coruscant-.”

“You are? Have you seen Anakin?”

Ahsoka frowned. “You don’t know where he is?”

“He has been acting stressed for the past couple of days. Obi-Wan has seen it too, he came to visit me about him the morning before he left to Utapau. Anakin has been under a lot of stress and having nightmares…I don’t know…”

“Nightmares about what?”

Padme hesitated.

“You can tell me.”

“I’m pregnant, Ahsoka.”

Although Feemor was off screen, he and Ahsoka exchanged looks. He wasn’t nearly surprised as Ahsoka thought he should have been. Did he know?

“He’s been having nightmares about me dying in childbirth,” Padme confessed. “He said he had found a way to save me, even though I told him I wasn’t going to die in childbirth. The likelihood of that, here, is…well, it doesn’t happen. Ahsoka, are you alright? It looks like there is smoke and fire coming from the Temple.”

Ahsoka glanced down. How to explain this. “The clones are chipped and brainwashed. They are leading an attack on the Temple.”

Padme gasped. “How? Why?!”

“The Sith have control over them,” Ahsoka’s eyes darkened at the thought. “But…that’s not all. Padme, Anakin is leading them. He is killing Jedi, masters, Guards…younglings.”

Padme’s eyes widened. “That is impossible, he would never do such a thing. You’re wrong. He wouldn’t, he couldn’t!”

Ahsoka couldn’t meet her eyes, but Feemor caught hers, a silent question passing between them. She steadied herself and looked back up. “I’ve seen him killing younglings,” she whispered, voice hoarse. “I…he’s turned to the Dark Side.”

The Senator just stared. And stared some more.

“My apologies, Ahsoka, someone is at the door. I must take my leave,” her voice was just a bit wavering, but she somehow kept a straight face. Ahsoka opened her mouth to try and stop her, but Padme interrupted her with little emotion aside from a strained voice. “I will call you later.”

Without anything else, she turned off the call.

Ahsoka swallowed. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

#we are burning stars #we are burning stars au #star wars #star wars fic #star wars au #order 66 #order 66 au #fix it of sorts #pro jedi #pro jedi fic #pro clone #clone wars au #jedi appreciation #ahsoka tano #feemor #captain rex #clone oc #501st legion #padme amidala #and it keeps getting longer #oops

[whirlybirbs]

✩   --   BLEACH ON A BUZZCUT    ;   1 / 1

summary: captain rex needs to fix his hair. you help. pairing: captain rex x war correspondent!reader, established relationship warning: angst! and tenderness! mention of fives’ death. word count: 2.2k a/n: dedicated to @cyber-nya. i will probably write more about these two if people are interested. i really love this idea of a war correspondent for the HNN! would be fun. 

Captain Rex, in all his years, has always ensured one, simple thing through the long, grueling tide of war:

His hair will always be blonde. 

Save for that three month campaign on Kashyyyk, that is. Back then, dying his hair was the last on a long list of concerns. Food, shelter, and not drowning in the heavy monsoon months were at the top. His hair had grown out into angry little blonde tipped tufts, then. The roots of his hair looked like that of his brother’s. His beard, just as dark as the roots, itched. General Skywalker had laughed, citing the fact he’d never seen Rex with anything but his usual bleach blonde buzz. 

“You don’t look like the Rex I’m used to.”

He sighs and runs a hand over the grown-out buzz in the barrack’s bathroom mirror. 

The words stuck.

Anaxes reminds him of Kashyyyk. Different, but... 

He feels the same. Tired, weary, and alone. 

You plant your knuckles on the open archway of the bathroom as if you’d heard that thought from across the clamoring airbase. The rap-rap-rap snaps him from his stint in the land of self-pity. Rex’s eyes, warm and soft, land on you leaning in the doorway. 

You frown. You know that look on his face.

“Been looking for you.”

Rex, fresh out of the shower, moves to the bench where his blacks sit. Beside those, a half-used bottle of bleach that’s been living in his foot locker for the last month. Beside that, a cup he’s stolen from the mess. Kix had lended him a pair of mint-colored surgical gloves, as per usual. Sure, maybe it’s a gross disuse of GAR medical materials, but... His vanity outweighs his guilt. 

First though, he needs to shave. The three day old stubble is begin to rub the inside of his helmet wrong.

Rex, GAR issued towel hanging on his hips, snags the razor on the edge of the bench and turns back to run the water of the sink.

You’re moving across the room. You’re quiet -- and you’re watching the way the Captain wets the razor. You’re quick, snagging the GAR issued travel tin of dry-to-wet shaving cream from atop his folded blacks. You hand it to him, and Rex’s eyes sit on your for a moment. 

“Everything okay?”

You lean against the mirror in the space between his sink and the one behind you. Your arms are crossed tightly. 

Rex, ducking his chin and snagging a dab of the shaving cream, smears the foamy substance across the sharp curve of his jaw. You watch a bit enamored with the gesture, following the trail of white that paints the planes of his cheeks. Only when it’s even does he speak.

“Fine,” it’s tempered and slow, “You?”

You almost snort. “Rex...”

“Tired,” he supplies, then, realizing yeah, he’s being a little unfair, “I’m... tired.” 

“You’re being called a hero,” you push yourself off the wall, spreading your stance and tilting your head, “You and Echo and --”

“Yeah.”

Oh. Your mouth closes almost immediately. Guilt washes over both your faces. 

Rex drops his head again. “Sorry --”

“No,” you shake your head as he leans to grab the plastoid razor. The handle is battered and chipped. It’s his trusty one -- one that’s followed him in his pack on nearly every mission he’s run. It fits in his hand neatly. He drums it against the sink as you shake your head, “I... I know it probably sucks... Seeing him go.”

Rex snorts. Then, with an incredibly steady hand, carves a clean shaven path through the shaving cream along his cheek. He finishes the swipe, flicks off the foam, and huffs. 

“He’ll be okay,” Rex says, voice wavering, “Just, uh... I’d thought it might be like old days.”

Your heart whines. Hurt pulls at your features. Rex ignores his own heartache. 

Things are different. This isn’t Kashyyk. Not like when he had Fives and Echo and Jesse and Kix and Hardcase by his side. Not like when Torrent was whole, or when Ahsoka minded his recklessness and him hers. Everything is different. 

And he was stupid to think it could be the same.

Rex is quiet while he finishes shaving. By the end of it, he feels a bit better. Cleaner. Less run ragged. The blonde, bulky and wide with muscle, bends over and splashes his face clean in the sink. 

You touch his shoulder when he stands up. 

“Hey,” you say, “I’m not goin’ anywhere, you know.”

Rex’s lip quirks. 

You have long since become a fast fixture in his life. The affections between you both had blossomed and bloomed and... it had culminated in nights spent together in small cots on planets near and far. It was an unspoken bond -- one that was sewn together with stolen kisses and wandering hands in the final hours of war torn nights. 

You’d met him months ago -- before the Outer Rim sieges had risen to the escalation they sat at now -- when you’d been working public relations and doing press releases for Senator Amidala and the other Republic aligned senators. 

You’d shook hands with General Skywalker on the terrace of the Naboo Senator’s balcony, and then his Captain’s. The Jaigeyes on his helmet betrayed the kind eyes beneath. 

(You were beautiful, standing there in the sun before him. Even now, in the humming overheard lights of the Anaxes barrack bathroom, you’re beautiful.)

Two weeks later, you’d been sent to tail the 501st and report on the war for the HoloNet News in juncture with the Outer Rim Node. HNN had been wanting a reporter in the field for a while now and... Padmé had put in good word.

“Keep an eye on Anakin,” she’d smiled, “And Rex, too, will you?”

You kept that promise you made. 

Rex is standing before you now -- tanned skin marred with starlight colored scars. They dash across the planes of his chest and abdomen like comets in the sky. One scar, a large circular hole that swirls in the center of his chest like a collapsing star, has its own gravity. The scars on his body paint a universe in and of itself. Mapped and ever expanding.

He touches your cheek. His hands are warm and calloused.

“I know.”

The smile you give him is reserved for moments like this. Tender. Quiet.

You lean into the touch and kiss his palm. Rex chases the touch with a sturdy press of his lips to your forehead. He speaks against your brow.

“Gotta fix my hair.”

You laugh. “I do love blondes.”

Rex’s chest rocks in amusement. He moves away, towards the bench -- you linger. The electric buzzer, copped off Jesse, hums alive in Rex’s hands. You touch his forearm. Brown eyes look up in question.

“I can help,” you say, “I don’t mind.”

He lets you take the clippers from his hands. And then, he move to stand in front of the mirror again. You trail behind, a head shorter than the trooper, and crack a wry smile when Rex bends -- with an expression of haughty pride -- so you can reach his head. 

The peek of brown has climbed up his short bleached hair. It feels odds to reveal a trail of dark brown hair when you run the clippers over his head. You teeter on the balls of your feet, catching a smirk in the mirror on the Captain’s face at the need to get a better view of his head. You swat at his back. He laughs. 

The work is easy enough -- and in a minute or so, Rex looks more like Cody than himself. It’s disorienting. His hair was so... his... that the absence of the blonde made him look so much like his brothers. You’d not thought of him as a clone for a long time, now. This moment serves as a reminder.

It’s a bit of a punch in the face.

His life -- as treasured as it is in your hands -- is nothing to the Republic he fights for. The thought is one you’ve bitterly swallowed down for months. All of them... hundreds of thousands of men. Nothing but canon fodder. Nothing but numbers on a datapad. 

Rex notes the discomfort on your face. 

He runs his hands over his fresh buzz and drops his hands to his waist. The defined muscles of his stomach move as he exhales.

“I hate it, too.”

“Does it bother you?” you mumble, “Looking so much like...”

“Like Jesse?” Rex snorts, “Sure does. Ugly sonuva --”

Your laugh makes him sport a wry grin. You shake your head, moving to eye the job. You did a decent enough buzz. The bleach will hide the imperfections, of course. You swipe at the back of his head and brush some hair from his shoulders. 

"Why do you think I bleach the life outta my hair, huh?” Rex supplies as he leans around to grab the half used bottle of bleach -- the tube is blue and reads Fancy’s Hair & Dye down the side in Aurebesh. It’s the best brand he’s used; a favorite. No need for two rounds. Does the job in one sitting. 

“Because I like blondes?”

A joke.

He laughs. You snag the bottle out of his hands, then point to the bench as you read the label. 

“Sit.”

“Didn’t know you were a stylist.”

You swat his shoulder. Still, you’re reading. And when you finish, satisfied with the thirty minute wait time outline on the bottle, you hand it back and reach for the gloves.

“... You don’t have to --”

“Rex,” you mutter, “Shut up and let me dye your hair, will you?”

His smirk digs into his cheeks. “Why should I?”

You snap the gloves on and brace a knee on the bench beside his hip. In the mirror across the room, you can see the wrinkles along his cheeks return with his amused expression. You plant a sturdy kiss to his temple. 

“This,” you say, opening up the bleach and quickly making work at spreading it along his scalp. It reminds you of shitty bleach jobs you did in university -- drunk in communal bathrooms surrounded by your classmates. It’s not neat, but you try to make the bleach even along his head, “is the most relaxing thing I’ve done in weeks.”

“War’s hell.”

“Eugh,” you recoil, “This stuff smells like hell.”

Rex grins. “Extra strength.”

“It’s that Mandalorian hair,” you chirp, smoothing the bleach. Rex’s eyes lull shut, “I never realized how dark it was.”

“It’s deceiving.”

“I like the blonde better,” you say, then adding, “On you, I mean.”

"Not a fan of Crys’ hair?”

You scoff. The 212th trooper had sunshine colored hair. Not like the near silver of Rex’s. His look was high-maintenance. Rex’s was... battle-ready. Easy. Handsome. Not pretty like Crys tried for. 

“Despite the brotherly similarities,” you grin, satisfied with the now purple colored head before you, “I really do only have eyes for you, Cap.”

Rex rolls his eyes. “As if you wouldn’t drop me for Wolffe in a heartbeat.”

Another swat. Rex is going to start keeping count. You chuck the gloves in the trash, moving to prop yourself up on the bench next to the Captain as the bleach sets. “That was before --”

“Before you realized I was this handsome under the bucket?”

When you’d first began operating within the 501st, you’d had a few run-in’s with the Wolfpack. Their commander had readily stolen your attention, much to Rex’s dismay. He’d been pining for weeks by that point, and to hear you vocalize your evident attraction to the gruff vod’ika ticked a blonde right off. You still haven’t lived it down. 

“Wolffe is... mysterious,” you shrug, “His holonet segments got a lot of traction, you know. Almost as much as -- ...”

Almost as much as Fives.

Charismatic, kind, and handsome. Funny, too. 

Rex squeezes your knee. “Hey.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Still hurts.”

“Kills.” 

His arm snakes around your shoulders. Your cheek knocks his bare shoulder. The shared grief ripples around you both tightly. But there’s comfort there. Two souls, hurting -- together. Better than before, and Rex certainly doesn’t feel as lonely as he did when he first set out to fix the blonde on his head.

The kiss is a little jumbled. Your nose bumps his and your teeth clack. It’s sweet and tender and you have to laugh into the gesture. No matter how often you two come together like this, in comfort and in passion, it still yields lovesick results. The 501st Captain has you wrapped around his thumb. It shows, especially when you lean in to steal another moment of the kiss. 

Anaxes reminds him of Kashyyyk. Different, but...

He didn’t have you on Kashyyyk. 

Now, he’s not so tired, weary, and alone. 

But, still blonde.

#captain rex imagine #captain rex x reader #captain rex x you #rex x reader #tcw imagine #captain rex reader insert #clone wars imagine

[crispyjenkins]

I dare you to write an Ani5 fix-it fic. I will not be taking criticism and will die on the hill that this is the most powerful ship and could’ve saved the entire clone wars. Bonus points if it features the ship Mace Windu/headaches (bc anakin is a walking mess of shatterpoints and lives to annoy Mace). Codywan to help knock some sense into anakin would also be top tier. I LOVE YOU ZEPH’BUIR

(of course i can’t do a whole fix-it in a quick prompt answer, but i think i’ve set it up for a far happier ending than in canon! support communication and education in relationships (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) and also adhd clones.

fives might be the most i’ve ever struggled with a character (‘cept maybe ahsoka....) so it took a little while to figure out how to write this scene in a way i liked. also, had to go and watch fives clips to try and get my autism brain working, and BOY HOWDY do i actually hate dbb’s take on the clones, especially the accent but everything else too. their character designs make me want to cry. so i’m begging, for me, to imagine this fives like this especially because then we get Tol Anakin and a Smol Clone BF and i think that is a seriously underutilised dynamic.

thank you for the prompt, ad, and for cursing me with this ship in the first place. someday i’ll get around to actually writing them as the battle husbands they are 🧡)

Alt+R to quick reblog on desktop, Hold the reblog symbol to quick reblog on mobile

  Echo's always been good with programming, but Fives is better with the actual building. He's not any good with inventing, maybe, but putting things together? Opening them up and knowing immediately what's wrong? Fives would even say he enjoys it — and being able to talk shop with Skywalker like they're nobody mechanics from the Outer Rim instead of General and Soldier makes the long hyperjumps between missions actually bearable. 

  How that led to him sitting in a rarely used hallway on the Resolute with Skywalker ("Anakin," he keeps insisting with a smile), both leant over a mouse droid in pieces on a drop cloth, Fives isn't really sure. It probably had something to do with Skywalker's excited bounce when he'd come to ask if Fives wanted to help him, the sparkle in his eye reminding Fives just how young the both of them are. How, technically, he's older than Anakin.

  Because, yeah, he is Anakin, not Skywalker, when they're like this. With his growing knight cut a curly untamed cloud around his ears, grease smeared on the underside of his jaw, with Fives stripped down to his blacks from the waist up, with even his blasters set on the floor next to them. 

  With it quickly becoming clear that Anakin doesn't actually need help to rewire the mouse droid, but had asked for Fives to join him anyways.

  They've been at it for a few hours now, their jokes winding down to companionable quiet as they both work on separate parts of the droid. It honestly might have been easier to start from a scrap droid than try to rewire this one correctly, but it's easy work Fives could do blindfolded, and sharing the mutually-focused silence is actually quite nice.

  Anakin is elbow-deep in the outer casing when he finally asks, "Do the clones feel love?"

  And Fives almost gets up and walks away. He knows not every battalion ended up with a good Jedi, that the 212th and the 501st had been so kriffing lucky to end up with "The Team", but sometimes he forgets. Maybe that's the worst part of it: slow, personal moments like this, Fives forgets he's not natborn and bearer of a face shared with millions. Being around his general makes him forget, and maybe he had taken that for granted until now.

  Or maybe it's for that reason that he hesitates from storming off, because Anakin had been the one to name Alpha, to insist on giving them proper leave, to defend them from anyone who talks down at them even if they're a planetary leader. And Rex had said something, once, about Anakin’s brain working in either/ors, being hardwired in some way to only see in black and white and believing that if you're one thing, you can't be another. That what Anakin says isn't always what he means.

  So instead, he asks, "What kind of love are we talkin'?"

  Anakin refuses to raise his head, and Fives can almost see him stressing about how to phrase this.  "Y'know, grand romance and stuff. One-and-onlys and holodrama romcom propaganda and imagining growing old together."

  "'Not quite sure what you're asking, sir." He takes a deep breath. "The short answer is yes, we can and do feel that, but the long answer is I can't speak for every brother, and I would not want to. Some of us don't feel that." Shrugging, he passes Anakin a socket wrench before he can ask for it. "But it's not because we can't, not because of the longnecks. We're bred to be obedient, sir, not emotionless."

  Quiet settles over them again while Anakin processes this, his mouth twisted rather horribly. Fives starts to think he would do a whole awful lot to turn that frown back into a haughty smile. 

  "What do you really want to ask, General?"

  "I'm married to Senator Amidala."

  Now, everyone with eyes knows that. Maybe Torrent knows even better, when they've been covering for their general for over a year now, and clearly the Jedi just aren't doing anything about it — but Fives also knows Anakin has never actually told anyone about this, not even General Kenobi. Rex says Anakin still thinks they've been discreet.

  "If I may be blunt, sir, this is not news."

  And Anakin actually laughs at that, shaking his head as he tosses down his tools to stare at the opposite wall instead. Fives watches his gaze go distant, somewhere far away from the Resolute lost in the middle of space. “I’ve loved her since I was nine years old, Fives. I loved her through not seeing her for a decade, through her assassination attempts and the First Battle of Geonosis and becoming a knight, and I...”

  Fives sighs once. “No one said you had to stay in love, sir.”

  “But that’s just it,” he groans. “I’ve never known how to do anything else, how to be anything else. I don’t... know who I am without it.”

  He has to look away from Anakin, then, because he’s seen brothers go stupid for people they meet on campaigns, or for their Jedi, and Fives isn’t nearly as young as some of the shinies out there, but he knows what it looks like, when they leap in without thinking. He lets out a long, slow breath, his eyes falling on the ‘saber at Anakin’s hip. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”

  Anakin blinks at him, and nods.

  “That’s too young to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life.” Fives raises a brow at his general’s startled expression, which is maybe more amusing (endearing) than it has any business being. “General, you’re barely an adult, just the same as the vode. If my mental timeline is right, you weren’t even twenty standard when you married Amidala, which, frankly, was reckless and unfair on her part.”

  “Padmé would never–”

  “I don’t mean intentionally, sir. The fact of the matter is, no wonder you don’t know who you are without her, because you’ve always had her.” That decade of no contact notwithstanding, considering Anakin didn’t not have her, either. “Senator Amidala knew who and what she was before you, and she’ll know who and what she is without you.”

  “That’s not quite fair,” Anakin grumbles, but his throat is flushed in what Fives hopes is entirely appropriate guilt, or at the very least embarrassment. “It was my idea to get married after Geonosis.”

  Fives snorts. “The idea of a child thrown into war, afraid to lose anything.”

  “You’re being uncharacteristically candid, Fives.”

  “Respectfully, sir, the last thing you need is to be coddled.” His general laughs again, this time good and bright in a way he hasn’t heard before; and then Fives can’t help what he admits next. “We weren’t allowed toys, or anything.”

  Laughter cutting off abruptly, Anakin’s eyes grow haunted instead. There might not be anyone else in the galaxy with quite the same experience as the clones, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those that understand.

  “Hevy made me and Echo– Well, he said they were mythosaurs like Kal taught us about, but they looked more like sad loth cats. He cut up his own bedsheet to make ‘em, and couldn’t tell the longnecks what he’d done with it, so he just slept on the bare mattress.”

  “Fives...”

  But it’s clear Anakin doesn’t actually know what to say, so Fives pushes on. “Some of Fett’s instructors tried to teach us Mando’a, you know? I think Spar is the only brother that ever got fluent, the rest of us have been making up words and combining them with Basic and Kaminoan and whatever else the Cuy’val Dar spoke that sometimes we don’t even remember what language they are anymore.”

  “I didn’t learn Basic until I was five.” Anakin thunks his head onto the wall behind him with a sigh, the mouse droid forgotten at his feet. “Other padawans always told me I was lucky Master Obi-Wan knew Huttese.” Ahh, kark, his general had been a Hutt salve; at least the spice runners made sure their slaves could communicate with their customers. “I couldn’t read a word of Aurebesh when I first came to the Temple, though to be fair, I couldn’t read anything else, either.”

  “You grow up around other kids?”

  “Yeah, my mom and I lived in the biggest slave slum on Tatooine.”

  Fives doesn’t need to tell him how lucky he was just to have had their own quarters. “I think, sir, that the vode know better than you think, what it’s like always standing on the edge of losing everything.”

  Squeezing his eyes closed, Anakin inhales sharply and clenches his fists over his knees. “What happened? To your mythosaur toys?”

  “One of the longnecks found them while we were in training, ‘threw them out before we got back. I think Hevy was even more upset than we were.”

  The leather glove over his prosthesis creaks as he tightens his grip on his own palms. “Was it easy? To just... forget about them?”

  “Of course not,” Fives snorts and crosses his arms, “we were the equivalent of eight standard at the time, but we honestly didn’t have a choice. As we got a little older, we stopped trying to put meaning in things, because we weren’t allowed things. Our names are our only real possession, even our armor can be taken from us, but we will not, cannot, let anyone take our names.”

  Groaning, Anakin scrubs his hands over his face before pushing himself up to finally look at Fives properly. He still doesn’t speak for a moment, just watching him, then teases flatly, “You’ve been spending too much time with Cody and Obi-Wan, you’re starting to speak in riddles.”

  “They are riddles only to you, sir.” He offers a small smile, and is only slightly disappointed when Anakin doesn’t return it.

  Instead, he lets out a winded breath. “So. You’re saying that it’s not easy to let go of even small things, but we must. And then there are things that we shouldn’t let go of?”

  “Some things aren’t ours to keep.”

  Anakin swallows. “Like Padmé,”

  “Like any person, no matter what sort of love we have for them.”

  Groaning, Anakin pulls his knees back up close and drops his face into his arms. “But I still love her.”

  Knowing that this is not a new problem, that General Kenobi has been trying to teach his general this for as long as they’ve known each other, Fives takes a moment to consider. “You don’t really have to stop loving her.”

  “But you said–”

  “You think I stop loving my brothers when they die?”

  Whether or not it’s healthy to hold onto affections for someone after a romantic relationship is a conversation for another time, Fives decides, and leans over to pick up where Anakin had left off with the droid.

  “General, it sounds to me like you already know all this,” he says, twisting a wire into the grip of his glove to yank it from the motor. “And  that you’re digging your feet in — which is the crux of the problem, isn’t it?”

  “You sound like Obi-Wan,” he groans, but doesn’t deny it.

  “Hmm, well, at least we’re still just kids.”

  Anakin very slowly looks up from his arms, just enough for Fives to see his wide eyes. “What do you...?”

  “Well, we’ve still got time to learn, don’t we?” Fives raises his eyebrow as he fits the new wire into the motor and starts to close all the panels back up. “I still think about Hevy and Droidbait and Cutup, and honestly, I still think about Echo’s and my mythosaurs. That’s not a bad thing, I don’t think, not even the Jedi would think that’s bad. I’m still angry when my vode don’t get funerals and I honestly hold that against the Chancellor and the Jedi both. But I don’t get to go back to Kamino and take my anger out on the longneck that took our toys, and I’m... working on it, not being so angry with the generals. I’m still angry. But I know the Jedi have about as much say in all of this as we do, and I know burying my brothers won’t bring them back. So I’m working on it.”

  “I... don’t have to be good at it all at once.”

  “Great Maker, General, just because you’re the Chosen One doesn’t mean you have to actually be good at absolutely everything from the start. You just have to try, and you still have time to.”

  He looks up and finds Anakin already smiling back. “Fives, I could kiss you.”

  “Considering it sounds like Senator Amidala just divorced you, I think that’s a very bad idea, sir.”

  “Bah, you’re no fun.”

  Fives feigns offense, “This mouse droid we’ve rigged to follow Captain Rex around and scream says differently.”

-

  The night the 501st returns to the Resolute after finally (kriffing finally) leaving Umbara, Fives finds a hand-sewn stuffed mythosaur on his bunk, with a string collar and a dogtag etched with CT-782.

-

Mando’a: Cuy’val Dar — “Those who no longer exist”, group of 75 Mando’ade and 25 others put together by Jango to train the clones vod/e —  “brother/s, comrade/s, sibling/s”, technically gender neutral but used most often in fandom as “brother/s” (*in this context, fives is using brothers as gender neutral as well, because you won’t take trans and nb clones even from my cold dead hands*)

#prompt fill #crispy writes #ani5 #anakin/fives #no really what's their ship name #prequel trilogy #clone wars #pre-relationship #but they're getting there lads #cw slavery #clone culture #domino squad #past anidala #very recently past lmao #anakin skywalker #trooper fives #mando'a #is it really childhood if you've never been allowed to be a child #but seriously dbb is sort of fucking awful as the clones #like i love the man he's been in almost every cartoon i've ever cared about #but good lord it's like he wasn't even trying to act #anyways #theclonewarsbrokeme #rare pair #like.... never seen anything for this kind of rare pair... #wanna write more about them adhd stimming together #and being worried babs on the battlefield #cause unlike ships like codywan or rexwalker or skysolo #ani5 would have NO problem being obvious as fuck about their worry and affection #they wouldn't even try to hide it

[nimsajlove]

Found you!

I finally found a almost okay way to save Dogma. Take this, I will go to bed now! This is related to this small series.

Ao3    Brothers-AU     Part II

„General, it is a pleasure to greet you again on Kamino.“, the steady voice of a Kaminoan echoed over to her. Ahsoka took one step over the rest of the ramp and looked up, Shaak Ti followed the prime minister half a step back. Ahsoka eyed her briefly, outwardly she seemed as calm and controlled as ever. But a little nudge in the Force was enough; she openly spread her grief in front of the younger Togruta. Okay, take a deep breath! She glanced at Rex, and he nodded curtly. Well, they were still on schedule. „I want to get this done quickly. The Jedi Council has been promised the clones by the Supreme Chancellor and I'm here to get everyone on their cruisers.”, she explained quickly and Lama Su nodded slowly and deliberately. „Of course, all cadets are ready to leave the facility. As well as the clone staff.“, he explained and showed the way, with stiff steps she followed him. As they stepped into the bright hallways, her stomach turned. No good memories clung to this place! But before Ahsoka could squint her eyes, two hands fell on her back. One was long and slender and exuded a deep energy that forced her body to relax. The other was rough and warm, she looked up and when Jesse nodded safely, her head calmed down. He knew where to go, he would help her! „And what about the rest of the men?“, she asked and her group stopped, Lama Su gave her a sharp look. „We don't have any other troops here. The embryos cannot be handed over to the Jedi yet.“, he tried to chide her. She wasn't a child anymore! Unasked, Jesse handed her a holoprojector. Why was he so well prepared? Why was she so badly prepared?! With stiff fingers she switched on the projector, it showed a picture of a helmet camera. It was maybe only a few months old and a small text at the bottom said it was from Jesse's helmet.

Lama Su looked at the room and folded his hands. „You were not allowed to enter there.“ „And yet you would have withheld these men from us. I demand all living clones and all preserved bodies that are in these halls!“, Ahsoka growled softly and when the Kaminoan showed no movement, Shaak Ti stepped closer to him. One of her hands rested on her lightsaber. „They are owned by the Jedi now.“, she clarified and Lama Su blinked angrily at her.

*~*

„That went pretty well.“, Jesse muttered and Ahsoka rocked her head thoughtfully. She was so damn tired! Her hand hurt again and the muscles of her bandaged thigh twitched from time to time after the long walk through the facilities in the city. Nonetheless, her gaze was attentive as she watched as clones of various colors pointed a mass of cadets at the cruisers. In between, some soldiers brought containers of stunned or dead clones back to their battalions. „It could have been worse.“, she admitted quietly when her comlink demanded attention. „We have got everyone on the cruiser, we can take off. Cody has assured me that he and General Kenobi will monitor everything else.“, the voice of Rex rang out and Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief, she wanted to get away from here as soon as possible! „We also have visitors.“, the Commander pushed after and Ahsoka hesitated. Visitors? „What kind of visitor is that?“, she asked alarmed and made her way to her cruiser with Jesse in tow. „Friends vod'ika, they're friends.“, Rex assured her and she could swear to hear him smile. Sighing, she cut the connection and quickened her pace. With Jesse's protective hand behind her back, she entered the landing bay and was briefly amazed at how empty everything looked around her. Then she spotted the people at the top of the ramp of the cruiser and with long strides she bridged the distance until two hands grabbed her by the waist and whirled her through the air.

„Only our Jedi could do something like that!“, Wrecker roared and Ahsoka saw from the corner of her eye how Jesse's shoulders tensed and Rex shook his head indulgently. „Watch out Wrecker, otherwise you won't make friends here.“, Echo warned, his smile taking the bite out of his words. Ahsoka grinned when she was back on solid ground and turned to Hunter. „What can I do for you?“, she asked, she was so happy to see familiar faces. Even so, her body seemed to think this was enough for a day. Her hand throbbed, her head ached. „We were worried and want to help, General Tano.“, Hunter explained calmly and even Jesse relaxed again, most of them could actually deal with Hunter. She wanted to answer, a hand pressed to her throbbing forehead, as a sharp voice preceded her. „General, sit down. Now.“, Burnes growled and came out of the cruiser to them. He didn't have his helmet on and his stubborn stare assured Ahsoka, that he would call Kix to it if necessary. She quickly turned to the Bad Batch, but Hunter was already studying her and then shook his head. „We're going to ask Commander Cody what we can do. Tell uns, when you are feeling better.“, he calmed her down and with that the Bad Batch disappeared quickly and quietly. Oh shit, she didn't mean to offend the men! But her head... „It's okay, they don't hold it against you. Listen to Burnes.“, Echo mumbled while he stepped to her side and Burnes nodded satisfied and went back into the cruiser, the others followed him. Hardly in the hangar, Jesse grabbed Ahsokas other arm and he and Echo pushed her onto one of the containers full of groceries and provisions standing around. Burnes had already opened his backpack and was holding a couple of pills in the palm of his hand. Without asking, Ahsoka took them and bowed to her fate. Her head throbbed and her leg hurt. Then he pulled out something else and handed it to her, it elicited a small laugh from the Togruta. She considered protesting, but then she took the unadorned teether and wedged it between her teeth. The weight between her jaws calmed her and her muscles relaxed again. Sighing, Rex took off his helmet across from her and eyed her critically. „You have to take care of yourself. We only just patched you up again.“, he mumbled and wordlessly she nodded, he was right. She had walked around too much today and maybe tried to get more into her head than she should. But this was more important than what was going on in her head. More important than the fact that she woke up bathed in sweat at night and found no rest on her own. She was glad of every waking second in which she did not have to see the hateful yellow eyes.

„General?“, asked another clone and Ahsoka looked up, Appo approached with quick steps. A blue arrow on a bronze background adorned his helmet. She gave him a smile, he was one of the few survivors from the 501st, who she had welcomed all with open arms. The council had given her without further ado Anakin's cruiser, which offered more space than her own. „The Chancellor asked for you. If you're not feeling well, then I'll-“ „No, it's okay, Captain.“, Ahsoka mumbled and started to get up. The painkillers seemed to hit slowly, and her head wasn't throbbing as hard for a long time. Still, a hand shot out and held onto her. „Take it easy, General.“, Burnes warned and grumbling, she sank back on her bottom, lacking the energy to argue with a medic. Not to mention Burnes or Kix, who were always on her heels. „I will talk to Chancellor Organa, you stay here.“, Rex mumbled and when Ahsoka didn't protest he patted her knee once, then he left the hangar with Appo. Well, if she was condemned to sit down, she would just have to take care of other things! She picked up her comlink. It took a while for Kix to finally respond. „Not now!“, he grumbled and it made Ahsoka smile, even if her eyes were suddenly very heavy. She gave Burnes a suspicious look, there must have been a sleeping pill in between! The medic returned her gaze like innocence itself. „Kix, get me when you wake the first one again. Yes?“, Ahsoka asked and her voice was suddenly quiet and small, she was so damn tired! She heard Kix laugh softly. „I will, don't worry. Thank Burnes for me won’t you?“ „Idiot.“, Ahsoka complained and switched off her comlink before she sagged against a shoulder next to her. Jesse. Echo sat on her other side on the container and pulled her legs onto his lap. „Sleep vod'ika, we'll keep watch.“, Jesse assured her and with a sigh, Ahsoka gave in and closed his eyes.

The first thing she felt again was the teether that was still stuck between her fangs. Then there was that warm hand that snuggled up against one of her montrals and satisfied she pressed a little against the warmth. Her head was bedded on something soft, did they got new pillows? No... A loud rumble and hasty apologies straightened her memories. The hangar. The sleeping pill. She had slept dreamlessly... Soft voices joined the noises around her and sighing, she carefully stretched her stiff legs, someone laughed softly. The sound ended with a low gasp. „Don't wake her up.“, one of the men warned, she was sure it was Hevy. „Be quiet yourself!“, answered oneother brother still a little breathless, Cutup. The noises grew louder, it sounded like a little scramble. Oh no... Puffing, she turned her head and buried her nose in the fabric under her head. The smell was familiar, her robe? „Carry on like this and I'll call Rex.“, Kix grumbled, was he here? Slowly the amount of noise increased, and Ahsoka rolled onto her back, panting, and rubbed her face with one hand. How long had slept? „Stay down, you don't have to go anywhere.“, Droidbait mumbled close to her, then it was probably his hand that was so comfortably warm on her head. Grumbling softly, she blinked up and took the teether out of her mouth, her head resting on Droidbait's lap. He greeted her with a warm smile. „How long have I been out?“, she mumbled and began to get up, his hands coming to her aid. Next to her feet, Kix leaned against the container and watched her, his critical gaze following every movement. „6 hours.“, Hevy commented and when Ahsoka looked down, she saw him and Cutup sitting on the floor. They both smiled up at her and she almost missed the worry in their eyes.

6 hours? „Have you started yet?“, she asked Kix and swung her legs from the container, her brothers on the floor got up again and Droidbait put the robe around her shoulders. Kix nodded. Kriff! „We started with Dogma, it's not like we had a lot of choice.“, he mumbled darkly and Ahsoka's heart contracted painfully. The 501st hadn't gotten many men back. Most of them would be buried in the next few days. „I'm sorry.“, she mumbled and rubbed her face again, the teether she slipped into a pocket of her robe. „It‘s okay. You just didn't have to endure it alone.“, Kix tried to comfort her. Ahsoka knew he wasn't mad at her. All of her brothers would have liked to relieve her and Jesse of some of the burden they had to bear. For exactly three days, all the men had known what Ahsoka and the ARC soldier had found on Kamino. „Where's Jesse?“, she asked and hopped off the container, Droidbait got up too. „By the cells, he wanted to keep an eye on them for you. Fives and Echo have joined him.“, Cutup explained and Ahsoka nodded, okay. With great strides she set off. „Was Dogma awake already?“, she asked Kix, he shook his head. „No, the medication should only fade in the next few minutes.“

*~*

The corridor outside the cells was more crowded than Ahsoka had expected. Most were unlocked, the older clones sat inside and in front of the cells on the floor and watched over their brothers. „Why did we choose this again?“, Ahsoka mumbled, she hated to see the men in the narrow rooms. Even if the bunks had been equipped with cushions and pillows. „Because the medbay is full with the injured of the past few days and confused cadets. The quarters are also almost overcrowded and here we have them under control, should the men be confused.“, Kix reminded her just as quietly and led them to a cell at the end of the row, on the way they met Echo and Fives. Droidbait, Cutup and Hevy stayed with them and Fives gave her a warm look. Jesse was waiting in front of the last door, he had his helmet on and was leaning in the doorway. „Hey.“, Ahsoka greeted carefully and put a hand on his arm. He looked tense. „He's going to hate us.“, Jesse whispered, even through the helmet he still sounded hoarse and tired. Kix put a hand on Jesse's neck and Ahsoka saw him lean into it and exhale deeply. „We can fix this. I promise.“, she tried to calm him down and pulled his helmet down to her for a gentle Keldabe kiss. Jesse's shoulders slumped, the weight of the equipment seeming to push them down. „Thank you. Thank you for staying with us.“, he muttered and Ahsoka tried to smile encouragingly, she didn't know if she succeeded. „Go and sleep a little, we were both on our feet too long. I'll stay here.“, she answered softly and Jesse nodded slowly, straightened up again and when Kix took a half step back into the corridor, he followed.

For a few seconds she watched Kix lead Jesse step by step. Guilt welled up in her at the thought of how long her brother had carried a huge burden almost alone. But now the others could take care of him, she knew that Kix would personally bring him to his bunk. A little reassured, she turned to the cell and entered. Dogma lay motionless on the bunk at the other end of the small room. All of this didn't look to uncomfortable, but her stomach still rumbled at the sight. Dogma's previous life had ended in a cell, was it fair that he should wake up in one now? The thought weighed on her mind and she leaned against the wall, listening to the noises from the hallway. The soft voices of the men formed a constant humming in the background, they radiated a calm that she had never known before! She had been surrounded by the clones for much of her youth, and pain and tension had never left the men's minds. The pain was there now, too, but above it was the certainty that the war was over. The final battles would be rather unspectacular without the Chancellor and Dooku. Downright easy!

A rustle tore her from her thoughts, Ahsoka turned her head and watched Dogma sit up with trembling arms, he blinked a few times in confusion before his gaze found her. He stared at her and Ahsoka's stomach contracted painfully, he looked so alone. Then suddenly a hard laugh escaped him. „Ha! I'm dead.“, he stated dryly and Ahsoka's heart slipped into her pants. What?! „Um ... no.“, she answered hesitantly and Dogma looked at her critically. Carefully he swung his legs off the cot and sat up properly. „With all due respect Commander, you are not particularly convincing.“ Was he joking?! Ahsoka slowly pushed away from the wall and took a tiny step closer. Dogma watched her closely, like an animal that is expected to be attacked at any time. „Dogma you are not dead.“, she clarified again and he seemed to want to reply something, but the beeping of her comlink interrupted him and immediately his mouth snapped shut. Sighing, she picked it up. "General, we will need more space.", one of the men reported and the sigh that was now escaping her was almost fond. Even if her stomach was still cold and hard. „Lay out my study, that of Commander Rex and Captain Appo's, with exercise mats. I don't think we all mind sharing the rooms with others if the children can sleep in a bunk.“, she decided and the trooper at the other end seemed to smile, it accompanied his answer. „Yes sir, it's as good as done.“, he announced and the connection was terminated. When Ahsoka turned her gaze back to Dogma, he seemed confused again.

„General?“, he asked hesitantly, so that was the inconsistency he was hanging on to… That was fine with her, maybe she could start here to convince him of his survival. „Yes.“, she replied calmly and evenly. The corners of Dogma's mouth pulled down, he frantically wiped his face with one hand. „But I was… dead! There was nothing there. There…“ He broke off, his hands trembled almost uncontrollably and he turned pale. Kriff, that here was almost worse than bringing Echo back to life. At least he hadn't doubted anything that much. „It's okay Dogma.“, she muttered, no reaction. He just kept shaking, his gaze fixed on the floor. Was that what she looked like when she had a panic attack? Ahsoka slowly approached the clone and crouched in front of him, he winced violently when her hand appeared in his field of vision and Ahsoka hastily pulled it back. „It's okay, you're safe.“, she assured, trying to sound as firm as Rex when he talked to her in the dark after a nightmare. Dogma swallowed hard. „But the others… And Krell. And Kamino!“, he managed and gritted his teeth, a violent sob shook him and Ahsoka hastily reached out to him, caught him at the shoulders and instead of flinching he sagged and another sob broke out of him. Ahsoka slowly worked her way up until she was sitting next to him on the bunk with his head resting on her shoulder. The fabric was wet under his cheeks. „It's okay, I've got you.“, she mumbled and was infinitely thankfull when she felt Dogma trying to take a deep breath. „You are home.“

#star wars #clone wars #brothers-au #ahsoka tano #clone trooper dogma #clone trooper jesse #clone trooper rex #clone trooper kix #clone trooper fives #clone trooper echo #clone trooper hevy #clone trooper cutup #clone trooper droidbait #clone oc brunes #bringing dogma back #the big rescue