#CT-21-0408

[matookahitaki]

[suck-a-egg]

Echo: Watcha workin' on?

Rex: Invoices. I'm ordering new children.

[territhium]

May the Last Domino Fall

flower meanings under cut

Marigold- grief

Zinnia- thoughts of absent friend

Pink Carnation- ill never forget you

Blood red rose- mourning

Hyssop- sacrifice

Black eyed Susan- justice

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Rex and the Domino Twins

This is gonna be sad again :(

°•°•°•°

Do you ever think about the fact that Rex being so desperate to save Echo was in part due to the fact that he was probably still reeling from Five's death? We don't know how long after his death Echo was found, but it can't have been an overly long time.

Rex was there when both of the Domino Twins were lost and now he has an opportunity to possibly save one of them, to know that he didn't completely fail them. He's holding onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, he can see one of his younger brothers again.

We were so close to a reunion. Just a few more weeks before the inhibitor chip incident and those two could have seen each other again.

But if Tup's chip had never been activated, Fives would have never discovered the truth, and no-one would know to remove them. And instead Echo would have watched his brother succumb to the chip.

Those two were doomed to never reunite, to never spend the rest of their lives together. Both sacrificed themselves to help protect their friends and their brothers. And because of that, they lost each other.

And even though Rex saves Echo, he knows that he has to tell him the truth.

That Fives died.

And it was only a short time ago.

Afterthoughts: Honestly, the amount of guilt that Rex probably feels about these two alone is heartbreaking. He knew how close those two were and he had to watch each of them survive without their other half, knowing that maybe he could have done something.

Rex was there when Fives was grieving Echo. And Rex was probably the one to tell Echo about Fives. And he was there when each of them were lost. He probably watches each of them and is reminded of his failings as a captain. He couldn't protect his men and seeing those two apart solidifies that.

Obviously, it's not his fault. Those two sacrificed themselves to protect their brothers. But that guilt probably eats away at him.

[fic-ive-read]

Link To The Fic

[sadiecoocoo]

It's Growing On Me - The Bad Batch fic

trying something new with how I format these posts, lmk what you guys think :)

Also I thought abt it and this fic could count for the Summerofbadbatch prompt, “it’s not what you think” so yeah ig this is a summer of bad batch thing :) @summer-of-bad-batch

Relationships - Crosshair & Echo

Tags - Bonding, Fluff, Minor Injuries, Hurt/Comfort, Misunderstandings, Fluff and Humor, CT-9904 | Crosshair is Bad at Feelings, Protective CT-9904 | Crosshair, CT-9904 | Crosshair is a Little Shit, CT-9904 | Crosshair-centric, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo-centric, Soft CT-9904 | Crosshair, Hurt CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Clone Trooper Tech is a Little Shit (Star Wars), Hunter is So Done (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Mission Fic, Brotherly Bonding, Platonic Cuddling

Summary - Crosshair has a moment of realization after Echo humbles a reg that picked on the Batch. He tries his best to make up for the time he had been mean to Echo, and tries to treat him like a brother.

Or, Crosshair trying desperately to get mama Echo's approval.

Word Count - 10,647

Read on A03

The alleys of Coruscant never really got dark. There were neon signs everywhere that reflected off of puddles and windows. Most places were open all night and kept their lights on. Coruscant was a planet that never slept unless all its residents were hungover.

Sometimes Crosshair had trouble believing that Coruscant was the head of the Republic and Jedi. Spending time in the lower levels can make it suffocating to spend time above. All the senate buildings seemed bland after seeing all the shops and bars with their bright colors and lights that never dimmed.

Clone Force ninety-nine had only been to Coruscant so many times. They were always on some mission or would rather just stay on the Marauder. Crosshair never complained about that. The Marauder was quiet (most of the time), and Coruscant was noisy and obnoxious. Anyone could guess which he preferred a majority of the time.

However, He did enjoy this certain outing to sample a few of Coruscant’s bars. Echo seemed well versed in the area, being a reg and having the chance to spend time on leave. He gave them a multitude of good bar recommendations, though his favorite seemed to be 79’s. Crosshair couldn’t agree, there were too many regs there. He was surprised that a fight didn’t break out while they were there.

Of course, a fight did break out. It was just at a different bar, a very rugged one that looked out of place on Coruscant. For once, Crosshair hadn’t even been the one to start the fight. Instead, their newest member was the guilty suspect.

They were about to leave, Hunter and Tech barely being able to stand; they were so drunk. Crosshair was a little disappointed, having enjoyed the drinks he got at this particular bar. He and Wrecker both held their liquor better than The former two. Echo, unsurprisingly, didn’t drink that much. The reason being something about Tech not wanting the alcohol to possibly give him a setback in his recovery, that he was still too underweight to handle it all well. Of course, Tech didn’t stay coherent long enough to make sure Echo did as he was told, so that duty fell upon Hunter, then Crosshair once the sergeant succumbed to the drowsiness of the alcohol.

He had begrudgingly patted Echo on the shoulder, mumbling “that’s enough reg, Tech’ll kill you in the morning if you have anymore.” and the ARC trooper frowned and placed his glass on the table, sliding it instead to Wrecker, who gladly took it. It wasn’t long before the group decided to call it quits after that.

Wrecker was practically carrying Tech, with how much the splicer leaned on him, as they stumbled out of the bar. Hunter looked like he already had a headache forming, and Wrecker decided to take up the job of guiding their sergeant as well. Crosshair rolled his eyes as he shared a glance with Echo.

Both of them had started to get along better, but the ARC was still a reg. Crosshair would tolerate occasional glances and fighting beside him, but he doubted they’d be friends anytime soon. They certainly had been in a few arguments that turned physical soon enough.

Wrecker, with the added weight of his brothers and clumsiness from the several beers he had had, stumbled to the side and just barely caught himself from falling. He did, however, cause someone else to fall. Crosshair groaned as he noticed it was a reg. Because of course they would piss off a reg.

“Hey! Defect, watch it!” The clone snarled. He didn’t have any paint on his armor, neither did a majority of the group with him. Wrecker held up his hands placatingly, still trying to hold up Tech, who was practically dead to the world. Hunter seemed to compose himself slightly and listened in. Crosshair doubted the sergeant would be much help if a fight broke out, though.

“I-I didn’t mean to- ‘m sorry,” Wrecker mumbled in response. Crosshair let out a huff. He didn’t need to apologize to the jackass.

“Oh yeah- sure! It was an accident?” the clone drunkenly antagonized.

“It was!” Wrecker tried again. The bar had fallen fairly quiet around them, waiting to see if a real fight would break out. Crosshair looked at Echo again and saw an expression that looked angrier than any he had seen before. He quickly wondered who it was pointed at.

“Oh kark you!” The reg said, then threw a punch at Wrecker. The crowd cheered at the potential chance to start a fight and get some entertainment. Crosshair clenched his fists and readied himself to join in to defend his brother, who honestly hadn’t budged from the blow. Maybe Crosshair wanted to join more so to put the reg in his place than to actually keep Wrecker from getting hurt, as if he could get hurt by this guy.

Echo placed his scomp on Crosshair’s shoulder, holding him back slightly. The sharpshooter glared at the reg. Of course he would stop Cross from joining the fight, giving his old buddies an advantage.

Contrary to what Crosshair had expected, Echo went forward himself. Crosshair blinked as the ARC grabbed the reg by the back of his armor and pulled him away from Wrecker. The reg complained and yelled, but it did little to deter Echo.

“Damned shiny.” Echo muttered as he pulled to reg far enough away to… scold him? “He did nothing to personally offend you and you karking punch him?” Echo’s tone sounded dangerous, and even Crosshair felt a little sheepish. It reminded him of all the times he had heard Cody scold a younger looking reg for something.

“Yeah! I’ll punch him,” He raised his fist and reared back. “And I’ll punch you too-” He didn’t get a chance to finish his threat before he was sprawled out on the floor. Echo held one arm up, and his foot was on the reg’s back, successfully pinning him down. The crowd cheered again, some cringing at the blow. This time Wrecker and Hunter joined in on the cheering as well.

“Listen, kid.” Echo said, sounding very much like an order, “If you wanna prove you’re tough, go scrap some clankers. Leave my brothers alone. We’re all clones, we’re all fighting on the same side in the same war.” He reprimanded sternly. Crosshair felt almost in awe.

“Get your osik together.” He finished as he let go of the reg’s arm and stepped off of him. The reg sat up, but all the fight he had earlier seemed muted.

“Sir, yessir.” He mumbled. Crosshair heard a few chuckles in the background. Echo walked back to the Batch, patting Wrecker on his arm and deciding to shoulder some of Tech’s weight as well. Crosshair blinked at the ARC. That was not all what he had been expecting.

“Shiny?” Hunter asked. Echo let out a huff.

“Clones with unpainted armor, barely out of being cadets.” He explained, elbowing Hunter lightly with a grin. Crosshair listened quietly. He still felt as though he were in shock.

“I could have handled it…” Wrecker mumbled, though there wasn’t much anger to it. He sounded a little sad that he didn’t get to fight anyone. Crosshair couldn’t blame him, he did kind of wish that Echo hadn’t stepped in, only so he could have stepped in. Even so, he was still a bit amazed at Echo for standing up for them. He hadn’t expected it at all.

“Of course, big guy!” Echo responded, “I just didn’t want a fight to break out. We’re tired and drunk.” He explained with an understanding smile. Wrecker laughed, patting Echo on the back, making the ARC trooper stumble.

Crosshair trailed behind as they continued towards the hotel they had been provided for their leave (They would have just had to stay in the barracks, but Crosshair may or may not have gotten into a small scuffle with a few of the regs on their first night). He either kept his eyes trained to the ground or on his brothers’ backs. He worried his bottom lip, wishing he had brought a few toothpicks with him. The sharpshooter almost didn’t notice Echo start to slow to match his pace.

“You alright?” He asked quietly, trying not to let the others hear. Crosshair, seeing Hunter turn his head slightly back towards the two, knew that it only partially worked.

“Yeah.” He replied curtly. Crosshair looked back towards the ground to avoid Echo’s worried gaze. “Don’t worry ‘bout me.” He drawled. Echo let out a good spirited huff.

“‘Course not.” He said mirthfully. They fell into silence. Crosshair expected the ARC to catch back up with the others. It became apparent that he had no plans to do so once the hotel was in view and Echo was still walking next to him.

When they made it back up to their room, the majority of them collapsed on their beds. Echo went to the ‘fresher immediately, and the water started to run soon after. Crosshair sat heavily on his own bed, Tech having already been laid out next to him so he could sleep.

He ran a hand down his face and let out a sigh. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but he felt a strong guilt. He had treated Echo poorly compared to how he treated the others, having expected him to be like any other reg. The ARC had made it apparent that he really was different.

He knew Wrecker had practically forgotten that Echo was a reg, having grown attached only hours after Echo had joined their squad. Hunter’s heart bled for any stray, and he was clearly protective of the new addition to the Batch. Tech found in Echo a new pair of ears to listen to his ramblings, and even sometimes understand what he said. Crosshair… Crosshair had tolerated his presence.

Crosshair had certainly indulged in sharing teasing glances as the two found humor in something one of the others did. He had listened to some of Echo’s vents, though they had been spoken to Hunter in the middle of the night and not him. But he also held low expectations of Echo. He had honest to Maker expected him to join on any regs’ sides if there was a fight. He had been ready to hear some complaints about them being defective. He had expected him to not care as much about them while on the field.

He had been cruel in that. Crosshair fumbled for one of his toothpicks and stuck it in between his teeth, chewing on the wood as he thought. It wasn’t something he felt he needed to be redeemed for. It was just something he wanted to do a bit better on.

He stripped off his armor to get comfy in his blacks. Crosshair laid back against the pillow, opting to shower in the morning. Tech had already snuggled up to him seconds after he got under the covers.

The door to the ‘fresher opened and an arc of light flooded the room. Echo left the door cracked, giving the Batch a small night-light as they slept. Crosshair watched silently as Echo’s figure walked over to his and Hunter’s bed and plopped down next to the sergeant.

Hunter had an arm covering his eyes and he peeked out to look at the ARC as the bed creaked. Echo handed something to Hunter, probably medicine for the approaching headache, and the tracker mumbled a sleepy “thanks.”

There was a pop and a hiss as Echo removed his headpiece, the familiar sound indicating that Echo was about to sleep like the rest of them. He put in his hearing aids so he could actually hear in case anyone needed anything. Crosshair heard the ruffling of covers before it settled.

He let out another soft sigh. He would do better for the reg. Nothing too crazy, just better.

Echo groaned when he woke up. His head throbbed. He really wished he hadn’t drinken that much. At least he felt somewhat clean, though sleeping ruined that. He turned in the bed to try and get comfy again, hoping that he could sleep just a little longer.

“Echo,” There went that plan. “We’ve gotta leave in two hours.” Hunter informed him. He cursed the Batch’s need on the field. If they worked so well, why not make more special ops teams like them? It’d be nice to have a break that lasted more than three days for once.

“Well that leaves me ‘n hour to sleep.” He mumbled, face pushed against the pillow. His eyes felt heavy and all he wanted was an actual good night’s sleep. He had tossed and turned all night, finding it impossible to get comfy enough to lay still. Hunter had elbowed him multiple times for it. He couldn’t help that all his prosthetics were uncomfortable as shit when he was trying to sleep. And there was no way he’d sleep without them unless he was on the Marauder, he’d be too vulnerable.

“That is incorrect.” Tech stated, “It usually takes you an hour and a half to get ready after we’ve been on leave, since you spend more time than needed drinking caf.” He explained. Echo let out a rough sigh.

“Why d’you know that?” He grumbled loudly.

“I thought it might be useful.” Tech stated simply. Echo knew he was doing one of his annoying, yet somewhat cute, shrugs when he thought something was obvious when to literally anyone else it wasn’t.

He groaned again when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open to see Crosshair standing above him. His gaze turned to the mug in his hands.

“Made you some caf.” He said, almost sheepishly, if Echo didn’t know any better.

With a sigh of defeat he sat up and took the mug. He nodded and smiled at Crosshair. Being woken up sucked, but getting some decent caf out of it was somewhat worth it. Crosshair nodded back, clearing his throat, then went in the refresher to get ready to leave.

Echo let the warmth of the mug warm his hand before drinking any of it. Eyes still half-lidded, he took a meager sip and smiled a bit brighter at the taste. It was sweet enough for him to enjoy it.

“Well that was strange.” Tech pointed out. Echo looked up to see Hunter and Wrecker both nodding in agreement. He let out a confused hum.

Tech opened his mouth to give a long-winded explanation, but Hunter cut him off. “It’s nothing.” He dismissed with a wave of his hand. Tech frowned and shared a glance with Wrecker. Echo shrugged and continued enjoying his caf.

His headache had started to ebb by the time Crosshair left the ‘fresher. He rubbed his neck to work out a crick, hearing a satisfying pop. It got rid of a bit of the soreness, helping more with his headache.

Echo covered his mouth as he yawned, then finally got out of his bed. He placed the now empty mug on the bedside table, then placed his hearing aids beside them. The world quieted before he had the chance to put on his headset. Any movement could no longer be heard; though he saw Hunter rummaging through his pack, the shuffling was muted.

He replaced the hearing aids with his headset and released a breath. He hated how vulnerable he could be without even one of his cybernetics. There wasn’t much he could do about it, he was lucky enough for Tech to have upgraded them so he could feel fairly normal with them on.

“Feeling alright, Echo?” Hunter asked. The ARC turned to the sergeant, meeting his worried gaze with his own tired one.

“Yeah. Just a headache, it’ll pass.” He waved it off. He smiled at Hunter, who seemed pleased with his answer. He yawned again and stretched before getting up. He started packing up his stuff, a task that wouldn’t take longer than a few minutes.

His shoulders slumped as he checked and realized, unsurprisingly, Tech was right about his morning routine. He looked over his shoulder to see Tech’s smug expression. Echo fixed the splicer with an unimpressed glare, then stuck his tongue out playfully.

He shouldered his bag, stubbornly refusing to let Wrecker carry it, then waited at the door for the others to get finished up. Crosshair approached and stood beside him quietly. He looked like he had something on his mind, but Echo knew the sniper wouldn’t utter a word about it until he wanted to.

“I can carry that,” Crosshair pointed to his bag. Echo blinked, looking from the bag on his shoulder to Crosshair. He let out a light chuckle before answering.

“I got it, thank you though.” He insisted, similarly to how he always answered Wrecker’s offering. He hated how much they all coddled him sometimes. Though, it came in pretty handy often enough for him to never bother saying anything. He knew that if he needed help with something, a break, or a bit of quiet, any of them would help him to their best abilities.

Crosshair nodded wordlessly, then leaned against the wall. He had a toothpick in his mouth, as usual, and was moving it from one side to the other. It was something he usually did when he was nervous or worried. Echo rolled his eyes subtly.

“You doing okay?” He asked carefully. The sharpshooter glanced at him, then to the ground.

“Fine.” He muttered quietly. Maybe Tech had been on to something when he commented on how weird Cross was acting. Echo shook the thought away, everyone has their days.

“All right, let’s head out boys.” Hunter said once had finished packing their stuff (there wasn’t much to pack, but still). They all followed the sergeant out of the room and towards the lobby. Echo waved politely to the lady working the front desk as they all passed.

“Can we get something to eat?” Wrecker asked hopefully. Hunter let out an obvious sigh.

“We have to be on Ryloth in a few days, it’s a long trip.” He said, trying to reasonably turn it down. Echo pursed his lips. Wrecker released a loud ‘awwww!’

“I can head into town and get some snacks while you all prep the ship.” Echo offered, pointing down the crowded street. Wrecker’s face brightened and Hunter mulled it over.

“Alright, but be quick.” He relented. Echo and Wrecker both smiled brightly.

“Sweet or salty, big guy?”

“Both!” he replied excitedly.

“On it.” Echo saluted with his scomp arm, then hoisted the bag off his shoulders for Wrecker to carry. He went down the street in a rushed gait, not exactly running, but he looked like he had places to be.

He turned a corner and continued down the street until he came upon a familiar store. A small smile spread across his lips as he pushed the door open. The smell of chocolate and salt made his nose sting, but he ignored it. He started down to the corner of the store, waving a small greeting to the familiar cashier.

Hardcase had shown this place to him and Fives when they were on their first leave. Fives had practically bought out the store with all the credits Rex gave them while they were on leave. They had taken several bags of sweets aboard the Resolute and stashed it for later… until Rex found it and got onto them for having contraband, or rather, for not sharing it.

It became a small tradition for Echo, Fives, and anyone else they could convince to visit this place. The store owner had gotten to the point where he could recognize the two in a crowd of clones. Echo grabbed a small wrapped bag of salted caramel filled truffles.

He remembered the place fondly, but it got difficult to not tear up being in here. He had always had a brother beside him when he walked through those doors. He swallowed the lump in his throat and focused on his mission.

Echo picked up a few other things, something that each of them would like, plus a few extra things for himself (that Wrecker would most likely steal). Then, he walked up to the counter and paid for the treats.

“Echo,” The shop owner, an older Togruta, greeted solemnly. Echo tried to smile while he looked over his pale and skinny form. His eyes lingered on the scomp arm and headset. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah,” Echo said with a laugh, “A lot happened.” He placed everything on the counter and talked while Umata rung everything up.

“I was sorry to hear about Fives, and to hear about you, so long ago.” a bit of grief flooded his tone. Echo smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Sorry you lost a bit of business without us!” He joked lightheartedly, not feeling up for heart-to-hearts.

“Oh, I’ve always got someone around.” Echo was grateful that he understood. The war had made it so just about everyone lost someone. Umata had lost many people before he made it to Coruscant, Echo and Fives had been given all the stories of his travels when they had time to talk.

“Glad to hear it, I don't know what I’d do if I’d come back and this place wasn’t here.” Umata handed him the bag, and Echo tried to hand him the credits. Umata held up his hand in refusal.

“Please, on the house.” Echo opened his mouth to protest, “as a welcome home gift.” Umata insisted. Echo shook his head with a sigh. He pocketed the credits and instead shook Umata’s hand.

“It’s good to have you back, Echo.” Umata said as Echo started to turn to leave.

“Good to be back.” Echo replied with a smile, this time more genuine. He left without another word, feeling Umata’s worried gaze on his back.

When he turned to head back towards the Marauder, he nearly lept out of his skin. Crosshair stood leaned against the wall, very close to the door. Echo released a breath and blinked at the sharpshooter.

“Hey?” He said awkwardly. Crosshair looked up at him, having rested his eyes for a moment.

“Hunter wanted me to tell you to hurry.” Crosshair muttered. Echo let out a huff. Hunter had certainly sugar coated it more than that. He patted Crosshair on the shoulder with his scomp and headed back towards the Marauder. Crosshair was hot on his heels.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, passing several groups of people. Crosshair stopped dead in his tracks at some point. Echo turned curiously to the sharpshooter.

“What did you just say?” Crosshair grabbed the arm of a civvie to stop them from leaving. Echo blinked at the strange exchange and his brow furrowed.

“What does it matter to you, clone?” the civvie snarled. He was a weequay, probably a bounty hunter or pirate, by how scuffed up he already looked.

“Answer the damn question.” Crosshair ordered threateningly.

“Cross-” Echo tried.

“I called him a damned meat-droid! That’s what he is, can’t be pissed ‘bout that.” The weequay defended. Echo’s shoulders slumped and he breathed heavily through his nose. Crosshair’s nose scrunched in anger and disgust.

“You sleemo!” Before Echo got the chance to step in, Crosshair had grabbed the man by his shirt and pinned him against the wall. He didn’t seem very confident anymore, his hands raised in surrender. Crosshair reared back to punch the man.

“Crosshair!” Echo hissed, grabbing his elbow to stop him from attacking the guy. “Drop it.” he ordered once the sharpshooter looked at him. Crosshair studied him silently, then, literally, dropped it. The man fell to the ground with a grunt.

Crosshair glared at Echo for a moment, then shouldered past him. Echo regained a bit of his composure and glanced down at the man. He didn’t bother apologizing, he knew the guy didn’t deserve it.

He followed Crosshair with a similar scowl on his face.

Hunter didn’t know when it started, or why, but he knew it was weird. Crosshair, the person who, up until now, liked Echo the least, was acting like he couldn’t stand two minutes away from him. Everyone else, except somehow Echo, noticed it too.

Tech was the first to comment on it, and they all seemed to have the epiphany then. Echo was still too tired to even notice it. Crosshair had made Echo caf. He never made anyone caf unless he lost a bet. Hunter would know, he tried several times to convince him to make him some when he had a migraine.

Then, he started to hover around Echo. Right before they left the hotel, he seemed oddly close to the ARC trooper. It wasn’t really a big deal, it was just different from his usual behavior. Sometimes Crosshair acted like he couldn’t stand Echo’s presence, and sometimes they got along okay, but the sharpshooter never actively looked for Echo.

He even offered to go get Echo when they were about to leave. Hunter was more worried about the two looking pissed when they got back than the action alone. He wondered if maybe Crosshair was starting to get on Echo’s nerves, and the ARC had snapped.

Even so, they were all greatly distracted from the sweets Echo had brought back. Wrecker made a ruckus as he cheered, almost knocking over Gonky as the droid passed. Tech and Hunter were both pleased with the treats, but weren’t quite as excited.

Once the group was in hyperspace, Hunter left the cockpit to go mitigate things. If Echo and Crosshair were having issues, he didn’t want them to get in the way of the mission. Apparently some karked up shit was happening on Ryloth, the seppies were adamant about taking the planet. That only meant bad news and he didn’t need his squad shooting at each other more than the droids.

Echo was on his bunk (technically it was Wrecker’s, but they cycled out since they had a new addition to the squad), leaning back with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Hunter was sometimes worried with how often he slept, but Tech assured him that it was just because of his recovery and it wasn’t anything to worry about. Crosshair was sitting on the chair near the console, cleaning a part of his firepuncher. The other parts were strewn about the small counter in front of the screen.

Hunter sat down next to Echo, shaking the bed as he did so. The ARC trooper peeked an eye open, then sighed as he met Hunter’s eyes. He adjusted his position and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Hunter looked over to Crosshair, whose attention was now on the two. Hunter lifted a brow, and Cross scoffed. He placed the part he had been cleaning next to the rest. He rested his head in his palm and leaned his elbow on the counter.

“Okay, what’s going on between you two?” Hunter asked, getting to the point. Echo looked at Hunter with an unreadable expression, and Crosshair rolled his eyes in an exasperated manner.

“Nothing?” Echo replied confusedly. He looked over to Crosshair, who only shrugged. “We’re acting… normal?” Hunter sighed.

“No, you’re acting normal,” He pointed to the ARC’s chest, “he’s acting weird.” he jammed his thumb in Crosshair’s direction. Echo looked at the sharpshooter, blinked for a moment, then shrugged.

“We just got into a small fight with a civvie.” Crosshair muttered.

“You got into a small fight with a civvie.” Echo corrected with a scoff. Crosshair glared at him, but Hunter didn’t see any real anger behind it, at least none directed towards Echo.

“He called you a meat-droid?!” Crosshair retaliated. Hunter’s eyes widened and he turned to Echo. The ARC looked unimpressed.

“Crosshair,” He replied, a bit of humor in his tone, “I appreciate you defending me, I really do, but just about every clone gets called a meat-droid, I’m just a bit more droid than others.” Echo played it off with a shrug.

“I don’t put up with people calling any of them names, I’m not gonna put up with anyone calling you names.” Crosshair continued, unwilling to let the matter drop.

“And I appreciate that, but it’s really okay.”

“Okay?! Are you serious-”

“Okay that’s enough!” Hunter interrupted sternly. The two looked guiltily over to him. He released a rough sigh and shook his head. “Just, both of you, please don’t get distracted on the mission.” He urged. Echo nodded and Crosshair scoffed.

“‘Course, Sarge.” Echo said, almost spitefully. The ARC had always seemed to get offended at the notion that he could be the one screwing up a mission. Hunter couldn’t blame him for it, he had a lot going on in his head and a desperate need to prove himself useful.

“We’ll be at Ryloth in about a day,” He informed them, changing the subject. The two clones nodded silently, content with ending the discussion. Hunter got up, leaving the two to sort out things on their own, and headed back to the cockpit. He plopped down in the copilot’s seat, usually Echo’s spot whenever he was in the cockpit, and released a heavy sigh.

“That went well.” Tech announced sarcastically. Hunter dragged a hand down his face as he groaned. There was always something.

“About as well as a bantha in a pod race.” Hunter mumbled back. Tech let out a humored hum in response.

“Perhaps Crosshair is finally warming up to Echo.” Tech suggested, trying to grasp an answer. Hunter shrugged, slouching further in the seat.

“Maybe, but why so suddenly?” He responded. “Last night He looked just about ready to punch Echo when the fight broke out.” Tech hummed again at that. The room was filled with silence, aside from the beeping of the navi computer as Tech keyed in the coordinates to Ryloth, as the two thought.

“I suppose it doesn’t really matter,” Tech concluded with a shrug. Hunter arched a brow, “ As long as they’re getting along and no one is getting distracted on missions, like your previous worry, then nothing bad can come of it.” He explained. Hunter blinked at him for a moment.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He agreed. He crossed his arms and propped his feet on the console. Tech swatted them off immediately and Hunter rolled his eyes playfully.

The mission went terribly. There was always something that went wrong, Echo had learned that quickly. Usually, though, the Batch could easily remedy it and come up with a new plan. Sadly, he wasn’t very conscious for that to happen.

The mission was meant to be a simple infiltration and data retrieval. There was a new separatist base found that was suspected to hold vital information for the Rylothian rebellion. Commander Ponds’ battalion was still being stationed on Ryloth, despite General Windu going back to Coruscant. Echo had been hoping to see Cody again, but the 212th were sent elsewhere.

The mission consisted of most of Clone Force 99 sneaking into the base through the vent system, while Wrecker snuck around outside and planted a chain of detonators set on a timer. Echo and Tech would take charge of the data retrieval, though Echo would be doing most of the searching while Tech would do his best to annoy the shit out of the separatists and screw with all their systems. Hunter and Crosshair would stand guard and cover them if any patrols passed by.

Echo was currently crouched in front of a terminal, his scomp inserted into the port and whirring quietly as his mind processed the code and files being given to him. His eyes held the familiar glassy look as his vision darkened.

He could hear Hunter asking Tech for an update on their progress, though it sounded very muffled. The splicer placed a hand on Echo’s shoulder to rouse him slightly. He blinked away the code for a moment and glanced at the Sergeant.

“Few more minutes,” He mumbled before focusing back on finding the data. There were so many useless files, Echo wasn’t sure how even the separatist generals found what they were looking for. He supposed it was somewhat smart, making it far more difficult for anyone to steal the files without being caught.

“Hurry it up.” Hunter urged stressfully. He must have heard a patrol of clankers approaching. Echo started skimming through the files faster, looking for anything that might jump out at him.

He felt the edges of another headache approaching as his eyes started to water from the strain. He tended to forget to blink when sifting through code. It was another habit Tech had been trying to help him break.

A lot of unhealthy things tended to happen when he was scomped in. If he was connected for too long he might think in code for the next few hours, he wasn’t even sure how it was possible, he just knew it gave him a miserable headache. Sometimes he would get a nosebleed, Tech had explained that mental strain can do that sometimes. Most of the time he had a dizzy spell, though he could work through those in the heat of battle, it was when the adrenaline wore off that he felt the urge to collapse. Almost every time he was connected for more than half an hour, the next day would be spent sleeping or suffering through a headache.

Despite all of the downsides, he was grateful for having the unique ability. It made him feel useful. It made him feel needed. It was probably the only thing keeping him from decommissioning.

A file finally stood out to him, “found something!” He informed them. He started the download, feeling a spike in his headache as the information rushed in. He read it as it loaded, looking over the battle plans and schematics. This would be very useful, and made the after effects of scomping in more than worth it.

Echo flinched as he heard blaster fire in the background. He looked up towards the door to see Cross and Hunter firing into the hallway. He blinked some of the code away and took in the sight of a large patrol of droids quickly approaching.

“Go help, I’ve got things covered here.” He told Tech. he only hesitated a moment before nodding quickly and unholstering his blaster. Tech ran over to the door and joined in the fray.

Echo focused back on the download, ninety-eight percent completed. He released a breath knowing that his headache really would be worth it. He felt a triumphant ping in his brain, as if his circuitry was celebrating the completed download, as the entirety of the file was finally downloaded. He started the process to disconnect his scomp.

“Echo! Disconnect now!” Crosshair yelled urgently. Echo started to ask what had happened, and say that he was already working on it, but a loud blaring sounded in his head. He yelled as error warnings filled his vision and he moved his other hand to press into his skull tightly, as if the pressure would relieve some of the pain.

“Echo!” the sharpshooter yelled again as Echo fell limp after his body seized. An electronic pulse, like on Anaxes, his mind supplied him before it fell dark.

“Echo!” Crosshair yelled as the ARC trooper fell limp. He broke off from the attack, rushing to the fallen trooper. He crouched down and propped Echo up, lifting his head to press his fingers to his pulse point.

“Wrecker get in here! We need backup!” Hunter ordered over the comms. Crosshair’s shoulders sagged as he felt the steady pulse under his fingers. He settled Echo’s head down, then turned his attention to the ARC’s scomp arm, still inserted in the port. Crosshair extracted it carefully, thankfully it gave way easily.

“I’ve got the reg,” Crosshair announced, “he’s unconscious but otherwise okay.” He reassured them all. Crosshair turned back towards the hallway, firing above his brothers at the droids. He didn’t leave where he was guarding Echo’s unconscious form.

He wished he had caught it sooner, the way that one droid seemed to peek around them and turn to its comm afterwards. He had still quickly picked up on what was about to happen, but he wasn’t quick enough. And now the reg was going to be deadweight.

It wasn’t long before the tell tale sound of droids screaming and metal smashing came down the hall. Soon, Wrecker had broken through and made it to the others. Crosshair kept an eye on the hallway as the bruiser quickly scooped Echo up in his arms

“Thanks, Wreck.” Hunter said, patting him on the arm. “Let’s get moving.” He announced, throwing his hand forward to motion for the group to get going. They all fell in line and they rushed down the hallway that was previously filled with battle droids. Crosshair kept his eyes on Echo while also watching the group’s back.

Several more patrols met the group as they went, though they were taken out quickly. Crosshair threw mirrors on the walls in preparation for the patrol that would likely follow them from behind. He almost felt a twinge of guilt for inevitably beating Wrecker again.

“What happened to Echo?” Wrecker asked after a long time without meeting another patrol. Hunter was at the front and peeking around a corner. Even if the mission had turned sour, they could still try to sneak past some of the droids.

“An electronic pulse was triggered while he was still connected to the systems.” Tech supplied. At Wrecker’s worried gaze he corrected, “It only did as much damage as a stun would, he will be fine.”

Crosshair would never openly admit it, but he was glad for the clear up as well. Wrecker sagged in relief and adjusted Echo to support his head better. Crosshair frowned as Echo’s arm fell and hung limply. He silently moved to adjust the limb, placing it on Echo’s chest.

“What?” He asked indignantly after Wrecker stared at him. The brute shrugged in response, then seemed to share a glance with Tech. The splicer also shrugged with a shake of his head. Crosshair felt like they were having a conversation he wasn’t supposed to be a part of. He scowled behind his helmet.

“Come on.” Hunter said after he had decided the area was clear. The group rushed out from the corner and continued through the base. They were getting closer to the exit, and it wouldn’t be long before they made it to the Marauder. He would be happy to get off of this planet.

Soon enough, they had made it out of the base and were in the forest. Hunter signaled for Wrecker to detonate the charges, and the base went up in flames seconds later. The ground shook as the base blew, and Crosshair resisted the urge to look back and admire the carnage.

They piled into the Marauder, Tech and Hunter heading to the cockpit while Wrecker and Crosshair got Echo settled in a bunk. Crosshair cleared off the mess of pillows and blankets on Wrecker’s bunk, much to the brute’s complaint. Crosshair doubted Echo needed a nest right now, he might feel pinned when he woke up.

Wrecker set the ARC down gently, propping his head up against a pillow. Crosshair frowned as the reg still didn’t stir. That must have been one hell of a stun. Maybe Tech did need to make sure Echo’s metal bits were working right.

The ship jostled as it left the atmosphere. Crosshair released a long breath through his nose as he allowed himself to relax. He plopped down on Hunter’s bunk, across from Wrecker’s, and currently Echo’s.

Soon, he felt the ship make the jump into hyperspace. Tech and Hunter both came out of the cockpit and gathered around the other two conscious troopers. Crosshair didn’t make eye contact, instead opting to watch as the reg’s chest rose and fell silently with every breath. At least he didn’t look like he was hurt.

“How long d’you think he’ll be asleep?” Wrecker asked, trying to whisper. Hunter leaned against the ladder to the bunk above Crosshair as he looked at Tech for an answer. The splicer already had his face buried in a datapad and held a medical scanner in his other hand.

“Hopefully not long.” He replied, “On Anaxes it took him about a half hour to regain consciousness, though it might take longer depending on how big of a pulse he was hit with.” he explained. Tech waved the medical scanner up and down Echo’s form. It made a small beep as it picked up something, Tech let out a small hum.

“What?” Hunter asked.

“A few of his systems were damaged.” Tech stated. All the others tensed and looked at Tech sharply for a better explanation. “Just his headpiece, which functioned as a databank, pain reliever for headaches, and a more advanced hearing aid than the ones he used before.”

“So he’s going to feel like shit when he wakes up.” Crosshair surmises. He slouched, once again feeling a small wave of guilt for not being fast enough. At least he knew Echo wasn’t the type to hold a grudge. That was a small comfort.

Either way, he would just have to make it up to him.

Several hours later, Echo woke up with a groan and a splitting headache. The weight of his headpiece was missing, and he couldn’t feel his hearing aids either. The absence of noise was overwhelming, and he had to fill his senses with sight to block out his panic. He blearily opened his eyes to look around the Marauder’s cabin.

The cabin was dark, and the small digital clock on one of their supply crates (they still hadn’t figured out the best spot to put it) showed that it was well into the night cycle. The green aurebesh numbers blinked on the small device before changing to the next minute.

His headpiece was on the workbench, with cables and wires connected. Tech sat there, his face buried in his arms and resting on the small desk. He still had a small tool in his hand that was pressed against one of the screws on Echo’s headpiece.

Echo shifted slightly, trying to ignore the ringing that was starting to grow in his ears. Something tapped his knee, and he jumped. His eyes darted towards the person sitting on the end of his bunk, their face shadowed by the bunk above.

He blinked at the scowling sniper. His arms were crossed and he leaned against the wall, he was sitting on Echo’s legs. His legs were propped up against another supply crate. His lips moved as he said something, though Echo couldn’t hear it.

“What?” he rasped out, his throat sore. He felt the reverberations in his throat and could only hope that he had made himself audible to the sniper. Crosshair pressed his lips into a thin line and looked towards Tech’s sleeping form.

Echo blinked at him expectantly when Crosshair looked back towards the ARC. He saw Crosshair’s shoulders sag with a sigh as he held his hands up to sign something. The Batch used a modified version of ARC signals that took Echo some time to adjust to, but with his hearing less than reliable in moments like these, it was well worth the frustration.

Sorry. Was all the sniper signed before he let his hands drop into his lap. Echo’s brow furrowed as he waited for some kind of clarification. When he was given nothing of the sort, he let his head plop back down onto the pillow.

“My hearing aids?” he asked, looking at Crosshair out of the corner of his eye. The sniper blinked at him, before signing a quick where? Echo pursed his lips as he thought of the last place he put them.

“Never unpacked them.” He concluded with a shrug. He nodded towards his pack, still sitting abandoned on the floor, that he had used on their shore leave.

The weight on his legs lifted as Crosshair got up and started rummaging through the pack. He pulled out a bag of the sweets Echo had gotten before and fixed him with a smug look and arched brow. Echo rolled his eyes as he watched Crosshair pocket the bag. As long as he still got his cut, he wouldn’t mind sharing with the sniper.

Soon enough, after practically taking everything else out of his pack, Crosshair found his hearing aids. He placed them in Echo’s hand, who then set them in his ears. He pressed a small button on the sides that made a small beeping reverberate through his ears. Then, he could finally hear the whirring of the Marauder’s engine and every other background sound there was.

“That’s better,” He said with a relieved sigh. Crosshair let out a scoff as he plopped back down on Echo’s bunk. This time the ARC was given enough time to move his legs out of the way.

“What happened?” He asked.

“There was a power surge while you were still scomped in, Tech said it damaged your headpiece.” he explained unenthusiastically. Echo buried his face further into the pillow as he let out a groan. He remembered that unpleasant feeling all too well.

“It always happens whenever I’m about to unplug.” He groaned. Crosshair let out a huff and patted Echo’s knee again.

“Happens to the best of us, ARC trooper.” Crosshair comforted, at least Echo thought it was supposed to be comforting. Either way, he flipped off the sniper without looking up. He knew it was reciprocated after Cross’ hand fell off his knee.

“Thanks for the save, Cross.” he mumbled. Echo felt his eyes closing again as his headache begged him for another few hours of rest. Echo squinted open one eye as he felt Crosshair tense next to him.

The sniper was looking bashfully away, chewing on a newly acquired toothpick. Sometimes Echo wondered if he kept a pack of them on his person at all times. Crosshair glanced back at Echo and his hand returned to his knee. 

Crosshair was being a lot more touchy than usual, but Echo couldn’t complain about that. He welcomed any kind of comforting touch from his brothers, and getting one from Crosshair felt like a golden medal.

“Get some rest, reg.” Crosshair squeezed his knee as he said it. He didn’t have that ever present hiss that he usually held. Even though Echo didn’t have much feeling in his legs, it still felt nice. He let out a quiet hum as he drifted to sleep again.

What the hell? Tech thought incredulously as he watched Echo and Crosshair’s exchange. He knew the two were being more friendly towards each other, but what the hell?

This just didn’t feel like Crosshair. He was almost acting like Wrecker, though he still seemed to have some modesty in his actions. At least hadn’t pulled Echo into a full on bear hug. Honestly, if the others hadn’t been commenting on Crosshair’s unusual behavior, he might worry that he’d been going insane.

He rubbed his eyes as he finally decided to sit back up and work on fixing Echo’s headpiece. Crosshair eyed him quietly, likely guessing that Tech had been awake for far longer than he had been acting.

Tech adjusted his goggles as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. He turned his focus back onto Echo’s headpiece and fell into his usual, quiet routine.

“Oh, shut up.” Crosshair mumbled, somehow guessing what Tech had been thinking earlier, like he always did.

“I did not say anything.” Tech responded as he plugged another cable into the metal. He heard Crosshair huff behind him.

“I am not going soft on the reg.” he insisted.

“I never said you were.”

“Shut up.” He repeated. Tech rolled his eyes again.

“If you are truly worried about how we would all react to you and Echo getting along better, worry more about Wrecker’s reaction than mine.” he suggested, not looking up from his work. He had already done bad enough falling asleep, he had missed half of Echo and Crosshair’s conversation because of it too.

“Kark.” Crosshair muttered, dragging a hand down his face. Tech released a soft chuckle at Crosshair’s dread. Maybe he would tell Wrecker in great detail the conversation Cross and Echo had been having, or maybe…

“I will not tell, if you share some of the chocolates you snagged from Echo’s pack.” he bargained, though it would be better described as blackmail. He suppressed a laugh at Crosshair’s loud groan of defeat.

“I hate you.” Crosshair muttered. Tech heard the plastic ruffling of a bag as Crosshair relented. Soon enough, three chocolate truffles were placed on the workbench beside the headpiece. Tech smiled smugly as he popped one into his mouth.

“That is only because I actually know how to annoy you and win.” Tech said teasingly.

“Kark you.”

Echo would never undermine Crosshair’s kindness. After he had truly started to become friends with the sniper, he felt like he was really a part of Clone Force 99. He felt like he was really their brother, that there was no question about it.

Echo would always value Crosshair’s company, but sometimes it became too much. Sometimes he felt coddled by the sniper. Sometimes he felt like he wasn’t as valued as a soldier as he was a brother. But all he’s ever known was how to be a soldier.

He would admit it, sometimes Crosshair annoyed him. He felt horrible for thinking it, but he thought it nonetheless. Crosshair was his little brother, but he’d never met a sibling, clone or natborn, that never got annoyed by their vod’ika.

Echo let his head fall back against the wall, making a thud when his headpiece connected with it. He dragged his hand down his face, then rubbed his eyes. Today was just one of those days where he felt miserable where no amount of sleep could help.

Not like he had the option to sleep anyway. They were about to be on a mission to take out a smuggler's ring in less than an hour. He just knew it would be one of those missions where one thing after another would go wrong.

A weight landed next to him on his bunk, making the shitty mattress creak. A bony shoulder bumped into his own and he lazily opened his eyes to meet Crosshair’s. He tried his best to smile at the sniper, though he only managed a grimace.

“One of those days?” Crosshair asked quietly. Echo scanned the rest of the cabin, it was empty save for them. The others were in the cockpit getting ready for landing. Echo should have been in the copilot’s seat, but a certain sniper had insisted he go to the cabin and rest his eyes.

“Yep.” He said, popping the “p,”  trying to lace it with as much spite as possible. Crosshair raised a brow, but Echo only looked away. He didn’t feel up for any of Crosshair’s snark, or any of his kind gestures, surprisingly.

“Would caf help?” Crosshair tried. Something about it made him clench his jaw, his bottom teeth pressing against the tops painfully. Crosshair must have seen the minute change, and he moved away slightly.

His scomp started to whir quietly. He didn’t think about it, it just did. Sometimes, when he did something with his real hand, his scomp would spin. When he clenched his fists, it would spin. When he grabbed onto something, it would spin.

It worked for the opposite too. Sometimes when he was connected to a computer, pushing code in front of his real senses and blocking out the world, his hand would clench into a fist. Sometimes his fingernails would dig into his skin to the point that he bled. 

One time, Tech had caught him doing it. He must have realized he wasn’t doing it consciously, because he never brought it up. Instead, he moved Echo’s hand so it was pressed flat against the console, and his fingers would dig into the metal instead of himself.

Crosshair must have noticed it too, because when he saw Echo’s scomp spin slowly, he backed away further. Echo shut his eyes tightly. He didn’t want to deal with any of this right now. His head hurt, his muscles ached, and the legs that he didn’t have anymore burned with phantom pains.

“Do you want-”

“Go away.” He said sharply, cutting off the sniper in his troubleshooting. He raised his head slightly and let it thud against the wall again. The edges of his headpiece pressed into his skin like the pressure of a dull knife.

“But,” and really that was the final straw. Echo sat up quickly, his annoyed, glowering gaze looking down on Crosshair. He seemed incredibly small in that moment, his back hunched and eyes looking up at Echo like a kicked puppy would.

“Crosshair.” He hissed, that alone enough warning to get the message across. Crosshair got up stiffly and headed towards the cockpit. Echo released the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding as he visibly deflated.

Within seconds, he regretted his outburst. His shoulder suddenly felt very cold now that Crosshair wasn’t leaned against it. He dug his fingernails into the scratchy sheets of his bunk, the fabric scrunching up under his hands.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, biting his lower lip. Kark, he didn’t mean to do that. He didn’t want to get mad at Crosshair. The sniper was only trying to help. He ran his hand over his head.

He waited several minutes before he felt calm. He still felt like shit, but sociable enough to try to apologize to Crosshair. He got up, placing a hand against the top bunk as he felt dizzy for a moment, then he headed towards the cockpit.

Right as he opened the door, the ship jostled as it landed. Echo blinked several times as Wrecker passed him, carrying a pack of explosives, then was followed by the others.

“Ready to go, Echo?” Hunter asked, a soft smile on his face. His eyes were crinkled at the edges, and Echo frowned. He had definitely heard Echo’s outburst, and now he was acting like he was treading on glass.

“Yeah,” He said quickly, then tried to catch Crosshair’s attention. The sniper shouldered past him without a word, his head down. He left the ship after the others and left Echo standing there alone. He released a sigh, then followed the group. He would just have to apologize later.

A sharp explosion made the ground tremble. Crosshair lost his footing for a moment, but planted his feet firmly to stop himself from falling off his perch. He pulled his firepuncher up, balancing it on his forearm, then blasted the droid responsible for the grenade.

He watched as Tech and Hunter ran down one tunnel of the cavern, their lights getting dimmer the further they went. A squad of droids followed them, effectively taking the bait. Wrecker ran down another, blasting any droids that followed him so he could clear the exit.

He whirled around towards Echo’s position. The reg had been silent since his outburst, and Crosshair was happy to give him space. He knew there was always something bothering him, be it headaches or phantom pain. He just wished he was better at voicing it.

Crosshair blasted a droid coming up on Echo’s six, it crumpled to the ground from the burning hole in its head. He got a small thanks from Echo, though it was barely audible. He sounded strained. Definitely a headache.

It was kind of annoying, being to tell exactly what was wrong with someone, but still not being able to help. He knew Echo was in pain, but the reg refused to admit it or accept any help. He wondered if it was just a reg thing, being too proud to admit that he needed a rest.

He turned towards Hunter and Tech’s tunnel as Echo entered his, another group of droids following him. The charges Hunter and Tech had left were blinking swiftly, and would go off in seconds.

“Hunter, hurry it up.” Crosshair hissed into the comms, a hand pressed to the side of his helmet. It wasn’t long after Hunter’s affirmation that the two rounded the corner and fled to the middle of the large cavern. Crosshair made sure they were in the clear before he went ahead and fired at the charges, setting them off early.

“Wrecker, how’s it looking?” Hunter asked, his voice staticky through the comms.

“Exit’s cleared!” Wrecker responded cheerfully. Crosshair could imagine him pumping a fist in the air as he said it.

The sniper turned back towards Echo’s tunnel. The charges were about to detonate, he should be coming out about now. Crosshair watched the tunnel for any movement.

“Echo, sit-rep.” Hunter asked warily. There was static for a moment, then a choppy voice came through. Crosshair couldn’t make out a word Echo said. The cavern he took must have some kind of dampener.

“Echo, get back here.” Crosshair hissed. The static came through again and Crosshair muttered a curse. “I’m going after him.” He said as he jumped down from his perch to a lower ledge. He was closest to Echo’s tunnel, and he could make it in time before the charges went off.

“Negative, we can't risk-” Crosshair turned off his comms before Hunter could finish. He jumped down the final ledge and ran for the tunnel. The sniper set his firepuncher on his back and sprinted down the corridors.

As he ran, he tried comming Echo several times. Each was met with static. The charges on the walls only served to make him more and more nervous. He checked his vambrace, ignoring the several pings from Hunter and the others, and watched the detonation time slowly lower.

He turned a corner sharply, almost getting shot by a stray blaster bolt before jumping back. He got out his DC-17 and peeked around the corner. Echo was being ambushed by a larger squad of droids than the ones that followed.

Crosshair jumped out and started firing. Several droids fell and he made his push towards his brother. He got out his viroblade and slashed at several as well. Soon enough, he was back to back with Echo, both of them firing wildly at the crowd of droids.

“What the kark happened?” he demanded as he kicked at a droid that got a little too close. Echo pushed them both down as a blaster bolt whirred over their heads.

“Ran into another patrol when I was leading the first away.” he replied gruffly, focusing more on blasting droids. Crosshair scoffed.

“And you didn’t think to call in back-up?” He teased. Echo elbowed him lightly.

“My comms were being jammed.” He replied indignantly.

“Yeah,” Crosshair said with a huff, “we noticed.” they fell silent for a moment, simply blasting droids and focusing on staying alive. Crosshair glanced at Echo several times, glad that he at least seemed to be in a bit of a better mood now.

“Sorry about earlier.” Echo said after a while. Crosshair blasted three more droids, then spun around to Echo’s side and blasted two. Echo handled the few that had started going for Crosshair while his back was turned.

“It’s fine, you felt like shit, and I pushed you to find a solution.” He replied restlessly. Because it really was fine. He couldn’t count on one hand the amount of times he got pissed at Wrecker for simply being near him when he was upset.

“Still, I shouldn’t have gotten mad.” Echo insisted. Crosshair rolled his eyes. They just had to play the blame game, didn’t they?

“Oh, shut up.” he said after blasting the final droid. “We don’t have much time before the detonators go off,” he informed him. Echo nodded before nudging his shoulder lightly. Crosshair smirked behind his bucket.

“Let’s get moving then.” Echo responded before running off. Crosshair shook his head with a huff, then followed the ARC.

Wrecker let out a wide yawn as he entered the cabin. That mission had been exhausting, even for him. He hated it whenever they had to split up. That felt like too much of a close call when Echo stopped answering his comms, and then Crosshair stopped answering his comms.

Those two were a force to be reckoned with, though. Even if he couldn’t get into contact with either of them, he knew they would protect each other. He had been overjoyed to be proven right when they both came running out of the cave system, not a scratch on either.

He and Tech had been making bets on how long it would take Crosshair to admit that he was going soft. Wrecker thought he would admit it, some day, but Tech insisted he would never say it out loud.

He didn’t really need to say it out loud, though, because Wrecker had walked in on the cutest scene when he entered the cabin. He suppressed a laugh as he saw what the two were doing.

Echo sat on his bunk, leaned against the wall, with Crosshair’s head resting on his shoulder. He had his arm wrapped around Crosshair’s slender shoulder, and his head rested on top of the sniper’s.

Wrecker covered his mouth as he let out a small chuckle. He bit his lips to force back any more laughter. He glanced around the cabin looking for a way to take a holo (even he knew getting some kind of blackmail on his brother’s was always a good idea, even if it wouldn’t really work on Echo. Crosshair, on the other hand, was a very different story).

He grabbed Tech’s datapad, then took a quick holo of the two. His heart plummeted as the flash went off, and he quickly chucked the ‘pad back onto the workbench. As Crosshair stirred, he pantomimed simply walking over to his own bunk to take a nap.

“Wrecker,” Crosshair said, a deep warning in his voice. Wrecker hummed innocently at his brother. “Delete that holo.” He demanded. Wrecker looked towards the datapad on the workbench.

“What holo?” he countered. “I didn’t take any holo!” He held his hands up innocently, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Wrecker.” Crosshair hissed, glancing at Echo’s sleeping form. The reg’s head had fallen onto Crosshair’s shoulder as the sniper had woken up.

“Really, Cross, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Wrecker insisted, looking anywhere but at Crosshair. He tried his best to suppress his smile.

“Fine.” the sniper hissed in defeat, “what do you want for it?” He relented. Wrecker let out a smug laugh of victory.

“You still have those candies?” He asked, knowing the answer. Crosshair’s flinch and immediate scowl only confirmed it.

“I hate you.” He grumbled as he got a small bag out of his back pocket. Wrecker held out his hands with a smile as Crosshair gave him five little chocolates.

“Awww, thanks Cross!” Wrecker said, as though Crosshair had just given him a gift out of the kindness of his heart. The sniper only flipped him off in response.

“Go to sleep, Wrecker.” Echo mumbled, making the two jump. The ARC still had his eyes closed, and his head was even more buried in Crosshair’s shoulder. Crosshair leaned back against the wall again and rested his head on top of Echo’s. He refused to make eye contact with Wrecker.

The bruiser only laughed. He popped two of the chocolates in his mouth before getting into his bunk. 

NPT: @travellingnorthwards @imreallymenow @ladysongmaster @jessica-caillte-jessicannot-draw @charliezzzz @here-comes-the-moose @saturn-sends-hugs @royallykt @padawancat97 @renton6echo @somestorythoughts

[crowleying]

Let Me Be Your Cure by crowleying

Words: 3604

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi

Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody, Jango Fett, CT-7567 | Rex, CC-1010 | Fox, Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-5052 | Bly, CT-6116 | Kix, Clone Trooper Waxer (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Boil (Star Wars), CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Boba Fett, Aayla Secura, Quinlan Vos, Luminara Unduli, Vokara Che, Ahsoka Tano

Additional Tags: Minor Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Established CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Married CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hospitals, Hospitalization, Mention of tumor, References to Illness, Sick CC-2224 | Cody, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi Gets a Hug, CC-2224 | Cody Needs a Hug, CC-2224 | Cody Gets A Hug, Jango Fett Needs a Hug, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, CT-7567 | Rex Gets a Hug, Everyone Needs A Hug, Good Parent Jango Fett, Protective Jango Fett, CT-7567 | Rex is a Good Bro, Protective CT-7567 | Rex, Everybody Loves Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Fetts are amazing and they love and care about Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan and Cody are Ahsoka's parents, CC-2224 | Cody is a Good Uncle, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Good Uncle, some of the characters are just mentioned, Hopeful Ending, Betaed

Series: Part 1 of Codywan Week

Summary:

When he opens his eyes again, it feels like he has slept for hours, but it can't have been more than a few minutes. Jango is smiling at him with the same softness he reserves for all his children. "Stay here for the night. You can sleep in Cody and Rex's room. Rex will sleep here too."

Just to be sure it's okay, Obi-Wan tilts his head to look at Rex who prods him to get up with a gentle smile. "Let's go to bed."

It's a good thing Obi-Wan is sleepy, otherwise he might cry from the kindness they show him.

@codywanweek Day 5: Hurt/Comfort

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

The Next Ten Minutes Ago by Jordan Jeremy and Laura Osnes with Echo.

Hello Anon,

I'm sorry this took a little bit to post. Things got a little hectic.

Anyway, I hope you like how I interpreted this song, 'The Next Ten Minutes Ago.'

Thank you for the request.

Love oo.

The Next Ten Minutes Ago

Warnings: feelings, flirting, smitten, drunken trooper, unwanted advances, being rescued, kissing, asking out. I think that's all of it. Let me know if I miss any.

Main Master List   | Star Wars Jukebox Roulette |   AO3 Link

*Knock Knock*

You looked up to see a clone trooper standing there, blue accent decorating his white armour, along with a blue handprint on his right chest. 

When you looked into his eyes, those warm copper eyes that seemed to be filled with so much curiosity and kindness, the air in your lungs felt as though they were knocked out in that instant, You felt dizzy, as though the concrete floor below your feet were suddenly gone and you were falling into an abyss of emotions you didn’t know what to do with them. 

Echo felt as though his knees went weak, just from looking into your beautifully striking eyes, they held such determination, such fieriness, he felt as though he couldn’t move. He felt glued to the floor as he kept his eyes on you.

“Hi…”

You struggled to open your mouth, but when you finally did, your voice was barely above a squeak, “How…” you cleared your throat hoping the high pitched resonating voice that just escaped your lips had disappeared. “Ahem, how can I help you?”

He offered a soft smile as he walked in, “My name is Echo, CT-21-0408, I was asked to come speak to you about a training opportunity.”

A light shone in your eyes as recognition hit you, “Yes! Come in. Come in.” You motioned to the chair in front of you as you looked through your various datapads, finally finding the one you wanted. 

“Yes, here it is.” You brushed the imaginary hair off your face, as you focused on the report in front of you, “So, we heard you have a great knack for finding things no one else can, you’re thorough in reading your regulations and you’re not shy with technology. Not that most clones are … but you know what I mean.”

Echo shifted a little as he tilted his head, “I’m not sure that I do.”

“Well you don’t shy away from learning about technology, we have a report here from your Captain… a …” you lifted your glasses to read the name of Echo’s Captain, “a Captain Rex?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Well his report on you is glowing. One point in particular, which you may wish to know, ‘Echo is hardworking, dedicated, and always follows orders. He doesn’t do what is expected, he goes above and beyond his duties of service. Both he and his batchmate, Fives CT-27-5555, should be recommended for ARC Trooper training.’ He goes on to list your many missions and your valuable input, not tell me Clone Trooper Echo, do you believe you are ready for ARC Trooper training?”

You couldn’t help the smile that brushed against your lips, it was always enjoyable to give good news. 

“Sign me up, mesh’la.”

You simply rolled your eyes at the term of endearment, you’ve heard it from almost every trooper who ever came in here. They just did it to be polite or because they were excited, they would often tell you they’d come back to visit but none of them ever did; not that you could blame them. You sat at a desk all day, filing paperwork, what could you offer to someone who lived an adventure every day of their lives. 

“Alright, well there’s a few things you’ll need to review and be willing to accept. Now, I’ve your batchmate’s recommendation from Captain Rex as well, and both of you will be accepted into ARC Trooper training, my question is would you like to be sent separately or together?”

“You can do that?”

“I have my ways.” You smirked as your fingers pressed against one another, as your fingers formed a pyramid. Trying to look mysterious, but you simply looked like you were about to sneeze.

“Do you need a tissue?”

You brushed off the embarrassment, “Oh it’s just dust, you know.” You waved your hand in front of your face. The rest of the meeting went by fairly quickly, and before the end of the day you were able to submit both Echo and Fives’ name to Alpha -17 for his approval on the new cadets he would be training as ARC Troopers. 

“Hey love,” you looked up to see your friend Esmie, she was a nice girl. A bit abrasive at times, but her heart was usually in the right place. 

“Hey, Es, what’s up?”

“You done for the day?”

“Pretty much.”

“Wanna grab a drink?”

You looked at the pile of reports, you had planned to come in on the weekend to go through a few of them, but you’ve been doing that every weekend for the past four months and no one seemed to care. “Yeah, I’d love that. Where am I meeting you?”

“79’s. It’s a clone bar.” She wiggled her eyebrows and started to head off before she stopped herself, “8 p.m. and dressed to kill.”

Dress to kill?

You stood in front of your closet looking over your outfits, dress to kill, was not a category in your closet. The closest thing you had was a simple blue dress you had worn to your cousin’s wedding. It hugged you in all the right places, and showed just enough to make it somewhat ‘dress to kill’ category. 

As much as you wanted to debate with yourself longer, you were cutting it really close, you quickly arranged your hair and makeup, slipping on the nude colour shoes that would help to accentuate your legs. 

By the time you arrived in a taxi at 79s you were surprised by how busy it was, even for 8 p.m., it was beyond packed. You slowly made your way in, trying to push your way through, only to feel a hand grab you and pull you onto the dance floor. Before you could even protest this drunken trooper was dancing all up on you, you were getting to slap him, when someone pulled you away from him as he pushed the drunken trooper away. You watched as other troopers all wearing the blue accented armour moved in and guided the drunken trooper out of the bar. 

You turned to look into the eyes of your saviour, only to see Echo standing there, “Echo?”

“Hey mesh’la. Sorry about that,” he rubbed the back of his neck, guiding you off the dance floor to the bar, keeping you safe and away from the drunken rabbles, “he’s not usually that bad, he just received some bad news and chose to drink his pain away. What he did was unforgivable, so on his behalf, I’m sorry.”

The way Echo stepped in, the way he was apologizing, and even the way he looked at you, like you were the only one in the galaxy, you couldn’t help your heart lurching for him. 

“It’s not your fault Echo, but thank you for the apology.” 

“So… what brings you to 79’s doesn’t seem your … kind of place, not that I know what your thing is or isn’t … what I mean … what I’m trying to say is …”

You giggled, resting your hand on his bicep, “It’s okay, Echo. I know what you mean, and truthfully this isn’t my scene, but my friend was supposed to meet me here…” you glanced around the room, to find her on the lap of a trooper with the number five tattooed on his temple, while she kissed. “And it looks as though she’s busy with some trooper.”

“That’s Fives”

You turned your head to look at Echo, “The one I just recommended for ARC Trooper training?”

He nodded, “One and the same. He’s very diligent on and off the front lines.” He smirked.

You let out a giggle, covering your mouth as you laughed.  

As he watched your reaction, Echo felt that same fluttering in his heart, he had felt the first time he laid eyes on you. 

“Can…” you cleared your throat, “I know we’ve only known each other the past ten minutes…”

“And don’t forget the ten minutes before that,” Echo teased. 

“Can I buy you a drink, as a thank you?”

“No. But maybe I can buy you one? What do you say, mesh’la? Care to join me for the next ten minutes?”

A smile beamed on your face as you looked at him, “I’d love to.”

Main Master List   | Star Wars Jukebox Roulette |   AO3 Link

Tag list:

@liadamerondjarin @badbatch-simp24@spicymcnuggies@lady-ren @firstofficerwiggles @darkangel4121 @discofern @kavecika @monako-jinn-stories @ladykatakuri @avathebestx @theroguesully @furyhellfire66 @carodealmeida @ciramaris @sprout-fics @twinkofthedink @dindjarin-mandalorian @ulchabhangorm @littlemisspascal @tortor-mcgee @vodika-vibes @clonethirstingisreal @crosshair-is-the-superior-clone @totallyunidentified @griffedeloup @leotatombs @leotawrites

[loverboy-havocboy]

Rating: Explicit

No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M, Multi

Relationships: CT-4860 | Boost/Clone Trooper Comet/Clone Trooper Sinker

Other Characters: CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, Clone Commander Thorn

Additional Tags: FTM Comet, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Boost/Sinker, Polyamory, Friends With Benefits, Threesome - M/M/M, Explicit Sexual Content, Birthday Sex, HRT

Language: English

Words: 10,233

Chapters: 3/3

this work is part of a series but can be read as a standalone story

[sappho-ilmarinen]

Btw, when I said I'm gonna write a Bad Batch metalhead/metal musician au I was not joking.

Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

Gen

Fandom:

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon)

Characters:

CT-9901 | HunterCT-9902 | TechCT-9903 | WreckerCT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | EchoOmega (Star Wars: The Bad Batch)

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe - Metal Band | Crack Treated Seriously | they do metal stuff while not having a good time | the empire is the mainstream music industry | omega is a baby metalhead | tags may be added or changed

Preview:

[suck-a-egg]

Echo: (Trying to plan for the next campaign) it would help a lot of people if I figured this out Fives: You're not gonna get it. Echo: There are a lot of brothers trying to figure this out. Fives: And they're all better than you, I bet. Echo: Hey, I'm pretty good. Fives: You're not either. Echo: I'm the best! Fives: You're the worst! Echo: I am the tactician master of the universe! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[sergeantgoggles]

Happy Coday! (2/2/24)

I had such a great time writing all of these fics to celebrate one of my favorite clones on a day that will literally come once in forever. I have attached links as to each individual fic as well as the series that all of them are in.

Individual tags and ratings are listed under the cut.

@codyday2224

Cody Day 2/2/24 Series

Mirotic | Cody/Rex | Explicit

Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/CT-7567 | Rex, CC-5052 | Bly/Clone Trooper Keeli, CC-2224 | Cody & CC-1010 | Fox, CC-2224 | Cody & CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-5052 | Bly & CC-2224 | Cody Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, CT-7567 | Rex, CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-5052 | Bly, Clone Trooper Keeli (Star Wars), CC-1010 | Fox, CT-6116 | Kix, CT-5597 | Jesse Additional Tags: Implied Jesse/Kix, Implied Wolffe/Cody, Implied Bly/Cody, Blow Jobs, First Time Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Pre-Clone Wars, Come Swallowing, Fresher Sex, Call Numbers as Names, Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars), Rookies on Kamino, Fuck Buddies to Lovers Summary: Some things are routine for Cody. It's been ingrained in his DNA, etched into his everyday life for years. And then Rex comes along and makes himself part of the routine.

Say You're Here (And It's All Over Now) | Cody/Crosshair | Mature

Relationship: CC-2224 | Cody/CT-9904 | Crosshair Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, CT-9904 | Crosshair Additional Tags: Mentions of Cody/Rex, Mentions of Cody/Ghost Company, Mentions of Cody/Torrent Company, Implied Poly Batch, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of canon deaths, Canon Divergent, post S2e3, implied sex, Kissing, Broken Promises Summary: Cody had always kept his word. That was a trait that he had picked up from his General during the Clone War. But times change, people change, and he is no exception.

(Just Hold Me) Tight To Your Body | Cody/Echo | Explicit

Relationship: CC-2224 | Cody/CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, CT-7567 | Rex, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Additional Tags: Implied Rex/Fives, Implied Obi-Wan/Anakin, Sex On The Negotiator, Kissing, Possessive Behavior, Bottom CC-2224 | Cody, Top CT-1409 | Echo, Body Worship, ARC training, Grinding, Dry Humping, Armor Swapping, Coming Untouched, Come Eating, Light Angst, Fives and Echo are twins, Come Marking Summary: There isn't a lot of time, but Cody is dying to see Echo's body fresh out of ARC Trooper training, and Echo is more than happy to demonstrate.

Be As One (Like Stars Falling Like Raindrops On The Ocean) | Cody/Fives | Teen

Relationship: CC-2224 | Cody/CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, CT-7567 | Rex, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Obi-Wan Kenobi Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Troopers On Leave, Fluff, Engagement, Kissing, Sweet Talk, Fives Is A Blusher, Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars) Summary: Fives has been waiting a long time to get some time off with Cody. Cody has been waiting a long time to spoil his favorite ARC Trooper. And neither have to wait any longer.

Call Me By His Name | Hunter/Tech + Cody | Explicit

Relationships: Hunter/Tech (Star Wars), CC-2224 | Cody/Hunter/Tech (Star Wars) Characters: Clone Trooper Hunter (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Tech (Star Wars), CC-2224 | Cody, CT-6116 | Kix Additional Tags: Implied Cody/Kix, Sexual Roleplay, Hunter Uses His Enhanced Senses For Evil And Sex, post s7e1, Anal Fingering, Implied Blow Job, Sexual Proposition, Title Kink, Light BDSM, Praise Kink Summary: After Cody was nearly crushed being shot out of the sky on Anaxsis, restlessness sets in. He wanders the barracks, knowing that most troopers will be asleep at this hour, but overhears some very interesting late night activities coming from the Bad Batch berthing.

Time Is Precious (And it's Slipping Away) | Cody/Kix | Explicit

Relationship: CC-2224 | Cody/CT-6116 | Kix Characters: CC-2224 | Cody CT-6116 | Kix Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Mentions of Bodily Trauma, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Death, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Open Relationship Implied, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Anal, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, After Sex Cuddles, Aftercare, Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars) Summary: Body counts are nothing new in war. Cody is used to spending late nights and early mornings signing paperwork after a rough campaign, but someone has to do all the other work before those datapads land on his desk. Kix can save a lot, but he can't save them all, and it takes a toll on him. Cody can distract him for a little while. The datapads will understand.

(He Senses Something) Call It Desperation | Cody/Hunter | Explicit

Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Hunter (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Clone Trooper Hunter/Clone Trooper Tech, Hunter/Male Clone Trooper OC Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, Clone Trooper Hunter (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Tech (Star Wars). Clone Trooper Wrecker (Star Wars), CT-9904 | Crosshair, Original Clone Trooper Character(s) (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Boil (Star Wars), CT-7567 | Rex, Clone Trooper Hardcase (Star Wars), CT-6116 | Kix, Clone Trooper Waxer (Star Wars) Additional Tags: Implied Cody/Kix, Implied Rex/Hardcase, Implied Hunter/Tech, implied waxer/boil, sniffing, Scenting, Blow Jobs, Abuse of Hunter's Heightened Senses, Dirty Talk, Dirty Thoughts, Clone Trooper Gossip, Mentions of Decomissioning, mentions of reconditioning, Minor Original Character(s), Hunter is a little shit Summary: Cody's trip to Kamino is hardly for a break, but rumors about a particular Sergeant catch his ear, and now he can't help being a little curious how much weight they hold.

I'm In Love With You (But You Already Know) | Cody/Fives | Explicit

Relationship: CC-2224 | Cody/CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives Additional Tags: Emotional Sex, sex with feelings, Clones crying, Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars), Marriage Vows, Mandalorian Marriage Vows, Honestly The Sex Is Only There If You Squint, But There's Enough To Warrant The E Rating, Morning Cuddles, Kissing, Morning Wood they're both emotional messes, Not Beta Read, we die like clones Summary: Cody and Fives' long weekend is coming to an end, and the weight of never having this again settles on them far too heavily. Part 2 of "Be As One (Like Stars Falling Like Raindrops In The Ocean)"

[lonewolflupe]

Home's A Beacon (One-Shot)

This is my entry for week 3 of The Clone Wars Winter Spectacular 2024 / @clone-wars-winter-challenge! There's a lot of conversation going on in this fic, which proved a bit of a challenge since it's between five people. I hope it didn't get repetitive/boring with 50x 'Fives said'/'Echo said'/etc., I really tried preventing that. Also this is my first time writing the Domino Squad together, I loved figuring out their dynamics <3

Summary: after their graduation, Domino Squad searches for a way to properly celebrate their success before being shipped off to their first mission Rating: Teen and up Tags: fluff, sentimental, bickering, vode bonding, Domino Squad Words: 2.318 Characters: CT-782 Hevy, CT-00-2010 Droidbait, CT-21-0408/CT-1409 Echo, CT-4040 Cutup, CT-27-5555 Fives; mentions of: 99 Prompts: Polar Plunge / Holiday Cookies / *Domino Squad* Read this one-shot here on AO3 week 2 < | ↓ | > week 4

The barracks of Tipoca City were filled with an elated atmosphere after recent graduations. Squads of rookies grouped together, discussing their moves during their test and daydreaming about their future missions and destinations. It wouldn’t be long before they would all be shipped off towards the front lines.

Domino Squad wasn’t an exception. They were gathered in the space below their bunk capsules, excitedly talking about their recent success. How Hevy turned out to be a great leader, how Cutup had been observant and Fives a good shot, how Droidbait had honoured his name by drawing the enemy’s fire and how Echo had been the first one at the top, retrieving the beacon for the squad.

Suddenly, Fives jumped from the bench he was sitting on. A glimmer appeared in his eyes; something that happened whenever he came up with an idea, whether it being a serious or mischievous one. “Let’s celebrate,” he proclaimed, a content smirk sliding on his face. All eyes were on him during a brief moment of silent confusement, before he started elaborating: “You know, before we’re getting shipped off to our first mission.” Hevy was the first to shoot him an unimpressed look, his lips pressed in a thin line and his gaze flat. “How do you suppose we celebrate? It's not like Tipoca City has any party locations.”

Before Fives could shoot him some witty comeback, Echo cleared his throat and joined the discussion. “I heard some of the more battle-worn vode talk about a clone bar on Coruscant.” It resulted in a scoff from Droidbait, bumping his elbow into Echo as he shook his head unconvinced. “But we're not currently on Coruscant, are we, genius?” Echo responded to Droidbait’s remark by granting him a serious, stern look. “I am fully aware. I just thought we should remember, if we ever make it to Coruscant.”

“I'm sure you'll help us remember by then,” Cutup snickered, elbowing Droidbait in his amusement. Echo’s eyebrows folded in a grumpy frown as he stepped towards Cutup, ready to confront him, but Fives positioned himself between them to de-escalate the situation. “Boys, boys, we don't need a cantina to have fun!” Hevy, who had been leaning against the wall, reluctantly pushed himself from it to join the group. “Then what do you propose, Fives?” he asked, whilst folding his arms in scepticism.

But it was Cutup who replied. “Let's all visit the best place in Tipoca City!” He looked around with exaggerated movements, before a smug expression slid smoothly on his face. “Done,” he grinned, his voice overflowing with sarcasm, resulting in a chuckle from Droidbait. “Thanks for your contribution, Cutup,” Fives sighed, shooting his brother a side-eyed look.

“I heard-,” Echo started in all seriousness, making Hevy whisper “Maker, please ship me off far, far away from here,” under his breath, whilst Echo uninterruptedly continued his observation: “-the Wookiees are currently celebrating Life Day.” Droidbait and Cutup exchanged bewildered looks, before the former revealed his confusement. “Life Day? What does that even mean?” “Every day is a life day, until it isn't,” Cutup shrugged casually, resulting in an unamused glance from Echo.

Fives ignored the tension between Cutup and Echo this time, focussing on the initial subject. “Well, I'm not sure, but it is a celebration,” was his reply to Droidbait’s confusement, before offering Echo a genuine nod. “Thank you for your contribution, Echo.”

Again, it was Hevy who wasn’t shy in sharing his scepticism about the plan, although it wasn’t really a plan yet. “That's all grand, but how are we going to celebrate something we didn't even know existed?” And again, Echo cleared his throat before sharing his thoughts. “I did know. And I could-,” he started, but was harshly interrupted by Hevy’s steely look and a simple comment: “Please don't.”

Fives was starting to get frustrated by now; he hadn’t thought his idea would cause such a hassle among the squad. Not after their recent graduation showed they were capable of working together. He threw his hands in the air and expressed his frustration. “Who cares? Who cares how we celebrate? I just thought it would be neat to celebrate together. Just the five of us. Who knows what'll happen to us once we leave Kamino.”

The atmosphere grew heavy after Fives’ ominous remark, but as suspected, it was Cutup who lightened the mood. “Are you getting sentimental with us, Fives?” he grinned at his brother, whilst leaning towards him. “Stow it, Cutup,” Fives shot at him, but a playful smirk appeared on his face when he bumped his elbow into Cutup’s side.

“It has to do with the season. It's a holiday,” Echo shared gruffly, returning to the subject of Life Day. It was in his nature to elaborate anyway, despite the fact no one seemed to care what he was saying. Cutup was already lined up to joke with Echo’s observation. “Season? The thing that has to do with the changing of the weather? On landing platform 4 it's rainy, and I can predict the weather for half a year from today: it will be rainy. Sounds festive.”

“Stow it, Cutup,” Fives repeated his earlier words with a sigh, only for Cutup’s amusement to grow. “You’re starting to sound like Echo,” he teased, and Fives noticed how Echo clenched his fists. “Give him some slack. At least he's trying to come up with ideas,” Fives shot at Cutup, hoping he could ease the situation again. He quickly turned towards Echo, granting him the most innocent smile he could muster. “You know you're my favourite, right?” he addressed him, sounding as genuine as possible, only for Echo to return it with an eye-roll and a subtle head shake.

Echo might not believe Fives’ sincerity, but it did give him the motivation to come up with another idea. “What about a polar plunge?” “A what now?” Droidbait gasped, ignorance written all over his confused face. “I heard some folks around the galaxy take a dive into the sea to celebrate a new start,” Echo elaborated in all seriousness. “I'm pretty sure there won't ever be a new beginning if we dive into the sea here,” Hevy grumbled softly, resulting in a stern look from Fives; he didn’t want Echo to get discouraged from sharing his thoughts.

The squad was in for another of Cutup’s unserious comments, but fortunately for Echo, this time it was aimed at Hevy. “Afraid the Saberjowl will get ya?” Cutup grinned at him, but unlike Echo, Hevy kept his composure - at least for now. “Shut it, Cutup,” was his only reaction, before Fives interfered again. “Echo, brother, I appreciate your suggestions, but I'm with Hevy on this one. I’d like to visit at least one other place outside of Kamino,” he explained cautiously.

The thought of seeing any other place outside Kamino excited the boys. “I hope it'll be a planet with colourful flora,” Droidbait said dreamily, his gaze hazily focussed somewhere in the distance, as if he could see the planet he was imagining right in front of him. Cutup woke him from his innocent reverie by flinging his arm around his shoulder. “I'd prefer colourful ladies,” he added with a low, smug voice, making Droidbait shake his brother’s arm from his shoulder. “Stuff it, Cutup.”

“Baking holiday cookies?” Echo tried, getting less enthusiastic with every suggestion, because by now he knew it was going to get brushed off anyway. Fives clenched his teeth as he turned towards Echo; he hated to demotivate him any further, since he was the only one coming up with serious ideas. “Echo, I am so sorry, but I don’t think we’ll be allowed in the cafeteria ever again, outside meal times,” he said softly, his eyebrows wrinkled in an apologetic frown. “Not after what you pulled with the caf machine last time,” Hevy grunted at Fives, whilst shaking his head disapprovingly.

Just when Fives was mouthing an ‘I am sorry’ towards Hevy, Echo came with another idea - one that surprised all his brothers. “What about.. Pulling some prank?” he suggested quietly, the look on his face making it evident that he wasn’t very eager about it himself, silently hoping none of his brothers had actually heard it. But they had heard him alright. Fives and Cutup simultaneously let out a ‘Now you’re talking’ and an ‘I am listening’, whilst Hevy raised one eyebrow.

“What about.. What about letting paint explode in the corridors?” Droidbait uttered, making Cutup’s eyes shine in anticipation. “That sterile Kaminoan white could use some colour,” he continued, making Cutup nod vigorously in agreement. But Hevy raised a hand in objection. “Not gonna happen,” he stated sternly, looking all of his brothers in the eyes to make sure they understood. “Why not? It's not like we'll be around to clean up as a punishment anyway,” Cutup protested in defiance, but Hevy shook his head before elaborating. “Yeah, but I don't want 99 to pay for our tricks.”

Hevy had a point, and none of them wanted 99 to have to deal with the consequences of their mischief. So that was another idea debunked. The boys stood pondering over another plan, and at last, inspired by Droidbait’s idea, it was Cutup who came forward. “What about readjusting some training clankers, to make them shoot fireworks during a simulation?” “That would be majestic,” Droidbait laughed, instantly forgetting the disappointment from his own idea being rebuffed.

This time it was Echo who objected to the plan; not out of spite for all the reactions his own ideas had caused, but because of genuine concern for their fellow brothers. “I really don't want to traumatise any shinies,” he simply stated, crossing his arms to accentuate his aversion. A loud groan from Cutup showed his irritation for the whole situation. “You're all such mirsh'kyramude*,” he sighed, immediately resulting in Droidbait mouthing an ‘I know, right?’ towards him.

*mirsh'kyramude = boring person (brain assassin)

Cutup gestured wildly in Droidbait’s direction, showing everyone how they were on the same page about all the rejections. Both Hevy and Echo readied themselves to start a discussion, but Fives wasn’t going to let anyone ruin his initial idea - to celebrate together. “I have an idea!” he cried out, instantly regaining all focus before all the bickering could evolve into any physical fight.

“It's actually quite innocent and won't affect anyone,” Fives elaborated quickly when both Hevy and Echo granted him annoyed glances. “Not even the longnecks?” Droidbait asked softly, his disappointment not lost on Fives. “Better luck next time,” he sighed in return after briefly rubbing his eyelids. “That sounds so not like you, Fives,” Cutup scoffed softly, before Hevy’s dominant voice took over the conversation. “What is your plan?”

Fives allowed a moment of silence to build up the anticipation, in annoyance to all his brothers. “Echo, aren't trees part of the Life Day tradition?” he finally asked slowly, pretty content with whatever was brewing inside his head, whilst turning himself towards their educated brother. Echo was silent; he looked around warily, not sure if he should continue sharing the knowledge he had picked up along the road, for they always teased him with it. “Well, go on, don't hold back now,” Cutup shot out impatiently, granting him a sour look from Echo.

But he indulged himself in the situation anyway. “You’re correct, Fives. The Wookiees tend to get a tree into their homes and decorate it. They call it a Life Day Tree.” “Creative name,” Cutup grinned sarcastically, but was immediately silenced by a gruff ‘Zip it, Cutup’ from Echo. Droidbait slowly raised a finger, and yet again, he was shrouded with ignorance. “Firstly: what's a ‘tree’, and secondly: where do we get one on Kamino?”

A smug expression appeared on Echo’s face, which was a rare occurrence. “You're not going to find them around here; they're plants growing from earth. But thanks for your contribution, Fives,” he repeated Fives’ earlier words, now using them against him. Cutup started stammering a tirade through gritted teeth, making Fives put his hand on his shoulder to prevent Cutup from advancing towards Echo. To make things worse, the continuation of the bickering made Hevy finally lose his composure. “Why would you come up with such an idea if we're not even able to execute it?” he cried out, putting his hands in his hair out of frustration.

A kark-eating grin slid on Fives’ face. “Who says we need a real tree?”

---

“Alright, everyone ready?” Fives shouted over the sound of the gusty wind and pouring rain, waiting for all of his brothers to nod at him in confirmation before continuing. And when they did, he gestured to Echo to come forward. “Echo, do the honours!” he concluded their activity, taking a step back to behold the result of their hard work.

As soon as Echo fused the last two wires together, the framework in front of them, built on top of one of Tipoca City’s domed structures, lit up in a colourful array of lights. The frame consisted of all kinds of items the squad had found across Tipoca City, including parts of battle droids, faulty weaponry and damaged armour. Echo had done his utmost best explaining what trees looked like, even showing holopics on his datapad to add to his brothers’ imagination. He wasn’t confident to call this a ‘tree’ though, but it didn’t matter. It was their creation, and it was their legacy here on Kamino.

The boys started cheering and jumping from excitement over their version of a Life Day Tree, huddling together in the process. They did it; they did it together. Another success, and they were sure there would be many more successes to celebrate. Domino Squad was finally ready to head out, to be sent off to the front lines. But now, they would always have a beacon to mark their home, once they returned.

Fives + Echo taglist: @welcometo79s @covert1ntrovert

[elendiliel]

I'm Going To Save Them All (18124 words) by Elendiliel Chapters: 6/? Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, Original Jedi Character(s) (Star Wars), Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Original Clone Trooper Character(s) (Star Wars), CT-1284 | Spark, Clone Trooper Longshot (Star Wars), Osi Sobeck, R2-D2 (Star Wars), CC-2224 | Cody, Wilhuff Tarkin, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, CT-7567 | Rex, Clone Trooper Hardcase (Star Wars), CT-5385 | Tup, CT-6922 | Dogma, Pong Krell Additional Tags: Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, I would have said "everybody lives" but Umbara will happen, all the named characters will live though, and many unnamed ones, Action/Adventure, episode rewrite, Citadel Arc (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Fix-It, (to what extent I don't yet know), Rescue Missions, Umbara Arc (Star Wars: Clone Wars), Planet Umbara (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Hardcase Lives (Star Wars) Series: Part 101 of Lightning Strikes Summary:

The Citadel. Umbara. Ringo Vinda. Just three of the 501st Legion's most costly missions and battles. But what if each one had gone slightly differently? What if even a few other people had brought their unique talents and skills to bear on those bloody problems? And what if one of those people were a Jedi dead set on saving as many lives as possible?

Helli Abbasa is about to find out…

(Fair warning: this chapter might not be as well-edited as usual, but I was determined to post it as close to Remembrance Day as I could.)

[sadiecoocoo]

The Shadows Are Coming Chp. 1 - TBB Fanfiction

Relationships - CT-9904 | Crosshair & CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, CT-9904 | Crosshair & CT-1409 | Echo & CT-9901 | Hunter & CT-9902 | Tech & CT-9903 | Wrecker, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-9902 | Tech, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-9901 | Hunter, CT-9904 | Crosshair & CT-9901 | Hunter, CT-9901 | Hunter & CT-9903 | Wrecker, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-9903 | Wrecker

Tags - Angst, Whump, Horror, Blood and Gore, Gore, Blood and Injury, Zombies, Mission Fic, Missions Gone Wrong, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo Needs a Hug, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo Whump, CT-9904 | Crosshair Needs a Hug, Soft CT-9904 | Crosshair, Protective CT-9904 | Crosshair, Hurt CT-9904 | Crosshair, Hurt CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Protective CT-9901 | Hunter, CT-9901 | Hunter Needs A Hug, Hurt CT-9902 | Tech, Protective CT-9902 | Tech, CT-9903 | Wrecker Whump, Protective Siblings, Cannibalism, Everyone Needs A Hug

Summary - The Batch was called to investigate a base on a secluded planet after the Republic lost contact with it. It was suspected that the Separatists had tested a new bio weapon there, as the last communication with the base talked about a sickness, with the background noise of screaming and coughs. No one knew what they would find there, the Batch were the unlucky ones to figure it out.

Or, tbb zombie fic set before the events of Aftermath

Word Count - 3,244

Read on AO3

Notes: guys, please, if you can't handle gore, don't read this. this is by far the goriest shit I have ever written, and I've written some gore before... but, if you're a weirdo like me and enjoy reading gore, by all means please enjoy <3 anyways, I've been so excited to share this fic! sadly, I have not finished writing all of it yet, so I don't have a schedule for the updates... I'm really only posting this now because i got to a really slow part and needed interactions to motivate me :D (Also I wanted to post a fic for my birthday cuz I did that last year [please no one look at it it was the first fic I ever wrote]) The title is from the song Shadows by Nick Lutsko, it’s a pretty good song and I think it sort of fits this fic Anyways, please enjoy your gore and horror!

The ship jostled as it came out of hyperspace, rousing Echo awake. He blinked his eyes open, turning onto his side. His hearing aid pressed uncomfortably against his ear. The ARC trooper’s heart was fast from a dream that was already fading.

Crosshair sat across from him, cleaning his rifle silently. He glanced up at Echo’s movement, but ignored him as the ARC sat up. He rubbed his eyes, then reached for his headset underneath his bunk. He replaced his hearing aids with it, then leaned back against the wall. 

His dreams were getting better. They were still there, always would be, but they were better. Half of the time he couldn’t even remember what event it was about, what twisted things his mind showed him. The other half… weren’t pleasant.

“Landing in five.” Hunter announced, rousing Echo from his thoughts. He leaned against the door frame of the cockpit, looking over the two troopers. Echo held a thumbs up and Crosshair nodded. The sergeant went back into the cockpit to help with the landing, though it was usually Echo’s job.

Wrecker mumbled a quick “‘morning,” to Echo as he passed him. The ARC hummed in response, not really having the energy to respond yet. He worked out a crick in his neck, then got up and followed the big guy to the cockpit with the others.

The planet itself was dark, always covered in a thick fog no matter where you went. The planet may as well have had no sun. Despite the dark, it was thick with vegetation, though half of it was poisonous; according to Tech’s ramblings.

The fog washed over the window as Tech lowered the ship for a landing. Echo yawned, covering his mouth. He blinked, looking out into the fog. The lights from the ship painted parts of it an orange-yellow, but beyond that, he doubted even Crosshair could see anything.

The sharpshooter shouldered his firepuncher and opened the door to the ship. Echo shuddered as cold flowed inside. He tapped his finger on his thigh anxiously. Wrecker, carrying a pack of more than enough explosives, left the Marauder first.

Echo only hesitated a moment after that before braving the cold humidity. The forest was unnaturally silent. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. Hunter patted his shoulder as he passed him, taking point.

The group had received a call from Cody, stating that they had lost contact with the base after a chilling holo. He said that it was likely that a new separatist bio weapon was tested there, since it was secluded from any other bases. The quiet and seclusion somewhat reminded Echo of Rishi. He hoped the troops here didn’t meet a similar end as his first squad did.

Since it was a bio weapon they were dealing with, helmets stayed on. Echo was perfectly fine with that, but he knew Wrecker would be a bit annoyed. The bruiser seemed to like taking his helmet off in the middle of a mission, resting it on the top of his head when there was a quiet moment between fights.

Hunter led the group through the forest, towards the base. The group was silent as they walked, blending in with the rest of the planet. Echo didn’t like that he couldn’t see ten feet in front of him, he stayed close to his brothers.

The planet made him feel strange, like it was clawing into his brain to make him worried and anxious. He flinched with every sound the group made, feeling as though they needed to be completely silent.

“Something the matter, reg?” Crosshair teased. Echo turned to him and shrugged. Something was definitely the matter, but he wasn’t about to vent while they were on a mission.

“Nothing important,” He muttered in response. Crosshair eyed him for a moment longer, then turned away silently. Echo couldn't count how many times he wished he could read the sharpshooter as well as he could read Echo.

The group fell into silence again, though Echo wished they hadn’t. He couldn’t stand the silence, he never liked it. On Rishi, he had to fill it with rambling on about the reg manuals, of course Fives and Cutup usually chatted loud enough for him to not really need to. In the 501st there had been enough chaos, even when they were on leave, for him to feel content. It was on Skako when it became a problem, when all he ever got was either silence or screaming. He preferred the silence then, now it just made him want to vomit.

There was a break in the fog. A large metal door was in front of the group now. Hunter turned to Tech and Echo, nodding his head towards the panel and scomp port beside the door. Echo and Tech both headed towards the machinery, Tech plugging in his datapad and Echo linking up with the port.

Along with getting the door open, Echo tried to search for any holo feed or comm chatter, hoping that he could figure out what they were about to face inside. He shuddered again as he remembered the holo call they were shown prior to the mission. Troopers had been screaming, coughing, and firing blaster bolts wildly. One had yelled something about monsters, and not to breathe.

Of course, the Batch had been sent to investigate. Because they were skilled enough to handle it, according to whoever was in charge. Tech had said on the way here that he wanted a sample to maybe find a cure on his own, and that had really been all they needed to be convinced enough to go. They all knew Tech would never let them forget about how much he had wanted that sample, and they’d rather not face the splicer’s wrath.

With a loud clang and the groaning of machinery, the large door slowly started to open. Echo and Tech both went back to the group and readied their blasters. They weren’t sure what they’d find, and rather not risk being caught off guard.

“I am picking up three life signs inside,” Tech announced, looking up from his data pad. Its green glow cast his face in an eerie light.

“I guess this is a rescue mission too now.” Hunter mumbled as he slowly entered the base. He gave no indication of needing to worry about immediate attack. His shoulders were tense, but not how they were when he heard or sensed something unusual. The rest of the Batch entered the base.

The door opened into a large hangar area. A few ships were scattered about, but strangely all of them were very damaged. This base didn’t see much battle, so there was no reason for every single one of the ships to be in such disrepair.

“It’s creepy in ‘ere.” Wrecker mumbled at Echo’s side. Crosshair turned his head dramatically to show he was rolling his eyes. Echo patted the big guy on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry Wreck, I’m sure Cross’ll hold your hand.” Echo teased, feeling glad to bring back the group’s usual light mood. Echo could imagine Wrecker’s pouty look at the teasing. Crosshair hissed a quick “I will not,” then bumped Echo’s shoulder.

“I’d suggest we go to the command center,” Tech said, bringing them back on track. The group agreed, and they all left the silent hangar to navigate through the equally silent halls. 

Echo fell back slightly, wanting to get a better look at the state of the base. He ran his hand along the wall for a moment, then rubbed the dust that stuck to his fingers. He paused, turning around and looking back the way they came.

There should have been workers in the hangar, even if some were sick. He knew from experience that many clones would ignore their own health to continue doing their job, it shouldn’t be any different here. It was a dark thought, but they should have found a body by now.

Hunter tried his best to ignore the headache that had started as soon as they opened the hangar doors. It was ruining his senses, so much so that he could barely feel his brothers right next to him. He almost didn’t notice when Echo fell behind, the fact only coming to his attention when Crosshair called the ARC trooper back.

He blinked away another sharp pain in his skull. The pain would come and go in a pattern. The pattern, combined with the loudness of it, reminded him of someone banging drums right in his ear. Not the most pleasant feeling by a landslide.

He wished he could ask Tech for some of the medicine he knew the splicer always carried with him, but they couldn’t take off their helmets. Even so, it’d be wise to let them all know that his senses wouldn’t be up to par for this mission.

“I’m having trouble sensing anything in here, got a headache as soon as the doors opened,” He announced, slowing to be sure they all heard. He could see the way Tech’s eyes crinkled in a confused frown.

“That is irregular,” Tech responded. Hunter nodded silently. Irregular or not, it was happening and he couldn’t do anything about it. “I’ll see if there is some kind of machinery in the base affecting you.” Tech said before turning back down to his datapad. “Take a right here.” He said a moment later, taking it upon himself to direct the group when Hunter couldn’t.

“I’ve been feeling a little weird too,” Echo supplied quietly. “Something about this place just feels wrong.” Hunter and Echo both had similar problems with the occasional piece of machinery affecting them. With Hunter’s senses, and Echo’s electronic parts, if something was jamming electronic signals, both of them would be having a rough time.

“Wrong, would be one way to describe this facility.” Tech replied, not looking up from his datapad. He gave Hunter another direction and the group changed course as they turned the corner.

“Very scary,” Crosshair drawled sarcastically. Hunter glanced to see Crosshair leaning his head towards Wrecker, likely a smirk underneath his bucket. Wrecker retaliated with a sharp “shut up,” then the group fell silent again.

Hunter squinted his eyes as another wave of pain assaulted him. He held out hope that there would be some kind of machinery in the command center that would dampen the disturbance. He wasn’t too optimistic, though.

It wasn’t long before the group came to another door. This time Tech hacked it from his datapad, saving Echo the trouble of scomping in. it opened with a hiss, revealing an empty command center. The group paused, none being sure of what to make of it. Hunter shook his head, blinking away some of the pressure in his skull, and entered the room.

“Tech, Echo, see if you can pull up some cameras to see what happened.” He ordered, the two quickly rushed off the separate consoles and pressed an assortment of buttons. Hunter could never wrap his mind around how easily the two seemed to know what button to press or code to input to get just about any machinery to listen to them. It probably helped that the two were about as in sync as Tech and Crosshair were. It was like the twins became triplets, if Crosshair wouldn’t be so standoffish with the former reg.

“Hey sarge,” Wrecker whispered, though it was far from quiet, “how come there aren’t any… y’know… bodies?” He hissed nervously. Hunter could imagine how his nose scrunched up at the last word. Despite his love of destruction and explosions, Wrecker despised death, as many would. Sometimes Hunter wondered if Wrecker would be a pacifist if there wasn’t a war, then he remembered all the times he and Crosshair antagonized some regs that gave them funny looks.

“I don’t know,” He mumbled, “Tech did say that there were still some life signs, so maybe they moved them for a proper burial?” He tried. The fact that there were no bodies chilled him. He wished Wrecker hadn’t pointed it out, but he knew they were all thinking it anyway.

“Don’t get your blacks in a bunch, Wreck.” Crosshair chided, keeping the mood light with his dry humor. “It’s not like some big scary monster is gonna jump out at you.”

“Even if one did, you would be more than equipped to handle it.” Tech cut in cheerily. “How are things on your end, Echo?” He turned back to the ARC, who had fallen strangely silent throughout the bit of banter.

Echo didn’t respond. They all turned to him. He wasn’t scomped in, so it wasn’t like he hadn’t heard them. Hunter walked over to the silent trooper.

“Echo?” He moved to place a hand on his shoulder, to rouse him of whatever headspace he was trapped in, but froze as something caught his eye. He turned to where Echo was staring, immediately feeling sick to his stomach.

Cramped in between two consoles, was a bloodied trooper. His helmet was off, his vacant eyes rolled to the back of his head. A long line across his neck still leaked blood, there was a hole in his chest where Hunter knew his heart should be. Several of the trooper’s limbs were missing. His lower jaw was hanging, disconnected on one side of his face.

Hunter gagged as he turned away, not being able to bear the sight anymore. He leaned over one of the consoles, breathing heavily. The others all stopped what they were doing, moving to rush to the gruesome sight.

“No- don’t-” He held a hand up, effectively halting the group. “Y-you don’t wanna see that.” He spat out, nose scrunching in disgust.

“Hunter, what the kark is it-” Crosshair said, stopping short as he finally tilted his head enough to see what had scared Hunter so terribly. Crosshair flinched back, hand going to his helmet as if he were trying to cover his mouth. Wrecker grabbed his wrist quickly, making sure the sharpshooter didn’t take off his helmet in his haste.

Crosshair’s reaction seemed to be enough for the others to not feel the need to see it. Wrecker took several steps back, dragging the other with him protectively. Hunter, very reluctantly, turned back to Echo. He tried to avoid looking at the mangled corpse, and was mostly successful.

“Echo,” He said again, the ARC still hadn’t moved. “Echo, step away from the body.” Hunter urged. Echo seemed to have the exact opposite reaction that the others did, not being able to tear his gaze away. Even worse, for once in his life disobeying orders, he took a step closer to it.

“Reg!” Crosshair hissed desperately. Echo didn’t seem to notice it as he crouched down in front of the body. Hunter stared in horror at Echo’s silent fascination with it.

“A sickness can’t do this.” Echo mumbled, the first thing he said since they entered the room. They all stared at him. He sounded terrifyingly detached. “Blasters can’t do this either.” He continued numbly.

“Echo, step away from it!” Hunter ordered harshly. The ARC didn’t give a single sign of hearing him. Instead, karking hells, he brought up his scomp arm and touched it. Hunter gagged again and had to turn away. He knew Echo was weird at times, but for kark’s sake he didn’t think he was downright insane.

“His armor was torn open by hand.” Echo announced, finally standing and turned to the group. A small drop of blood fell off of his scomp. “By a human hand.” Hunter could only stare at the deranged ARC trooper.

It was then that his headache decided to flare up again. Hunter suppressed a groan at the new wave of pain, placing a hand on his helmet. What he thought were drum beats were starting to remind him of something else. Despite himself, Hunter turned back to the body and he too seemed to be unable to look away again.

“What the kark do you mean ‘torn open by hand?!” Crosshair asked incredulously. It sounded almost as though he were in hysterics. Hunter was surprised he wasn’t at that point as well. He blinked and looked at the hole in the trooper’s chest.

“I mean someone was patient or strong enough to tear off his armor and rip out his heart by hand.” Echo elaborated. “I don’t know how that’s possible, but I know there aren’t any blaster wounds on the trooper, and no one stationed here could possibly have a lightsaber!” He hissed, defending his explanation.

Heart. Someone ripped out this trooper’s heart. Someone dug into his armor and ripped out his heart. Hunter blinked several times, his head throbbing again, as he stared at where the trooper’s heart should be.

“Why would someone wanna rip out his heart?” Wrecker asked, sounding honestly scared.

“I don’t know why-” heart.

“That wouldn’t make any sense, there would be no plausible reason for anyone to want to rip out someone’s heart, let alone get through clone armor, with their bare hands.” Tech cut in, fighting to find some kind of logical explanation. “There are far easier ways to kill a trooper.” He mumbled.

“Do you want to take a look at it? ‘Cause I frankly think I’ve seen enough of it!” Echo cut in defensively. There was another drum beat, and this time Hunter couldn’t stifle his groan of pain. The others were too distracted to notice. drum beats, hearts.

A heartbeat. It wasn’t a drum.

“A heartbeat-” Hunter gasped, effectively silencing the group. They all turned to him, and before they could ask anything, he continued. “My headache,” He stood upright, his revelation making it easier to ignore the pain in his skull, “I thought it felt like drums, it’s loud, and has a pattern- but it’s a heartbeat.” He stopped to take a breath, trying to piece together the rest of the puzzle.

“If it is a heart beat then why is it so loud?” Wrecker asked innocently.

“It’s more than one.” Hunter replied quickly. He blinked several times, then rushed out of the command center. The others protested behind him, telling him to wait a minute or to explain what was happening.

“It’s coming from this way.” Hunter announced, pointing down a darkened hallway. “I think if we go there, we might find something.” He explained. The group was silent, and he silently urged them to understand what he was getting at. Then, Echo slowly nodded.

“Yeah, okay.” The ARC trooper said, “We came here to investigate, all we’ve found so far are more questions, so let’s go investigate.” Echo said with a shrug.

“Are you serious!?” Crosshair hissed. The others didn’t have any open protests, so into the dark hallway it was. Hunter went on and led them all forward. “Yeah, let’s just let the two people acting really weird lead us into a creepy hallway.”

“Crosshair, I doubt their behavior is anything to worry about. Echo has seen more battles than us and knows what to do, and Hunter has always taken charge.” Tech assured him, though Hunter had stopped listening and started focusing more so on the heartbeat giving him the worst headache of his life.

“This is why you all need to start watching more horror holos.” Crosshair grumbled.

“Says the guy making fun of me for being scared.” Wrecker shot back, sounding proud of himself.

“Kark off.”

End Notes: so, gore :) also, who do you think is gonna be a zombie first, if any at all? if you've read all the teasers you might be able to guess pretty easily. anyways, I have no idea when I'll post the next chapter, I mgiht wait until I've finished the entire fic, or maybe it'll be posted next week, who knows! I hope you guys enjoyed <3

Read Chp. 2

NPT: @squad-724 @arctrooper69 @weyrwolfen @clownery-and-fuckery @charlieisannoying

@greyangelpain @zilvercrystal @travellingnorthwards @lifblogs @electrikworm

@buniby @thora-sniper @restrospect1003

[wantonlywindswept]

Fic/series rec! Series is a WIP currently being posted and I have been enjoying it greatly. Endgame Fox/Rex/Fives, a bit of assumption/miscommunication angst that comes from running parallel to canon events, but very lovely so far.

---

a flint and a fire (31627 words) by meshurkaan

Rating: Explicit

Chapters: 5/5

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: CC-1010 | Fox/CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex

Characters: CT-7567 | Rex, CC-1010 | Fox, CC-2224 | Cody, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, Clone Commander Thorn (Star Wars), CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, CT-6116 | Kix, CT-5597 | Jesse, Clone Trooper Hardcase (Star Wars), CC-3636 | Wolffe

Additional Tags: Clone Trooper Training on Kamino (Star Wars), Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, First Time, Canon-Typical Violence, Post-First Battle of Geonosis (Star Wars), Canon Temporary Character Death, (it's echo), Minor CT-5597 | Jesse/CT-6116 | Kix, one-sided rex/fives, for now, Clone Trooper Inhibitor Chips (Star Wars), Cloneshipping | Clone Trooper/Clone Trooper Relationships (Star Wars), Fix-It, Everybody Lives, the endgame is fox/rex/fives but that's for later in the series, POV CT-7567 | Rex, Not Canon Compliant - Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon), a little bit of mando'a, Drinking Games, Clone Trooper Shenanigans (Star Wars), Drunken Shenanigans, fox's bad taste in holodramas, Some angst, Perceived character death?, he's fine but the pov character doesn't know that

Series: Part 1 of endless space unfurled

Summary: Rex was engineered to be a perfect soldier, yet no amount of training could have prepared him for what he’d face on the battlefield (and off of it).