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sadiecoocoo · 6 months ago

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Hoth - tcw fanfiction

Summary - A small group of Torrent Company, including Fives, Echo, Hardcase, Rex, and Anakin, are sent down to the icy planet, Hoth, to distribute supplies for the new research facility there. Their stay is extended as they are informed that a scouting patrol went missing, likely from the cold and lack of supplies. The group splits up to scout out the area surrounding the base. The Domino Twins survey the mountain range alone, and of course, run into trouble as an avalanche is triggered. Echo is badly injured in the aftermath, and Fives is turned around with no idea of which way the base is. They must try to survive the icy plains until they are rescued.

Word Count - 3,913

Read on AO3

Notes: This is for the 2024 Star Wars Prequels Big Bang! @swprequels-big-bang I worked with @thingskorokhasdrawn for the art and @battlekilt as my beta! tysm to both of you, I had sm fun working on this <3 anyways, I promised a while ago on my Tumblr that I'd make some Echo and Fives centric whump, so here it is! please enjoy <3

Echo loaded another crate onto the shuttle. He dropped it with a huff, then went back into the hangar to grab another. A few paces away, Fives chatted with Hardcase.

“Hey, you two mind helping at all?” Echo asked snarkily, though it held no malice. The two other clones turned to him, Fives sticking out his tongue at his twin. Echo mimicked the action.

“Only because you asked so nicely,” Hardcase quipped as he leaned down to grab a crate of supplies.

Fives, being outvoted, did the same. With their combined efforts, they finished the task fairly quickly, just in time for when Rex and the General arrived.

“Alright, boys,” General Skywalker started. “This is a quick in-and-out. We drop off supplies to help get the set-up of a new facility, then we get back to where it’s warm,” he explained. Echo was grateful to know that the group wouldn’t have to spend a night on the ice-flats of Hoth.

“Let’s load up,” Rex ordered, causing the group to board the shuttle and the pilot to get in the cockpit.

“Thank the force we won’t have to be there long,” Echo murmured to his ori’vod .

“I’m sure something will go wrong,” Fives said with a grin as he punched Echo playfully.

“Have a little optimism, vod ,” Echo continued their banter, wrapping an arm around his vod’s shoulder.

The group dissolved into silence, save for the occasional remark from Hardcase, as the ship descended into the atmosphere of the ice planet. They all could hear the harsh wind whipping against the ship’s hull. Echo shuddered at the thought of having to feel the blunt force of that wind.

Soon enough, the shuttle touched down and opened its doors to the harsh cold. Echo frowned as snow flew into the ship. He shook his head and followed the rest of the squad. The ARC trooper rubbed his hands together before grabbing one of the crates.

“Are we sure this is the best place to have a facility?” Fives yelled over the wind.

Echo shrugged in response before Rex answered, “There already is a facility.” The Captain started, “It was a Separatist base, but a squad took out the clankers, and now some scientists in the Republic want to use it.” He explained.

“If this is just a supply drop-off,” Echo said as he carefully put down the crate he had been holding. “Why is the General here?” He asked.

The aforementioned General had gone off to speak with one of the scientists that had taken residence at the base.

“To get a chance to spend some time with his lover,” Fives muttered to him with a nudge. Echo chuckled as he glanced at the Captain, wondering if he may have heard Fives’ remark.

“Or to get away from his other one.” Hardcase joined in with a loud guffaw.

“I can’t take you boys anywhere,” Rex mumbled with a shake of his head, though there was humor evident in his tone.

The troublemakers laughed as they continued to work for several more minutes. Not too long later, they had unloaded all the supplies and were resting.

Echo shivered as a particularly cold gust of wind assaulted him. Flakes of snow had stuck to his armor and melted, leaving small stains on the durasteel.

“When do you think the General will be done?” Fives asked, leaning back against a crate.

“Dunno,” Echo answered with a shrug. “But I doubt there’s much a scientist would need to tell a Jedi,” he guessed. Fives mumbled something about being cold and this taking too long. Echo patted his vod’s shoulder.

“Change of plans!” Echo jumped at the General’s voice. He stood at attention, waiting for whatever miserable news Skywalker had to share. “We’re gonna have to scout out the area around the facility,” he explained. The entire squad’s mood seemed to sink at that; the cold was bad enough already, and there were heaters all around the base. It’d be ten times worse out there.

“What happened?” Rex asked.

“Some troops already stationed here had sent out a scouting party, but they never returned,” he answered with a shake of his head. “It might have just been the cold, or it might have been hostiles. They don’t have enough people to send another scout party, so they left that up to us,” he finished with a frown.

Fives and Echo exchanged a glance.

“Well,” Rex said with a sigh, “Let’s get moving.”

Fives dismounted the tauntaun he had been given and walked over to the edge of the snowy cliff. Over the snowy plains, he searched for some kind of threat; there was nothing; the planet was desolate and empty. “See anything?” Echo called, still mounted. Fives didn’t blame him; the tauntauns gave them a little bit of warmth.

“Just more snow,” Fives replied miserably. He mounted back onto his tauntaun and continued up the mountain. Echo followed.

The squad had split up: Rex with Hardcase and General Skywalker, and Fives with Echo. Echo and Fives were tasked with searching the mountain, then the plains surrounding it. The other group would venture in the opposite direction and search the snow plains there.

Fives rubbed his hands together as he urged his tauntaun to move a bit faster. The sooner they got this done, the better.

“What do you say we take a rest up there?” Echo yelled over the wind, pointing to a ledge not too far from them. Fives gave him a thumbs up, then rode his tauntaun over to said ledge before dismounting.

Echo did the same, then grabbed a metal spike from the satchel on his tauntaun. He plunged it into the ground, then tied the reins around it. Fives got his own and did similarly to his vod .

Fives grabbed a ration bar from his pack and sat down in the snow with it. He took off his helmet and started eating the flavorless meal. Echo sat down next to him, a bit closer to the ledge.

“This sucks,” Fives mumbled between bites. Echo grunted in agreement before looking out over the plains below.

“It’s kind of pretty though, if you ignore the cold.” He said optimistically. Fives rolled his eyes in response.

“Only you could call an empty snow plain pretty.” He muttered snarkily. Echo mimicked him in a high-pitched voice, causing the twins to laugh.

Suddenly, the tauntauns seemed to get anxious. They both started struggling from the spikes, trying to jump away. Fives got up to try to calm his.

“Whoah,” He said soothingly, “Easy girl.” He rubbed the tauntaun’s neck fur, though it did little to calm it. He was about to turn to ask his vod what he thought might be wrong. It seemed like some of the obscure information that he might know, but then he heard a deep rumbling in the ground, followed by the cracking of ice.

“Echo,” He started before the sound got louder. His brother stumbled on the ledge, eyes growing wide as large cracks formed in the ice. Fives jumped towards his brother just as the ledge crumbled, causing both clones to fall down the cliffside.

Fives awoke with a painful cough, followed by a groan of pain. There was pressure on him, like he was buried in something. He kicked out on the small layer of snow that covered half his body, then dragged himself a few feet away.

He curled in on himself, shivering violently. Snow had gotten in his armor, making the insulation useless in keeping him warm. He had no idea where his bucket was, so there was no way to keep his face warm either.

“Echo,” He mumbled, half aware of why he felt the urge to call out for his brother. Then, he seemed to wake up a bit more, and he jolted upright. He didn’t have many injuries, but he felt sore, and the abrupt action sent a jolt of pain through his body.

“Echo!” he yelled, trying to crawl back to the pile of snow he had emerged from. He started clawing at the snow, moving large junks out of the way. “Echo, where are you!” He yelled desperately.

Fives scanned the area around him, hoping to see a hint of durasteel glinting in the snow. He caught a glimpse of something dark a little ways away, and he quickly stumbled towards it.

There was a red stain in the snow, and right next to it, he saw a bit of durasteel armor that hadn’t been covered by the blizzard. “Echo,” he called, digging into the snow until he could feel his brother and drag him out.

He pulled him out by the armpits. His brother was limp in his arms. Echo’s head lulled to the side, eyes closed. Fives feared the worst as he dragged his brother away from the aftermath of the avalanche.

He laid Echo down in the snow. Fives tried to wipe some of the blood off of Echo’s face, but he had a head injury. He shakily felt for his vod’s pulse. It felt weak, but it was there.

Fives shook his vod’ika to try to rouse him awake. He wouldn’t move. He placed pressure on the head injury, trying his best to stop the bleeding.

“ Eyayah , wake up,” He begged, moving to try chest compressions. He didn’t know if that would help, and after a few minutes of it not doing anything, he went back to trying to shake him awake. He fumbled to try and find a stim in his pack, but most of its contents had fallen out during the avalanche.

“ Eyayah… ” Fives’ voice shook as he leaned down and rested his head on his vod’ika’s chest. He felt the rise and fall of his cuirass, which at least meant he was breathing.

Fives sat back up, solidifying his resolve as he decided that if he couldn’t resuscitate his vod , then he would get him back to the base. He whistled for his tauntaun, but got nothing in return. He hadn’t really been expecting anything either.

He looked around through the blizzard. Fives didn’t know which way was to the base, he didn’t even know which side of the mountain they had fallen off of. Finally remembering that he had it, he tried his com-link.

He was only answered by static; the blizzard wouldn’t let the signal through. He tried Echo’s as well but got the same result.

“Kriff,” He muttered, then to Echo, “I’ll get us out of this, vod’ika . Ni oritsir. ” Fives vowed.

He carefully stood, the wind trying to force him back into the snow. He leaned back down and put a hand under Echo’s back, making him sit up. Fives grabbed Echo’s middle and hoisted him onto his shoulder, stumbling slightly from the added weight. He tried not to think about Echo being completely limp in his hold.

Making a guess from the little amount of sunlight he could see through the blizzard, Fives picked a direction, then started trekking through the snow.

It didn’t take long for him to not be able to feel his fingers anymore. He was stumbling through the snow, almost falling several times. The wind did little to help, making it impossible to walk in a straight line.

“I-I’m sure we’re almost there, Eyayah .” He said to his unconscious brother. He had tried talking to him at different intervals, hoping that something would wake him up, or at least comfort him. He was starting to think that he was doing it more for himself than for Echo. It had started to feel like a lifeline.

Fives’ legs buckled from underneath him. He fell face first into the snow, dropping his vod. He just barely heard the sharp intake of a breath as Echo hit the ground. Fives sprung up at the noise.

“Echo?” He asked, trying to shake his brother awake again. The ARC trooper’s face was scrunched up in pain, and he let out a tight groan. “Oh, thank the Force!” Fives said with relief. He knew that a groan of pain wasn’t too reassuring, but it was another confirmation that Echo was alive.

“...Fives?” Echo mumbled with a hoarse voice. Fives laughed hysterically in relief. He was cut short when he noticed the red on Echo’s teeth. He frowned as he remembered their situation.

“I’m right here, Eyayah ,” he said, gently grabbing his brother’s face. He rubbed his thumbs over Echo’s cheeks. His vod leaned into the touch.

“Wha… happened?” He forced out. He was slurring his words, and his eyes were unfocused; it looked like Echo wasn’t even seeing fives.

“Th-there was an avalanche,” He explained, getting up to try and carry Echo again. “I’m trying to get us back to base.” He made the same movements as before to hoist him over his shoulder, but this time, Echo let out a pained sound.

Fives immediately rested his brother back into the snow. He quickly looked over his pained expression, holding his hands up, not sure of what to do.

“What’s wrong, vod ?” He said quickly. Fives ghosted his hands over Echo’s chest after too long without an answer. Echo took in a sharp inhale as Fives touched his side.

“Sith spit.” He muttered. He put pressure on Echo’s side, stopping immediately as Echo let out a pained sound. Echo tried to push him away, his arms flailing weakly.

Fives cooed at him softly, trying to calm his half-conscious brother. “It’s alright, Eyayah , we’re gonna get you back to base.” He promised.

The ARC likely had a broken rib. Fives cursed their luck. How did he end up unscathed while Echo was littered with injuries?

He gently grabbed his brother’s hand and squeezed it. Echo’s eyes were shut tightly in a grimace.

Fives looked around, his vision blocked by the snowy winds. He could just barely make out the outline of a ridge. Fives turned back to Echo.

“This is gon-gonna hurt a lot.” He warned as he grabbed his brother’s arms. He started dragging Echo behind him, leaving a scar in the snow as they went.

His legs gave out again when he made it to the ridge. He fell against it, leaning his head back for a moment. He shivered and hugged his stomach as he curled up.

After he had recovered enough to move again, he pulled Echo close to him. Fives wrapped his arms around his vod , providing as much warmth as he could.

He tucked Echo’s head under his chin, pressing down on his dark curls. He watched as Echo’s breath came out in white puffs. He was still breathing. He was still alive.

“W-we’ll be okay-okay, Eyayah .” He mumbled weakly as he closed his eyes. The two of them were shivering wildly, their bodies trying to warm them up.

He hugged Echo tighter, as tight as his strength allowed. Echo’s head lolled onto Fives’ chest.

“We’ll be okay.”

Fives stumbled again, almost falling. He carried Echo piggy-back style, his arms under his legs to support him. Echo’s head rested on his shoulder.

The sun had broken through the tormenting storm. Fives had found the strength to climb up the ridge they took shelter against and tried to scout out where the base was.

It was far, but he could see it in the distance. Fives cursed himself as he realized he had been going the complete opposite way. He had started the long trek as soon as he felt strong enough to carry his vod’ika .

The cold seeped into his bones, making him shaky and weak. He couldn’t feel his hands when he didn’t move them, and when he did, it was extremely painful. Pins and needles assaulted him with every step he took. His legs were beginning to cramp.

Fives fell again into the snow. Flakes of it shook off of his hair and joined the white desert. Echo was on top of him, and Fives didn’t feel like he had the strength to push him off and get up.

He tried, placing his hands under him and pushing against the ground. He fell back down, his face becoming buried in the snow. He heard Echo’s faint breathing next to his ear.

Fives suppressed a sob. Everything either hurt or he couldn’t feel it. He was impossibly cold. Snow covered his armor and face, freezing on his skin.

Fives reached back and grabbed Echo’s hand. He squeezed it tightly. Fives let his face fall into the snow. He let out a shaky breath. He closed his eyes; he didn’t have the strength to keep going.

“M’sorry,” he said, barely audible even to him.

Rex kicked at his tauntaun, urging it to go faster. His heart was beating a mile a minute. His breathing was shallow and quick.

When they had returned from their own patrol, Fives and Echo hadn’t checked in. He had hoped that maybe they just weren’t at a good place or that their signal was interrupted by the storm.

Then it got dark as the combination of night and the storm blocked out the light of the stars. Rex had worried a bit more, but he trusted his ARCs.

Then, one of their tauntauns came back. Alone. One tauntaun and no rider returning from a patrol of two. Anakin had to physically hold him back from going out into the blizzard to find his ARCs.

He didn’t sleep last night, worry and fear making him too nauseous to keep his eyes closed. He left as soon as the blizzard stopped a bit before sunrise. He guessed the General would be pissed, but there were bigger things to worry about at the moment.

His tauntaun made a noise of protest as he once again urged it to go faster. He thought he saw something out in the distance. He wouldn’t risk being too late because his tauntaun was complaining.

“Fives! Echo!” He tried. His voice was hoarse from yelling out into the snowy planes. He clicked the tauntaun’s side again, whipping the reins.

Rex saw it again. A glint of something blue in the snow. He jumped off his tauntaun, not bothering to bring the creature to a full stop. He stumbled through the snow before regaining his balance, then ran towards that bit of blue he saw.

He fell to his knees as he slid to a stop. He clawed through the snow until he revealed Echo’s face, blood drying on his forehead. He pulled the obviously injured ARC out, then continued to dig for his brother.

Both of them were unconscious. Fives didn’t seem injured, but the cold had exhausted him.

“General!” Rex yelled into his comm, “I found them- I need a medic!” He said frantically. He searched for both of their pulses, Echo’s first. There was a light thumping under his fingers, far too slow.

“ We’ll bring a transport, ” Skywalker said through the comms. Rex didn’t bother answering, too busy making sure his ad’ike were still alive. He moved over to Fives. The ARC looked fairly uninjured, but with the cold, that wouldn't really matter.

Fives mumbled something that Rex couldn’t hear. He turned his attention to him as he cupped his cheek. His eyes were half-lidded, looking vacant.

“Fives-“ Rex’s voice broke, “Fives can you hear me?” He tried. Fives groaned. His eyes fluttered shut as he leaned his head into Rex’s hand.

“ Buir… ” he mumbled weakly, barely above a whisper.

“I’m here, it’s gonna be okay.” Rex assured. He grabbed Fives’ bicep and squeezed it comfortingly, doing similarly to Echo.

“You’re both gonna be okay.” He promised, praying to the Force that it’d be true. Where is that damned transport?

There was a constant beeping in the background. Echo’s sleep-addled brain barely comprehended it. He scrunched up his nose and groaned at the noise, turning over in the sheets so his face was pushed into the pillow.

The beeping persisted, and he begrudgingly opened his eyes. Bright fluorescent lighting made him push further into the pillow, though this time he took his annoyance quietly. He tried again, this time opening his eyes much more slowly.

He was on a medical bed, and there were several blankets piled on top of him. He blinked in confusion, trying to wash away the last of the sleep. It wasn’t standard for any trooper to have so many blankets in the medbay; surely there was someone else who needed them.

He looked around the room. When he tried to sit up, he only collapsed once again as a wave of dizziness made black spots dance across his vision. He shivered, feeling a wave of cold.

He lay facing the ceiling for what felt like an eternity, waiting for this dizzy spell to leave him alone. Once he felt confident enough to sit up again, he fully took in the medbay. No one but him was in the room, though he thought he could hear muffled talking from behind the door.

There was a shuffling next to him; then someone grabbed his bandaged hand. He jumped as he looked down at the surprise person. His face relaxed into a relieved smile at the sight of his brother.

“Go back to sleep, Eyayah .” Fives muttered softly. Echo obliged, laying back down comfortably. However, he only looked over his brother, searching for any injuries he may have had in whatever mission that got Echo sent to the medbay.

“What-” He coughed several times, his dry throat scraping. “What happened?” He asked once he had regained his voice. The ARC slumped into the pillow, content to let the massing heap of blankets weigh him down.

“There was an avalanche when we were scouting.” Fives said, he sounded sad. Echo wished he could squeeze his hand, but the bandaging held his fingers in place. “You got knocked out, I got all turned around. We spent a night out in the cold.” He was starting to sound distant, nothing at all like his chipper self.

“You get hurt?” Echo asked, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. Fives only shrugged, turning his face to cover his nose and mouth with one of the wool covers. Echo moved his free hand to rest on top of Five’s head.

“‘M okay now, vod ,” Echo said softly. He tried to fight the urge to sleep again, trying to blink less often once he noticed each blink lasted longer and felt heavier.

“Rex said the General would let us name the base,” Fives cut in, trying to fill the silence. Echo let out a soft hum, having lost the battle of keeping his eyes open. He still felt cold, and just wanted to snuggle up under all the covers. Though, he wished the beeping would stop, even if it was just a heart monitor.

“I was thinking we could name it Echo Base.” Fives said, utilizing a teasing tone. Echo frowned, peeking one eye open as he gave Fives an unimpressed look.

“There’re way cooler names than just calling it Echo Base .” Echo grumbled, scrunching up his nose. Fives snorted as he lightly bumped Echo’s elbow.

“Too late, I already told them.” Echo didn’t need to open his eyes to see the shit-eating grin on his brother’s face. He let out a huff.

“Can’t wait to get a transfer away from you.” He drawled sarcastically. It elicited a mock-offended gasp from his brother. He smiled softly as he let himself sink further into the pillow.

End Notes: Mando'a Translations Vod - sibling/brother vod'ika/vod'ike - little brother/little brothers ori'vod - older brother eyayah - Echo Ni oritsir - I promise (not exact translation) buir - parent/father again, I really enjoyed working on the big bang, it was my first ever event! I hoped everyone enjoyed and that you all have a lovely day <3

#tcw #whump writing #whump #fluff #hurt/comfort #fives #arc trooper fives #echo #arc trooper echo #captain rex #tcw fanfic #fanficiton

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crowleying · 6 months ago

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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

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

#codywan week 2024 #day 5 - hurt/comfort #codywan #obi wan kenobi #commander cody #obi wan x cody #star wars #the clone wars #crowleying writes #usercrowleying #my writing #cww #cww2024

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imabeautifulbutterfly · 8 months ago

Note

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

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lonewolflupe · 3 months ago

Text

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

#star wars #the clone wars #clone wars #tcw #clone wars fanfiction #domino squad #tcw hevy #tcw droidbait #tcw echo #tcw cutup #tcw fives #tcw 99 #theclonewarswinterspectacular2024 #sfw #fanfiction #lonewolflupe #lonewolflupe writes

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