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lightwise · 29 days

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Hidden Monsters

For some reason this has been a bear (dragon, Vrathean, pick your Star Wars creature) to write, but I realized after this last episode of TBB that there was more to the “monster of the week” trope that we all love to get tired of in Star Wars, and specifically for our beloved Batch members. I believe that some of the main “monsters” each member of the Batch has faced and could face represent inner turmoil and the storms/dark things within that each of them has had to wrestle with. The choices each of them have made to tame or calm or live with the creatures they have encountered, instead of automatically killing them or choosing violence against them, is a powerful metaphor. Something that looks like a monster on the outside may not necessarily be a monster on the inside, when cared for and acknowledged properly.

Echo and the Rishi Eel

Echo’s very first mission on Rishi station involved a giant monster, a droid army invasion, watching his superior officer die in front of him, and losing most of his squad along with the entire outpost he had been assigned to help defend. After the Rishi station is overrun by battle droids, Echo, Fives, Hevy, and Cutup escape through an air vent only to land in the middle of what turns out to be the Rishi eel’s nest. Echo is second to last in line and has to watch as Cutup is snatched up by the eel right behind him and swallowed whole. Echo is the only one to look back and commemorate Cutup with his name and a sigh before they have to keep moving. He does the same at the end of the episode when they lose Hevy, thanking him for his self sacrifice. Echo’s mind—strategic, careful, hesitant, wanting to do the right thing—is always on his brothers and their safety, and his own fears and questioning give way to courage and determination as he watches his brothers do what needs to be done.

This formative experience is literally emblazoned on Echo’s chest and becomes part of his identity when Rex shoots the eel in the eye, wipes some of its blood on his hand, and presses it against Echo’s armor as he encourages him to keep going. This combination of bravery, looking death in the eye, and holding compassion for each of his brothers as they fall continues to be a running theme throughout Echo’s character arc—from holding 99 in his arms as he dies, to hanging in the Techno Union chamber where his mind and body were used to hunt down the brothers he loved, to overcoming the changes and loss he’s experienced and finding a new family with the Batch and Omega, to coming full circle and joining Rex to help free his brothers from the Empire’s grip. He has had to watch as brother after brother is taken away from him, but he has learned how to keep going in the face of loss. These experiences bring out who he is—caring, loyal, brave, resolute, and a symbol of endurance—and trace back to the very first monster he had to face.

Hunter, Omega, and the Ordo Moon Dragon

In season 1 the Batch is newly on the run from Kamino after Order 66, finding Omega, and losing Crosshair. They crash onto an uninhabited planet and while trying to repair their ship, an Ordo Moon Dragon makes off with their capacitor, leaving them stranded. Like the Zillo beast seen in season 2, it feeds on energy but is actually peaceful when not provoked. Hunter wants to track it down, by himself, but Omega insists on accompanying him. While tracking the creature, Omega brings up Crosshair’s absence, and Hunter is unwilling to even say Crosshair’s name, and he is very uncomfortable with the conversation. He is unwilling and unable to face his demons right now, and instead is wallowing in self-blame. Hunter won’t be able to fully face his inner turmoil until Crosshair returns and they encounter the Wyrm on Barton IV, another dragon-like creature which also burrows underground (although it is much, much larger, and more harmful than the Ordo Moon Dragon, signifying how much Hunter’s avoidance and resentment grows over time as it is not dealt with). It’s also interesting that this episode cuts back and forth to Crosshair fully under the influence of the chip and wiping out Saw Gurerra’s insurgents in a very violent manner.

Hunter ends up being knocked out by the creature and Omega takes her flashlight and his blaster to complete the mission, going alone into the tunnels where the dragon lives. What Omega learns is that she doesn’t need the blaster to deal with the situation. As scary as it is, she doesn’t have to kill the dragon or use violence against it, as it’s simply hungry and looking for food. The terrifying creature becomes a thing of beauty, green electric shocks running over its rainbow colored body, illuminating the tunnel and Omega’s face as it feeds on the flashlight she throws to it in exchange for their capacitor. The visuals mimic the teal and green rippling over the Vrathean that Omega and Ventress encounter and have to calm down in season 3 (more on that further on).

However, this wasn’t Omega’s mission. It was Hunter’s, but she ends up completing it for him. Omega learns a valuable lesson here, which fits in with her natural tendencies of drawing both people and animals to her caring, compassionate nature instead of judging them based on appearance, but I’m not sure that this was her ultimate trial in facing her own inner demons. (See my thoughts on why this is important at the end of this essay in the Ventress section.) This also was a failed attempt for Hunter, and he would end up facing his trial again in The Return in season 3.

Wrecker and the Rancor (Muchi)

Wrecker was introduced as a character whose expertise is in explosives and making things blow up. He lives for making a ruckus and having a good time, but his strengths are engineered to be used for destruction.

Much of Wrecker’s character arc in season 1 is learning how to become more of an adult/parental figure for Omega, and how to put his own desires and needs aside in order to help take care of hers (letting her eat first, making a room for her in the gunners nest, watching out for her). In Rampage, the Batch is charged with rescuing a “child,” who they eventually find out is a young, ornery, and decidedly huge Rancor. Wrecker is the only one of them strong enough to sedate the creature after a lengthy bout of essentially hand to hand “combat.” They needed to bring Muchi back alive and Wrecker ends up gaining mutual affection and respect with her. Muchi is now calm and tamed enough that Omega can ride on her back with no fear or worry of danger.

Rancors adhere to a strict social and familial hierarchy, and have to challenge the alpha for authority. Wrecker starts out brash and boastful, and even though he is always caring, he becomes much more aware of his surroundings and his standing in their family unit as he grows in his responsibilities toward Omega. Rampage is shortly before his chip goes off, where he almost kills his entire squad. While his brute strength is an asset when used in the right ways, it is lethal if used for the wrong ones, and through his family bonds (especially with Omega) Wrecker is ultimately able to overcome the worst, chipped version of who he had been made to be, and instead be a source of safety and strength for Omega and his family.

Tech and the Zillo Beast

The Zillo beast is a marvel amongst Star Wars creatures. Its armor is impenetrable and highly valuable, and it feeds almost exclusively on energy, which allows it to become larger and morph into an even more powerful creature. When the Batch encounters it in season 2 in Metamorphasis, it tries to attack all of them, but Tech is the only one who is “fascinated” by the creature rather than scared of it. Similar to the Zillo beast feeding on energy, Tech’s mind was what he was known for, and he “fed” it by constantly consuming and integrating data about the world around him (which is transmitted by energy currents). During this episode Tech is confident in his own capabilities and extremely interested in learning more about the cloning technologies they were uncovering on this crashed ship. Tech’s research on the Zillo beast, while helpful, unfortunately comes too late and the Batch are unable to either put down or recapture the creature before it grows too strong for them to deal with. In the process, the Zillo beast escapes and is eventually recaptured by the Empire.

I’ve always been fascinated by the point in this episode where Tech is downloading the rest of the information from the terminal onto his data pad, and Hunter warns Omega that Imperials are inbound. She immediately tells Tech they need to go, and he refuses for a moment, saying he needs to finish capturing the data. If Omega did not pressure him to leave (and the electricity go out), he very well could have been standing there when ships bomb their location a few moments later, and gotten both himself and Omega killed for no good reason. At this moment his love of knowledge is overpowering his common sense and his love for his family, and it almost costs him everything.

Contrast this to a few moments later when he pulls Omega out of danger as they leave the ship, and Plan 99 when he chooses to sacrifice himself not for his own gain, but solely so his family has a chance to live. He had to face his greatest asset where it could also be his greatest failure, and learn how to prioritize and wield his strengths.

Crosshair and the Vulture

In The Outpost in season 2, Crosshair has spent almost two seasons engulfed in poor choices made both against his will (the chip), and of his own volition (staying with the Empire no matter what in pursuit of a sense of purpose and loyalty). His decisions are starting to grate on him and have led him down a dark path, but he hasn’t been fully ready to find a way to change them. When he lands on the icy planet of Barton IV, he encounters fearsome ice vultures shrieking overhead. He is told by the outpost’s commanding clone officer, Mayday, that the creatures are vicious, but admirable, because they find a way to survive.

Vultures signify both death and cleansing and are often feared and viewed with disgust, yet are an integral part of nature. Crosshair’s isolation and status as a clone soldier have put him in a precarious and often misjudged position, in ways he doesn’t even fully realize until this episode. His very life is in danger due to the Empire’s stance toward the clones, but so far Crosshair has believed that he is valuable to the Empire in ways that the regular clones are not. This attitude and perspective are severely challenged by Lieutenant Nolan, who speaks contemptuously both about and to every clone he encounters. Nolan’s lack of respect for them as soldiers, as officers, and even as people, is an extreme look at what Crosshair’s callousness and misplaced loyalty could lead him to if he is not careful. His fate is hanging in the balance.

After being sent on an inhumane mission to retrieve two crates of armor in a blinding snowstorm, Crosshair and Mayday are caught in an avalanche. After coming up out of the snow gasping for air, Crosshair could choose to get himself back to base and leave Mayday behind. Find a way to survive in the cold on his own, but kill the last of his compassion and personal values in the process. Instead, he chooses to put his life even more at risk to bring Mayday along with him.

Unfortunately for both of them, when they get back to base, Nolan has zero sympathy for their self-sacrifice, and allows Mayday to die unceremoniously on the platform from his wounds. Once again, a vulture is circling overhead, waiting to partake of its next meal. It signifies the threat of death but also Crosshair’s struggle and desire to survive. Crosshair is now staring his own lack of value and expendability in the face, and where he finds himself is now fully intolerable. He cannot continue on the way he has been without the very essence of who he is breaking irreparably in the process. Does he reclaim who he is, a compassionate and forceful individual who protects those he cares about? Or does he fall in line with what the Empire wants from him, knowing he will be discarded regardless?

Crosshair integrates his lesson in a visceral manner, his own personal traits mimicking the very essence of the ice vulture as he finally reorients his moral compass, takes a stand for himself and for his clone brothers, and takes vengeance on Lieutenant Nolan. His caution and inner turmoil are channeled into one desperate act as he becomes an agent/angel of death, the framing of the scene creating vulture-like wings spread on either side of him. He doesn’t expect to survive this encounter, choosing a path that looks like death on the outside but is cleansing and redeeming for him on the inside. He can now face the future as his whole, integrated self.

Hunter, Crosshair, the Vulture, and the Wyrm

The vulture and its meaning for Crosshair, as well as Hunter’s cut-short encounter with the Ordo Moon Dragon, both have their bookends in season 3’s episode The Return. Crosshair has seen immense character growth after his choices in The Outpost, and has not only redeemed himself but has been given the chance to start reconciling with everyone he has hurt. This episode has two creatures that serve two important purposes: the vulture returns as a metaphor for Crosshair’s need to reconcile with and forgive himself, and a new creature, a giant wyrm (nice Dune reference there, Star Wars) highlights the fractured rift between him and Hunter, and the anger, distrust, and resentment that Hunter has been running from since Aftermath.

The Batch has returned to Barton IV, and Crosshair is greeted by the ice vulture as they land. The weather is calm and clear this time, and the creature is observing him but not in a threatening way. At the same time, tensions rise to a breaking point between Hunter and Crosshair and a long-awaited argument starts between them. Before it can be resolved, the wyrm erupts out of the ground and puts all of their lives in danger. It had been kept at bay previously by high-pitched noises, (oddly similar to Hunter’s enhanced senses, which he has been so distracted from that he wasn’t aware of the danger ahead of time) and lived underneath the same snow that had buried Crosshair and Mayday.

In their efforts to draw the creature away from the outpost so they can turn the sensors back on, Hunter falls through the snow into the wyrm’s tunnels. Crosshair has already had his inner journey underneath the snow on Barton IV. This time, Hunter has to finally face his own struggles. Every step of the way he has been running and hiding, trying to keep his family and Omega safe by keeping them away from the Empire, away from Crosshair, away from danger, but failing miserably. This time, Hunter could simply let Crosshair haul him back up to the surface when he reaches the spot where Crosshair and Batcher have dug a hole in the ice to pull him out. But he hasn’t confirmed that the wyrm is actually past the boundary and that it is safe to turn the perimeter sensors back on. This time, Hunter stays below the surface, and keeps himself in harms way until he is absolutely sure that his family is safe and that his own emotions have been worked through. He is starting to take responsibility for his journey. His senses start to kick in again and he refuses to leave the tunnel until the wyrm is barreling down his neck, and then he finally accepts Crosshair’s help. Both of them run to safety, the perimeter beacons turn on, and the wyrm is now on the other side of an invisible barrier of sound, harmless and chastened until it finally slinks away.

The boys exchange glances and nods. Their rift has been bridged and they are both willing to move forward, together. This is proven by the end of the episode, where Crosshair, who has remained closed off and unwilling to discuss what he’s been through, opens up slightly to Hunter before they leave, and Hunter responds with forgiveness, acknowledgement, and hope for the future. And for now, it’s enough. Crosshair looks into the sky and watches the ice vulture flying overhead once again. Except this time, it flies off into the sunset, signifying that his lessons from this planet have been fully learned, that the spirit of survival in the face of death that he has been carrying with him can now be put towards living and thriving again. Both Hunter and Crosshair are leaving slightly more whole than when they first arrived, both as individuals and in their restored relationship with each other.

Ventress, Omega, and the Vrathean

Omega gets a second chance at taming a terrifying creature in The Harbinger in season 3. After Asajj Ventress shows up on Pabu to help the Batch figure out the m-count conundrum that makes Omega’s blood so valuable to the Empire, (and after Omega has begged her to stay and test her capabilities), she and Omega go out onto the ocean to test Omega’s potential Force sensitivity. (Also after Ventress had to whoop the boys’ backsides to get them to slightly trust her, but we won’t go into that here).

Throughout this season, (and really for most of her life), Omega has…not been doing well. Her time on Tantiss, leaving the rest of the clones imprisoned there behind when she and Crosshair escaped, and the relentless pursuit of her by the Empire has truly traumatized her and made her single-mindedly want to know why she is always in danger and putting everyone else around her in danger as well. Her mental health has been spiraling a bit and her inner turmoil is starting to rival Crosshair’s in season 2. She knows that m-count is important and is also thrilled at Ventress mentioning the Jedi, while the rest of the Batch and Ventress herself are very somber about the prospect that Omega might have Force capabilities. However, in her desire to have answers, she ends up being very impatient and frustrated and doesn’t even show her typical level of optimism and concentration in working through Ventress’ tests for her. It’s almost like her goal (finding answers) is at odds with what her idea of finding those answers looks like.

After having tried and failed to “reach out” to the Force to summon anything, Omega pouts and sits back down in the boat, seemingly defeated. Ventress has asked her to try to connect to nature, probably because she has seen Omega’s connection to Batcher and assumes that might be more in line with whatever her gifting might be. Two of Omega’s main traits and strengths are her optimism in the face of defeat, and her compassion toward literally every living thing she encounters. She is always curious, generous, caring, and wanting to connect with others. Which makes it even more curious that she is so easily stumped and disconnected by this exercise. She challenges Ventress to prove why *she* is the best person to be teaching Omega this lesson, and Ventress sighs but gently and carefully shows her powers by calling up a school of glowing green fish from the water. “I’m not the one holding back,” she tells Omega.

After a peaceful moment, however, another creature, this time a giant and tentacled Vrathean, emerges from the water as well and starts hunting Ventress and Omega down. It’s unclear if Ventress actually called the creature up herself or not, but if she did it was not intentional. She helps rescue Omega from the creature’s clutches and then chooses to put herself in more danger by letting it grab her, and communing with it through the Force as it tries to eat her. The deadly creature becomes a thing of astonishing beauty as the color of the sea ripples over its body and its eyes soften and recognize Ventress as a sentient being.

This is where it gets interesting, because this peacefulness, calm, and compassion is not something we would have associated with prior versions of Ventress. Her experiences and growth throughout the Clone Wars, her associations with Ahsoka and Quinlan, and her choices have turned her into a much softer and stronger version of herself. This has now become her trial by allowing her to showcase just how much she has changed, and how much her own worldview has flipped.

This is an incredible example for Omega, but similar to how she took Hunter’s trial for him in Replacement, Ventress has now filled what was supposed to be hers. This begs the question, what is Omega actually holding back on? Is she really Force sensitive? Or is just her compassion and tenderness toward everyone around her overtaking her in unhealthy ways? She has always had a tendency to put herself in harms way in an attempt to make up for the complications her presence brings her brothers.

Omega will have to face these implied monsters at some point. I’m not actually certain that she will end up facing a creature like everyone else has—there’s the possibility that because she naturally has more affinity with creatures and beings that look monstrous but really aren’t, she may end up facing her inner demons in another manner. Will it be a person instead? Or a choice? Even, might I say, an identity crisis? It remains to be seen, but the fact that she must face it in order to overcome and integrate it is unquestionable.

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southern-stark · 1 year

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The Domino Triplets

Happy May the 4th, everyone!

Here’s something a little different than my usual OC posts.

It’s an AU that’s been stuck in my head for the longest time where Hevy managed to survive Rishi, and became an ARC trooper alongside Echo & Fives! (Hevy deserved so much better than what he got and no one will change my mind about that)

It comes with a lot of prepackaged angst (99s death, what happens to Echo in the Citadel Arc, UMBARA, what happens to Fives, finding Echo, Siege of Mandalore, etc), as well as a lot of chaos with Hevy being part of the 501st and getting involved in Anakin & Ahsoka’s battle plans.

[Artwork done by Contextualthor on Instagram]

#star wars #star wars art #star wars fanart #digital art #arc trooper fives #arc trooper echo #arc trooper hevy #clone trooper hevy #tcw hevy #hevy survives AU #hevy deserved better #star wars the bad batch #star wars the clone wars #this AU is filled to the brim with chaos and angst #domino squad

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superlarva · 7 months

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Modern AU kid Domino Squad! Cutup (back left), Hevy (back right), Fives (front left), Droidbait (front middle), Echo (front right). I felt the need to make them all look different since quintuplets would be a bit out of place in a modern AU, so Cutup, Hevy, and Droidbait are adopted.

Okay, I know it's been a few weeks, but I promise I'm still here and still working on Raising Dominoes. Life's just been super busy and I had to put in extra hours at the lab these past few weekends.

Anyways, here is Chapter 11 - Memories. And on a Saturday, not a Sunday! :)

Prologue: 00 Previous chapter: 10

Summary: Rex battles guilt and Echo recalls the events leading up to his hospitalization.

CW: Child abuse, death, death of children, guilt, missing limbs, hospitals, explosions. Heed the warnings on this one, friends. It's not a fun time for the boys.

Chapter 11 - Memories

Rex woke from an uncomfortable sleep as the first rays of sunlight began to illuminate the hospital room. He had not had the heart to separate the twins while they were sleeping, so he had hunkered down in the chair by the boy’s bedside for the night. Now his neck and back ached and he had pins and needles in his legs.

A quick look at the boys and he could see they were still sleeping. In the night they had drifted away from each other. Fives was now sprawled out on the bed, lying on his stomach like a starfish, leaving Echo a tiny sliver of space, and even that was invaded by Fives’s elbow.

Rex smiled to himself and gently moved Fives’s arm to his side so the boy would not accidentally take out one of his brother’s eyes. Luckily the kid was out cold and did not stir at his touch.

Now that he was up, Rex stretched and lazily strolled across the room to the window. Cody would have loved the view. The sun peaked between skyscrapers, casting the streets below in harsh shadows and warm light. From the way the whole city was bathed in orange it looked like a mild autumn morning despite the frigid temperatures Rex knew were on the other side of the glass.

He did not know how long he stood there, staring out the window and watching the cars march by in the lines of morning traffic like ants. He let his mind wander freely, enjoying the peaceful quiet of dawn. His brain had been working in overdrive constantly the past four days, always worried or planning. It felt nice to turn it off for a few seconds, doing a hard reboot and getting himself back on track.

Eventually the sound of the door opening caught Rex’s attention. Kix nodded to him from the doorway and strode over to the bed to change out Echo’s med bag.

“Hey,” Rex called softly, abandoning his post by the window and moving to stand beside the doctor. “Shouldn’t you be at home? It’s Saturday.”

Kix shrugged, focused on checking up on Echo, “I guess I picked up an extra shift.”

“What about Dogma and Tup?”

“Jesse’s got them,” Kix shrugged again, his tone nonchalant. He scrawled something quickly on his clipboard and then turned to Rex and nodded to the door, “Let’s talk outside.”

Rex followed Kix outside Echo’s room without complaint, and sat when Kix motioned to a bench in the hallway.

Kix sat next to him, sighing heavily, and running a hand through his intricate buzzcut, “Echo’s doing really well. Even better since you and Fives arrived.”

Rex nodded.

“If everything continues to go well, we should be able to discharge him this Wednesday. We have to ween him off the meds and make sure he won’t be in too much pain when you take him home. At this point, that’s really all he’s here for. The medication, sterile environment, and so that we can monitor the healing process.”

“So, he’s going to be okay?”

Kix smiled, leaning back, and resting his head against the wall, “That’s one resilient kid you got, Rex. It’ll take time, but he’ll be alright.”

“Good…” Rex trailed off his mind already whizzing over a million different questions. What if he was not? What if he healed physically, but could not mentally or emotionally? What if he hated him? What if he’d never be able to gain the kid’s trust? What if-

“Rex,” Kix laid a hand on Rex’s violently bouncing knee, and Rex instinctively jerked away from the touch. Kix frowned, retracting his arm, “More importantly, are you going to be alright?”

“‘More importantly?’” Rex scoffed. He turned his head away from Kix, choosing to focus on the checkered floor pattern instead. Echo was the one in the hospital, not him.

“Yeah, ‘more importantly,’” Kix hunched over, bracing his elbows on his knees before lowering his voice and continuing, “Listen to me, Rex. I don’t know a lot about what those boys have gone through, but if it’s anything half as bad as my boys—and I’m confident it’s worse—you’re going to need to be strong for them.”

Kix’s eyes flicked over to Rex to ensure his friend was still paying attention, “You’re going to have to show them they can trust you over and over and over again. And once you think they finally do, you’re going to do something that’s going to mess it all up. You’re going to have to start from square one.”

Rex was about to interject, but Kix held up a hand, “Listen, I’m telling you this because I want you to be prepared. I want this to end well. For that to happen, you need to show them how to be strong and learn to trust again. You won’t be able to do that if you let yourself get overwhelmed.”

“I-” Rex stuttered, voice caught in his throat, leg bouncing erratically again. He shook his head as if to shake unpleasant thoughts from his mind.

“Please don’t live in the past, Rex. Please. I don’t want that for you, and I don’t want that for your boys.”

Rex turned to Kix, eyes full of desperation, “How? How can I not live in the past? Look at what she did to them! Look at what I did to them! I should have been there. If I had been there-”

Rex broke off, hands trembling in his lap, a pained smile stretching across his face.

“You have to understand it’s not your fault. I know that’s hard, but what happened to them is not your fault. It’s not.”

Kix paused for a second, letting Rex meet his eyes before continuing, “What will happen to them will be. So, let’s make sure that it’s your fault that they smile. That they laugh and play and miss you when you’re gone. Make sure it’s your fault they’re happy.”

Rex shook his head, “And if I can’t?”

“You can. I know you can. And Cody and I will always be here to help, okay?”

Rex shrugged.

Kix nudged him in the arm, a slight smile spreading up the corners of his mouth, “Heck, even Jesse wants to help out. He’s been complaining that he’s the only one that hasn’t met them yet.”

Rex let out a clipped chuckle at the idea of his twins meeting Kix’s younger brother, “Yeah, okay.”

Echo woke to an aching pain coursing through his body and a familiar white light as he blinked himself awake. He must have overdone it during training yesterday. Must have hit his head too with the way it pounded.

He could feel the warmth of Fives’s body next to his left side just like every morning, but the space on the cot to his right was cold and empty. Where was Droidbait?

Echo reached out to feel for his younger brother but retracted his arm when all he found was a fistful of air.

Gone.

The world pitched around Echo. He blinked trying to block out the blinding light and sinking feeling in his gut and focus. He felt sluggish and fuzzy like he had been sedated, but he could not remember doing anything wrong. No, if he had done something bad, he would be in isolation. It would be cold and dark, and Fives would not be beside him.

Then Droidbait must have been in isolation. What could his youngest brother have done? Why could he not remember?

His head, right. His head. He must have hit his head.

Echo reached over to Fives, about to shake his twin awake when he stopped, pulling back his arm as if it had been burned.

Something was not right.

The light was slowly turning from the intense white to a warm orange as his eyes adjusted. It looked like sunlight. But that could not be right. There were no windows in their room, just a single exposed bulb that’s harsh light reflected on the white floors and walls.

No. This was wrong.

Echo tried to sit up, tried to look for Droidbait, Hevy and Cutup as his eyes gradually focused on the room around him. Tried to make sense of the bed he was on and the machines surrounding him.

He could not. Could not sit up. Could not see his brothers.

Then he could not stop himself from remembering.

Remembering Hevy’s plan.

They were going to escape. Going to climb over the wall during their morning drills. He had thought it was a bad idea. Mom told them not to go near the citadel walls. She had warned them bad things would happen. Cutup said she was probably lying. He had said she would not be watching. Echo did not agree.

She was always watching.

Droidbait was scared. He had said over and over that he did not want to go. That he was afraid. That they would not make it over the wall. That she would find them even if they did.

As soon as the drill started Hevy had grabbed him. Dragged their youngest brother after him. Cutup had followed just behind, leaving Echo to wake up Fives.

Fives never woke to the alarm. Echo thought the flashing red lights and the incessant ringing would have been enough to wake a dead man, but Fives never so much as stirred. Echo had to shake him.

Fives had not been sure about Hevy’s plan either. He had said that even if they cleared the wall and made it down to the other side, what would they do next? Where would they go? But when the time came, he was on board. If Hevy and Cutup and Droidbait were doing it, so was he.

If Fives was doing it, so was Echo.

They had run down the hall and out through the normally bolted shut doors. The doors outside only opened during morning drill. Echo knew. This had not been the first time they had tried to escape.

By the time he and Fives had made it out into the yard, his adopted brothers were already scaling the wall. Cutup was nearly at the top and Hevy was helping Droidbait a few feet below.

No one had stopped them.

Fives ran to the wall. Echo followed.

They were doing this now.

No turning back.

About halfway up Echo heard the first explosion. He heard Droidbait screaming Cutup’s name. His voice had been laden with fear and grief. He heard Hevy yelling at Droidbait, begging him not to move. He heard Fives whimper quietly next to him.

When Echo pulled himself up onto the top of the wall he saw Hevy crouched next to Droidbait’s foot. He saw his youngest brother’s eyes wide with terror, staring at the place where the explosion had been. He saw the pile of rubble. He saw Cutup’s eyes staring blankly up at the sky from under the settling dust.

Hevy had turned to him and Fives and moved aside so they could see the dark olive cylinder resting under Droidbait’s foot. Droidbait stared at the rubble, repeating Cutup’s name over and over, his voice hollow and quiet.

Hevy had hesitated looking from their baby brother’s foot to his lost expression before turning back to the twins.

“You take him and you go,�� Hevy had ordered.

Echo watched as he yanked the mine out from under Droidbait’s foot and curled his body over it in one fluid motion. He had been trying to stop the explosion from harming anyone but himself.

It had not worked.

Hevy was blown back towards the twins, a mess of blood and flesh. Droidbait was pushed backwards from the force and teetered on the edge of the wall.

Fives screamed and rushed forwards, reaching out a hand.

He had not been fast enough.

Droidbait fell.

Echo remembered the sound it made when his little brother hit the ground.

He doubted he would ever forget.

Echo did not remember much after that. He must have stepped on one of the mines as well, considering the state of his body. He looked over at his brother, making sure his brother really was as unharmed as he had seemed the day before.

Fives seemed fine, and Echo closed his eyes again to block out the too bright light before they flew open in surprise as the door to his room creaked open.

That man was standing there, the one who had brought Fives. The one named Rex. He looked like the other one—Cody—but with shorter blond hair instead of the longer dark curls that matched him and his brother.

Cody had come a lot to visit. Echo barely remembered much from the past few days, but it seemed every time he woke, he had been there, sitting at his bedside, quietly reading a book of some sort. He had thought Cody was his dad at first. It made sense, they looked just like each other, and why else would anyone take an interest in him.

When Echo had asked, Cody had smiled and said that his dad was taking care of Fives, that he was his uncle, that his dad’s name was Rex.

Rex.

His dad.

The guy had seemed nice enough yesterday, but Echo knew better than to believe his charade. Besides, Echo did not want a dad. He wanted his brothers back.

Echo must have let his face show too much disgust when Rex came into his view, as the man quickly rushed to his side, “Are you okay?”

Echo narrowed his eyes. Rex sounded like Fives any time Echo or one of their other brothers got hurt during drills. His voice was soft and gentle, even caring, and Echo was taken aback. It sounded genuine.

“Fine,” Echo mumbled, voice scratchy.

The man hovered awkwardly by the side of the bed for another moment before nodding and sitting slowly in the chair, “Your brother’s still sleeping, huh?”

Echo nodded, waiting for the command to wake his twin and rob him of a few more precious minutes of sleep.

It did not come.

Instead, Rex passed a small book to Echo, and pressed a finger to his lips, “We’ll have to be quiet, then.”

Echo watched as Rex took out a book of his own and flipped to a page in the middle, his head bowed as he read silently. The boy looked down at the book clutched in his hand. It appeared to be some sort of fiction book based on the colorful cover.

Echo snuck a glance at the blond man. He was still engrossed in his novel. The boy cautiously opened to the first page, chancing another look at Rex. Just because he was handed the book did not mean he was allowed to read it. The blond man looked up at the sound of the page crinkling, met his gaze for half a second, flashed a quick smile, and then went back to reading.

Echo followed suit.

Maybe his dad was not so bad.

Just maybe.

@marierg @stressed-cherry @ffdemon @renton6echo @bambambunny @tearfulsolace @rndmpeep @brokenphoenix99 @nerdy-valkyrie @xylionet @tazmbc1 @eyayah123 @the-bad-batch-baroness @sarcastic-nebula @ihaventpickedausername @sexysmeagolshitposting @emma-1409 @marcadamia

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ahsoka-in-a-hood · 5 months

Text

A few thoughts after rewatching clone cadets are:

Fanfic never quite conveyed the extent to which Domino squad sucked balls

Cut-up is my new fave

'Going AWOL' is apparently quite achievable and something clones do. Hevy was just going to walk right out of there.

Shaak Ti and Lama Su were talking at cross purposes in the weirdest way. 'These particular clones aren't doing great' 'yeah ever since we lost Jango our clone juice has been thin' '(not said in response for some reason:) this conversation is about adult clones you only lost Jango a month ago-' 'you should find a new donor' 'again: the very recent lack of a donor is irrelevant to the 9+ year old domino squad failing a group cohesion test-'

Fandom: decommissioning means death. The Show: decommissioning means joining the maintenance crew.

Poor Echo hated his name

#i barely remembered this episode from last time #swtcw #the clone wars

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marvel-starwarsfangirl · 2 months

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Bad Batch Chopping Block

(some spoilers, tread carefully)

Alright, the safety net is gone. Even though Pabu still stands, it will never be safe for Omega or the boys anymore. The Empire has truly closed them in from every direction. So, who's gonna make it out of this season? Just to get this out of the way, Tech is either dead or comes back. The Tech Debate is too big to tackle here.

Definitely dead:

Echo- I think he's 100% a goner. Aside from being a strong mentor figure to Omega, Echo is gonna be a martyr for his cause. He believes so strongly in his fight for clone justice and he will follow it to the grave. I can definitely see him going out in a blaze of glory while Rex watches hopelessly. Plus, Echo dying might be the reason for Rex to retire and turn to Joopa farm. Echo is the last true connection he has to his old life and the 501st. Echo also gave Omega a new weapon which doesn't bode well for him. A gift he gave her is something she can remember him by.

Most likely dead:

Hunter- I do have some hope for him. There is a chance that writers don't kill him off because they want to finish the show with all the boys together. But sadly, that is unlikely. Hunter is the mentor figure and the first real paternal figure to Omega. As the oldest of the Batch (minus Echo), he has a responsibility to watch over them. In season 3, we see Crosshair slowly learning to take over as Omega's parental figure. It's possible that Hunter will die, as many mentor figures have before him, and Cross will carry the torch. I can definitely see that happening. Hunter dies protecting Omega and Crosshair is left to pick up the pieces

Wrecker- sweet Wrecker is too dang lovable. Unlike the others, he doesn't fit as neatly into a trope category like Crosshair and Hunter. Therefore, he could honestly survive because of that. However, I definitely think he could go out in a blaze of glory as well, something akin to Hevy or Hardcase. Imagine Wrecker getting caught in an explosion as he stays behind to save his brothers and Omega? But at the same time, I don't want it to happen.

50/50 (but most likely fine):

Crosshair- I honestly think he might make it out this season mostly in one piece. The only trope he fits right now is redemption equals death and honestly, I think we're past that point. Crosshair already began his redemption arc. He saved Omega, reconciled with his brothers, reconciled with Howzer, admitted his wrongs, and genuinely wants to be a better person. He doesn't need to prove to his family that he loves them or has changed because we see that. His brothers see that. Even his new poster shows him looking at his helmet. He has found the light. It's possible this show ends with him leaving his old life to retire with Omega. He could still die protecting her, but I'm starting to think otherwise.

Crosshair has suffered so much since this show started. I made a list, but we could be here all day talking about it. I feel like it would be overkill (literally) to just kill him off after he's come so far. Also, the fact that he is getting the Dad Batch ™ treatment means that they could be propping him up to take over the role from Hunter. That or they're speed-running Crosshair's dad mode activation because he was MIA for two seasons. Honestly, I think Crosshair narrative wise is mostly safe because his redemption arc is playing out right now instead of later down the line. His arc right now is mostly about coming to terms with himself, his trauma, and his identity as a sharpshooter and soldier. I really think that this show will end with him hanging up the helmet and raising Omega.

Fine:

Omega- let's be honest, they're not gonna kill off our sweet bean. She was been our focal character since the beginning and I can't see the writers going this dark. She's safe!

Alternatively: the Batch all live plus or minus one of them. The final episode could be all of them charging in together for one final fight. They make it out (mostly) and retire with Omega. Boom, the end.

#star wars #the bad batch #tbb crosshair #tbb hunter #tbb omega #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #tbb tech

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cortosis-ct · 1 year

Text

Nightmares - 501st edition

"The—the mission, the one in our dreams… that never ends. The one in our dreams... Oh, brother." -Tup

(Coming from the interpretation of this quote that every clone has a recurring nightmare of his worst mission or battle.)

Rex: It changes often for Rex. There always seems to be something worse waiting around the corner. He already has the nightmare as a cadet. The longnecks putting him through endless check-ups and tests to see if he's worth the investment. Later he dreams about his merciless training. Then there's the first battle of Geonosis. More missions, one worse than the other. Zygerria gives him nightmares about being tortured and abused. After Umbara his nightmare stays the same gruesome battle aftermath of brothers he shot himself, until order 66 comes around. The mission in his dreams doesn't change after that, ever. Always the same ship, always the same words echoing through his head. Good soldiers follow orders. He can still hear them over the screams.

Jesse: He dreams about the Battle of Mimban. He lost two of his batchmates in just one day, both dying in his arm only few hours apart. The mission of his dreams changes after Umbara. It's usually him, often next to Fives but sometimes with another vod, standing at the execution site and staring at a row of blasters while Dogma screams "fire".

Dogma: His nightmare is a training mission, one of the special advanced missions that last for weeks that only the better troopers are assigned to. He's good. His friend is there, too. More reckless than clever. Dogma learns the hard way why rules and regulations are important to follow. He wishes he'd been more keen about it sooner to prevent a needless death. He's reminded of what carelessness can do every day in his sleep.

Echo: He's on Rishi Moon. He sees Droidbait and droids shooting, he hears Cutup's screams as the eel carries him away, he feels the ground vibrate as the base explodes with Hevy still inside. It's Fives' nightmare, too. This changes for them after Lola Sayu.

Hardcase: His first mission. It was a bloodbath, a complete fail with heavy casualties. He was fighting in the first row from beginning to end and saw everything.

Kix: He doesn't dream about a specific mission. The setting is always the same anyway. An improvised field infirmary in a stormy night. There's at least twice as many men as beds, everyone except him is severely wounded and he's alone to save their lives. The faces change. Unknown clones, people he's lost or saved, batchmates, friends, comrades, sometimes even his own general.

Tup: His first mission is his worst. Umbara. It's like jumpscares coming from everywhere. He's shooting, fighting, people around him die. Sometimes he sees his brothers' faces behind the Umbaran masks after shooting them. It's absolute chaos and everything's too dark or misty to see properly until it's too late.

Fives: The citadel. Each night he's back on Lola Sayu and fighting against battle droids with Echo by his side. His twin always dies, sooner or later. Fives doesn't know if he should love his nightmares because he can see Echo again or hate them for ripping him away time and again in the most brutal manner. He always has wakes up when the bomb goes off, soaked in sweat, without Echo.

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shelbgrey · 10 months

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I AM ON MY KNEES BEGGING FOR SONE SWEETS FLUFF AND MAKING OUT. LIKE MAYBE THEY BECOME ROOMMATES BECAUSE THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SOMEHOW OR NOT, DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, I JUST WANT THE VIBE OF YHAT ONE VINE AND I JUST SAW A SAD SWEETS EPISODE AND I NEED FLUFF. Okay sorry for the yelling. Maybe she has feelings for him and then he becomes her roommate somehow and she's like "Oh shit shit shit why is he so good looking." But he's thinking the same thing and I just need some fluff and kissing and making out and cuddles after that sad episode. If you don't want to di it, that's totally understandable and fine!

You belong with me(Lance Sweets)

Paring: Lance Sweets X Booth!Reader

Summary: after Booths little sister gets death threats from a criminal the FBI is investigating, y/n gets sent to Sweets apartment to be hidden and protected. The two are best friends and are oblivious to their feelings, but once they get a chance to be alone things might change.

A/n: my first Bones fic! sorry this took so long and I hope you don't mind a did a few small changes, I hope you enjoy. Send in more Lance Sweets request, I love this man 💕

It started off as a couple of creepy Emails, I ignored them and didn't really tell anyone. I thought if the team found out about the messages I wouldn't be able to work on the case. Creepy Messages then tunred into death threats, my brother Seeley found out and changed my Email, phone number and everything then things seemed to calm down. It was fine till the killer ended up in my apartment.

Anyway, that's how I'm in my current situation, actually I wouldn't call living with my best friend a situation. Lance Sweets was my most trusted alie and I knew he'd always have my back. Dispite my brother's worries, me and Lance would become roommate for my own safety.

“this is like getting protected by a smurf in his little mushroom house” Seeley sighed as he drove down the street to Lance's appointment.

I sighed from the back seat, I knew Seeley had a soft spot for Lance but I also knew my brother was scared Shitless for my safety. He always makes jokes in face of danger, we both sorta did.

“not necessarily” Bones started like I wasn't even in the car with them. “the Perp wouldn't even expect her to be in Sweets' apartment... Meaning she's under protection and hiding in plan sight”

“umm...” I started from the back seat but my brother and sister-in-law kept going.

“Yes but she's safer with me... Technically” Seeley sighed.

I slumped in the back seat, giving up on adding my opinion. In reality I was happy but also nervous, me and Lance are basically best friends. We've been alone before but this was different, I would never admit but I've had a thing for him ever since we bumped into each other(literally) at the Jeffersonian. I couldn't help fall for his kind heart and puppy eyes.

Once we pulled into the apartment complex, the three of us filed out of the car to unloud my belongings. I didn't bring everything just my clothes and a few things I couldn't live without.

“Hey, Sweets” Seeley called out as he met us outside. I couldn't help but blush as he walked to the car to help with my things.

“Hey, y/n” he smiled and gave me a hug. I loved his hugs, they we're always so warm and comforting.

“let's get this stuff into the house” he said pulling one of my bags over his shoulder and then grabbed another box. I couldn't help but stare at arms. They were always hiden behind suit jackets or sweaters. I didn't relize how toned they looked in his gray t-shirt.

“that one might be hevy so be careful” I said.

“I got” he smiled and lead me to the elevator that lead to the floor his appointment was on. Seeley and Bones followed behind with the rest of my stuff.

“here we are” he said setting down the box to unlock his apartment.

“thanks for doing this Sweets” Seeley said setting down one of the bigger boxes on the counter once he entered the apartment.

“of course” he said smiling at me. I smiled back trying to fight the red tent in my cheeks.

“the geast room is over here” Lance said leading me down the hall with some of my stuff. “it's right across from mine, so if need anything I'm right here” he said.

“thanks Lance” I smiled as set my stuff down.

“here's the rest of it” Bones said as she entered the room and set down my bags. “thanks Temp”

I looked around my new room, it was nice and the perfect size for somthing temporary. I looked around and noticed Lance got some new sheets and a comferter in my favorite color for the bed. I couldn't help but smile at the small details he remembered over the years we've known each other.

“is the bedding okay?” Lance said coming back into the room. I smiled softy and wrapped my arms around his waist hugging him. “thanks Lance, it's perfect”

He looked down at me with the chocolate eyes that I loved so much. Moved out of his arms and he cleared his throat. “so... I'll let you get settled in” he said nervously as he walked backwards towrds the door, he showed that goofy smile but it dropped when he ran into the door frame.

I didn't feel too bad for laughing as he let out a chuckle as he tapped the door frame. “you okay?”

“totally fine” he smiled as his cheeks turned red, he pointed towrds the door and left the room.

As I started to fill my drawers up with my clothes my brother walked in. “hey... You good?”

I nodded with a smile as he set on the edge of my bed. “I'm one call away... If you need anything juat-”

“bro, I'll be fine... I'm in good hands” I smiled. He forced a smile and pulled me into a hug. “love you... Be safe”

“love ya too Bro”

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

A couple of hours later I pretty much had the room set up how I wanted it. Once I smashed down the last empty box I smelled somthing coming from the kitchen, it smelled good, like garlic and spices.

I followed the smell and the closer I got to the kitchen the Louder his music got. I peaked around the corner and watched the goof ball slightly dancing to the song Coconut by Harry Nilsson as he stired what ever he was cooking.

I could get used to this, it wasn't hard for him to make me smile. His personality and smile always warmed my heart.

He started to sing along and drum with a couple of wooden spoons. I let out a giggle making him stop.

“oh... Hey” he nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. “What are you up too?” I asked coming into the kitchen. I looked in the oven and saw some garlic bread toasting in the oven.

“I figured I'd make you some dinner... Thought it would make you feel better” he said as I turned to his side and stired the pot that had the alfredo sauce.

“I really don't cook much, sorry if it doesn't tast that good” His cheeks were slightly red as leaned against the counter, he looked like he was contemplating life.

I gave him a smile and tasted the sauce as he drained the noodles. The sauce really good, not that I was suprised.

“it's really good” he looked at me suprised and took the spoon from me. “really?” he asked and tried it for himself. He nodded impressed.

“sometimes I suprise myself” I chuckled as he gave me his adorable smile.

After dinner we ended up on the couch watching TV. We couldn't decide on a movie so we ended up watching some old Scooby-Doo cartoons. With everything going on it was nice to watch something a little more cheerful.

We spent half the night giggling like idiots. I haven't laughed this hard in weeks, being with him always made me feel better. But then I couldn't help but think about what Angela said to me, she said that me and Lance were too worried about getting Seeley and Temperance together that we're completely blind to the feelings we share.

That was a few months ago and I started to relize he was exactly what I wanted in a guy, then all the bad boys, the family problems, Daisy trying to tear up our friendship didn't matter. I didn't care that Seeley was probably panicking and worrying if I was actually safe or not, I cared about how safe Lance made me feel.

“is this okay?” He asked wrapping his arm around me. Dispite the red tint in my cheeks I moved closer and rested my head on his shoulder. “of course”

It wasn't unusual for us having little space between us, but we never really been this close. Being wrapped in his arms was a feeling I didn't want going away.

Sooner, rather than later, I drifted off to sleep, as I drifted in and out I felt my body Being carefully shifted around. I woke up for a split second to relize the TV was off and I was laying on Lance's chest. Of course the couch wasn't really an ideal place for two people to sleep, but it was the best sleep I had in months.

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

The next morning I woke up and went to the bathroom, when I opened the door my eyes widened.

“s-sorry Lance” I stuttered as I unintentionally started to check him out. He was only in his black slacks showing his toned chest. He had more muscle than most people would expect, I wish I could just stay wrapped up in his strong arms. He had a couple of scars on his shoulders and chest, he's told me the story after I opened up about how my dad would hit me and Seeley. I knew it was a touchy subject, but the scars made him even more attractive. It shouldn't be anything to be ashamed of, it was aprt of him.

“you okay?” he asked knocking me out of my trance. I quickly nodded noticing he was walking closer to me. The smell that surrounded him intoxicated me(in a good way), he smelled like he just showered and his Old Spice cologne.

I cleared my throat. “yeah... I just need to brush my teeth”

“right...I'll get out of your way” he moved out of the way so I could pass by him. He smiled and grabed the dress shirt that was on the counter.

While I brushed my teeth he was behind me, using the mirror to fix his collor. I leaned over the sink to spit the toothpaste out, I heard Lance gulp and when I raised back up and looked at his red cheeks through the mirror. He quickly looked down as he put his tie around his neck.

He fumbled with it for a while before I turned around and adjusted it. “there” I said softly as I fixed his collor. His chocolate eyes stared into mine as his hands fell to my waist. My heart pounded the closer he got, but I wasn't gonna stop him.

Just as our noses brushed up against each other my phone rang making him jump back.

I groaned and answered Hodgins' call.

“what do you want?” I asked not realizing how the words fell out of my mouth.

“is that how you usually awnser the phone?” Hodgins chucked.

I laughed slightly as I walked out of the bathroom, Lance had the same idea and we bumped into each other at the door frame.

As Jack was explaining how Bones and Booth found a body stuck in a bath tub and they couldn't figure out what was keeping the Skelton in the tub, that's were me and Hodgins come in, Temperance can't figure out the cause of death intill we got it out.

“sorry” I said as Lance grabed me before he accidentally bumped me into the door frame.

“sorry for what?” Hodgins asked as I heared him move around in the Lab we shared on the other line.

“never mind, I'll be there in thirty minutes” I said and hung up the phone.

“got another victim” I said grabbing my stuff.

“just another day in paradise” Lance said sarcastically.

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

“oh good you guys are here, I need you.... You too Sweets” Hodgins said pulling me into our lab. Lance gave us questioning looks as he followed us.

“what's up Jack?” I asked as he walked behind his desk and pointed to a container with a thick cream colored substance.

“so, I'm hoping this is similar to the mixture that kept the victim in the tub, we estimated the victim was there for about a month”

“what happened?”

“the female victim had about two other roommates, they were both gone on 'vacation' when she died, the alibis haven't been comfermed yet”

“do you think one of her roommates did it?” I asked as I checked on the turantula I kepted in the Lab.

“that's what we're thinking, Booth is about to interview the mother and two roommates” Hodgins said.

“I'm wondering if this was intentional, Cam talked about the skin having a major allergic reaction when we came in” I said.

“what is this anyway?” Lance asked looking that the cream colored substance.

“oh yeah” Hodgins said coming back around his desks so it stood in between us. “I ground up a fraction of the tub, it's a kind of porcelain that they don't make any more... There's also the body soap from the crime seen, like you said, Cam thinks the victim had an allergic reaction to it”

“and where do we come in?” Lance asked.

“I want you two to stick your hands in there and if it hardens we know what glued the victim to the tub.” Hodgins explained.

“and what if we can't get out?” Lance asked. “don't worry, I'm a professional” Hodgins laughed. Lance took of his suit jacket and rolled his sleeves up, I quickly took of my jacket as well.

Reluctantly, me and Lance stuck our hands into the thick substance. The container was small so there was much wiggle room. “ow” Lance said after I acdently stabed his thumb with my nail. “sorry”

“hmm... Why don't you guys take your hands out then connect them so they fit better in the container.” Hodgins suggested, We both blush.

“don't you have a bigger container?” Lance asked. “Yes, but this container has a certain material that's needed for the experiment.”

We nodded and Lance held his hand out to me. I took it and out fingers laced together. My heart thumbed quicker that comfterting feeling holding his hand gave me. If we were in a different situation I would love this, but now we're stuck in some slimey substance.

“alright, what now?” I asked as we could now barely move our hands. Jack touched the corner of the substance and it jiggled like Jell-O.

“give it a few more minutes” Hodgins said then started to tap on his computer. “I'll be right back” He said and left the lab.

“Wait! Jack!” we shouted. I huffed and dropped my forehead on Lance's shoulder in frustration.

Lance tried to wiggled our hands out but the substance seemed to push against us. Lance gave up after a few minutes with a frustrated look. “I hope he knows what he's doing”

“yeah me too” I sighed and looked behind my shoulder hoping to see Hodgins walking around the lab.

“now that we have some free time... ” Lance started. “you want to talk about this morning?” I quickly looked back confused.

“talk about what?” I quickly asked, too to get rejected. In the bottom of my heart I had the feeling he felt the same, but his friendship ment too much to me to admit my feelings.

“n/n, we almost ki-”

“I'm back!” Hodgins chucked as he raced back in the room. Lance rolled his eyes as my other best friend unknowingly intruped.

“okay, let's see what we're working with” Hodgins said snapping some rubber gloves on. We both rolled our eyes as Hodgins placed one hand on my arm and put pressure on the box trying to lift us out.

“umm” Hodgins said scratching the back of his head. “what's 'umm'?” I quickly asked trying to break free. Lance placed his free hand on the box trying to get out too.

“get us out” Lance quickly said. Hodgins gave him a smug smile. “What's the rush Sweets?”

“I have to help Booth Interrogate the suspects” he said matter of factly.

He nodded with a small smile and disappeared behind one of his shelves. We heard a sudden buzzing sound making me and Lance bump into each other. The box almost fell over bending our wrist in an uncomfortable way, Lance grabed the box before I could totally tip over.

“this should work” Hodgins said bring over his Dremel. Lance gulped as Hodgins set the tool down and placed protective glasses over our eyes. “hang tight”

The buzzing got louder as Hodgins tried to cut threw the plastic and the now clay substance. The cutter broke causing the Dremel to stop. Hodgins pulled up and saw the cracked disk. “son of a bitch”

Me and Lance looked down and there was only a three inch cut down one of the corners. “okay... I'll be back”

Hodgins said running for the door. He then came back with a smile. “dont go anywhere”

“hardy har har” Lance said.

Silence suronded us once again. Lance sighed and shifted his feet. I got tired of standing as well and the two of us ended up shifting the box so we we're seting on Hodgins desk and the box was in Lance's lap.

Lance cleared his throat and gave me a serious look. “now Hodgins is gone... You want to discuss this morning?” he asked again. I shrugged, refusing to meet the adorable eyes I loved so much.

“y/n, you know you can tell me anything” he said softly.

I sighed, it's all or nothing, right? Without really thinking about consequences, I placed my free hand on his jaw and pulled him closer. His breath hitched but he showed no sign of moving. His head titled to the side and moved forward.

Just as our noses brushed up against each other Hodgins intruped once again. “this should work!” he grined, making us quickly pull away from each other.

Hodgins plugged in this heavy duty saw and started to cut threw everything. Eventually the container was removed, leaving what looked like a small cinder block around our hands.

“that's a good sign” Hodgins said as he grabed a small Hammer and a small hand shevel. “What is?” Lance asked.

“the way the mixture made contact with your skin proved what might kept the victim in the tub” Hodgins said as he gently and cautiously chipped the clay away.

“so the victim had the allergic reaction... Then left for dead for about a month... Between the moisture and the chemicals 'glued' her in” I said.

“Booth said her supposed best friend got her the soap, she's the only one who knew about the allergy, apparently the victim was sleeping with the killers boyfriend” Hodgins said as he got the last chunk of clay off.

“there you go” he smiled. Me and Lance tried to pull away but they wouldn't budge. I sighed and held up my hand, Lance's went up to of course.

“what now Dr. Frankenstein?” I said sarcastically. Hodgins raised an eyebrow and tried pull our thumbs apart. “ouch” I said as my skin pulled but didn't budg.

“sorry, sorry” Hodgins quickly said. “umm.. Okay we need-”

I quickly cut him off. “umm we're going to Temperance or Angela for this one” I quickly said and walked towrds the door forgetting Lance was attached for a breaf second.

“woah” he said tumbling forward then bumped into me. As we left Hodgins let out a 'sorry' as we walked towrds Angela's office, to our luck Temperance was there too.

“what happened to you guys?” Angela asked looking from her screan. “Yes, you both look very agitated” Temperance added.

“is it Daisy again? I've been wanting to set her straight” Angela asked walking forward. I quickly stoped her.

“no, this time it's your husband” I said holding up mine and Lance's glued hands. Angela let out a chuckle as she examined our locked hands.

“can you guys fix this?” Lance asked as Temperance looked at our hands too. “acetone and Hot water might work... I can get the container that had the cookies you made and you guys will have to soak your hands for a while” Temperance explained.

“I'll get Jack's acetone” Angela smiled and lefted the office as Temperance brought over an empty container. Angela then came back with hot water and the acetone. We sat on Angela's couch then stuck our hands in the small tub.

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

“your experiment didn't work” Angela said as Hodgins walked in. The both of us perked up from the research we were doing. “I thought I did work?” Lance asked.

“We're talking about something eles” Hodgins asked looking at the both us then back at his wife. “they're hiding something... What are you up to?” Lance said setting down the file he had in his free hand.

Angela sighed and looked at us with a guilty face. “we wanted you guys to admit your feeling for each other.” Lance raised an eyebrow not too affected, I on the other hand turned beat red.

“you guys are always worried about getting other people together” Hodgins sighed. “me and Ange, Booth and Brennan... It was time you guys got a little help.”

I felt thankful for them but at the same time I was annoyed and embarrassed. Aside from Lance, Angela and Hodgins were my closest friends, they were the only ones who knew about my feeling for a long time... That was intill it was 'obvious' we liked each other. Angela said our feelings were way more noticeable than Seeley and Temperance's ever was.

I looked over at Lance, a little scared for his reaction. His face was sorta blank, like he was processing everything. The redness in his cheeks gave me a little hope.

Lance let out a little chuckle “sticking us together isn't really the logical aproch” I said. Our hands had loosened up a bit, but we were still stuck.

“oh, that was actually for the case, but then my idea came into play later... It just sorta worked out” Hodgins said.

I moved my hand again and this time our hands came apart. “hey, we're un stuck” Lance smiled wipping his hands on the paper towle Angela have him.

“good...” I said standing up. “I need sometime to think” I started to leave but Angela stoped me.

“you guys did nothing wrong... Really, but I just need to process everything”

I turned to Lance who looked a little upset. I hated myself for leaving so quickly but everything was suddenly moving at hyper speed.

“I'll see you at home” I smiled at Lance. He smiled at me too as I refured to his apartment as home. He then looked down and mumbled 'bye'

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

I got home first, I paced back and forth in the living room, rehearsing what I was gonna say to Lance. Most scenarios ended with 'I love you', but other had me chickening out. After about thirty minutes and sighed and sat on the couch, maybe some TV with calm my head.

Old reruns of grey's anatomy was on, and like the rest of the world it seems like they wanted us together too. I know it was a coincidence, but the episode with Meredith Grey making the candle house for Derek and admitting her love for him hit harder than the last time I watched it.

My thoughts were cut off by the door opening and Lance's keys clinking on the table. “I'm home” he called out.

“Hey, Lance” I said softly as he walked into the living room. I shut off the TV and gave Lance my undivided attention. I knew he wanted to talk, but he looked as nervous as I was. He didn't go into shrink mode, we need to talk as Lance and y/n, not as shrink and patient. It was always so easy to talk to him, so was is it hard now?

“so you wanted to talk?” I asked, breaking the ice. Lance chuckled slight and put his hands in his pockets.

“I don't know evertime we try, we get interrupted” he slightly joked.

I softly smiled and looked down then back up at him. “well... There's no Hodgins or Experiments to interrupt us... Let's talk, we need to”

“we need to talk about us” Lance said, now standing infront of me. I looked up and gulped. He sighed and gave me a soft look. “your not scared of anything why-”

I looked up at him shocked. “scared? Lance I'm scared of everything! My father, who I am, our job, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you.”

I don't know what possessed me, but I walked up to him and planted a quick kiss on his lips. Lance's eyes widened and slightly pulled back. I gulped feeling I made a big mistake.

“I'm sor-” I was cut off as his hand cupped the side of my cheek pulling me closer. Our lips coiled in soft, slow kiss.

His hands fell to the back of my thighs and lifted me up, my legs locked around his waist as he walked backwards and tumbled into the couch. I stratled his lap as our lips locked. His hands fell to my waist, our eyes locked as I move my hands to the back of his neck, running my fingers though his curls. His hands moved the the back of my neck pushing his lips harder to mine. His toung gently touched my bottom lip asking for entrance. I granted him entrance as my hands fell to his chest.

“Wait” he sighs lowly, resting his forehead to mine. His chocolate eyes locked with mine. “I don't want this to be a one time thing... Y/n I've been in love with you since the day I met you”

I took Lance’s face in my hands, kissing him softly. It’s a small gesture but, it seems to more serious and intimate than you expected. “I love you too...”

He smiled and planted a quick kiss on my lips before flipping us, so I was lying on the couch with Lance hovering over me. He plated a soft kiss on my neck then move north, finding his way back to my lips as his hands moved under my shirt and gripped my waist gently.

~~~~~~~~(.......)~~~~~~~~

“We're together, right?” Lance asked softly. We had found ourselves in his room and instead of sleeping we just talked into the night. I lifted my head from his chest as he started to ramble.

“We can do couple stuff like going out on dates, cuddling, making out-” I giggled and cut him off with a sweet kiss.

“I'm your Lance” his smile only got bigger as our lips locked in a loving kiss. “What did I do to deserve someone as amazing as you?” he whispered as he rested his forehead to mine.

As bizarre as it sounds, I never felt so lucky to be threatened by a criminal. I'm sure me and Lance would have found our way to each other, but this situation made the possibility happen a lot quicker. I couldn't tell you want love was intill I met Lance Sweets.

#Lance Sweets #Lance Sweets x reader #BONES #Bones x reader #Lance Sweets imagines #Seeley Booth x reader #Temperance Brennan #Bones imagines #Bones TV show

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kybercrystals94 · 7 months

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Ghost Stories

By KyberCrystals94

Read here on Ao3

Whumptober 2023 | Day 17 | Alternative Prompt: Panic

Rating: T

Words: 847

Summary: Fives tells a ghost story during a training camp with Domino Squad.

Author’s Note: takes place during the Clone Wars, while Domino Squad are still cadets

Echo scowls into the trees surrounding their camp, arms crossed tightly over his chest. He resists the yearning to slink into the comforting glow of the firelight because he knows if any of the other Dominos wake up and find him away from his post, he will never hear the end of it for the rest of his life.

“Stupid Fives and his stupid stories,” Echo mutters to the inky darkness.

“I have a story,” Fives said around the campfire that night while the Domino Squad gnawed on stale ration bars, “but you have to promise not to be scared.”

“We’re not tubies,” Droidbait retorted.

Fives holds up his hands. “Hey, I’m just saying, if you’re terrified tonight when you’re all alone on your watch, don’t come crying to me.”

“Just tell your stupid story,” Hevy said, “I can’t imagine anything being scarier than Echo reciting the regulations in his sleep like that one time.”

“That never happened,” Echo grumbled.

“How would you know? You were asleep,” Fives said.

Echo rolled his eyes.

“Anyway,” Fives says, “this is a true story I heard from one of the troopers on Kamino. And it happened right here, on Fos Eran…”

Echo edges around the perimeter of the camp, keeping his back to where his brothers sleep, his eyes forward to the looming silhouettes of trees and squat shadows of undergrowth, barely touched by moonlight. He has his torch beam skimming the tree line, but it can’t account for everything all at once. Echo hates this, the feeling of eyes watching him, the sensation of an unidentified presence lurking.

A branch snaps.

The hair on the back of Echo’s neck stands on end.

“They say the bride went into the woods that night,” Fives said, leaning forward, voice low, “the eve before her wedding. There were flowers, she said, that only bloom in the light of the full moon.”

Echo glanced up at the reflective orb shining down at them.

“Oh,” Fives said, looking up, “I guess there’s a full moon tonight too.”

“Like you didn’t know that,” Cutup groaned.

Echo swallows, daring to glance back to where the four other members of Domino Squad sleep.

“It is just a stupid story, Echo, di’kut,” he whispers, “Stop letting it go to your head. You are part of the greatest army the galaxy has ever seen. Are you really scared of a little story?”

A gust of wind cools the back of his neck like a whispery breath.

Echo jumps.

“…after they heard her blood curdling scream, they searched for weeks, but never found her body, just a strip of fabric from the dress she wore that night. Since then, every month on the night of the fullest moon, the ghost of the bride comes searching for a groom to join her in death. You’ll see her out the corner of your eye, but when you turn to look, she isn’t there, but you’ll feel her breath on your neck, her fingers in your hair…”

Echo catches a flash of white out the corner of his eye and turns to look. Nothing.

“Of course, it’s nothing,” Echo growls, “there’s nothing there.”

“Echo…”

Echo spins around, the beam of his torch flying madly across the treetops. “Who’s there?”

“Echo…” a whisper says, a voice so soft it barely wraps around the syllables of his name.

Echo looks back to the camp where four bodies lay, deep in undisturbed sleep. How angry would they be if he woke them up now? He would probably die of embarrassment before any of his squad mates could kill him.

“Sith’s hell,” Echo curses, chest tight. Someone’s out there, in the woods. Probably someone from another squad pulling a prank. Absolute idiots. The whole lot of them. Echo swallows, gripping his torch so tight in both hands his joints ache.

“Join me, Echo…”

Fingers card through his hair.

Echo doesn’t shriek. He doesn’t. Absolutely does not. But by the time his vision clears, he is looking down at Fives who is sitting on his shebs, hands cupped over a bloody nose from Echo inadvertently backhanding him as he spun around in sheer panic. Cutup is cackling so hard he is doubled over as he staggers out of the woods from where the voice called out.

“Kark, Echo!” Fives cries, but even with his hands covering the whole lower part of his face, Echo can see from the clone’s eyes that he has the biggest, stupidest smile on his face. “Did I scare you?”

Echo glares down at him. “You’re lucky they don’t let us carry blasters out here, or I would’ve shot you.”

“I didn’t know clone voices could reach that octave,” Cutup howls. “Congrats, Echo! That must be a record.”

Hevy and Droidbait are sitting up in their bedrolls now, tiredly blinking, but grins stretching their identical faces.

Echo wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole. “I’m going to pay you back,” he swears at Fives and Cutup, “both of you. You won’t see it coming, and it will be swift and painful.”

END

Author’s Note: Thought I was due for a light hearted story, so here we are.

Tag List: @isthereanechoinhere96 @followthepurrgil @amorfista

✨Let me know if you’d like to be to be added to the Tag List✨

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kbirbpods · 3 months

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no turning back (ready or not) - @clonebang 2023 Team 7 Authors: @flowerparrish & kbirb Artist: @PaxDuane Word Count: 10,310 Fandom: Clone Wars Rating: Teen & Up Audiences Relationships: Jon Antilles/CT-782 | Hevy, Cutup & Droidbait & Echo & Fives & Hevy (Star Wars), Jon Antilles & Fay, Fay & CT-782 | Hevy Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Immortal, Canon-Typical Violence, Temporary Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Old Guard AU, Fix-It of Sorts, Mental Connection/Psychic Connection, psychic dreams, That's Not How The Force Works (Star Wars), Force Bond (Star Wars), Immortality, POV Alternating, Mentioned Quinlan Vos, Pre-Relationship, Developing Relationship, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Hopeful Ending Summary:

It is rare for the Force to create immortals. So rare that only those who remain know. When Jon Antilles dies, he wakes back up, but he is not alone. After the events of Rishi Moon, Hevy wakes up. Alone but dreaming. Dreaming of two Jedi he does not know, who dream of him too. Or, a Jon/Hevy Old Guard AU

featuring gorgeous artwork from PaxDuane:

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sleepingsun501 · 1 year

Text

Same Heart, Same Blood

Character(s): Fives, Rex, Kix, Hevy's ghost

Summary: Fives' near-death experience after getting shot.

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Character death, near-death experience, talking to dead people, coma, organ transplantation mention. (Lmk if I missed anything)

Word Count: 2k

Ao3 link

A/N: This goes along with my work Set to Stun, so if you haven't read that, I highly recommend you do!! This is all based on a late-night headcanon discussion, my being sick, and very little editing, so I hope it's not too rough. I also apologize for any medical inaccuracies. But hey, Star Wars medicine! Special thank you to @rexxdjarin for talking me through the organ transplant HC, and to @writingbylee for letting me use her bacta HCs!! You're both awesome!!

Same Heart, Same Blood

He was floating, oddly disconnected from his body but still trapped within its confines. His hearing was irritatingly muffled, and he could not tell up from down or left from right anymore. He was simply there.

Through the cottony filter, he could hear what sounded like Rex, but he could not tell what he was saying. The brash voice of General Skywalker was there, too, but it was quickly fading, replaced by another brother’s voice.

“Six… minu… nee… mo… him… ow…” said the distorted voice. “ves… kno…in…ther… Fi… ang… on.”

He barely felt a pinch in his neck before an ethereal coolness enveloped him, taking him deeper into the welcoming darkness. He let himself drift, unable to do anything to stop it, and was content that he had done all he could.

***

Fives opened his eyes but saw nothing. The inky blackness was all-consuming, but it did not cause him any alarm. There was no need for panic. The deep dark space was calm, tranquil, and welcoming in an odd way. He was no longer in any pain, and there was no danger, no war, and nothing left to fight for. Peace at last.

Was this where death had brought him?

Before he was done registering the question, he saw a wisp of the most beautiful blue glide in a ribbony trail past his vision. Another quickly followed on his other side, splitting through the dark like hyperspace trails. More and more streaked across his line of sight from all around him, and he tracked their movement until he realized they were leading him away from wherever he was.

Fives took an automatic step, not realizing he had been standing on anything at all, and joined the swirling colors in their dance to wherever they were headed. He could not tell how long he walked, for there seemed to be no concept of time at all, but the wisps soon blended and faded into a warm, misty glow. He had no name for the color of the space, but he could see movement in the distance beyond—a figure drawing closer.

“Hello?” he asked. His voice sounded like his own, but it was also more like an echo in his head.

The figure took shape and became more solid the closer it got, and Fives wondered why his heart was not beating through his chest. He knew them—the tattoo on his jaw was unmistakable.

“Hello, Vod.”

“Hevy!” Fives breathed, reaching out for his long-dead brother.

Hevy’s semi-corporeal form reached back, locking a hand around Fives’ neck and bringing their foreheads together. “You did good, Vod, but it’s not your time yet.”

“What?” Fives asked, feeling like he should have been shedding enough tears to fill Kamino’s oceans. The wisps around them started moving faster, becoming brighter, until they were whiter than Fives’ could bear to look at directly. “You’re dead. So, am… am I?”

Hevy released him and gave him a gentle, familiar smile. “There are many things you still need to do.”

“Hevy, I-I don’t u-understand,” Fives stuttered, but the hand on the back of his neck gripped him more firmly.

“You will. Just listen for the echo.” Hevy removed his hand and suddenly began to fade into the bright wisps around them.

“Echo?” It was only then that Fives felt a surge of panic. Echo was dead. But why had Hevy come to him instead? “Hevy, wait! Where’s Echo?!”

Fives felt a hard tug behind his navel, pulling him into the bright light. “Where’s Echo?!” he kept calling. “Hevy!”

***

Beep… beep… beep…

It was a sharp, repetitive sound ringing in his ears every few moments. It was downright annoying. It was too bright now, pain shooting through his head.

Pain.

Once part of him had registered it, he became aware of it all at once. Every muscle, every limb, every inch of him down to his toes ached. He felt like he had been hit head-on by the Resolute jumping to lightspeed. His throat was dry, his lips hurt, his bones ached, and his lungs felt raw. He squeezed his eyes shut harder against the bright light, and even that hurt.

“…aking up,” said an urgent voice somewhere in the distance. “Contac… Rex…”

Fives groaned, realizing there was some kind of obstruction in his throat. He coughed against it, and it was quickly, albeit painfully, removed. As he slowly came around, blinking his crusty eyes furiously, he realized it was Kix hovering over him.

“Welcome back, brother,” Kix nearly laughed, smiling down at him. “Hang on, this will make you feel better.” He picked up a line and injected a generous amount of myobacta into it. “Thought we lost you there for a while, Vod.”

Fives tried to form the words he wanted to say, but he ended up in a hoarse coughing fit instead. Even as the bacta spread through his body, everything still ached.

“Easy, easy,” Kix soothed, elevating him into a reclined sitting position and adjusting the overhead light so it was not directly in Fives’ eyes. “You’ve been out for a few weeks, and you’ve got a new heart. It’s gonna take some time for you to fully recover. Just try to relax for me. I promise you’ll be all right.”

A new heart? Fives wondered. He lifted a weak hand to move the medical gown aside and looked down at his chest. There was a long, new scar over his sternum and a blotchy burn scar that was still sealed under a bacta patch on his left pec. No wonder everything hurts.

His thoughts were still disconnected and sluggish, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he had known since he was a shiny that the bodies of fallen brothers were often recovered after battles, and their organs were harvested and put into stasis in case another clone needed a replacement organ. It had always made him feel like the Kaminoans had done that purposefully, just to reinforce how expendable they were. He had tried to own it all the same, recalling telling the cadets on Kamino they all had the “same heart, same blood.” It was one of his more poetically symbolic moments, and he remembered Echo saying it would make a good tattoo.

Even though the dark truth was hard to admit, and it made him angry that such a thing as harvesting organs from fallen clones would be necessary, he also knew it had probably saved hundreds, maybe thousands, of other clones’ lives over the years—now including his own.

“Hey, you listening to me?” Kix asked.

Fives nodded weakly, thankful that Kix had moved the unforgivingly bright light. He had to wonder what had happened to him, though, to warrant receiving another brother’s heart. Kix’s bedside manner was also never this good unless someone had really been through hell, but he did not have long to dwell on the thought before the door burst open.

Rex came surging through the door as if he had sprinted the length of the Military Complex parade deck at full speed without stopping. He looked a little worse for wear, sporting an expression that was somewhere between elation and relief, and a new pale scar on the side of his head.

“Fives!” he all but laughed. “You’re awake!”

Fives nodded again. Why did everyone keep saying that? He had never fallen asleep that he could remember. He was with Hevy, and before that…

It all came flooding back in a rush. He remembered the plot, warning Rex and the general, picking up his pistol and screaming in a panic, aiming it at the red-clad Corries sent to take him away. He had been shot. Commander Fox had shot him directly in the heart. He remembered the searing, burning pain as his heart had ceased to exist in his chest, reduced to carbon and ash from the plasma.

“Fives? Hey, talk to me,” Rex said, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder.

“He needs to rest up a bit. Here, drink a little of this if you can,” Kix said, bringing a straw to Fives’ chapped lips. When Fives did as he was told and made a scrunchy, disgusted face at the bitter taste, Kix chuckled. “Yeah, that’s the reaction I expected. He’ll be fine, Captain.”

***

Hours later, Rex had still not left Fives’ side, explaining at length what had happened. They had figured it out after all.

“You made me and Kix dig further into your warning, and we found out the truth about the chips in our heads,” Rex explained, pointing to the healing scar just past his right temple. “We uncovered a whole plot by the chancellor to destroy the Jedi Order, and we would’ve been his tools if you hadn’t tipped us off. The Jedi managed to remove him from power, and he was promptly executed.”

Fives had slowly regained his voice, but he still sounded like he had been screaming over blaster fire on the battlefield for too long. “Still can’t believe I got shot,” he snickered hoarsely. “Can’t say I blame Fox for doing his job, though.”

Rex’s lips pressed into a tight line and twitched at the corners into a tense smile. “It wasn’t his fault, Fives. He doesn't remember doing it.”

“What do you mean?”

“That was Palpatine, too. He’d been manipulating Fox’s chip like a test dummy for years. It caused him to have memory blackouts. Cody found records of it in a journal Palpatine kept while they were sorting through the intel after he was executed,” Rex explained.

Fives grimaced. Even fresh out of a coma, his blood boiled because of all the injustices and inhumanities every clone had endured, all for Palpatine's war. They were human, and they deserved to be treated like humans from the beginning, given rights and choices—not manipulated like programmed droids. “That’s fucked up.”

The captain nodded, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his clasped hands. “Actually, Fox said he wants to come visit you—as long as it’s all right with you. Says he wants to apologize and hopes you can forgive him. He’s been pretty beaten up over it.”

“Nothing to forgive. He can come anytime and I’ll tell him myself,” Fives said with a genuine smile. He could not help the wave of grief that swept over him, though. None of this should have happened to any of them. “I just wanted to do my duty, what was right.” Fives’ said sorrowfully. His already hoarse voice cracked. “For Tup, too. He didn’t deserve to die the way he did.”

Rex nodded solemnly in agreement. “But you saved us all, and Tup’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain. With Palpatine dead, peace talks have started all over the galaxy with fracturing Seppie worlds. The CIS is falling apart, but there are a few holdouts that keep fighting. I’m headed to Anaxes with Cody tomorrow. They are proving difficult to counter. It’s like they know our moves before we make them.”

Fives gave a cheeky smile, one that still showed all of the inner fire he still possessed. “I wish I could be there with you, sir.”

Rex squeezed Fives’ atrophied bicep reassuringly. “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of fights left for you once you’re better. Kix might actually skin me alive if I try to sneak you out.” He stood and gathered his bucket, chuckling with his vod before making for the door.

Tell him. Fives thought. He should know. “Rex?” he asked, causing the captain to pause. “I… I know this sounds crazy, but while I was out, I saw Hevy.”

“Your batchmate? The one who died on Rishi Station?”

“Yeah, him. He told me that it wasn’t my time yet, and… he told me to listen for the echo. That’s when I realized… wherever I was, wherever Hevy came from, Echo wasn’t there.”

Rex looked skeptical, furrowing his brow and eyeing Fives curiously. He had his suspicions about an afterlife, but after spending enough time around the Jedi, he had long decided nothing was too farfetched. “You think Echo may still be alive?”

“I don’t expect you to believe me. I’m not sure I entirely believe it myself,” Fives sighed, shaking his head. “But I just have a gut feeling, you know? Just do me a favor and… listen for him, I guess.”

The captain offered him a confident smirk and a nod. “I’ll keep my ears open.”

#arc trooper fives #captain rex #clone trooper hevy #clone medic kix #fives lives au #they love their brothers #mentioned:#darth sidious #sheev palpatine #commander fox #arc trooper echo #commander cody #the clones deserved better #star wars #the clones wars #star wars fanfic #the clone wars fanfic #no order 66

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