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Fives couldn’t sit still as he paced back and forth in the hold of the Havoc Marauder. He could tell that it was annoying Tech, the engineer and computer whiz of the Bad Batch, but he didn’t care. Echo was alive. Alive.
Memories of the Citadel came back to him, the sound of the laser turret, the explosion, him screaming Echo’s name. He had left him. He had left his brother behind, behind for the Separatists to find him.
Rex had come to the realization that he was alive soon after they had gone to the cyber center on Anaxes. After that, it hadn’t taken long for Commander Tano to agree to tag along.
She always cared for the clones like they were family. In some ways, she was like his little sister. He didn’t even notice her presence until she put a hand on his shoulder. “Fives, it’ll be alright.”
He turned to face her. Her montrals were longer now, now reaching almost to her waist, and she wore a metallic headband now, courtesy of Mandalore when she had helped Bo Katan to free her planet. “Sorry, Commander. I just can’t stop thinking.”
“About Echo?”
“I left him, Commander! I left my brother behind!” He cried, and he could feel himself beginning to shake as he started to panic.
Ahsoka’s expression softened as she gently moved closer to the ARC trooper, “You had no idea that he could be alive, Fives.”
Fives shook his head, drawing a shaky breath in. “But I should have tried to find him. I know what the Separatists are willing to do to clones, Commander. To think of Echo like that-”
Ahsoka wrapped her arms around his neck, and the clone practically melted into her embrace. “It’s ok. We’ll find him, I promise.”
“Yeah,” A voice added softly, and Fives looked up to see Rex leaning against the doorway to the cockpit. “We’ll find him, vod. I promise.”
Fives smiled, pulling away from Ahsoka. For a while, the only sound in the ship was the sounds of the engine, and the soft whir, tick, tick, of the machine that kept Fives’ heart beating after Fox had shot him. It had taken a while for him to get used to the machine, the metallic noise from inside him, but now it was a part of him.
“We’re coming up on Skako Minor. The signal from the Cybercenter is somewhere beneath the surface." Tech announced.
“Then we’ll find it.” Fives said as he walked towards the cockpit, where Hunter and Crosshair were discussing the attack plan. “We have to.”
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The approach to the Techno Union was nerve wracking for Fives, every step agonizing. What would Echo be like when he found him? Did he still blame him for what he did at the Citadel? Was he even-
No. He wouldn’t even think about that. That couldn’t happen. Echo was alive. Echo was alive.
“-ves?”
Fives shook his head, before looking up. “Yeah?”
Rex pointed to the Techno Union base, which was floating amidst the grey-green clouds. “Tech, you see the signal?”
The technician shook his head. “I cannot.”
Rex stared at him. “What do you mean, you can’t? ”
“I mean, I cannot sense a signal. I had one a few minutes ago, but I cannot anymore.” He held up a datapad, and his large eyes widened. “I have a theory.”
“And?” Hunter prompted.
“I think the signal is only available when data is sent.”
“Why?” Commander Tano asked, her montrals swaying in the wind.
“Why else? Captain Rex theorized it himself. The Techno Union is datamining Echo.”
Fives had to sit down before he fell off the ledge at Tech’s words. Datamining? Echo?
Rex placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. “Fives, focus.”
“Really?” A snide voice asked, and the clones looked at Crosshair, who was cleaning his rifle. “Given what you’ve told us, it seems like you were the ones who left him for dead.”
Rex clenched his fists, but Fives launched himself at the sharpshooter, fists swinging as he began punching the clone.
“FIVES!” Ahsoka cried, thrusting her hand out and creating a force barrier between the two, allowing Rex to grab Fives and drag him away.
“YOU TAKE THAT BACK!” Fives cried, struggling to get at the sniper as Hunter grabbed the Crosshair and pulled him away. “YOU DON’T THINK I REGRET THAT!?”
“Trooper. Calm. Down.” Rex hissed, but it was evident that he wanted to take a swing at Crosshair as well.
Fives struggled a bit more, before finally relaxing, and allowing Rex to let him go.
Hunter looked at Crosshair, before turning to Rex. “We should get going.”
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The droids were closing in now as Tech ran his hands over the keyboard, pressing buttons and pulling levers that Fives had no idea how they worked.
All he was concerned about was the pod in the center of the console that Tech was working on. A faint hissing could be heard from inside, like something was breathing.
“Tech, you almost done?” Rex asked from his position next to Fives, Ahsoka on his other side, lightsabers drawn in defense.
“Almost….Here!” Tech pushed a button, and the pod hissed open.
What Fives saw inside made him feel sick.
It was Echo, but at the same time, it wasn’t. Cords and wires were connected to him from almost everywhere, some sticking out of him like he was a droid, and his lower half had been replaced by prosthetics, alongside his right arm, which was a droid socket arm. He was more machine than man.
“Get him down from there!” Rex cried as he stood up on the console and helped his brother down, disconnecting the cords that had him hanging like a puppet. He tilted Echo’s face, surveying the cords and cybernetics that were attached to him. “Tech, can you get him free?”
“If we detach him now, the system will kill him. I need to deactivate the connection first.” The smaller clone typed in a few codes, and then nodded, “Go ahead.”
Rex pulled his helmet off and helped Echo stand, before having him lean against the console. He gripped the first cord and pulled, the wire leaving the bolt in Echo’s back with a hiss.
Fives felt like he was going to be sick. Every wire removed made Echo shake like a leaf, causing him to collapse to the ground by the time Rex had freed him.
“Got to get….the shuttle...there isn't time…..No!” Echo muttered under his breath, before blinking. He looked around, and stared at Rex. “Rex?”
Rex nodded, smiling. “Yeah. Echo, you’re alright.”
Echo nodded, but he looked around, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “Fives...where….where’s Fives?”
Fives rushed forwards towards his brother, tossing his helmet off as he knelt down next to him. “Echo, I’m here.”
Echo looked at him, reaching out towards him with shaking hands. “Fives?”
“I’m here.” Fives breathed as he held him, careful to avoid the bolts and wires that were still attached to Echo. “I’m here."
“ Ori’vod, gar came norac .” Echo breathed into Fives’ shoulder.
“Of course I did, Eyayah.”
“Fives,” Echo looked at him, and smiled, “I have a big headache.”
Fives chuckled, “Better to feel something than nothing.”
Echo paused, tilting his head as if listening for something. He looked at Fives again, confused. “ Rayshe'a, meg ru'banar? gar vaabir not kaab nu'amyc.”
Fives winced, he should have known that Echo would notice the cybernetic inside him. “It’s hard to explain.” He didn’t want to have to tell Echo about the chips. Not yet.
Echo blinked when he saw the Bad Batch, their armor blending into the shadows as they stood guard. “Troopers?” He turned to Fives, “Fives...The war. Where’s the General?”
“The war is over, Echo. We won.” Fives breathed, smiling softly.
Echo stared at him. “We...won? The nightmares are over?”
Rex nodded, kneeling next to Fives and Echo. “We’re safe. Once we get out of here, no more fighting.”
Echo took in a shaking breath at this revelation. It was every clone’s purpose to fight, to die for the Republic. But the war was over. He could live now. “We won. We won.” He repeated, almost like a mantra, before leaning closer to Fives and Rex.
The choked sound that escaped him made Fives feel like someone had punched him. Echo was one of the strongest troopers he knew, and he was crying. “It’s alright, Eyayah. You’re safe. We’re all safe.” It took a few minutes to get Echo to calm down, but eventually Fives stood up, offering Echo his hand. “We have to get out of here, Brother.”
Echo grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull him to his feet, before stumbling. He would have hit the ground had Fives not wrapped an arm around his waist to support him, allowing Echo to sling his socket arm around his neck as he helped Echo limp to the doorway.
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When they made it back to the Havoc Marauder, albeit having blown up a platoon of droids alongside the floating base, Hunter and Ahsoka walked back to the brig, only to be greeted by the sight of Echo, Rex, and Fives leaning up against each other, Fives' arm wrapped protectively around his brothers’ shoulders. Someone, most likely Rex, had wrapped a heated blanket around Echo, so that the clone now looked like a very warm, very peaceful burrito, leaning up against his brothers as he slept.
The war was over, Fives knew that, and Echo was safe. He wouldn’t be the same, none of them would be, but Fives had his brother back. That was all that he cared about.
MANDO’A TRANSLATIONS:
Ori’vod, gar came norac → Big brother, you came back.
Rayshe'a → Five (Fives’ name)
Rayshe'a, meg ru'banar? gar vaabir not kaab nu'amyc → Fives, what happened? You do not sound normal
Eyayah → Echo