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Leaving the Bad Batch to join the Clone Underground wasn’t the most difficult thing that Echo had ever done, but it was definitely a transition.
Like the Batch, Rex’s resistance was informal and aimed to remain under the Empire’s radar. Still surrounded by his brothers, Echo found that all of his new squadmates were easy to work with, even if they weren’t a close-knit family like the Batch was.
Echo didn’t mind, though. He had joined Rex and his team with the goal of helping his brothers, not to find a new family. It even occurred to him that it might be best if he didn’t have anyone around that he felt a strong attachment to. He did consider Rex one of his closest brothers, but it wasn’t difficult to resume the rhythm that they’d had during the Clone Wars. They had each other’s backs, but also trusted each other to do what they had to do in the moment, so emotion never had to be a factor.
The only potential issue Echo had run into—almost immediately—was Riyo Chuchi.
He had known of her during the Clone Wars, but had never interacted with her. He had never heard anything negative regarding her, but he also hadn’t had any reason for her to be more than a fleeting thought. As far as he had been concerned, she was one of hundreds of senators who the former ARC had no reason to learn more about. Until now.
At the time that Echo joined the Clone Underground, Riyo had recently begun working with the squad; supporting the clones by speaking for them in the senate and by providing what resources she could for the resistance. He wasn’t sure what to think at first, other than that she was… breathtaking.
Echo had worked alongside Ahsoka Tano in the 501st and occasionally other female Jedi, so he had encountered several tough women in his short life. But the Jedi were all trained in combat and were far more lethal than the clones. Riyo, to Echo’s knowledge, had no fighting abilities whatsoever and yet, within less than a day of meeting her, he was certain that she was one of the strongest people he had ever met.
Instead of physical strength, it was her voice, her determination, and her confidence that made her so powerful. Rex had told Echo about the incident in which both of Riyo’s guards had been shot, and then the assassin had chased the senator down and nearly killed her. For many civilians, that terrifying experience would be more than enough to convince them not to get involved further, but not for Riyo. It had only made her more determined to discover the truth of what was happening with the clones and, when told that she tread a dangerous path, it only strengthened her resolve to help.
As for Echo, he was having an increasingly difficult time keeping her out of his mind’s eye and only allowing himself to gaze upon her when necessary. Her intelligence and inner strength were admirable, but he couldn’t deny the fact that she was also the most captivating woman he’d ever encountered.
When the senator would meet with the resistance, Echo would often find his gaze drawn to her gold eyes, her lavender lips, or the chartreuse tattoos that highlighted her cheeks. Sometimes he would catch himself getting distracted by the smooth lilt of her voice as she spoke or by the gracefulness of her slender figure as she walked. In many ways, she seemed like she should be delicate, but the confidence with which she carried herself and the fearless glow in her eyes declared otherwise.
At first, Echo noted these unexpected thoughts about Riyo, but he didn’t believe there was any need to combat them, as long as he could remain focused on the task at hand. As attractive as he found her, he had no intention of taking any action on his feelings. He was here to do a job, not selfishly pursue his own desires.
He had been successful at containing his musings until one day, those thoughts of her began to bleed from his mind, into his actions. The Clone Underground had convened for yet another strategy meeting and Echo had found himself close beside Riyo. He told himself that he hadn’t deliberately chosen to stand beside her, this just happened to be the nearest open spot at the makeshift table around which the resistance gathered. They had gained more members as well, which was why it was necessary to stand close enough to Riyo for their shoulders to brush once in a while.
He should have been keeping his focus on whoever was currently speaking, but when the senator launched into a passionate spiel, she seized all of Echo’s attention. She was so close to him and he couldn’t look away from the glow of her eyes or the movement of her lips. He was also sure he could make out the floral scent of her perfume.
“Echo, what do you think?”
Kriff.
Rex’s voice sliced through Echo’s thoughts and he snapped his head up to look at the former captain. Only now did he realize that he had been so entranced by Riyo that he had continued gazing at her long after she had finished speaking. Everyone else around the table was staring at him as well and he attempted to fight the heat that wanted to rise to his face.
“That sounds like a good plan,” Echo concurred quickly. He was only about eighty percent sure what the plan was for this rescue mission, but what he did know sounded reasonable.
The rest of the room voiced their agreement and Rex dismissed the squad. As the crowd began to disperse to begin preparations for their departure, Echo turned to join them, hoping to distance himself from Riyo and his disruptive thoughts.
Before he could leave the table though, a gentle hand on his left arm halted his movement. Echo turned to see Riyo’s gold eyes blinking up at him and he felt an unfamiliar tingling sensation sweep through him, originating from the spot where her palm rested on his bicep.
“Is everything alright, Echo?” the senator asked, lowering her voice slightly, so only he could hear.
“Yes. Nothing to worry about, Senator,” he answered, perhaps a tad too quickly.
“You just seem more distracted than usual,” Riyo commented. Her eyebrows were now pinched together with concern.
Echo’s first instinct was to turn his arm to cup her elbow in his palm or to reach for her hand that wasn’t currently resting on his bicep; any sort of additional physical contact, really. But he resisted.
“Thank you, Senator, but there’s really nothing for you to be concerned with,” he insisted. “You have more important things to worry about.”
“Alright.” She finally removed her hand from his arm and took a step back. “I have to disagree, though.” Her gold eyes locked on his amber ones once more, and then she turned and walked away, without elaborating on her statement.
Echo was unable to stop his eyes from following Riyo as she strode out of the garage, now shadowed by her guards. Meanwhile, his mind began contemplating the meaning of her words.
What does she disagree with? The only possible answers were that she still believed that he was behaving oddly or that she disagreed about having more significant concerns. The former made the most sense, he decided. As much as she cares about clones, she wouldn’t be concerned about my well-being specifically, nor should she.
Perhaps it was time to restrain his thoughts regarding the senator. It shouldn’t be too difficult; he’d had plenty of practice with the Bad Batch. They weren’t exactly the most sympathetic group, even towards each other. Omega was the sole exception, of course.
So, as the Clone Underground’s next mission commenced, Echo locked his feelings in the back of his mind, determined to maintain his focus. He was here to help his brothers; he didn’t have the luxury of entertaining selfish pursuits.
The resistance swiftly completed their mission, as well as the subsequent mission. Meanwhile, Echo succeeded in his personal objective of maintaining control over the emotional thoughts that were still eager to flood his mind.
He had been deliberately avoiding Riyo, though she had only visited once over the past few weeks, so that goal hadn’t been too difficult to achieve. By the conclusion of the second mission, the former ARC was finally beginning to believe that he had tamed his burgeoning feelings. Until Rex pulled him aside the evening they returned to the garage that served as their base.
“I have an assignment for you,” the former captain said, once he and Echo had stepped out of earshot from the rest of the squad. “Senator Chuchi has received another threat on her life.” Echo felt himself tense involuntarily. “She has her guards, but the last two were killed already. I think it would be good for her to learn some self-defense. She agrees and will be stopping by tomorrow. I’d like you to teach her.”
Echo just stared at his brother for a moment. Normally, he would have said “yes, sir” and accepted the assignment instantly, but the words weren’t coming out as easily as they usually did. He’d be trying to avoid the senator, not spend time in close proximity to her.
“I don’t think I’m the best person for the job,” he finally said, managing to keep his voice even.
“You were an ARC trooper,” Rex pointed out. “I don’t see how you could get more qualified than that.”
“Rex, I don’t have a right hand.” Echo waved his scomp to emphasize his point. “How am I supposed to simulate real combat if I can’t attack the way most normal sentients would?”
It wasn’t just an excuse. It would be most practical if Riyo learned how to defend herself against someone who attacked with their right hand, which was the dominant hand for the majority of people. This was common knowledge for someone trained in hand-to-hand combat, as Rex most certainly was.
“I already told Senator Chuchi and she agreed,” Rex said, ignoring his brother’s argument. “She trusts you. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“I still think-” Echo’s protest was cut off when Rex laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Echo, I see the way you look at her,” the captain said, lowering his voice slightly. Echo’s breath caught at his brother’s assertion. “We’re all here to help our brothers and of course that’s our main objective right now. But that doesn’t mean we need to forgo all of our own desires. If you can find light in this dark galaxy, you should pursue it.”
Echo was stunned. Back in the GAR, Captain Rex would never have encouraged his men to pursue interests outside of their purpose serving the Republic. What changed? It was almost as if…
“You’re speaking from experience, aren’t you?” he asked, keeping his voice equally quiet.
Rex’s lips turned up in a small smile and maybe it was just the lighting, but Echo was sure he saw a tinge of pink on his brother’s ears.
“Just think about it,” the former captain said, sidestepping the question. “The senator will be here for her lesson at 0900 hours tomorrow.”
Then Rex clapped his hand on Echo’s shoulder one more time before returning to where the rest of the squad had now broken out an assortment of instant meals.
By the time 0900 arrived the following morning, the garage was deserted. Somehow, Rex had managed to send the entire Clone Underground away on either a mission or an errand, which would effectively leave Echo alone with Riyo and her guards. It wasn’t difficult to guess the former captain’s intentions.
Riyo entered the garage at precisely 0900, tailed by two large, Pantoran guards. Echo really shouldn’t have been surprised that she wasn’t wearing her usual professional attire. Instead, her lavender hair was twisted into a bun on top of her head, held in place by a single, gold ornament that was much smaller than the headpiece she usually wore, and she wore a tight, maroon shirt with matching leggings.
Echo hadn’t wanted to make her deal with the hard plastoid of his armor while grappling, so he had only worn his blacks. For some reason, he hadn’t considered that she might also choose to wear thinner clothing. He really hadn’t thought this through; an occurrence that seemed to be increasing in frequency, whenever he was around her lately.
“Good morning, Echo,” Riyo said cheerfully, walking up to him. “I brought some breakfast for you and the rest of the squad.” She gestured to the white basket that Echo only just now noticed she was holding. “Where is everyone?”
“Rex sent them off on various assignments,” Echo told her. Maybe it was the lighting, but her gold eyes seemed to brighten at his words.
“So it’s just us, then?” she asked.
“If you’re comfortable with that, Senator.”
Echo couldn’t recall a time when he had felt so conflicted before. Part of him hoped she would say that she would rather have someone else with them while they trained, but at the same time, he couldn’t discount the excitement that pulsed through him at the thought of being alone with her. Or as alone as they could be with her guards present.
She smiled sweetly up at him. “Of course. You can call me Riyo, you know. Especially now, when we’re not meeting for any official business.”
ARC Trooper Echo never would have dared call her by her name. It would have been against regulation, not to mention impolite for a clone to address someone of her status by anything other than her title. Now though, he didn’t have such an excuse.
“If you wish, S-Riyo,” he said, having to quickly correct himself.
“So, where are we training?” she asked. If she noticed his slip, she ignored it.
“We have a corner of the garage that we lined with mats to serve as a training area,” Echo explained. “It’s not much, but it does the job.”
“Sounds good to me.” Then Riyo turned and handed the basket to one of her guards. “Why don’t you both take a break and eat something while I train with Echo.”
The two guards hesitated and exchanged a tense look. With the recent threats on the senator’s life, Echo couldn’t blame them for their reluctance.
“Are you sure, ma’am?” one of the guards asked.
“Of course,” Riyo answered, confidently. “I’ll be safe with Echo.”
The former ARC felt something like a flutter in his chest at hearing how much she trusted him. That makes sense, though, he reminded himself. He wouldn’t verbalize it, of course, but he doubted that either of her guards had a fraction of the training he had. Realistically, she was far safer with him than with pretty much any civilian.
This time, the guards nodded and turned to make their way to the designated living area of the garage.
Riyo turned to look up at Echo again. “Shall we?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he responded, out of habit.
“Riyo,” she corrected, without missing a beat.
He couldn’t help the half-smile that formed on his lips as he adjusted his verbiage. “Yes, Riyo.”
Echo led the way over to the training mats and stood in the center, facing the senator.
“How much experience do you have with self-defense?” he asked.
“Not much,” she confessed. “I’ve taken a couple classes here and there throughout my life, but I haven’t ever had the time to keep up with it.”
Echo was suddenly incredibly thankful to Rex for arranging this lesson. With the dangers that the Clone Underground faced, he hated to think of Riyo putting herself at risk without knowing at least a little self-defense. Though he was sure that he would continue to worry about her even after this lesson.
There was something he wanted to mention, though.
“I just wanted to say this up front.” He took a breath before continuing. “I can teach you some skills today, but I’m really not the best sparring partner for you.”
Riyo furrowed her brow and cocked her head slightly, waiting for him to explain.
“If someone grabs you in real life, they’re more than likely going to use their right hand… which I don’t have.” He lifted his scomp, as if she needed proof. “So, I’m happy to work with you using my left hand, but you’ll need to practice everything with someone else, so you can learn to mirror the defense tactics for a real scenario.”
To his surprise, Riyo took a step closer to him. She lifted her left hand and slowly—giving him every opportunity to pull away—she laid her palm on his scomp and held onto it as she gently lowered his arm.
“I don’t see the problem,” she said, her gold eyes staring into his amber ones.
Echo felt like his breath had been stolen and it took him a few seconds to find it again. “You don’t?” he finally asked.
“Well, if I’m right handed, then anything I learn with my left hand should be transferable.” Her words were confident, as the senator in her pointed out something that was a clear fact and not something that would be up for debate.
“I suppose you’re right,” he agreed, caught off guard by her determination to move forward with this lesson.
Then Riyo took her hand off his scomp and stepped back. “Should we get started?”
Echo cleared his throat and he rapidly reined in his flustered thoughts. “Yes, let’s start.”
He began by teaching her some basic grabs and how to defend against them.
“If I grab your wrist, you want to turn your arm in the direction of my thumb,” he explained.
Echo stepped forward and wrapped his hand around Riyo’s right wrist. He tried not to think about how tiny and delicate her wrist felt between his fingers.
“Now, draw a large circle with your hand, in the direction of my thumb.”
Riyo did as he directed and he let her twist out of his grasp. With his greater strength, he was certain that he could have maintained his grip on her, had he wanted to.
“Good job,” he praised.
“You let me do that, though,” she accused, her eyes sparking knowingly.
“I did,” he acknowledged. “You need to learn this technique, though. Not everyone has clone strength.”
He had her drill the move several more times with her right hand and then just as many times with her left. Then he showed her what to do when she couldn’t break his hold. He had her practice stepping closer to him—instead of away—so she could strike his face, which would catch most opponents off guard. Then he had her practice spinning under his arm, so she ended up behind him and could stun him from there.
“What do I do after I stun you?” she inquired, after having pretended to jab him in the ribs.
“You run.”
“Run? That’s not what you would do,” she pointed out.
“No, but I’m a trained soldier.” Without thinking, Echo turned and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Your job is to stay safe, which means making any physical encounter as brief as possible.”
“Any physical encounter?” Suddenly her gold eyes glinted mischievously and Echo found himself hastily retracting his hand.
“You know what I mean,” he said quickly, unable to stop the heat that swept over his face.
He had the brief, nonsensical thought that maybe the senator was flirting with him. There’s no way. He wasn’t the most… appealing physically, so if she were to flirt with anyone, it certainly wouldn’t be him.
“So what’s next?” Riyo asked, swiftly changing the subject. The suggestive expression had left her features, but her eyes maintained their enthusiastic spark.
“Let’s work on what to do if someone grabs your shoulder,” Echo decided.
They spent the next standard hour going over various shoulder grabs, including what to do if the attacker used one hand, both hands—or a hand and a scomp—or grabbed her from behind. It was clear that Riyo wasn’t particularly fit, so Echo was impressed when she seemed to pick up most of the techniques after only a few tries.
He also had to admit to himself how much he was enjoying this time with her. She was still all intelligence and boldness, but now he had the privilege of seeing this more relaxed side of her. She was eager to learn, but would laugh at herself when she made mistakes. Echo was pretty sure he never saw the smile leave her face or the glow recede from her eyes. Part of him wished they could continue this lesson indefinitely.
“How do you feel?” he asked, when they stopped for a break.
“Not bad,” she said, sipping the water he had fetched for her.
“There’s one more set that I think you should definitely learn, but we can save it for another time, if you’re tired.” Once again, conflicting thoughts swept through his mind as he simultaneously hoped she would agree to train more and also that she wouldn’t.
“I feel okay,” she said, pacing back to the center of the mats.
“I thought you should know how to defend yourself if someone wraps their arms around you and you can’t use your hands.”
He knew this would mean significantly more physical contact, but it really was a technique that she should know. It had nothing to do with his burgeoning desire to touch her.
“Okay, show me,” she said, enthusiastically.
“So, in this scenario, I would attack you from behind. Why don’t you be the attacker and I’ll show you?” he suggested.
“Alright,” she agreed, stepping behind him.
“Now, wrap your arms around me, so my arms are trapped,” he directed. She did as she was told, though he couldn’t say he was actually trapped. “Now, I drop down, out of your arms. Then, before you can bend down to grab me again, I turn around and squeeze your knees together to force you down onto your back. If I have trouble slipping out of your arms, I can elbow you or, if that’s not possible, I can kick your shin to stun you.”
He demonstrated as he spoke, stopping just before he would have gripped her knees. Then he stood to face her, taking a quick step back when he realized how close they were.
“Ready to try?” he asked.
“Ready!” Without waiting, Riyo turned her back to him.
Just as he had explained, he wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from using her hands to defend herself. Then she let herself drop down, out of his grip, and spun around to loop her arms around his knees. She squeezed his joints and, even with his mechanical legs, he couldn’t maintain his balance.
“Now push forward, so I fall on my back,” he instructed.
She obeyed, but only pushed forward a tiny bit, causing Echo to fall onto his buttocks, instead of flat on his back. He couldn’t help but laugh and her lavender lips spread into another smile as she joined him.
“Maybe tackle me a bit harder than that,” he suggested. “I can still do a lot while sitting up.”
She drew her hands back from his knees. “I just didn’t want to hurt you,” she admitted. Then she added more seriously, “But I know I need to try harder if I’m going to be prepared.”
“I know you will. Let’s try again.” Echo stood and offered her his hand. She took it and let him help her up.
Riyo turned her back to him again and he stepped in to wrap his arms around her once more. More smoothly than before, she slipped out of his embrace and spun around to grab his knees.
“Remember, push harder this time,” he reminded her.
He felt her squeeze his knees together, sending him off balance. Then, much more powerfully than he expected, she threw herself forward. Echo fell onto his back, but Riyo had launched herself so far that she landed directly on top of him. He let out a small “oof” as her knee struck his stomach.
“I’m sorry!” she yelped, when she heard him wince.
She adjusted her leg, so her knee was off his stomach. Except, in doing so, she ended up straddling him. Somehow, she didn’t seem to notice as she leaned forward to see his face better.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” he chuckled. “Maybe use a bit more control next time. You’ll have a hard time escaping if you fall too.”
“I’m still sorry.” Suddenly her fingers were brushing his temple; he had removed his cyborg construct when he’d shed his armor before the lesson. “You didn’t hit your head, right?”
Suddenly, she was so close.
Riyo was practically lying on top of him now, her face hovering just above his as she inspected his scalp for injuries. A lavender strand of hair had escaped her bun and was now brushing his cheek. He could also feel her warmth, as well as each of her curves, through their equally thin layers of clothing. Echo realized that somehow his hand had come to rest on her lower back, though he couldn’t recall placing it there.
His heart felt like it was pounding against his ribs now and, when she tilted her head to look down at him, it only seemed to beat harder. Surely, she must feel it with the way their chests were pressed together now.
“No, I’m fine,” he whispered. His body was suddenly unable, or unwilling, to move. His mind tunnel visioned on Riyo until her face was all he could see and her body lying on top of his was all he could feel.
Riyo opened her mouth as if to respond, but nothing came out. She had been staring into his eyes, but now her gaze shifted downwards, towards his lips.
“Echo,” she finally breathed, “Can I kiss you?”
Echo’s brain short circuited. This didn’t make any sense. Ever since Skako Minor… Well, he’d just assumed that intimacy would never be an option for him again. But somehow it was Riyo—the only person he would even consider being this close to—who was asking and he wouldn’t dream of turning her down.
Without speaking, he took his hand off her lower back and slid his scomp into its place. Then he lifted his hand to carefully brush her hair aside, so he could cup her face. He wasn’t wearing his glove, so he was able to feel her smooth skin beneath his fingertips. He thought he felt her shiver as he used his thumb to trace the tattoo on her cheek and, for a heartbeat, he was afraid that he’d done something wrong, but then she leaned into his touch. Then he slid his hand to the back of her head and slowly guided her down, until her lips landed on his.
Echo was pretty sure that Riyo was the softest thing he’d ever felt and the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted. He kissed her slowly, savoring the feeling each time their lips pressed and glided against each other. He waited for her to part her lips for him to slip his tongue into her mouth and he used his hand that was now tangled in her hair to pull her even closer to him.
He could have kissed her forever, but eventually he loosened his grip, so she could lean back enough for them to break apart. Instead of sitting up, though, Riyo laid down on his chest and tucked her head under his chin. Echo’s arms looped around her in a way that felt surprisingly natural.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” Riyo said, breaking the silence. Her breath left a tingling sensation on his neck.
Echo wanted to ask, ‘Why me?’ Despite the fact that he was holding this incredible woman in his arms, it was still difficult to believe that she actually wanted him. Why me, when she could have someone else? Someone with a normal body. He chose not to speak his mind, though. Now wasn’t the time for such intense questions. All he needed to do now was accept that she did want him.
“Me too,” he said, instead. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, as if to prove his point. “Mind if I sit up?”
“Oh. Sure.” He couldn’t help but note the disappointment in her voice.
Riyo began to push herself off him, but he held her in place with his hand and scomp. She looked down at him quizzically.
“You stay there,” he told her and she nodded obediently.
Then, still holding her securely in his arms, he flexed his abs and lifted both of them into a sitting position. Now he was sitting with his legs stretched out, while she straddled his hips, her body pressed close against his. Echo was pretty sure he saw her cheeks flushing purple, as he leaned forward to kiss her again.
When they broke apart, he leaned his forehead against hers and they continued to sit there, in the middle of the training mats, encircled in each other’s arms.
“Do you think we could do this again?” Riyo asked.
“Self-defense class? Or this?” Echo tilted his head just enough to brush his lips against hers, enjoying the way her breath seemed to catch when he did so.
“Either? Both?” she whispered against his mouth.
“Anything for you, Senator.”
He tried to close the distance between them to kiss her again, but she leaned back, out of his reach. The mischievous spark had returned to her gold eyes.
“You’re only allowed to kiss me if you call me by my name,” she asserted.
Echo was tempted to argue, but he decided he would much rather kiss her again.
“Anything for you, Riyo,” he said, quickly correcting his statement.
“Much better.”
This time she let him pull her back in to lock their lips together once more.