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Chapter Text

The blue glow of hyperspace flickered in front of him as Echo stared out the cockpit of the Marauder.  It was late into the night cycle, far past the end of Echo’s watch shift, but he sat completely still in the pilot’s seat with no intention of moving.

There’d been a lot on his mind lately and he couldn’t seem to settle into sleep; not that he wanted to, if he did manage to fall asleep he ended up with unsettling dreams.  He had no desire to delve into any of those.  And as long as he wasn’t sleeping, there was no reason his brothers shouldn’t get more rest.

“Echo?”

He turned at the sound of Tech’s voice.

“I was supposed to take over the watch an hour ago.  Is there a reason you did not wake me?”

Echo shrugged.  “I just wasn’t tired, thought you could use some extra sleep.”

Tech’s lips pressed into a thin line.  “While I do appreciate the additional rest, you require adequate sleep as well.”  He studied Echo carefully.  “Especially as Wrecker had the watch before mine.  I assume you did not wake him either.”

Echo turned back to gaze out the cockpit again.  “Like I said, I’m just not tired.”

“I see.”  Something in the engineer’s voice put Echo on edge.  He’d been with the Batch long enough he could pick up on their subtle signs of concern.  Tech continued.  “Well, it is a biological fact that you require some degree of sleep in order to function properly.  I suggest you attempt to get at least a few hours of rest before we reach our destination.”

Echo sighed.  “Yeah.  All right.”  It wasn’t worth fighting with Tech, and he didn’t want to give the man more of a reason to analyze him.  He got up and made his way to the back of the ship, opting to settle in a chair rather than a bunk.  It would be less comfortable, and he didn’t want to fall asleep if he could help it.  He crossed his arms and tipped his head back, closing his eyes.  He needed to put on a show for Tech in case he wandered back here to check if Echo really went to bed.

What felt like moments later there was a hand on his shoulder.  He jolted awake.

“Echo,” Hunter was next to him.  “We’re thirty minutes out.  You should grab something to eat and get suited up.”

Echo shook his head, feeling slightly disoriented.  “Thirty minutes?”  His voiced sounded gruff, even to himself.

“Tech said you were up late.  I let you sleep as long as I could.”

He rubbed his eyes and yawned.  Hunter was watching him.

“Everything all right?  You good?”

“Yeah.  Yeah, I’m fine.”

Hunter wore a dubious expression, but he didn’t comment further.  “Thirty minutes,” he repeated, and headed for the front of the ship.

Echo shook his head again, still waking himself up.  He didn’t dream this time, so took that as a win.  Maybe he just needed to make sure he was completely exhausted before attempting to sleep.  He could do that.  This mission would wear him out and he’d sleep just fine tonight.  He was sure of it.

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“Echo.  Echo.”  Someone was shaking his shoulder.  Echo jerked awake.  His heart was racing and his cheeks were wet.  He’d just watched Fives crumple as a blaster bolt hit him squarely in the chest.  Again.  He sat up, heaving in deep breaths as his heart continued to pound. 

“Kriffing hells,” Echo ran his trembling hand over his face.  The sight of Fives falling was replaying over and over in his mind.  He blinked hard in an attempt to wipe the vision away, then suddenly remembered someone woke him up.

Hunter was kneeling next to his bunk, concerned eyes watching him closely.  Echo hastily wiped his face with the back of his arm, trying to remove any trace of the tears there.

“You all right?  You haven’t had a nightmare like that in a while.” 

That wasn’t completely true.   “I’m…I’m…” He wanted to insist he was fine, but he was sure Hunter wouldn’t let the obvious lie slide.  He took several deep breaths, desperate to slow his racing pulse.

Hunter waited, the worry in his face growing more pronounced the longer Echo was silent.

“Can – can I take the watch?  I’m not going back to bed anytime soon.”  He tried to chuckle to lighten the mood, but it came out more like a hiccough.

The sergeant frowned.  “I’ll sit up with you.”

Echo shook his head.  “No.  No, it’s okay.  You sleep.”

“Echo – “

“Really, I’m fine.  Well, I’m not fine, but I’m all right on my own.  I just need to – to calm down a bit.”  He took another deep breath. 

Hunter considered him for a long moment, then sighed.  “All right.  Wake me up if you change your mind and want some company.  Tech’s got the next shift.”

Echo nodded, knowing he wouldn’t change his mind, and he certainly wouldn’t wake up Tech.  He wasn’t going to be sleeping at all.

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One major downside to constantly staying awake was Echo being left to stew in his own thoughts.  He’d tried various distractions to stop his mind from wandering, but he could only reread manuals and ship schematics so many times before they just made him more tired.  He also tried getting some small projects done – rewiring for the Marauder or modifications to his cybernetics, but after shocking himself a few times he conceded that wasn’t the best idea when his mind wasn’t even close to one hundred percent.

So instead, he’d been drowning in his head; reliving old memories, questioning past judgements, missing batch mates…it was better than the nightmares, but not honestly not by much.

“All right, enough’s enough.”  Echo nearly toppled from his seat in alarm.  He hadn’t heard Crosshair enter the cockpit.  The man flopped down heavily into the co-pilot’s seat.  “Spill it, Reg.”

“Spill what?”

“You’re not sleeping.” 

He froze.  It wasn’t a question.  Echo tried to deny it anyway.  “I’m getting sleep.”

“Not enough sleep.  You’ve taken at least one, if not two, extra watch shifts every night the past six rotations.”  Kriff.  How closely had Crosshair been keeping tabs on him?  “Tell me what’s going on.”

He really didn’t want to have this conversation.  He dug in his heels.  “I am sleeping.  I don’t know what you’re – “

Crosshair cut him off.  “Those dark circles under your eyes beg to differ.  You look like kark, Reg.  And it’s starting to show on our missions.”

That got Echo’s attention.  His head whipped around to face the sniper.  “Excuse me?”

“You’re getting sloppy.  You missed three crucial shots on our last mission alone.”  His eyes bore into Echo’s.  “Do you remember, or do you need me to describe them for you?”

Echo didn’t speak.  He knew exactly what Crosshair was referring to, he’d just hoped no one noticed.  Apparently he wasn’t that lucky.

“The first was when that commando droid came – “

“I know, okay.  I know.  Just stop.”

Crosshair crossed his arms tightly.  “Talk.  And don’t give me any shit about ‘not being tired.’  I don’t care how little rest you got in your ARC trooper days, after six rotations of this you’re going to be kriffing tired.”

Echo sighed in a resigned way.  “I just don’t want to sleep.”  He hated how small his voice sounded.

“Why?”

He couldn’t answer.  He did not want to talk about this, least of all with Crosshair.

“Why, Reg?”  Crosshair pushed.

He swallowed, trying to decide if there was a believable lie he could tell.

“Fine, I’ll get Hunter and we’ll have a group discussion about – “

“I’m having nightmares, all right?”  Echo shot him a glare.

Crosshair stared at him, unfazed.    “That’s not new.  You’ve always had them.”

He rolled his eyes at the bluntness of the statement.  “These are…they’re different.”

“Different how?”

“Force.”  Echo leaned over in the pilot’s seat to rest his elbows on his knees.  He was having trouble breathing.  He hadn’t been expecting a grilling in the middle of the night and didn’t know how to deal with it. A dull ache was developing behind his eyes; Echo rubbed his temples.  “I don’t wanna talk about this.”  He stood up abruptly, secretly enjoying the taken aback expression on Crosshair’s face.  “You want me to sleep, fine, I’ll sleep.  Take the watch.”

He stormed off and stretched out on his bunk, although he had no intention of actually sleeping.  Getting angry with Crosshair had sufficiently riled him up; he’d be able to stew and keep himself awake for at least a few more hours.  After a while there was the sound of footsteps coming from the cockpit.  He hastily closed his eyes and slowed his breathing down, pretending to be out.  The feet halted and remained stationary for so long Echo almost cracked an eye open to check if Crosshair was still there, but eventually they retreated back to the cockpit.  He opened his eyes again, but he had a feeling he hadn’t fooled the sniper.

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Echo couldn’t help but notice he was only being assigned the last watch shifts.  Apparently they didn’t trust him to actually wake up the next person, and he couldn’t blame them.  His lack of sleep was starting to become blatantly apparent.  The dark circles under his eyes were so pronounced they could have been bruises, and he was giving Crosshair a run for his credits in the race for grumpiest Batcher; not to mention the amount of caf he was drinking had raised more than a few eyebrows.  Still, Echo refused to give in, only sleeping in the shortest spurts when his eyes just wouldn’t stay open.

After lying awake through most of Wrecker’s shift, he’d pretended to be asleep when the large man shook him.  Now he sat alone in the cockpit once again engrossed in the blue of hyperspace.  At least his mind was too exhausted to wander anymore.

This time he heard Crosshair come up behind him and sit down in the copilot chair.  Still feeling resentful from the last interrogation, Echo ignored him.  It was quiet for several minutes before Crosshair broke the silence.

“Who’s Fives?”

Echo’s blood turned to ice.  He was suddenly fully alert.  How…how…?

“You were talking in your sleep.  You know, the whole hour you got since the last rotation.”

He swallowed, his mouth suddenly impossibly dry.  It was incredible how a simple sentence could make him feel like he was punched in the gut.  Echo wavered briefly, but didn’t know how to avoid such a direct question.  “My, uh, my twin.  He’s dead.”

Crosshair’s eyes darted towards him for a moment, but otherwise he didn’t move.  “Mm, killed in action?”

“Something like that.”

The silence stretched.  “So, why the nightmares all of a sudden?”

Echo let out a drained sigh.  There would be no getting out of it this time.  “When we were on Coruscant, we saw Commander Fox.”  He couldn’t keep the distaste out of his voice as he said the name.  “Fox is the one…Fox killed him.”

Crosshair was fully facing him now, eyebrows raised.

“I hadn’t seen him – Fox, since I, I found out about Fives.  I don’t know…I guess it sparked something.”  Echo could practically feel Crosshair itching to know more, but he held his tongue.  It was for the best, now Echo started talking, words tumbled from his mouth.  “I keep dreaming about Fives, but he’s in trouble.  Asking me for help, shouting at me.  But I can’t do anything, I’m just…frozen in place.  Then…” he paused, collecting himself, but his voice broke anyway.  “I watch him die every time.”  He took a shuddering breath.  “So, I’ve been avoiding sleep.  I don’t want to see it anymore.”

Echo waited, but Crosshair didn’t speak.  He expected to hear something along the lines of ‘it’s not real, it was just a dream,’ or ‘you can’t just not sleep,’ but Crosshair stayed silent, his sharp eyes searching.  For some reason that frustrated Echo even more.

“Well there you go, you got your answer.”  He tried to put as much heat behind the words as he could muster, but the exhaustion was wearing on him.  Not wanting to sit and be studied any longer, Echo stood.  “I’m making caf,” he grumbled.

He started to leave when a hand landed on his shoulder and stopped him.  Echo turned. 

Without warning, Crosshair pulled him into a firm hug, arms wrapping securely around him.  Echo faltered at first, completely thrown off, but then gripped Crosshair back and pressed his face into the crook of his neck.  He breathed deeply as the sniper held him.  He didn’t know he needed it, but now he had it, this hug was the only thing he wanted.  Echo clutched Crosshair tighter, his eyes stinging as tears formed.  Get ahold of yourself. You’re a kriffing ARC trooper.

Instantly Echo pulled away, refusing to let tears fall in front of Crosshair.  His breathing was slightly uneven as he tried to regain composure.  He swallowed and cleared his throat gruffly, staring determinedly at the floor.  He could feel the sniper’s piercing eyes on him.

Crosshair finally broke the uncomfortable silence.  “Go to bed.  I’ve got the watch.”  He hesitated, then added, “I’ll wake you if you dream.”

Echo wanted to protest, but didn’t think he could hold himself together any longer.  He nodded and made his way to the back of the ship, crawling into his bunk and rolling onto his side.  The quiet of the ship descended on him and he clenched his eyes shut.   He couldn’t get Fives out of his mind. 

Echo shoved his knuckles in his mouth to stifle any noise as a few stray tears ran down his face.

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He never fell asleep, so he didn’t have to deal with a nightmare, but Echo still felt kriffing terrible.  He was beyond exhausted and his head was throbbing.  Maybe if he got rid of the headache he could pretend he was fine and the others wouldn’t notice.

Echo glanced over his shoulder and pulled out the medkit.  He grabbed a simple pain reliever and was about to pop it in his mouth when something else caught his eye.  A stim.  He stopped short.  Well that would certainly keep him awake.  It would give him his focus back, too; Crosshair would get off his back about missing shots.  Kix’s voice was suddenly in his head, rambling about the dangers of stims and using them when they aren’t absolutely necessary.  Echo pushed the voice aside.  He was tired.  This would get him through the mission.

Hurriedly, he counted the stims.  A fully stocked medkit came with ten, and they were all accounted for.  One missing was nothing; could be tossed up to an inventory error or misplaced when the kit was opened.  Echo glimpsed around the ship again making absolutely certain he was alone.  He injected himself.

It was just one stim.  He’d be fine.

Chapter Text

The mission went better than Echo could have hoped; he was in top form, the height of his ARC trooper conditioning.  He even earned a ‘nice shot, Reg,’ from Crosshair.  Hopefully this would put a stop to the others’ concerns about his sleeping habits.  Echo felt absolutely great.

Several hours later, the stim was wearing off and he was starting to crash.  The squad sat together in the cockpit, chatting, laughing, and telling old stories.  Echo had been enjoying himself until his mind started to get spacey.  Gaps of time were weirdly missing and he couldn’t follow the conversation anymore.  He couldn’t keep his eyes open either; his lids felt like they were made of lead, and more than once his chin landed on his chest as his head bobbed.

Hunter chuckled from across the cockpit.  “Echo, just go to bed.  You’re clearly exhausted.”

Stubbornly, Echo shook his head.  “I’m fine.  I’m listening.”

Crosshair scoffed.  “Sure you are, Reg.  What’s the last thing we said?”

Echo let out a half-hearted grunt and closed his eyes.

Fives was standing in front of him, a crazed and desperate look in his eyes.  “Echo, you have to help me – please!  Please don’t let them – no!”  Blaster fire erupted from the other side of the room as Echo looked on in horror.  Fives collapsed backwards as a bolt burned a hole in his chest, his armor smoking.  “Echo…” Fives groaned, lifting a shaking hand towards him.  “Echo…please…”

Echo’s head snapped up as he gasped awake.  He looked around wildly for Fives. 

“Echo?  You okay?” 

He couldn’t answer.  His heart was racing.  He heaved in desperate breaths as sweat poured down the back of his neck. 

“Echo?”  A hand landed on his shoulder.  Echo flinched away and the hand vanished.  Unable to find his balance, he tumbled out of the seat onto the floor.  A sharp pain in his shoulder grounded him and he suddenly remembered where he was.  The cockpit was dark and mostly deserted.

Wrecker was on the floor next to him looking anxious.  Echo sat up, still panting heavily.  He grabbed his smarting shoulder.  “S-sorry, Wrecker,” he wheezed.  “Didn’t mean to – to scare you.”

Wrecker shook his head, looking incredulous.  “No, I’m sorry.  I shouldna startled you.”  His eyes raked over Echo, stopping on his shoulder.  “Are you okay?  Did ya have a nightmare?”

Echo rubbed his shoulder again, but the pain was already fading.  “Uh, y-yeah.  But I’m okay.”

“You sure?”  Wrecker sounded doubtful.

He cleared his throat.  “Yeah.  Yes, I’m fine.”

Wrecker stood and held out his hands.  Echo nodded, knowing what he was asking.  Wrecker gripped him by the upper arms and lifted him, plopping him back down in the chair.  Echo muttered his thanks.  He realized he was shaking; he hoped Wrecker hadn’t noticed.

“You conked out pretty early.  The others said just to let you sleep.”  He still had a concerned look on his face.  “You’ve been real tired lately.”

Echo didn’t respond, just rolled his shoulder a few times.

“You wanna talk about it?”  Echo glanced up at him.  “Your dream?”

He shook his head.  “No.  I don’t.”  Wrecker looked disappointed.  “I’ll take the watch for you, though.”

“Nah, that’s okay.  I’m gonna finish my shift.  You should get more sleep – you still look tired.”

Echo resisted scoffing.  He wouldn’t be sleeping anymore tonight.  But he nodded anyway.  “Yeah, okay.  G’night.”

He made his way to the bunkroom and eyed his bed with apprehension.  Fives flickered to the forefront of his mind.  Fives, dying.  A burning blaster hole in chest, reaching out to him for help.  His heart constricted painfully as he felt himself shaking again.  Echo seized the medkit off the shelf and locked himself in the refresher.  He flung the case open and dug through until he found a stim.  He needed it.  He couldn’t handle another nightmare.  This would get him through, just for tonight.  He’d be okay in the morning, could figure things out then.  He plunged the stim into his neck, feeling an immense relief as all tiredness left him.

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“You seem better this morning.  Get some good sleep last night?”  Hunter was sitting at the navigation desk, eyeing Echo as he clipped on his armor.

“Sure did.”  He tried to sound as chipper as possible without being suspicious, the stim still flooding through him.  Making a point to bypass the caf machine, he headed towards Hunter and leaned against the desk.  “Got our next orders?”

Hunter nodded.  “The 612^th needs some help.  We’re closest, should get there in a few hours.  Hopefully in and out.”

Echo swallowed.  A few hours…the stim would be running out by then.  He couldn’t crash in the middle of a mission.  But he promised himself he’d get things sorted out this morning…unless…Hunter said it should be quick, in and out.  He could take another stim, just one more, just to get through this next mission, then he could talk to Hunter tonight.  That would be fine.  It was just one more.

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It wasn’t a quick mission.  The 612^th really got into a bind; enemy reinforcements had showed up and they were completely overrun.  It took an entire rotation to fight back the offenses and get the area under control.  Echo was eternally grateful for the two emergency stims he found in his field pack medkit, otherwise he probably would have collapsed in the middle of the battle when they wore off.

By the time they made it back to the Marauder, Hunter was nursing a migraine and struggling to complete the now overly complex mission report.  Hating to see the sergeant suffering, Echo took another so he could be alert enough to help Hunter finish all the flimsi-work for command. 

Later that night, he finally forced himself to deal with the crash and get some actual sleep.  Unfortunately, after only a few hours he woke from his most vivid nightmare yet, so intense he ended up sick in the fresher.  Shaking violently over the vac tube, he convinced Tech too much caf on an empty stomach must’ve made him nauseous, rather than the sight of his dead brother.  He smuggled another stim out of sheer terror of falling asleep again.

Now Echo had to admit he had a problem.  He was seven stims deep and experiencing the warning signs Kix had always lectured them about: constant trembling, high pulse rate, feeling lightheaded and on-edge, not to mention the stims were wearing off faster.  It had only been about six hours and Echo could feel he’d need another soon.  He needed to talk to Hunter.

He found the sergeant in the cockpit, listening to a comm message and taking quick notes.  Echo sat and waited for him to finish, a feeling of dread building in his stomach.  He clenched his trembling hand and it stilled.  Hunter finally clicked off a knob on the control panel and sat back, exhaling deeply.

Echo cleared his throat.  “Hunter?  Can I talk to you about something?”

Hunter turned in his chair, switching all his attention to Echo.  “Sure.  What is it?”

Now the moment was here he was finding it difficult to speak.  He’d been agonizing over this for days and suddenly words were failing him.  “It’s, uh, it’s about my nightmares.”  He paused, unsure how to proceed.  This would be easier if his heart wasn’t beating so fast.

Hunter’s eyebrows knit together.  “I figured that’s why you were having trouble sleeping.”

“Yeah.  Yeah, it was.  Uh…”  He took a shaky breath.  “The past few days I’ve been more awake though.”  He hesitated again, nervous and panicked to admit what he’d done.

Hunter nodded.  “I’m glad you got it under control, especially with all the rapid fire missions we’ve had.  Just got another set of orders here.”  He gestured to the notes he’d made before considering Echo again.  “Was there something specific that helped?”

Echo didn’t hear his question, focused on the orders in Hunter’s hand.  “We have a new mission?”

“Landing in a couple hours.  Data extraction.”  He sighed, shaking his head.  “I’m gonna request some leave for us after this one.  They’ve been running us ragged.”

A data extraction mission; they would use Echo for that.  He couldn’t abandon his squad when they needed him, and if Hunter knew about the stims he absolutely would not let Echo go.  If they got a break after this, that would give him plenty of time to tell Hunter the truth.

“Echo?”

His eyes snapped to the sergeant.  “What?”

Hunter gave him a questioning look.  “I said, was that all you wanted to talk about?”

“Oh.  Yeah.  Yes, that – that was all.”

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A few hours later the five of them were making their way through the woods towards a Separatist base.  It was a stealth mission; Echo would scomp in to find what they needed and they’d get out, quick and simple.  They didn’t expect it to take long, but they had no idea what the patrols or defenses might be like, so there could be a good deal of scouting before they broke in.  Echo had a stim in his bag just in case.

He’d also taken another one right before leaving the ship, and this time he wasn’t as careful as he should have been – Crosshair almost walked in on him.  As it was, he thought the sniper was suspicious; he could practically feel the sharp eyes watching him.  Unfortunately, Echo wasn’t being very inconspicuous, either.  The last stim didn’t agree with him.  He was dizzy and having trouble keeping his balance, plus his heart was pounding again.  When he tripped for the fourth time he felt a hand roughly grip his arm.

“What’s wrong with you?” Crosshair hissed in his ear.

“What?  I’m – ”

“Do not say you’re fine, Reg.  Something’s up with you.  What is it?”

Echo took a deep breath, trying to calm his already wildly beating heart.  “Really, I swear I’m – ”

The hand on his arm clenched tightly.  “Reg, if the word fine comes out of your kriffing mouth I’ll shoot you right here and now.”  Echo wished he was confident Crosshair was being sarcastic, but instead he eyed the firepuncher warily. 

Crosshair went on.  “Something’s off.  I don’t know how you went from karking exhausted to well-rested in a single rotation, especially since I still don’t think you’re sleeping at all.  So tell me.  Now.”

Echo swallowed nervously as black spots danced across his vision.  He decided a partial truth might be best.  “I’m – I’m not feeling great.  Lightheaded.  Like I might – might pass out.”

Crosshair pulled him to a stop.  Even through a helmet Echo could sense the penetrating stare of the sniper.  He wasn’t sure what Crosshair was looking for, especially as Echo’s face was also concealed by a helmet, but he averted his gaze anyway.

“Is that why you were in the medkit?”

“Yes.”  It wasn’t a total lie.

Crosshair studied him another moment before gently shoving him forward.  “Hm.  Speak up if it gets worse.”

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Crosshair must have said something to Hunter because Echo was forced to sit against a tree while the others completed scouting the base.  He couldn’t even feel resentful; he’d thought he was about to fall over before being made to rest.  Crosshair wasn’t far away, surveying the base from a nearby rock ledge and glimpsing towards him every so often.  When Tech returned from his reconnaissance he crouched down and waved a med scanner over Echo.

“Your heartrate is elevated but your temperature is normal.”  Tech tapped the scanner.  “When did this start?”

“Uh…” Echo decided on another partial truth.  “On the Marauder.  But it’s worse now.”

Tech let out a disapproving huff.  “It would have been better to make us aware of your condition before we left.”

“It wasn’t that bad then,” Echo grumbled.  “I thought I was fine.”  He quickly shot a glance at Crosshair, remembering the earlier threat, but the man didn’t seem to have caught his choice of word.

“Please keep me apprised of any new or changing symptoms.  Hopefully you will be still be capable of scomping into the archive system.”

Echo nodded and Tech went to talk to Crosshair.   He would definitely be okay to scomp in, he’d make sure of it.  He waited until Tech and Crosshair were sufficiently distracted, then pulled the stim out of his bag and stuck it in his neck.

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Echo had been capable of scomping in.  It was the most disoriented he’d ever felt sifting through data, and he nearly collapsed when he disconnected, but he had the files they needed.  He breathed a sigh of relief when Hunter clapped him on the back and told him he’d done well.

Now they were making their way out of the base, Crosshair giving them updates on the outside patrols from his perch.  Despite the earlier scouting, there was more of a presence than they expected and they were seen.

They ran for it, Tech and Wrecker firing at droids from every angle, Crosshair picking them off with his rifle, and Hunter stabbing his vibroblade into any that got too close.  Echo pulled out his blaster, but his hand was shaking so badly he couldn’t aim.  Black spots were in his vision again as his head spun, his heart pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears. He momentarily lost track of where he was and he stumbled.

Suddenly a voice was shouting in the comm, “Echo, look out!”  Wrecker came barreling out of nowhere and shoved Echo to the ground, hard.  All the wind was knocked out of him.  He gasped for breath as he unsteadily rolled over and looked around dizzily.  His eyes landed on Wrecker and the world fell out from under him.  He must be dreaming.  This was one of his nightmares.

But it wasn’t Fives lying unmoving on the ground with a blaster bolt through his chest.  It was Wrecker.

Chapter Text

Echo couldn’t move as he stared at Wrecker’s motionless form.  It was Fives all over again, except this time Echo was there and it was his fault.  Wrecker had pushed him out of the way and now he’d be haunted by another brother’s death.  Time was at a stand-still.  All he could do was look on in horror, frozen in place as he tried to remember how to breathe.

There was a low rumbling in his ear, muffled and indistinct, but constant now he noticed it.  Someone grabbed him under the arms and hauled him upright.  Echo suddenly remembered where he was as sound seemed to turn back on. 

Blaster bolts flew by, an explosion in the distance.  Droids around them were dropping left and right.  Someone was yelling in his ear to move and a suit of dark armor shoved him forward.  But he couldn’t go, he couldn’t leave Wrecker. 

Echo looked over his shoulder.  The large man was balanced between two blurs of white and grey.  He pulled out his blaster as if to signal ‘I’ll cover you’, even though he could barely see straight.  Once the three were a ways ahead Echo took off running after them, someone still yelling something indistinguishable through the comm.

He barely remembered the hazy sprint back through the woods.  He was gasping and panting, his heart pounding like it was going to explode.  Echo tried to follow the white and grey armors, but it was difficult to weave around the trees when he couldn’t run in a straight line.  Several times he felt a hand on his back or his arm forcefully shunting him in another direction.

The familiar sight of the Marauder finally brought everything back into focus.  He turned.  Crosshair wasn’t far behind him, firing his rifle into the tree line as he slowly backed up towards the ship.  Echo stumbled up the ramp and looked for around for the others.

They had deposited Wrecker on one of the lower bunks, Tech kneeling over him with a med scanner.  Wait.  Wrecker wasn’t dead?  Hope flared in Echo’s chest.  He lunged forward to help but Hunter seized his shoulders and manhandled him into a sitting position on the other bunk.  The sergeant then grabbed the medkit and flung it open next to Tech, who was immediately fishing through it.  Hunter had Wrecker’s chest plate off and Tech was cutting open his blacks.  Their movements were so in sync it looked rehearsed.

Crosshair hurtled onto the ship.  Hunter barely spared him a glance before shouting, “Get us in the air!  Contact the nearest Venator!”  Crosshair was gone.  The ramp was rising and the ship vibrating as the engines started up.

Echo wanted to help, be useful; he clenched his fist so tightly his fingers ached in protest.  It was agony to just sit and watch.  He needed to see Wrecker, needed confirmation he was alive and breathing.  He could have sworn he was dead, shot in the chest just like –

Echo couldn’t sit any longer.  He shakily stood and hovered behind Tech so he had an actual view of Wrecker, holding onto the upper bunk for balance.  Hunter shot him a look but didn’t comment. 

“Wrecker was fortunate.  The blaster bolt does not appear to have caused any significant damage.”  Tech put down a tube of bacta and accepted the roll of bandages Hunter offered. 

Echo felt the jolt of the ship as it entered hyperspace.  Barely a minute later Crosshair stalked out of the cockpit, arms crossed tightly across his chest.  Irritation was coming off his rigid frame in waves.  “We’ll rendezvous with the Resolute in a few hours.  They’re expecting us.  A med team will be waiting.”  He let out a frustrated breath as his eyes landed on Wrecker.

Hunter nodded, also focused on Wrecker.  He sighed deeply, then turned to Crosshair, a slight suspicion in his eyes.  “The Resolute really the closest?  Or just the only one you trust?”

The sniper scowled.  “Hard to trust any regs, even the ones in our squad.”

Echo glared at him.  “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It means you knew something was wrong before we left the ship.  You shouldn’t have been out there.  But instead, you were a karking idiot. Wrecker had to save your metal ass and now look at him.”

“All right, knock it off.”  Hunter growled as he eyed the sniper.

“Why?  The reg knew what he was doing.”  Crosshair continued snidely, his volume rising. “Now we’re all dealing with the consequences of his stupid decision to try and play the hero when he couldn’t even fire a blas – ”

“I said, that’s enough.”  Hunter moved directly in front of Crosshair, the voice of the sergeant coming out in full force.  “You’re not helping.  Go cool off in the cockpit.” 

Crosshair stared at Hunter for a moment as though weighing his options, then turned to leave, sending Echo an icy look as he went.  But Echo happened to agree with him; he’d royally kriffed up and he was to blame for Wrecker’s current condition.  It was lucky Wrecker hadn’t died because of him.  He deserved all that anger and resentment – probably more.

Hunter moved next to Echo, nudging him with his elbow.  “How’re you feeling?”

That was such a complicated answer at the moment Echo didn’t even know where to start.  “Don’t worry about me, just focus on Wrecker.”

Hunter frowned and considered him.  Echo absently wondered if he was trying to detect his heartrate; he furtively took a deep, slow breath in an attempt to lower it.  “Mm, you seem better than earlier.  We’ll still have Tech take a closer look when Wrecker’s sorted.”

The two of them watched Tech for a minute or so.  “I’m sorry, Hunter.”  The sergeant looked at him but Echo refused to meet his eyes.  “If I hadn’t been so out of it, Wrecker wouldn’t’ve…and he wouldn’t be…” He cleared his throat.  “Crosshair’s right.  This is my fault.”

Hunter scoffed, almost sounding amused.  “Wrecker would’ve done that for any of us, regardless.  Ignore Crosshair.  It’s not your fault, trust me.”

Echo didn’t say anything, still watching Tech.

“Hey,” Hunter nudged him again and waited until Echo turned his way.  “This wasn’t your fault.”  His voice was firm.

Echo still didn’t reply.  He wasn’t sure how the sergeant’s mindset might change if he knew the real reason Echo was such a mess out there.  His heartrate increased at the thought.  Black spots filled his vision and he gripped the bunk more firmly.  He hoped Hunter would be too distracted by Wrecker to notice.

Hunter didn’t seem to, as he went to pick up Wrecker’s haphazardly discarded armor pieces, stacking them neatly in the corner.  By now, Tech had finished cleaning and bandaging Wrecker’s blaster wound and began putting items back in the medkit.  “That is everything I can do for him right now.”

Echo still couldn’t get a handle on his anxiety, convinced Wrecker might be dead despite the rise and fall of his chest.  “Should we be concerned he hasn’t woken up?” 

“No, it is not uncommon given this degree of injury.  Rest is good for him.  If he were to wake, I would likely administer a hypo to put him under again.”  Tech studied Wrecker for a moment, then pulled up the blanket and tucked it around his waist.  “It will take at least several days to heal but he will recover fully, barring any complications.”

Relief flooded through Echo.  Wrecker was going to be okay.  Maybe he hadn’t kriffed everything up.

“Hunter, we will have to make an inquiry into our medical supplies the next time we are on Kamino.”

Hunter looked from Tech to Wrecker uncertainly.  “Are we missing something you need?”

“No, but our inventory counts are wildly inaccurate.”

Echo’s breath caught in his chest, any feeling of ease vanishing instantly.  Fuck. 

“What do you mean?”  Hunter turned back to Tech.

Tech continued packing items back into the medkit.  “We are supposed to be stocked with ten standard order stims.  We only had three, and I just administered one to Wrecker, leaving us with two.  They are not a regularly used item, but we will want to restock as soon as possible.”

Hunter’s brow furrowed in confusion, then slowly, a look of dawning comprehension came across his face.  Echo hastily switched his gaze to Tech, watching him scan Wrecker again and adjust his bandages.  He chanced a glance back to Hunter, who was staring daggers at him, rage in his eyes.  Echo swallowed nervously as a bead of sweat trailed down the back of neck.

“Tech, you got this?”  Hunter’s voice was tense.

“Yes.  Wrecker is stable.  I will continue to monitor him until we reach the Resolute, just as a precaution.”

Hunter nodded and moved away from the bunk.  He seized Echo’s upper arm in a vice like grip and pulled him towards the cockpit.  His vision swam and before he knew it, Echo was being shoved into a seat and Hunter smashed the button to close the cockpit door.  Crosshair looked up from where he leaned against the navigation desk, eyebrow quirked.

“Echo, what the fuck were you thinking?”  He’d never seen Hunter this livid before, a snarl on his face.  “Stims?  Really?  Are you trying to kill yourself?”  The sergeant paced back and forth in front of him.  “Or trying to kill one of us?  What if there weren’t any stims left for Wrecker?  What do you think would have happened?”

The accusation was like a punch to the gut.  “I made sure I didn’t use them all.  I – I wouldn’t do that.”

“You wouldn’t do that?”  Hunter glowered at him.  “How do I know that, Echo?  I didn’t think you’d resort to drugging yourself to avoid sleep either, but here we are.”  He stopped pacing and rubbed his forehead.  “How long has this been going on?  How many stims have you taken?”

Echo fidgeted uncomfortably under Hunter’s glare.  Now he was caught he might as well be completely truthful.  “Nine in the past four rotations.”

Hunter’s expression darkened even further as he glared at Echo.  Behind him, Crosshair removed the toothpick from his lips, eyebrows raised.  Hunter pointed a finger in Echo’s face.  “Sit there and do not move.  You hear me?  That’s an order.  Kix is going to take a look at you when we reach the Resolute.  And I’m sure Rex will have words for you, too.”

Echo’s heart plummeted.  Oh, kark.  Rex was going to kriffing murder him over this.  Assuming Kix didn’t beat him to it.

Hunter turned to Crosshair.  “Watch him.”  He slammed the button for the cockpit door and closed it behind him as he left.

Echo folded over on himself resting his head in his hand.  His heart was pounding relentlessly in his chest.  Why didn’t he think of how Rex would react when he took those stims?  Simple, he didn’t.  He didn’t think about anything.  His primary focus had been avoiding seeing Fives die over and over in his dreams.  Well now he had other concerns…and not even Rex, what about Hunter?  His CO would probably never trust him again.  Force, what if he kicked him out of Clone Force 99?  Echo wouldn’t blame him, despite what Hunter said it was his fault Wrecker was lying there with a blaster wound.  He really did kriff everything up.  Echo felt himself shaking.  He clenched his fist, but it didn’t stop.  His heart continued to pound and the ship tilted around him as his mind spiraled.

------------------------

Hunter didn’t come back to the cockpit.  Crosshair took over flying the Marauder when they exited hyperspace and landed in one of the shuttle bays of the Resolute.  Echo could feel his heartrate increasing with every passing minute.  His stomach lurched and he thought he might be sick.

He’d listened to his sergeant and stayed seated for the duration of the trip.  Even after landing, he remained where he was until Crosshair took hold of his arm and silently urged him to stand.  The sniper hadn’t said a single word to him; he probably didn’t trust Echo anymore, either.  Kriffed.  Everything completely and utterly kriffed.

A handful of medics were gathered at the back of ship looking over Wrecker, Hunter hovering behind them.  Crosshair guided Echo down the ramp to wait where they were out of the way.  Echo couldn’t help but wonder if that was the last time he’d set foot on the Marauder; maybe Hunter would just leave him here and he’d be sent on a shuttle back to Kamino.  Without a squad he’d definitely be slated for decommissioning.  At this point he didn’t think he cared; without his squad, his brothers, his captain…he had nothing.  The thought made his head spin.  His heart was beating so fast he thought it might be buzzing.

The medics brought Wrecker out on a hover stretcher.  Echo watched them hurry across the hangar…and there was Rex.  He swore his heart stopped at the sight of him.  He couldn’t face Rex, couldn’t face how stupid he’d been this past week.  He’d proven himself to the captain over the years, but now he was sure he’d undone all of it; he was no better than the pathetic shiny he’d been on Rishi.    It was then he realized he couldn’t see; the hangar bay blurring as the black spots returned.  Good, he wouldn’t be able to see the disappointment on Rex’s face.  Voices wafted from somewhere nearby; he thought maybe it was Hunter.

“Wait a second, Kix.  You need to take a look at Echo.”

“Echo?  Why, what happened?”

This was it.  It was all over.  He was swaying on his feet.  He couldn’t breathe.

“Echo?”

“Echo!”

The world fell into darkness, and Echo fell with it.

Chapter Text

Echo didn’t know where he was.  Everything was dark.  He couldn’t move, wasn’t sure he had limbs to move.  He just seemed to float absently through a black abyss, only his thoughts to keep him company, and his mind didn’t exactly seem to be working either. 

Echo wasn’t sure how long he drifted for, there was no way to gauge the passage of time; but at some point voices started to break through the haze.  He became aware he was lying down, and now he was sure he had a body, but he still couldn’t move.  It felt like a massive weight was pressing down on him, and he barely had enough strength to expand his lungs as he breathed.  The voices got a little louder, fading in and out like someone was searching for the right comm channel.  He tried to listen, but couldn’t really understand.

 “Of course I didn’t let him take a dozen stims!  I had no idea what he was doing!”

“How could you have no idea?  As a commanding officer how did you possibly miss this?”

“Gimme a break, Rex, do you know every blasted thing that goes on in your – ”

“Okay, okay!  Well what the kriff was going on then?  Why wasn’t he sleeping?”

“He was having nightmares again.  He tried to hide it, but we knew something was going on.  I should’ve…”  A deep sigh.  “He was having nightmares.”

“I thought he had a handle on those.”

“Yeah, I did too.”

The voices were quiet.

“He wasn’t dreaming about Skako this time.”

“What?”

“Ever since we were on Coruscant he’s had nightmares about Fives.  Said he was watching him die every time he fell asleep.”

“Oh kriff…”

A pause.

“Watching who die?”

“Fives.”  Another pause.  “You can’t be serious.  Echo hasn’t talked about Fives?” 

“Not to me.  I guess he did to Crosshair.” 

“Not really.  I weaseled it out of him one night.  Heard him mention the name in his sleep.”

“Force, Echo...”  Sigh.  “So he hasn’t been sleeping because of nightmares about Fives, who he hasn’t said a word about to his new squad.”  Another sigh.  “What am I gonna do with you, kid?”

Echo couldn’t focus anymore.  His mind floated back to the darkness and he drifted again.

------------------------

Echo actually woke up this time.  Memories slowly flooded back to him as he remembered what had happened.  Fox, the nightmares, the stims, Wrecker…  He could barely move; just opening his eyelids took a monumental effort.  He was in a MedBay, curtains closing off the area around his bed.  Only one person sat at his bedside…but he must be seeing things.  There was no way General Kenobi would be sitting with him.

“Hello there.  It’s good to see you awake, Echo.”

Okay.  He’s hearing things, too.

His confusion must have shown on his face.  Obi-wan smiled warmly.  “I’m really here.  I promise.”

“Hello, sir.”  Echo winced at the rasping sound of his own voice.  Obi-wan offered him water.  It was slightly embarrassing to accept the drink from a general, but his mouth and throat were so dry it was painful.  Echo swallowed and looked around, suddenly troubled by the fact that none of the Batch were there.  Maybe they already left him.

“Relax, Echo.  I convinced your squad and Rex to go have something to eat and get some rest.  Given your current state it was fairly easy to persuade them that sleep is important.”

Guilt crashed over him.  Echo grimaced. 

Something of a smirk showed on Obi-wan’s face.  “Yes, you did quite a number on yourself.  That many stimulants combined with sleep deprivation pushed your body to the edge.  Kix was most displeased.  But you’re going to fully recover.”  He paused, observing Echo thoughtfully.  His voice took on a softer tone when he continued.  “And while you made some poor decisions I don’t think it was entirely your fault.”

Echo looked at the man questioningly.

Obi-wan leaned forward.  “I hear you are being plagued by nightmares, my friend.”

His heart skipped a beat.  He didn’t want to think about this again.

The Jedi held out his hand to Echo, palm up, as a silent offer.  He couldn’t explain why, but Echo gave in to the desire to take it.  Immediately Obi-wan’s hand closed around his, placing his other hand on top.  The hold was firm but not restrictive.  He looked directly into Echo’s eyes, his gaze steady and unwavering.

“Fear can make us act irrationally.  It’s not an excuse, but it is an explanation.”  The grasp on his hand tightened just a bit.  “Nightmares are often a way our mind attempts to cope with things we aren’t otherwise dealing with.  Emotions or thoughts we try to bury so we don’t have to feel them.  It’s important to deal with those sentiments in a healthy way before they overwhelm you, as they inevitably will at some point.  If they gain enough power they can drag you to some dark places.”  The corner of his mouth twitched as his eyes twinkled.  “And Kix thought it prudent to emphasize that stimulants are not considered a healthy coping mechanism.”

Echo laughed before he could stop himself.  “I know that, sir.”

Obi-wan smiled.  “Good.”  He considered Echo for another moment.  “Talking, however, is an excellent method for dealing with difficulties.  I happen to know you have a long list of people ready and willing to listen and provide support at any time.”

Echo nodded.  “I know that too, sir.”

His voice was strong, but not stern.  “I suggest you take advantage of those resources.  Sooner, rather than later.”

Echo nodded again.  “Yes, sir.  I will.”

The Jedi patted his hand.  “Good man.”

Silence fell between them for a minute, until Echo couldn’t help but ask what was on his mind.

“Sir?  Excuse me if this is rude but, why are you here?”

“Ah,” Obi-wan’s eyes twinkled again.  “I happened to be on the Resolute for a convenient transport.  Rex asked if I would speak to you.”  He leaned forward and lowered his voice.  “It’s a good thing I was here.  I can’t imagine what Anakin would have said to you if he was the only Jedi at Rex’s disposal.”

------------------------

Blasters were firing.  Fives was screaming, begging Echo for help.  He staggered back, clutching at his chest before crumpling to the ground, motionless.  Another voice called him, running into the fire.  Wrecker jolted as he was hit, falling with a crash.  No…

Reg?

Echo watched wisps of smoke trailing from both sets of armor.  He was frozen in place.

Reg, wake up.  Kark!

He couldn’t lose both of them, they couldn’t both be dead.

Get away from him!  I’ve got it!

Echo was yelling.

A pair of hands latched painfully onto his shoulders.  “Echo!”

He opened his eyes, shooting upright and wheezing for breath.  Echo found himself face to face with Crosshair, his hands still clamped on Echo’s shoulders.  His heart was hammering.  Crosshair’s eyes searched his face.  “Reg?”

He couldn’t answer, just fruitlessly tried to make his lungs work as he shook uncontrollably.  His thoughts shifted back to the dream – of Fives and now Wrecker, shot, dead on the floor.  Echo clenched his eyes shut.  He leaned in and rested his head on Crosshair’s chest, still trying to take deep breaths.  He couldn’t do this, couldn’t take it anymore.  He was so tired. 

Echo spoke in a whisper, not even sure it was audible between gasps.  “I miss Fives.”  It’d been at the forefront of his mind for ages but he’d never said it aloud.  He swallowed, his voice a little stronger, cracking.  “I miss him so much.”

Crosshair stiffened momentarily, then slowly moved his arms to wrap them around Echo.

Echo’s breath hitched.  Without thinking, he surged forward to hug Crosshair back, burying his face in the man’s shoulder.  His eyes burned.  Echo held on tighter as he fought to keep himself together, but it wasn’t working.  The more he melted into the embrace the more his mind drifted back to Fives.  Kark, he missed him.  Why did he have to die?  Echo needed him.  He needed Fives.  His blood boiled as anger suddenly coursed through him.  Why did that kriffing commander have to shoot him?  Why?  A few tears escaped his closed lids and that was all it took for the dam to break; he felt himself shaking as he sobbed.

Echo clung to Crosshair so forcefully he thought he’d break him in half, but Crosshair didn’t so much as flinch.  The sniper was silent as he kept his arms securely around him.  Echo had no idea how much time went by as he cried into Crosshair’s shoulder; unable to keep his emotions in check in his exhausted state. 

------------------------

He dreamed of Fives again.  But this time was different.  The two of them were alone, walking the halls of the Resolute, maybe heading to the mess or back to their barracks; it didn’t seem to matter.  They were talking, but Echo couldn’t distinguish the actual words.  That didn’t matter either.  Fives laughed, a glorious sound Echo had almost forgotten.  It sent a surge of warmth through his chest.  Fives’s eyes twinkled as Echo laughed too.  He put his arm around Echo’s shoulders.  It was a solid, comforting weight that he’d missed so much.  The two continued to walk, Echo soaking in every detail of Fives he could, from the way his eyes crinkled as he grinned, to the slight swagger in his step.  He never wanted this walk to end, wanted to live in this moment forever.

Eventually, the hallway started to become fuzzy and Fives’s voice to fade.  Echo’s heart grew heavy at the thought that it was over.  He tried to focus on Fives as long as possible, but the dream gradually faded out.  Oddly, the weight across his shoulders was still there.  Puzzled, Echo forced his eyes open. 

Crosshair was settled on the MedBay bed next to him, chin pressed against his chest as he slept.  His arm was slung steadily across Echo’s shoulders.  The emptiness in Echo’s chest eased a bit, replaced by a similar warmth he’d felt in the dream.  He leaned into Crosshair’s side and closed his eyes again.

------------------------

Echo spent three bleary rotations in MedBay before Kix reluctantly agreed to discharge him, and he was pretty sure he’d been asleep for at least two and a half of them.  He was subjected to a stern lecture from Kix on his way out, then a slightly less stern lecture from Rex, followed by a plea to comm him if he needed to talk.  The calm of the Marauder had never looked so inviting.

“All right, the two of you – ” Hunter pointed towards Echo and Wrecker.  “Bed.”

“Aww, come on, Sarge!”

“No.  Kix only released you on the condition that you rest.  And that’s exactly what you’re gonna do.”

Wrecker groaned dramatically and headed towards the bunks.  Echo started to turn, too.

“Hold on, Echo.  I want a word first.”  Hunter nodded towards the cockpit.  Echo followed warily, apprehension making his heartrate pick up.

Hunter gestured to one of the navigation chairs and Echo sat.  The sergeant closed the doors and took the seat next to him.  It was uncomfortably quiet for a long moment before Hunter spoke.

“You tried to tell me, didn’t you?”

That…wasn’t what Echo had been expecting.  He blinked, taken aback.

“That morning.  We were sitting here, and you wanted to talk to me.”

Echo swallowed.  “Yeah.  I was going to tell you, but then the orders – “

“Right, right, the orders.”  Hunter rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.  “I’m taking it as a good sign that you realized you needed help.  You didn’t actually ask for it, and it was way too late…” He gave Echo a half-hearted glare.  “But you were still going to ask.”

Echo didn’t reply.  The silence stretched again.

“Echo,” Hunter leaned forward towards him.  “I need to know you won’t do that again.  It was reckless and dangerous.  You put yourself and the squad at risk.  I understand why you thought you needed to, but I still…” He trailed off and took a deep breath.  “As your sergeant, that can’t happen.  You hear me, trooper?”

Echo nodded.  “Yes, sir.”

Hunter’s rigid demeanor relaxed slightly.  “If it gets that bad again, just…please talk to me, Echo.  Or one of the others.  I don’t know what we would’ve done if…”  He faltered for a moment.  “We’re here for you, okay?”

Echo nodded again.  “Okay.”

Hunter let out an exhausted sigh.  He bobbed his head towards the door.  “All right.  Bed.”

Echo left the cockpit as a feeling of relief washed over him.  He was infinitely grateful that Hunter was giving him another chance.  He crawled into his bunk, listening to Wrecker’s soft snores as he pulled the blanket over himself.  Just as he was about to close his eyes, Crosshair climbed into the bed next to him.  He forcefully nudged Echo’s shoulder to get him to move over. 

Echo stared, confused.  He kept his voice low so as not to disturb Wrecker.  “Uh, this is my bunk.”

The sniper rolled his eyes.  “Yes, I’m aware, Reg.”  He tugged the blanket from Echo so it covered him too.  “You really want to sleep alone?”

Echo paused.  The answer was a resounding ‘no,’ but he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit it.

It looked like it took all of Crosshair’s patience to resist rolling his eyes again.  Instead he took a deep breath through his nose and settled himself on the pillow. He smirked but his tone was softer as he whispered, “I thought so.”

After a few moments Echo gave in and curled next to Crosshair – he was trapped here now anyway.  It did put him at ease, having someone this close to him.  The next thing he knew, the sniper’s arm was around him, pulling him against his chest.  Echo was bewildered at first, but it was warm and comfortable listening to Crosshair’s rhythmic breathing.  He felt his eyelids grow heavy but he wouldn’t let them close.  Something was bothering him, nagging at him the last couple rotations but he hadn’t been sure how to broach the subject.  Echo steeled himself before he lost the nerve.  “Crosshair?”

 “Mm?”

“Why aren’t you angry with me anymore?  You were fuming after the mission.”

Crosshair shifted slightly.  “What makes you think I’m not?”

Echo was silent, contemplating an answer other than ‘this.’  He was confident Crosshair wouldn’t be lying in bed with him if he was still mad.  Before he made up his mind on what to say, Crosshair let out a tired sigh. 

He spoke quietly, the arm around Echo tightening by a fraction.  “You’re not the only one who doesn’t do well seeing their brother collapse.”

Slightly stunned, Echo didn’t respond.  He didn’t think he needed to.  There was an unspoken understanding between the two of them, and Echo realized Crosshair needed this just as much as he did.  He gave into the tiredness, exhaling contentedly and closing his eyes, more relaxed than he could remember feeling in a long time.  Despite all the rest he’d had the past few days he was still completely worn out.  He fell asleep almost immediately.

The vision of Fives crashing to the ground from a blaster bolt startled Echo awake, but he found he wasn’t panicking.  His heart wasn’t beating out of chest, and his breathing was still in control.  Crosshair’s arm was wrapped solidly, protectively around him.  Echo looked up.  Crosshair was watching him.  “Reg?”

Echo blinked but didn’t say anything.  He rested his head more comfortably against Crosshair and closed his eyes again.  He wasn’t afraid to sleep anymore.

------------------------

Later that evening, Echo and Wrecker were finally allowed out of their bunks.  Everyone was relaxing and chatting in the cockpit as the ship hurtled through hyperspace.  Wrecker and Crosshair were reminiscing and attempting to one-up each other by comparing stunts they pulled on various missions.  Back and forth they went, each tale getting more and more absurd and unbelievable. 

Echo was reminded of Fives’s harebrained ideas, seeming ludicrous at the time but managing to get them out of some tight spots.  He smiled to himself and chuckled.  Hunter nudged his shoulder.  “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, just…one of my old batch mates would’ve given you guys a run for your credits, that’s all.”  Echo hadn’t planned to continue, but the others were looking at him expectantly.  He hesitated, then started describing how Fives had once made a brash decision that led to taking out seven rollies and a tank with a single stolen speeder.  The 501^st found it hilarious that it actually worked, but the incensed owner of the destroyed speeder didn’t find it funny.  Fives had floundered trying to placate the distressed Rhodian.  The memory always used to make Echo smile.  The Batch also seemed to enjoy it, if Crosshair’s smirk and Hunter’s chuckle were any indication; not to mention Tech scolding Wrecker for rolling on the floor with his still-healing injury.  Echo found himself laughing too, relishing the feeling that he was remembering Fives and it didn’t physically hurt.

He told another story.  And another after that.  He was contemplating a fourth as Wrecker howled and held his ribs from laughter.  Echo smiled.  Maybe just one more.