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Echo shifted until his shoulder was pressed against Fives's as the ship dropped down and landed in front of the gathered troops. The 501st had been campaigning for several months on Agamar, taking heavy casualties and barely making any headway against the Separatist base on the planet. They were all exhausted and at the end of their reserves. No one bothered Kix anymore, unless it was a life or death situation as the medic was struggling to maintain his equilibrium in the wake of so much death. Echo and Fives were pulling double and triple shifts with barely any breaks to rest and recuperate. Any breaks they did receive were spent primarily in strategy sessions with the General, Commander, and Captain.
All the ARC training in the world could not change the fact that they needed reinforcements and badly. Central Command had finally sent them a Special Ops team, and General Skywalker had received confirmation that they would be touching down behind Republic lines. Fives and Echo were sent to welcome the team and take them to the briefing tent.
"How are your legs holding up?" Fives asked quietly as they pushed their way through their brothers to the ship.
"Holding up for now. General Skywalker built them to last through pretty much everything," Echo answered. Citadel had been a hell-hole, but Fives and Rex had pulled him off that planet, burned and missing his right arm, his right leg and most of his left. That didn't even touch the intensive and experimental surgery Senator Amidala's surgeon friend had performed to help restore most of his hearing. General Skywalker had built his prosthetics himself and helped Echo through all of the intense physical therapy until he was able to return to combat.
"Good. You should probably take some time to clean out the gears and circuits this rotation. Maybe while the Captain is briefing the Spec Ops team Commander Cody sent us," Fives suggested.
"That will probably help a lot," Echo agreed. He pulled his bucket off as they arrived at the entrance of the ship. "Welcome to Agamar, Clone Force 99," he said with as genuine a smile as he could manage.
"Thank you," the leader said with a nod. "I'm Sergeant Hunter."
"ARC trooper Fives and this is ARC trooper Echo," Fives introduced. "We'll take you to General Skywalker and Captain Rex."
"I can't wait until we blow stuff up!" the big one shouted with a loud cackle. Echo hid a wince as his ear implant protested at the volume. "We're gonna wreck those Seppies for ya!"
"Wrecker, if we explode anything on this side of the planet, it could result in massive sinkholes and would be detrimental to our campaign," another clone said as he pulled off his helmet. Echo immediately clocked the goggles that were either used as specialty equipment with nice upgrades or to correct poor eyesight.
"Yeah, that's why we haven't called an orbital bombardment or bombers," Echo agreed slowly. Just who were these clones? They didn't even really look like clones and most of them were taller than everyone else. "The command center is this way." He pointed towards the middle of the temporary base the clones had put together to hold this position.
The fourth member of Clone Force 99 scoffed and shoved Echo as he forged ahead of the pair of ARCs. "Out of my way, reg. We'll take over from here."
"Hey!" Fives growled as he caught Echo before he fell to the ground. "What's your problem?"
"Leave it, Fives," Echo mumbled as he righted himself with a wince. "We can't afford to start fighting each other. We need their help and Commander Cody says they're our best chance."
"Well, we are considered the best," the goggles one said as he followed his squadmate, eyes square on the datapad in his hand.
Echo locked his arms around Fives's torso to prevent his twin from starting a fight. They didn't need to cause more problems for the Captain, after all. Sergeant Hunter shrugged in a vague apology, before dragging the fourth teammate to follow the rest towards the command center.
"They think they're better than us," Fives growled. "They don't know what's happened on this damned planet or any of the others we've been on. They can't treat us like that."
"We don't know what they've gone through either," Echo snapped back, careful to keep his voice quiet to keep the spec ops troops from overhearing their conversation. "Look, I get it. But right now, we do need their help and Rex won't like it if we start a fight with these guys. We represent Torrent, and you know how General Kenobi always goes on about appearances. We have to be better."
Fives grumbled, but nodded. "Let's go catch up to them so Rex doesn't think we're slacking off."
"Put together a squad to come with us," Rex ordered Fives and Echo as the briefing wrapped up. "Keep it small, and make sure they know that we're going covert for this mission."
"Yes, sir," Echo saluted and dragged his twin from the command center to Commander Tano's amusement. "Come on, we'll grab Jesse and Kix for sure. There's a couple of shinies that I've been keeping an eye on that would benefit from this kind of mission."
"Hardcase could be an asset if this mission goes FUBAR," Fives offered. "Attie and Zeer and Del would be good, too. They're older than us and more experienced."
"That's eight, ten with us. Four of Clone Force 99, the Captain and the Commander. Sixteen total should be plenty, especially with General Skywalker standing by on extraction," Echo summarized. "I'll go get Jess, Kix, and Case and my two shinies. You get the other three?"
"Of course," Fives nodded.
Echo didn't realize he had one of the spec ops guys following him for only a few seconds. Crosshair was good at what he did, from all the rumors and reports, but all that special operations training would never be able to fool an ARC and Echo was one of the best. He found Jesse, Kix, and Hardcase gathered near the temporary med bay, just where he knew they would be. A couple of quiet words, and the three swiftly moved to gear up and replenish whatever supplies they needed to. Echo watched them walk off for a second before he turned to confront his shadow.
"Can I help you, Crosshair?"
"No. We don't need you, reg. We don't need to work with whatever squad you put together," he sneered.
Echo raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about you, Crosshair, but when my Captain orders me to pick a squad to go on this mission, I'm going to follow orders and pick the men I think will be best suited. I don't care how you and your team have worked in the past, right now you're working with us. And that means working with regs."
"Those, what do you call them? Shinies? Those shinies are going to be way in over their heads. We won't be pulling them out of the fire if they can't figure out how to duck," Crosshair said in a scathingly cool voice as he flicked his tooth pick at Echo's chest.
Echo felt his own anger grow hot and frosty at the same time as the trooper's words sunk in. In the 3rd Systems Army, and especially in Torrent, they all watched their brothers' backs, but especially the younger ones. Echo was barely twenty physically, and he was one of the earlier speedy batches, being sent out at nine in clone years. He'd seen the way older brothers protected Fives and Echo, and now that they were veterans, they made sure to take care of the shinies, all of whom were far younger than they should be. Crosshair's caustic dismissal of those younger brothers grated against every instinct Echo had developed since his commission.
"Noted," he said icily. "You do whatever you do, and I'll make sure my brothers live to see the end of the day. Not that you care. Just don't get in my way, and I'll stay out of yours."
It seemed as though the sneer was a permanent part of Crosshair's face, and Echo decided to ignore the clone as much as possible until Clone Force 99 left the 501st. 99 would be disgusted by Crosshair's attitude, Echo thought to himself bitterly. Then his heart sank and his anger faded away. 99 would be disappointed in my own behavior. I'll apologize later, when I don't have brothers' lives relying on me.
Echo rolled his shoulders and massaged the joint where his prosthetic met blood and bone before he headed deeper into the camp to find Dogma and Tup. Both were promising soldiers, each with unique challenges that he was hoping to help them with on this mission. Echo remembered when he was as shunned as Dogma for following the rules exactly, and he had decided as soon as he met the trooper that he would take the shiny under his wing, along with his twin. Tup was quiet and shy, though there was a hidden rebellious streak that appeared in the form of his long non-regulation hair. Tup needed confidence and Dogma needed adaptability. It was time to give them the experience needed to develop those traits for themselves.
The peace lasted until the evening, when the group decided to stop and rest until they were able to actually see where they were going. Ahsoka was regaling the shinies with stories of past missions, with more interruptions from Fives and Jesse than actual story-telling. Echo kept alert, despite Del and Zeer being on guard duty, even as he relaxed against his bed roll and listened to his vod'e.
"There were Geonosians everywhere, and the mega tanks were getting closer. Nothing could touch them, not even the biggest explosions we could spare. I wasn't with the boys. I was busy crawling through disgusting tunnels to blow up the droid factory from the inside, all without waking up any of the bugs. Rex led the charge, alongside Commander Gree, and you should have seen him." Ahsoka stood up and mimicked the Captain's fighting stance, imaginary pistols blasting bugs in every direction. "Geonosians were scooping troops up, left and right, eating them right there in front of them."
"Geonosians don't eat humans," Kix interjected with a laugh.
"Shush, they do in this story," Ahsoka glared playfully. "So, there they were, the mega tanks approaching from the front, waves of droids coming out of the factory with millions more on the way, and Geonosians eating troopers. There was no escape and they were all going to die."
Wrecker snorted and Crosshair scoffed in disgust. Instantly, Echo tensed, eyes snapping to the spec ops guys. Fives's grin slid from his face and Dogma and Tup shuffled a little closer to Fives and Kix respectively. Ahsoka's story stopped and she gave a confused look at Clone Force 99.
"Is there a problem?" Echo asked, his voice carrying despite how quietly he spoke.
"If that was a difficult mission for you regs, I'd hate to see how you handle something really challenging," Crosshair sneered. "But what else did we expect from a bunch of standard clones."
Echo felt that word punch through his chest as if it was an actual knife. Tup whimpered and Dogma very nearly buried his face against Fives's shoulder guard. Crosshair said clones the same way birthers did. As though being a clone meant they were nothing more than meat-droids. Shinies tended to think that way, but they were quickly taught otherwise by their older brothers, and any brother in a battalion that treated them horribly struggled with the concept. But these were brothers who worked directly with Commander Cody. They should know better by now.
"Excuse me?" Ahsoka glared at Crosshair.
"Statistically, we've been on missions with higher risks and greater odds than the Geonosian campaign and we have yet to fail," Tech answered, obviously hoping to ease some of the tension.
"Fives," Echo said as he slowly got to his feet. He jerked his head towards Rex and Hunter, who had been working through their strategies and making plans. His twin immediately understood and he quickly corralled Tup, Dogma, and Ahsoka away from the Bad Batch. He turned back to Wrecker, Crosshair, and Tech and used the piercing stare he had learned from Captain Rex. "What do you have against us?" he demanded softly. "As far as I know, none of us have ever met you before you showed up here on Agamar."
"You're regs," Crosshair scoffed as he, too, got to his feet. The other two followed his example.
Echo signed a quick stand down at Jesse and Hardcase. He could handle three upstart brothers and those two were too hot-headed for their own good.
With a scoff, Echo dug a bit more, needing to get to the bottom. "And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?"
"It's what we call regular clones. Non-defective clones," Tech answered. He stood strong against the force of Echo's stare and Echo had to give him credit for that, at least.
"So, you hate us because you think we're all the same?" Echo sneered. "You think you're so different from the rest of us that you've completely forgotten everything 99 and Rancor ever taught us?"
"99 chose us himself," Wrecker boasted and thumped his chest. "We're his favorites."
"99 loved all of his brothers equally. He taught us to take care of each other, not leave brothers to die if it would save your own skin," Echo snarled back. "And yet, you spit on us and all our brothers who are marching ahead. Thousands were killed on Geonosis, thousands more have died here on Agamar. You would leave my shinies to fend for themselves if they got separated from the rest of us "regs". You aren't worthy to carry 99's name."
The entire camp went quiet, with only the quiet murmuring of Captain Rex and Sergeant Hunter drifting over.
"Want to run that by me again, reg?" Crosshair drawled as he stepped inside Echo's space.
"Echo," Kix said softly, attempting to get the ARC to stand down.
"I won't take back what I said," Echo answered firmly. "99 would be disappointed in all of you."
"What gives you the right?" Crosshair snapped. "You're just like the rest, looking down your nose at us for being different. For being defective. You didn't even know 99."
"I held his body as he died. He mentored my squadmate and he was the one that helped us pass our final test," Echo responded hotly. "99 named my squadmate and he helped give me the courage to accept my name. Hevy gave 99 his graduation medal, and then I had to tell him that Hevy was killed on Rishi. So, yes, I do know 99 and I know he would be ashamed of us for fighting. But I will be dead before I stop standing up for my brothers."
"You're Domino Squad?" Tech asked, shoving Crosshair to the side. His eyes were wide and filled with awe.
"Fives and I are what's left of Domino Squad," Echo affirmed, caught off guard at the sudden shift. "You got a problem with that?"
"But you guys are legends! The cadets all talked about how you helped defend the barracks and saved Kamino," Tech babbled, clearly excited.
"And yet, we're "those regs" you hate so much," Echo stated firmly, refusing to get distracted. "Just because we all look alike, doesn't mean each brother is unique and deserving of our support and love. Whether they're defective or not. We protect all brothers. That's our creed."
"Your words are nice, pretty boy, but it's just lip service. You regs don't understand what it's like to be defective, and you never will," Crosshair snarled.
"At least your defects are desirable," Echo snapped back. "My entire squad was considered defective and it's only because General Ti believed in us that we were even able to be deployed. We were going to be janitors on Kamino. Rex is a natural blond. If Prime hadn't stepped in, he would have been decommissioned for a physical variance that had no effect whatsoever on how he performed. There are others in this very group who were considered defective, and it was only because we worked together to keep them safe that they are still alive today. Maybe if you pulled your head out of your ass long enough to see brothers instead of judging us for being the same, you'd see that we only want to keep each other safe."
The three Bad Batchers were silent as Echo's words tumbled over them. Because Echo was right. While they didn't have the easiest life on Kamino and had to endure dozens of tests and experiments, they had never had to face death, especially for something as small as blond hair.
"You were defective?" Wrecker eventually asked.
"Yes. That's where I got my name," Echo answered, his voice gentler now that he had driven home his point. "Here's what we're going to do. For the rest of this mission, we treat each other as equals and as vod'e. Maybe even build some friendships. Clones were not made to be isolated, and your team has been for most of your lives. You need more allies outside of the four of you and Torrent is a good start. We're going to protect each other, and especially our vod'ike, and we're not going to make things harder on them. I brought those two along for a reason, and you're not going to traumatize them more than they already are. And if you can't find it in yourself to look at us as equals, at least treat us with respect until this mission is over and we can go our separate ways. Does that sound reasonable?"
Tech and Wrecker both nodded immediately, both elbowing Crosshair until he gave Echo a sharp, brief nod. There was a distinct feel of tension draining from the camp and Echo let out a breath in a heavy sigh.
"Great. Now, Tech, I understand you are great with electronics. I was wondering if you could help me with something," Echo asked as he sat back down. He signed an "all clear" at Fives and knew the others would be joining soon.
"Yes, I am highly proficient with all forms of technology," Tech answered slowly.
"Come here, I won't bite," Echo said with a wry grin. "You'll have to get in close if you want to help." He removed his upper armor quickly and rolled the top half of his blacks down to his waist. His prosthetic arm gleamed in the firelight, and he heard the sharp inhales from the three newbies. "There's a wire loose, up by my shoulder where the prosthetic attaches. It's hooked into my nerves and it's been driving me nuts for hours. I would have asked General Skywalker, but it didn't come loose until earlier this afternoon. Do you think you could find the wire and fix it?"
There was a dangerous gleam in Tech's eyes, but Echo didn't care. He had built a bridge between these isolated brothers, and he was going to protect that bridge, even if it put him in uncomfortable positions. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kix prod Jesse and Hardcase towards Wrecker, while he approached the sniper. Kix's skill with a sniper rifle was legendary in the 501st, and Echo was sure whatever came from that conversation would be extremely interesting. Attie brought out his little stash of candies and offered one each to all of the brothers gathered around the fire. The rustle of the wrappers drew the others over, and soon, Echo had Tup pressed up against his good side while Tech worked on his arm. Tup and Tech traded suggestions, with Echo adding his own insights and experiences with his prosthetics, including both legs. Dogma curled up next to Zeer after Hardcase and Kix took over watch and Del drew Crosshair into a conversation about various weapons the GAR provided. Fives sat back and watched over them all, shooting barbs at Jesse who returned the insults cheerfully.
Things were looking up for the team.
Agamar was finally taken with the help of the Bad Batch and a lot of explosions. Hardcase and Wrecker had struck up a fast friendship, much to the concern of both Sergeant Hunter and Captain Rex. But Echo could do nothing but look at them with pride. All brothers were precious, especially if they didn't think so. Echo was just glad they could reach an understanding.
After the debrief, Rex and Hunter tracked Echo down and pulled him off to the side.
"Can I help you, sirs?" he asked, looking between the two men.
"We just wanted to commend you for the way you managed to pull our two crews together," Rex said with a grin. "We overheard everything and were about to step in when you took charge. It was rather impressive."
"I expected an all-out brawl, to be honest," Hunter added. "You got through to my boys and even taught me a few things. You reminded us that we're not as alone as we thought and we have a duty to our brothers and not just to each other. Thank you."
Echo wasn't entirely sure what to say. He never did when he was praised. "Uhh, happy to help, sir. Just glad to see your boys reaching out to Torrent. No brother should be left alone. It goes against our creed."
"Well said," Rex nodded approvingly. "You did good, Echo. I'm proud of you."
Those words burned straight into his chest to find a home in his heart. "Thank you, sir. I had a great teacher."
Rex just laughed and shoved Echo's shoulder. Hunter was called away to monitor some kind of contest between Wrecker and a few of the more competitive vod'e. Rex slung an arm around Echo. "Seriously, I'm proud of you, vod'ika. You may have just changed the lives of those four, and you managed to teach them a valuable lesson without physical violence. Not many could have pulled that off."
"Just doing what you would have done, sir," Echo responded as he leaned into the Captain's hold. "Wanna bet that Hardcase will end up in the medbay before the Bad Batch leaves?"
"Sucker's bet."
"Whatever you say, boss."