I don't own Star Wars.
Echo was a clone. Clones weren't supposed to have moality problems. Or, they weren't supposed to have morals.
Echo had never struggled with this before. He was a good soldier.
Good Soldiers follow orders.
And so, when he was sent to Ryloth alongside Rex and Fives to reinforce General Windu, he thought it would be a standard, by the books assignment.
He was wrong.
The squadron to which he had been with hit a land mine, at a fork in the road.
Good soldiers follow orders.
Echo had been thrown from the road, landing on the dirt. The rest of his squad had been incinerated.
Good soldiers follow orders.
Once he had regained conciousness, the Arc Trooper had duitfully followed the original plan, which was to secure a nearby village for important intel.
Good soldiers follow orders.
Echo reached the village in the next hour, and made short work of most of the droids. Except for one.
A tactical droid had kicked down the door to a hut, with a little girl in his arms. A little twilek girl.
The droid revealed the stakes to the Arc: let him go ot he kills the girl. The intel Echo was after was downloaded in him, but if plasma even scorched the droid's outer shell, it would self destruct, taking the intel and the whole village with it.
Good soldiers followed orders.
His orders were to get the Intel, no matter the cost. So what was the problem?
Echo only saw one solution to the problem, and he refused to carry it out.
Echo could shoot the girl, and the droid would stumble. Afterwards, Echo would tackle the droid and snap its neck, securing the intel.
Good soldiers follow orders.
He wouldn't do it.
Good soldiers follow orders.
The girl stared at him fearfully, tears in her eyes.
Good soldiers follow orders.
A ringing in his ear, a voice that sounded like the chancellor, in his head...
Good soldiers follow orders.
Good soldiers follow orders.
Echo squeezed the triggor.
Time slowed down.
Good soldiers followed orders.
The blast raced forward-
Good soldiers follow orders.
It was about to connect to the target-
GOOD SOLDIERS FOLLOW ORDERS.
He couldn't-
GOOD SOLDIERS FOLLOW ORDERS.
Echo's plan went exactly as he thought it would. The little girl slumped dead in the tactical droid's arms, who looked at it in surprise before backing away.
Echo tackled the bot and ripped off its head with a feral scream.
Afterwards, Echo held the small body in his arms, allowing tears to fall down his face until Fives arrived, asking what had happened, and Rex appeared, asking where he's been.
Good soldiers follow orders.
Echo was a good soldier. He had followed orders.
And he hated himself for it.
I write a lot of dark stuff, huh? Don't forget to review and check out my other stuff.