Rebellion Chapter 3. How will our heroes react to the Old Man's identity?
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"Echo, meaning the Clone!?" Kal asked.
"Yes CT-21-0408." The Old Man said.
"So I guess we call you Echo then." Sara said.
"We were only a number to the Republic. I got my chip removed before the order by a skilled doctor I was friends with. Once I heard of the order I had a friend erase all my files with her access to the temple and I was safe from the empire." Echo said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Kal asked.
"Because I didn't feel you were ready. When I saw you carried Mati back here, I reconsidered it. You would have made a great Clone Kal, had you been born in a lab at least." Echo said as he chuckled.
"Then who was Mati?" Asked Cole.
"Some Rodian I met at a bar a while ago. He was my first crewmate. I can still name the order in which we found you all. It went, Mati, Sara, Kal, Alicia, Cole, and Mara." Echo said.
"How are you sixty then? The Clones were born around twenty seven years ago." Kal said.
"I am not sixty but it seems like I am. Even with accelerated growth I am only forty-nine. Fighting in a war gives you grey hairs though." Echo said.
"Figures." Sara said.
"Wait! Stay here!" Kal said as he ran to his quarters to grab his Clone Helmet. He ran out and gave it to Echo.
"A Clone helmet…. This looks familiar." Echo said.
"Look at the side." Kal said.
"CT-782…. Hevy! He was one of my buddy's from Domino Squad. A squad that is just me now. We were still in our initial training when we were in domino squad." Echo said.
"That's pretty cool." Kal said.
"How do you know me anyways? You said Echo like you knew that name." Echo asked.
"I read all about famous Clones in a file on the deep web, you know where you can still find articles and data banned by the empire." Kal said.
"Wow. I guess I can now wear my armor too, now that you know I'm a clone." Echo said.
Everyone followed him to his quarters and saw a chest that was locked. He input a code and it opened revealing ARC Trooper armor.
"Woah!" Mara said remembering the Clones that liberated her planet from the clutches of the Separatist when she was eight years old.
"ARC Trooper Echo." He said. He pulled out his blaster rifle that was a modified version of what he had during the Clone Wars.
"One last question. Who did you serve under?" Kal asked.
"General Anakin Skywalker and Commander Ahsoka Tano." Echo said.
"What happened to them?" Kal asked.
"Ahsoka… I can't say right now but you will find out. General Skywalker is rumored to be dead, killed in Order 66." Echo said.
"Anakin Skywalker was all we heard on the Holonet. He was a hero. Now, he is no more but a memory." Cole said.
The Holonet beeped and Echo answered.
"This is Fulcrum. Oh uh, who are they Echo?" The hooded figure called Fulcrum asked.
"This is my crew, the crew of the Death Raider. I revealed to them my true identity." Echo said.
"Who is she?" Kal asked.
"Fulcrum. A Secret Informant I have been meeting with for years." Echo replied.
Fulcrum waited until they were done talking. "Oh well, I have a request from a member of another rebel cell. Remember that Blockade Runner I gave you? Take that to the system north of Mustafar at sector 9 and meet us there. Fulcrum out."
Echo led the crew to the hangers and boarded the Blockade runner. They boarded the Blockade runner and made the jump to the coordinates Fulcrum gave them.
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They came out of hyperspace next to two other blockade runners, an imperial troop transport, and a freighter similar to theirs.
"This is Fulcrum. Making jump to Mustafar now." Said a Togrutan before they made the jump. The transmission cut before Echo could say anything.
"Fulcrum is a Togrutan?" Kal asked.
"Fulcrum is Commander Ahsoka Tano!" Echo said.
The whole crew was shocked by what they just heard. The secret informant that was apparently meeting with Echo for years now was his former Commanding officer from the Clone Wars.
They came out of hyperspace and saw an Inquisitor Tie and a colorful Tie fleeing Imperials. Over the com they heard orders not to shoot at them and only at the Tie Fighters chasing them. Kal manned the gun and shot some ties down. He saw the two Tie Fighters board the stolen transport and they went into hyperspace.
They came out of hyperspace next to Lothal and they boarded the ship known as the Ghost. They saw Ahsoka talking to a Mandalorian Teen, a Lasat, a Twi'lek, and two Jedi that were probably Master and Apprentice. It was rare to see a Jedi nonetheless two Jedi.
"So what happens now?" The Padawan asked.
"I don't know… A new chapter has closed for you Ezra Bridger... This is a new day, a new beginning." Ahsoka said.
Her eyes than glanced to Echo and his crew. She smiled as she saw Echo and it reminded her of when times were better. She couldn't help but wonder if…. No, she quickly forgot about her chain of thought.
"Commander Tano…. It's wonderful to see you in person again." Echo said.
"As for you. Meet the crew of the Ghost! Kanan and his Padawan Ezra. The Lasat over there is Zeb. The Mandalorin is Sabine, and the Twi'lek is Hera, their representative to me, and the droid is named Chopper." Ahsoka said.
"It's good to meet another Rebel Cell. How do you know Ful- I mean Ahsoka anyways?" Kanan asked curiously.
"I was in the 501st under Anakin Skywalker and she was his Padawan at the time." Echo replied.
"Oh yes now I remember you," Kanan said looking at Ahsoka, "you were the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker. I was Master Bilaba's Padawan. She… Died in the order." Kanan said as he struggled to keep his fears from pouring out.
"Yes. I remember you blurted out during a lesson Master Kenobi was teaching asking if the comeback signal could tell everyone to stay away from the temple also. He told me that when I visited him in his exile." Ahsoka said.
"Master Kenobi survived?! Where is he? He could train both me and Ezra! Master Kenobi was a legendary Jedi and-." Kanan was interrupted by Ahsoka.
"I'm afraid he only wants me and Master Yoda to know his whereabouts." Ahsoka said.
"Master Yoda too?" Kanan said almost hyperventilating.
"Yes but again. His location is classified unless he says otherwise." Ahsoka said.
"Can we get back to the introductions?" Echo asked.
"Yes." Ahsoka said.
"This is Kal, Cole, Alicia, Mara, and Sara." Echo said as he pointed to all of them.
"Thank you for the help." Hera said.
"It was great being able to get off of Dusket." Echo said.
"You guys operate off of Dusket? We are on Lothal." Kanan said. The two planets weren't too close but they were still close enough.
"I heard. We know who to call if we need help." Echo said smiling.
"You two are Jedi right?" Kal asked.
"I was only a Padawan when Order 66 was executed." Kanan said with a hint of sadness in his voice. He suddenly had flashbacks of his Masters last words and her death.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Nevertheless you will be important when we fight the empire and re-establish the Galactic Republic and The Jedi Order." Kal said
"All in good time." Kanan replied.
"We are going to be off to Dusket now. It was good to meet you all and maybe we can see each other in the future. Oh here is our Holonet data so you may contact us. We can share intel on this secret channel." Echo said handing it to Kanan.
"Will do. May the force be with you." Kanan said.
"May the force be with you too Commander Jarrus." Echo said.
Kanan felt good when Echo addressed him as a commander. It harkened back to his time as a Jedi Knight. A time in his life where he was noble and strong.
"As to you Echo." Kanan said.
"Why did he call you Commander Jarrus?" Ezra asked.
"He was a Clone Trooper of the Grand Army of the Republic that served under Anakin Skywalker, the legendary Jedi Knight Ahsoka was trained by. He was programed to call Knights and Masters 'Generals' and Padawans 'Commanders'." Kanan answered.
"What was fighting in the Clone Wars like?" Ezra asked with fascination.
"They were brutal and I don't want to talk about it…" Kanan said.
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A little tie in with our rebels from Lothal! I am not going to have them in this story as much though because they are on Lothal and plus like Ahsoka in Rebels, they are a mysterious group that pops in every so often.