Chapter Fifty-Three: Echo

We were camped out somewhere in the old passages that were built into the natural formations of Lola Sayu, watching the droids search frantically for us. Then again, they'd destroyed our only escape. How frantic were they really?

In their minds, they'd won.

And maybe they had.

I glanced up from where I sat amongst the jagged rocks, seeing Fives had taken a lookout position far away from our group. He stood rigidly at attention, but I could feel the inner battle he was fighting. He was trained to fight. Trained to die. And to move on when his brothers fell.

The squad he'd lost when he was just a young clone...that was hard. They travelled with him in his memory forever.

But Echo? Echo was his closest friend. I always saw them as a pair, rather than two individuals. More like twins than mere brothers.

And now he was gone. Fives was the last of his original squadron. My heart pulled at the notion that Fives may have to go back to Kamino one day and face 99 again. He'd have to see 99's face fall when he realizes even more of his brothers are gone.

My gaze flicked sideways as Rex moved past me to stand below where Fives was camped. He was fighting his own grief, but as a leader, he knew how to hide it better than Fives. Still, I felt his mind trying to shove away his sadness endlessly. Rex had been close to Echo, as he was with Fives and Cody. They used to create battle plans together for fun.

Fives gave Rex a thumbs up without really looking at him. He was trying to keep himself steady. Looking at us wouldn't help. Rex nodded, knowing Fives couldn't see him, before returning to the Jedi, who were trying to figure out how the rest of us were going to survive this.

"We'll need to hold out until the Council sends a ship," Kenobi expressed, knowing his call for help to the Jedi was our last hope of escape.

"Not a problem," Piell responded. "We've beaten them once, we'll beat them again."

"When did we beat them before?" I muttered to myself, shifting on the stones. Fives nearly made me jump in my hazey grief as he appeared beside me, having emerged from his lookout point.

"This landscape is almost impossible to cross." His voice sounded sad. Negative. Hopeless. "How are we going to get to the rendezvous point?" I frowned at him, trying to shield myself from the grief pouring off him in waves.

"That is the trap of the Citadel," Obi-wan said darkly. "It was designed so that it would be almost impossible for fugitives to get off the surface, even if they escaped the tower."

"And even if they are a Jedi," I added in a hushed tone, trying to curb the emotions bubbling up inside myself. No one seemed to hear me but Fives and Rex, but neither reacted visually other than a glance. Still, I felt their fear that they tried to suppress.

As well as a recklessness that billowed off of those that had just lost something dear-something that worried me. It was that type of energy that usually got people killed.

"How lucky we're not just any fugitives," Anakin added with a determined grin. Still, beneath it all...I felt his own sadness over losing Echo. He, unlike some of the other Jedi I'd met, felt an attachment to the clones. This was against their Code, of course, but Anakin had never really been one to follow it well anyways.

"I hope you're right," Piell said gravely, giving me a glance before turning to walk off with the others.

I followed, but paused as I felt the Force ripple. Pivoting, I saw Fives had fallen to the back of the group and was looking back in the direction we'd come-the hangar. Where he'd lost his brother. I moved to approach him, but felt a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Don't," Rex said gently when I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Now isn't the time for him to grieve."

I frowned. "He just lost his brother. How can you expect-"

"We all lost a brother," Rex said harshly before quieting. I let it slide. I could feel the pain he was suppressing. "But we have a mission right now."

I watched the captain for a moment, flipping over the emotions that poured out from both of us. Confusion. Sadness. Determination. Anger. Resignation.

"We all grieve differently, Rex," I said softly as I turned to walk with him, Fives finally trailing behind after a final glance. "That even applies to clones."

"We were trained to handle this. Designed for it."

My heart dropped at his words. They were true...but they hurt. They were wrong. "No one is designed for death," I whispered fiercely, turning on my heel abruptly. "No matter what anyone tells us."

Rex was startled at my fierce words. Startled enough that he couldn't stop me from walking back to fall in line with Fives. The ARC trooper didn't even acknowledge me as I fell into step with him, taking in the prominent difference in height. I wasn't short, by any means, but I wasn't a tree either.

The clones, like their DNA source, rose to a proud 6 foot, give or take a genetic tweak in inches here and there. While that was only a few inches above me, Fives' shoulder pauldrons made him look even taller and broader. I peered up at his expressionless helmet, feeling the turmoil that resided inside.

Breathing slowly out my nose, I opened my mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"If you're trying to check on me," he said quietly, but curtly. "I'll be fine. He died with honor."

I swallowed, shaking my head, but letting silence fall between us. As we walked, my mind drifted to something Jango had taught me once. With a deep breath, I began to mutter in Mando'a, as I'd been taught by Jango.

"Ni su'cuyi, gar ky'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum." Fives nearly stumbled at my words. I said them lightly, but I felt others listening. It was pretty quiet on the planet, apart from the alarms from the Citadel. The language was easily recognized by those present, too, even if the Jedi didn't know what it meant.

Fives cleared his throat next to me, but said nothing. So I started the list I recited to myself softly every night before sleeping.

"Joi. Tal, Silais, Seku." Fives glanced at me as I spoke softly. Even Rex glanced over his shoulder at me. I continued. "Xiann, Arica, Attanni, Talon. Amiru. Yumi. Unnreeti. Epha. Alexxi." I swallowed thickly. The list wasn't one I shared with anyone. Now many people were hearing it. "Jango. Zuri. Umpar. Judai." Glancing sideways at my friend, I closed my mental doors to keep from being overwhelmed by the reactions of the clones. "Longshot. Echo."

I couldn't see Fives' face. In reality, he was likely glad to have the visor blocking his expression. Considering I was barely suppressing the tears in my eyes, he was likely letting them flow beneath his helmet.

Still, he glanced down before swallowing. I was met with a gentle chorus of "Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la," from not only Fives, but Rex, Cody, and all the other clones. It surprised the Jedi present, but I could feel the gratitude from my friend.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered as we slowed, nearing what looked like a magma field. Fives looked sideways at me before slowly touching my shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Thank you, vod," he said as quietly as I had, looking my in the eye, despite the helmet. My eyes widened at his term, my automatic response being to deny my sisterhood to the clones. He stopped me with another squeeze. "Stop. You're family. To all of us." He tilted his head slightly, a spark of humor coming back into his Force signature. "Well, maybe you're not a sister for all of us."

He pushed my shoulder gently before looking meaningfully at Rex's back as he moved forward after the Jedi's call. I chewed my cheek, but couldn't fight the smirk and roll of my eyes. It was nice to know that other people noticed how Rex felt...even if it made it even more dangerous.

Of all the people to know, though...Fives certainly was one of the best. Besides, it wasn't like Anakin and Padme weren't at least a little privy to my attraction with Rex.

I fell in step with Obi-wan and Ahsoka as Rex and Fives ran ahead, scouting the next location we could take a quick rest.

"I'll admit," Tarkin said in front of us, where he walked beside Piell. "I've never heard a clone call an outsider family before." He looked back at me with his beady eyes, earning a scowl from me.

"Well you're clearly not hanging around with the right people," I said back with ice in my voice, earning a hard look from Obi-wan.

"Losing Echo…" Anakin glanced away. "It will be hard on all the men, but Fives especially." The Jedi glanced at me with a small, grateful smile. "I'm glad you could help him." I smiled gently at Skywalker, giving him a nod.

"We're clear," Rex called back to us, holstering his pistols.

"What's our next move?" Ahsoka asked as we maneuvered around the pits of hot lava.

"We're going to have to fight our way off this rock," Anakin declared.

Obi-wan folded his hands behind his back. "Contact the Council. See when they plan to rescue us."

"I'll handle it," Piell said with a frown-an expression I was beginning to think was his resting face. He turned to R2, who immediately brought up a holoprojection of Mace Windu.

"Master Piell," the Jedi greeted. "It's good to see you alive, my friend."

"Likewise, Master Windu. Our escape route has been compromised and there are several squads of droids closing in on us."

Anakin stepped forward. "When can we expect your arrival?"

"Master Plo is already en route," Windu explained as Yoda entered the hologram.

"Gunships will arrive to evacuate you and your men, but do not delay," Yoda explained in his gravelly voice. "Only a small window of opportunity, we shall have." The hologram shifted to show a map of Lola Sayu's landscape. "Your rendezvous point will be this island."

Arrows flashed red over an island in the middle of magma. "Understood," Piell responded formally.

"May the Force be with you," Windu said before the transmission cut out.

I glanced around at the group before tensing at the sound of blaster fire. "Incoming!" Cody yelled from his post behind us. He immediately fired back, Rex and Fives jumping in, too. The Jedi around me ignited their sabers, but I genuinely didn't feel threatened. I trusted the soldiers with my life.

Especially Fives, considering how much he wanted to blow every Separatist droid sky-high. I watched calmly as he threw a detonator, taking out the remainder of the commando squadron by dropping the ceiling on them.

As Rex helped his brother up, the Jedi put their unused blades away. "No doubt there's more on the way," Obi-wan sighed. "We need to move quickly."

The group took off in a run this time, led by Piell and Kenobi. We certainly didn't want to miss our rendezvous. If we did, we'd all be captured. The clones would all die. The Jedi would be tortured. I'd either be killed or forced to be Dooku's apprentice.

While I doubted Tarkin's ability to withstand torture, I knew Piell would die before giving his half of the information.

So at least our failure wouldn't mean the immediate downfall of the Republic.

We raced out from the lava pits and up a jutting cliffside, Obi-wan and Piell stopping to look over the edge in the direction of our goal. We heard thumping and the mechanical whir of machines.

Rex drew his pistols, immediately firing at a spider droid that was crawling along the cliffside above us. Behind us, even more commandos were closing in. "They're boxing us in," Ahsoka yelled, glancing back at her master.

"Lock in your cables," Anakin commanded, he and his former master doing just that to descend the cliffside. "R2, we need your droids to hold off the enemy as long as possible." The droid beeped in response. "Good. Everybody, follow me!"

"This is sheer madness," Tarkin expressed as he climbed onto Anakin's back, an injured clone doing the same to Obi-wan. The jedi began walking down the cliff with their loads, Rex putting his own tether in.

I ignited my lightsaber beside Ahsoka, earning a small grin from her as we took up positions blocking blaster fire. "I like your lightsaber," the Togruta said between blocks. "How'd you get a crystal?"

I chuckled as we fought. "I didn't steal it, if that's what you're asking." Behind us, Rex was carrying another clone down the cliff, followed closely by Piell.

Ahsoka cast me a look. "I didn't say that."

I laughed at her, surprising myself with my carefree nature despite the dire situation. "It was my ancestor's saber. The crystal was broken, but I mended it and made it my own."

"You can fix a broken kyber?"

I cast the padawan a smile as R2 rolled past us, having given his commands to the reprogrammed battle droids. "I had a friend teach me how. It's hard...but possible." I glanced back, seeing the rest of the clones finding their way onto the tethers. "Go! I'm right behind you."

She obeyed, knowing that the battle droids wouldn't hold the Separatists long-there wasn't time to argue. I kept my back to the tethers, blocking as many shots as I could. I heard Obi-wan yell from below, "Keep moving!"
A spider droid crawled down the wall beside me. I grit my teeth, rushing forward under its fire to leap on top of it. Thrusting my saber down, I sliced it in two, the droid sparking as it fell to the ground. The reprogrammed droids were falling quickly, the last attempting to be heroic as he approached another spider droid.

"All for one, and one for AHHH!" It was destroyed quickly. While it was a droid, I appreciated its bravery at the moment.

A pair of screams turned my head back to the cliff, seeing one of the cables had been shot loose. "Osik," I spit, before racing to the edge. Far below, two clones had fallen to their death.

I looked away, deflecting more fire for as long as I could. Still, we were being blatantly overrun. And we were viciously outgunned. Ignoring the tether altogether, I leapt backwards off the cliff, letting the Force guide me.

I landed as the others were disconnecting from the wires, my blade still ignited. "Keep moving!" Anakin yelled, drawing his lightsaber beside me to help deflect the incoming shots. "Keep moving!" Cody rushed forward, taking the rifle from his fallen brother and shooting down two of the commandos above.

While Skywalker and I provided cover, the other leapt down into the tunnels that ran beneath the surface. Cody went first, followed quickly by me and the Jedi. The tunnels would provide us with some cover, and maybe we'd even lose the squads of droids.

For now, at least.

The tunnel didn't last long, spitting us out beside a river of lava quickly. "What if your Jedi friends are not there when we arrive?" Tarkin asked from behind Rex.

"Keep moving and you won't have to worry about that, Tarkin," Piell spit back from the front of the group.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes at the Captain, earning a grin from me. "Why did Master Piell have to share half the intel with that guy?" she asked softly to her master. "It's like he's not even grateful we rescued him."

"Captain Tarkin feels the Jedi should be…" Anakin seemed like he was struggling to find the right words. "Removed from the burden of leading the war effort."

I raised my brow curiously from behind them as the padawan responded, "That's ridiculous."

"Maybe," Anakin allowed. "But we aren't soldiers. We're peacekeepers. The Jedi Code often prevents us from going far enough to achieve victory."

"A rather simple point of view," Obi-wan chastised gently.

"Either way," Anakin argued. "He is a good captain."

Our group slowed at the high pitched sound of a howl, almost resembling a whistle. I knew that sound. "Did you hear that?" Ahsoka asked the group.

"Yes," Piell scowled again. "We're going to have company."

"We need to keep moving," I cut in, glancing around. "Those howls belong to anoobas. I don't really want to meet a whole pack of them today."

Our band of fugitives walked a bit faster at my words. Still, we were all exhausted-running was out of the question for now. "How did you recognize the howl?" Ahsoka asked beside me.

"Remember Embo?" I responded, receiving an arched brow from her. "Yes, the one who was hired to kill Senator Amidala," I answered her silent question. "He has an albino anooba named Marrok."

Ahsoka shook her head. "I still don't know how you can be friends with bounty hunters. We've worked with them before, but…" Her voice trailed off, making me chuckle.

"I mean, you're friends with a bounty hunter," I teased, holding my hands out. "Am I really so bad?"

She glanced at me with a small laugh. "You're different."

"How?"

She shrugged. "Well most bounty hunters don't have lightsabers." She smiled gently. "But you also chose to be a part of something...bigger. You fight for what you believe in."

I hummed gently, looking forward again. "I was always taught to not listen to what other people say. To take the jobs that I believed in...even if the only thing I believed in was filling my pockets."

"Who taught you that?"

"Jango."

"Oh." She looked away, feeling bad for asking with such sarcasm.

"Ahsoka," I sighed gently. "There are people who think this war is pointless. And there are people who wish they could help. But not everyone can. I'm just one of the few who have the ability, but none of the risks."

"Risks? There's plenty of those."

"Sure, but not outside of this particular battle. My only threat is death or the death of those around me." I looked sideways at her. "But I have nothing they can use against me. No family that is hiding away peacefully on some backwater planet. It's just me."

"What about Boba?"

"He's in prison, Ahsoka."

"Right."

We fell silent, and I knew she was uncomfortable. But then again...she started the conversation. I was just saying it how it was.

"You know, it's not wise to argue with Master Piell," Skywalker chuckled to Tarkin in front of Ahsoka and I. "It's certainly not a good career move."

"General Skywalker, I stand by my principles, no matter what," Tarkin assured confidently. "Besides, I needn't worry about my career. I've fallen into favor with the Chancellor." Ah. Maybe that's why I didn't like him. The Chancellor never failed to make me feel...uncomfortable. "He will support me."

"Oh?" Anakin asked. "I happen to know the Chancellor quite well, myself."

"Oh, really?" Tarkin prodded, obviously a bit disbelieving.

Anakin gave the captain a confident smirk. "Really."

"Let's keep moving," Obi-wan cut in, feeling the tension between the two. "If we're not at the rendezvous at the exact time, we'll miss our window."

We all stopped when we heard the high pitched howling again. "Those creatures are gaining," Fives announced.

"If they've caught our scent," Piell worried. "They'll lead the droids right to us."

"We're gonna have to deal with them," Anakin said, making me sigh slowly through my nose. This mission really was going all kinds of wrong.

"What about using this cave to surprise them?" Ahsoka proposed.

Piell nodded. "If we can get them to pass by, we can attack them from behind. But we need a distraction."

Anakin grinned. "Leave that to me." Behind him, Obi-wan cleared his throat meaningfully. "And Obi-wan, of course," the Jedi added with a sheepish shrug.

"Okay," Piell said, focusing us all again. "The rest of you, follow me." I glanced at Obi-wan receiving an encouraging nod from the Jedi, before racing after the other group. Kenobi, Skywalker, and R2 continued on, while we settled down in the caves.

Now, all we had to do was wait.

MANDO'A

Ni su'cuyi, gar ky'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum. - "I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal." -Daily rememberance of those that died, often followed by listing of lost loved ones.

Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la- not gone, merely marching far away

Osik- shit