The barracks are silent.

Echo remembers when he and Fives had come back from the Rishi Moon Outpost, another lifetime ago. The first night they had spent in the 501st's barracks they'd barely spoken, too horrified and in shock to bother with words. It hadn't felt right, to be able to enjoy life when the rest of Domino would never do so again. The empty spaces around them were as gaping and terrifying as black holes.

Attie's absence is worse, somehow. It's been almost five days, but it's still just as bad as it had been the first day. His empty bunk only serves to make the silence heavier, weighing down on Beta squad's shoulders like a physical force.

Echo is used to this. Even before he'd been taken by the Separatists, he and Fives had gone through plenty of losses like this. Brothers that were still young, still learning, still smiling despite the incessant marching of the droids—gunned down in an instant. It never does stop hurting, but Echo had learned to ignore the pain, or at least block most of it out.

It's different this time. Echo doesn't just hurt for Attie. He hurts for the rest of Beta, too. Beta squad, who are silent and listless and tired. Mourning. Attie had been bright, optimistic, energetic. Now that he's gone, it's as if he'd taken all remnants of his cheer with him.

No one cries, not anymore. Any tears that had been shed had happened on the first day. After that, there is just anger, and quiet mourning that no one has the courage to openly talk about.

Droidbait hasn't said a single word since Beta had returned to the Resolute. Echo isn't surprised he's taking it so hard—this is the first time he's had to go through something like this. He'd died first, in their original life, so he's never experienced the loss of a close brother before. Echo wishes there was something more he could do to help, but the harsh reality is that there isn't much he can do. He wishes it wasn't like this, but… Droidbait has to learn.

He hates himself for thinking like that, even though it's true. If Droidbait can't learn to deal with the pain, he won't survive. The war will tear him apart.

It's foolish to think that they'll get through this without any more casualties.

For now, Echo focuses on getting Droidbait to function. He reacts to others, but he remains silent no matter what any of Beta says. Sometimes when he eats or trains, the movement appears mechanical, as if he's simply going through the motions. Those are the worst days, when Droidbait zones out and barely sees what's right in front of him.

Hevy and Cutup are doing a little better, but they're still shaken. Disbelieving, still looking around every so often as if they're expecting to wake up and see Attie standing over them with a mischievous grin. They have to learn, too, but they have more experience than Droidbait does.

Fives' nightmares have gotten worse. He doesn't cry out, but Echo wakes up sometimes because he hears the other ARC pacing in the dead of the night, struggling to even out his breathing. Sometimes Fives is successful at calming himself and goes back to bed. Other times he isn't, and spends the rest of the night sitting at the table in the dark, watching and listening to the steady breathing of their brothers. On the nights when Echo hears him, they'll sit together, but Echo knows there are times when Fives is more careful about being quiet. Fives refuses to talk about it afterwards, and Echo leaves him be. He understands better than anyone why Fives doesn't want to admit to the weakness.

If Domino squad is taking the loss badly, the Teth survivors are taking it worse.

The Teth survivors are close. As close as Domino is, practically; they'd banded together in mutual loss to support each other in the face of painful grief. Teth had broken them all, but they'd been able to build something powerful out of their shattered pieces.

Attie's death is more than enough to destroy what they'd tried so hard to repair.

Nax's snarky comments and sly grins are long gone. He isn't completely silent like Droidbait is, but he's subdued. His voice is soft, and there's a perpetual slump to his shoulders. He's been taking apart and reassembling his datapad over and over again in his free time, eyes staring blankly into space as his hands move. Like Droidbait, sometimes he zones out, motions growing mechanical as he gets stuck in memories.

Coric has thrown himself into his work. Echo's barely seen the medic since the mission because he's taking so many shifts at the medbay. When Coric returns from his shift, late in the middle of the sleep cycle, he crashes for four hours and then wakes up to go right back to the medbay. It's keeping him distracted, but he won't be able to keep it up for long.

Zeer… well. Beta squad is giving him a bit of a wide berth. Two days after the Ryloth mission he'd disappeared for nearly twelve hours, only returning to the barracks once the sleep cycle had begun. Little crimson droplets had dripped from his bloodied knuckles as he'd walked back in, leaving a trail of red on the floor. When Coric had returned from his shift that night, he'd marched towards Zeer with a wad of bandages in hand and a determined look on his face. Zeer hadn't even let him get close. He'd snarled at the medic when Coric made a futile effort to convince him that his hands needed to be looked at. Zeer had bandaged his hands himself that night, clumsily and without anyone's help. No one had the courage to ask him where he'd been or what he'd been doing.

Echo is in the mess hall on the fifth day since Attie was killed with Fives and Droidbait when Nax slides into the seat next to him, gently setting down his tray.

"Echo…" Nax begins. "Have you seen Del since this morning?"

Echo frowns and shakes his head. Nax sighs.

"Alright," he says slowly. "He's probably just running drills somewhere, or something."

Echo gives him a sharp look. "Want me to go find him?"

The fact that Nax hesitates isn't a good sign. Del had acted… detached, once he'd woken up. Emotionless, even. He'd taken the news without so much as a flinch, and hasn't said a single word on the subject since. Beta has been very concerned for him, but no one has had the courage to confront the sergeant, too caught up in their own grief to be able to help another.

Echo gets to his feet.

"I'll be back," he announces, catching Fives' gaze and shooting a meaningful glance at Droidbait. Watch him, he signs quickly. "I'm going to make sure Del's alright."

Nax breathes out a sigh. "Good," he mutters. "Good, yeah, thanks." Echo takes a second to place a comforting hand on the mechanic's shoulder before he leaves.

He doesn't know where Del is, not for certain, but he has a pretty good idea of where the sergeant might be. On a hunch, Echo makes his way down to the shooting range. This time, his intuition is correct.

Del is the only one there, at the very end of the range. He's emptying round after round into the targets across the room, and doesn't even seem to notice Echo's approach. His helmet is on, so Echo can't see his expression.

For a few long minutes, Echo waits and watches. Del isn't even really aiming at the targets. He's just firing, mindlessly going through the motions of swapping out the plasma cartridges and repositioning the rifle. The wall he's aiming towards is blackened. When Echo finally clears his throat, Del's finger pauses on the trigger, but he doesn't turn.

"I'll be there in a minute, Nax," he says. Echo tilts his head.

"I'm not Nax."

Del lets out an exhale that sounds much louder than it should. He fires again—twelve consecutive bursts of laser fire that hit the center of the target, like he's trying to make up for his lack of control earlier now that he has an audience. Echo chooses not to comment and waits, listening to Del's quiet panting. After a long moment, Del sighs.

"I knew it was going to happen eventually," he says quietly. Echo doesn't reply, just nods and tilts his head to show that he's listening. It's time to talk about this. Del slowly lowers his rifle.

"I knew there wasn't a chance we'd all last until the end of the war," Del continues in a monotone voice. "They just—we lasted longer than I thought, so I forgot that." His body is stiff, muscles locked in place. "I forgot that Teth was just the first of many tragedies to come."

Echo closes his eyes for a moment in understanding. A clatter makes him open them again. Del has dropped his rifle and is half-stumbling towards a little bench by the wall. Echo surges forwards to lend a hand, but Del waves him off. When he sits down heavily on the bench, Echo sits carefully next to him and watches as the sergeant tears his helmet off. He drops it to the floor unceremoniously, and they both listen as the sound reverberates around the now silent range.

"I'm sorry," Echo tries, a little uncertain as of how to proceed. Del huffs.

"I know you are," he replies. He's attempting to sound nonchalant. "You five were just as close to him as we were. Droidbait, he—is he going to be alright?"

Echo considers lying, but decides against it. "I don't know," he answers, then presses a little more: "Are you going to be alright?"

Del goes quiet again. His expression turns hard, and the deep stress lines carved into his face stand out starkly against his skin.

"I will be," he finally answers. "I have to be. I still have a squad to look after."

For a moment, Echo just looks at him—looks at the way Del's hands shake ever so slightly, at the way his shoulders are hunched despite his words.

"That's true, but you don't have to look after them yet," Echo says carefully. "You know just as well as I do that even the best men need time after something like this."

Del sucks in a sharp breath. His fists clench.

"I did the best I could after Teth," he admits. "I took men who had lost all of their brothers—their families, and somehow managed to keep them all from falling apart. We made a new family. Attie… Attie was our heart and soul. It's—it's not something I'll be able to recover from, if I start thinking about it. So it's better to not think about it."

"Avoiding the subject isn't going to help you," Echo tells him, a raw truth that had taken Echo himself ages and ARC training to learn. "It may seem easier now, but it will hurt much more later." You know this, he almost adds, then holds his tongue at the last moment. This isn't the first time Del has dealt with this, but that doesn't mean it's easy. "Del, you've got to let it out. You won't be able to keep the rest of your men safe if you're constantly distracted by your own guilt."

It's a low blow, but a necessary one. Del flinches at his words, trembling. When he finally speaks again, his voice wavers.

"I should have been there," he whispers. "If I hadn't been injured, he wouldn't—they wouldn't have broken cover, they would have stayed safe. Force. It's all my fault. It's all—"

"It's not," Echo interrupts calmly. His voice is steady even though his heart aches. "If it hadn't been you, it would have been Nax. Or Cutup. Or Fives, or Zeer. Any one of us could have been behind the fountain that got hit, Del. I was injured, too, remember? If we follow your logic, it's my fault just as much as it is yours."

"If I had been awake, maybe I would have seen the sniper before—"

"Everyone was awake but you, and none of us saw the sniper," Echo says gently. "Del. It isn't your fault. It's no one's fault but the Separatists. You've got to understand that, or you'll never be able to recover from this."

Del hesitates. He swallows hard, and tilts his head back against the wall so he's looking at the high ceiling above them. "Attie didn't deserve it," he says weakly. "He should have—kriff. Why'd it have to be him?"

Echo puts a hand on his shoulder. Del shudders beneath the touch.

Echo doesn't know a lot of things, but he does know how to comfort a grieving brother. He'd done it plenty of times before he'd died the first time, and he's been comforted himself by Domino squad several times now. He takes a deep breath and patiently listens to Del's anguished voice as he finally takes the time to mourn.

"He didn't deserve it," Del whispers breathlessly, again and again and again until the words don't even sound like words, just noise and syllables that bleed together without meaning. Echo sits with Del until his legs are prickling from holding still for so long and Del's voice grows hoarse from cursing the Separatists and the Kaminoans and the whole kriffing galaxy for the unjustness of it all.

Echo tries to imagine how it would feel to lose one of Domino again.

He can't do it, and that scares him more than anything else.

Things start to get a little better, after Del re-engages himself with reality. Not by much, because Attie is still gone, but with their leader somewhat stabilized the rest of Beta start pulling themselves together.

They have to, after all. They've gone six days without deployment now, which is unusual, even though they've just lost a man. War doesn't stop for grief. It's a small mercy that Captain Rex hasn't sent them back out again. They weren't stable enough for active combat in the days after the mission. Now, Echo has some confidence that they could handle another assignment if necessary.

It would be rough, but they could do it. Fives and Echo could pick up the slack, and Hevy and Cutup are mostly recovered. They could also help.

'Bait… is not recovered. Echo hadn't expected him to be. He still hasn't said a word to anyone, though he does sign something sluggishly at Fives during dinner later that evening. Echo doesn't quite catch the movement in time to see what he says. By the time Echo turns, Droidbait is already lowering his hands. In answer to whatever he'd signed Fives just shrugs and signs I don't know back at Droidbait. There's a split second of silence as Droidbait regards his answer, and then Droidbait abruptly sets down his fork. There's a half disbelieving, half furious look on his face.

"It'll be alright, Droidbait—" Fives tries to say, but Droidbait shakes his head silently and gets to his feet. He leaves them there, marching out of the mess without looking back. Echo rounds on Fives.

"The kriff did he ask you?"

Fives winces. "He asked if the Captain was going to find a man to replace Attie. I told him I didn't know, but to him it was practically confirmation."

Echo's heart clenches.

"Oh," he says. He glances up at Droidbait's half-eaten food. "He probably will, you know."

"Yeah," Fives replies. "He'll have to be careful about it, though. Beta won't just accept anyone. They were too close for that. If he picks the wrong brother, it'll just make things worse."

"It might make things worse regardless," Echo mutters. "Del can handle someone new now. So can Nax, I think, but Coric and Zeer might have some trouble. Droidbait's going to have a hard time no matter who it is, I suspect."

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Fives asks. "I know he's got to learn, but there has to be something we can do to help."

"I would normally say we should get him to talk to us, but I don't think that's going to work this time, considering he's not talking at all," Echo says.

"We could take him to the training deck and help him blow something up?"

"That would work for you, but not him. I… I don't know how to help him, Fives. I really don't."

Fives lets out a sigh and seems to deflate with it, shoulders slumping.

"So, we wait, then," he says in frustration. "But what happens if we wait too long?"

Echo shakes his head. He doesn't know.

When Echo and Fives return to the barracks that a few minutes later, it is to find Nax and Coric sitting cross-legged on the floor next to a large, industrial crate of Naboo candy, passing a bottle of moonshine between them. They are the only ones in the room, and neither of them react when Echo crouches down next to them.

"Where did you get that?" Echo asks softly. Coric shrugs as he passes the illegal liquor to Nax, staring up at the ceiling.

"Attie isn't the only brother in the smuggling business," he claims softly. His words are still clear, if a little slow. Echo doesn't know how long they've been at it, but Coric has obviously done this before. Other than a slightly glossy look in his eyes, he seems unchanged. Nax, on the other hand, sways even though he's sitting. Echo plucks the bottle from the mechanic's hand before he can take another swig. Nax lets out a little grunt of annoyance, but he doesn't actually protest, instead reaching into the box of candies to pull out a handful of colorful sweets.

Fives eyes the confiscated bottle and the cloudy liquid swirling inside. "Coric…"

"Yeah, yeah," Coric snaps suddenly. He waves a hand in a large, uncontrolled gesture. "I'm a medic, you don't need to tell me how unhealthy it is. I get it, alright?"

"Then why resort to it at all?"

"I just thought—" Coric starts, then cuts himself off. He lowers his head and covers his face with his hands. A strange laugh comes from deep in his chest, but there's so much bitterness in the sound that Echo barely recognizes it. "Kriff. Ah, kriff, he hated it when we drank."

Nax is popping candies into his mouth one by one and tossing the crinkled wrappers at Fives' shins. He's way more out of it than Coric. "Thought it would help," he mumbles. "That was stupid, though. Tasted gross. Don't feel any better."

"Talking about these things helped us the first time, after Teth," Coric tells Echo quietly. "But we had to… loosen up first, then. It's even harder to talk about it this time."

Echo shakes the bottle, listening as the alcohol sloshes against the sides. "And you thought this would help? It's only going to make things worse. Forgetting for a few hours isn't going to change anything."

"I thought it would help after you died," Fives whispers in his ear. Echo jumps, twisting to look at his brother and jerking again when Fives' face is inches from his own to ensure the others won't hear. "It didn't. Was never enough, you know? It didn't do anything but make me more depressed."

"What?" Coric says, squinting at them. Fives takes a step back.

"Last time I lost a close brother, I tried something like this," he says louder, poking at the bottle in Echo's hands. "The Captain caught me three sips in and nearly yelled himself hoarse."

Echo blinks in alarm, almost turning to stare incredulously at Fives before he aborts the motion. That's a statement that will definitely raise some questions. They wouldn't have had a Captain before joining the 501st, because they'd supposedly reported directly to Shaak Ti. Fortunately Coric and Nax are just drunk enough that they don't catch the inconsistency.

"No more alcohol," Echo says firmly, hiding his sigh of relief. It says a lot that neither of the Teth survivors protest. "It's not going to help, and the demerit isn't worth it. If you need an outlet, we'll talk, or we'll go to the sparring rings."

"Yes, mom," Nax mumbles. Coric smacks him in the chest. Fives snorts. Echo rolls his eyes.

Coric suddenly blinks, and his hazy gaze focuses in on Echo.

"You said we can talk? Let's talk," he says. "Let's talk about him. Can we?"

"Of course," Echo answers. He moves from a crouch to being fully seated on the ground in between them. "If you think it will help you, we'll talk."

"We've avoided it for too long," Coric points out, shifting awkwardly to the side to make room for Fives to join the circle. "We—we might as well talk about it. About him."

Echo is prepared to listen to something similar to what Del had talked about, but Coric doesn't rage or rant or place the blame like his sergeant had. Coric just wants to tell stories, things that he remembers from Attie's life—his little quirks, his advice, his jokes. Nax is content to listen, humming every so often in agreement as Coric rambles on, barely aware of his audience once he starts talking.

Everyone is going to deal with this differently. Coric, Nax, and Del can cope by talking. That's enough for them, somehow. It won't be enough for Zeer or Droidbait. They need something else before they can be fully recovered. This, though, this is a good start. They can work with this.

Everyone is starting to improve. It's slow, but progress is progress, and even a tiny bit is enough for Echo right now.

The next morning around midday is the first time they've seen Commander Tano since Ryloth. She hadn't been quite as lucky as them—she's needed for air support, even if she's emotionally compromised. Technically Jedi can't be emotionally compromised… or at least that's what the Jedi Council likes to claims. No attachments, or whatever. Echo thinks it's all a load of poodoo, especially for a Jedi padawan, but it's not like anyone would care to hear his thoughts.

Echo, Fives, Nax, Del, Cutup, and Hevy are up and about, preparing to head over to the range for some practice. Zeer had wandered out hours ago as usual, and Droidbait, surprisingly, had gone with him. Whether or not they were headed to the same place, Echo doesn't know.

Beta squad is just about to exit the barracks when the Commander herself comes careening around the corner, nearly smacking right into Del as she darts into the room. Del lets out a surprised sound, twisting so that she doesn't crash into him.

"Ah—Commander?"

Commander Tano is panting hard, and her eyes are wide. Beta squad peers at her in surprise. Echo takes a step forwards, staring at her in confusion.

"Sir, are you—?"

"It's Zeer," Commander Tano blurts out, and Beta freezes. Echo's heart skips a beat. "You guys need to come with me, now. Captain Rex is handling it, but he won't—"

"Wait, what?" Nax yelps. "What's wrong with Zeer? Is he alright? Kriff, kriff—"

Commander Tano shakes her head. "He's—he's fine, but it's… it's hard to explain. I don't know, I was coming down here anyway when Captain Rex called and he said he either needed me or Beta and since I was close I thought I should come and get you then Droidbait said he'd go ahead—"

"Wait, Droidbait said what?" Cutup says incredulously.

"Commander, where?" Del interrupts. "Where are they?"

She turns towards him.

"The gym," she answers breathlessly. "The gym, and Rex said to hurry—"

Del is already gone, and wordlessly, the rest of Beta follows. Commander Tano falls into step behind them, and they sprint down the hall towards the training center.

It isn't hard to find Zeer, but it is hard to get close enough to see him, because there's a crowd of brothers clustered around the training mats. Beta squad tries to push their way to the front, but their brothers are too transfixed by whatever's happening to really pay attention. It's only when the Commander starts to push her way through that the men notice and part so that Beta can finally get a good look at what's going on.

Zeer and Captain Rex are squaring off in the center of the mat, circling each other warily. Neither of them are in armor. Echo's eyes widen at the sight. Zeer looks… unhinged. There's something wild in the man's gaze, something dangerous, uncontrolled. He's limping slightly as he moves, and there's a massive bruise on his cheek. Captain Rex, on the other hand, seems perfectly composed. His eyes are narrowed and his fists are up in preparation There's something sad in his expression, almost understanding. His lips are moving. Echo has to strain to make out what he's saying.

"... going to help you, or your team?" the Captain asks softly. "You can't keep doing this, Zeer. You're done. Give it up."

"I'm not done," Zeer snarls. "I'm not." Echo sees it coming, and by the shift of his body, so does Rex. Zeer charges suddenly, both fists lashing out in a brutal double handed blow. Captain Rex whips himself to the side to avoid it and slips inside Zeer's guard. He delivers a quick jab to Zeer's ribs that makes Zeer hiss out a curse.

Echo has never seen Zeer like this before. Their quieter brother has a temper, and everyone knows it, but he's also very good at staying in control. Zeer is always careful. He's aware of his own strength and works hard to keep it in check.

This isn't right. Now Zeer is fury and untamed fire and frustration. He's attacking with mindless, misplaced wrath, leaving himself open and vulnerable to Rex's precise movements. The sheer strength of his attacks are enough to get a few hits in on the Captain, but Rex's mind is clear. Echo can practically see the haze of angry fog around Zeer's mind, heavy and cloying enough to drive their brother to desperation.

The fight turns brutal in an instant. Zeer strikes with bone-shattering force, losing himself to his emotions. Rex is holding back, dodging more than attacking, but not even he can last against that forever. One of Zeer's hands manages to wrap around Rex's forearm, who can't shake him off in time without doing serious damage. If this had been a real fight, he probably would have broken Zeer's arm. Regardless, Zeer flings him to the floor, and the assembled clones wince in at the sound of the impact. Behind Echo, Fives lets out a surprised curse.

Echo wishes he had more context for this, because he still doesn't really know what's going on. Why is Zeer here? Why is Rex here? Why isn't anyone running forward to help? The temptation to step forwards is strong, and he almost does it—but then a brother steps in front of him.

"Don't," Droidbait says. It's the first word Echo's heard him say in days, and despite the spectacle in front of him his heart skips a beat.

"Bait, what's going on?" he asks softly. Instead of answering, Droidbait turns to look at Del. Echo follows his gaze. Both Nax and Del are completely silent, faces grim. Echo blinks.

"Shouldn't we stop this?" he murmurs. On the mat, Captain Rex rolls to his feet and kicks out as Zeer tries to tackle him. His foot catches Zeer in the stomach, and the Teth survivor goes stumbling back. Del shakes his head.

"This isn't the first time something like this has happened," he answers. "We saw it happen after Teth, too. What the Captain is doing is… for the best."

That doesn't answer any of Echo's questions.

Nax lets out a breath and turns to Hevy and Cutup, who are hanging back a little. "Help me clear the room," he tells them quietly. "The others don't need to see this." The three of them start to spread out, speaking gently to the gathered brothers. It's not long before the other clones are beginning to file out, shooting glances over their shoulders as they leave.

When Echo glances back at the fight, Captain Rex has gained the advantage. He's surely but steadily pushing Zeer towards the edge of the mats, and he's finally gotten more aggressive, hitting with hard elbows and knees.

Captain Rex is a master of close-quarters-combat. Once he gains the upper hand, he presses until Zeer is completely on the defensive. It isn't long before he has his opponent backed into the corner of the mats. Zeer seems unwilling to step out of bounds. Some part of his hazy mind is still engaged, seeing this as some sort of ridiculous training exercise.

Now that the room is empty, Echo can hear everything much clearer. The room is filled with the sounds of Zeer's growls and harsh breathing. Beta squad watches in stunned silence as the combatives get fiercer, as Zeer grows more desperate and Captain Rex more determined. Zeer throws a massive punch that Captain Rex ducks under to shove both hands into Zeer's chest. The motion throws Zeer off balance. While he's still reeling, Captain Rex darts forwards again, lashing out with an impressive kick that Echo knows for a fact he'd learned from Commander Cody. His foot catches Zeer in the side of the head. Zeer goes staggering. It's a simple thing, after landing such a devastating hit, for Captain Rex to catch Zeer in the face with a fist and send him crashing to the floor.

"You're done," Captain Rex says in between breaths. "Zeer, stay down. You're done."

Zeer groans and starts to drag himself up. Everyone tenses, and Rex's gaze sharpens.

"Zeer, don't make me do this," he mutters. "What are you doing, brother? I know you're grieving, but running yourself ragged isn't fixing anything."

"I don't care," Zeer snarls, and tries to lunge to his feet. Rex tackles him before he can get very far, and Echo winces when Zeer's head hits the ground. The mats are softer than the floor, but it still hurts.

"Yield," Rex demands. He grapples with Zeer for a few moments, and when Zeer only struggles harder Rex twists them around so that Zeer is trapped on his chest with one arm pinned tightly behind his back.

"Yield," Rex orders again. Zeer tries to thrash, but Rex holds him fast. A sharp intake of air from behind him makes Echo glance back, and he sees Commander Tano shaking her head, turning away. There is a look of guilt on her face. Echo almost reaches out to her, but before he can do so Droidbait beats him to it, sliding into place at her side and putting a tentative hand on her shoulder.

Del starts to move closer to the mats. Nax follows him, but Domino hangs back. It isn't quite right for them to get close yet.

"Zeer, that's enough," Del says gently. Captain Rex glances up at the two Teth survivors as they approach, an unreadable expression on his face. "You've got to calm down." Zeer goes rigid at Del's voice, freezing underneath Rex. Echo can only see half of his face, since the rest of his head is shoved into the floor, but he can still make out the expression of helplessness and misery that flashes across the clone's face. Del and Nax go closer, and they lower their voices so that Echo can't make out their words. That's alright. This is becoming something private now, something that Echo feels like they shouldn't watch. He looks towards the Commander and Droidbait next to him instead of attempting to eavesdrop.

"What happened?" he asks quietly. Droidbait is frowning heavily. Commander Tano sighs.

"From what I understand, Zeer's been coming here almost every day since… since Ryloth, training until he dropped, practically. Captain Rex came in and saw, and he didn't like that. Except, when he ordered Zeer to stop, Zeer just got more aggressive."

"Rex was trying to make sure he didn't hurt himself more," Fives mutters. "What Zeer's been doing is unhealthy. When Zeer challenged him, Rex saw an opportunity to stop him. Blast it, we should have realized what was happening sooner. I've seen things like this before."

"Force," Cutup mutters. Echo turns to look at him, alarmed by the shock in Cutup's voice. "That was ridiculous."

"It's kind of like Coric was doing," Hevy points out quietly. "He was trying to drown it out by working until he couldn't think."

Echo glances over to see that Rex has finally released Zeer from the armlock, and is slowly getting to his feet. Zeer sits up, but he doesn't go anywhere—instead, Nax and Del press closer to him, still quietly talking him down.

"Will he be alright?" Commander Tano asks worriedly. Echo sighs.

"Eventually," he answers. She takes a deep breath and nods as Captain Rex makes his way over. Domino starts to straighten to attention as he approaches, but he waves them off. He's walking slowly, one hand cradled protectively over his ribs—Zeer had gotten a few good hits in.

"Sir… thank you," Echo says to him, because he doesn't know what else to say.

"No thanks necessary," Rex responds. He sweeps his gaze over Domino carefully. "You're my responsibility, my men. If I couldn't spare the time to do this, I wouldn't be worthy of my position."

"All the same, sir, thank you," Cutup says. "He's been isolating himself since Ryloth. I think… I think he'll be a little better now."

Captain Rex nods. "A little," he confirms. "But not completely. None of them will be better for a while. I hope you've realized that." Domino collectively nods.

"We've been doing our best to help, sir," Fives says. "They're starting to recover. It'll take time, but they'll get there."

Rex nods in approval. He catches Echo and Fives with a meaningful gaze.

"Keep an eye on them all," he orders—there's no mistaking the tone, it's an order. "They've been through more and lost more than any clone deserves to. Help them when you can." He sounds protective. Echo remembers that Rex has probably known the Teth survivors since they were first assigned to the 501st. They're all that remains of Rex's original Torrent Company. It makes sense that he'd be protective.

"Yes, sir," Echo and Fives say in tandem.

"Thank you," Rex says. He glances back at the Teth survivors. "I wish I could stay longer and help, but I've got to get to the bridge." His eyes land on Droidbait, and his gaze softens. "How are you holding up, Droidbait?"

Droidbait lifts his head. For a moment, Echo thinks he isn't going to speak—until Droidbait's lips curve upwards in a tiny, sorrowful smile.

"I'll be alright, sir," he answers quietly. Echo relaxes at the sound of his voice. Fives lets out what sounds like a sigh of relief, too.

"Good," Rex says kindly. He sets a gentle hand on Droidbait's shoulder comfortingly for a moment before he draws away. "I'm sorry, men. I—"

"It's alright if you need to leave, sir," Echo tells him. "We can take care of this. Do what you need to." Rex looks frustrated for a moment. He so obviously wants to stay and help stabilize his men, but he's spent too much time here already. Rex is needed to help continue organizing the Ryloth strikes, and he can't waste any more time.

"I'm counting on you," their Captain finally says. He aims a salute at Commander Tano. "Commander…?"

"Tell my master I'll be there in a minute," Commander Tano says firmly. "I have to take care of something first." Echo's eyebrows shoot up—what is she talking about? Captain Rex just nods at her as he hurries for the door, and then Beta squad is alone with their Commander.

Echo takes a deep breath and looks at the Togruta guiltily. He'd been so caught up in their own grief and recovery that he'd forgotten about her after they'd returned to the ship. He'd told Fives to remind her that it wasn't her fault on Ryloth, but he'd hadn't attempted to follow up and make sure she was okay. He opens his mouth, but before he can even try to speak, she beats him to it.

"I'm alright," she says. Echo glances at Fives and realizes that he hadn't been the only one about to ask that. "It took me a few days, but then… I talked to my master, and I was talking to Droidbait. They both helped me to understand a lot of things."

It's both a good thing and a bad thing that she's able to say that. As horrible as it sounds, part of Echo had hoped that maybe she'd still be shaken by what had happened—evidence of innocence, of a normal mindset. She's learning fast, though—between what had happened with her pilots and now this, she's already training herself to look at things from a warrior's perspective. Ryloth has taught her a lot of things that Echo almost wishes she didn't have to know. She deserves better than to be corrupted by the harsh realities of war, but at the same time… they need her. The Republic needs her.

Kriff, if that isn't messed up.

He pulls himself out of his thoughts to remember what Commander Tano had said and sends a surprised look at Droidbait, who shrugs as if it's no big deal. So that's where he'd disappeared to this morning. Echo's heart swells with pride.

"It helped us both," Droidbait murmurs, and that's three times today. Echo smiles. He's recovering, and he's helping Commander Tano recover, too.

Across the room, Nax and Del are pulling Zeer to his feet. Zeer looks exhausted. He lurches unsteadily when he stands. Commander Tano turns towards them as they approach, hovering around Zeer as they walk.

"Are you alright, Zeer?" she asks carefully. Zeer looks surprised to be addressed. It takes him a moment to find words to respond.

"I… yes, sir." He takes a deep breath, wincing as he does so. "Sir, I'm… I'm sorry, I don't know what—"

She waves a hand to cut him off.

"Zeer, you don't have to apologize. I understand."

Zeer lowers his eyes to the floor in shame despite her words. All the fight has drained out of him. Whatever Del and Nax had been telling him was enough to get him back to normal.

"All the same, sir," he says quietly. "I made a spectacle of my anger and injured the Captain. If you see fit to punish me, I won't protest."

Commander Tano smiles at him. It catches him off guard again.

"I think a day's rest in the medical wing is punishment enough," she says lightly. "Coric is bound to yell at you, anyway, and that's pretty bad as it is." Zeer winces. She's not wrong. She continues, a little more seriously: "Zeer… just promise me one thing. Don't do this again. I won't have my squad injuring themselves, understand? Please. There are better ways to cope."

Zeer swallows. "Yes, Commander. It won't happen again."

"Thank you," she says, sincerity making her voice ring. "To the medical bay, then. You're hurt."

Del and Nax keep one hand each on Zeer's shoulders as they start to walk. After a moment, Echo makes a quick decision and steps closer behind them, putting a hand on Zeer's back in silent support. He thinks for a second that he's made a mistake. Zeer tenses. Echo almost draws back, but Zeer relaxes as suddenly as he'd stiffened. Del glances back and nods approvingly, so Echo keeps his hand there. Grounding him. Reminding Zeer that he isn't alone.

Piece by piece, Beta squad is repairing itself.

"There is no death, there is the Force," Droidbait whispers very, very softly as they walk, and Echo inhales slowly.

The Force brought them here. He sees no reason to doubt the famous Jedi saying.

Even if Attie is gone, he's still with them in spirit. The Force will make sure of that.

The next morning, news comes in from the front that General Windu and his men have successfully taken Ryloth's capital and captured Watt Tambor.

Echo tries not to be disappointed that they didn't kill him and fails miserably. It's out of his hands, and he struggles somewhat successfully to keep it out of his mind, too. In the first timeline, Tambor was eventually released during a prisoner exchange, but that won't happen for a long time. Echo clings to the hope that they'll be able to change things before that happens.

He still wants revenge, but he needs to keep his brothers safe more. His priorities are set in stone, and not even Tambor will convince him to change them.

The campaign is over. It happened sooner than Echo remembers, and he wonders if the 501st's more in-depth involvement had something to do with it.

They're given access to the tubs of 501st blue paint once the fighting finally dies down to touch up their armor. Echo especially has scratches all across his armor from the shards of rock that had pelted him when the droid blew up the fountain. It takes him a long time to do touch-ups, repairing the stripes on his helmet and the handprint on his chest. Hevy doesn't have that much to fix, but he's drawing more spirals of flame across his gauntlets. Cutup hadn't lost or scratched any of his markings, but he's making them darker, more recognizable, clearing off the dust. Fives is adding more detail on his Rishi eel.

Droidbait only gets two tally marks from Ryloth, and he makes them thick, jagged slashes along the side of his helmet. To remember, he signs quietly when he notices Echo watching him (just because he's feeling well enough to talk now doesn't mean he always wants to). He also adds a tiny blue shape on his shoulder that Echo doesn't recognize until he moves closer—it's the tiny outline of one of those candies Attie used to hand out, the ones from Naboo. Beta squad likes it so much that they all copy him, so that the little sweet is somewhere on everyone's armor in honor of their fallen brother.

Captain Rex finds his way to their barracks later that evening. Echo assumes he wants to check up on them, which is true—but Rex also brings another clone with them, whose armor is covered in gorgeous blue swirls that remind Echo of smoke.

"Tipper!" Cutup greets in excitement when they first walk in. He waves to his friend enthusiastically before he connects the dots to realize why Tipper is there. Then he goes quiet, and his eyes widen in surprise.

Rex meets Del's suddenly neutral gaze carefully, and they all wait with baited breath to hear what he has to say.

"I know this is far from an ideal situation," Captain Rex begins. "I understand that you're still grieving for Attie, but your squad is a man short."

Echo casts a quick glance at Droidbait, who has frozen with a blank expression on his face. He remembers a few days earlier, how Droidbait had stormed out of the mess once Fives had confirmed that Attie would be replaced. How is he going to take this?

"Tipper lost his entire squad because of the virus on Naboo," Rex continues. "I've been moving him between squads in Wave trying to find a spot for him, but I think he'd fit into Torrent Company much better. What would you say to that?"

Beta technically has no right to refuse. Rex is their commanding officer, after all. The fact that he's giving them a choice at all means a lot.

Del takes a deep breath and exchanges a glance with Nax and Zeer. Zeer, surprisingly, nods first. It takes Nax a second longer, but he nods as well. Coric doesn't nod, just looks at Del meaningfully. Whatever Del wants, Coric will agree with. Del's gaze skims over Echo, Fives, and Hevy. He takes in Cutup's growing excitement, then looks at Droidbait.

For a long moment, no one moves. Droidbait stares at Tipper carefully, who shuffles nervously under the stare.

"I'd rather it be him than someone I don't know," Droidbait finally says, and Beta breathes a sigh of relief.

"It's settled, then," Captain Rex says. He sounds pleased. "Tipper will be transferred to Beta squad, Torrent Company. Any objections?"

No one says anything, so Cutup lets out a cheer. Echo grins.

Tipper is a smart choice. As Cutup's friend, he has good relationships with many of Beta from that time when he'd paid them a visit to teach the Commander how to play sabacc. On top of that, he's already served with the Commander, who trusts him from their time on Naboo.

Tipper is grinning at Cutup, and he makes a little aborted motion as if he wants to go greet his friend before restraining himself. He salutes Del nervously instead.

"Sir… if you don't want me here, that's fine. I—I don't want to replace him."

Tipper had known Attie, too, after all.

Del shakes his head and offers Tipper a smile. "It's alright," he says. "Welcome to Beta squad, Tipper." Tipper's shoulders slump in relief.

"Calm down, kid," Fives says gruffly, coming closer to slug Tipper's shoulder in greeting. "We're glad you're here." It's true, Echo realizes, for all of them, even Droidbait. Tipper is a friend, and despite everything it's good to have him joining them.

Beta squad is going to be alright. Their wounds are mending. Rex is pushing them, by adding Tipper to their squad, but it's a calculated risk that Echo suspects will work out for the better.

As Cutup practically bounds over to greet his old friend, Echo smiles. This is going to work out. They're going to be okay.

Now it's time to start looking forward again. After all, the Republic isn't going to save itself.

A/N: I'm not as happy with this as I'd like to be, but hopefully it's alright to you guys. Let me know if it isn't, because I have no problem going back and fixing things. My brother is busy this weekend and can't help me edit, so I'm on my own. Regardless, you guys have waited long enough for an update, so here's this for now.

Echo's been getting a lot of screen time recently because I'm approaching an arc where he's gonna fall to the background for a little bit so I can focus on someone else, that's why he's had plenty of moments recently.

Some very important plot things are going to happen next chapter. Get ready! I'm excited.