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Echo had to admit, he had missed going on missions with his vod. He loved his family and missed them greatly, especially little Omegicka. However, the Bad Batch often got loud and chaotic, and he was very happy to pursue his desire to help liberate more of his brothers.
As they walked through packed market streets, Echo couldn’t help but think of his previous squad. Out of all of them, only he and Rex had made it out… he wondered with a pang of pain what Cody must be doing right now, what his chip must feel like…
He’d heard the rumors after Order 66 was given: the loyal Commander Cody had killed his own General. Shot down by a tank at Cody’s order. Echo shook his head, at least General Kenobi died loyal to his battalion. Rex’s General… Rex didn’t talk about it. Not about Ashoka, not about Skywalker.
Echo allowed himself a moment to think of Fives, of his life when everything seemed fine, even though they were in the thickest battles of the war. At least at that point they still had each other, still had control of their minds and bodies.
“You got that face again,” Rex sniggered. “They’ll be fine, Echo. Hunter can handle them.”
Echo couldn’t help but chuckle. Rex had caught his worried look several times now and kept trying to reassure him that they were not going to lose Omega or go on another Riot Race without him.
“It’s not that, this time,” he said, sobering a little at the thought of Fives and Cody again, “it’s… our brothers, Rex. I can’t stop thinking about Cody and Fives… it’s not fair that we got out and they didn’t”
“Yeah,” Rex sighs, “I… Me too. But we can’t stay in the past, Echo. For our own good, we have to stay in the present and save whomever we can. S’the least we can do.”
They kept walking in silence for a bit, too caught up in the effort of not losing each other in the thickening crowd. Rex had received a call from an old nat-born friend asking him if he was in Tattooine. Someone had spotted another clone and, since clones were rare on the planet, he confused him for Rex. However, that meant there was someone out here they could save.
“Do you think he’ll have his chip still?” asked Echo.
“Who knows… if he does and he defected, he must be in great pain right now. Either that, or…” Rex let the sentence trail, Echo had seen the effects of the chip first-hand.
They continued on their way, keeping their eyes peeled, but the crowd was thick and the heat made everything muddled. Both of them had stripped parts of their armor so they wouldn’t stand out as much, headscarves over their faces and shoulders. They didn’t know in which state their brother would be in, so they wanted to make sure they weren’t easily recognizable.
Echo took a second to take the sight in, breathing the strong spices coming from the market stalls, watching the children weaving through people’s legs and trying to steal candy from vendors. Omega and Wrecker would love this place. Hunter would have a head-splitting headache. Tech would try to catch snippets of conversation with his translation goggles. Echo smiled, he will be back soon enough.
As he was looking around, his eye caught a flash of orange near a fountain a ways away. It was a strong figure leaning over the fountain, hands cupped to splash some water over his face. Rex’s face. Echo’s face too. That was their clone.
Signaling Rex, Echo began moving toward the figure in the orange scarf. Rex nodded and began moving in a different direction, trying to block any possible escape. They were in the very center of the market, which wasn’t ideal, with people bumping against him at every turn and sellers calling for his attention, but at least they could use the crowd as a cover.
The figure finished scrubbing his face and replaced his scarf over it, turning around towards a road leading away from the main square. Locking eyes with Rex one last time, they set out in different directions.
The clone moved fast, he seemed to be familiar with the market and knew its twists and turns. The man never turned back, but also never stopped, meaning he had already spotted Echo. Such a fast reaction could mean that they weren’t dealing with a shiny.
“He’s onto me, this has to be an experienced soldier. Be careful, Rex,” Echo muttered into his commlink.
“Copy. I’ll try to intercept, just keep him in sight.”
As he said that, some kids came running down the alleyway, making Echo stumble a little and lose his visual on the clone. He swore, moving a little faster toward a narrow street on the side, just in time to catch a glimpse of orange turning a corner in an otherwise empty street.
Echo hurried forward, hand on his blaster, making sure it was set to stun, and rounded the corner; coming face to face with a knife.
On the other end of the knife was the man in the orange scarf, face still covered and holding a blaster in Rex’s direction, who had just come out of a side alley.
“Drop your weapons,” ordered the clone in a calm and clear voice, the sign of a soldier that had had to say that way too many times. Echo was right, this was no shiny.
Rex locked eyes with him, giving him an imperceptible nod. Echo lowered his blaster and set it on the floor, Rex following suit.
“We don’t want any trouble, trooper,” said Rex slowly.
“Then why are you following me? Who are you, and what do you want?”
“We are clones, just like you. We just want to help. Please, put your weapons down so we can talk,” said Echo. However, this did the opposite of what he expected, the man straightening up and grounding himself for a fight.
“What do you mean by help? Who exactly are you helping?” growled the man. Echo and Rex held a silent conversation, weighing their options.
“Look,” Rex sighed, “we are here because we want to help set as many clones free from the Empire as we can. Someone notified us that there was a clone here and we just wanted to connect with them.”
At this, the clone lowered his weapons a little.
“Show me your faces. What are your names?”
Slowly, both soldiers took off their scarves and coverings.
“My name is Rex, this is Echo. What’s your name, trooper?”
“Force… Rex? Echo?” said the clone, voice hoarse, “What- They told me you died in Kamino- I-“ At this, the clone sheathed his weapons and began undoing his own coverings, letting his face show, scar proudly displayed at his temple.
“Cody?” Echo inched forward, “When did you defect? Why-“
He was about to close the distance and hug his vod, but Rex stopped him, holding out a hand.
“Cody, have you gotten your chip removed?” asked Rex, face serious but hopeful.
“It’s long gone, Rex,” said Cody with a chuckle, “you can relax.”
Cody’s whole demeanor had changed drastically. He was still alert, but his smile reached his eyes at the sight of his brothers, though you could see unshed tears starting to form in them. After a couple seconds of unsure silence, Cody finally stepped forward and put his arms around his brothers.
“It’s good to see you both alive and out of the Empire,” said Cody.
“You too, my friend. You certainly chose a deep exile from it, though. What are you doing on Tattoine, Cody? Are you all right?” Asked Rex.
“I’m doing well, Rex,” said Cody, but neither Echo nor Rex was convinced. No one would be ok after being ordered to kill their General, especially if certain rumors about Cody and Obi-Wan were to be believed.
“Really, I’m ok. Things are looking up now that I’ve left the Empire,” Cody reassured them, but there was an odd sadness in his eyes when he looked at Echo. “Help me grab some groceries from the market, yes? Make up for the scare you gave me.”
The three of them walked around the market, talking idly about Tattoine and what the news was from outside, but Cody insisted on discussing more sensitive topics later when there were fewer ears around.
They ended up filling an entire backpack with supplies, and Cody led them through the winding alleyways toward the outskirts of town.
“All right, Cody- we need to know, what have you been up to out here? How are you surviving? Do you need a way off this planet? How long ago did you escape?” Asked Rex, voicing many of the questions Echo had been itching to ask.
“You’ll see, Rex. Just be patient,” the former Commander chuckled. Echo didn’t remember Cody laughing this much during the war, “I’ll explain everything once we get home. I have a surprise for both of you.”
Interest piqued, Echo and Rex followed Cody out into the desert and onto a small craft.
After some time, they came upon a little adobe farm on top of a mount in Jundland wastes. There was a desert for miles, only broken by another small farm at the base of the mount. Echo felt a pang of pity for his brother, this place had to be hard to live in by himself. Why wouldn’t he accept a ride off-world?
They came to a halt behind the farmhouse on the mount and unloaded the brimming backpack full of groceries. Cody had this secretive little smile playing on his lips, which reminded Echo about his promise of a surprise.
“I’m home, Cyare! We have some guests over for dinner!” Called Cody as they approached the front door, earning a raised eyebrow from both his brothers.
“Cody, how long have you been out here? There’s no way you met someone in these wastes… in… such….” Rex trailed off, struck dumb by the figure opening the door to Cody’s house. Back from the dead yet again: General Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Echo had heard countless stories about the General’s inability to die, shinies loved to gush about their General’s exploits. The man had survived falls, blaster wounds, lightsabers to the back, and apparently, Order 66 as well.
“General?!” Exclaimed Echo in a surprised squeak. Rex was still stunned and silent.
Obi-Wan hadn’t changed that much since his supposed death. He was a little leaner, more weathered, but still had the same calm eyes and demeanor, the same smile.
“Dadadada!” came a squealing call from within the house.
A small figure came wobbling from between Obi-Wan’s legs towards Cody, who walked forward with a huge grin and picked the baby up, peppering him with kisses.
“Hello, there! Did you miss me?” Asked Cody.
“Dadada,” babbled the baby, batting his little hands on Cody’s cheeks.
“We both missed you, but this little guy has been asking for you non-stop this afternoon!” Obi-Wan chuckled while he approached the Commander and, to both Rex’s and Echo’s further shock, kissed him sweetly. “I see we’ve been found, then,” he continued, laughter dancing in his eyes at Rex and Echo’s expressions.
“General… you- How is this- Who-?” stammered Rex. Echo didn’t think he had ever seen the man so surprised he couldn’t form coherent sentences.
“It’s good to see you both. We will explain everything, but let’s do that while we eat some dinner, yes?” Smiled Obi-Wan, taking the backpack from Cody and heading inside.
—------------------------------
The inside of the hut was cozy, a low fire in the corner warming up the place during the cold nights out in the wastelands. There were several chairs with cushions, toys strewn around, and a pile of wooden blocks on the coffee table. To the side, the kitchen smelled like home-cooked stew and spices.
“Please, sit down,” said Obi-Wan, handing both of them a bowl of soup, “you must be tired after a day in the sun.”
Everyone settled down, sitting on the different chairs and cushions. Cody, still holding the baby, sat down by Obi-Wan on the couch, bouncing the kid on his knee.
“General, Cody… How…” Rex sighed, unsure of how to handle this situation, “How are you alive, General? Cody, I thought you- And the kid?”
Obi-Wan and Cody looked at each other for a second, holding a silent conversation with what looked like pity in their eyes.
“All right…” Said Cody, settling the child between Obi-Wan and him and handing him a stuffed toy, “This is a long story.”
“We have time, Commander,” said Echo.
Both Obi-Wan and Cody took turns in telling the story: about how they’ve fallen in love in the middle of the war, but refused to admit it until a year later when Obi-Wan had faked his death and they realized they didn’t have the privilege to wait until a better time to confess. They talked about how the entire 212th kind of knew they were together and though they had never made an announcement, the entire battalion was still diligent in keeping their Commander and General’s secret. They told them about their wedding, held in the medical bay of The Negotiator in the middle of the night with Skull as their only witness and officiator.
Rex remembered teasing Cody about his pining glances towards his General, Cody full-heartedly denying it and changing the subject. He never thought he would act on it. Force, he didn’t think he had known he was in love!
They went a little somber as they went on to retell the events surrounding the end of the war. Cody recalled horrible dreams in the days before Order 66 and even worse headaches. Then, Cody became quieter as they got to the part of the story where the Commander was forced to execute Order 66, his head pounding but not being able to stop what he was doing. Obi-Wan held his hand through the retelling, occasionally cutting in to explain how he had made it out of the situation.
Then, Cody went on to explain the blur of the following year: the never-changing days, the Empire rising, the headaches dulling into background noise, the loneliness and paranoia of it all, the self-doubt. He said he couldn’t tell where his own thoughts ended and the chip’s information began, until a mission he had with Crosshair.
Rex looked over at Echo, seeing a shadow of grief around his mouth, but kept quiet. Cody’s eyes were sad as he looked at his brother.
The mission had involved a governor that had previously sought peace, but had given up on the concept a long while ago and was threatening to kill the new governor set by the Empire. Cody had tried to defuse the situation by negotiating with the governor, but he then received orders to kill her. He had fought the chip again, weighing his options, but in the end, Crosshair had killed her. That was the day he made the decision to desert.
After deserting and finding out he had a chip, he got it removed and learned from a lucky interaction with Senator Organa that Obi-Wan was still alive, so he set out to look for him and found him in this hut.
There was a moment of silence, as both soldiers took in the new information, then Rex asked, “What about the baby?”
Cody and Obi-Wan shared another concerned look, Obi-Wan picking up the baby and holding him on his lap.
“This is Luke, Rex,” Said Obi-Wan in a soft voice, “He is the son of Senator Amidala...”
Rex’s face blanched. He felt like all the blood in his brain had fallen to his feet. Now that he looked closer, the baby looked slightly familiar to Rex, maybe it was his nose… Rex couldn’t pin what it was, but there was something obviously similar to someone else, though Rex’s fog-filled brain refused to provide him with an image or a name or-
“Rex, Luke is Anakin’s son,” said Cody in the kindest way possible, “his mother died in childbirth, and we have adopted him since.”
Oh, Rex thought.
“Rex? Rex, you’re really pale, sit back a little,” said Echo, reaching out to take his glass of water and offering it to his vod, “Here, drink some water.”
They stayed quiet for a little bit, letting Rex process at his own pace. Meanwhile, little Luke was doing raspberries and trying to get Obi-Wan to bounce him on his leg like Cody had done before. Rex tried to calm his breathing, really taking a look at the baby and rationalizing. He hadn’t wanted to confront what his former General had done in a long time, the memories too painful to consider revisiting or unpacking, but here he was: in front of his General’s son, hiding from him.
“We are in Tatooine to protect Luke. We cannot let his father know about him, or the Empire will raise him in the dark side,” Obi-Wan said, finally bouncing Luke.
“We won’t let him take our son away,” Cody asserted, stroking his son’s hair. And there it was, wasn’t it? Luke was now Obi-Wan and Cody’s son, not Anakin’s. He would grow up in a loving family on the light side of the Force. He would be safe.
“And we won’t let anything happen to him either,” Rex said, looking at his newfound nephew with a strong sense of protection.
Cody and Obi-Wan smiled, grateful. They knew better than to show Rex pity or tell him they were sorry for Anakin’s actions, they knew Rex would not have that. Luke started getting fussy, trying to get to the floor.
“Got tired of bouncing, have you?” Obi-Wan chuckled and placed him on the floor.
Luke immediately made a beeline for Rex, raising his little hands towards him and making little noises. Rex looked mildly panicked, trying to figure out what the baby wanted from him, making his friends laugh.
“He wants you to pick him up, vod. Here-“ Echo stood up from his seat and carefully picked Luke up and put him in Rex’s lap, guiding his hands to teach him how to hold the baby.
“You seem very comfortable around children, Echo,” said Cody, raising his eyebrows in a silent question.
“Ah, I’ve had practice…” said Echo, rubbing his neck, “The Bad Batch and I rescued a young clone from Kamino, her name is Omega. She was older than Luke when we brought her in, but a kid is a kid.”
“So you’re a dad now?” Asked Cody, grinning.
“More like a mom, I’d say,” Huffed Rex, earning him an eye-roll from his vod, “he hasn’t stopped worrying about them since we left.”
“You know how chaotic they can be,” Echo sighed, “But it’s true that they can take care of themselves and Omega, I just…”
“Worry?” Obi-Wan guessed, getting a tired nod from Echo, “Yeah, well. That’s what parents do, I suppose!”
As the night went on, Luke started yawning and slumping more into Rex. It had been a long day for everyone, so they all decided it was best to go to bed.
As Cody and Echo put the dishes in the sonic, Obi-Wan turned to Rex once more.
“I know how you feel, you know,” said Obi-Wan in a low voice, which Rex appreciated. No need for the other two to know how much he was struggling with the news of what his General had done, “I’m furious at him, but more at myself. I wish I could’ve seen it coming, and do something about it.”
“It wasn’t your fault, General,” murmured Rex as he cradled Luke closer to himself.
“Well, it wasn’t your fault either, Commander. We all did what we could, but it was his own decision in the end, yes?”
“I know it’s not the most comfortable situation to sleep in, but you both can take Luke’s room,” said Cody as he walked to stand behind his husband, “At least that way you won’t get direct sunlight in the morning,”
“We’ve slept in worse places Commander, we’ll be fine,” waved Echo.
“All right, then,” Obi-Wan stood to reach for his son, raising him up over his head and kissing his cheek, “Looks like you get to sleep with your dad and your buir tonight!”
“Bui!” Luke brightened, awoken again by the sudden movement of the adults around the room.
“Good night, you two. Sleep well,” Said Cody, following Obi-Wan and Luke to their room.
———————————————————————
Rex woke up to almost complete darkness, the presence of Echo on the other side of the room, and a gentle humming coming through the door. Remembering the events of the past day, he sat up, looking for his datapad. 0530… who was out and about at this hour?
The humming caught his attention again, tugging at his memory. It was a familiar tune, a Mandalorian lullaby clones sang to each other after harsh battles. It was comforting to hear it again, the Empire had banned any form of clone culture once they killed the Jedi.
Quietly, Rex stood up, moving towards the door and opening it as silently as he could. In the faint light of the first cresting sun, he saw Cody looking out the kitchen window, still in his pajamas and holding a sleepy Luke at his hip, rubbing circles on his back. The scene was so peaceful Rex held his breath, fearing any ounce of sound would disturb them.
Not long after, Obi-Wan came in through the main door, already dressed for the day and with wind-tousled hair. Cody smiled at him, kissing him good morning and trying not to jostle the now-sleeping baby in his arms.
“Did I wake you two?” Obi-Wan whispered.
“No, he woke up from a nightmare and didn’t see you in the room. He wanted to see that you were all right, so we watched you meditate for a bit,” smiled Cody, hand going to touch Luke’s hair.
“Ah, I see. I can take him if you want to get ready for the day, dear” Obi-Wan offered. Cody nodded, handing Luke over to his buir and heading to his room.
“Ok, little one,” Obi-Wan placed a kiss on Luke’s hair, “let’s make some breakfast.”
Rex retreated back to his bedroll as quietly as he could, smiling to himself. He could sleep some more, he didn’t want to intrude in his vod’s morning with his family.