It's over! I am admittedly not thrilled with the ending but I think it works well enough. Enjoy!
tag: @mezmatch
Edit: Masterpost
It turns out that what Fives meant by “he blew up” is that for some reason one of Fox’s troopers had brought their explosives, and while rolling out of Palpatine’s way had clipped one to his robes. Fives has been checking on Char regularly since the healers let him have visitors, having grown fond of the trooper while on Coruscant. He had already been planning to introduce Echo to him, now he wondered if Echo might be able to reassure Char, who had lost an arm to Palpatine’s sabers.
“How many did you lose in the fight?” Jesse asked. Fives grimaced.
“Two dead, no one uninjured. Four of them are going to need prosthetics, including Char. Fox was electrocuted, but the healers said he’d make it. And before you ask, yes Kix I’m approved to be walking around, I made myself armor and got away with bruises and a lightsaber burn.”
Kix narrowed his eyes, but Fives for all his willingness to cause chaos wasn’t in the habit of lying to medics so he left it at that.
“What will happen with the war, with the Chancellor dead?” Hunter wondered out loud.
“The Separatists have been quiet since everything went down; it looks like they’re floundering without the Chancellor feeding them information.” Rex replied. “Cody and some of the other Commanders are strategizing the best ways to take advantage of this, they’ve already sent a couple ships to harry Grievous. The Guard’s being taken care of at the Temple for the foreseeable future, and the 501st is on leave. General Skywalker isn’t taking the revelation of the Chancellor’s actions well. Cody said he put your squad on medical leave too Hunter, so you’re welcome to join us in trying to navigate this weird building.”
“I’m pretty sure the Temple is sentient and watching us.” Fives jokes. At least, Rex thinks it’s a joke. Nope, it’s a joke until proven otherwise he does not want to think about it.
“Are troopers allowed into the Jedi Archives?” Tech inquired.
Fives shrugged. “Apparently there’s a squad assigned there, they supplied us with the Temple’s map, so I assume so. Want me to forward you the map?”
“Yes.”
Fives reached for his comm and tapped it. After sending the map to Echo’s squad, and as relieved as he is that Echo has a squad looking out for him it’s strange to think of Echo being in a squad without him, he turns to his twin’s new squadmates. “So. Tell me what my little shit of a younger brother has been getting up to.”
“I AM NOT YOUNGER…”
Rex laughed, the rest of the troopers following behind him, and for the rest of the day, all was well.
*
Without the Chancellor feeding them false information and informing the Seperatists, the war ended not long after the man was revealed to be a Sith Lord playing both sides. Grievous was defeated, and Dooku vanished not long after. The Republic and the Seperatists had entered a truce and were currently negotiating. That the Seperatists’ cooler heads had been able to set a truce may have had something to do with the Banking Clan and the Trade Federation being thrown into chaos when several files that were never supposed to be within reach of some very effective well-protected lawyers were made public.
And if a few files had been released to keep the more warmongering senators too busy trying to cover their asses to interfere, while. Vod only gossip among themselves and they’d appreciate it if said senators stopped spitting such baseless accusations against the Corries.
Nor did anyone know why certain Senators had decided to vote in favor of a Clone Rights Bill and to condemn the Senators and political aids that had been accused of abusing the Coruscant Guard, though they had previously refused to give a firm opinion on the Bill.
Fives and Echo were in one of the Temple cafeterias with the Bad Batch, a few members of Torrent, and about twenty Jedi younglings that would not know war, would not know what it was to lead armies into battle. Today’s lesson was how to make pancakes.
Things weren’t settled yet, there were still thousands of details to iron out. But the future was looking bright, they were together, and there were pancakes in the not-to-distant future.
The Domino Twins grinned ear to ear, the Bad Batch mocked them and was immediately shoved in return, and one of the crechemasters told them to hold all horseplay till after the lesson.
Didn't expect to write enough of this to warrant a masterpost! But there's 9 parts and I'm gonna write a 10th, so for the people reading my fic I hope this is useful!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11, aka the end!
Also!! @pockafwye did art for this!! That is here.
I was wondering if this would be the last part, but then I wasn't sure how I'd wrap it up and just getting the twins back together and the Batch meeting Fives took a little more than expected so there will be at least one more part.
Also it's irrelevant but I had the thought earlier that regarding their eldritch-ness, Fives is the one who watches action movies and tries to pull off the crazy stunts (sometimes this is aiming blind and sometimes this is trying to turn into a fish) while Echo is the one who watches horror movies for ways to spook anyone wandering around in the middle of the night.
@mezmatch , new part!
Enjoy!
Edit: Masterpost
Torrent makes it to Coruscant a few hours before the Bad Batch. Fives finds himself buried under vode and being lectured by Kix with incredible efficiency. Rex, knowing better than to get in the way of either Kix’s checkups or lectures, waits his turn before shaking Fives like a rattle and ordering him never to do something like that again.
“The two of you are giving me so many grey hairs.” Rex grumbles once the vod pile has arranged itself comfortably. Fives has doubled in size, the better to cuddle the other troopers and act as a pillow. Before they grew comfortable enough to join Torrent’s cuddle piles, Jesse used to find Fives and Echo cuddling, Fives nearly twice as large as a regular vod doing his best to smother Echo. He wonders absent-mindedly if the annoying vode are comfortably smothering Echo, or if he found that uncomfortable after so long in a stasis chamber. He shoots up suddenly, dislodging Kix who smacked his arm.
“Fives – ow stop that Kix – Fives you gotta greet the Bad Batch like this they’ll be so confused-”
“Why? And more importantly, Echo’s alright?”
Kix yanked Jesse back into place as his pillow as Rex responded. “We found him Fives. Not long after we thought you died. He’s been working with a group of enhanced clones since then.”
“Tell me more?”
“Fine but don’t think you’re getting out of your own explanation.” Rex said, poking his menace of an ARC before he settled into explaining how’d they found Echo.
A little to the right there’s another vod pile, this one mostly made up of Corries, the 121th, and 187th. Blood and Bones are curled in the middle of it, Blood deeply asleep while his twin holds him and listens to Helix quietly updating him on the status of the 212th they’d had in the medbay. Having been on planet at the time, Cody and Ponds’ men had lept into the task of making sure the Corries were comfortable and fed, and making sure they slept. Blood had only left the medbay after reading every vod’s sheet and with the condition that he be allowed to stay close. The room they were in was near the Healing Halls, and Blood had cried red tears into his twin’s shoulder before falling asleep, carefully shielded by Corries and politely ignored by the rest of the troopers. He’d left with Bones during the day to check on everyone but returned after dinner and been cuddled back to sleep. Fives made a note to check on the medic later before he froze.
“What is it?” Rex asked as Fives tensed beneath him.
“Echo’s here.” He whispered, his twin’s proximity humming along his veins. “I need to go.”
There’s some teasing grumbles but no one really complains as the vod pile is dismantled, allowing Fives to bolt out of the room. Rex and the others follow him at a much slower pace; Fives has made some adjustments to his skeleton that have him literally leaping off the walls above the Jedi and the troopers in his way and they don’t need to keep up with that.
On one of the Temple’s landing pads the Bad Batch disembarks, Echo out of his seat and moving to the door before anyone else is even unbuckled. They pick up the pace, Crosshair grumbling as Tech helps him.
“Fives!”
“ECHO!”
The Batch walks towards to two troopers near the bay’s doors, no longer seeing the need to rush. They don’t look like they’ll be moving soon.
Echo and another reg are wrapped around each other. The unknown trooper is crying blue tears, and his arms seem to wrap much further than they should around Echo, who’s holding on so tight Wrecker would have trouble prying them apart.
They’re still holding each other by the time a small group of Torrent troopers reach the hanger. Hunter glares at Rex and pointes to the blue lines dancing under exposed skin. “A heads up would have been nice.”
Rex grins without regret. “Where’s the fun in that? Besides, it’s nice to know he causes trouble for people other than me.”
The twins snorted in unison. “Who us? Cause trouble? Never.” The other twin – Fives – laughs, a moment before Echo shakes him, fanged and much taller.
“Fives you just faked your death and assassinated the Supreme Chancellor and you did it all WITHOUT ME you force-damned bastard–”
“That’s what you’re mad about? You got blown up! I thought you died!”
“I survived for the express purpose of kicking your ass for getting into this without me–”
“Should we stop them?” Wrecker asks, staring at the two vod who with multiple eyes who are gripping each other’s arms with wide clawed hands marked with blue fives.
“Let them get it out of their system.” Kix replies, giving Crosshair the suspicious look medics give injured vod when they don’t know if they’ve been cleared to leave the medbay. “What happened to you guys?”
“Mission went sour. Echo got us out.” Hunter replied.
“He went all twin huh?”
“What gave it away?”
Kix snorted. “You’re not the first troopers I’ve seen rescued by a pair of twins. They tend to keep the changes small most of the time, so something drastic leaves an impression.”
“You think it’s funny, don’t lie.” Echo says as he leads his twin over to them. They’re back to regular size, each with an arm around the other’s shoulder. Echo seems brighter, and Crosshair remembers when Wrecker lost his eye and how hearing that he was alive wasn’t the same as seeing him and thinks he understands. His twin has those same golden violet eyes. “Fives, this is the Bad Batch. Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair. Guys, this is Fives, my twin.”
“Nice to meet you.” Hunter says, shaking Fives’ hand. “Echo’s mentioned you before.”
Fives grins, friendly and sharp. “All insults I assume.”
“Only sometimes.”
Fives laughs, but his words are sincere when he says. “Thanks for taking care of him for me.”
“Lets find a room. You owe us a story Fives.” Rex orders, and Fives gives him a salute with that grin still on his face before the troopers turn and head into the Temple.
I come bearing more Eldritch Echo. Now with more fanged clones!
For reference. When I mention "needle teeth" I'm picturing a dragonfish or an anglerfish. Take those teeth, put it in a person's mouth, and get something I would not want to find unexpectedly two inches from my face.
Enjoy!
Edit: Masterpost
The twins Tech had reminded them of are waiting for them when they arrive.
“Echo!” One of them shouts and Echo pushes past Hunter with a fanged grin and is wrapped up in two pairs of arms without hesitation.
“How have you two been?”
“Eh you know. Same shit different day.” One snorted before abruptly turning solemn. “We heard about Fives. It’s never right when we’re separated.”
Echo smiled, something that could have been wild or sad. “I think he’s marching elsewhere rather than ahead. But I’m only as sure as I can be without seeing him, and I miss him more than I miss my arm.”
“We’ll hope he’s still around then.” One, Cobalt that’s Cobalt, replies. “But for now, we’re supposed to be taking you to the General. And all of you avoid the medbay if possible, almost everyone who isn’t injured is sick and I’m sure you don’t want to catch it.”
“This is a twin thing then?” Crosshair asks as they follow the troopers. Hunter makes a note to ask Crosshair what exactly he saw that made him ask, because he isn’t sure whether the rippling under their words was only audible to him.
Cerulean spins, walking backward without any apparent trouble. “What are you asking about? I mean probably but also what in particular?”
“They’re trying to figure out why my eyes change color.” Echo replies, and even with his helmet on no one could miss the smirk in his words. Certainly not any of the clones, who grew up communicating in armor. The twins laugh.
“Yeah it’s a twin thing.” Hunter can hear Cerulean’s smirk too. “If you can get further than that without getting straight answers out of another trooper I’ll be impressed.”
Hunter catches Tech’s hand before he goes for his datapad. Mystery or not, they have work to do.
…
A Few Weeks Earlier:
Twins had a knack for recognizing each other. There was often an added kinship there, and any pair of twins – and it is always pair because all know in their bones that they are not to be separated – upon seeing another pair will introduce themselves as soon as possible.
You just don’t separate twins. The vod who had met twins learned that quickly, the vod who had heard of them knew not to do so either, and those two groups numbered more than half the army. As for the vod who had never heard of twins, they could recognize a matched set of troopers that did best together. Even the Kaminoans had rarely separated them, and since they didn’t truly know what twins were the vod can only assume it’s either accidental or instinctive.
But rarely isn’t never.
Blood feels the absence of his twin every day. At least he knows Bones is alive, he can’t imagine his twin’s death would do anything other than rip his soul in half, but it hurts that he isn’t there, that they can’t seek each other out when they’re overwhelmed by the people they couldn’t save. He doesn’t have his batch either. They’d all become medics, and all found themselves stationed in different companies.
But solitary or not, worn to the bone or not, Blood knows another twin when he sees one. And maybe it’s because he’s a medic as well as a twin, but he knows even before he brings out the scanner that this ARC trooper in unpainted armor isn’t dead. So he takes care of the injury and waits.
It takes a while. Fox is a good shot even when he’s horrified. Blood is morbidly curious as to whether his commander deliberately missed the ARC’s heart or not – and he’s probably going to need an answer at some point. But he has too much to do for just watching to be worthwhile, so he works while he waits.
And then hours later when he’s too tired to fight a regular twin much less an ARC, he turns around and finds a maw overflowing with needle teeth and five eyes burning golden violet inches from his face.
So I have no idea what the canon timeline is, but I'm gonna say that for this there was at most 6 months between the Citadel and Echo's rescue, possibly less, and those months have been absurdly busy for the 501st. There was a week tops between Rex holding Fives in his arms when he died and then holding Echo as he pulled him out of the tank, so poor Rex was having Domino-based emotional whiplash that week. When this fic starts, Echo has been with the Bad Batch about a month and a half. They're friends and they trust each other, partly because since Echo recovered very quickly most of this time has been spent on missions with them and that's bonding time, but 1, they aren't as close as they one day could be, and 2, while Echo's mostly accepted that this is his new body in other ways he's still getting used to it. So they're all still working things out.
Now onwards!
Edit: Masterpost
‘Fives has one to match.’
It sticks in Crosshair’s mind after Echo leaves. “Tech? Remember when we brought Echo to the medbay after rescuing him?”
“Yes.”
“That medic. After we all thought Echo was asleep he asked Captain Rex if he wanted him to tell Echo about Fives or if he wanted to do it himself. What was it Echo said then?”
Tech frowned. He remembers that, remembers working with the medic on Echo’s prosthetics and hearing Echo mumble names and binaries in his sleep. “It was something about Fives, and walls – Fives is busy in the walls.”
“Fives is busy in the walls.” Echo had said, clearly only mostly asleep, and both CMO Kix and Captain Rex had turned around so fast they must have gotten whiplash.
“He didn’t say Fives was dead just now.” Crosshair realized. “He said Rex told him Fives was dead. And given how he and the medic looked before Echo spoke, I bet they believed that. But if Echo was left behind after an explosion that could have killed him, could something similar have happened to Fives?”
“And if it did, does that mean Fives is the same kind of trooper as Echo?” Tech added. “I do not believe Echo’s oddities were designed by the Kaminoans, I have found no references in their files of any experiments with the Regs that look like they could have caused this. Either it was something Echo hid, or the cause originated from something that he encountered after Kamino.”
“Find out how Fives died. I’ll see if I can find a question he’ll give a straight answer to.” Crosshair snarled.
“Fives was shot in the chest by Commander Fox.”
Both troopers jumped. No one was in sight, but Echo’s shadow loomed on the wall, Torrent-blue eyes dull against the metal. Echo’s voice continued from somewhere above their heads. “And if we’re ever on Coruscant, I’m gonna have a little chat with him about shooting my twin. Now if you don’t mind, I’m trying to sleep. Stop talking.”
Crosshair flips off the shadow on the wall with both hands. It grins with silver needle teeth and sinks into the wall. “Night Tech. I’ll wake you up for the next watch.”
“Very well.” Tech agrees. But, much like Echo’s earlier choice words had stuck in Crosshair’s head, the word ‘twin’ won’t leave Tech’s mind. He searches the term before he goes to bed, and only leaves his datapad when Crosshair glares at him.
Twin. Forming or being one of a pair born at birth. He knows this. But the clones are decanted in huge batches, hundreds in a day, and there’s always only one trooper per tube. Either each decanting is one multiple birth or none of them are. Either each batch is all twins – or whatever the word would be for hundreds of brothers born at once – or none of them are.
So why did Echo call Fives his twin?
And then, just before Tech finally drifts off to sleep, he realizes that this isn’t the first time he’s heard of troopers calling each other twin. There had been a pair of troopers who did that in the 41st Elite Corps, under General Unduli. They had painted their armor to be mirror images of each other and had been friendly to the Batch. And when Wrecker had complimented their armor, one of them had laughed and said it was a good reflection of their eyes and each had taken off their helmets to demonstrate.
Heterochromia, when the eyes were two different colors. They each had a blue eye and a brown eye, and much like their armor, their eyes mirrored each other. What had been their names? Ah yes, Cobalt and Cerulean.
He falls asleep trying to remember if they had been like Echo in any way.
The next day, he learns they’ve been given a mission to rescue some shinies attached to the 41st, and decides it’s a chance to find out.
So. This is. A thing I'm writing now? This might become a fix-it cause I figured a couple things out about the eldritchness. It's not fair that Crosshair's been the only one freaked out so far though, might freak out Tech next time.
Also would it help at all if I put links to the earlier parts here? I know not a lot of people see this but tell me if you think that'd be useful. For now I'm gonna tag them all eldritch echo.
Anyway. On with part 3!
Edit: Masterpost
“Wrecker!” Hunter calls. “Come here a moment!”
Wrecker and Echo had been outside, cleaning their armor outside to enjoy the warmth of the planet they were currently on. Wrecker groans, but leaves the sunshine with a wave towards Echo who seems perfectly content to remain. He gets cold so easily and Hunter makes a mental note to give him the large spare blanket before they end up on a colder planet.
“What’s up?”
Crosshair explains the odd things he’s noticed about Echo, ending with their talk a few days ago in which Echo had grinned at him with teeth and shadow both. “Rex claims not to know anything but we’re pretty sure he’s bullshitting us. Have you seen anything weird?”
Wrecker frowns. “I know something’s weird, but it’s not the same weird.”
“Tell us anyway!”
“Nu-uh. First Hunter and Tech gotta tell me what they think.”
“I have not noticed anything out of the ordinary.” Tech asserts. “Echo is polite and kind, and he’s recovering well.” Wrecker blinks at him and Tech’s eyes narrow. “But I’m not willing to discount Crosshair or Hunter’s senses.”
“How kind.” Crosshair retorts.
Hunter rolls his eyes. “He smells funny and no Wrecker, not didn’t-shower-after-a-battle funny. Like flowers and spices and rain, along with smelling a bit like trooper and metal. And after Crosshair mentioned it I started paying more attention and I have noticed his eyes changing color a couple times. His voice is also strange. Not all the time just, the other night, when he woke up screaming again? His voice resonated. Like he was in a cave or something instead of on the ship.”
Tech blinked. “I did not notice this.”
“You fell back asleep almost immediately after Wrecker and I calmed him down you probably wouldn’t remember if you had noticed.” Hunter replied. “Alright Wrecker. Your turn.”
“You really haven’t noticed this?” Wrecker asked Tech, who glared.
“How can I answer properly when you haven’t explained what you’re talking about?”
Wrecker shrugged. “I mean, at first I thought he was just really really lucky. Or that he’d been given some new fancy armor to try out. Didn’t figure out that that didn’t make sense until he’d been with us more than a couple weeks and he told me some stories of before he was with us.”
“Can you please explain the point before giving context?” Crosshair sighs without much hope. This is a pretty typical Wrecker-style explanation.
“He was on the ramp when the shuttle exploded. He told me when I was helping him with his physical therapy and I asked what happened. Right on the ramp. Said he lost his arm and one leg completely, and whoever pulled him off the platform cut his other leg off the rest of the way. But his organs are fine.”
“That does not-” Tech started then stopped. “No. One moment.” He turned on his datapad and began scrolling furiously.
“That close to an explosion there should have been internal damage.” Hunter said and it makes sense that Wrecker would notice something like this, because he knows as much about the damage demolitions do as he does about the explosions themselves and he’s the one who’s taken the lead in helping Echo through his physical therapy.
“Malnutrition.” Tech states. “There was some internal damage that the 501st’ medic ascribed to malnutrition. That and the implants in his skull were the only signs of damage to any internal organs. But that does not make sense. Between his proximity to the explosion and the damage to his spine, there should have been organ damage.”
“Well. The medics already established it was a miracle he survived.” Crosshair mused. “You’re saying his organs can’t be damaged or something?”
“Nah. I’m saying that now that I’m saying it, I think if they’d left that metal out of his spine he’d still be walking.”
They all stared at Wrecker. He shrugged. “Maybe I’m wrong but, I know what it looks like when people get hurt really bad. I don’t know all the fancy words for medicine and stuff like Tech but, I remember when I got this eye and I know what you guys are like when you’re hurt and I know that Echo got better really fast. I know he was moving really good really fast after we got him out of there and maybe he’s just stubborn but maybe not. And yeah, he wasn’t eating for a while, and using his scomp makes his head hurt and I know he can get hurt but like, I don’t think he gets hurt like we do. Or the injury doesn’t last as long? I don’t know.” He froze suddenly and their hands drifted to weapons in unattended instinct at whatever had Wrecker spooked. “And maybe I’m wrong but I think Echo might have heard all of this.”
They whirled around and something dark zipped across the wall and out of sight. Tech glanced back at Wrecker, who was wide-eyed. “I thought, it looked a bit like Echo. Just for a moment.”
They raced outside, almost stumbling as they exited the ship. Echo was where they’d left him, perfectly content as he set one piece of armor to the side and picked up his helmet. “Something wrong guys?”
“Something you want to tell us?” Crosshair snarled.
Echo hummed, still not looking at them. “About?”
Wrecker raised a hand. “Uh, should I also have mentioned that his scars all look really old instead of recent?”
Echo’s laughter drowned out Tech and Crosshair’s surprise. He grinned at them and for a moment Tech could have sworn his teeth were mirror-bright. He blinked. Echo smirked. “Figure it out Crosshair.”
Please don’t say anything if the Bad Batch asks about that trait Fives and I shared.
Rex raises an eyebrow at the message on his comm and types out, Have they not figured out you’re a little shit?
I am a perfectly respectable trooper.
Rex snorts. He remembers all too well the kind of little shit Echo had been. He’d had a knack for making Fives’ wild plans look logical or conform to the letter of the law, once he’d gotten a bit more confident and a bit less worried that one toe out of line would get him in trouble. He misses the kind of chaos they’d gotten up to, but he also blames half his grey hairs on them and considering the kind of things troopers liked to get up to when they were bored, that was saying a lot.
Then I can’t imagine what they’d be asking about.
Thanks Captain.
About 8 hours later, when he gets a call from Hunter and sees Crosshair and Tech trying to push themselves into view behind him, all he can think is that he expected to hear from them sooner. It must have been night wherever they were.
“Sargent Hunter. Is everything alright with your squad?”
“We’re doing well.” The sergeant replies, shooing his squadmates out of the frame. “We had a couple questions for you about Echo.”
“Is he alright?”
“He’s fine. It’s just that we’ve noticed something, well, odd.” Hunter paused. “I’m not entirely sure how to ask this, but did you notice anything strange about Echo when he worked under you?”
“You’ll have to elaborate. The kaminoans think any trait they didn’t design in us themselves is strange, it makes it a tricky term to define.”
“Have you ever seen him with twenty-four purple freaking eyes?!” Crosshair calls from behind Hunter.
“I cannot say that I have.” Frankly, he’s never counted.
“Or anything similar?” Hunter asks.
“Sargent. The medics cleared Echo for duty. If you have concerns about his physical condition it would be best to ask Echo himself.”
Crosshair shoves himself into view. “I asked. He said to figure it out.”
Of course he did. “Then I fail to see how I can help.” The sniper’s eyes narrowed. Rex smiled and continued, “If that is all gentlemen, I have a meeting with Lieutenant Jesse.”
“That’s all. Thank you Captain.” Hunter replied. When Captain Rex turned off the comm he turned to Tech and Crosshair and said, “Anyone else get the feeling he was laughing at us?”
“Absolutely.” Crosshair grumbled. “Back to square one.”
