[Open] I've Seen That Frustration

[only_an_echo]

WHO: Echo, et al. YOU who enter here.
WHERE: Calibrationssss
WHAT: Welcome to Echo's Room. He's not a fan of it.
WHEN: Nowish, May - June
WARNINGS: War violence and imagery, body trauma, explosions, generalized chaos.

- - - -

The room had a distinct smell to it, one that seemed to get worse every time the door slid open. But it was what it was: sunken military barracks assigned to a Clone Commando squad, its clean Kaminoan designs overruled by the chaos that was Clone Force 99.

The crude rendering of a scoreboard was etched into the metal panel closest to the door, boasting more successes than failures with every mission completed. Four inset bunks mirrored each other on either side of the entryway and its short set of stairs, personalized according to every member of "The Bad Batch."

And it was a mess. Lived-in and trashy, much of the space was taken up by sparse furnishings, stacked crates, and locker boxes of varying sizes. A long coil of cables snaked its way around a few of them, connected to a decapitated B1 Battledroid head. A large table was bolted to the floor in the center, covered in odds and ends that were left out.

Among them: a metal food tray; DC-17 blaster pistol; a case of cartridges that looked similar to an 8-track tape; a restraining bolt that had seen better days; a pyro denton explosive device, thankfully not set to go off; a data chip resting atop of a scattering of autumnal leaves; and a wrecked ARC Trooper helmet set to one side that some would be familiar with, although it was far from pristine.

In the left-hand corner furthest from everything piled and stacked, an ominously large capsule stood silently between the bunk equations and schematics scrawled over its enclosed walls and the large picture window continuously spattered by a downpour of rain. Its view of Kamino's large and tumultuous ocean waves was hard to miss, engulfing the city's structured pillars with rhythmic fervor.

And if one looked hard enough, a trio of Venator-class Star Destroyers were barely visible against the blackened, storm-ridden skies above…

Comments

doot doot doot

[deal_me_in]

"Whoa!" Cayde stumbled into the room, waving a hand before his face. "What died in here?" Did all the headspaces he visited before have smells to them? He couldn't remember, so he assumed it was probably not an important detail whoever owned them recalled.

"Ah, this is my kinda place. Reminds me of Banshee's old nook. Don't think he's used it since... Well, anyway." His optics darted about, an eager child in a toy store. Naturally he made a beeline for the gun lying there on the table, a simple pistol without any bells and whistles- definitely military-issue by his guess.

[only_an_echo]

Echo had paced around the room moments before the Exo's sudden arrival, turning away from the window at the surprise visit. "I'm still wondering how you're even smelling this right now. You of all people should have the advantage of not having a nose for it..." His assumptions were obviously proven wrong. "Welcome to the Bad Batch's barracks," he said with a sigh, brow furrowing as Cayde continued rambling. "Do you always burst into other people's spaces like this?"

Cayde was correct: the hand blaster was standard-issue for Clone Commanders, Captains, and ARC Troopers. The second he touched it, it immediately pulled him into a memory of a large simulated battlefield with red bolts flying directly at him and the other Bad Batchers.

"They're using live rounds!" A helmeted Hunter shouted over the noise, ducking behind the barricade after they had just witnessed the large clone hitting the grid-patterned ground. Echo fired back at the droids, barely hearing the Sergeant relaying an order to Tech. "Get Wrecker! We'll cover you!"

Every shot from the training blaster was useless against the onslaught of training droids coming up from different ends of the arena, eventually forcing him, Hunter, and Crosshair to scramble around to the other side of the barricade once more angry red bolts were shot their way.

"These training blasters are useless on them," Echo nearly scowled, his back pressed against the wall.

"Then we improvise!" Red-hot burn marks mar the black surfaces around them as the Sergeant pulled up his helmet, sharply whistling across the way to get Tech and Wrecker's attention. Although they all knew the hand signals thrown, the large clone threw a mini-fit. Whatever conversation he and Tech were having was fortunately brief in its explanation, and the thumbs-up clarified they were now on the same page.

They began their counterattack without a second thought. Echo blew out a breath, taking off like a shot, arcing around the droids that slowly made their way towards their targets, squeezing the trigger several times before jumping and clambering onto one of them. This particular action also showcased his scomp arm's other use, repeatedly stabbing at the droid's neck before finally getting in between its armored plates, the drill-like bit gouging through to disable the thing completely.

He went down with it, just in time to see Wrecker and Tech end up in the same spot with another droid the larger of the two punched down. "Reprogramming this thing would be pointless if you crush it!" Tech needed time, and he slid off the other droid to help Wrecker pin it down for the quick fix. Everything continued to be chaotic and loud, but with Tech successfully commandeering the reprogrammed droid they now had the upper hand. From there, Echo continued running, attacking another droid in the same stabbing manner while the others took care of the rest.

Again things were happening too quickly: the last droid fired round after round of plasma bolts, dropping Tech from his perch, continuing its assault on the rest of the clones regardless of being the only one left standing.

"WRECKER! KNIFE!"

The last thing he saw was the weapon flung into the air, whirling and caught by Crosshair's well-timed precision shot, ricocheting the blade right into the droid's face.

Once everything was clear, he and Wrecker hurried over to check on Tech, helping him get to his feet just as Hunter and Crosshair joined them.

Understandably worn out, they survived their test. But that deep-seated feeling of contempt in Echo's chest was far from gone.

[deal_me_in]

"Hey, it's not like there are signposts or anything!" Cayde retorted, or at least was in the process of it before he realized what was happening. "Crap-"

If not for it being Echo's memories, he would've thought they were in the middle of a battleground, but then that wasn't really far off the mark. It was absolute chaos and those clunky droids looked like they meant business. The Exo was quickly piecing together who the unfortunate targets were, between the similarly styled armor and the colorscheme. Ah, so this was Echo's squad. They were pretty well-rounded, all specializing in something different. There was still some looseness to them even as they got down to business. Not bad at all.

After that it was pretty understandable that they were all exhausted. Cayde wasn't sure if it was from him standing there at the figurative edge of his seat or some lingering feeling from the memory. The barracks that Echo had introduced came back into focus, and Cayde looked around before glancing down at the gun in his hand. Then he tossed it across the table.

[only_an_echo]

That was unexpected. Echo's arm flew up instinctively as the gun was tossed, sliding off of the table with a clatter.

"Don't just throw things," he griped, shooting a look at the Hunter before walking over to pick it up.

[deal_me_in]

"I feel betrayed," Cayde said in defense. Guns had no business triggering memories, but then he was one to talk. "-although that didn't seem too bad. 'cept that was a jerk move on someone's part, using live fire in training." His metal features pinched. "What was that about?"

[only_an_echo]

The gun was given a questioning look. "What- ...oh." Echo wasn't sure how he felt about Cayde seeing that, but he understood how he and the other Bad Batchers felt at the time. It wasn't fun watching Wrecker go down so quickly, and he was thankful another hit didn't take him out.

After a pause, he walked around the table. "Yeah, about that. We were being tested because Admiral Tarkin requested to see our squad in action." He raised the gun to make a point, setting it back down with the other items. "Everything was going fairly well until they introduced new opponents to the field," he frowned. "Apparently training droids weren't good enough for his evaluation."

[deal_me_in]

"Quite a squad. You been with them long?" It had to be for some time. There was some obvious previous experience, not to mention how well they all worked together, knowing each other's abilities. Cayde circled the table, arms folded as he wound his way about the other things scattered around it on the floor.

"Well, you still showed 'em either way. How'd that work out for you guys?"

[plate_builder]

This was a very strange space. And Reeve? He'd been in a lot of minds thanks to this. Nothing quite compared to this space, seemingly alone and empty. Which of course just left him confused as to where he was and what was going on. Still, he moves carefully through the space.

At last he came to a stop in his explorations, his fingers moving to rest, carefully, on the data chip. It wasn't that he expected it was a memory, it was just that it reminded him a little bit of materia.

[only_an_echo]

"I can't believe we're helping a Separatist Senator."

"So you have said," Tech replied in his matter-of-fact way. "Repeatedly."

Reeve received another memory - one that obviously wasn't his, but he would recognize the voice speaking.

From Echo's perspective, he sat across from another pilot in the Havoc Marauder as two other voices spoke somewhere behind him. In comparison to their casual approach to the situation, Echo simmered.

Why did they even take the job? They were a part of the Republic. The Separatists were their enemy. They all knew what they had their hands in, and nothing good could come from trying to assist a Senator from Raxus.

There wasn't anything he could do to stop the mission, however. He wasn't the one in charge. Their ship broke through the atmosphere, soaring above a lush autumn-colored forest, barely able to breathe before they were immediately escorted by two patrol shuttles. As a voice over the comm system requested their clearance codes, Echo shot a look up at Hunter.

"Hunter. The client is a Separatist. How do we know this isn't a trap?"

He received no answer as they waited through the processing, the soft trilling of the reader finally pinging to break the tension.

"You're cleared for entry. Proceed."

Tech cast a sidelong glance his way. "Now are you convinced?"

"No." The former ARC Trooper sounded petulant, but it was clear his feelings on the matter weren't swayed.

[plate_builder]

No, they weren't swayed, and it was understandable. The whole situation, one Reeve watched/felt, was awkward. It made him nervous.

"At least the view was beautiful, while it lasted," he lamented. "Please, how did this end?"

[only_an_echo]

The memory continued, now opening outward onto the grassy floor of the reddened forest. "I am simply stating the codes did, in fact, work," Tech said as he walked down the ramp of the shuttle ahead of him. "The client being a Separatist is not relevant."

While he was right, his detachment toward the matter ticked Echo off. "It is to me."

"Forget politics," Hunter cut in, turning his half-painted helmet toward them. "We're here to do a job."

"-I'm very pleased to hear you say that."

All blasters rose at the same time as a white protocol droid hobbled out from behind one of the trees, unarmed and oblivious to the fact she could have been shot. But as Tech and Wrecker worked out who she was and who she worked for, Echo burned, gun arm rigid. He couldn't displace his frustrations, and his patience was wearing thing the more she explained the situation, interrupting the droid with an irritated, "We don't care."

Hunter almost sighed. "Just take us to where the Senator's being held," he told the droid.

"Right to it. I like you." She nodded, turning and gesturing to the Bad Batch as she tottered away. "Very well. Follow me."

With Hunter and Tech going off after her, Echo shared a brief look with Wrecker, groaning under his breath as he ran after them. There was no turning back now.

The scene shifted, and it roughly cut to Echo pushing the same droid back against a wall while Tech rattled off intel, glaring into her dark vision sensors.

"Why do I get the feeling you're setting us up?"

"It is against my programming to send my allies into danger."

"We ain't allies, tin bin," Wrecker nearly snarled next to him. It was nice that one of them on his side.

"Enough," Hunter rasped, and Echo's shoulders squared, the tension palpable on his end while their sergeant gave his orders. From there, it was strictly stealth. Focusing on the mission diffused some of the former ARC Trooper's earlier thoughts while knocking patrolling clone troopers unconscious, and the direction to clear the upper floors of the senator's residence was followed without hesitation.

Clearance came in the form of stunning and punching more clones on the way up, thoroughly checking every room and corridor for any stragglers he and Wrecker might have missed. It hadn't been long before an alarm was set off, heading up to the roof to check on what was happening outside.

[plate_builder]

This was all very strange, and almost like a military missing, and Reeve had never experienced anything like this before. Well, save for one thing in Kalm which didn't count.

"Why is the droid not an ally?"

He just wishes he had answers. He can't imagine how frustrated Echo and his team must have been in the real situation.

War imagery: explosions, vehicle failure, war-related noises, smoke

[only_an_echo]

Clone troopers were swarming the premises as giant six-legged walkers stomped through, the closest one becoming an anchor point to zip-line down to before seizing the vehicle from its operators altogether. Tech sat up front, pulling away from the lines the moment Hunter gave the order. Wrecker lightened their load, tossing several downed troopers out the side door.

They didn't get very far, however; a missile hit the rear axle stabilizer, immobilizing the walker in seconds. "-We will need to re-calibrate manually," Tech reported amid a cloud of smoke filling the cabin.

"Get this bucket up and running," Hunter agreed, moving past Echo and the others with his gun raised. "Wrecker and I will hold them off."

Repairing the axle added onto their problems, but Echo assisted, working under a new kind of pressure as fluid leaked out from the back and blaster fire filled the air around them. His head jerked up every time another shot came close, with another missile flying overheard and barely missing their walker, landing on a wall in the distance.

They've had the odds against them before, and this was no different. But even taking down one walker wasn't stopping another from coming. "Freeze!" The clone troopers drew up their blasters, cornering him and Tech in an instant. There wasn't anything they could do except surrender.

Until an antique vase flew at one trooper's head, shattering to pieces upon contact. With the distraction, he and Tech stunned the other troopers simultaneously, completing the repairs before dashing back into the walker.

In the back, Echo had a bit more time to think. Senator Avi Singh was a Separatist. An enemy of the Republic. However, had he not thrown the vase, they all would have been captured. And now the man was directing them, urging them to trust him as they made their escape.

He still wasn't certain of the senator when he claimed there was a subterranean tunnel behind the wall they were up against. But with Wrecker's expertise, it showed him he told the truth.

Everything was quiet outside of the capital, untouched by the chaos the Bad Batch left behind. But Senator Singh slowed before he got to the ship, the look in his eyes stricken, conflicted by the turn of events. "What am I doing?" Singh asked himself, turning to look back at the city. "I cannot abandon my people. I must help them."

The droid comforted him. "You will, Senator. But not if you are in Imperial custody."

The senator was a Separatist, but he also cared about the people he swore to protect - just as he and his brothers swore to protect the Republic. Seeing he was reluctant to leave, Echo stepped forward. "She's right. Live to fight another day."

It was a small encouragement, but it was enough to give the senator some closure for the time being. In this loss, there was a victory. And maybe some insight.

The memory ended there as the ship's ramp closed, bringing Reeve back to the barracks. Echo was now present, sitting on the opposite side of where he stood, helmetless and silent, resting his scomp arm against the edge of the table.

[plate_builder]

Ah. That was the course of it, and Reeve took a deep breath. That was an experience.

"It is possible to work with the wrong people and still want the good of those who are below you. To lead is truly to serve the needs of others. Tell me, did the man help people?"

[noch]

There's... a lot going on in this room. Merrin studies the entire place carefully, curiously, wondering who it belongs to. The first thing to capture her attention is the storm outside, more rain than she's ever seen in her life battering against the window. For a moment, she just stands and watches it fall, fascinated by its roar, the crash of waves against this... building?

Otherwise, she might not have noticed the ships hovering in atmo outside, obscured against the dark clouds. She's no expert, but they look similar enough to the ones she remembers guarding Nur—or the same ones?—that she finds herself coming closer to the window, squinting into the darkness.

Thunder, lightning; warlike imagery: blasterfire, orbital bombardment, destruction of property

[only_an_echo]

Flashes of light create drama in the shadows; the few seconds of brightness silhouette and sharpen the angles of the ships, silently menacing in their stationary positions as thunder rolls and fills the air, drawing Merrin into a memory without warning.

"I'm only seeing three cruisers. Where's the rest of the fleet?"

The edge in Echo's voice was subtle, but his wariness amplified the second he and the remaining Bad Batch members broke past Kamino's atmosphere into a raging storm. This was a warning sign - a major one they needed to take into consideration as they dove into the rescue mission.

Wrecker, on the other hand, snorted. "Who cares? That's a good thing," the larger clone said with an air of confidence that spent little time on picking out details or thinking about the consequences of any action taken.

Thunder continued to rumble as lightning traced patterns across the mass of clouds gathered, suddenly shifting between dry pristine white corridors and the wet and chaotic conditions of the bridges intersecting with rigid, rain-soaked platforms and towering dome-shaped structures.

Between contrasting states, the inside of the city came to the forefront; what used to be familiar suddenly felt alien. It was too quiet, too still, too different from what it used to be like.

Everything - everyone - was gone. There was no sign of life here.

Everything except for them, Crosshair, Hunter, and the hundreds of training droids that suddenly converged on them minutes after Crosshair tried convincing them to join the Empire. Plasma bolts flew at them from all sides, burning holes into the barriers and the walls of the training arena, forcing all of them to band together once more in order to survive a repeat performance of their previously-held battle simulation.

Echo's blaster was still held upright in the moments following the madness, standing amid the piles of broken, smoking droids with Omega, further away from where Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker were in confronting their brother.

The pang of concern was unshakeable, released in a breath after the shot went off; and Crosshair was stunned, lying on the floor unconscious as Hunter proceeded to check the side of his head.

"Hunter- three Venators are descending on the city," Tech spoke up, look away from his datapad. "We need to leave. Now."

Echo knew the Sergeant had been aimless, but he still had direction when it came to protecting his squad. "Wrecker, grab Crosshair," Hunter prompted, grabbing the other clone's pack and rifle. "He's coming with us."

They ran.

Each breath reverberated within his helmet, his heart pounding against his ribs as he and the others tried to get out of there as fast as they could. But the facility shook violently, throwing them off on the curve, plunging the entire corridor into darkness. He barely heard Hunter under the din of thunderous noise, only racing after him with the others without a second glance.

They barely stepped outside when a hail of blue bolts rained down from above, each one simultaneously exploding on impact, brilliant red-orange light and black smoke radiating outward into the night.

And the largest blast forced them all back inside under the relentless attack, leaving no room for escape...

[noch]

The memory starts so abruptly that it takes her a few moments to reorient. But she recognizes the voice as Echo's, which quickly answers her question as to who this dream-memory belongs to. Nearly everything else is unfamiliar to her, from this series of strange dome-shaped buildings to the men in armor traveling beside her—not to mention the girl.

But it's clear to her, in some way unknowable and unassailable, that this is Echo's squad. His brothers. It's the same sort of bond she felt with her sisters, bone- and soul-deep.

Then there's the chaos, the battle. The betrayal. It all happens so quickly. And they're running, huge blue bolts lighting up the sky, exploding against the deck, rocking the entire building. She's never seen anything like it. Where is this place? Why is this happening? How did they escape this?

Explosions, falling, flooding, underwater level

[only_an_echo]

Everything shakes as the onslaught continues to rain down upon the city. Once-pristine panels are now wrecked and bent out of shape, electrical systems exposed and short-circuiting as a large chunk of a corridor explodes too close to the squad, sending them and the hovering medical droid staggering to one side just as another blast hit a spot directly in front of them. The impact lifts all of them up off of their feet, knocking them down instantly. Noise becomes muffled, leaving behind a piercing, high-pitched ringing in the ears that slowly dissipates under the barrage.

Another blast cuts through the facility from behind less than a second after Echo and the others get up again, the floor giving out beneath their feet as it starts to angle.

They're falling. The final round of strikes sends the entire structure downward, the groan of metal long and loud as everything collapses. The clones can't stop their descent, sliding as debris falls onto them.

Everything then goes black.

The next time Echo rouses, salt water has been rushing through the cracks, pooling at the edges as Omega's voice crackles over the comlink.

Hunter takes the call, his hand touching the side of his helmet. "-Are you okay?"

"Not really - the room is flooding," Omega answers, trying to remain calm. "And Crosshair's stuck."

Dread. All of them feel it. But they can't waste time. Hunter turns. "Get the door open, Tech."

"All compromised compartments are sealed to contain the flooding," Tech explains, almost too matter-of-factly in the face of urgency. "I cannot override the protocols from here."

This, however, doesn't stop Wrecker. "I can!" The largest clone rushes past Hunter, pulling out his large knife from its armored holster to stab it in between the doors. Tech hurries too, assisting in forcefully prying them open.

There's nothing more Echo can do in the situation except stay clear as they work, shining a light their way so they can see what they're doing. He feels the floor shift again, and the water comes pouring in faster. So he moves, standing on the other side of Wrecker as he strains against the doors, forcing them apart by several inches as more water gushes through.

The wider the gap, the easier it is to grab the half-drowned girl and place her in the former ARC Trooper's arms. The droid flies past, closely followed by Crosshair before the doors are closed off again. As Echo sets Omega back onto her feet, he watches as Crosshair quickly rises to his, glaring at Hunter.

"What have you done?"

"The Empire opened fire on the city." Hunter's response is just as pointed. "We weren't gonna leave you behind."

Tech cuts in before they start another argument. "We don't have time for this. We need to get topside before this entire structure submerges."

And he's right. Being underwater is the last thing they need. And none of them want to get stuck here.

Making up his mind, Hunter looks to Crosshair again. "If you wanna stay here and die, that's your call." He doesn't even wait for an answer as he starts running. The rest fall into place: Tech runs, then Wrecker nudges past to follow. Echo makes sure Omega goes first, starting after her and AZI-3.

In being the last to leave, he knows Crosshair catches up. There is nowhere else for him to go.

The halls are endless. Pieces of metal drop into the rising waters below. Explosions go off. They come to a halt in the middle of the aerial walkway, turning to see Omega staring at what used to be the cloning hatcheries, the towers lined with glass tubes quickly vanishing with every second spent in disbelief.

"Come on, Omega," Wrecker urges as gently as he can, helmet lifted to rest on his forehead. "We have to go!"

They keep running.

The floor shifts one last time, showing no mercy as the clones lose their footing. "Hold onto something!" Hunter shouts above the noise. They scramble, hitting rebar and grabbing onto whatever is closest to stay alive, dangling as the facility tilts dangerously vertical from its original position. Things continue to fall, hurtling at them as they try to hang on. It feels like an eternity before the first external hit loosens the rebar Echo's been holding onto, dropping him several feet before he catches onto another raised edge.

The creaking and shifting doesn't stop until the second lurch occurs, jostling the party until it gradually resettles, finally letting them have a moment to catch their collective breaths.

They are on the ocean floor. They still need to hurry. They still need to escape. But for now, they need a more secure area to convene in, and Tech knows where.

[tsundullahan]

She had no idea where she was, nothing to draw upon by way of experience to match up to what she was seeing here as she stepped into the room. And yet for all the senses one would think she should be lacking in, Celty recoiled at the smell, cringing there on the steps. Turning, she found herself met with a locked door and no means of escape, the realization making her sigh in defeat.

Another dream... she thought, her attention drawn to the scratches on the wall beside the doorway. Tally marks? She moved from the steps, a hand reaching out to brush the marks made in the metal.

War imagery: violence, explosions, death

[only_an_echo]

Most of them were worn except for the last two rows that were freshly carved into the metal paneling below the others. Each line wasn't straight, but they held purpose, proudly displaying a clean record that resonated at Celty's touch.

"Eleven more successful missions. Hah! Like there was any doubt."

"Kaller wasn't a win."

Celty would recognize the second voice in that brief moment, the scenery shifting into a wider, brightly-lit open space: a rocky, snow-covered landscape with tall trees lining the slopes, its valley heavily pocked with hand-dug ditches and scorched earth. Blaster fire and smoke filled the air as a battle raged on, the clone troopers on the losing side as they were shot down and blown up by enemy forces.

The droids closed in to complete their directive orders, only to be disrupted by a giant boulder that suddenly came rolling down the hill. It easily crushing half of the battalion in its path, and it was closely followed by a squad of clones decked out in black and red.

Although there were five of them, they menaced the droids, blowing through them without breaking a sweat. Droids were being sliced and stabbed, blasted and electrocuted, each member of the team playing their role perfectly amid the chaos they brought with them. The tanks were bound together by magnetized coils shot from a distance and bodily shoved over the edge of a cliff by the largest clone, easily taking care of the biggest threats to their side's safety.

One last detonator planted by Tech ended everything in a short series of fiery explosions, all of which settled back into a temporary peace as they walked back to meet with the Jedi General Depa Billaba, the Clone Captain Grey, and the Padawan Caleb Dume - the one that found them in the first place. Introductions and discussion of a counterattack for another droid battalion was interrupted by news of General Kenobi finding and engaging Grievous on Utapau.

The war could finally be over. Unfortunately, The Bad Batch still had a job to do here on Kaller. Not that it bothered them too much, and this time the kid wanted to join them on their path of destruction.

"Any orders?" Hunter asked beforehand. "Or shall we do what we do?"

"Let's blow something up!" Wrecker piped up as they all slipped their helmets back over their heads, pumping a fist in the air. "Yeah!"

Billaba shared a look with her Padawan. "Well, Caleb? Shall we let them 'do what they do'?"

"Only if I can go with them," Caleb said with a smile.

She smiled in return, nodding her head. "Very well."

"Hey, kid. You ready for this?" Hunter prompted after Caleb got the go-ahead, sounding more like a friend than a sergeant ready for battle. "We move fast."

"Good," he replied, suddenly full of pre-teen smarm to match the clone's tone. "That's the only way I know."

"I like him!" Wrecker laughed as the batch started running, gaining speed to get to their next destination...

[tsundullahan]

Echo...

Even without hearing his voice to further identify whose place she'd set foot into, seeing the men in armor was a hint in itself. It was like watching a movie play out, a battle between actual robots and only a handful of men. It was both frightening and exhilarating to witness.

The woman and the young boy with her seemed out of place amongst the soldiers, and yet it became obvious that they held some sort of standing amongst this army. The memory played on, and Celty could only wonder what lay in store. She remembered Echo's quiet, sober words, a haunting reminder that this would not likely end well...

Second verse

[only_an_echo]

Static.

Nothing had changed. They still had a ways to go. And the boy was there, running alongside them.

In the next, he wasn't.

"Master!!!"

Blaster fire erupted in the distance, forcing Echo and the rest of The Bad Batch to skid and turn to see Caleb running the other way, his lightsaber activated. And beyond where he was, the clone troopers had opened fire on the Jedi General, circling her as she tried to fend off their attack.

One last desperate look was cast in his direction, screaming at the top of her lungs, trying to keep the young Padawan alive. To protect him from the fate she succumbed to.

Hunter signaled to his squad, stopping short of where Caleb now ran. Gone was his eagerness to fight with them, replaced by a newfound fear and flaring anger at what they had all just witnessed, highlighted by the bright blue blade when he drew it upward in a defensive stance.

"Stay away from me!"

"-Kid, wait!"

Within seconds, the Padawan dashed off down another slope into the forest, vanishing without a trace while they all stood there bewildered by the turn of events.

Echo finally spoke up from the shock. "What- what just happened?"

"The comm channel is repeating one directive," Tech answered, his calm tinged with concern. "'Execute Order Sixty-Six.'"

"Yeah, I heard that too," Wrecker said, the confusion palpable in his rough tone. "What's Order Sixty-Six?"

"I...am not certain."

It was telling when Tech didn't know what it meant. An eerie silence hung in the air as a new reality sunk in, prompting Hunter to form a different set of orders for the squad.

"Echo. Tech. Talk to the reg Captain. Find out what you can."

And Echo nodded, following after Tech as the Sergeant continued assigning new roles for Crosshair and Wrecker to fulfill. None of it was making any sense, but they all had no choice but to stay calm and figure it out from there.

Upon their exit, the scene brightened, turning white before dimming again, depositing the Dullahan back into the barracks. Echo sat at the table, turning her way and wearing the same expression that embodied those words spoken.

[tsundullahan]

It was a confusing thing to witness, and perhaps just as surprising to see that even those of this memory had no idea what had happened. But then that was the scary thing about it, wasn't it? One moment, they were all friends, and the next...

Celty watched until things faded, and she found herself back in the room. She sensed someone looking towards her, and she turned back, facing Echo. Her helmet lowered, as though glancing aside, and then she bowed it in apology for the intrusion.

[only_an_echo]

He shook his head. "It's not your fault," he said with a small sigh. "You didn't know."

Remembering that Celty needed something else to be her voice, the clone got up from his seat. "The war had always been unpredictable," he explained, filling the silence as he crossed the room to search for a datapad. Hunter had one on hand somewhere. If not, he'd try Tech's belongings. "The conditions and outcomes were different for every battle fought, and we had plenty of advantages and disadvantages leading us to victory or defeat. That moment, however..." His brow creased, lines deepening to match the sharp contours of his face. "That was an unexpected turn of events."

[tsundullahan]

Looking on as Echo got up, she wondered if she should come in any further herself. She looked around, mindful not to touch anything as she carefully stepped around the litter of things on the floor. Her helmet lowered again, solemnly as she listened to the trooper speak.

There was so much she didn't understand. They'd all been on the same side, hadn't they? It seemed like Echo and his squad had been just as confused. Celty tilted her head at him. Did they figure out what had happened?