[Audio]

[out_of_order]

[The comm shrieks briefly with a burst of interference, a low-pitched whine still present even when the initial sound drops back. A very insistent beeping can be heard, however, shrill and urgent.]

Comments

[out_of_order]

[Cal snorts lightly in a mild laugh.]

The good ones are. We're supposed to be. We're protectors... But I don't know how well anyone can bounce back after being suddenly called traitors to the very Republic we fought for. Those who've survived, anyway.

[He rolls the crystal piece in his palm before closing his fingers over it again, nodding to himself. Maybe...

When Echo speaks again, he blinks and looks over.]

No it's... [He laughs briefly.] Okay, I was a little upset at that, but I think it was mostly with myself for being useless. All I could do was cower in the ship, and then I got lost trying to find my way to the city.

[on_repeat]

[The clone's head tilts to one side.]

I think it would take time. Having that happen is a giant blow to all of the effort everyone put into saving the Republic...

[Shoulders square for a second or two, dropping down again as he sighs.]

–Ah, I don't blame you for feeling that way. Trying to get back to the shuttle was a pain. The rain made it harder to see anything and all of the extra distractions didn't help either.

[out_of_order]

I don't know if it will ever recover. It's been five years since the war's end, and people who haven't witnessed or been helped directly by the efforts of the Jedi seem more susceptible to believe that they had been a part of the very things we'd been fighting to prevent. Some maybe had their doubts, true, but... with the Empire in control, no one dared say anything, and I can't blame them.

[The news he'd heard from those later on in time didn't exactly reassure. Even hearing of events centuries past made him wonder if they'd ever break the cycle they seemed to be in.

It's a depressing line of thought. He tries to pull back from it, focusing on the now.]

Yeah... At least I wasn't alone.

[He smiles a little, patting BD-1 on the head, the droid borbling happily.]

[on_repeat]

[As he listens, a low 'heh' emits through the vocabulator.]

...This 'Empire' is a real piece of work.

[And that's Echo being polite. There isn't much he knows about the Empire – or anything else long after the Clone Wars, for that matter – but he gets the feeling the situation doesn't improve.

Like Cal, he's also fine with dropping it for the time being, smiling as BD-1 gets some well-deserved attention.]

Yeah. The little guy's very reliable.

[out_of_order]

You don't know the half of it.

[But enough talk about the Empire. BD-1 beeps and then hops up along Cal's arm to clamber up behind him, sounding his approval of Echo's opinion of him as he peers at the helmeted clone.]

He is. Don't know where I'd be without him.

[Cal slips the crystal into a belt pouch and then slowly starts to get to his feet, testing how steady he's feeling.]

[on_repeat]

[Echo chuckles, also getting up to see that some of the sand is still sticking to his knee and shin guard. Brushing it off, he looks back to Cal to make sure he doesn't fall.]

So. Do you think you've spent enough time out here?

[out_of_order]

[He's a little wobbly at first, but the padawan doesn't lose his balance. Dusting himself off, he gives a weak laugh.]

Yeah. I think I'm ready to get back to work on things in the city.

[on_repeat]

Sounds good.

[The clone checks his gear out of habit, but cants his head as he holds the blaster low and close to his body.]

Ready whenever you are.

[out_of_order]

[Cal nods, then turns to head back towards Temba.]

Let's go.