Between Brothers(Hunter/Echo) - The Bad Batch Oneshot

Between Brothers

            The ship was eerily quiet in the late hours aboard the Havoc Maurader. Echo sat in the co-pilots chair, staring out at the stars. He had agreed to take watch while his brothers slept. But he found that keeping awake was harder than he would have liked. His eyelids felt droopy and he caught himself dozing off a few times. But eventually sleep overtook him.

Hunter woke to the sound of slight thrashing coming from the cockpit. Immediately he slipped out of bed and checked the time. He realized that it was almost time for him to switch shifts with Echo. That means Wrecker shouldn't be awake yet, and unless Tech disobeyed his order to sleep. No one should be scuffling about. So quietly Hunter crept out of his room, vibro blade in hand. The scuffling started to sound more like thrashing now that he was closer. Be it not for his enhanced hearing, he would not have heard it at all. And as he approached he soon found out the reason for the ruckus.

Echo was having another nightmare. A particularly bad one this time. He slightly spoke in his sleep, though it was mostly intelligible, Hunter could make out one word. "Heavy". Though he wasn't sure what it meant. Slowly and carefully to avoid injury to himself he put a hand on Echos shoulder. "Echo wake up. You have to wake up now come on." Hunter tried to keep his voice soft and quiet. He didn't want to startle his brother nor did he want to wake the others. He gently shook Echo again and his brother woke with a start. Echo tried to take a swing at Hunter but he blocked it with his arm. Echos breaths were coming out in heavy short spurts. And Hunter could see tears brimming his eyes. "It's alright brother, your safe, your here on the Maurader with us." Echo looked at Hunter though his gaze was distant and nodded his head in response. Hunter finally sat down and swiveled the chair to face Echo, still keeping his hand on his shoulder. Echo averted his gaze to the stars, letting a single tear slide. As it did so Echo grimaced at his susceptibility to his emotions. But he could see Hunters slight comforting smile out of the corner of his eye. The kind that seemed to be reserved solely for Omega. Hunter didn't speak and just let Echo calm down. "I'm sorry for waking you Hunter. And for falling asleep during watch." Echos voice was hoarse and small, but still as rough as it usually is. Hunter shook his head a sighed "You don't have to apologize. Everyone's still getting used to the stress of everything changing. And..." Echo looked at Hunter now as the Sargent trailed off. The unspoken becoming clear as Hunter looked to Crosshairs empty chair. Echo placed his hand on Hunters shoulder now and the Sargent met his gaze. "Id bet he would've been up here with me instead. He was always good at helping me with nightmares. Reminded me of Fives sometimes, the way he..." Echo became choked up again and looked back to the stars to hide his hurt. Hunter looked up at him with sympathy and a knowingness of sorts. "That's what your nightmare was about wasn't it? Your old squad?" Echo nodded his head looking to his lap now. And removing his hand from Hunters shoulder as he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. He sighed and a slight smile came to his face. "Yeah, the dominoes. We fell like dominoes, that's what I can't get out of my head." His smile falters into a deep scowl "Their deaths replay over and over again. Then with Fives, I reach out for him but it's like I'm invisible. Doesn't even acknowledge I'm there, then a shot comes out of nowhere and he dies in my arms. We fell one at a time, first Droidbait then Cutup and Heavy." Hunters face flicked with understanding. "Then I guess Fives went next but, I can't imagine how he felt about being the last domino. He never even knew that I....." he shakes his head again, unable to finish his thought. But he doesn't have to, Hunter understands what he means. It hadn't been the first time he mentioned Fives. Hunter looks to the stars as well mimicking Echo with his arms crossed over one another. They sit in a sad silence for a while, Echos sentence torturously stuck in the air. Eventually Hunter sighs and lays his head back on the chair. "How do you do it Echo?" This seams to surprise the domino as he looks to the sergeant. "Do what?" The sargent looks back to his brother, his words a bit more frantic. "How do you still go on after everything that's happened to you? I cant imagine losing my squad, and then continuing to fight in the Republic after the separatists turned you into a science experiment? When you know full well that it was all for nothing." Echo seemed startled at those words, and after seeming to debate with himself for a minute, Hunter rolled his head to the side and looked at Echo "Please don't pull the generic answer of 'this is what we're bred for'. I've heard it a million times, and I know that Mantra can't be all that gets you out of bed in the morning." Echo tried to scowl at his Sargent but finally he relented. For the first time Hunter didn't see him as a soldier. His shoulders weren't rigid, and he picked at his lap as he looked down. "It's something that Fives told me a long time ago. There were definitely times when we both wondered the point of it all. Especially on our last mission together. But there was always this speech he would give, either to himself or me. Another shinny that lacked motivation. He would say 'Find out what you'd die for, and then live for it. We fight and we die not for some republic, but to protect each other. Because we are willing to die for our brothers. They are the one thing you'll always have, and when the chips are down. There's no doubt in my mind our brothers would be there if we need them.'" Echo slightly chuckles as he looks back at Hunter. "Guess he was right." Hunter gives him a knowing smile and settles back down into his seat. Echo gets up and starts heading back to his room. Stopping to lay a hand on Hunters shoulder "And because that statement hasn't been wrong so far. Im sure that when it really counts Crosshair would be willing to fight for you as well. Just gotta give him the chance. But until then, you have the rest of your brothers to live for." Hunter nods and gives Echo another small smile. Echo pats his shoulder lightly and retires for the night. Leaving Hunter to ponder over his words. Soon the Sargent falls asleep as well, yeah I'll give him the chance. The thought makes him smile, with a hope that had been so fleeting recently. So as he drifts he has the sweetest of dreams, fighting alongside his lost brother.

Writing Prompt: 

"Find out what you'd die for, and then live for it."

Thanks for reading :-)