Echoed Days // The Bad Batch

Saving Echo P.1

"I don't blame you, I would have left him for dead too. Besides he's just another Reg."

I reached out my hand out and stopped Rex from saying anything, "You know Crosshair, you have no loyalty, no honor and certainly no humanity," I said getting close to him, "You live and die by your squad, one day you'll regret your resentment of your brothers and know what it's like to be left for dead."

I flicked the tooth pick out his mouth, his eyes were nothing just voids of a man. No wonder why they gave him a good team, maybe they would teach him something one day.

I walked up to Captain Rex, "Sir, requesting special assignment to retrieve Echo."

"No soldier left behind. Bring him home dead or alive, Reaper"

"Yes, Sir."

"You're loyal to no one, just the payment," Cross Hair sneered.

"I'm not getting paid," I said putting my helmet on.

"Change of plans were all going, General Skywalkers Orders."

Hunter looked at this squad but gave Crosshair an extra glance before putting on his helmet. I exchanged a look with Rex doing best to convey these guys are unhinged but I'm sure the grimace he also had definitely translated enough. We marched into the ship and took our seats.

"So you really think it's him Captain?" I asked, hope twinkling in my voice.

"I really hope so."

"So what's your story? You're pretty out of place among clones" Hunter asked.

"Echo saved my life when I got caught in cross fire between them and the separatists, he could have left me for dead and he didn't. He's a good man."

"You're not a clone, he's not suppose to leave you for dead," Crosshair grinned.

"At least he's more then a heartless killing machine."

"Enough, both of you," Hunter cutted in, "Tech how close are we to rendezvousing with General Skywalker?"

"Just a couple minutes."

"Will I get to blow stuff up?"

"No, Wrecker. We're just going to retrieve Echo and get out. But you can if you absolutely have too."

"Haha I like her".

"I think you should just stay on the ship until we leave, don't need to draw extra attention to ourselves."

"Didn't plan on it."

As they filed out of the ship, I tipped my helmet up so I could look down at a tiny piece of myself concealed on chain under my armor. The necklace was tiny yet meant the world to me, a fragment of Echo's armor that was blasted off when he saved me. It was cold to the touch but I let the heat of my hand engulf it. Please please be alive. I had searched high and low for his body or any whispers of his where abouts. If he would have been truly dead, I would felt it but I didn't which gave me a glimmer of hope. I brought the tiny piece to my lips and returned it under my armor. Crazy as Rex sounded when he told me, I just had to believe it because nothing else made sense.

"I thought their was something else going on," Tech said eyeing me.

"Shut it," I replied pulling a snack bar out from my pocket, peeling the wrapping off of it and chomping into it.

He refrained from mentioning it directly but offered some unneeded advice, "Just be prepared for any outcome."

"So should you."