Archive of Our Own ^beta

Normally, Echo is very good at noticing when he is around any member of his vod’e. Like some sort of radar, almost. And it had never failed him before. Except this time, and honestly, he felt like that was valid. Considering the significant amount of vod’e he had just helped rescue, including a formally brainwashed Tech which was a whole other story. 

So, he figured he could give himself a break that it took days for him to notice the vod that seemed to already be living on Pabu, not including the group of cadets. He had much more important things to worry about, including helping Tech get acclimated after being a controlled prisoner of war. 

It was when they, and the rest of the bad batch because all six of them were codependent and he didn’t even bother denying it, were buying new eyewear for Tech (because whatever Hemlock did to fix his eyesight wasn't as good as they originally thought it was) that Echo noticed him. He was on the other side of the shopping district, and not alone as he had a woman and an infant with him. He was clearly a vod, but also obviously not one of the ones they had just rescued. And he was happy and at home, here. Yet Echo had never seen him before. 

“Hey, who is he?” he asked his brothers, head tilted to the side. “The vod, over there.”

“Not a clue.” Crosshair said while holding a monocle up to his eye. 

Wrecker, Hunter and even Omega froze, though, eyes wide as they looked between each other. It had Echo frowning and looking towards Tech. 

“Do you know who they are?”

Tech looked over in the direction he was pointing and hummed. “That is Ponder, his wife Sohi and their daughter Coru.”

Echo beamed and looked back over towards them. “They’re married? That is so wonderful! I hope that there are more vod’e out there getting a happily ever after. Why haven’t I met him, though?”

The silent three again exchanged uneasy looks and Crosshair shrugged. “Don’t look at me, I don’t know him either.”

Hunter cleared his throat awkwardly. “We met them while helping Phee.”

“That explains nothing,” he pointed out and Wrecker shifted. 

“Well, you know, so much has happened since! We haven’t had time, you know?”

“Wrecker, I have been here multiple times in the last year. And you know how I am about knowing about vod’e that have made it out safely? Why wouldn’t you have told me?”

They exchanged a guilty look and floundered. Echo crossed his arms and gave them a flat, unimpressed look but still, neither said anything. 

It was Tech who eventually spoke up, not looking over as he looked between two, nearly identical, glasses frames. “Hunter likely didn’t want to tell you because Sohi was a separatist spy and he thinks you would have had a heart attack. Or committed murder. Or both.”

“ She is what!?! ” Echo had no idea his voice could go that shrill. Or loud. Or furious, for that matter, as he turned to pin his brothers down with a glare he couldn’t remember using since Fives used all his shaving rations to paint the mirrors in their ARC quarters. 

“Okay, so, in our defense Wrecker is right and we did have a lot on our plates.” Hunter said with a sheepish expression. 

“I take it you didn’t tell him about the kidnapping, either.”

“Tech!”

“Kidnapping?!”

“Well, okay, so they might have kidnapped us.” Hunter said and then awkwardly continued with, “And screwed us over. And ruined the whole mission. But! You’re always saying that all of the clones are family, right?”

“Not when they marry seppie spies!?!” He hissed. “Who does that!? Why did he do that? What is wrong with him?!”

“That guy does it, obviously.” Crosshair drawled and Tech looked over at him. 

“I do not think you are helping.”

“And you are?” 

“No, I am shopping for glasses, obviously.”

“He said he fell in love.” Hunter offered with a shrug and raise of his hands. 

“With a separatist spy,” he said bluntly. “Someone who could have caused the death of an unknown number of his brothers.”

“A, probably a lot. I mean, she knew things about us and we were basically top secret.” Wrecker said. 

“She. What.”

“Ahhh.” he looked over at Hunter imploringly, and Hunter sighed. 

“She may have taunted us with information about Cross.”

Abstract anger at the idea of a vod marrying a seppie spy turned into real, burning fury of someone hurting his brothers and before he knew it, he was turning in their direction with the intention of making that rage well known. Two different hands grabbing him by the back of his vest, though, had him stopping to turn and look at Tech and Crosshair, the two who had managed to stop his rampage first.

“It does no good to cause a scene, Echo.” Tech advised him softly. “Their child is with them.”

“It's the past, too. You’ve been telling us that the past doesn’t matter.” Crosshair added. 

He shook their hands off and said through his teeth. “There is a big difference between our pasts, and hers . Or his! For, for willingly opening his heart to someone like that! How can he know she's sincere! Spies lie! It's what they do . What they’re trained for .”

“We are more than what we are trained for, Echo.” Tech said softly, eyes flickering from his hands, to Crosshair’s current one, and back to Echo’s face. “All five of us are. She likely is, as well. And though we may not understand them, Ponder has his reasons. We do not have to understand or even respect his choices, but we have to let him make them.”

Echo let out a humorless chuckle. “That is the same thing you said to me when I was pissed about leaving Crosshair on Kamino, and look how that turned out.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t in love with anyone in the Empire.” Crosshair said with a shudder. “Love is stupid, but it's a much better reason to be an idiot than stubborn pride.”

“And they really do love each other, Echo.” Omega finally spoke up. “And they love their daughter.”

“I’m her Uncle Wrecker!”

“You’re that close and still didn’t introduce me?”

“Well, uh, you’re pretty pissed just knowing about them, aren’t you?” Wrecker pointed out and he sighed, shoulders sagging. 

“I just can’t understand it. Why would a vod ever feel safe with someone like that? Someone who chose to get his brothers killed? Who wanted to? And then be convinced to betray vod’e again ?”

“I suppose love really can make you stupid?” Tech said with a shrug. 

“If it makes you feel better, Echo, I did consistently point out he was in bed with a clonekiller.” Hunter said, which for some reason caused Crosshair to snort loudly and Hunter to pale. 

“What?” Echo asked, looking between them. 

“Nothing!” Hunter exclaimed, but Crosshair just grinned and reached over to cover Omega’s ears with one hand, pressing her other against his side. 

“Hey! Cross!”

He ignored her and said, “Hunter slept with Asajj Ventress.”

“Hunter did what?!” Tech and Echo shouted together, turning to stare at him with nearly identical, horrified looks. 

“Okay, listen. It was a one time thing.” he tried to explain, hands up in front of him placatingly. 

“It should have been a no time thing!” Echo exclaimed. 

“What were you thinking?” Tech added. “Or, were you thinking?!”

“Not with his brain.” Crosshair sniggered. “She kicked his ass and hormones took over.”

“Crosshair, I will stab you.”

He just grinned and knelt down so he was entirely behind Omega, who turned to both pout and give him a questioning look. 

“What did you do?” 

“Nothing, just stay here so I don’t lose another limb.”

“What?!”

“If I’m not allowed to stab anyone, neither is Hunter.” Echo said pointedly. “I just, Asajj Ventress. Really!?”

“Like I said, one time thing!” he insisted. “She came to help Omega with, well, Force stuff and it just happened.”

“Force stuff?” Tech asked. “I feel as if I have missed a very vital debrief.”

“You and I both.” Echo sighed. “Tech, from now on, you and I aren’t allowed to both be gone. These three apparently only have one brain cell, and Omega owns it.”

“I will refrain from falling from impossible heights from now on.” Tech said and then gave a small smile when the other five gave him flat looks. “Ah, too soon?”

“Yeah, you’re never allowed to make that joke again.” Hunter said firmly. 

He nodded. “Very well. As long as you try not to sleep with more separatist assassins.”

“What!?” Omega gasped and Hunter groaned. 

“I hate all of you but Omega.”

“No, you don’t.” they said together and he just sighed again, though it was almost more of a laugh than a sigh. 

Echo smiled at his family warmly and then glanced back over towards where Ponder and his family were. He truly couldn’t understand him, not in the least bit, but seeing him smile with his wife and daughter still filled him with a sense of joy. After all, Echo’s own family was made of misfits with their own histories and traumas. Whatever Ponder’s reasons were, Tech was right. They were his own, and Echo would respect them. No matter how insane he thought the vod’e was.