A returning Echo

Chapter Five

The trip to Dohbar was smooth, and Codo didn't overreact too much when you almost flew into an asteroid. You laughed and told him you had it all under control, slightly to try and convince yourself. You landed in the hanger, and before your ramp was even fully extended, you heard two little voices yelling for you. You and Codo smiled at each other as you left the ship, seeing the twins running towards you.
"Y/n! Codo!" They shouted. You bent down and lifted Tayah into your arms, Codo doing the same with Ringo.
"You're getting so big!" You said, pinching Tayah's nose. She giggled in your arms, responding "you're getting OLD!"
You dropped your mouth in pretend shock. "I am NOT getting old," you said while sticking your tongue out at her. She giggled and tried to grab it, so you jerked your head back away from her and laughed yourself.
"Where's your parents, little ones?" Codo asked. You set Tayah down and she ran over to Codo.
"They're inside waiting for you," she said while grabbing his hand. The twins led you inside, where sure enough Ahni and Kwol were waiting.
"Y/n!" Ahni said, running over and hugging you. You held your friend for a second before Kwol walked over and you hugged him.
"We've missed you," he said, a massive grin on his face.
"Of course you did," you said, "I am the best one of us." They rolled your eyes and laughed when you said that.
"You need to catch us up on a lot," Ahni said.
"I know. We can talk now if you like? I'm sure Codo wouldn't mind occupying the twins." You looked to your former master who was currently being pulled by each arm. The laughter coming from him assured that he was perfectly fine to handle them while you talked with your friends.
"Come on," you said, leading them to a lounge room.

"So, what do you want to know?" You asked.
They looked at each other before looking at you.
"We know that look, y/n," Ahni said.
"Yeah. We saw it on each other before and now you have it," Kwol added.
"What look?" You said while playing dumb.
"You like someone," he accused.
"And? So what if I do?" You folded your arms while smirking at him.
"You're going to tell us, that's what," he said back, copying your position and expression. You huffed as a smile broke over your face.
"Oh man, she's really into this guy," he said while nudging Ahni. She playfully smacked his elbow before leaning forward and looking at you eagerly.
You laughed while asking, "what?"
"Spill!" She said. Her expression was impatient and she looked like she was trying to read your mind. You only laughed again before looking off at some random object.
"His names Echo..." you started.
"Sounds mysterious, in a sexy way," Kwol teased. You shot him a look before nodding your head.
"You're not wrong," you agreed. "He is a clone, though."
"What's wrong with that?" Ahni asked.
You sighed to yourself before responding. "It's just, they wouldn't exist if not for this war. I would have never met him, and I wouldn't be feeling this way."
Ahni looked down, fiddling with her hands in her lap.
"And I know you've always wanted me to find someone," you spoke, "but now that I did, I don't know if I can be with him. I mean, when the war is over, I don't know if I'll even see him. Sure, he'll probably still be in the Army of the Republic, but the Jedi won't. And he has rapid aging, so he'll die long before me. It's just not the ideal person to like," you explained sadly.
"Okay, this has gotten too sad," Kwol stated. "I don't care about what he is or why he may not be a good choice. Tell us about him. What's he like?"
You rolled your eyes and smiled at your friend.
"He's very persistent. We only actually met almost a week ago-"
"A WEEK?!" They both exclaimed, looking at you like a crazy person.
"Yes, a week. I've talked to him every day since, and he even had dinner with me in my quarters last night."
"Wow, that's...kind of fast," Ahni said.
"Well, I don't get my entire childhood to get to know him like you two did," you countered. "Plus, we're in the middle of a war. I don't really know how I'm supposed to try and form a relationship while also trying to protect the Republic, let alone hide it from the Jedi."
"I guess you kind of have a point," Kwol shrugged.
" He tends to question whether or not he's wasting my time, though. I think he's a little self conscious about whether he's right or good enough for me, which he for sure is. He's also really sweet," you said. "Last night, he actually brought me a gift."
"Really? That's cute! What did he get you?" Ahni asked.
You bit your cheek and tried to hold back a laugh.
"He bought me deqish."
"DEQISH?!" They both yelled again.
"You're joking," Ahni accused.
"Everyone knows deqish is awful!" Kwol added.
"Well, that's what Anakin told him to get me," you laughed.
"Anakin? Was he trying to ruin Echo's chances?" Ahni said, shock on her face.
"No, he just doesn't know how to listen to me."
Ahni shook her head. "What did you tell him when he gave it to you?"
"The truth, that I hate deqish and it's disgusting."
"Well, that's a little harsh," Kwol said. You laughed at his response before explaining, "oh I told him I loved the gift, even though deqish is disgusting, and that he had to eat it with me. We ate it all last night."
"Y/n! You made him help you eat it all?" Ahni said while laughing. "I'm almost starting to feel bad for this guy."
"He wasn't too happy when I said the taste could last for days," you said while grinning and remembering the fear on his face.
"I wouldn't be either," Kwol said.
"How did you meet?" Ahni asked, curiosity dancing in her eyes.
"We met when I was sent to help Anakin on a small mission. I was teamed up with him and his brother, Fives, to act as a flank during a small separatist base raid. He actually started flirting with me before the mission plan briefing was over."
"Bold, I like it," Kwol stated. "So when do we get to meet him?"
You shook your head and smiled. "Not for a while, I don't want to scare him off."
He placed his hand on his chest in mock offense. "We would never scare him off," Kwol playfully defended.
"Yeah, my childhood best friend who also happens to be the king AND commanding general of the military. There's nothing scary about that," you said sarcastically while rolling your eyes. You were silent for a second again, thinking about him.
"When I first saw him," you started, "I felt something. It was weird, but it was like the force was connecting us or something. When I'm around him, the force flows differently. It's like it's more free."
Ahnimaka was practically dying in her seat as you talked. Kwol just sat next to her while trying to act cool, but you could tell he was just as excited for you.
"I just really hope that, somehow, this will work out in the end," you said with a hint of sadness.
"Well, if you really love him, you'll find a way to make it work," Ahni said, gently placing a hand on your shoulder. You smiled at her before you heard the kids run into the room, Codo not too far behind them.
"Mom! Dad!" They said, jumping excitedly. "Come see what we found!"
"Okay," Kwol laughed, picking Ringo up as Ahni grabbed Tayah's hand. They led them away and out to wherever they had been playing.