A returning Echo

Chapter Thirty Nine

Echoxbuggs Stormy_Alchemist AthroFire hehehehehhe

There's no words to describe Jawa Squad when you reach the Venator. Even though he'd been barely recognizable, you'd brought Tie back. Quin deserves to know what happened, and even though he might not want to see his love this way, he deserves the option. And Tie's brothers deserve to say their proper goodbyes.

Aid hasn't left the medical ward since getting back on the Venator, and you know he's busying his mind with taking care of everyone who's injured. He'd even snapped at Hex when he tried to go see Steele, something that never happens with Aid. He's the calm one, if not the hesitant and wary one. He never raises his voice, and yet he'd screamed and pulled his blaster on Hex before aiming it at his own head. Luckily, Sans had been around to stop it all, with Aid going right back to work afterward.

Sans and Hex are now keeping themselves busy with the able-bodied troopers, making sure reports are done properly and thoroughly. They've even found a new lead pilot, for the time being. All to keep themselves from facing the reality of losing another squad mate.

So you're the one left to try and take care of Tie's body.

It's hard to see what you're doing through the tears that blur your vision. Shaking hands are not ideal for dipping a rag into water. A sob-wracked body makes most attempts at careful handling futile. After a while, you give up, resigning and dropping the rag to bring your hands up to cover your face as you cry.

You don't know how long you've been sitting there, but after a while, the feeling of a hand on your shoulder startles you. You look up to see Codo standing at your side, and you realize you must've made it back to Coruscant. "Oh, my child," he says as sympathy fills his eyes. He reaches over to grab the rag, still damp from earlier, and brings it up to wipe your face clean.

"No!" you scream, snatching the rag before it meets your skin, "t-that's for Tie! Tie needs it! He's-he's so...there's blood and dirt...I have to-to clean his face!" You sob the words out, but you don't even know if they're comprehensible or not. "H-he's gonna wake up and...and he's gonna-he needs his face cleaned! He won't be able to open his eyes!"

"My child," Codo says gently, resting his hand on your shoulder again and trying to get you to meet his eye, "you know that he's not going to wake up."

"Yes he will!" you scream, shoving him away with the force. "He has to! H-he has a husband! And their daughter! How could you say that he won't wake up when Trix still needs him?! She can't lose any more! I can't lose any more!"

Codo sighs, shaking his head sadly and just sitting on the floor across from you. He watches as you reach up and start to wipe at Tie's face, tears streaming constantly as you do. You don't rub hard, as you don't want to do any more damage to his already disfigured body. "You can't put yourself through this kind of stress," Codo says after a while, "you need to let yourself mourn. There are other people that will take care of him-"

"The damned Republic will just throw out his body as if he meant nothing at all," you snap back, "It's my duty as his general, and his friend, to take care of him and ensure that his brothers get to give him the goodbye he deserves. Trix and Quin deserve their closure as well."

Codo remains quiet but nods, standing then and pulling his robe around his body. "Don't push yourself too far, y/n," he says, "you need to take time to rest and grieve."

"I'll rest when the war is over," you reply, "and I'll grieve when it's time."

It's not till much later that night when you finally give yourself a break. His upper half is mostly cleaned, but it also highlights just how many cuts, scratches, and broken bones he has. You had barely been able to pull out all the scraps of clothing stuck in his wounds, and don't exactly know what to do after that. There's no point in bandaging them up, but you don't want them to be exposed and rot.