Echo Series Clone Commandoes

## Introduction

The Echo series was the first clone series to be produced in large scale quantities. Unlike other batches, they were not given to surrogate mothers and were instead grown inside artificial wombs and birthed directly into the hands of Sol Republic Drill Instructors. Though they required more care, they were genetically engineered to be perfect soldiers... or at least as close as they could be. Instead of being taught as children, they were raised to read, write and eventually they were taught how to kill the moment that they were capable of holding a weapon effectively. At a rough age of six years old, which varied slightly from batch to batch, they began hand to hand training; often pitting clones against one another in gruesome battles to the death. When many of the staff members attending to these clones inevitably raised concerns, the soldiers were taught to never reveal their faces to non-clone personnel; helping in distancing them from their human commanders who were freer to think of them as numbers rather than individuals. The clones as well were taught to think of themselves as, essentially, subhuman and were purposefully taught to ignore emotional responses. During the war, these clones were brutally effective and required little communication with one another and could often outfight even highly trained soldiers on a one-to-one basis. In groups and formations, the Echo series were exponentially more dangerous. Though they did not always stay together in the immediate vicinity, they tackled objectives quickly and effectively without need of much communication.

Eventually, the production of clone soldiers was outlawed and many of the Alpha, Beta, Charlie and Delta series clones were released into the civilian population. Most of them adapted swiftly and took up manual labor jobs or became mercenaries. The Echo series, however, was not prepared for the eventual release and many of them immediately enlisted back into the military out of necessity rather than a distinct desire. Those that did not often became mercenaries; easily exploited by employers and their fellow mercenaries as they maintained a habit of following orders to the letter. Such clones, though it was not common, could have even been ordered to "self-terminate" (suicide) which they readily complied with.

## Training and Early Life

Echo series clones were not given care from surrogate parents or from natural parents like other clones were. They were grown in artificial wombs en masse and once they reached development to the point that they could be released into the world it was done. Feeding was done by autonomous machines under the supervision of a single Drill Sergeant who ensured that the machines were not damaging the clones during the process. While in their infancy, Echo series were fed nutritionally perfected meals in order to ensure their growth. Infants with defects were quickly and efficiently terminated sometimes humanely.

Training began as soon as they could effectively hold a weapon. While simultaneously instructing them, rigidly, that emotions were to be ignored and that fear was merely another obstacle to their objectives, many Echo units were subjected to brutal beatings with batons, belts with studs, paddles and more in order to overcome this 'obstacle'. Some beatings were carried too far and ended up with many of the clones dying of their injuries though this was rare and often times the Drill Sergeants were reprimanded. Unfortunately, they were usually cycled back into service immediately after to train additional units. There were other, much kinder Drill Sergeants that treated their units more like children though strict observation prevented many of them from assisting them in becoming more sociable.

It started with hand-to-hand drills and many clones were pitted against one another in these battles from the young age of eight years. By the time most of them were nine, they had their numbers cut by almost half due to the lethality of the training. The bodies of those that were beyond saving were harvested for their organs, many times without anesthetic or care for their wellbeing. Clones that could not be controlled were disposed of by firing squad in front of the other clones in order to serve as examples to future rebellion. In classroom settings, their professors found teaching clones to be a daunting task due to the nature of the clones to sit almost perfectly still. Many could not even notice them breathing and calling on their 'students' to ensure that they were still alive became a daily task hidden beneath calling them to answer questions. Firearm training was a daily task both maintaining and marksmanship which soon evolved into fireteam drills and eventually into squads.

Designed to operate in exceptionally small numbers, the training they endured was eventually altered to ensure more unit cohesion between small fireteams of four rather than squad conflicts though they still performed the latter. Fireteam battles became more common as they aged, and Echo series were expected to engage their opposition with lethal force and show no mercy unless ordered to by a superior. By the age of fourteen, most Echo series clones were already surpassing the level of competence exhibited by soldiers in special operations that had been doing the job for decades.

Fully matured by that time, the clones were finally given a brief resting period of a few days after undergoing extensive cybernetic augmentation and genetic enhancement that pushed their capabilities beyond what even the best special forces operatives had previously been capable of. Their new augmentations allowed them to run faster, shoot more accurately, lift more and fight harder through injuries that most others would already have fallen from. Still, their training maintained that they were lesser than their human counterparts and by that time any will to fight against superior officers to them had been destroyed. They followed their orders to the exact letter, shooting exactly what they had been instructed to shoot and only taking the initiative when it related to their objectives.

Clones were not allowed to refer to themselves as individuals but instead as 'this unit' or by their serial number. Likewise, they were never allowed to show their faces to anyone that was not in their direct chain of command or to other Echo series. Readily complying with any order, even suicide ('self-termination' as the Drill Sergeants coined), firing on friendly forces or even civilians they were among the Sol Republic's finest warriors and often times surpassed them. Many Echo series no longer held self-preservation as vital. Upon graduation at sixteen years of age, each unit was outfitted with an incredibly advanced armor system and enhanced weaponry that made them a terror on the battlefield. They were deployed at this age to remote battlefields often to fight in covert operations across the galaxy. Most of the time, they were deployed since normal soldiers would not have been able to handle the physical demands, psychological stress or simply keep up with their opponents.

## As Warriors

Most Echo series clones were aware of the 'recycling' of their fallen companions when another Echo was damaged beyond ready repair. In field operations, a downed Echo series was to be ruthlessly and efficiently exterminated through orbital bombardment, explosives on hand, artillery or whatever other means were deemed necessary in order to prevent their capture. As soldiers they were capable of lifting and throwing with great accuracy up to two tons of weight, were psionically deaf to avoid psionics causing chaos among their ranks as well as detection, spoke very minimally and with great care and could take multiple dozens of gunshots before being rendered neutralized.

Operations that involved an Echo series in a populated area were exceptionally rare and were usually done to avoid a paralyzing defeat due to asset loss or the extraction of VIPs. Many of these such missions involved the neutralizing of any witnesses though Echo series were also often instructed to avoid detection as much as possible. Extraction teams usually included other Echo series clones though sometimes typical special operatives were used instead.

The Echo series was considered a massive success and a single Echo series could wipe out, given enough time, entire platoons of normal soldiers from most other nations of the cosmos. Against similarly skilled counterparts, such as Scrin Chieftains, these soldiers were usually able to go up against them head-to-head if necessary though they preferred to use guerrilla tactics whenever possible and skirmish rather than slug it out.

## Notable Echo Units

Echo 032

Echo 419

Echo 625

Echo 981