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Omega yawned and stretched her arms out, the warmth of the sun lulling her into a state of laziness. She could hear the sound of the rest of the Bad Batch as they went about their day, but for once, she didn’t feel like jumping up to help. Beside her, Pillow snoozed happily. The pale amphibian had found a multitude of plump bugs, and he was now sleeping off the hearty meal.
They had set up camp on a raised grassy plateau that was surrounded by mountains. A large forest was nearby, a half hour walk if you moved briskly. The sky overhead was a light indigo, and was peppered with fluffy white clouds. The occasional avian flew by, tweeting a sharp, beautiful song. Long legged creatures with orange and white fur and long, pointed ears grazed on the lush grass, their curled tails flicking away insects occasionally.
Echo wasn’t too far away from her, begrudgingly sitting on the ground with his leg propped up. The clone’s leg was broken, and he needed to stay off it as much as he could. That was part of the reason they were on this heavily forested planet, as running away wasn’t really in the cards for poor Echo. Omega thought that it couldn’t be too bad; the man deserved a break. They all did. She just wished that they would stop moving so much. They were disturbing the bugs in the grass, and she didn’t want another insect to get into her mouth when she yawned.
“Guys, come lay in the sunlight with us. It’s great!” She called, tipping her head back.
Hunter paused in his knife sharpening, giving her an amused smile.
“I’ve spent enough time lying in the dirt, Omega. I don’t need to do it for fun.” He said, his voice holding none of its usual seriousness.
“Yeah but this dirt is warm. I didn’t even know the ground could be comfortable.” She said, pressing her fingers into the dry earth.
“Give it a few years, and your back will tell you just how fun it finds lying on the ground to be.” Echo commented.
Omega playfully stuck his tongue out at him, laughing when he copied the action. Rolling over onto her stomach, she watched a beetle crawl up a blade of grass, its ruby red elytra glittering in the light. She hoped Pillow didn’t eat this bug, as it was rather pretty.
“Omega, I have been tasked with gathering firewood, would you like to come along?” Tech questioned, looking over his shoulder.
“Yes!” She replied quickly, scrambling to her feet. Pillow snorted and rolled over, stealing Omega’s spot on the ground.
She quickly fell into place beside Tech, eagerly following him down into the meadow that sat below the plateau. Small, striped animals scuttled around, leaping in front of their path and tussling in the meadow’s green grass. Omega chased a few, dashing around but never straying too far away from Tech’s sight. The older clone smiled as he watched Omega be… well, a kid. She hadn’t had too many opportunities to do so, and sometimes Tech worried that she was being treated too much like a cadet and not enough as a young, bright, curious child. She had the potential to become more than just cannon fodder for whoever controlled the galaxy, and he’d be damned if he just let the hardships of a life on the run take that chance away from her.
As they approached the forest’s treeline, he turned to her. “See if you can find some thick branches. I’ll look for a dead tree to cut.”
Omega gave him a mock salute and ran into the forest. Tech followed her closely, looking around the brush that now surrounded them. The trees here were enormous, likely hundreds of years old. Pale lavender moss covered many of the tree trunks, and the plants, interestingly, shrunk back if he came too close. His inborn curiosity itched to take some samples and examine the flora, but that could be saved for a later date. He was looking for…
There! A leafless tree, bowed over and covered in overgrown in plants. As he set about sawing off some branches, Omega scoured the ground for more sticks to add to her ever growing pile. As she reached to pick up a stick that, to her, resembled a blaster, she felt a vibration run through the ground. She pulled her hand back in surprise, turning to look at Tech.
“Did you feel that?” She asked, still crouched on the ground.
Tech paused for a second and looked over at Omega. “Feel what?”
“The ground just vibrated.” Omega said, looking down at the forest floor.
“You probably just felt the vibrations from the saw I’m using. This thing shakes so much I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t fallen to pieces.” Tech said, showing her the rickety saw. Omega frowned but went back to collecting sticks, hesitantly accepting Tech’s explanation.
A few minutes later, the hairs on the back of Omega’s neck stood on end. An unpleasant buzzing sensation formed in the back of her mind, and she looked up from her stick gathering.
Something bad was about to happen.
“Tech,” She said, standing up straight and beginning to slowly back up, “I think we should go.”
“What? Why?” Tech questioned.
“Just trust me. We gotta go, now.” She said, pulling on his sleeve.
Confused, Tech grabbed the branches he had sawed off and let himself be pulled forward. Omega set off at a quick pace, forcing Tech to quicken his stride to keep up. She kept glancing over her shoulder, like she expected something to pop up and start chasing them.
“Omega, what’s gotten into you?” He asked, his brows knitting together. “You’re usually the one who wants to stay longer.”
Omega opened her mouth to answer, but was distracted when a flock of birds exploded out of the trees behind them. Both clones dropped the wood they were carrying and hit the ground, covering their heads as the swarm flew over them.
“What the-” Tech started, but was cut off by a low rumble. The ground beneath them began to shake, rattling the trees around them.
“Tech, what’s going on?!” Omega cried, unable to find her balance.
“It’s an earthquake! Of course, why not?!” He yelled, getting to his feet. “Can’t we have a day where nothing happens?!”
A nearby tree crashed to the ground in front of them, forcing the clones to jump back.
“I guess not. Come on, we’ve got to get out of here!” He said, running towards the treeline.
Omega sprinted beside him, yelping when a branch just barely missed her head. “What’s an earthquake?!”
“Its a phenomenon caused by the shifting of a planet’s tectonic plates. This one is particularly vioLENT!” Tech’s voice spiked at the end of his sentence as the ground in front of them suddenly split open. He quickly jumped over it, Omega copying his movements.
“Does it usually last long?!” Omega cried, nearly tripping when another rumble shook the forest.
“It depends! Some last for minutes, others, hours!” Tech answered, leaping over a fallen young tree.
“There’s the exit!” Omega called, pointing towards the treeline.
Another wave of shaking hit them, this one stronger than the last. The sudden force caused Omega to trip, and the young girl yelped in pain as she hit the ground. The sound had Tech skidding to a halt, and he was quickly helping Omega to her feet.
“We’re almost there, come on-” He silenced himself and decided to just carry the young girl. The constant quaking and his own panic caused him to nearly fall over himself, but he somehow managed to power through it and started to run again.
They had almost made it out of the forest when a thundering mix of crunches and snaps suddenly reached their ears. Both of their heads snapped to the left, and to their horror, they saw a wave of dust, rock, and broken trees hurdling towards them!
Thinking fast, Tech sprinted towards one of the large trees and took cover behind it, tucking both himself and Omega into the ancient plant’s thick roots. He held Omega to his chest, shielding her with his body. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact.
Echo had just started to drift off when he felt it. It was like the ground itself was shuddering, causing the nearby wildlife to scatter. Wrecker, who had been trying to sleep of a headache, startled awake. Hunter was on his feet in an instant, searching for the cause of the disturbance.
“Was that an earthquake?” Echo asked, sitting forward.
“I think so. A pretty big one too…” Hunter replied, frowning.
Pillow, who had also been awoken, started to let out long honks. It was the noise he made when he wanted Omega’s attention, but couldn’t see her. Echo grew worried when, upon looking around, noticed that Omega and Tech were still gone.
“Why aren’t Tech and Omega back yet?” He questioned aloud, his gaze turning towards the direction of the forest. “I hope they didn’t run into any trou-!”
“Echo?” Hunter looked towards his brother, who had now gone stiff and still. Him and Wrecker walked over to where Echo was sitting, and gasped at what they saw.
A cloud of dust had risen into the sky, smothering the pleasant blue hue. It was right around where the forest was. Where Omega and Tech were.
“Everyone in the ship, now!” Hunter barked, running to get the engine started. Wrecker helped Echo make his way back to the ship, the large clone looking worriedly over his shoulder. Pillow was quick to follow them, his stubby little legs going as fast as they could.
Once everyone was onboard, Hunter piloted the Havoc Marauder towards the source of the dust cloud. As they neared the forest, the true nature of the situation revealed itself, and what they saw made the present members of the Bad Batch go from concerned to full on panicking.
A landslide had decimated part of the forest, many of the ancient trees on the forest’s edge had collapsed under the barrage of rocks, mud, trees, and other such debris. The brothers’ stomachs sank as they realized that they couldn’t see Tech or Omega anywhere outside the flattened forest, which left only one place they could be.
Echo activated his comlink, his hands shaking slightly.
“Tech? Tech, can you hear me?” He asked, his voice betraying his worry.
There was only crackling silence for a long, torturous moment. Then, a voice, weak and broken up by coughs.
“I-I hear you, Echo.” Tech’s voice broke a growing tension in the ship, and the enhanced clones sighed in relief.
“Thank the Maker. Stay put you two, we’ll get ya out.” Hunter called back, moving to set the ship down.
“We don’t really have much of a choice. There’s rubble below and above us. I can barely move, and Omega is worse off. I think her leg might be pinned, but I can’t tell.” Tech said, sounding strained.
“Why not just ask her?” Wrecker questioned, activating his own comlink.
“She’s unconscious. I am unable to move enough to check for any head injuries, and she isn’t responding to me. I only know she’s unconscious and not dead because I can feel her breathing.” The younger clone was clearly distressed, his voice hitching a bit as he spoke.
“Don’t worry Tech, we’ll get you two out and you’ll both be just fine.” Echo tried to sound as reassuring as possible.
Tech was silent for a moment, then spoke again, this time in a very soft voice.
“Just, just hurry, okay?”
Hunter and Wrecker worked together over the course of an hour to dig Tech and Omega out. Echo, who could not dig on a broken leg, stayed on the ship and tried to keep Tech calm. They had limited oxygen in their little pocket, and panicking would only make it run out faster.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Echo could hear the sound of dirt being moved aside over the com frequency. He exhaled in relief and felt his muscles relax. Running a hand over his face, he listened in as Hunter spoke to Tech.
“How are you doing, Tech?” Their leader’s voice was soft as he hooked an arm around Tech, pulling him up. Wrecker was right beside him, lifting Omega up out of the little air pocket. He had to push aside a few rocks first, and winced when he saw that Omega’s pant leg was stained with blood.
“I’ll be alright. Is Omega okay?” Tech asked, coughing into the crux of his elbow. Fresh air had never tasted better, but he had definitely inhaled some dust. They both had.
Wrecker gently shifted Omega into a more comfortable position, supporting her leg. Now that they were out in the open, Omega’s injuries were obvious. A large gash was present on the top of her head, the blood that had spilled out matting in her hair. There was also a large scratch on her back, the cloth around the wound stained crimson.
“I dunno. She’s pretty banged up…” Wrecker trailed off upon seeing Tech’s face. His youngest brother looked like he was going to be sick.
“But she’ll be okay! We’ll get her fixed up, right Hunter?” He quickly added. Hunter nodded, pulling Tech up and letting the younger clone lean on him for support. Tech’s own back sported several cuts and multiple bruises, which meant that they would likely be taking a trip to a medical centre.
“Yeah, she’ll be okay. She’s a tough kid, and she’s been through worse than this.” Hunter reassured.
“That’s not a good thing.” Tech mumbled, his eyes downcast. “She shouldn’t have to be tough, Hunter. She’s only a child.”
Hunter couldn’t argue with Tech’s statement. His brother’s words were true; Omega shouldn’t have to be tough. It was their job to keep her safe, but ever since they had left Kamino, they had just barely been escaping death at what seemed like every turn. They hadn’t been able to protect her on more than one mission, and the unfamiliar sting of failure weighed heavy on the group.
“I know… I know that she wants to be with us, and I want her to be with us too!” Tech continued. “But maybe… she would be better off with someone else. Children need stability, especially young ones like Omega.”
“We can’t just abandon her, Tech!” Wrecker protested loudly. “We’re all Omega has!”
“What about the bounty hunters? We need to be there to protect her.” Hunter added.
“Oh yes, we’ve been doing a brilliant job at that!” Tech snapped, his face wrinkling in pain as he stepped away from Hunter. “Face it, we’re not good enough to raise her. Almost every time we go somewhere, or try to do something, she either ends up hurt or traumatized! The longer she stays with us, the higher her chance of dying becomes!”
“So what do you purpose we do? Dump her on some backwater planet and leave her to fend for herself? Hand her off to some orphanage?” Hunter was angry now, and he bristled at Tech’s words. “She’s a clone, Tech! There isn’t really many places for her in this world. If we can’t look after her, who the hell do you think can?”
“The Jedi.” Was Tech’s reply. “Of course, finding one now will be quite the challenge.”
Both Hunter and Wrecker looked at Tech like he was crazy.
“The Jedi?! Why are they the first damn people you think of?” Hunter threw his hands up in the air. “The Jedi are gone, or did you forget that we saw our brothers start murdering them not too long ago?”
“The Republic is gone, but it would be ignorant to assume that every Jedi was killed that day. They are masterful hiders, and I have no doubt that some still remain.” Tech argued, looking over at Omega, who was still unconscious. “They could hide her, and perhaps help her in ways we won’t be able to.”
“What are you talking about?!” Wrecker cried, utterly confused by Tech’s words.
“I have reason to believe that the Kaminoans accomplished something previously thought to be impossible. I think Omega here might be a Force-sensitive.” Tech explained.
“What?” Hunter squinted in confusion. Omega? A Force-sensitive? Where was his brother coming from?
“I had some time to think about it while we were trapped underneath the landslide, and the signs have always been there. At first, I thought that she was just intuitive, but it seems like she can actually feel our emotions and get a good idea of what we’re thinking. Whenever she speaks to Pillow, he seems to really understand what she’s saying, even if it’s something beyond a simple command. That doesn’t happen with us.” Tech shifted his weight to one leg as he spoke, clearly favoring one limb over the other. “And today, when we were collecting wood, she suddenly stopped what she was doing and told me that we had to leave right away. She knew something bad was going to happen, even before we felt the earthquake.”
Hunter blinked in surprise. When you put everything all together, things did start to look strange.
“So… what? We leave her with a stranger just ‘cause she’s different?” Wreckers voice was quieter now, but the anger was still there, bubbling underneath.
“It would be for the best. Jedi know how to train Force-sensitive children, and Omega’s unique circumstances may cause her to need that sort of guidance.” Tech replied, trying to make his squadmates see things from a logical standpoint. “A Force-sensitive clone has never existed before, and her being genetically modified may change how the Force manifests itself with her. She could develop powers that haven’t existed before, and we would have no idea how to handle that or how to teach her to control her powers.”
The three stood in silence for a moment, staring at each other.
“We’ll discuss this later, when the two of you aren’t bleeding out.” Hunter finally said, extending an arm to Tech, who took it gratefully.
Wrecker looked down at Omega, sadness entering his eyes. He didn’t think that Omega would want to go, magic powers or no. The girl loved being with them, and his heart clenched at the idea of leaving her with some random Jedi who wouldn’t know her like they did. Would they help her with her nightmares, like Echo did? Teach her to fight with more than just a blaster or bow, as Hunter was doing? Answer her questions and teach her about the world, a job that was shared by all of them but mostly fell to Tech, who loved being able to share his knowledge without getting eye rolls? Would they laugh at her jokes and carry her on their shoulders like he did? Would they entertain her curiosity? Let her take Pillow with her?
Would they treat her like family?
These, at least to Wrecker, were important questions, but his brothers didn’t seem to be asking them, so he kept quiet. Tech was the smart one, after all, so maybe he shouldn’t be doubting the younger man.
‘Still,’ He thought to himself, ‘I hope Echo says something, because I really don’t want to have to say goodbye!’
“Absolutely not.” Echo said, wrapping the last of Tech’s bandages,
“Echo,” Tech started, but the other man cut him off.
“We are not handing Omega over to some Jedi just because she might be Force-sensitive and might develop powers.” Echo stated, a tone of finality clear in his voice. “The Empire is going to be hunting the remaining Jedi down relentlessly, and you want to leave her with one?”
“The Jedi have a talent of disappearing when they need to. The Empire would have a harder time finding her under their care.” Tech argued.
“Yeah, sure, until a Sith Lord tracks her Force signature and finds both of them. Do you want her to end up as another casualty?” Echo asked, tying a bandage tighter than he needed to. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to get her killed.”
Tech whipped his head around and glowered at Echo, his gaze full of burning anger.
“How dare you. You think I want to give her up? She’s family to me too, Echo!” He hissed.
“Really? Could have fooled me.” Echo shot back.
A growl was the only warning the clone got before Tech had launched himself at Echo. The two crashed to the floor, wrestling with each other. Pillow, who had been sleeping under Omega’s arm, honked in alarm as the bunk was jostled. Angered by the disturbance, the amphibian puffed himself up and hissed, baring his sharp little teeth. He launched himself forward, clamping his jaws down on Echo’s prosthetic arm.
Hunter appeared beside the fight, gripping both of his squadmates and hauling them apart.
“Cut that shit out! This is not the time or the place to start a fight.” He snarled, glaring at his brothers. “Tech, go lie down and cool off. Echo, come sit with me.”
Upon being released, the two followed Hunter’s commands. Tech huffed as he lay down, rubbing a sore spot on his arm. Echo struggled for a moment to peel Pillow off of his arm, glad that the pale animal hadn’t latched onto the limb that he still had feeling in. His leg ached, and Hunter had to help him up. Together, they made it to the pilot and co-pilot seats, and the two men faced each other as they sat.
“Hunter, you can’t seriously be thinking about going through with this.” Echo rested his head on his hand, looking at Hunter with pleading eyes.
“Tech makes some good points. None of us can use the Force, so how could we help her if she is Force-sensitive?” Hunter responded quietly.
“We can keep her under the radar of the Empire! If we keep moving, It’ll be harder for any Sith to find her Force signature if she isn’t in one place for too long.” Echo gestured towards the bunks. “I worked with Jedi masters and there is centuries of information out there. Actually, it’d probably be easier to find hidden written information than it will be to find a Jedi. We can help her, Hunter.”
Hunter shook his head. “Information can’t replace experience. You know that, Echo.”
“So that’s it then?” Echo frowned. “We’re just kicking her to the curb and hoping that she doesn’t get caught? What happened to not leaving anyone behind?”
“It’s what’s best for-” Echo looked at him sharply, silencing Hunter before he could finish.
“She’ll hate you. If you try to leave her behind again, Hunter, she will never forgive you. Do you want that? Can you handle that?” He asked, making direct eye contact with Hunter.
“I’d rather her hate me and be alive then love me and be dead.” Hunter said, looking away from Echo.
Echo closed his eyes and shook his head, letting the crushing silence exist for a moment before speaking.
“You’re making a mistake. For her sake, I hope you realize that sooner, rather than later.” He stood up and limped his way to his bunk, leaving Hunter alone with his thoughts.