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Omega stared up at the ceiling, sitting against Gonky and clutching her trooper doll close. The other Bad Batchers wouldn't be gone for long, and according to Tech, they weren't going that far away from the ship. They seemed reluctant to leave her alone when she requested to stay, claiming to not be feeling well. Hunter was especially concerned, but she assured them she'd be fine. Thanks to her new comm device, she'd be able to call for help if something went wrong.
She looked down at her doll and smiled. "I think my Bad Batcher needs a name," she said. "What do you think I should name her, Gonky?"
"Gonk."
"Uh, probably not that, but thanks for the suggestion," she replied, chuckling. She hunched over and rubbed her chin, deep in thought.
"Hmm... Gray? No, too simple. Oh, how about Omega Two? No, I don't want any numbers in there. Plus it's not really original, since I'm using my name. I want her to have her own name. Uh... I dunno. There's so many names to choose from! Wait... OH! I know! How about Ranger? I have a bow now, it makes so much sense! I should ask the others later and see what they think. They're gonna love it."
She set the doll down and stood up, looking around the ship. She was feeling much better than she did before her friends left, and she was alone, so...
Making sure no one was approaching the ship, she excitedly bounded over to where she last saw cans of paint. Finding a can of black paint wasn't a difficult task, considering the others only really used black, dark gray, red and white. She imagined what it would be like if they used more colors and giggled to herself when the image of rainbow-colored Bad Batchers flashed in her mind.
She grinned when she found the can she was looking for. With no time to waste, she grabbed the can and a thin brush before moving back over to where Gonky was. The can was heavy, so it took longer than she would have liked to get it over to where she wanted to go. She almost dropped the brush too, but luckily her reflexes were top-notch today, and she was able to catch it before she could drop it.
"Hunter's gonna love this!" she exclaimed, stumbling back a bit from the weight of the paint can. "I gotta get this right so I can surprise him good. Now I just need to bring this stuff to the mirror so I don't mess up."
She grunted as she hauled the paint can to where the nearest reflective surface was. When she finally set it down, she was left nearly breathless. It took her a moment to catch her breath, and another to realize that the mirror was a little too high for her to reach. She stood on the tips of her toes, sighing when she still couldn't see much of her reflection.
She glanced back at Gonky, getting an idea. "Hey Gonky!"
The droid acknowledged her with a low, short sound. She gave it a sheepish look. "Could you come over here and let me stand on you for a little bit? Please? It won't take long, I promise."
A few seconds after she spoke, Gonky slowly stood up and waddled over to her. She smiled brightly, stepping aside to make room for it. "Thanks, Gonky! Just stand in front of this mirror here. Yeah, that's it, perfect! You can lie down now. I'll be quick."
"Gonk, gonk."
Gonky resumed the same position it was in before, allowing Omega to use it as a stool. She held her arms out to keep her balance, looking into the mirror and nodding to herself with satisfaction upon seeing her reflection. She hopped down and knelt down in front of the can of black paint. Thankfully it was a used can, so she wouldn't have to pry the lid open. Even if it wasn't, she could've probably used one of Hunter's knives. She would've cleaned it later if she got paint on it.
She carefully opened the lid. The can was at least halfway full. Perfect! she thought excitedly. Taking the thin brush, she dipped it in the paint and stepped back onto Gonky. She closed her eyes, mapping out the half-skull tattoo on Hunter's face in her mind. She made it a point to memorize it well enough to copy it. She was determined to get it right.
She lifted the brush and began the process of painting the left side of her face. She shuddered at how cold and odd the paint felt, but that didn't stop her. She was careful with the application of the paint, as one wrong move would mess the entire design up. Small mistakes were okay, but not noticeable ones, so it would be best if she could avoid getting distracted-
"Omega? Omega, come in."
She froze after hearing Hunter's voice over the comm device, caught off guard. She wasn't expecting him to contact her so soon. Before she could mess anything up, she slowly moved the brush away from her face. She held it between two fingers while she used her index finger on the comm.
"Hunter? What is it?" she asked. "Did something happen?"
"No, nothing bad happened. I'm only checking on you. How are you? Has anyone come by?"
"I haven't seen anyone, and I'm fine! I'm feeling a little better than I did before."
"That's good to hear. The others are finishing up here. You must be really bored there by yourself. Wrecker's words, not mine."
Omega giggled. Of course Wrecker would say that. "I'm not that bored. I've got Gonky and my trooper doll. Tell him I can't wait for you guys to come back, though."
"Duly noted. I'm heading back early, so you won't have to wait for much longer."
Her smile fell when she received that information. That meant she didn't have a lot of time left to finish her face paint, and she only just started. She was hoping he would return a little later, that way she would have more time. Regardless of her thoughts, she couldn't protest Hunter's decision, or he would become suspicious.
"Okay," she agreed. "Sounds good to me! Omega out."
As soon as the conversation ended, she became more frantic. She couldn't remember exactly how far away the other Batchers were from the ship, only that they weren't too far. She immediately resumed her work, trying to keep her hand from shaking. She shut her left eye and poked her tongue out, pouring all of her concentration into the task at hand.
Hunter had no idea what Omega was up to back at the Havoc Marauder. She had hesitated after he told her he was on his way back. Perhaps he was overthinking it; if there really was trouble, she would have contacted him earlier. Still, he was a little suspicious. He needed to be absolutely sure that she was telling the truth about her health.
He slowed his pace when the ship was in his sights. Scanning the environment, he didn't see any suspicious figures around, or any evidence of anyone walking through the area for that matter. That didn't mean there absolutely wouldn't be any danger, but it was at least a slight relief.
Be okay, he thought before entering the ship. "Omega?" he called.
"Coming!" he heard her shout, followed by approaching footsteps and quiet giggling. He also spotted a half-open can of black paint and a thin brush atop the lid nearby, knitting his brows. What was she doing?
When Omega emerged from her room, the sight that greeted him was definitely a... surprise.
The left half of her face was almost completely painted black. It was a somewhat messy job, but he could make out what it was supposed to be, and it looked like a half-skull; more specifically, the half-skull mark he had. A thin strip of cloth was tied around her head, mimicking his headband. She wore a big grin, looking at him expectantly.
"Surprise! I'm you!" she exclaimed, opening her arms wide. She then spoke in a deeper voice than normal. "My name is Hunter, and I'm really good at tracking. I've also got knives and I'm definitely the coolest Bad Batcher."
She suddenly pointed at nothing, pretending to be talking to someone else. "Wrecker, drop that bomb! We're not blowing anything up right now! That would've been useful to know earlier, Tech! You're worth exactly three thousand credits, Echo, no more no less! Alright squad, let's get this done!"
She struck a confident but silly pose after her little tangent. Hunter had no idea how to respond to any of it at first, staring at her silently. He had multiple questions. When did she plan this out? When did she start and when did she finish? Was she actually feeling unwell or was she faking it so she could mimic him? How did she do such a decent paint job in such a short amount of time?
Most important of all... she wanted to mimic him? Out of everyone in the squad, she chose him to copy?
Omega ended her impersonation, turning back towards Hunter. She clasped her hands together and gave him a sheepish look. "Well, whaddya think?" she inquired, tilting her head. "I know it's not perfect, and I'm sorry for using your paint without asking, but I-"
"Don't worry about it, kid. You did a good job."
Hunter gave her a nod of approval as he spoke, cutting her off before she could finish. "A great job, actually," he continued. "By the way, I tried to get four thousand credits, not three thousand, but that was the final amount. Otherwise, you're pretty spot on."
He could practically see stars shining in her eyes. "Really??"
He smirked. "Yes."
"Yay! I did it! Thank you, Hunter!"
To his surprise, she bounded up to him and hugged his leg tightly out of excitement. He stayed as still as possible, gently patting her back and making sure she didn't get paint on his armor. He still didn't know how fresh the paint was.
When she backed away, she was smiling sweetly at him. This kid was so bright and innocent, despite what she'd been through. She was aware that there were bounty hunters after her, she had recently nearly been caught by one, and yet here she was, playfully imitating Hunter, her buir. The galaxy didn't deserve her, he decided.
"So, um... Hunter?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes, Omega?"
"Could you help me take the paint off now? It feels a little weird."
Hunter couldn't help but grin. "That's normal. It's paint."
"Yeah... I didn't really think about that. I guess I got too excited."
"Seems that way."
"Anyways, can you help me get it off, please? I promise I won't use the paint again without asking if you do."
Hunter huffed with amusement. "So if I said no, you would get into the paint without permission again?"
She looked flustered at that, shaking her head. "No, of course not! You know what I mean!"
"Okay, okay. I'll help you clean it off..."
Omega was grateful that he agreed, about to thank him when he added a catch to his agreement.
"...after the others get back and see it for themselves."
She gave him a bewildered look. "You want the others to see?"
"Why not? You clearly spent so much time planning this out, it would be a waste to take it off so soon."
"You're right," she conceded, glancing away from him. Her eyes flicked all around the ship, as if she were searching for something. "But..."
Before she could make a move for the soap and water, Hunter scooped her up off the ground. "Hey!" she yelled, laughing at the same time. She twisted and squirmed in his arms, attempting to escape, but he kept his hold on her with ease.
"Where do you think you're going, little miss?" he teased, lifting her slightly higher. She laughed harder in response.
"Hunter! Lemme go!"
"Not until everyone else sees little Hunter in action!"
"C'mon! Put me down!"
"Nope. You're staying right here until the others return. Just give up now. Resistance is futile, kiddo."
She sent him a playful glare while also smiling and shaking with laughter. Eventually, she stopped struggling for the most part, looping her arms over Hunter’s while giggling breathlessly. He held the exhausted girl closer, enjoying every second of their time together.
Moments like this were more valuable now than they ever were before.