Chapter Text
“Tech, what’s the force?”
Omega’s voice, quiet, broke into the reverent, weighty silence that had fallen over the Batch the moment they entered the ruins of Ossus. It was strange; the hushed awe that consumed them all. Hunter rarely knew quiet like this. Never of this level, and never of this kind. Normally, when it would come, it was suffocating: the piercing silence that would settle over him and his brothers after a particularly rough mission, even if it was deemed successful. The kind felt when Bane had first swept Omega away from them, taking her light with him. The kind that filled the Marauder as it flew from Kamino, leaving one of their own behind for the second time.
But this silence was different.
The ancient stone of the temple had whispered of centuries of history and stories, all gone and over with. Green growth crawled up the exterior, tricking the eye that the planet itself was consuming the ruins. Birds and other creatures had long since made homes, both inside and out, of the intricate stone work. All the creatures scurried away at the unfamiliar sound of footsteps. And yet, the entire temple, broken down and crumbling as it was, seemed to hum like the Marauder’s hyperdrive.
At first, Hunter had thought little of it. His heightened senses often played tricks on him, and his mind, well-trained as it was, would still occasionally get confused by all the information coming in. As he’d entered the temple, his ears had rung from some unheard noise; his skin had prickled against a breeze his armor blocked. And the whole world had seemed to do a complete 360, his vision spinning for a moment. By the time he had reoriented himself, however, he realized that the rest of his squad had fallen silent, as well.
Since then, they had trekked through the temple in silence, searching. This mission was proving to be an annoying mixture of easy and difficult. One of Cid’s contacts had used this abandoned Jedi temple as a stash for some likely illegal cargo, and Cid had sent them to retrieve it. Easy. But, she didn’t know where in the temple it was stashed; her contact had only provided a general, extremely vague description of the spot. Difficult. Fortunately, Tech’s research had shown no hostile creatures lived in the area, and there were only small villages nearby. Easy. Unfortunately, the temple was riddled with traps. Pressure plates, tripwires, false floors, dead ends; everything. Difficult. Very difficult, given one little girl’s propensity to wander. It took every ounce of hard-earned self-control in Hunter to keep from glancing back at Omega every few seconds to ensure she was still there, safe and sound.
Thankfully, Omega’s attention was as captured by the temple as the rest of theirs. That, and in the three months since Tipoca City slipped beneath the waters of Kamino, she had stuck to her brothers’ sides like slime on a Hutt. And while Hunter was grateful that she stayed close, it did hurt to see her cautious. It was so against her adventurous, take-in-all-she-could nature. He hoped time–and a decided lack of the bad kind of adventure–would bring it back.
“Unfortunately, I am not well-versed in the concept of the force,” Tech said, answering Omega’s question. “From what I have read, the force seems to be more of a metaphysical concept, rather than a physical one. Therefore, I do not have the capacity to fully understand it, despite extensive–”
“What he’s saying,” Hunter cut in, amusement bubbling up in him. “Is that he doesn’t know.”
Tech huffed a bit, the sound mixing with Wrecker’s chuckles.
“Yes, that is what I meant,” Tech added, sounding disgruntled.
“Those Jedi we knew were always doing crazy tricks with the force!” Wrecker bellowed, his voice echoing against the stones. “Hunter, remember that time one of those little padawan kids tried to throw you across that ravine?”
Hunter grimaced. “How could I forget? That kid nearly killed me.” Watching the side of a ravine rush toward him at a faster-than-normal rate had not been pleasant.
“Rex tells a story just like that with General Skywalker and Commander Tano,” Echo added, his voice soft. He rarely talked about the Jedi and padawan duo. “Commander Tano once described the force as a sort of energy that was created by living things. Apparently it’s in everything, and connects everything together. The Jedi are just the only ones who can sense it and manipulate it.”
“Wow…” Omega whispered. Hunter glanced over his shoulder at her. The Batch had fallen into a straight, stretched-out line, with him leading the way. Tech was behind him, then Omega, then Echo, with Wrecker taking up the rear. Omega’s face was turned upward, jaw slack and eyes wide. As he watched, she stumbled a bit over the uneven ground, only Echo’s hand to her shoulder checking her balance. She twisted a bit to smile at him, then purposefully turned her attention back to the ground. It lasted mere moments before her entire focus was back on her surroundings.
“What did the Jedi use these temples for?” Omega asked.
“From my research, it appears they were mostly used for practice and study, as well as meditation,” Tech answered. “However, it has been hypothesized that some Jedi temples are strongly connected to the force, and allow the Jedi to experience things that would be otherwise impossible.”
“What kind of things?” she asked.
Hunter looked over his shoulder again in time to see one of Tech’s rare shrugs. “I do not know. I have only read speculations. It appears that ancient Jedi history has been mostly preserved and taught orally which, as you know–”
“—is the most unreliable form of historical record-keeping,” Omega and Tech finished in sync. Echo rolled his eyes and chuckled as Tech turned a delighted smile Omega’s way.
“Precisely, Miss Omega.”
Hunter smiled fondly at the pair as the Batch fell back into silence. A few minutes passed before Omega spoke again. “I never got to meet a Jedi.”
Her voice was soft, with an unmistakable hint of sadness lining it. Hunter twisted a bit to peer both at her and Echo, concern filling him. The Jedi hadn’t meant much to Hunter. Sure, he respected many of the Jedi he had worked with. Many of them had proven to be competent, honorable warriors and people alike. But he had never had a personal connection to any of them. Not like Echo, or most other regs, who had served directly under a Jedi general.
Omega’s face was wistful, with a hint of longing to it. Echo’s expression was hidden by his helmet, but his body language was easy enough to read. His shoulders were a little tense, but he didn’t look like he was on the verge of a breakdown. Good.
“I wish I could have met one,” she said. “They sounded amazing.”
“They were,” Echo said, his voice solemn. “They sure were.”
The rest of his brothers, perhaps recognizing the weight of the moment, fell silent. Once again, only the tap of boots against stone filled the air. Hunter’s mind wandered back to the Jedi he had known. Generals he had served under, padawans he had both fought alongside and protected.
And one he hadn’t.
His heart constricted as he pictured that padawan from Kaller, face contorted in fear and determination as he leapt across a snow-covered chasm. The image of Crosshair, rifle aimed at the innocent padawan, was right on the heels of the memory. At least that kid had escaped. What had become of him afterward…he didn’t want to dwell on the possibilities.
Shaking off the memory, he refocused on the temple around him.
“Tech, read Cid’s description again. I don’t want to be here all day,” he said.
“Certainly. According to Cid, the cargo is located…”
- - - - -
“Stay close,” Hunter, voice low, said. Omega gave a silent nod, then inched a little closer to Hunter. After over an hour of scouring the ginormous temple, they had finally found a crumbling staircase that allowed them to go deeper into the temple. Cid’s contact had left the cargo deep in the temple to ensure no one would simply stumble upon it. Now that they had finally made some progress, they had split up in hopes of finding the cargo faster. Tech and Wrecker had gone off one way, leaving Echo and her and to stay with Hunter.
The three of them were slowly descending deeper into the temple via a huge, tall tower. A thin, spiral staircase lined the room, with nothing but a never-ending pit in the center. Thankfully, they hadn’t encountered any traps yet, but Tech was certain the temple was filled with them. Cid’s contact, as well, had told crazy stories of falling boulders and rooms filled with spikes. Omega wondered how much of it was true. Working in the Kaminoan med bay, she’d overheard a lot of stories of amazing places and dangerous missions. She’d been so curious to hear the stories, and wanted nothing more than to have adventures of her own. How could she not? Kamino wasn’t a very exciting place.
That same curiosity bubbled up in her, and she leaned forward the slightest bit, away from the wall on her right. The edge of the staircase seemed to draw back like a curtain, revealing the darkness below. She shuffled forward a tiny amount, peering down and down and down.
She swallowed, a strange mix of fear and excitement tightening in her stomach. She inched forward more. She couldn’t see the bottom. Could Hunter? His eyesight was better than hers. Maybe there was no bottom. Maybe the stairs went on and on forever, into some strange force-world–
The edge of the stair—the part her left foot was directly on—suddenly gave way, and Omega was falling. Her arms flailed but couldn’t find purchase against Hunter’s slick armor. Her stomach rushed into her throat as she lurched downward. A shrill scream forced itself through her tight throat as gravity grabbed at her, dragging her down for a few terrifying milliseconds. Her right foot had just cleared the stairs, leaving nothing under her, when a hand—Echo’s—roughly locked around her arm, jerking her to a stop. Another hand—this one Hunter’s—grabbed her other arm and yanked her backward and up. The instant she felt solid stone under her feet, her legs gave way and she sank to the ground.
“Omega?” Echo said, dropping to a crouch by her side.
“Are you all right?” Hunter asked, matching Echo’s position on her other side. She barely heard either of them over the rush of blood in her head.
Her vision seemed to narrow till all she could see was the never-ending darkness. She was frozen, unable to move. What if the rest of the stairs gave way? She would fall and fall, looking up as Hunter and Echo grew smaller and smaller from their perch on the stairs. Suddenly, the image in her mind shifted to Daro. She was above, watching as Hunter fell, listening as he shouted. She had never heard him scared before. What was stopping her, now, from doing the same? Falling and falling–
“Omega!” Hunter’s voice, less concerned guardian and more commanding sergeant, broke into her spiraling thoughts. The tone, rarely used with her, was enough to snap her out of her panic. Her eyes jerked to him.
Sometime during her panic, he’d slipped off his helmet, placing both hands on her upper arms. Echo’s hand rested on the top of her shoulder. Seeing he had her attention, Hunter gave her arms a gentle squeeze. The touch seemed to ground her, dragging her back to the real world.
“You’re all right. We won’t let you fall,” his face was so determined, so serious, she had no choice but to believe him. She watched his face for a moment, letting her heart rate settle. “Ok?”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, the words slipping out. That wasn’t what she had meant to say. She’d meant to nod and assure him she was fine. Wasn’t she?
Hunter’s face, even with hers, twisted in some mix of sympathy and sadness. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“I should have stayed away from the edge.” Her voice sounded flat, weird even to her own ears. She wanted to be ok, but she just couldn’t get the image of herself falling out of her head. Worse yet, now all she could picture was Hunter jumping after her. “I’m so sorry. I just wanted to see what was down there, a-and then I tripped, and I’m ok, but I-I just can’t stop–” Words were spilling out of her without thought, and she knew it. She snapped her mouth shut.
Something like pain mixed with panic crossed Hunter’s face, and she saw his eyes flicker away from her, toward Echo. “Omega, it’s all right. I’m not upset. I’m just happy you’re safe,” he said. “Just stick close and be careful, ok? You’re not going to fall.” He nodded with the words, as if they were an uncertain fact. Omega took a deep breath, focusing on the strength in his eyes. They would keep her safe. She knew that. She was ok.
Perhaps sensing her fear (or maybe simply able to hear her rapid heartbeat), one of Hunter’s hands left her shoulder and brushed her bangs away from her face. Omega couldn’t help but smile at the action.
When she had first fled Kamino with her brothers, they had been hesitant to touch her. Perhaps it was simply awkwardness, or a lack of familiarity with physical affection. Wrecker came around quickly, showering her in boisterous hugs. Tech and Echo were right on his tail, rarely hesitating to put a hand on her head or shoulder in comfort or praise. She would sometimes even get a good-night hug from Echo, if she was lucky.
Hunter, however, was different. While the others had seemed to slowly ease into hugging her or patting her head, it was as if a switch had gone off in Hunter the day Kamino fell. As the Marauder had flown from that platform, leaving Crosshair behind, Hunter had wrapped Omega in a fierce but gentle hug, the first she had received from him. After that, physical contact with Hunter had been commonplace: hugs, squeezing her hand or shoulder, she even crawled into his lap on occasion and fell asleep.
Her favorite, however, was when he played with her hair. It was more rare than anything else; maybe that was why she treasured it so. He would ruffle the top of her head, or run his fingers through her short locks, or even tug strands into small, tidy braids that came undone as soon as he let go. But, no matter what he did, it never failed to relax her.
The effect now was no different than it ever was. Hunter’s gloved fingertips pulled gently through the swoop of her hair, the lightest amount of pressure dancing across her forehead. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then paused for a split second before he cupped her cheek in his hand. The touch was comforting, and grounded her more than his and Echo’s hands on her shoulders. Her eyes traced his face, taking in the fierce protectiveness and determination that was overshadowed by something else. Something softer and warmer, something that she had never seen on Nala Se’s face. A look that made her want to crawl into his lap and never leave; that wrapped her in comfort and care like her favorite blanket on the Marauder.
She’d seen this look before. Briefly, as she ran toward him on Kamino. For a moment, hidden in an approving smile, as he looked over her newly acquired clothes and hat. And, most recently, a glimpse of it as she regaled an adventure she’d gone on with Wrecker while the others scouted the area. She didn’t quite understand why it had appeared then, but it had nonetheless.
Was it..? Did she dare hope..?
His hand left her head, a soft smile on his face, and something in her…released. She nearly gasped aloud at the sensation; the sudden, hitherto unfelt pressure that gave way all at once. Weightlessness seemed to sweep through all of her, sharpening every sense, and she felt a solid, eerily discernible something stretch out of her and wrap itself around Hunter. An invisible band seemed to lock between them in an instant.
And for a single moment, Omega could have sworn she felt his heartbeat in her soul.
Had she not been watching his face so closely, unable and unwilling to look away, Omega would have missed the look that crossed Hunter’s face. The tiny furrow of his brow, the minuscule tilt of his head, the nearly imperceptible tension in his shoulders. It lasted only a moment, but it was there nonetheless. His eyes seemed to bore into hers as if searching for an answer there.
Then, all at once, the something filling her and stretching between them snapped away, and she was left no different than before. Her mind raced to explain what had just happened, but it had no answer. She knew she should be concerned about that, but for some reason she just . . . wasn’t.
Hunter’s face froze, then slowly cleared. He leaned back and stood, eyes still warily watching her, as Echo offered her a hand up. Omega’s brow furrowed as she took it. Was something wrong?
“We need to keep moving; the rest of these stairs might not be stable either,” Echo said, his voice startling both of them.
“Right,” Hunter said, finally looking away. He slipped his helmet back onto his head, then pivoted on the narrow stairs. He took half a step forward before he paused, then reached one hand behind him.
Omega could feel his soft, reassuring smile as he offered her his hand, palm up. She beamed back at him, quickly slipping her hand into his. With the contact came a tiny twinge of that same something in her chest. And, unless she was mistaken (which she wasn’t), Hunter’s shoulders tightened in the same instant.
Then, same as before, the feeling was gone. What was going on? Was she sick? She kept her face purposefully neutral, aware of how Hunter was watching her again. She didn’t want to worry him over what might be nothing.
A beat passed before Hunter spoke. “All right, let’s go.” He turned forward.
Omega twisted her shoulders a bit to offer Echo her free hand, who happily took it, and the three of them slowly continued their descent into the temple.