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“Leia, I'm just about done.”
Omega looks at her old friend who she had been fighting alongside since the early days of the Rebellion. In the years between the Empire’s fall and the first order’s rise the two had always been friends. Wrinkles had started to show on her face as much as they did on her own.Growing up and old together. Leia had accompanied Omega to visit Pabu many times, and was with Omega when she returned home the three times when it was the hardest. She had held her as she cried and reminded her that, though her brothers were gone, she was not alone. She would always have her fellow Rebels and she’d always have Leia.
“I don’t know why you would think that, You know as well as I do these pilots aren’t gonna train themselves. I need you here, Mega.”
“I know, I know,” Omega chuckles. “I just want to retire to Pabu, like my brothers did. I’ve had twice as many years as they got, I want to be able to put fresh flowers on their markers and watch Batcher’s great grand pups play on the beach. Wrecker’s kids aren’t getting any younger, I want to see them grow.”
They’d had this conversation before, sitting at this very briefing table. Omega felt done. The First Order was relentless and she didn’t want to lose any more people she loved. She fiddles with the necklace around her neck as Leia speaks.
“How ‘bout this? I’ve got this one kid — huge pain in my ass,you’ll love him — he needs training. He’s already good but you can make him great.”
“You are trying to appeal to my ego,”
“Is it working?”
“….yes,” Omega grumbles as Leia laughs
“Listen Megs, this kid is crazy. You were trained by crazy.”
“Hey!”
“You said that yourself! Crazy knows crazy so I need you to train him. You’ll like him, I promise. You’ve trained all my best pilots. Who was that last girl? Hillary? Holland? Oh, Holly! That’s it. You made her one of our best. She’s just about as good as Luke was, you know.”
Omega sighs, leaning more onto the table.
“Fine. But if he's a little shit then you owe me dinner.”
“Add it to my tab,” Leia laughs and stands up, motioning for Omega to follow her. They walk out of the briefing room and down the hall to the hangar, passing many who either greet or salute them as they pass. Both women smile and salute in return. Everyone on base had almost grown up with Aunt Omega and General Leia. If they hadn’t then they were surprised to find that Omega would adopt them eventually.
If Omega didn’t personally adopt you then she found you others who would be your family. She knew what it felt like to be isolated while surrounded by people. If she saw you sitting by yourself then she made sure to send someone else over and would make you start talking to each other. Omega always had an uncanny ability to bring people together exactly how they needed it.
As they walk into the hangar they squint as the bright sun comes through the open hangar doors.They hear it before they see it. Two figures, one man and one woman, both human,both in flight suits. Pilots. The space between them narrows as their voices get louder.
“You can’t shut off the karking engine mid-flight!” the woman yells up at the man in front of her.
“With enough altitude and, oh I dunno, life and death, then yes! I can!” the man yells back.
The pair is nearly nose-to-nose by the time Omega steps in.
“You two! Holly, you’ve got a cooler head than this.Tell me what's going on.”
“This nerfherder thinks that shutting the engines off would make for an effective escape strategy.”
“In the sky, or out in space?”
“In the sky, Aunt Mega. He’s got a kriffing death wish.”
Omega looks at the young man,standing there with his arms crossed and chest heaving. He’s ready for a fight.
“Well? In the sky would you turn your engine off?”
“He said tha—”
Omega holds up her hand, quietening Holly immediately.
“No. I want to hear this from him. It is his idea after all. So Mr. Trouble-maker…”
“Poe.”
“Gesundheit. Mr. Trouble-maker, care to explain why you think killing your engines in the middle of a battle would help you in any way?” Omega questions.
Poe thinks over his answer before beginning what she knew would be a long-winded speech bloated with chest-puffing and exaggeration. She knew both well.
“Well, as I was saying to my lovely acquaintance — Holly, was it —,if you’re skilled enough, a pilot could kill your engines only halfway and dropped behind enemy fighters and become the one doing the chasing.”
He finishes his explanation with a nod to a glowering Holly and turns his gaze back to the woman in front of him.
Poe had heard of the “Aunt Omega” of base camp. In her eyes there was a sparkle that spoke of wisdom, kindness, and love. Her hair is white as Hoth, held back by a red bandana,her face covered in laugh-lines that were evidence of a good life full of happiness. Everyone said that she was kind, loving, caring, and more. They also said she was hard-headed, extremely quick, and took no bullshit from anyone.
“Your response, Holly?” Omega turns to Holly looking to create a discussion instead of an argument.
“I said bullshit because your engines wouldn’t be able to turn off and then back on quickly enough to escape.”
“Half off,” Poe snaps back.
“Oh yeah well I’m gonna cut half your—“
Holly isn’t able to finish her sentence before Omega stops her once again.
“Thrusters.”
“Pardon?” Poe looks at Omega incredulously
“Not the engine but the thrusters. You have to lower the thrusters and pull back if you even hope to dream of finishing that tight of a turn.Technically, it could be possible if you lowered your thrusters to slow down already but kept the engines primed when you shut them off. And then turned them back on and immediately throttled all the way up.” Omega says, rubbing her chin in thought, though she already knows the answer. Her brother had taught her this years ago.
Poe turns to Holly and very maturely sticks his tongue out. She flips him off in return.
“All right, all right. Since you two have decided to be as immature as possible, why don't you test this out?”
“Mega, I don't know if that's a good idea,” Leia tries to start before Omega shoots her a trust me look.
“Those two x-wings have your names on them. Troublemaker, you get to test your theory and if you’re wrong, Holly you get to take out your frustrations in a game of tag,”
“Tag? What are we, twelve?”
“Did you play tag in x-wings at twelve years old?”
“Wouldn't you like to know, flyboy”
“Real mature.”
“You’re one to talk.”
Leia and Omega watch the two bicker before looking at each other and laughing, grinning at the next generation of youngsters who would be taking their places.
“If you two are done, I want to see what you’re made of. Go.”
The pilots shoot one last glare at each other before racing to their x-wings,throwing on their helmets, each one trying to beat the other to their ship. They carefully race through their pre-flight checks obviously safety is a large concern when playing tag with an X-wing.
“I’ll give you a couple seconds head start, Troublemaker.” Holly can be heard throughout the hangar, Omega turns and sees that there is a group starting to form around a radio connected to the com systems.
“The name’s Poe.”
“Is it?”
“Fifty credits the new kid eats it, Holly’s got this,” one mechanic says as he and another pull up crates for the growing crowd to sit on.
As Holly takes off she makes eye contact with Omega, giving her a two fingered salute.
“See? Crazy needs crazy,” Leia comments as they turn their attention to Poe who had been doing some tricks to warm up.
“You said he could fly, what is it that he's doing now? That's just fancy flippage and twirling.”
“Meh, he's got the foundation. I need you to help build the rest.”
They both practice for several minutes, getting comfortable in their fighters before hearing Omega’s voice through the speakers.
“Alright, I want a nice clean game. The guns are set to simulation so you can shoot as normal without messing up those beautiful paint jobs. Three tags and you're out. Got it?”
“Affirmative Auntie.”
Silence…
“Troublemaker?”
“It's not— ugh! Nevermind, yeah got it,”
The two fighters swing away from each other. The crowd on the ground cheers as Holly spins and hits the accelerator immediately closing in on Poe,
“Tag! You’re it!” Her joyous shout can be heard over the coms. The responding muttered string of curses isn't heard as clearly over the audience’s cheers for their friend.
“That’s one for Holly! Troublemaker, I’m still waiting to see that fancy trick of yours.”
The two fighters round back at each other, playing a game of chicken before they pull away and turn in opposite directions. This time it’s Poe chasing Holly as they zoom through the sky. She manages to evade him for a while as the sun gets lower and lower.
Leia and Omega sit by the radio as more people drop off, leaving to go finish work or rest in their quarters. Finally, after ages of cat and mouse, Holly makes a mistake and Poe lands a tag on her.
“Ha! Tag! How's that feel?
Holly scoffs in frustration as they return to the starting points.
“Alright kids this is taking a while. Next point wins, free for all. Go!”
At first Holly has the upper hand and chases Poe across the sky. Both pilots maneuver their fighters through tight turns and large loops, trying to get the other in their sight.
Eventually Poe gets tired of being chased. It’s time to test his theory.
He makes sure Holly is still behind him before opening a private com channel to her.
“Ready for that special move?”
“Never gonna work, I’m gonna have to fish you out of the jungle after this,” she says confidently as she narrows in on him.
Poe grins under his helmet as he locks the brakes slamming the throttle back, cutting the thrusters off, killing the engine, and spinning around full force before tagging Holly and slamming the thrusters back on and shooting right past her. Spinning around 180 degrees and tagging her before she can even turn her head.
Holly’s frustrated yell can be heard as Poe whoops in celebration.
“Great flying kids, come back in for a landing. We need to talk,” Omega says into the coms.
“That's totally not the scariest phrase in the galaxy.”
“I’m sure you hear it a lot, Troublemaker,.”
“You know what, I'm gonna come up with a name for you and you are not gonna like it.”
“I'd love to see you try.”
The two continue to bicker as they come in for a landing, parking side by side.
Holly jumps out of the x-wing and holds her helmet to her side. She walks towards the two older women still sitting on crates, now the only spectators left.
“Ho-ly shit,” is all she can say as she shakes her hair out and joins Omega and Leia as the sun starts to envelope the room in a golden glow.
“I have to admit Aunt Mega, he is pretty good.You could make him great though,” Holly admits, grinning and giving Omega a hug.
“Not you too! Leia put you up to this didn't she?” Omega realizes she walked straight into a trap as Leia and Holly exchange a knowing look.
“Who, me? Conspire with our favorite General to make sure my Auntie stays here for a little while longer? I would never.” Holly keeps her eyes wide and pouty for Omega who can't help but laugh.
“You little shit, you lost on purpose didn't you?” Omega shakes her head as Poe lands and hops out of his own X-wing. He saunters over, helmet on his hip, winking at Holly as he joins the group.
“Seeing as I won and my nerfherder theory was correct, what’s my prize?”
Holly looks from the General to Poe smirking.
“Lessons with the best.”
“If the lessons are with you, Pretty girl I will never be late to class.”
“Pretty Girl. That's all you got?”
“You don't like it? How about—smart girl?”
“Funny, the lessons are with Auntie Mega. She’s the best around here.” Holly informs Poe who spins to look at a smug Omega who simply waves at him. Holly waves goodbye to the small group as she runs to escape Omega’s glare.
“Alright then, what kind of lessons are we having? You gonna teach me any more tricks? I like that spin, you got a name for it?” Poe questions Omega, rapid fire.
“First you are gonna go get cleaned up, then you are gonna meet me up on that cliff in 15 minutes. I need to destress after dealing with you children.”
With these words Omega turns headed towards the end of the hangar, ready to go to her special place. Her shadow long behind her as the sun continues its descent into the horizon.