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After the fall of Tantiss, the Batch had retired to Pabu in order to raise Omega and give her the childhood she deserved. As well as catching up on much needed rest and relaxation, the remaining members of Clone Force 99 integrated quite nicely into the island's rich community.
Crosshair became extremely proficient in net weaving. His synthetic hand was able to twist and weave at twice the speed and accuracy with the fibers. With his eyes going as he got older, he was able to rely on muscle memory to make the most intricately woven nets in the galaxy. Wrecker's main job had been boat building & repair, but as time waned, the elderly man had shifted to quiet fishing. As was his kind nature, he shared whatever he caught with anybody who asked. When he was younger and his hair had not yet begun to grey, Hunter had served as Mayor Shep Hazard's advisor on the goings-on of the outer galaxy. As he grew older and frailer, the children of Pabu would come to Hunter for his grand stories and tall tales of his time serving in The Republic. He was careful to omit the more gruesome details or skirt around sketchy missions. He became known on Pabu as The Storyteller.
It had been 3 years since Wrecker had passed away, and 6 before that, Crosshair had gone first. That made today even harder. Hunter had always been there to console Omega. Their bond was special and innate. Who was going to be there for her today?
Lyana had commed Omega about a week ago.
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"Ly! It's so great to hear from you!" Omega beamed at the holographic image of her best friend.
"You too, Meg. I just wish it were under better circumstances," she said.
Omega's face fell. "What is it?" she asked, though she already knew the answer deep down.
"It's Hunter. He isn't sick or anything, but our healer has assessed that he is at the end of his life-journey," Lyana replied, looking down at her hands solemnly. "I think you should come back."
"I'm on my way."
Omega immediately shut off the holo and raced to the pilot's chair. She flipped on the ignition switches and punched in the coordinates to her home. From where she was in the galaxy, it was about an 8 hour flight. But not with Omega in the chair. She could shave it down to about 6 and a half. Once in hyperspace, the young woman let herself lean back, slumping into the chair. She looked at the dash where Tech's goggles called home ever since Omega had left initially to join The Rebellion. Gingerly, Omega picked them up. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks, hot tears already threatening to spill over.
"I miss you, Tech," she whispered to the shattered goggles. She let herself clutch the delicate goggles close as she fell into a light sleep.
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After hours of travel, Omega brought The Mini-Maud into the Pabu atmosphere. The clouds were a thick grey color and dense as a Bantha. A sense of relief washed over her seeing the planet reflecting her mood. She flicked on the auto pilot and retreated to the back of her ship to change out of her grimy flight suit. She was careful to keep track of her belongings, always keeping them in their place on the small closet shelf. Wrecker's Lula doll was now ragged, with multiple tears along the seams. Thankfully, Omega was quick with picking up how to repair items so she could keep it a while longer. Omega stroked the right ear for comfort, a habit she had picked up as a child.
"Oh, Lula. What are we going to do?"
She quickly changed into her civilian clothes, careful to tuck the strip of deep blue mourning fabric into her pants pocket. It was Pabu custom for the women to weave it into their hair in a simple braid to symbolize their loved one's return to the sea. She would wear it until the after the cast-off ceremony.
Omega returned to the cockpit to pull her ship up to the open-air landing dock next to the various fishing vessels. She expertly landed the reliable ship without so much as a jolt. Omega glanced out the viewport. Lyana was already waiting for her on the loading dock. She released the hatch and walked out to meet her friend.
Lyana pulled her in for a tight hug. "It is so wonderful to see you, Megs."
Again, tears welled up in Omega's eyes, distorting her vision. She squeezed them shut before they could fall. "You too."
They pulled away and began up the steps, toward Hunter's home. Ever since Hunter became the remaining Bad Batcher, he had moved to the lowest level of Pabu. He claimed that he had seen enough of the sky and wanted to be close to the ocean, that it reminded him of Kamino. Though Omega knew it was because his knees were beginning to give out, he just didn't want to admit how weak he was becoming.
"He sits for hours on the rocky beach, just listening to the waves," Lyana said. "But since last week, he hasn't been able to get out of bed. Too weak."
"He wasn't only listening to the waves," Omega said, ignoring that last part. "His ears remained sharp all these years. He was taking in all sounds, from the sand-crabs to the fishing bells out at sea, making up the landscape of his peace."
The pair had reached the door.
"Are you ready?" her friend asked gently.
Omega hardened her face in resolve. She was going to be strong. Hunter had been strong for her all her life. Now it was her turn.
"Yes."
She opened the creaky, wooden door and stepped into the homey, one-room hovel.
"Hunter?" Omega inquired gently into the air. She knew he knew they had arrived, but it was more habit than anything. Especially since he couldn't be anywhere else except in bed.
"I'm in here." She heard him call back.
The door to his room was slightly ajar. All it took was a gentle push for it to open further, revealing Hunter, covers pulled up to his chest. His hair was thinner and whiter than the last time she had seen him, making the now-dull red of his signature bandana stick out even more. His eyes drifted to meet hers and he smiled.
"You're back." He began to reach out toward her, hand shaking. Omega pulled up a chair and sat at his bedside, encasing his hand gently between her own.
"Yes, I'm home," she replied.
"I'm afraid this old clone just isn't what he used to be, Omega," he said with as much humor as he could muster. Even his voice sounded weak.
"Are you comfortable? Is there anything I can get you?"
"Oh, no, no. Now that you're here, I have everything I need." He smiled up at her. "Now tell me about what you have been up to."
Omega began to tell him of all the missions she had been on now that she had been promoted to a pilot in the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps. Being as tired as he was, Hunter didn't ask many questions, but his interest was piqued when Omega told him she had been working closely with Hera Syndulla before she was transferred. He was relieved to know she was doing well. She only took a brief interval from her stories to make Hunter a quick clear broth for his midday meal that he could sip on while she continued.
The day went by too quickly for Omega. She could feel Hunters grip slowly getting weaker as the hours passed. The inevitable was coming.
"Omega," Hunter began after a lull in her stories. "I need you to do something for me."
"Of course, Hunter. Anything." She squeezed his hand tighter.
"When I'm gone-"
"No! Stop." Omega cut him off. "Don't say that. Not yet. You're still here. You're not going anywhere." The tears that had been threatening to arise all day had finally won. She let them fall down her cheeks and drip onto their hands, all hopes of staying strong out the viewport.
"Omega, this is important. When I'm gone," he began again, slowly. "Promise me that you will not hold on to the past too tightly."
She felt betrayed. Her face burned. "How could you say that? I owe you and our brothers my entire life! I can't just forget that, Hunter." It came out harsher than she meant it to.
He tried to push himself up with one elbow to meet her at eye level, struggling. Omega reached behind him as support so he could sit up. "I didn't say forget us. That would be an impossible ask, even of you. I said don't hold on to the past. You have to let us go, continue your life without us. You deserve to be happy, Omega. And being happy means making peace with the past."
She knew what he was trying to say, but how could she let go of her brothers? Of her family? Omega slipped off her chair to kneel at his bedside. Now looking up at him, she felt like a kid again. She was taken back to the first time she had seen the crew at full maturity when they came back to Kamino as a whole squad. They had been wary of the little female clone trying to tag along with them. She was eternally grateful that they had put up with her and welcomed her as one of their own.
Hunter reached over to her cheek and wiped away her tears with his thumb. It felt icy against her burning cheeks. All the love and kindness in the entire galaxy couldn't compare to the look on his face now.
"Okay, Hunter. I promise."
That was enough for him. He laid back down against his pillow and gave one last look at Omega.
“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, Omega"
"I love you too, Hunter."
His gaze shifted to the ceiling above his bed. She could tell he was looking past the plaster, already seeing the stars of the galaxy ahead of him. She gripped his hand tighter and watched as he closed his eyes one final time. Hunter's chest rose and fell a few more times before he drifted into the forever-sleep.
Omega placed his hand gently across his abdomen, never to hold it again. She leaned over him and placed her hands on either side of his face, bringing her forehead to meet his own. She whispered the phrase Clones say when releasing one another back into the stars.
"You're my brother, until the end of times. Even after that."