Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Omega had fallen in love, and it was easy to understand why.

The scarf was magnificent.

Its main color combination of gold, ruby and deep periwinkle was striking, even from 100 paces. The gold, especially, almost glittered in the sunlight like it was actual gold rather than thread.

In truth, it almost looked more like a tapestry than a scarf.

One side depicted a pair of peafowl — male and female — nestled in a flowery garden. The male’s plumage was flowing behind him, with the eyes of the feathers almost blending into the blooms around them.

Their bodies were gold in color, as were the feathers’ eyes and outlines, while the centers of the feathers and the flowers around the peafowl were a mix of ruby, silver, periwinkle and orange.

On the other side was a pair of majestic firebirds flying among budding trees. This time, the birds’ bodies were ruby while their fiery plumage was gold and periwinkle.

Visually, it was a marvel.

But it was just as beautiful to touch as well.

The fabric was a unique blend of Ghorman twill — made by the planet’s iconic spiders — and Naboo silk. It was light, durable and mesmerizingly soft. Simply grazing it once with a finger wasn’t enough. It seemed necessary to feel it with the entire hand to try to grasp just how soft it was.

The story was that the scarf had belonged to the Queen of Naboo, who had gifted it to a handmaiden as a reward for her years of faithful service. It was easy to believe that something so beautiful, so superior had once belonged to royalty.

For days, Omega had been stopped by the vendor’s booth to admire the colors and designs, touch the soft fabric, and ultimately wrap the scarf around her neck and wear it for a few minutes.

The ruby and periwinkle made for a striking contrast against her blond hair, and the gold looked beautiful against her dark tan skin.

It was far too beautiful to wear with her everyday clothes, but Omega had figured it would be perfect for more formal outfits that she wore to festivals and other special occasions.

She’d initially thought it was out of reach financially. She’d worked for weeks to save up money, only to be disappointed when she heard the scarf had been sold.

But, about two weeks later, she’d found a wrapped gift waiting for her at the breakfast table.

“Happy Freedom Day, Omega,” her brothers all told her in turn.

They had decided to call it Freedom Day.

While Aoturoa’s calendar was a little different thanks to its unique revolution period, according to the Galactic Standard Calendar, it had been a year since the day Tantiss Base was destroyed.

The day Emerie and the Vault children fled the Empire to the safety of Pabu.

The day Omega and Echo freed their imprisoned clone brothers and fought alongside them to save Hunter, Wrecker and Crosshair — with some of their brothers sacrificing themselves in the process.

The day Wrecker and Echo saved each other.

The day Hunter and Crosshair saved Omega.

The day Hemlock was destroyed, along with all his work and his secret base.

And, most importantly, the day Omega, Hunter, Wrecker and Crosshair decided to “follow their own paths,” as Hunter had put it, and settle on Pabu permanently.

It was almost hard to believe it had been a year.

The Vault kids had all left Pabu months ago. They had reunited with their families and had traveled along The Path with other Force-sensitive children. Omega didn’t know where they were now, but she was sure they were safe.

Emerie was still working with Echo, Rex and others in the clone underground.

Of the 20 or so clones who had escaped Tantiss with them, a few had joined Echo in the clone underground; others had settled on other planets like Pantora; and eight had made their homes on Pabu.

And of course, Omega, Hunter, Wrecker and Crosshair had enjoyed a quiet year there too, living in their new house with Batcher.

When they’d realized the anniversary of their escape from Tantiss was near, they’d decided to treat it like a little holiday within their family.

The three brothers took the day off from work, and Omega, from her studies. They scheduled a day full of good food and fun activities, both within their household and with their clone brothers down the street.

And to cap off the day, Shep was organizing a large dinner for all the clones at his home. Even Phee said she might stop by.

As they were planning their Freedom Day activities, Omega and her brothers hadn’t said anything about exchanging gifts. That was something that they only planned to do on Life Day.

But, as the three brothers had decided among themselves, Freedom Day was something worth celebrating.

Individuals throughout the galaxy gave presents to someone on the anniversary of their birth. And, considering that the clones didn’t exactly have birthdays — and couldn’t really celebrate them as they didn’t know when their birthdays were anyway — the brothers figured Freedom Day was the next-best thing.

It had been a complicated and dramatic process, but they’d bought Omega the scarf and had planned to surprise her with it at breakfast.

Surprise was perhaps an understatement, as Omega had given up on the scarf two weeks ago.

But, as she unwrapped the package to reveal the familiar gold, ruby and periwinkle threads, she was so happy that she didn’t feel the tears streaming down her face until she tasted the salt on the corner of her mouth.

She didn’t even bother putting on the scarf. She simply held it in her hand as she ran around the table hugging all her brothers, until finally, Wrecker pulled everyone in for a group hug.

“Happy Freedom Day, Omega,” Hunter said again, softly, with his cheek pressed against her hair.

“Happy Freedom Day,” she said, as tears streamed down her face.

She tightened her left arm around Crosshair and her right arm around Wrecker.

“Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”

“Thank you, Omega,” Crosshair said. “We wouldn’t be here now, if it hadn’t been for you.”

Omega was about to say how that was true for them too, that she wouldn’t be here either if they hadn’t saved her. Wrecker had come to her aid against the clone assassins, and Hunter and Crosshair had worked together to free her and kill Hemlock.

But she was too happy to argue, so she let them have the moment.

The scarf was still in her hand as she embraced Hunter, Wrecker and Crosshair together. Her grip on the silky ruby, gold and periwinkle fabric was tight, but she held onto her brothers much tighter.

Chapter Text

As Hunter had promised her on Life Day, the family had finally taken their vacation to the island Caguya.

Hunter had initially said they’d be going shortly after Life Day, but multiple things had delayed their plans. Most of it was finances.

Omega had won nearly 40,000 credits on Boracho months ago. Crosshair had spent some of it on his trip to Alderaan to get a replacement hand, but Echo had taken almost all the remaining credits to buy them a new ship. That left the family with about 3,000 extra credits, on top of the brothers’ monthly income.

With his new robotic hand, Crosshair had started earning more at spearfishing. Likewise, Hunter had gotten a new set of woodworking tools for Life Day, and once word got around about his skill, he’d started taking commissions. Wrecker still did odd jobs around the island, making enough to buy any food they wanted that Crosshair hadn’t caught.

But, over the last four months since Life Day, their family had faced several unexpected expenses.

The biggest was a massive storm that hit Pabu a few weeks after Life Day. Almost every home on the island had suffered some level of damage, despite preparations.

Omega and the brothers initially thought their home had escaped the worst of it.

Only a few things around the patio and outdoor kitchen had been destroyed. Because they’d been concerned with securing or safeguarding the more important parts of the house first, they’d run out of time to handle the patio items before the storm hit. They agreed afterward that it had been a necessary sacrifice. They could replace their patio items in a few weeks, but their main concern was helping their clone brothers and other friends who’d sustained worse damage.

However, about a month later, after everything had seemingly returned to equilibrium and they were preparing to visit Caguya, their home’s solar energy relay stopped working.

They discovered it had been damaged during the storm, but because it initially still worked, no one had bothered to check it. So, the damage worsened until it was beyond repair and had to be completely replaced.

When Hunter told the others they’d have to delay their Caguya trip, Omega had been gracious and understanding about it. But he promised her that, whenever they did visit, they’d stay twice as long as they’d initially planned to make up for the delay.

In the meantime, since she still hadn’t left Pabu since the Boracho incident, the brothers took Omega with them on supply runs to Can’na. It wasn’t much, but it at least helped her get off Pabu while their Caguya plans were on hold.

Finally, once the solar energy relay had been replaced and some other items had been handled, they saved up enough money and took a weeklong trip to Caguya.

*****

With the stormy season over, Omega and her family couldn’t have asked for better weather or a more beautiful location.

Caguya was nearly five times the size of Pabu in terms of land area, and had plenty of amenities and businesses that specifically catered to visitors. They chartered a special boat to the island and stayed at an inn that was right on the water.

The weather was perfect. It was warm in the morning, cool at night, with a short rainstorm every afternoon.

Omega and her brothers spent their mornings on the beach, their afternoons visiting shops or points of interest around the island, and their evenings either attending performances or playing games with the locals.

Omega’s only complaint was that they’d had to leave Batcher on Pabu, as their inn didn’t allow animals.

The day they’d arrived on Caguya, they’d heard about a good-sized market not too far from their inn. It was much larger than Pabu’s market, which only featured vendors from Pabu itself and, on occasion, some from neighboring islands like Can’na.

But Caguya’s market drew vendors from all over the Outer Rim.

They’d been told that none of the vendors were loyal to the Empire, which was the brothers’ first concern, but they took precautions anyway.

The market was more impressive than Pabu’s, with a wider selection and higher-quality items. Considering there were goods here from all over the galaxy, that wasn’t too surprising. Crosshair said it reminded him somewhat of Alderaan’s Royal Market, which Omega thought was a strong endorsement.

The four of them spent most of that first afternoon wandering around the market, only ducking into an unaffiliated tavern for a half-hour during the afternoon rainstorm.

Unfortunately, because the overall trip had cost so much, they didn’t have much “for fun” money.

Hunter and Crosshair had carefully budgeted all the credits they needed for their meals and any excursion they might want to take that would require hiring a guide and/or vehicle. With all of that accounted for, each person had about 20 credits to spend as they wanted.

If there was any money left over at the end of the trip that they hadn’t spent on meals, etc., they’d potentially have more.

That first afternoon, Omega and Wrecker each spent some of theirs when they spotted a market vendor with Mantell Mix. They’d never seen any on Pabu, so they each bought themselves a bag as a sweet reminder of their time on Ord Mantell.

While Hunter and Crosshair were off looking at other things, Omega and Wrecker wandered around for a bit as they talked and ate their Mantell Mix.

Omega was scanning a row of vendors, when a cluster of bystanders finally moved away from the booth directly ahead of her.

That’s when she first spotted the scarf.

*****

It was perfectly displayed to catch the eye. The golden peacocks were glittering in afternoon sun, paired with their ruby and periwinkle plumage. It was displayed longways across the vendor’s booth, taking up much of the display. It was so long that Omega initially thought it was a blanket or tapestry.

As she approached, she took in more of the design and texture. The vendor saw her interest and started telling her all about it. Omega was so distracted drinking in every color and thread, but she somehow retained everything he said.

Kaskol — as he later introduced himself — told her it was from Naboo. It had once belonged to the planet’s young queen, who’d later given it to one of her handmaidens as a token of gratitude for her years of faithful service.

So far as Kaskol knew, there was no other scarf like it in the entire galaxy. There might be others of the same blend but with different designs, or vice versa.

Wrecker admired the scarf alongside Omega, and when Hunter and later Crosshair passed by looking for them, Wrecker waved them down to look at it too.

Hunter and Crosshair were more dubious about the scarf’s exact origins, but even they had to admit that it was striking.

Once Kaskol had finished telling them all about it, restarting the tale when Hunter and Crosshair joined them, Omega looked at the vendor eagerly, practically hungry.

“How much is it?” she asked.

Kaskol tried to deliver the blow as gently as he could, but having done this hundreds of times now, he knew exactly what to expect.

“300 credits.”

Omega and Wrecker’s jaws dropped. Even Hunter jerked his head back as his eyes widened. Crosshair, though, only furrowed his brow.

Three-hundred credits didn’t seem like much compared to the 35,000 they’d given Echo to find them a new ship or the 1,000 they’d dropped on their home’s new solar energy array.

But, considering they’d budgeted about 500 credits on the entire Caguya trip — the boat to and from the island, six nights at the inn, all their meals, a few excursions and so forth — 300 seemed like a lot for what was ultimately a piece of fabric.

A very beautiful and very impressive piece of fabric, but fabric nonetheless, as the brothers all realized.

Omega, though, didn’t feel exactly the same way.

Chapter Text

“Please, Hunter,” Omega asked, throwing that trademark pleading expression his way.

After spending another half-hour at the market, the family had gone back to the inn for their first dinner on Caguya.

Omega had spent almost the entire meal trying to figure out how to buy the scarf. She’d been so distracted, she’d hardly touched her food, which Wrecker would’ve told her was sublime.

“Omega,” Hunter said, “I told you: We don’t have 300 credits to spare. We spent all our money on this trip.”

Omega sighed.

“And gambling’s illegal here,” Crosshair said, staring at her with folded arms. “I checked.”

“We wouldn’t want to draw attention to ourselves anyway,” Hunter said. “With so many off-worlders here, we don’t want to risk the Empire hearing about us.”

Omega put her head down on the table. She seemed defeated, but really, she was trying to come up with a workaround.

“Cheer up, kid,” Wrecker said, patting her on the shoulder. “There’s loads of other cool stuff at the market. What about that bracelet you saw?”

“It was nice,” Omega said, and then added as she sat back up, “but the scarf is much better.”

She looked at Hunter again.

“Look, kid,” Hunter said, noticing her gaze. “This trip was supposed to be your Life Day present. So, you have a choice.”

Omega looked at him eagerly.

“We can go through with the trip as planned,” he said, “or … we can cut it short now and use whatever money we have left to buy the scarf.”

Omega’s face fell.

“It’s your present,” Hunter added, “so it’s up to you.”

Omega scanned each of her brother’s faces. Each of them had been looking forward to this trip as much as she had.

Along with sampling as much of the island’s cuisine as he could, Wrecker had talked about hiking up one of the peaks and going swimming in a “secret” pool — which was very well-known to the locals — beneath a waterfall. Crosshair wanted to hire a guide for an expedition through the jungle to photograph some of the wildlife. Hunter was simply looking forward to time with his family and not having to cook his own food for once.

The trip might technically be her Life Day present, but Omega knew she couldn’t take it away from them. Or herself.

For months, she’d been so eager, almost desperate, to leave Pabu and go somewhere new. Now she finally had. She didn’t want cut the trip short after spending months imagining all the fun she would have on Caguya with her brothers.

“You’re right, Hunter,” she said. “Let’s stick to the plan and enjoy our vacation.”

The brothers all sighed in relief.

“Good,” Crosshair said, looking from Omega to Hunter, “because I don’t think the inn would’ve given us a refund.”

If only, Omega thought, there was a way she could enjoy the trip and buy the scarf.

“You know,” she said, still addressing Hunter, “Kaskol did say he was going to Can’na next. What if we met him there in a few weeks? We’ll be home by then, and we still have some credits left from Boracho, right?”

Hunter shook his head.

“We used the last of it to buy the new relay for the house, remember?”

“At least the credits we had,” Crosshair added. “Echo still has the 35,000 we gave him for the new ship.”

“Yeah, but who knows where he is now?” Wrecker asked, shrugging his shoulders.

“I don’t know,” Hunter replied, “but I’m sure he’s busy. We’re not gonna make him travel all the way out here just to deliver us 300 credits. If he has any left once he gets us a new ship, we’ll set it aside for you.”

He directed the latter part at Omega.

“You can use that however you want,” he said.

Omega nodded.

“If you really want the scarf that badly,” Hunter continued, “you can work and save your own money.”

“But Kaskol’s only going to be on Aoturoa for two more weeks. Then he’s going on to other planets in the Outer Rim.”

“Then you’ll have to find a way — an honest way — to earn those credits before he leaves. Save your money from the trip, do extra chores, find a few jobs to do around Pabu. However it works out. You chose the trip as your Life Day present, so we’re going to enjoy the trip. If you want the scarf, you have to buy it all on your own.”

Omega opened her mouth to suggest some other workaround, but Hunter cut her off.

“I mean it, Omega,” Hunter said. “We’re not going to talk about it anymore. We have a trip to enjoy. Now… eat your food. We need to figure out what we’re doing tomorrow.”

*****

As directed, Omega didn’t bring up the scarf again that night or the next day. In fact, as their trip continued, she didn’t have much time to think about it. There was too much to see and too much to do.

But whenever she had a quiet moment to herself between things, or before she drifted off to sleep at night, she tried to think of ways she could earn the money.

During their trip, Omega and the brothers ended up visiting Caguya’s market for at least a half-hour each day.

Most vendors were the same, but some changed every day. Kaskol and his booth remained in the same spot the entire week, and Omega made a daily pilgrimage to ensure the scarf was still there and then spent about 15 minutes admiring it.

By the sixth day — the family’s last full day on the island — Kaskol knew Omega by name and knew each of the brothers by sight.

He’d learned very quickly that none of them were interested in anything else. He tried to sell them on this or that, but Omega only had eyes for the scarf. And the brothers were only interested in it because she was.

So, whenever Omega stopped by — sometimes alone, sometimes with one or more of her brothers — Kaskol would tell her more about it, ask how her trip was going and talk about a possible sale whenever he stopped at Can’na in two weeks.

Omega had tried multiple times to haggle him down from 300 credits, but he wouldn’t budge.

He did, at least, promise to stop by Pabu for a day after visiting Can’na.

He’d heard Pabu’s population was growing, and though most of his items would be out of the residents’ price range, he had some less-expensive ones he could rotate into the display with a decent chance of selling them.

Kaskol said if he hadn’t sold the scarf by the time he reached Pabu, Omega would have a chance to buy it then, provided she had the money. But without some kind of down payment or collateral, he couldn’t guarantee anything. He still had another week at Caguya and then a week or so at Can’na. And if someone with 300 credits came along in that time…

“I’m a merchant, kid,” Kaskol said. “I gotta make a living. Business is business.”

Omega tried to offer him the credits she still had and/or anything she’d brought with her on the trip that might be of value. But Kaskol said he needed at least half of what the scarf cost — 150 credits or something of equivalent value.

“Those are my rules,” he told her. “If I make an exception for you, I gotta make an exception for everybody.”

Omega spent a few more minutes admiring the scarf until her brothers stopped by the booth so they could all return to the inn for dinner.

“How much later will you be out here today?” Omega asked Kaskol.

“Till sunset.”

“What about tomorrow? How early do you open?”

“All the vendors open midmorning. I’m no exception.”

“Can I stop by tomorrow then? We don’t leave until noon.”

“Sure thing, kid. I’ll be here. And for your sake, I hope this” — he tapped on the scarf — “is here too.”

Chapter Text

At dinner, Omega decided against bringing up the scarf directly, but she asked whether there was any money left from their meals, excursions, etc. that they could have as additional spending money.

Hunter and Crosshair said there wouldn’t be much.

They had just enough money to afford a nice brunch tomorrow at a local tavern. Wrecker said he’d heard good things about the place and — as they’d eaten all their meals either at the inn or as packed lunches on their excursions — Hunter thought trying a local eatery would be a great way to cap off their trip.

If they were lucky, Hunter said there might be enough left after brunch that they could each have 5 more credits before they returned to Pabu. They wouldn’t have much time, though, as their boat left at noon.

Omega nodded.

She accepted that they wouldn’t have enough money to put a down payment on the scarf before they left. But she hoped she would have enough time to run up to the market, ensure Kaskol still had it, and confirm he’d be on Pabu in two weeks — hopefully with the scarf in tow.

“What’s wrong, Omega?” Hunter asked.

“Nothing. Just curious.”

Crosshair squinted at her.

“You’re still thinking about the scarf, aren’t you?” Crosshair asked.

She nodded.

Hunter gave her a stern look, and Omega responded by saying, “Hey, he brought it up. Not me.”

“I know,” Hunter said. “But you should be concentrating on enjoying our last night here.”

“Yeah,” Wrecker said. “I heard some of the locals were gonna be playing football on the west beach ‘til sunset. We should go. See if we can join them for a few games.”

Omega’s eyes passed over each of her brothers. Wrecker was wide-eyed with a big grin; Crosshair had a neutral, assessing expression; and Hunter blinked at her, serious and unmoving.

Pushing the scarf out of her mind for one more evening, Omega smiled, turned to Wrecker and said, “Bet you my team’s gonna beat yours!”

He gave her a light bump on the shoulder and loudly proclaimed, “Not if we’re on the same team!”

*****

That last evening playing football on the beach was a bittersweet moment.

Omega reveled in it.

With every passing minute, the sun dropped lower on the horizon, and she felt more acutely just how much this trip had slipped away from her.

In less than 24 hours, she would be back to her routine on Pabu, and this evening — and the entire trip, really — would soon be a distant memory.

So, Omega felt that she had to make the most of it.

On Pabu, she tried to match the other kids’ energy, partly because the games were just for fun, and partly because there was no reason to tire herself out.

But on Caguya, she finally understood what the phrase “leaving it all on the field” really meant. She was so consumed in savoring the moment that it ultimately distracted her. It was to the point that she didn’t notice who was on the field at any given time. She barely paid attention to who was on her team.

After the sun set and the games were over, Omega didn’t have the time or energy to think about the scarf. She was so exhausted, she asked Wrecker to carry her back to the inn. She didn’t remember the trip at all. She only vaguely remembered collapsing onto the bed with her sweaty clothes still on and immediately falling asleep.

Hunter woke her up in the morning, instructing her to get ready and have everything packed before they left for brunch. She did so, and then went to enjoy a marvelous meal with her brothers. She kept an eye on the time, though, remembering her plan to stop by Kaskol’s booth one last time before leaving.

By the time brunch was over, they had about 45 minutes left until their boat departed — just enough time to run up to the market, check on the scarf and return before the boat left.

She asked Hunter for permission, and he sighed.

“Alright. Just hurry. Crosshair, go with her. Wrecker and I will go to the inn, grab our bags and check out. We’ll all meet at the boat by 11:50.”

“Augh! Do we have to?” Wrecker protested loudly.

He was comfortably sprawled on a bench outside the tavern they’d eaten at, with one hand resting on his bigger-than-usual belly.

“I’m so full,” he continued, “I don’t even know if I can move.”

“I don’t want Omega going to the market by herself, with all the off-worlders up there,” Hunter said. “So, either you go with her, or you help me.”

Wrecker spent a full 30 seconds groaning and complaining, and then slowly started getting up from his comfortable spot on the bench.

“I’ll figure out something with him,” Hunter told Omega and Crosshair. “You two better go now; you don’t have time to waste.”

*****

Without hesitation, Omega sped off in the direction of the market. Crosshair followed close behind. They climbed up the winding streets and stairways until they reached the market, and then navigated their way through the crowd until they neared Kaskol’s booth.

Even from a distance, Omega could tell the booth didn’t quite look the same. People were passing to and fro in front of the booth, but from what she could see, the spacing between the items was different than usual. The color scheme seemed to be off too.

When she approached, she realized why:

The scarf was missing from its usual spot.

She scanned everything else in the display, to see if maybe Kaskol had moved it or arranged it differently, but it was nowhere to be seen.

“Omega,” Kaskol called to her. “I—”

“Where’s the scarf?” she asked breathlessly, frantically. “Did you move it?”

“I’m sorry, Omega. But the scarf … isn’t for sale anymore.”

She froze, her mouth gaping.

“You… You sold it?”

“Not exactly,” Kaskol said, giving her a sympathetic look. “It’s on hold for another customer. They paid half now and…”

“You’re holding it for them until they pay the other half?”

Kaskol nodded, and Omega hung her head in defeat. Crosshair, who’d been standing behind her the whole time, put a reassuring hand on her shoulder but didn’t say anything.

“For what it’s worth,” Kaskol said, his eyes flashing between Omega and Crosshair, “I tried to talk them out of it. But they had their heart set on it. Just like you.”

“Thanks,” Omega said, raising her head and giving Kaskol a grim smile. “I appreciate your help. Truly.”

“You know, it’s not a done deal quite yet,” he said in a slightly cheerful tone. “It’s possible they don’t come through with the other half by the appointed time.”

Omega perked up. She was about to say something, but Crosshair finally interjected himself into the conversation.

“Or maybe they do,” Crosshair said, almost bitter, as he took a step toward the merchant. “Let’s not get her hopes up about it.”

“Hey, facts are facts. Until I have the full amount…”

He gestured with his hand, as though he was asking for money.

“We get it,” Crosshair said.

“Look, Omega. I’m sticking to the schedule I told you. Another week here, and then a week on Can’na. I’ll be on Pabu on the 15th, before I leave Aoturoa for other systems. If this other customer hasn’t paid me the full amount by the time I reach Pabu, I’ll put the scarf back on display for you.”

Omega smiled returned. She knew Crosshair was right, but like Tech had done so many times, she calculated that there was a still a chance — however small — that things could still work out in her favor.

“Thanks, Kaskol!”

Crosshair sighed and shook his head.

“C’mon,” he said to Omega. “We’d better get going, or we’ll miss the boat home.”

He started ushering her away, but Omega turned back toward the booth and gave Kaskol a friendly wave.

“See you on Pabu!” she called to him.

“Alright then,” the merchant said, giving her a single, matter-of-fact wave with his hand, almost like a salute. “You two have a safe trip home.”

Chapter Text

Omega spent most of the boat ride back to Pabu brainstorming ways she could earn money to buy the scarf — assuming Kaskol brought it with him to Pabu.

Although he was clearly annoyed at the topic, Hunter eventually started listing extra chores Omega could do around the house that he would be willing to pay her for.

Wrecker, who did odd jobs around the island, told her there were a few jobs where he could use help and that he would split the earnings with her. He also gave her some leads on things he’d heard neighbors talk about that he couldn’t do himself — mostly technology-related jobs.

She pulled out the datapad she’d brought with her and started typing everything.

Hunter stressed that, if she was going to do this, she couldn’t shirk any of her studies or her current chores.

Omega distractedly promised she wouldn’t, and Hunter sighed.

Crosshair, though, was quiet most of the trip back.

At one point, Omega asked him if he had any ideas on ways she could earn money.

“No, not really,” he replied before turning back toward the watery horizon.

Omega was about to walk away, but Crosshair added, “Like I told Kaskol: You really shouldn’t get your hopes up.”

“He’s right, Omega,” Hunter said. “I’m fine with you earning money, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your normal responsibilities. But you need to remember that this is all tentative. There’s no guarantee Kaskol will have the scarf when he shows up on Pabu.”

“I’m also concerned about the timing,” Crosshair said. “How do you plan to earn 300 credits in two weeks? Even I don’t make that much.”

“Well …” Omega said sheepishly.

She reviewed her list and started calculating roughly how much she could earn from each job, and how many of them she could do in the next two weeks. Along with the handful of credits she had left from the trip, the total was about 170 credits.

And that was on the high end of the estimate. That was if she managed to do every extra chore and every odd job her brothers had told her about.

Omega couldn’t admit defeat, though.

She started thinking of everything she had that was somewhat valuable that she’d also be willing to trade for the scarf.

She thought of a few items her brothers had given her. Most of them probably wouldn’t be of interest to Kaskol and wouldn’t be worth much, even if he was interested.

There was one exception: The jewelry/music box Crosshair had brought back from Alderaan.

Omega was certain it was worth 300 credits, maybe even more, if Crosshair and Echo’s tales of Alderaan’s Royal Market were anything to go by. Everything there was hand-selected by the Queen of Alderaan herself. Only items of the highest quality could be sold there.

But Omega liked it too much to trade it, even for the scarf. Plus, she knew it would break Crosshair’s heart if she did.

No, she realized. She couldn’t trade anything she’d gotten from her brothers.

There were a few items Phee had given her as souvenirs from her adventures across the galaxy. They were supposedly very rare and thus very expensive. But as much as Omega liked Phee, even she wondered how valuable these things really were.

Still, they were options.

Omega figured that, if Kaskol was interested and gave her decent offers for some of them, she might be able to make up the extra 130. It would be close, though.

She informed her brothers of her plan.

“And what if you don’t have enough money?” Wrecker asked.

“Maybe I could get a loan? Or an advance?” she said, looking pleadingly at Hunter.

“With what money?” Hunter asked. “We spent everything on the vacation.”

“Surely, you’ll earn something over the next two weeks.”

“Yes, and that will go toward our usual expenses,” he replied.

“Fine,” Omega said, calling his bluff. “Then I guess I’ll have to earn the rest gambling.”

All three brothers stared at her. Hunter was, by far, the most irritated.

“Omega,” he said in a firm, no-nonsense tone, “I told you before: You have to earn your money honestly. No gambling. You don’t want to be hustling the people of Pabu anyway. Not after everything they’ve been through. Not after everything they’ve done for us.”

Omega sighed, put her head back against her seat and said, “You’re right.”

“If you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it,” Hunter said. “In life, there’s always a possibility that no matter how hard you work, no matter how hard you try, you could still come up short.”

Hunter meant it in terms of finances, but he and everyone else thought of other scenarios where that logic held true. Even Omega couldn’t help but remember Tech trying his best to climb onto the rail car …

No one said much after that.

About 10 minutes later, as the boat they’d hired approached and rounded Pabu, Omega rallied.

She knew there was a good chance it would all be for naught and that Kaskol might sell the scarf before he visited their little island home. She knew that, even if he did, there was also a good chance that she wouldn’t earn enough money or have enough valuables to trade to pay the 300-credit price tag.

In life, there’s always a possibility that no matter how hard you work, no matter how hard you try, you could still come up short.

Hunter was right, but Omega knew she would always regret it if she didn’t try.

After all, she thought, the fastest way to “come up short” would be to never try at all.

Chapter Text

The next two weeks were long and chaotic, as Omega threw herself into every job she could find.

Fearing Hunter’s wrath, she woke up early every morning to do all her regular chores. Afterward, she’d spend a few hours studying, eat a quick lunch and then work the rest of the day.

As promised, Wrecker had found her several odd jobs to do around the island. She prioritized the easiest and best-paying jobs, which were typically technology-related. She helped fix one resident’s droid, another resident’s long-range comms and so forth.

When she’d run out of those, she helped Wrecker with his tasks, which were more physically demanding. She helped him install large planters in Mrs. Ikk’s garden, move items around at the docks, carry vendors’ wares up to the colonnade for the daily market and lay a foundation for a new house in Lower Pabu.

Omega often groaned when she had to go home for dinner, but Hunter had made her promise not to shirk any meals and Wrecker made sure she didn’t. More than once, he had to physically carry her home after the third or fourth time she told him: “Just five more minutes.”

Almost every evening, when Wrecker brought her home by coaxing or carrying her, they’d find Hunter waiting on the patio as their food was getting cold. He was clearly exasperated but didn’t say anything. Omega was holding up her end of the deal, but just barely.

Every second or third day, Hunter gave her an extra chore she could complete for money.

After lunch, he’d give her instructions and then leave to finish his own work. When Omega had finished, she would grab him from his woodworking area in the basement to check her work. He’d typically give her a quick nod of approval, and then she’d head out to help Wrecker for the rest of the afternoon.

Thus, she and Hunter didn’t talk much until dinner, but at least she saw him a few times a day.

Crosshair, meanwhile, had become a phantom since they’d returned from Caguya.

Omega only saw him six or seven times over those two weeks, and never for more than 10 minutes at a time.

He was never at home — at least not when Omega was.

He seemed to maintain his spearfishing routine of waking up before sunrise and taking his lunch with him. But, rather than coming home in the afternoon or at least by dinnertime, as he usually did, Omega didn’t see him in the evenings during those two weeks.

Whenever she asked Hunter where Crosshair was, Hunter would say something like: “He’s busy, but he’ll be home later.”

If Crosshair came home at all, it was either while Omega was out or after she’d gone to bed.

Thus, during those two weeks, she saw him around the island more than she did at home. He would often be climbing up the stairs, with a full basket of fish slung over his shoulder and a faraway look on his face.

The first time Omega saw him during her two-week work spree, he passed right by her without a word or a glance. She was surprised — thinking distantly of when he did the same thing on Tantiss — and called after him. Only then did he turn back and nod to her, all without breaking his stride.

Omega herself was too preoccupied to dwell on it more that day. But the longer he was absent from home, the more worried she grew.

*****

Ten days into her work spree, Omega passed Crosshair on the Sea Wall. Omega was going up, while Crosshair was descending with an empty basket.

“Crosshair,” she said, physically holding out her hand to make him stop.

He complied.

“Are you alright?” she asked. “You haven’t been home much this last week.”

“Oh, really?” he said, but his tone was more playful than concerned. “I could say the same thing about you.”

She gave him a look.

“I’m fine, Omega. Just busy.”

“With what?”

He showed her the empty basket.

“Schools of blue saltras are migrating through the area right now. You know how popular they are in dishes here, so I’m catching as many as I can to sell to my usual clients” — he nodded toward Upper Pabu — “along with some merchants who’ve been visiting this week.”

“Really?” Omega said, wondering if it was a possible business opportunity.

“Yes, the merchants are buying them off the local fishermen. Myself included.”

“How much?”

“It’s not for you to worry about,” he said, starting to shuffle around her. “The saltras are staying close to the shore, so the spearfishers are having better luck than the fishing boats. And I don’t have time to teach you spearfishing this week.”

Omega must’ve made a face, because Crosshair kindly added, “Another time, though,” and patted her head with his free hand.

“I need to get going,” he continued, passing her and looking back. “Don’t stay out too late, Omega. And … don’t work yourself too hard.”

Omega scoffed and loudly called after him, “Why don’t you take your own advice?”

But Crosshair didn’t hear her. Or if he did, he didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, he jogged along the Sea Wall, his empty basket bouncing on the back of his shoulder, until he rounded the corner and was out of sight.

Chapter Text

With only a few days left until Kaskol arrived, Omega worked herself harder than ever.

When she passed Crosshair on the Sea Wall, she had 132 credits to her name.

She then managed to earn another 33 over the next two days. But in the process, she’d exhausted her list of jobs to do, both around the house and around Pabu.

So, the day before Kaskol arrived, Omega flew through her chores, skimmed through her studies and completely skipped lunch. She ran around Pabu the entire day, asking, almost begging people for work. She found a few jobs, but the pay wasn’t the best.

By the time Hunter and Wrecker tracked her down and brought her home well after dinnertime, Omega had only managed to scrape together 10 credits for the day.

That brought her total to 175.

Hunter was about to lecture her, but Omega was so physically exhausted and mentally preoccupied that he knew she wouldn’t hear a word of it. Instead, he simply had Wrecker carry her home.

The second she was off her feet, Omega started fighting to stay awake. She spent the entire walk home mumbling financial scenarios into Wrecker’s shoulder and blinking groggily as he followed Hunter down to Lower Pabu.

When they got home, Wrecker set Omega down on her two-seater in the living room, where Batcher snuggled up next to her. Omega didn’t remember much after that.

She woke several hours later, before sunrise. Batcher was still beside her, while Hunter and Wrecker were asleep on their respective chairs. Crosshair was nowhere to be seen.

Doing her best not to disturb Batcher, Omega got up and headed to her room. After getting cleaned up and changing clothes, she counted all her credits again. It was still only 175.

That meant she’d have to trade some of the souvenirs Phee had given her. She started taking them off her shelf of valuables, carefully putting them into her brown handbag — the one she and Crosshair had stolen from Lau over a year ago.

Then, it struck Omega how it had been just over a year ago, going by the Galactic Standard Calendar. She counted: The anniversary would’ve been … two or three weeks ago … just before they went to Caguya.

That couldn’t be right.

She wondered. Perhaps that was why Crosshair had been quieter and more withdrawn than usual the last few weeks — even before they’d left for Caguya. Omega had initially chalked it up to the stress of figuring out everything before their vacation, but now she was starting to think there’d been something more to it.

That meant the anniversary of her family’s escape from Tantiss — when they’d freed the Vault children and their fellow clones, and destroyed Hemlock and his research — was coming up in about two weeks.

Omega made a mental note to bring it up to her brothers later. But, as they were still asleep and she had a few hours until Pabu’s market opened, she instead focused on her scarf, hoping against hope that things could still work out in her favor.

*****

Omega whittled away those last few hours watching the sunrise, looking over her credits and souvenirs, and then eating breakfast with Hunter and Wrecker.

Crosshair was still nowhere to be seen, but according to Hunter, Crosshair had promised to meet them at the market. In true Omega fashion, she had insisted they get there as soon as it opened.

At the appointed time, she, Hunter, Wrecker and Batcher trekked up to the colonnade. Omega didn’t remember the staircases being so long or the streets so winding. They seemed to go on forever, as though she and her family would never reach the colonnade in time.

But they finally did.

As they climbed the last few steps, the busy square filled with booths and carts came into view, with the weeping maya tree and the Archium off in the background.

They spotted Crosshair nearby. For once, he didn’t have a basket with him. Instead, he had a backpack slung over his shoulder.

He was watching people move around the market. He didn’t even glance at his family but seemed to know they were there.

“And where have you been all night?” Omega asked as she walked up to him. She had tried to sound playful, but it came out as more critical than anything.

“Around,” Crosshair said, not looking at her.

He looked beyond exhausted. There were deep bags under his eyes, and his face was thin. His whole body was thin, actually. His skin was also tanner than usual, likely from fishing all day without the proper sun protection.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here now, Crosshair,” she said, smiling at him even though he wasn’t looking. “I think you deserve a break.”

Crosshair didn’t reply. His expression was hard to read, but Omega felt like she saw a glimmer of relief in his eye.

“Are you coming back home with us after this?” she asked.

He finally looked at her and shrugged.

“Probably. We’ll see.”

Intuiting that Crosshair wasn’t going to say much else, she glanced back at the others. Hunter looked at Crosshair, clearly concerned. Wrecker, though, was focused on her.

“C’mon, kid,” he said. “Let’s see if Kaskol’s here.”

Chapter Text

Even though the market was still a few minutes from officially opening, enough merchants were already at their booths that Omega felt comfortable proceeding.

It didn’t take her long to find Kaskol’s booth.

Omega recognized most of the regular merchants and vendors by now, especially after helping them transport their wares and set up their booths and carts over the last two weeks.

As one of the newer vendors, and an off-world one at that, Kaskol had set up his booth along one of the market’s edges. There was a small crowd around, as fellow merchants and other early-bird market-goers were looking at his wares.

Omega jogged toward the booth with Batcher. When she was only a few meters away, she turned to see whether her brothers were behind her. Wrecker was close behind her, but Hunter and Crosshair were lagging, deep in conversation with each other.

“Go ahead, kid,” Wrecker said with a poignant half-smile as he patted her on the back.

Omega stepped forward, snaking her way around the other customers until she was right in front of Kaskol. The dark-haired man turned from another person and grinned at her.

“Omega! Good to see you again.”

“Thanks for coming all this way. Glad you got here safely.”

“Of course, of course,” he said, handing a piece of jewelry to a spectator so they could examine it. “I haven’t even opened, and business is already good.”

Omega gulped.

“So, do you still have the scarf?”

Just the way Kaskol inhaled, almost grimacing as he did so, was answer enough.

“I’m sorry, Omega. I sold it.”

She sighed as her head sank.

“Yes,” Kaskol continued, commiserating with her. “The same client who put a down payment on it returned with the rest of the money. I was hoping they wouldn’t, for your sake, but business is business.”

That was that, then, Omega realized. All those long afternoons and tiring evenings had been for naught. Her 175 credits would just go toward something else down the road. At least this meant she wouldn’t have to trade any of Phee’s souvenirs, which she had felt a bit guilty about.

She stood there motionless for a few moments. Wrecker, who somehow knew what had happened, snaked his way through the crowd and put a reassuring hand on Omega’s shoulder.

Kaskol, still trying his best to help other customers while keeping an eye on Omega, came back around.

“Hey, cheer up, kid,” he said. “Now that I know you like them, I’ll keep an eye out for another scarf just like that. Or as similar as I can find.

“And,” he said, reaching for something, “I was doing inventory on the way here and found these. I thought they might be of interest to you and your brothers.”

He pushed a small box toward her with four sharklike teeth inside. Each was about the length of Omega’s index finger and nearly twice as wide.

“I got them as part of a matching set, and they reminded me of you four,” Kaskol said. “They’re from an aquatic cartilaginous species on Doric Prime. They’re probably all from the same specimen too, based on the near-identical size and coloring. As I understand it, these were probably from an adolescent that was shedding its teeth. They’re much too small for the adults of that species.”

“Doric Prime?” Wrecker said loudly. “We went there once. I think.”

“Really?” Omega asked, looking up at him. “I don’t remember it.”

“It was during the war. Before we met you. Even before we met Echo.”

“What a happy coincidence then,” Kaskol said, smiling a little too much. “I’m sorry it’s not the scarf, Omega. But I know you’ve been working hard and thought you might like to buy something nice for your troubles.”

Omega exhaled, nodded and asked: “How much are they?”

“Normally, I’d ask 10 credits for each one. But, for you … how about 20 credits for all four? I’ll even throw in some supplies for making them into necklaces or bracelets.”

Omega scrunched her face. She and her brothers had just bought a bunch of souvenirs on Caguya. They didn’t exactly need anything like this.

Then again, with the Doric Prime connection, it did feel like a happy coincidence.

She remembered her discovery earlier that morning, how the anniversary of their family’s escape from Tantiss was approaching. It wouldn’t exactly be a surprise at this point, but these could be nice gifts to celebrate the occasion, she thought.

Omega raised an eyebrow and addressed Kaskol again. He’d just finished selling something else to another market-goer, as he was clinking the credits in his hand.

“Any chance you have a fifth one?” she asked.

“You know what… I think I do. Let me check.”

*****

Kaskol turned to open a large chest behind him and started digging through it. While he was busy, Omega took the opportunity to check on Hunter and Crosshair.

The two of them were standing with Batcher a few paces behind her and Wrecker. Hunter had one hand on his hip but was smiling at Omega. Crosshair, meanwhile, had his arms folded with a slightly annoyed look on his face. He was saying something inaudible to Hunter.

“Found it,” Kaskol exclaimed, returning to Omega and Wrecker with a fifth sharklike tooth in a small, transparent container. “I bought it from the same seller as the others, but it’s not really part of the same set.”

Omega took it from him and held it up to the others. This fifth tooth was about 30% smaller in every dimension, and its sheen and coloring was slightly different too. It was probably from a different, younger specimen then.

Omega thought it was a perfect coincidence.

“So, how much for all five?”

“Eh,” Kaskol said, waving his hand. “You can have ‘em all for 20. I probably wouldn’t have come to Pabu at all, if it hadn’t been for you.”

“Excellent,” Omega said, feeling like she’d been somewhat lucky today.

As she counted out 20 credits, Kaskol packed the five sharklike teeth and the promised necklace-making supplies into a nondescript box.

“Pleasure doing business with you all then,” Kaskol said, handing Omega the box and taking her credits in exchange. “And like I said, I’ll keep an eye out for another scarf for you, Omega.”

“Do you leave tomorrow? When will you be back?”

“I’m leaving tonight, after the market’s closed. I’m stopping on Dantooine tomorrow and then I’m due on Ithor the day after that. I’ll be back on Aoturoa… uhh … I’d say in six months or so. On the Galactic Standard Calendar, that is. I know yours here is a little different.”

“And you’ll stop by Pabu again?”

“If this keeps up,” he said, taking someone’s else credits for another purchase, “I’d say definitely.”

“Well, hope to see you then. Thanks again, Kaskol. Safe journey.”

“You all take care now,” he said, waving first at Omega as she walked off with Wrecker, and then to Hunter and Crosshair as they followed them. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Chapter Text

Omega, her brothers and Batcher wandered back through the market. Batcher was sniffing at Omega’s new purchases, and Omega herself was curious to see what the sharklike teeth looked like in the sunlight. She pulled one out of the box, allowed Batcher to briefly sniff it and then held it in front of her. The ivory-like substance felt smooth against the calluses she’d accumulated over the last two weeks.

The sharklike teeth seemed like a consolation prize next to the mesmerizing Naboo scarf, but they were quite impressive, Omega thought.

Finally, as they neared the main staircase, she put her purchases back in the box and was about to start her descent when Batcher whined.

Omega then realized something was off.

Her brothers weren’t with her.

She turned to see all of them lingering on the edge of the market, talking very intently. She was too far away to hear anything and walked back toward them. They stopped talking as she approached.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Hunter replied. “We’re just trying to plan out the day. There’s a lot going on.”

“Oh?” Omega asked, considering they hadn’t mentioned any of this before.

“The saltras are starting to migrate away from Pabu,” Crosshair told Omega. “I need to fish as much as I can today before they’re completely gone.”

“And I’m hoping to find some work down at the docks,” Wrecker said. “A lot of these new fishing merchants are leaving Pabu today, so I’m gonna see if they need help loading up.”

“And I have errands to run,” Hunter said. “So, why don’t you ask Shep if you and Lyana can hang out this morning? Just be home for lunch. I should be back by then.”

“Alright,” Omega said, smiling.

“Yeah,” Wrecker said, pumping one of his arms. “You deserve a break after working so hard the last few weeks.”

Crosshair blinked in agreement.

“Although,” Hunter said, his voice more serious than before, “you should spend the afternoon catching up on the chores and studies you skipped yesterday.”

Omega grinned bashfully and replied, “Yeah, that’s fair.”

She then turned her attention to Wrecker and Crosshair, and asked them, “So, are you two going to be home for dinner then?”

Both gave her awkward, noncommittal looks and didn’t say anything.

“They’ll be home when they can, Omega; don’t worry,” Hunter said and then nodded his head toward the horizon. “Off you go. I’ll see you for lunch.”

Omega’s eyes passed over all three brothers in turn. She smiled encouragingly and then set off. Before she descended the stairs, she glanced back at them. The three had resumed their conversation, and Omega could only wonder what was going on as she and Batcher headed for the Hazards’.

*****

Omega enjoyed her morning off, playing and hanging out with Lyana. In the back of her mind, though, she hoped her brothers were alright. Something seemed to be off. First, it had just been Crosshair. Now, it seemed to be all three of them.

She mentioned something about it to Lyana, who reaffirmed what her brothers had told her: The saltras’ migration was a busy time for Pabu, especially its fishermen. So, Omega shouldn’t worry about it too much.

“If the fish are starting to leave, it means things will go back to normal soon,” Lyana told her.

Omega had been so focused on her own work, she hadn’t realized just how big an impact these fish had on the community.

Still, by the time she walked home for lunch, Omega had no expectation she’d see Wrecker or Crosshair that afternoon. If she saw either of them in the evening, she’d consider herself lucky.

She and Hunter ate a quiet lunch. He seemed a bit frazzled and distracted. As soon as lunch was over, he said he’d be working all afternoon and reminded her to finish her chores and studies from yesterday.

“I have to run more errands tonight,” he said as he and Omega got up from the patio table. “Would you mind making dinner? You can just put some salmies together for us.”

“No, I don’t mind,” Omega said as they took their dishes inside.

“Once that’s done, I should be able to bring Wrecker and Crosshair back with me and we can all eat together. But it’ll be later than usual. That alright with you?”

“Sure. As long as we can all eat together, I’m fine with whatever.”

As directed, she spent the rest of the afternoon doing chores and studying. In the early evening, Hunter popped in and reminded her about making dinner. Omega happily reaffirmed that she would.

“Alright,” he said. “I should be back in about two hours or so. Hopefully, with Wrecker and Crosshair in tow.”

Chapter Text

To Omega’s relief, Hunter kept his word.

The sun had already set, and Pabu’s network of lights had been on for a quarter-hour. Omega was just setting the food out on the patio when the three brothers appeared.

They all looked like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders, especially Crosshair. Omega, so excited to eat dinner with all of them again, gave each of them a hug. When she reached Crosshair, she felt the tension in his muscles melt away, and he relaxed into her embrace.

“I can’t stay long,” he said, “but I am here.”

Hunter and Wrecker went inside to grab the rest of the food, so Omega and Crosshair took their seats at the table.

“You’re still fishing?” she asked.

“Yeah. All the saltras are expected to leave the area by this time tomorrow. Most of them already have, but the stragglers will be around tonight. So, I need to make the most of it.”

“I understand. I’m just glad you’re with us now because …”

By this time, Hunter and Wrecker had returned with the rest of the food and were about to sit down. She glanced up at them as she continued: “ … I want to talk to you all about something.”

All three brothers froze in a mixture of fear and awkwardness.

“Relax,” she said. “It’s nothing like that.”

Whatever that might be.

Omega started explaining how the anniversary of their collective escape from Tantiss was in two weeks. Hunter and Wrecker relaxed. Crosshair’s expression also changed slightly, but he still looked uneasy. He visibly flinched when she said the name “Tantiss.”

“I was just thinking that we should celebrate it,” she said. “Somehow.”

The brothers exchanged a strange look.

Whatever it meant didn’t exactly inspire confidence, so Omega followed it up with: “It doesn’t have to be anything big. Maybe just a nice dinner. And I was planning to use the stuff I got this morning to make necklaces for all of us. To commemorate the day.”

“You know,” Hunter said after Omega had finished, “it’s interesting you mention that. Because we figured out the same thing a few weeks ago.”

Crosshair gulped but didn’t say anything.

“We were thinking of doing something similar,” Hunter continued.

He elaborated a bit on how special of a day it’d be for all of them and their clone brothers on Pabu who’d escaped with them. He thought they should all celebrate it in style, both within their separate households and as a larger group. Clones didn’t have proper birthdays after all, he argued, so this could be a special day they celebrated in lieu of that.

Omega nodded along as he talked.

Finally, Hunter said, “I was thinking we could call it: Freedom Day.”

Omega smiled from ear to ear. Something about it just sounded right.

“I love it!”

Wrecker hollered with approval, and even Crosshair gave a half-smile at everyone’s reactions.

“Alright then,” Hunter said. “We’ve got two weeks until the anniversary. How exactly should we celebrate?”

*****

The four of them talked more as they ate, although Crosshair didn’t say much. He was focused on finishing his meal as quickly as he could without being considered rude. The moment he was done, he stood up from the table, dishes in hand.

“I need to get back. But you all keep talking and let me know what you decide at dinner tomorrow.”

“No,” Omega said. “We won’t make any decisions without you.”

“Yeah, we still need to talk with the Eight and see what they want to do,” Hunter said, referring to the other adult clones on Pabu. “And Mox, Deke and Stak might want to join us too.”

“Alright,” Crosshair said, stepping toward the door. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow evening then. Goodnight, you three.”

Batcher, who was resting on the ground near Omega, raised her head and whined.

“Sorry, Batcher,” Crosshair added. “Goodnight, you four.”

With that, he disappeared inside.

Omega and the others didn’t talk much after that. It was already late enough, and they were all exhausted. Hunter had been running around or woodworking all day; Wrecker had spent 10 long hours loading things at the docks; and Omega was still recovering from her two-week work spree and her weird sleep schedule the night before.

After they got everything cleaned and put away, they opted to skip a holoprogram that night and just get ready for bed. Omega said goodnight to Hunter and Wrecker, and Batcher followed her upstairs.

Some nights, the lurca hound slept on Echo’s chair in the living room; but tonight, she curled up on the bed the family had made for her, which they’d put at the foot of Omega’s bed.

Omega, meanwhile, got cleaned up and changed into her sleep clothes. Then, following Batcher’s lead, she collapsed onto her own bed.

Before she drifted off, Omega thought of the Naboo scarf one last time. She planned to put it out of her mind forever after tonight, but for now, she wanted to savor every last detail.

She recalled the way the golden peafowl danced in the sunlight and the ruby firebirds fluttered in the Caguya breeze. She remembered the unbelievably soft texture — how soothing and warm it felt against her skin, especially compared to Wrecker’s Lula tooka doll that she was currently holding.

Omega expected her memories would be coated with some rough texture or bitter flavor, that everything would be colored differently by all the “what ifs.”

But they really weren’t.

Omega closed her eyes, squeezed Lula and rolled onto her side to face the window. On the shelf just underneath it, the jewelry box Crosshair had brought her back from Alderaan shimmered in the starlight. It wasn’t as bright now as it was in the moonlight, but it was enough to illuminate the rest of the shelf.

Omega glanced over each of the dozen or so items there, including Phee’s souvenirs that she’d packed away this morning and put back a few hours later.

After all these weeks obsessing over the scarf and desperately earning money to buy it, somehow accepting that it was unattainable came easier to Omega than she’d expected. Perhaps, it was because she had something else — something even better — to look forward to now.

First, it had been the Caguya vacation.

Then, the Naboo scarf.

Now, it was Freedom Day and all the joys it might hold.