Chapter Text
Thus Nature spoke— the work was done—
How soon my Lucy’s race was run!
She died, and left to me
This heath, this calm, and quiet scene;
This memory of what has been,
And never more will be.
-Three years she grew, William Wordsworth
Engulfed in darkness, feeling nothing, being aware of nothing, was a blissful reprieve for Omega.
She wasn’t being hurt. No one she cared about was in danger. She was free to float somewhere in the mindscape of subconsciousness.
It was restful… until it all started to change.
The darkness that had previously cradled her disappeared, morphing into a scene of many shapes and colors, blurred at first, but slowly becoming clearer and clearer until it was obvious that she was now standing in the middle of a ruined Imperial hangar.
Units of stormtroopers were scrambling around, recovering cargo and putting out fires, tending to their dead and injured, reporting their findings. So much movement around her… it was disorienting.
She looked around, ignored by everyone around her until she saw a sight that made the chaos fade into the background.
In front of her was Hemlock, dropping to his knees, hand grabbing at his throat, pathetically wheezing as he struggled to inhale. His neat hair was falling into his face as he barely managed to catch himself on his arm to keep from outright collapsing, but even then, he started to slowly careen to the side…
“That’s enough, Lord Vader,” a dry, restrained voice suddenly spoke up from behind her.
The next second, Hemlock went from gasping to audibly inhaling, gulping in as much air as he could before coughing, spittle flying onto the hard ground before him.
Omega was on the verge of curling her lip in disgust at the display before her, but before she could move a single muscle, something seized at her brain that made all notions of the doctor disappear from her mind. The thin hairs on the back of her neck stood up as an icy chill erupted all over her skin, the coldness washing over her as suddenly as a plunge into arctic waters. It hurt her bones and shoved its way into her throat, making her feel like she was the one on the verge of suffocation…
She wanted to turn around to see the source of this coldness, and was on the verge of it when her instincts screamed at her, a tangible scream that she could hear in her head, telling her to stop, that if she turned around now, something horrible would happen. So instead, she stilled herself, frozen in place, like a prey that knew it had been spotted by some horrific beast. She could feel her heart thudding against her breast.
A deep, rhythmic sort of breathing resounded behind her now, but it was… wrong. Inhuman, as if it was not a human making that sound, but a machine.
“Tell me why I should spare you,” that same voice drawled from behind her, directed towards the doctor who was now all but groveling at her feet.
Hemlock cleared his throat as he tried to regain his composure, slowly rising back to his feet as he smoothed his hair back to what it once was.
“I… collected more samples of Ome- Of CE-O-219’s blood,” he corrected himself carefully, calmly, but there was no doubt in Omega’s mind that he was afraid of provoking the horrific thing behind her.
“It’s as I suspected, the result of the experiments that we ran on her during her time on Tantiss increased her own M-count, which would explain her notable increase in Force sensitivity. She analyzed her own samples, but she doesn’t realize it… I… believe she found out how to successfully transfer midichlorians to a new donor without degradation of the M-count or adverse effects to the new host.”
Omega stared up at the doctor, her brain buzzing from his words and anticipation, waiting to see if this information was enough to spare his life.
For what he was worth, Hemlock did a good job of masking his fear, but it unmistakably emanated from him through the Force.
“Leave us,” the voice finally ruled.
The mechanized breathing was all that passed between them until heavy bootsteps resounded behind her, the noise slowly fading away.
The coldness that seized her lessened, but not enough to compel her to move. Dread still had a stranglehold on her, and it only intensified when the voice spoke again.
“What do you require?”
“A chance to test my theory,” Hemlock replied quickly, his confidence less of a façade now. “And I need the clone. Not only is her blood the key to Project Necromancer, but her knowledge of cloning is almost unparalleled by almost anyone else in the galaxy. If turned, she would make a powerful asset to the Empire.”
Goosebumps erupted over her skin again.
“Very well… you will get your chance and your clone, Doctor Hemlock.”
He smiled. “I will not fail you, my Lord. I will resume my work on Project Necromancer right away.”
Omega’s heart began to beat quicker. ‘ To relax was a mistake!’ her mind screamed. She wanted to tell Hemlock to run away, that whatever he was doing now would bring him a pain that was worse than death.
“You are mistaken, Doctor,” the voice spoke again in a low tone, a warning. “You are suspended from Project Necromancer until you can prove to me that you are capable of such a task.”
Hemlock visibly paled, but he did not look otherwise disturbed by this information. “Whatever you require, I will do it.”
Omega had to turn around.
She had to see the monster behind her, but… she couldn’t do it. Her body wouldn’t obey her mind.
“You will begin working on Project… Starkiller. If you succeed, you will resume your work on Project Necromancer and be granted the position of Minister of Science…”
Turn around! She needed to turn around!
“However, should you fail me again…”
Finally, Omega forced herself to pivot, turning her back to Hemlock, and her heart stopped.
She was staring at Death.
Almost certainly, the thing in front of her was Death incarnate, shrouded by his dark cloak. The only features she could make out was the figure’s pale, wrinkled skin, his gnarled hands, and worse– the worst and most horrid thing of this figure– was the sickly yellow eyes that stared emotionlessly at Omega.
He raised a single hand in front of him.
“It will be for the last time!”
The last thing Omega saw was a bright flash of light, flying from the spectral figure, heading right for her-!
Omega shot up with a scream, pushing the weight off of her.
She had to get away, she had to—
“ -mega! Omega! It’s alright!”
Hands firmly pressed down on her shoulders, pushing her back into… a bed?
Omega looked around, taking in her surroundings.
She wasn’t surrounded by the dark, sterile coldness of the lab. No artificial lights, no stormtrooper watching her every move…
She was in her childhood bedroom on Pabu, in her childhood bed. The one she slept in from the time she was thirteen, to when she was sneaking off to join the Rebellion. The only difference was that there was medical equipment now, but it wasn’t the kind of equipment for testing or analyzing. It was healing equipment, the kind hospitals had, not science labs, but all the same, Omega would not help but wonder… what was it doing in her room? But, more importantly, what was she doing here?
It took her too long to process that someone was talking, saying her name, trying to get her attention.
She turned her head and saw her Master, Cal, sitting beside her bed. He looked tired, but relieved, and at the sight of him, everything came flooding back.
The rescue, her confrontation with Hemlock…
“How are you feeling today?” a new voice spoke from her periphery.
Slowly, she took her gaze off of Cal and turned to the new person, smiling almost the second she recognized them. “Emerie.”
This doctor was always a welcome sight for Omega, even when she was staring at her with a certain disapproval that she seemed to reserve solely for her hard-headed sister.
“Yes, it’s me,” Emerie said while pulling out a pocket torch, shining it in Omega’s eyes. “How are you feeling?” she repeated.
Omega shifted a bit. “Sore,” she replied, “It… feels weird to move.”
“Understandable,” Emerie replied, pulling out a scanner and sweeping it over Omega’s form. “You’ve been unconscious for two rotations.”
“Two rotations?” She shot up, then gasped when the passive soreness in her muscles quickly turned into active pain, a dull but burning throb that pulsed in time with her heartbeat.
“Easy!” Cal said, pushing her back down again. “You needed the rest. Especially… after…” He trailed off, and Omega lowered her gaze down to her lap.
She could feel it. Where the wounds on her back were. Underneath her shirt, she could feel the bandages that looped around nearly the entirety of her torso. Not too tight, not constricting her breathing, but not too loose to make her worried that they would slide off.
As always, Emerie’s handiwork was perfect.
“Is everyone alright?” Omega asked, looking up again. She hated the idea of anyone getting hurt because of her…
“Everyone’s fine,” Cal assured her. “Cere was a little banged up after her fight with the Grand Inquisitor, but nothing major.”
Omega let herself relax at this news. “That’s good.”
She was safe.
Everyone was safe…
Her eyes were getting heavy again, and Emerie placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Get some rest,” she said. “I’ll be nearby when you wake up.”
Omega nodded, closing her eyes again, letting herself drift off back into oblivion.
It was night when she woke up again.
She had always liked nights on Pabu. They were pleasant, even when the chill of the ocean swept across the island. The people were still active under the streetlights and glow of the moon. Even now, through the shades of her window, Omega would see the orange lanterns swaying, dancing with the breeze. She could hear the laughter of Pabu’s residents as they went about their business.
But, as relaxed as she was now, she was also restless.
Throwing off the blankets, she swung her legs out over the side of her bed and slid onto her feet.
The second she put weight on her legs, however, her knees buckled, completely giving out from under her, sending her tumbling to the ground. She barely managed to catch herself on the comforter before her face could plant into the hard floor, but sharp pain shot up from her shins, making her hiss and cuss and clench her fists as she worked through it.
“That doesn’t seem very Jedi of you,” a voice spoke from above her.
The room lights flicked on, prompting Omega to look up.
Her smile was as instantaneous with Lyana as it was with Emerie, but butterflies accompanied her now, seeing her friend leaning against the doorframe.
Carefully as she could, Omega pushed herself up, leaning against the bed for support. “Well, it’s hard to be a Jedi when your legs haven’t moved in over two-and-a-half rotations.” She tactfully left out the fact that she had also been strapped down to a table for an unknowable amount of time.
She didn’t want to think about that, not when Lyana was here.
Her friend walked over, helping her to her feet, keeping her upright as she looped Omega’s arm over her shoulder.
“Better?” Lyana asked, to which Omega nodded before they began to walk out of the room.
They walked down the short hall of Omega’s childhood home until they ended up outside, on the lanai, overlooking the island, the ocean in the distance.
Omega took a deep breath of the fresh air, savoring it as Lyana helped her into a nearby chair.
A long moment of silence passed between them.
Omega could sense the questions her friend was holding in, but refrained from speaking aloud, letting them have their peace for just a moment longer, before allowing herself a single, quiet admittance. “I… missed this.”
Lyana turned to her, but Omega kept her gaze focused on the dark ocean in the distance as she continued. “I’ve been to so many planets… but Pabu’s always been my favorite.”
“I wish you didn’t have to leave.”
Omega’s heart twinged as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself composed.
She was reminded now, of three different but very similar moments in her life.
The first was when she was thirteen, when her brothers knew Pabu had been compromised, that the Empire could be coming for her at any time. Just her, Lyana, and Batcher in the Archium, a hug shared and hope that it wouldn’t be the last.
The next was when she was 15, and loading up her recently built ship, The Cavalry, set to venture off to Concord Dawn. Lyana was watching from the pilot’s seat as Omega did her final checks.
And lastly, only a few years ago, when they sat on the beach together. When Omega had resolved to leave to join the Rebel Alliance, knowing she was needed somewhere else in the galaxy. The waves crashed at their feet as the sun was setting. They couldn’t look at each other.
Lyana had expressed the exact same sentiment each and every time, not begging Omega to stay, but letting her know that she would be missed.
Omega did not speak of these times, nor made any promises of returning. She was always careful about those kinds of things.
Instead, she took a breath, and smiled. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t look like I’m going anywhere,” she assured while pressing a hand to her middle, over the wound. “For the next couple of days, I’m all yours.”
Lyana casted her gaze downwards before nodding, accepting this, and when she looked up, a coy smile had taken residence on her face as she turned to Omega.
“Is that so? Well, let’s hope Emerie clears you soon so we can make the most of it.”
Omega felt a heat rise to her cheeks and gave a short laugh to cover it up. Many things had happened on the beach, after all. She knew her friend would make good on such a promise.
Luckily, she was spared from her lack of rebuttal when she felt a movement behind her.
“Cal,” she said, turning around just as her Master walked onto the lanai, two mugs in hand.
He stopped before looking at Lyana. “Would you mind giving us a minute?” he asked in a casual tone. “I need to talk to Omega… alone.”
The smile Lyana wore slowly vanished again, something unfamiliar and serious taking its place before she leaned over, placing a quick kiss on Omega’s cheek before standing up.
“I’ll talk to you later,” she promised before quickly leaving.
They watched her go before Cal turned back to Omega, handing her a warm, ceramic mug before taking Lyana’s spot.
She took a sip and found that the liquid was not caf, but bendu tea, from Greez’s own stock. It was a blend that was known for its small kick of spiciness, which Omega liked. It was a welcome reprieve to the coldness she had been feeling for what felt like almost forever by now.
“You had us worried,” Cal finally spoke up before sipping his own tea.
“Sorry,” she instinctively replied, but he waved her off.
“Don’t be.”
Omega nodded and turned her focus to the contents of her cup, trying to give her mind something to think about. She knew that had it been day instead of nighttime, she would have been able to hold up the drink in a glass cup and see that it actually had a reddish-bown hue when the sunlight hit it just right.
But it was not day, so dark the liquid remained, unable to even reflect her face back to her.
Deciding she had kept her master in silence for long enough, she decided to speak now, before she lost her nerve.
“I… had a vision, I think,” she quietly spoke.
Cal didn’t say anything, but she could sense his anticipation. He knew her dreams and visions were just as surreal and haunting as his, the Force mysterious until all was revealed.
“Hemlock survived Vader.” She swirled the liquid in her cup while she let Cal process this. “I didn’t want him to, but he did. And he still wants me to be his assistant.”
She said all of this very matter-of-factly, rushing through the words so she couldn’t have time to feel them. But she was, regardless. Cal took his time in responding, and it gave her time to realize that she spoke it out loud.
That Hemlock was alive, and he had not given up his pursuit of her.
“I’m sorry,” her Master finally spoke, and while she knew he meant it, that he was genuinely remorseful for her predicament, and he was also remorseful for his lack of ability to do anything about it.
“I should have shot him when I had the chance.”
The shock from Cal was tangible, ringing out in the Force, and while he kept most of his composure by not bursting into words outright, she could see the fracture in his mask, giving way to a slight look of alarm.
“I should have killed him,” she continued before he could collect himself enough to lecture her. “But I didn’t… He’s already taken so much from my family… I didn’t want him to take you away from me too.”
She looked down, guilt burning in her stomach. So close. She had come so close to compromising everything he taught her…
She could feel his gaze, and she could imagine his expression softening as he watched her.
“You could never loose me,” he said, voice quiet. “Even if you gave in to the Darkness… No matter how far away you stray, I will always be there to guide you back to the Light.”
Omega allowed herself a smile. “You’re a good Master like that.”
Cal shared her smile and sipped his tea. “You’re not so bad yourself, Padawan.”
She laughed, a full head-tilt back laughter, even though it wasn’t funny. It was just familiar, and that was good enough for her.
Omega spent the rest of the night being visited by a carousel rotation of her loved ones.
She and Cal were eventually joined by Merrin, Cere, and Greez, all of whom were glad to see her awake and well.
Then, they were ushered away by Emerie and Echo, both of whom were stern with their warnings of over-exerting herself so quickly after starting her recovery, and she was promptly led back to her childhood room and Emerie checked her over again.
While Emerie examined her most visible wound, Echo gently pressed her for everything that had happened, and Omega reported to him dutifully what she could remember. He was stoic as she recounted the events on Pilal V, how long ago they had seemed now. Waking up in a bacta tank on Admiral Gideon’s cruiser, passing out again, and being forced into the role of one of Hemlock’s assistants.
Emerie didn’t talk much during her recounting of that part of her captivity, but Omega did not miss the smile she suppressed when she recounted how she subdued him during her first escape attempt, a smile which was quick to disappear when Omega revealed she had been stabbed, and the torture she was subsequently subjected to.
Clinically, her sister attributed her muscular fatigue to the prolonged torture and warned her of any lingering muscle spasms that might result of it.
When they left, Echo gave her a pat on the shoulder and told her to get some rest, but she was not left alone for long before Crosshair and Tech took their place, and Omega recounted the events again.
Tech came to a similar diagnostic as Emerie while Crosshair mostly sat on a chair in a corner of the room while chewing a toothpick, flexing the fingers of his prosthetic hand, something he only wore during times of need.
He scowled throughout the entire story, deepening the frown lines that had been long carved into his face before he flicked the toothpick onto the ground and left without a comment.
Tech only shook his head, picking up the toothpick from the ground and bidding Omega a goodnight.
She did not remember falling asleep, but by the time she opened her eyes again, Lula was tucked into her side, and Wrecker had fallen asleep in the chair next to her bed, his head tilted back, mouth agape as he loudly snored.
She threw Lula at his head, and laughed as he almost fell out of the chair, startled.
He greeted her as warmly as the sun and told her she was stronger than him, glad to see her awake.
They compared their “counts” since the last time they saw each other, his number having been boosted by the skirmish in the hangar, but still nothing compared to hers, as she had not spent a majority of her time retired on Pabu. He told her double or nothing, and whoever won the next count was winner take all, which she gladly accepted.
He left with the promise of returning with enough food to give her her strength back, and she settled back into the bed, waiting.
But instead of Wrecker returning, it was Fives, grinning, carrying a tray, and no longer wearing prisoner fatigues, but some clothes fit for a Pabu resident. He was always smiling, but for the first time, it looked like he was truly feeling happy as he sat down.
He told her about the TIE he and Echo stole, and how they crashed it into the Inquisitor who stabbed her, which made Omega feel as good as the taste of the egg on her rice did.
She was laughing into her caf when Hunter finally came in, Batcher on his heels and a bemused smile on his face as he looked between the two.
“Glad to see you up, ad’ika,” he greeted, taking a seat as Fives slipped out, taking her empty tray with him.
She smiled and scratched Batcher’s head when the lucra hound half-climbed onto the bed. “I’m glad to be up.”
Hunter leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs, trying to appear relaxed, but Omega could tell he wasn’t by the way his leg bounced.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
She shifted a bit in the bed, keeping herself propped up as Batcher jumped onto the edge of the bed, curling up at her feet. “Fine, just a little sore.”
He nodded at her answer and took a deep breath. “We were worried about you, you know.”
“I’d be surprised if you weren’t.”
He huffed and looked down, running his hand across the back of his neck. “I’m always worried about you when you’re gone.”
“I know, Hunter.”
“I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty, but… I don’t want to lose you to the fighting.”
“I know, Hunter.” This was almost the exact conversation they had many times before she finally resolved to just sneak away to join the Rebellion.
“I’m serious, Omega.” He sat up, looking at her. “I’m not going to stop you from leaving again, but I want you to know where I’m coming from. This isn’t the first time you’ve been captured. This isn’t the first time you’ve almost died. How many times will this happen again until your luck runs out?”
“I don’t need luck, Hunter. I have skill, every skill you taught me, in case the fight ever came to Pabu again. And I have what Cal has taught me since then.”
He sighed, shoulders sagging, which made her want to reach out and touch his shoulder, to reassure him just like she did in the alcove, but she knew that any sort of shifting would remind her of why she was so bogged down in the first place. “I’m going to be okay.”
Hunter nodded, not looking at her. “I know you are.”
Omega spent the next day in bed, slowly regaining her strength, and the day after that, she found herself walking around her room until Emerie’s close supervision.
“I told you, I’m fine,” she insisted, turning around when she completed her 10th lap around her bed.
“You’re fine for regular activities, but you’ve still yet to prove that you’re clear for missions,” Emerie replied sternly.
“Hemlock is still out there. He’s still looking for me. I want to find him before he finds me.” Omega sat down on her bed and rested her arms on her legs.
It wasn’t just Hemlock. The Emperor promised the doctor that she would be his assistant.
Before, she was resolute that she would die before that ever happened. But… when she thought about being on that table again, and couldn’t help if that was what it was like for Tech.
But as soon as she had the thought, she quashed it. No, that wasn’t what it was like. The incident on Eriadu had damaged his brain, making it easier to manipulate his memories, rendering him all but a blank slate for the CX program.
She decided then and there that if Hemlock wanted her, she’d give him a fight. The only option she’d give him is that he’d have to tear her down, piece by piece. Fry her brain until there was nothing left.
But she knew Cal wouldn’t let that happen.
She looked up when Emerie moved to sit next to her, touching her shoulder gently. “I understand why you’re afraid of him… but pushing yourself isn’t the answer.”
“I’m not scared,” Omega muttered. Her hands were shaking, in her lap, so she closed them into fists, an action she knew was noticed by her sister. “I’m… angry. And I know I shouldn’t be, but every time I think about him, I think about what he did. And I helped him.”
Emerie didn’t say anything. Maybe she didn’t know what to say, because Omega could feel her eyes baring into her skull.
Both were spared from seriously considering Omega’s actions when there was a knock on the door, and they turned in time to see Merrin poke her head in.
“We found a lead on the Haxion Brood.”
“So, you’re saying that we have a lead on one of their bounty hunters?” Omega asked, studying the holo before her with arms folded across her chest.
She had made Merrin take her back to the Mantis for the briefing before Emerie could protest, the two of them traveling via Nightsister magick, which was efficient, if… jarring.
“Former bounty hunters,” Cere corrected, “But yes. This information was taken from a puck.”
She gestured to the holo, detailing the crimes and price of the former Haxion Brood member; a solid 500,000 credits for “embezzlement”.
“If they were stealing from Sorc Tormo, it is no wonder why their bounty is almost as high as Cal’s,” Merrin muttered darkly, studying the holo as intensely as Omega.
“This is a big break,” he interjected, “We could use him to find the location of their base, use the coordinates to take them down. Stop their operations.”
“And finally get them off our backs!” Greez supplied.
“A lot of people will be free from their oppression…” It slowly dawned on Omega, the implications of it all. The galaxy without the Haxion Brood… it would be one less thing to worry about on their path to topple the Empire. She stood up, alreadying making her way to the cabins when she spoke again. “Just let me grab my gear and I’ll be good to–!”
“No, Omega.”
Cere’s firm words made her halt just at the edge of the short hall and slowly turn back around, giving the master a questioning look.
“As good as this opportunity is, you’re still recovering. We can’t risk you getting a set-back.”
Omega swallowed a bit and turned to them fully, standing at attention as she controlled her tone, taking great effort to speak evenly, afraid of coming across as disrespectful. “With all due respect, Master, we can’t risk losing this lead either.”
Cere’s responding expression was a gentle smile, and the clone knew why. It always amused the older woman whenever she was spoken to in a cadence worthy of a commanding officer. It was a hard habit for Omega to break, between her brothers and the Rebellion, but Cere always took it into stride, not admonishing her, not tactfully correcting her as Cal did.
She crossed the room and gently placed her hands on Omega’s shoulders.
“Your determination is admirable, padawan, but you can’t take care of the Galaxy without taking yourself first. Even if you don’t view yourself as important, we do.”
Omega bit the inside of her cheek, biting back her initial response to argue.
They couldn’t not do this mission, the reward was greater than the risk in her mind, but… as usual, Cere was right. She still wasn’t at 100%, how she was before Pilal V and everything after, and too much time would pass before she was. The bounty might slip away, someone else might catch them… their lead would be lost…
They couldn’t not do this mission…
“Then I’ll stay behind,” she resolved, “You can’t do this mission with me, but you can do it without me.”
Cal was on his feet and crossing the room before she could blink, arguments forming on his tongue, but Cere silenced him before he could speak a word with only a look over her shoulder before she turned back to Omega.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’ll stay here on Pabu and recuperate. When you’ve completed the mission, you can come back for me, I’ll be back to form by then.”
That resolved it in Cere’s mind, as she nodded before stepping away, now letting Cal say his piece.
He hesitated to speak, opening his mouth, then shutting it again several times before he eventually asked in a very quiet voice, “But what if we need you?”
Omega gave him a small, sympathetic smile. He was never good at hiding his emotions. He wore his worry on his face quite well.
“Master, you’ve done plenty of missions without me. I trust you can handle it.” Omega let herself smile at this, speaking to him as if he was the student.
Cal didn’t miss out on the irony either, sharing her grin, even if he tried to hide it. He placed a hand on her shoulder as he worked his face into a serious expression. “We’ll come back for you,” he promised.
“I know.”
With that said and nothing else to say between them, he moved forward and pressed his lips to the top of her head for a long second until he was pulling away, Merrin taking his place.
The Nightsister pulled her into a hug, which Omega gladly reciprocated.
“Keep him out of trouble,” she murmured.
“Impossible,” Merrin replied, making her laugh as they pulled away from each other.
She did a proper Mando handshake to Greez, grabbing his forearm and smiling. “Don’t use up all my spices while I’m gone,” she said.
“Please! Now I have an excuse to not touch the nasty stuff!” he retorted with a lopsided grin.
She let go of his arm and started to make her way to the boarding ramp, only stopping when she felt a tugging at her ankle. She stopped and saw BD-1, holding onto her pant-leg with, and when she had stopped, he wasted no time in hopping up and into her arms.
She rubbed the top of his head as he gave a long, sad boop that tugged at her heartstring.
“It’s not forever,” she promised the little droid. “I’ll be back.”
BD looked her up and down before he nudged her chin with the top of his head, mimicking the action Cal had done earlier, prompting her to hold him closely before eventually letting him go, letting him return back to Cal.
She turned around to face her crew one last time, taking a breath as she brought her hand up into a lazy, two-finger salute before waving at them with the gesture before turning around and exiting the Stinger Mantis.
As she stepped out to the upper court of Pabu, Omega was only mildly stunned to see her brothers already waiting for her at a small distance from the ship.
She made her way over to them with a slight smile.
“Emerie told us you snuck out,” Hunter said with arms folded over his chest.
“I did,” Omega said, simply, no use in denying what was blatantly true before turning around.
Cal stood at the entrance of the ship, watching her as the ramp began to raise.
They locked eyes then, and a rush of reassurance flooded over her, the storm inside of him calm, soothing her own internal storm even as the door came to a close.
“Not going with them?” Hunter tentatively asked as the take-off sequence was initiated, the Mantis slowly beginning to ascend.
“No. I thought it’d be better if I sat this one out,” Omega replied simply, clenching her fists as the ship cleared over the Archium. Is this how Hunter felt, only a handful of years ago?
She tried to reassure herself that it wouldn’t be forever, that they’d be back for her, but…
She didn’t take her eyes off of the Mantis as it soared higher and higher into the sky, until it was just a dark speck in the vast blueness, and then, it was unperceivable, too small for her to even see.
She took a breath and turned back to her brothers, smiling. “I think it’s time to rest… just for a little bit.”
Hunter simply wrapped a gentle arm around her as they began to walk back to the house. “I think that’s a good idea.”