Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Batch know Omega is a CT-99. She made this clear from the beginning, telling stories of when she was little and would sit, wrapped in her favorite blanket, on the cold lab floor at night, when the lights were off and the dim ambient light came from the internal lights of the tubes in which her siblings, still fetuses, floated serenely.

She told how she watched them grow while Nala Se wrote things down on her personal datapad, how the Kaminoan would stroke her blond hair in a strange but gentle way, and tell that those babies were her younger siblings, special like herself, enhanced.

Tech inferred that this points to Omega being the first CT-99, and that she must have an enhancement, though he don't know exactly what. The most widely accepted theory is that the enhancement is her unaltered DNA, for she is a perfect clone of Jango Fett, except for the blond hair and one X chromosome.

But Omega knows better. She does have an enhancement, but it isn't her unaltered DNA. No, she always had... special abilities. She always knew more than she should have, could tell a lie from the truth, and could sometimes trick sentient beings into thinking and doing her bidding, even if she couldn't quite control that part. Oh, and she could also make glass shatter, metal bend, and objects float when she experienced particularly intense emotions.

But that wasn't her deepest secret. No. Nala Se knew of her abilities, designed her that way. The Kaminoan made her tiara, which partially suppressed her abilities, muffling them, when she destroyed half the lab in a fit of rage upon discovering that her baby brothers, the Bad Batch, had been taken from her.

Omega's secret, her secret ability that not even Nala Se knew about, was that she could see the dead. They were always there, in the corners of her vision. Brothers who seemed normal at first glance, but had an ethereal blue glow and a translucent appearance the next. They passed through walls, knew things, taught her tricks, and told her stories. Some had a last request that she granted, then departed; others were watching over their still-living brothers, but all were surprised that she could see them.

When the Batch caught her, she noticed almost immediately that the half-cyborg, who she later learned the name was Echo, had a group of brothers with him. At first, they didn't even notice her staring directly at them. It took months for them to notice, and when they did, they became cautious, keeping their distance and avoiding her.

Omega tried to chase them. She discovered there were four of them: three younger ones, their armor still shining white, as if they'd just emerged from Kamino. And a older one, in battered and scratched ARC armor, painted in blue patterns with a particularly memorable design on the helmet. Later, she realized that the blue of this soldier's armor matched Rex's, and deduced that he had been in the 501st Legion (if the way he'd tried to hug the Captain when he thought she wasn't looking was any indication).

But none of that isolation seems to matter now, as Omega watches one of Echo's ghosts, a younger one, kneel beside her brother's bunk on the Marauder, observing the slow rise and fall of the cyborg's chest as he breathed. She was curled up under her heavy blanket at the foot of the bed, huging Lulas while watching cautiosly. Echo's legs would usually be there, but Tech removed his prosthetics when they laid him down.

The brother must have thought she was asleep, probably not having noticed her watching him through a gap in the cocoon of blankets. He carefully reached for his helmet, removing it. His face was youthful, without many lines, but still carried the natural severity of clones. His gaze softened instantly as he looked at Echo. The action also revealed a tattoo that vaguely resembled one of the GAR-pattern rotary cannons her brothers had used in the war.

The clone placed the helmet on the ground with smooth movements, then shuffled closer to Echo. "Oh, Echo," he said, a soft but sad smile spreading across his face. "I know you miss us, especially him," whispered, raising a hand to ghostly stroke the sleeping clone's gray hair. "I know it hurts, believe me, it hurts him just as much. It hurts us too, seeing you, our vod'ike, separated," he sighed. "But it's not your time, not yet. This crazy vod'ike you found... they need you more than we do. They can't lose their ori'vod, and we can wait a little longer... Fives can wait a little longer."

Omega let out a gasp of surprise at the name Fives, recognizing the name. It was the name of the clone who had warned Rex about the inhibitor chips and would have saved everyone, if not for a shot to the heart. The sound must have been loud enough for the ghost to hear, because he looked directly at her.

"You're awake," he stated.

Omega, knowing there was no hiding anymore, emerged from her cocoon and sat up, wrapping her blanket around herself to avoid the chill of hyperspace. "Sorry," she whispered, looking directly into the clone's eyes.

The ghost's eyes widened in surprise for a second, before her gaze took on a calculating look she was familiar with. "You can actually see us, then," said, another statement.

"You didn't know?" she asked, confused.

"We suspected," the clone clarified.

"Oh."

"We've never been seen before," the clone commented, still testing the waters. "We were cautious."

"It's okay," Omega replied, offering a soft smile. "It's a common reaction."

The clone seemed surprised by the statement. "Aren't we the first ones you've seen?"

Omega shook her head. "No, I've always been able to see brothers who have marched on," she replied.

The clone frowned. "Just brothers?" he asked curiously.

"Dead, in general," the girl replied. "But I've never spoken to a ghost that wasn't a brother."

"It must have been difficult back on Kamino," the clone commented, still cautious. He was examining her to determine her trustworthiness. Omega had gone through this process countless times.

"Not really," she replied. "I grew up separately, in the labs," she explained, and the clone narrowed his eyes, intrigued. "I'm an unaltered clone of Jango Fett, like Boba. But he never knew of my existence. I'm a personal project of Nala Se, just like the batch, but while they went into normal training after a while, she kept me as her personal medical assistant."

"So it's no coincidence you're standing guard near Echo," he commented, nodding toward their sleeping, wounded brother.

"No," she replied. "I'm monitoring him," said, pulling the datapad she'd stolen from Tech from behind her and showing it to the clone.

"The others don't seem to have much confidence in your abilities," the clone commented, watching Echo's steady heartbeat display on the screen.

"Yeah, they don't," she agreed. "But it's less about trusting and more about noticing. To them, I'm a child," she explained. "And I really am, physically speaking, even if it's not here," she said, tapping her index finger against her temple. "I fought in the war, like everyone else, but I didn't go to the front like they did. I worked with the medical officers at Khaliida Shoals."

"You don't seem to care much about that," the clone pointed out, trying to understand her.

Omega shrugged, tucking the datapad behind her. "I can't care about what I never told them," she said. "Tech is a certified medical officer. Even if he doesn't have my experience, his skills are good enough that mine haven't been needed yet," she said, looking away from the clone and at Echo, asleep under the blankets, his face serene. "They think I spent the war on Kamino, shielded from its horrors. They want to protect me, maintain my ingenuousness." She returned her gaze to the clone. "I don't want to disappoint them, hurt them. Besides, I can have the childhood I always wanted."

The clone stared at her for a moment. "You're acting like an ori'vod, shielding them from the bitter truth," he teased, warming up.

Omega chuckled softly. "I'm older than everyone on this ship," she said.

The clone's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "How?"

Omega gave an amused huff, laughing softly. "Unaltered clone, normal development," she explained. "I'm thirteen. Echo is twelve and a half, and the bacth just turned eleven."

"Do any of them know their real age?" the clone asked, to which Omega shook his head. In response, he laughed out loud, throwing his head back as his body trembled. Omega envied him. He could laugh freely, for no one but her would hear him.

"You're a sneaky gremlin, kid," he said, smiling brightly. "They don't see the danger they've harbored."

Omega was offended. "I'm no threat to my brothers!" she scolded him softly, so as not to wake Echo.

The clone laughed. "Don't be so literal, child," she said. "It was a compliment, means you have a sharp mind."

"Oh," she said, blushing.

"I think that proves your story," the clone said, now serious. "You'd know that joke if you hadn't been raised in isolation," he remarked.

Omega was about to respond, but the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted her. "It's probably Tech coming to check on Echo," she whispered to the clone.

"I'll be going," he said. he grabbed his helmet and put it on before standing up.

“Wait!” she exclaimed, but not loud enough for Echo to wake up or Tech to hear. The clone turned the visor toward her. “What’s your name?” she asked hopefully.

The clone hesitated for a moment, but chose to answer. “Hevy,” said, his voice distorted by the voicecoder.

“Omega,” she replied. Hevy nodded, turned, and crossed the room in two strides, disappearing through the wall just as the door opened.

“Omega,” Tech called, closing the door behind him. “What are you doing up?” he asked, walking to the bunk and sitting beside her.

She didn’t respond, just grabbed the datapad from behind her and handed it to her brother.

He turned on the screen and examined the information, finding nothing amiss. “Are you watching Echo?” he asked, looking her in the eye.

She nodded. “I was Nala Se’s medical assistant,” he replied softly.

Tech stared at her with his analytical gaze before removing his right hand from the datapad, raising his arm in invitation. "Come here," he called.

Omega crawled to her brother, snuggling into his warmth. Tech lowered his arm over her, pulling closer. "It was a blaster shot to the abdomen," he said. "Echo survived the seppies, this won't kill him," he reassured her in his rational way.

"It hit the stomach, he had a leak of stomach fluid and internal bleeding," she pointed out, her voice muffled against her brother's body.

"And we treated him," Tech replied. "His oxygenation is good, heart rate is in sinus rhythm," he affirmed. "Sleep, Omega," he said, gently rubbing her arm. "I'll wake you when Echo wakes up."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

And so, she trusted her genius brother and let exhaustion take her.

Chapter Text

The weeks following her encounter with Hevy were normal. Omega still took her classes, learning hand-to-hand combat and knives from Hunter, explosives from Wrecker, shooting from Crosshair, weaponry and strategy from Echo, and varied knowledge lessons from Tech.

In her free time, she still rode on Wrecker's shoulders when they went on shopping trips - and then was the first to eat the treats her brother baked -, drew with Crosshair, watched holoseries with Echo, hunted with Hunter, and watched Tech work on his gadgets until she fell asleep.

But at night, in her room, she had secret meetings with Echo's dead ori'vod, Hevy. He talked to her, told her stories of Domino Squad —that's how she discovered that the graduation medal hanging on the Marauder's memory shelf belonged to Hevy, who left it with 99 when he left, who later gave it to the lot as a sign of good luck when they graduated a year later — and Echo when they were little. In return, Omega shared her experiences growing up with Nala Se, her time at Khaliida Shoals. It was good to finally talk to someone about her past, cathartic.

Hevy taught her to play with a pen between her fingers, much like Hunter uses to do with knives. He taught her how to flip the cap to create a distraction, or, if necessary, kill someone.

Omega also noticed that the other two younger ghosts — Droidbait and Cutup, she now knows their names — have been avoiding her less, but they still don't speak to her and keep a certain distance. Fives still avoids her like the plague, and Hevy remained quiet before changing the subject when she mentioned it.

"Omega", Tech called, breaking her musings. "Focus on your task"

She sighed before returning her attention to the Outer Rim flora and fauna quiz Tech had prepared. Her brother stared for a few more moments before returning to work on the latest modification he was making to his helmet. Omega began absently playing with the datapad pen between her fingers, as Hevy had taught her, while concentrating on the multiple-choice questions.

"Where did you learn to move the pen like that?" ,Tech, ever observant, asked after a while, startling Omega.

"Huh?", Omega asked, confused.

"The pen, where did you learn to move it like that?", Tech asked again, gesturing towards her hand with the soldering iron he was holding.

"This move?", she asked, making the pen dance in the flourish Hevy had taught her, to wich Tech nodded. "I taught myself. I saw a Twi'lek do it on one of the shopping trips, and I thought it would be cool to replicate", she lied, repeating the move. "His was more complex, but I think my version turned out decent"

Tech nodded before returning to work, and Omega went back to taking the quiz, swallowing hard. She hated lying to her brothers, but they couldn't know about her ability to see ghosts, never. What if they didn't believe her? They'd think she'd gone crazy! She didn't even know if they'd believe her when she told them about her abilities! Yes, she knew Jedi could do similar things, but clones were created to be soldiers, not Jedi. The Kaminoans had made sure of that meticulously.

The familiar sound of objects shaking around her snapped her out of the trance, warning her that she was about to have an episode. She put her hand on the forehead, only to be unable to feel her tiara there. Damn! She'd stopped wearing it all the time as she spent more time with the group, becoming calmer and, consequently, having fewer episodes.

She placed her datapad and pen on her desk, an action that caught Tech's attention. "I can't concentrate", she explained, clearly nervous. "I'm going to get some air, I'll be right back". He nodded and returned to work.

Omega got up and ran through the Marauder to the gunner's mount, quickly climbing the ladder and frantically searching for her tiara among the blankets, cushions, and all the junk she'd left there. Lula had begun to float slightly when Omega finally found the tiara, and fell immediately when she put it on.

Feeling the familiar muffledness of the world around her that the tiara created, Omega finally relaxed, hugging Lula and curling up in front of the window, watching the wind rustle the leaves of the trees in the forest where they'd landed.

"'Mega?", Hunter's soft voice called after a moment. "Tech said you had a crisis, are you okay?", he asked, standing at the corner of the hallway, which she could tell by the muffled distance of his presence.

"Yes", she whispered almost inaudibly, but she knew Hunter had heard her. "I've calmed down", she said again in the same tone.

The Batch knew about her outbursts, but they didn't know what caused them, only that the tiara helped her calm down. Omega knew they thought they were nervous breakdowns and that her tiara was a sort of comfort item, like Lula for Wrecker, Hunter's bandana, Cross's toothpicks, Tech's datapad, and Echo's shirt. She wasn't eager to correct them.

"Why don't you take Cross and Echo a snack?", he asked, his voice still soft. "They've been out on the pier for quite a while, don't you think?"

Omega uncurled into a sitting position, looking at her brother. Hunter was leaning against the corner of the hallway, smiling softly as he held a basket with what looked like a batch of Wrecker's cookies.

"Okay", she said. She grabbed the flimsi notebook Crosshair had given for her last birthday, her mechanical pencil and an eraser, dropped Lula onto the blankets, and jumped off the gunner's mount, landing gracefully. "Are those Wrecker cookies?"

"Recipe modified for a new flavor", Hunter replied, offering the basket, which Omega took, licking her lips. She ran off immediately, excited to try the new flavor.

"Thanks, Hunter!", she shouted when she reached the Marauder's ramp, knowing her brother would hear her anyway.

Descending, she ran across the green grass, under the shade of the trees, towards the lake, where the silhouettes of Echo and Crosshair sat side by side on the pier they had built a few days after arriving. Her feet thudded as she leaped from the bottom step of the stairs that led down the slope toward the pier, landing on the wood with a thud.

Echo and Crosshair turned to look in sync, finding an Omega smiling broadly, flushed from the run she'd just completed. "Wrecker made cookies!", she announced cheerfully, lifting the basket. "Hunter asked me to bring some to you. He said it's a new flavor!", said, walking excitedly over to the pair, who made a spot for her to sit between them.

"What are you guys doing?", she asked, sitting down and placing the basket on her lap. "You've been sitting here almost all day!"

The siblings exchanged a look before Echo responded. "Having an adults conversation", he replied, picking up a cookie with his robotic hand — he doesn't use his scomp when they are hidden like they are now — and biting into it. "Very good", he commented, impressed.

Crosshair huffed. "Only because Hunter said to," he said condescendingly, taking a cookie.

They ate in unsteady silence, and Omega was grateful she was wearing her tiara, because if the tension in the air was slightly bothering her, she didn't want to know what would have happened if she'd been unprotected. She ate the cookies, which were delicious, calmly, focusing on watching the lake and the way the trees on the shore swayed in the wind. Soon, the basket of cookies was empty, and she thought it best to let her brothers finish their passive-aggressive conversation.

"I'm going to draw", she said, standing and gathering her supplies, leaving the basket where it was. "Don't go where Hunter can't track me, I know", she replied to Echo, who had opened his mouth to warn her.

"Stay in my line of sight", Crosshair warned, to which she nodded before walking off the pier. She climbed halfway up the stairs on the slope, stopping and walking along a small stone path to the base of a tree, where she sat.

From afar, on the pier, she noticed Crosshair watching her, and waved to her brother, who waved back with one of his rare smiles before frowning and returning to his conversation with Echo.

Omega opened her sketchbook, propped it on one knee, and began to draw, leaving the other leg stretched out.

She stayed alone fo a while, calmly drawing. "You draw well", Hevy said, announcing his arrival as he sat down on her right side.

"Thank you", she said without looking at the ghost. "I learned from Crosshair"

"The irritated white-haired guy talking to Echo?", he asked.

Omega murmured affirmatively. "You're lucky he'll never be able to hear you", she commented absently, focused on the drawing.

Hevy shivered involuntarily, remembering the beating Crosshair had given the arrogant merchant who had insulted him at a market a few months ago. He turned his attention back to his little sister's work.

"What are you doing?", the ghost asked, poking his head in.

"Hevy!", she scolded him. "You're not transparent to me!"

He laughed. "Sorry"

She rolled her eyes before returning to her work.

"Who is it?", she asked again, noticing the silhouette of a vod in the drawing.

"You", the girl replied without taking the eyes off her creation.

"I'm flattered", he replied, earning a chuckle from Omega.

He stared at the pier, watching his batchmate's conversation with Crosshair turn into a fight, with both making various exaggerated gestures and throwing their arms in the air.

"Are they still at it?", he wondered aloud.

"What?", Omega asked, still focused.

"Fighting over the bullet Echo took protecting Crosshair", he said.

"Yeah", Omega commented, not at all surprised. "I know you tend to stay on the fringes, but I think you've already noticed that the batch, especially Crosshair, is stubborn enough to make it snow on Tatooine"

Hevy laughed at the joke. "You got that from Echo", he pointed.

"Huh?", the older one asked.

"The Tatooine comparisons", he explained. "It's from the time he spent with Fives in the 501st Legion. General Skywalker was a native of this planet and hated him deeply. The sand-hating jokes have the same origin"

Omega stopped drawing, looking at him thoughtfully. "I never realized it", she said, smiling softly. "You really never abandoned him"

Hevy shook his head. "Never", he said vehemently. "He's my vod'ika", said with a soft smile, looking back at the pier, where Echo and Crosshair were now embracing. "I guess he's not anymore, huh? He's older now, has seen and lived more than I ever have, and even has his own vod'ike!", he smiled sadly, but proudly.

"I don't think it's that much", Omega, also observing the scene on the pier, commented. "Yes, Echo is physically older than you'll ever be, but you've lived the same life as him, Hevy. You and your brothers have been with him every step of the way, even when no one saw you. In that, I admire you very much", she said, smiling brightly at Hevy.

He wanted so badly to hug her, and his ghostly body moved before he knew it, enveloping her in an embrace. Hevy melted into the sensation, only to be interrupted by a shocked gasp from Omega.

"Hevy!", she whispered in amazement. "You're not going through me, I can feel you!"

He broke the embrace completely, shocked. "How?", he whispered in surprise. "That should be impossible!"

"I don't know!", Omega replied, her voice still carefully low. "Maybe it was a one-time occurrence?"

Hevy bit his lip, uncertain. He didn't want it to be a one-time thing; Omega had become his little sister, he wanted to be able to hold her. He cautiously moved his hand towards the female clone's arm, placing his hand there.

They both gasped in surprise when Hevy's hand didn't go through the flesh, resting comfortably there as if he were still alive.

Omega chuckled softly. "Your touch tickles, you know?", she commented, looking at him with eyes shining with joy. "It's a little chill, I like it!"

"You're hellish hot", Hevy replied. "It feels like I'm putting my hand in boiling water"

"Does it hurt?", she asked immediately, always the concerned doctor, no matter if the brother in question is alive or not.

"No, Omega, it doesn't hurt", he replied with a breathy laugh. "I'm dead, you don't need to worry about my health, little doc". She laughed softly, and Hevy wished he could record this moment forever.

"I'm still your sister", she replied. "It's my duty to worry about my brothers, whether they're alive or not", said with a mischievous smile.

"Okay, ori'vod'ika", he ruffled the girl's hair, who giggled.

She seemed to remember something and turned to pick up her notebook. "Here", said, showing the drawing she'd made on the flimsi.

Hevy stared, open-mouthed, at the detailed drawing. It depicted him sitting cross-legged, absently playing with a pen between his fingers. He was in full armor, except for the helmet, and his face wore an easy smile. Even his tattoos and the small scar above his left eyebrow were drawn with meticulous precision. "Omega, this is perfect", he whispered, awestruck by the drawing's perfection and fidelity to reality.

Omega blushed at the compliment. "Thank you", she said. "Crosshair is the best teacher"

"Don't forget your own merit", Hevy warned gently, reaching out to touch the drawing, only for his hand to pass through the notebook. "Oops"

"I guess touch only works on me then", Omega said, smiling smugly.

Hevy rolled eyes, flicking his little sister's forehead lightly, above her tiara. "Don't get cocky."

"Omega!", they heard Echo call.

They both looked in the direction of the sound, finding Echo and Crosshair climbing the stone stairs up the hillside toward them.

"It's getting dark, let's go up", Echo said as he approached, stopping on the step where the small trail she had taken led off.

"Hunter said tonight would be game night", Crosshair commented, a subliminal invitation.

She grabbed her notebook and stood up excitedly, walking toward her brothers, knowing Hevy would follow. "Let's go!", she said when she arrived, stopping next to Crosshair. "I want to beat Wrecker so I can ask him for more cookies"

Echo laughed at the comment. "Very well", he said affectionately. "Back to the Marauder then."

Chapter Text

Almost a week had passed since Echo and Crosshair's conversation on the pier. Omega had taken Hevy's drawing from her notebook, carefully folding it and storing it in her personal belongings box—a wooden one with precisely painted flower patterns, which Tech had made for her on her last day of life—a place where she was sure her brothers would never touch.

She began wearing her tiara more often, since her abilities were becoming more unstable, something that, for the first time in her life, had no apparent correlation with her emotional state. On the contrary, it seemed to be a side effect of spending time with Hevy.

She hadn't told anyone, not even Hevy. Omega knew he would distance himself from her if he found out, but that wasn't his decision, it was hers. And Omega would wear her tiara for as long as necessary to be able to talk to her brother.

Now, however, her tiara is kept in her bag, which is hanging from a low branch of a tree while she practices her aim with her bow.

Omega is in a small clearing she found in the forest where they were, relatively far from the Marauder. The batch is letting her walk out of sight now that Tech has installed his complex network of sensors and security radars, since it had been decided that they would stay here indefinitely, giving a break from Cid's works.

So, she was alone for the first time in days, shooting her bow at the various targets Crosshair had carved on the trees for her with one of Hunter's knives.

Omega was pleased with herself, for despite her young age, or at least that's what Phee usually says—she was old by clone standards, and young by natborn standards, but aged normally… her age references were really confusing—she was hitting the targets almost in the center.

Taking one last shot, she lowered her bow and deactivated it, walking to the tree where her bag hung, picking up her water canteen and taking a few deep gulps.

“You’re good,” said the familiar voice of a brother behind her, but not one she particularly recognized. “Almost perfect.”

Omega lowered her canteen, turning to face the unexpected visitor. She looked at the white-armored clone, young as if he were being sent to the front lines the next day. He was helmetless, smiling broadly. “You’re Echo and Hevy’s brother,” she stated.

“And yours, if what Hevy told me is correct,” he crossed his arms, adopting a questioning posture.

“Technically,” she said. “I’m an unaltered clone.”

“A sister,” the younger one corrected.

“Omega,” she offered, maintaining a neutral expression. This was the first ghost she’d ever interacted with to be so open, she wanted to be cautious.

“Cutup,” he said, smiling. “Hevy told me many things about you.”

Omega was surprised. “He told?”

“Of course,” he huffed. “I was getting tired of hearing stories about the ori’vod’ika he found, so I decided to check it out personally.”

Omega stared at him, narrowing her eyes slightly. “What have you found so far?”

“True,” he replied frankly. “But I thought you were more… warm, from what Hevy said.”

The female clone blushed. “Sorry,” she murmured, giving an awkward smile while scratching the back of her neck. “Ghosts are always very suspicious when they interact with me for the first time,” she explained. “You’re so… laid-back, I was cautious.”

Cutup chortled. “I wouldn’t live up to my name if I were so apathetic,” he joked.

Omega laughed at the comment. “Valid point.”

“So, are you coming back?” he asked, uncrossing his arms and nodding towards the field.

“Ah, yes,” Omega replied, closing the canteen and putting it in her bag. “Right.”

She walked to the middle, taking a deep breath before positioning herself. Opening her bow, she aimed and fired at the five targets in front of her, hitting three in the center and two almost. Smiling to herself, she turned, crouching in a fluid motion, firing at two low targets. Standing up again, she fired upwards, hitting a target out of sight, which elicited an impressed whistle from the ghostly observer.

“Impressive,” Cutup said. “You hit almost the center of a target out of sight,” he praised. “Your ori’vode taught you well.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “I learn quickly,” she said, lowering her bow.

Cutup was thoughtful for a moment. “Really?” he asked challengingly. “Let’s test it.”

Omega looked at her brother, confused. This is definitely the strangest ghost she had ever interacted with. “How?”

“There’s a small mistake in your posture,” Cutup explained. “I’d like to correct it, if you’ll allow me?” he asked.

Omega nodded affirmatively. “Where—”

“Where did I learn?” Cutup interrupted her. “Being dead is basically an endless vacation. You learn a lot wandering around while trying to kill boredom,” he explained, walking from the edge of the field to his sister.

“You make death seem terribly boring,” she commented.

Cutup groaned dramatically. “I don’t, it is,” he complained, eliciting a laugh from Omega. “Very well,” he called out. “Get into position"

The girl nodded before activating the bow, pulling the string and letting muscle memory guide her into the shape Echo had pierced in her head months ago.

“Perfect,” he said. “Now shoot,” he ordered, which she did, perfectly hitting the center of the target. “Good. Now turn as fast as you can, aiming at that target,” he pointed to a target seven trees to the right of where Omega had hit.

She obeyed her brother's command, turning, but froze when he told her to stop halfway through the movement.

“Here,” he pointed to the arm pulling the string. “You're lowering your arm when you turn, that's why the shot is straying when you change position,” he explained. “Raise it a little, align your elbow with your ear… like this, perfect,” he congratulated. “Shoot,” he ordered, and the shot hit the center of the target.

Omega broke the position, lowering the bow and smiling at Cutup, who returned the gesture. “Very good, Vod’ika,” he praised. “Now repeat the movement a few more times to memorize the correct position.”

She nodded, raising the bow to the starting position before executing the turn. Omega repeated the movement a few times, with Cutup gently correcting her when her pose faltered. Finally, he returned to the edges of the field while she repeated the sequence she had demonstrated earlier, hitting all the centers this time.

When she finished, she looked smugly at Cutup, panting. Her brother jumped and applauded, smiling proudly. He ran to her, intending to hug, but failed miserably, passing right through her.

Omega shivered at the characteristic cold of ghosts. “You’re cold, Cutup!”

“Sorry,” he smiled awkwardly. “Force of habit.”

“It’s alright,” she smiled, starting to walk towards her bag.

Cutup followed her, watching carefully as she picked up another canteen and a carefully wrapped package, sitting down at the foot of the tree. He watched her open the package and take a bite of the fluffy food before opening the canteen and drinking some juice.

“Is that cake?” he asked curiously, sitting down at the foot of the tree next to her.

Omega looked at him, still chewing, and nodded. “Wrecker likes to cook,” he commented after swallowing.

“The crazy explosion guy!?” Cutup exclaimed, surprised. “Cooking?”

Omega looked at him, intrigued. “Didn’t you know?”

Cutup shook his head, denying it. “I usually stay more on the edges, you know?” he commented, and Omega nodded affirmatively. “Fives comes around more often, always glued to Echo, and now Hevy, to see you.”

Omega took another sip of juice, frowning. “Fives?” she asked. “I’ve never seen him near Echo.”

Cutup sighed. “He and Echo did ARC together, remember? Fives knows how to hide, even though he’s a ghost.”

Omega choked on her piece of cake. “Fives was Echo’s ARC partner!?” she asked, shocked.

Cutup frowned, looking confused at his sister. “You didn’t know?” he asked, to wich she shook her head in denial. “How much do you know about Fives?” he asked.

Omega frowned, looking at the ground. “I know his death was a sacrifice and was related to the chips, which helped save Crosshair. I know he was, and still is, important to Rex and Echo,” she replied, shifting her position to face Cutup and looking up at her brother. “I know he was an ARC because of the armor, but that’s all. The others didn’t tell me much,” she said. “I didn’t know he was Echo’s ARC partner, he hardly ever talks about The Before,” she whispered the last part.

“I understand,” Cutup said. “I wouldn’t talk much either if I were him, to tell the truth.”

Omega nodded subtly, agreeing. “Hunter always says to respect his boundaries.”

“Wise,” Cutup commented. “I wish I could talk to him, we’d be good friends.”

“Why?” Omega asked, curious.

“Well, since I died in Rishi, I never had the chance to handle more than a standard vibroblade” he began. “But I’ve always been very good with knives and other sharp objects.”

“Well, if I ever figure out how to make ghosts touch objects, could we borrow some of the Hunter’s knives?” she offered.

Cutup chuckled. “That would be interesting, Vod’ika,” he grinned.

“Set” she returned the smile.

They sat in comfortable silence for about half a minute before Cutup spoke. “Hey, want to learn a trick?”

“Which one?” she asked excitedly.

A few hours later, a commotion erupted from the Marauder as Omega stifled laughter and Cutup cackled—advantages of being a ghost—both perched on one of the highest branches of a tree, camouflaged. Well, Omega was hiding, Cutup was her companion.

Crosshair burst into severe laughter when the source of the commotion, Echo, descended the Marauder's ramp. Wrecker's booming laughter startled some birds as he joined the sniper.

Echo was covered in crumpled dry leaves from head to toe, displaying a decidedly unpleasant look. “You think this is funny?!” he exclaimed angrily. “I discovered joints in my prosthetics that I didn't even know existed because there are leaves on them!”

Tech, who had remained quiet until now, chuckled softly, still not taking his eyes off the datapad.

“Seriously, Tech?” Echo looked at the genius, indignant. “You think that’s funny, vod? That’s betrayal!” he accused.

Tech finally looked away from the datapad, carefully observing Echo’s pitiful state, following Wrecker and his twin into a collective fit of laughter soon after.

“Motherfuckers shebs’palone,” he cursed his brothers.

Cutup, seemingly a person with an easy laugh, laughed so hard he almost fell off the branch, and Omega could barely contain her laughter. It was very rare to see Echo cursing so openly, so the scene should have caused fear in the group. However, their cyborg brother looked more like a pile of forest leaves that had come to life and started walking than a person at that moment. Omega particularly thought that a pile of leaves had grown eyes, a mouth, and stolen Echo’s voice.

“What’s the reason for the commotion?” Hunter’s voice made everyone freeze. “I could hear you all from the edge of the barrier,” he said, emerging from the trees into the small clearing they had opened in front of the Marauder.

The sergeant stopped, looked at the trio lounging on the ground against a fallen log, their faces flushed from laughing so hard, then glanced at the human pile of leaves that was Echo, and Omega could see him actively controlling himself to avoid bursting into laughter.

Upon realizing this, she accidentally laughed, but held back. Unfortunately, it was enough for Hunter to find her. He glanced subtly in her direction, and she waved frantically at him, saying 'hi'. Then, the Sergeant bursted into laughter, with the rest of the group following suit, including Omega.

Cutup watched his vod'ika groan in anger and begin to climb the ship's ramp, but there was a soft glint in his eye that hadn't been there since the last time he'd seen the twins together. He widened his smile even more, happy. Teaching his signature prank to Omega was the right thing to do. It wasn't quite as good as the original version, but hey, they don't have glitter in the middle of the forest!