STEALTH and TRACK: BOOK ONE

C H A P T E R T W E L V E

Coincidentally, Fern was thinking the same thing as she laid on her stomach, gazing out in the empty void that was space. Omega joined her roommate and yawned.

"Sleepy there, Half-Pint?" Fern chuckled, and then made room for the young girl to lie down. She was getting tired herself and she rolled onto her side. It seemed like her eyes had just closed when Omega called her name.

FERN'S POV

"Fern?"

"Mmm..." My closed eyes squeezed tighter at the faint whispering of my name.

"Fern, are you awake?"

"Am now..." I yawned softly and rolled over to where my nose was a foot away from the young clone. "What is it?"

"I...have a question."

"Now?" My teeth clenched as I sucked in air to relieve my lungs. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I asked, "Can't this wait until I've at least had a nap?"

"Well..." Omega's eyes wandered to the side, like she was really debating with herself on whether her question was important enough.

"Forget it," I rolled my tired eyes. "What's eating you?"

"What are parents?"

Suddenly, I was wide awake. "Why do you ask?"

"I suddenly remembered when I sat down to eat with the squad back on Kamino, that day the food fight started—"

"Yes, I recall."

"Well, when I first sat down, Hunter had asked me if I had a family. And where my parents were." Omega explained, her voice trailed off.

"Omega," I propped my head up with my elbow and softened my voice so I displayed a more empathetic disposition. After all, this query seemed really worthwhile to the young girl. "Parents are people who take care of children. A dad and a mom. Cut and Suu are parents to Shaeeah and Jek."

"So what do they do?" Omega questioned.

"Um...Well, they..." It occurred to me that this was not the best subject for someone who doesn't have parents herself, but Omega's eyes were glistening with curiosity. "Parents raise their children to become the best versions of themselves. Parents also have to scold children when they misbehave, but it's more of a teaching moment. They protect them with every fiber of their being. But most importantly, Omega..." As I spoke, our faces gradually grew closer; Omega had smushed her cheeks with her fists, supporting herself on both elbows. Her smile softened with interest. "Parents, love their children with all their hearts. No matter what, you could always count on your mother and father to come to your aid, and hold you tightly in their arms when you're scared."

"Wow...And Cut and Suu do all that with Shaeeah and Jek?" Omega awed. I nodded. "Yep, that's why they had to leave Saleucami. To protect Shaeeah and Jek. It was all for them. That's what parents do."

"Parents sound like the best."

I laughed a little too hard. "Well, we clones, defective or not, don't have parents. It's just the way it is."

"Yeah..." The young girl seemed to accept the fact pretty easily. She lied back down and curled up before her eyes fluttered close. She breathed in and out calmly.

I found myself watching over her for a moment, and suddenly I was viewing her in a different light... Like, Omega was an innocent soul in this galaxy that was sucked into the chaos of that is the Bad Batch, and I needed to protect her... I knew what being a soldier meant, and the occupational hazards that could follow. She was just a child. Even though it was her choice to stay with them - us - she deserved a better, safer life.

I blinked, and realized I had been stroking her soft hair while I zoned out. I stopped. Then, I sighed and tried to lay down comfortably to get some more sleep, but my eyes stared at her on their own.

"Getting in too deep, Fern..." I muttered to myself, and eventually I fell asleep.

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THIRD PERSON POV

Hunter huffed through his nose. He had overheard every word from Fern when she interpreted parents to Omega... And something Fern had said back on Saleucami repeated over and over in his mind...

"Hunter, you are a soldier. You are not a parent!"

His eyes closed. Fern was right. Omega deserved so much better. But... Hunter was determined to give her that life.

His way.