Omega rushes over to Tech's side, eagerly tapping his forearm. "What is it, Omega?" He asks, glancing up at her from his latest gadget.
The little girl sways back onto her heels, her arms folding behind her back. "Since it's almost Halloween, I was wondering you would watch a scary movie with me." She says with a wide grin on her face.
He hums, clearly not enthused with the idea. "I would really like to finish this project first. Besides, I'm not sure you're ready to watch scary movies."
She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes, I am." She defends. Her reaction doesn't aid her point, which is obvious by Tech's eyebrow arch. "Come on, just one movie? I've never seen a scary movie before."
"'Mega, I don't think it's a good idea." He replies, going back to working on his project. Small zaps fill the space. She scrunches her nose as she tries to figure out a way to talk him into watching a movie with her.
She smirks, standing taller. "Wrecker would watch a scary movie with me."
This grabs his attention. "Wrecker was scared of Undead Gundarks for five months after we watched as cadets." He counters. "He can't handle scary movies. You couldn't get him to watch one with you."
"Fine. Then Crosshair would."
Tech chuckles, shaking his head. "That is more believable. But that isn't going to make me want to watch a scary movie with you. I'll watch something else, but not a scary movie."
Omega groans, dramatically laying her head beside his gadget on the table. "But it's Halloween, Tech! We can watch those movies some other time. One scary movie won't kill you."
He softly smiles, leaning back in his chair. "It's not me I'm worried about. I don't want you to be scared of these fictional scenarios and think of them all night for the next week."
"I know they're fake!" She scoffs with a pout. "I won't get scared."
He sighs, covering his face with his hands. "What does Hunter think?" He mumbles.
"I didn't ask, but I'm sure he won't mind." She smiles, knowing that he's caving.
He peeks one eye out. "Echo?"
She freezes, her eyes wide. "He won't like it." She quietly replies then quickly recovers with a wave of her hand. "But I'm sure Crosshair and Wrecker can distract him! He won't know."
The pilot groans, dropping his head in defeat. If she doesn't watch it with him, she'll just watch it on her own. He might as well be there in case she does get scared. "Fine. We'll watch one scary movie. Just don't come complaining to me if you get scared."
Omega cheers, slightly jumping around the room. "Thank you, Tech!" She exclaims. "It's going to be so much fun! We can make popcorn and watch it in your bunk so that we aren't distracting the others."
"Alright. We'll do it after supper." He softly smiles, his mood instantly perking at her joyous shouts.
Besides, it's just one movie. Omega will be fine.
Only, the movie Omega picked out was a lot scarier than she thought it would be.
Though the others were invited to join them, no one was really up for it. Upon hearing their evening plans, Wrecker talked Echo into a game of darts at Cid's. Hunter and Crosshair opted to go to bed early, tired from the long night they had keeping watch. It seems that Roland's gang isn't the only one in the galaxy with eyes on the sketchy cantina.
Currently, Omega is hiding under the covers as Tech shutters at the scene taking place. The poor Wookies are now pawns for the witches of Dathomir, performing acts that are too gory for even him. The fake blood splattering across the screen and horribly designed organs definitely aren't helping.
"'Mega, let's just turn it off. It isn't a good movie. Not just for your mental state, but in general." He says, looking down at her trembling body.
"No!" She argues. "I want to finish the movie. I want to say that I've watched a full scary movie from start to finish."
"You aren't even watching, you're hiding under the covers," Tech says, shaking his head at her. "Not that I blame you. The acting and props in this movie are terrible. Anyone with basic knowledge of biology knows that's not what Wookies sound like or what twi'lek organs look like." He mutters before tossing a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth.
She doesn't reply, still remaining under the blankets. It doesn't matter that the props don't look real. It's the thought that scares her. This movie is fake, but what if there really are Wookies out there who have been put under a spell and now roam the galaxy, killing everybody they come into contact with?
The idea of it makes her never want to leave the Marauder.
"Omega, I won't tell anyone if you want to turn it off." Tech quietly encourages, gently touching her back. "If anyone asks, we watched the entire thing. No hiding or breaks. It didn't scare you in the slightest."
She peeks out, her brown eyes wide. "Promise?"
He smiles. "I promise."
"Okay. Let's turn it off then. We can watch it when I'm older." She says, making him lightly laugh. They both decide it's best to get ready for bed, even though Wrecker and Echo aren't back yet. Crosshair and Hunter are sound asleep, their light snores letting Omega know that they're alive and not possessed by Dathomir witches.
As she lays in her bed, she can't help but think about the horrifying scenes from the movie. Though they looked pretty bad on screen, for some reason she's remembering them with a lot more detail. Even though the ship is not empty in the slightest, she still feels so alone and vulnerable.
She bravely peeks her head out, unsure what to do. She wants to talk to Hunter, but she doesn't want to disturb him. Crosshair is only a few steps away, but she doesn't think going to him would be a good idea. He isn't exactly the best person to wake up in the middle of the night. He won't complain in the moment, but he'll be short with everyone tomorrow.
Instead, she decides on Tech. He'll understand why she's scared without needing her to explain it.
"Tech?" Omega whispers, gently poking his side. He sleepily opens one of his eyes. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"
Tech is slightly taken back. Usually, she goes to Hunter or Wrecker, and on an odd occasion, Echo. Never has she sought him out after having a nightmare.
It must be because of the movie.
"Alright." He agrees, shuffling over so that she can slide in beside him.
"Actually, would it be okay if I slept by the wall?"
Her request brings a small smile to his face. "Yeah, that's fine." He agrees, moving so that he's on the edge of the bed.
As gently as she can, she crawls over him, placing herself between the wall and him. Though it's a little tighter than she thought it would be, she finds that it's very comforting. The blankets are soft from the little use they receive since he typically passes out everywhere but his bed.
"Goodnight, Tech." She whispers, closing her eyes as she cuddles deep in the blankets. She already feels so much more protected with him beside her.
"Goodnight, 'Mega."
xxx
The next morning, no one says anything. Wrecker asks if she liked the movie, which Tech quickly dives into how horrible the props were. Omega joins in with laughs, thinking about how ridiculous it really was.
After breakfast, the squad heads over to Cid's to see if there are any jobs they can pick up for some quick credits. Crosshair and Omega decide to stay behind and make sure that everything is in order, in case there is something for them to do.
"Crosshair?" Omega asks, quietly approaching him.
The sniper looks up from his datapad. "Yes?"
She wrings her hands together, nervousness radiating off of her. "I was wondering if you could make me a costume? For Halloween?"
He sets the datapad aside and crosses his arms across his chest. "Depends."
Omega's head tilts. "On what?"
A sly smile sneaks onto his face. "How much of your candy you're willing to share."
"Ten percent."
"Thirty."
"Twenty. But that's as high as I'm going." She declares, sternly pointing a finger up at him.
Crosshair lets out a chuckle, shaking his head at her. "Alright. Twenty." He agrees. He places a toothpick in his mouth, leaning his back against the counter. "What do you want me to make?"
She hums, rubbing her hand on her chin, a trait she no doubt picked up from Tech. She gasps then waves for him to lean in close. He rolls his eyes but listens. As softly as she can, she whispers her request into his ear.
"Yeah. I'll get it done for you." He nods, pulling back from her.
She cheers, her smile wide as she jumps forward to hug him tight. "Thank you, Crosshair!"
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't tell the others, alright?" He says, lightly patting her back with one hand. She peels herself off, still grinning at him. "I don't want Wrecker to get any ideas."
"Alright. It's just a secret between us." She says, holding up a pinky to him. He lets out a long sigh but interlocks his pinky with hers in a small shake. "At least until you're finished with it."
He lightly scoffs, picking up his datapad again. He figures that's the end of the conversation, but Omega hasn't moved yet. She's still staring up at him. "Anything else?" He asks, peeking over the pad at her.
"Well, I was hoping I could help you make it. Or at least be there while you're making it sometimes." She says, a nervous smile on her face.
He shrugs. "Yeah, sure."
"Great!" She grins. She finally starts to walk away, but not without giving him one last hug. He doesn't react to it, but she can tell that he didn't mind it.
xxx
After completing their recent mission, Hunter and Omega decide to go pick up some much-needed supplies. Together, they walk hand in hand through the busy market streets of Ord Mantell. Lots of vendors have decorated their stalls in the spirit of Halloween. Some are covered in cobwebs while others have creepy creatures sitting near their goods. But almost all of them have a pumpkin or two with different markings on them.
"Hunter," Omega says, getting his attention. "Could we buy some pumpkins and try to do that?"
"You want to carve them?" He asks, following her finger to look at the silly-faced pumpkins resting near the Mantell Mix cart.
"Could we please?" She begs, folding her hands near her chest. She pouts, looking up at him with the biggest, saddest eyes she can make.
He scoffs, trying to maintain his best poker face. "We have enough Halloween decorations in the ship already. We don't need pumpkins added to the list."
"But I've never carved a pumpkin before." She insists, not dropping her act.
"You can wait until next year. It'll give you something to look forward to." He says, trying his best not to look at her face. He knows that if he does, he will quickly cave. He can never seem to say no to her.
"Oh. Alright." She sighs, her head dropping. Slowly, she trails behind him through the crowds, her cloud of sadness wrapping around Hunter and his heart.
He groans, unable to bear making her feel so down. What's one more decoration in the ship? Halloween only comes once a year, after all. "Fine. You can pick out one pumpkin to carve. No more."
"Thank you, Hunter." She smiles, grabbing his hand again. "But I was hoping we could carve our own pumpkins. Together, that is." She says, a blush on her cheeks.
He sighs, slightly shaking his head. "Fine. Pick one out for me too."
She cheers, her face brighter than he's seen in a long time. When they come across the first farmer selling pumpkins, Omega rushes over and looks over each one, trying to find the galaxy's two best pumpkins. When she finally sees the ones she thinks will work, Hunter pays for them and they make their way back to the ship.
Crosshair greets them when they enter, eyeing the pumpkins in their arms. "I see she's talked you into buying pumpkins now."
Hunter rolls his eyes, choosing not to answer him. It's well known how she has him (and the entire squad) wrapped around her little finger. She can ask for just about anything and Hunter will fly into the next star system to get it for her.
"Me and Hunter are going to carve them," Omega says, happily placing her pumpkin on the table.
"Hmm. Well, have fun." Crosshair says, hopping off of the counter. He flicks his toothpick to the ground before rubbing his hand along his chin. "I heard that when you carve pumpkins you release the deadly spirits that have been trapped inside them all growing season."
"That's not true." She quickly fires back as she narrows her eyes at him.
"It is too. Tech told me so." He says with a shrug of his shoulder. He ignores the hard glare at the back of his head coming from Hunter. "You've heard the story about the Wookies that got possessed by the witches of Dathomir, right?"
Omega nods her head.
"Well, years before that, they had cast spells on all pumpkins, making them nice and large for their latest victims to be trapped inside. They told the ghosts that they could be freed from their eternal prison only if they possess the beings that carve open the pumpkin."
"Cross, stop it," Hunter says, shoving the sniper with his shoulder as he walks over to the table.
"I'm just informing our little Omega about what could happen if she carves open her pumpkin. I would hate for her to get possessed." He replies, gesturing to the little girl. He looks back down at her. "I just want to keep you safe, 'Mega."
She remains silent, her jaw tight. She doesn't have anything to disprove his story, but it sounds ridiculous. Of course, that's not really a valid excuse. There's plenty of things that have happened in the galaxy that seem totally ridiculous.
Plus, she knows Crosshair does want to keep her safe. He and the rest of the squad have done plenty of things to protect her. Still, that doesn't mean he's telling the truth. His jokes differ greatly from hers. She tells a story with a punchline to get a laugh. He makes it seem realistic until it's painfully obvious that he's pulling her chain.
"Just be careful when you're carving." He wickedly grins, walking away from them. "And remember, the ghosts can sense when you're scared." He quietly adds with a wink before shutting himself in the cockpit.
Omega immediately turns to Hunter. "He's lying. Right?"
"Of course he's lying, Omega," Hunter says, gently touching her shoulder as he set his pumpkin next to hers. "He's just trying to scare you."
"Well, it's working. Sort of." She admits, taking a seat at the table. "How does he know that I got scared watching the movie about the Dathomir witches and Wookies?"
"He probably overheard you and Tech watching it the other night," Hunter says, removing his knife and tossing it onto the table. Omega looks up at him but still doesn't seem convinced. "Don't worry about it, 'Mega. Crosshair's just being mean."
She hums, sliding her pumpkin close to her. She'd rather just get to work than talk about Crosshair and his story. "So how do we carve pumpkins?" She asks. "I'm sure we have to use a knife or something sharp."
Hunter picks up his vibroknife, stabbing it into the top of his pumpkin. He quickly swipes it around the top, then removes the piece. Omega lets out a small sound of disapproval as he snatches her pumpkin from her and does the same thing.
"I could have done it myself, you know." She says, playfully crossing her arms as he slides it back to her.
"You're too young to use a knife." He says as he sticks his hand into the pumpkin, pulling out a large handful of slimy seeds.
"Wrecker lets me use knives." She fires back. She copies Hunter, slightly squirming as she touches the unusual group of seeds. She didn't think they would be so cold and wet.
"Does he?" Hunter replies, his face scrunching. Omega knows that look. He's going to scold Wrecker after this.
"I've never gotten hurt."
"But you could."
She groans, rolling her eyes. "I don't understand. Crosshair can teach me how to shoot all kinds of blasters and my bow, but I can't use a knife? That seems a little backward to me."
Hunter arches his eyebrow at her. "Do you want me to tell him to stop teaching you?"
"No." She quickly replies, her eyes widening. He smiles, expecting that response. She sighs, shaking her head. "But why can't I learn how to use a knife and blasters? You don't want me to be in a dangerous situation and never know how a knife works. Carving a pumpkin would be good practice for me!"
He grumbles. She's right, but he isn't going to admit it yet. Learning how to handle a knife would be good for her. He can't stand the idea of her getting into trouble all because he didn't prepare her well enough.
Omega smiles, getting back to cleaning out her pumpkin. She already knows that she's won the argument.
"So what do I carve on my pumpkin?" She asks, trying to change the subject for the moment.
"Well, anything you want, really." Hunter chuckles, as he removes another handful of seeds. "The Jedi used to carve all kinds of things."
"The Jedi?" Omega repeats, her face scrunching in confusion. What do they have to do with Halloween?
Excited to tell her a new story, Hunter nods his head. "It was one of our first missions on Coruscant." He smiles as he spins his pumpkin on the table, looking at it from different angles. "It was actually our first time experiencing Halloween or any type of holiday."
The sweet girl remains silent, letting him speak as she copies his actions.
"We were sent to pick up a Jedi. I think it was Master Ki-Adi-Mundi if I recall right." He says, tapping his chin in thought. He was the one with the huge head, right? "Anyway, it doesn't matter. We had to retrieve someone from the temple."
"You got to see the Jedi Temple?" Omega asks, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Oh yeah. And let me tell you, that place was decorated with pumpkins." He grins, waving his hand as if he can magically make pumpkins line the walls of the ship. "We didn't quite know what he looked like, but we weren't afraid to ask someone. Unfortunately, it seemed like all of the masters were out for the day. The only Jedi we could find were the younglings running around the Temple."
"Younglings?" She asks, tilting her head.
"Yeah, they're the baby Jedi." Hunter quickly explains. "They weren't very old. Like five or six months."
"I think you mean five or six years." Omega chuckles, catching him off guard. "Only clone babies can walk at five months. Most humans don't begin walking until they're older."
"Right." He stutters, now seeing his mistake. He forgets that not everyone in the galaxy has enhanced aging as they do. He shakes his head. "But they were so excited for Halloween and wanted to show us everything."
"I'm sure that went well."
"It actually did for once." Hunter laughs. "Tech answered all of their pressing questions about the war and they answered his about the Jedi Order. They asked for rides on Wrecker's shoulders and he was more than happy to do it. A few even got on Cross's good side. He was actually smiling!"
"That's surprising." Omega teases, enjoying the story. She can almost picture it in her mind. Tiny Jedi like Mistress Shaak Ti running around and annoying her brothers. She's sure everyone was having a blast.
"It was," Hunter replies. "They loved showing us their decorations, but they were really proud of their pumpkin cravings."
"What did they make?"
"Crosshair's little buddy carved a silhouette of his favorite animal. I think it was a rancor? Three of the little punks that clung to Wrecker made what they thought were scary faces on theirs. Tech's tiny crowd designed images resembling lightsabers and ships."
"And yours?"
"Mine?" Hunter repeats.
"Yeah. You must have had at least one baby Jedi following you." She says, giggling at the phrase Hunter used to describe younglings to her.
He chuckles, digging back into his pumpkin. "Well, there was one little girl that stuck around me. She was pretty quiet, but she carved out a flower. She said it was her favorite from the Temple's garden."
A sad smile soon rests on Omega's face as she plops down a pile of pumpkin seeds. "It's odd to think that they're all gone now. The Jedi, I mean."
"Yeah," Hunter softly replies, his heart now suddenly aching. He hasn't thought about those younglings in years. Why does it hurt him so much now?
He looks up, watching Omega as she continues her work. Her tongue sticks out as she focuses on thoroughly cleaning out her pumpkin.
Those younglings would have been about her age now. They probably dreamed about what life was like outside of the Temple. They were probably like Omega, curious about the galaxy, and had desires to become strong leaders like their masters.
It's so disturbing to think about how they were just wiped out. Not a single one left. A galaxy once filled with powerful beings is now bare. Hunter hasn't heard anything about the padawan they helped on Kaller. As far as he knows, he's gone too.
Do any of his brothers think about those younglings too? Where they might have been when the order was given? What clones were in charge of executing the order on those younglings? Do they have nightmares about what they did?
Omega happily sighs, pulling him out of his depressing thoughts. "I think I know what I'm going to carve." She says.
"Oh yeah?"
"I'm going to carve our Bad Batch symbol." She grins, grabbing a pencil from Tech's drawer of disorganized junk.
"That's a good idea." Hunter smiles, looking back down at his pumpkin. "I'm going to carve Cid's face."
Omega laughs, holding onto her stomach and making Hunter grin. Every time he gets to hear her innocent, clear laugh his heart swells. She practically radiates joy with just her smile. He's so thankful to have her along.
"Here, you're going to want this eventually." He says, sliding her his vibroknife.
She gasps, cautiously grabbing it. "I get to use your vibroknife?"
"Well, I don't want you to hurt yourself using a dull knife." He teases with a scoff.
She grins, holding it up. "I can't wait to use this."
xxx
Omega groans, rising to her tiptoes to grab the color he requested. Awkwardly carrying it back in her arms, she lightly taps his shoulder with it to get his attention.
"You were lying before about the ghosts and pumpkins, right?" She hesitantly asks as she hands him the purple roll of fabric.
Crosshair removes the needle from his mouth, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. He then takes the roll from her hands, placing it off to the side. "Yes, Omega. My story wasn't real."
"I figured you were lying." She says, narrowing her eyes at him. She hops into the chair beside him, gently helping him flatten out the dark fabric. "Why would witches put ghosts into pumpkins to possess people?"
"Why wouldn't they?"
"Because that's stupid."
He softly smiles. "Then why'd you believe me?"
Omega shrugs, placing her hands in her lap. A blush forms on her cheeks. "I don't know." She mumbles, beginning to feel embarrassed. "I'm not used to being teased like that."
Crosshair sighs, rolling his eyes as he gets back to work. "I forget that your brain can't understand sarcasm yet."
"Huh?"
He shrugs his shoulder at her as he continues eyeing the project laid out in front of them. "Tech's yelled at me once or twice that my jokes go over your head because your kid brain can't figure them out. You're pretty quick on your feet, so I forget."
"I understand sarcasm." She defends with a pout. "Echo uses it sometimes."
"Yeah. But his is at a level you can understand, apparently." He says, threading the needle on the first try. He grumbles, tying a small knot. "I don't know. I'm not Tech. Ask him if you want to know what he means."
Omega hums. She figures it's probably best that she doesn't ask Tech what it means. He'd most likely go on about things that already go over her head. Understanding how her brain works isn't exactly something that she needs to know anyway.
"Well, can you try not to do it so often?" She asks as he begins to sew two pieces of fabric together. "It makes me feel confused and angry." She confesses, placing her chin on the table to watch him work.
She studies the way he focuses and how the needle seems to swim through the fabric, following a path that she can't see with her eyes. His eyebrows are furrowed, lost in his thoughts as he makes quick, tiny movements. She wants to ask him where he learned to do this, so amazed by his work.
He lets out a soft sigh as he expertly finishes off a backstitch. "Yeah, I'll try."
Her mood perks up and she gently smiles. "You can just tell jokes, you know."
"If you want jokes then you should talk to Wrecker." He replies as he shifts the fabrics to his likening. "He's the comedian of the squad."
She hums, agreeing with his statement. Wrecker is the funniest one out of them all, but that doesn't mean that the others never make her laugh. Though Tech's jokes usually involve higher thinking and Crosshair sounds annoyed when he says his, they've made her laugh plenty of times.
She leans forward, trying to get a better look at his work. "What are you doing?"
"I'm piecing together your mask." He says, his eyes not leaving the dark purple fabric. "They have long edges down their face. Hold still."
Omega freezes as he suddenly places the fabric over her eyes. He quietly mutters, making dashes on the piece before taking it off. She relaxes as he begins cutting another fabric to his likening then sewing the two new pieces onto the larger one.
He lightly smiles as he pulls back, seemingly pleased with his work.
"What do you think of it so far?" Crosshair asks, holding it out to her so she can see it better.
"It looks awful." She says without missing a beat. A scowl rapidly takes over Crosshair's face and Omega is quick to react. "I was just being sarcastic!" She says as she touches his shoulder. "It looks amazing, Crosshair. I really love it. Thank you." She comforts, hoping that she hasn't actually hurt his feelings.
He chuckles. That was a good one. She got him.
She takes the mask from his hands and puts it on. "Well, do I look scary?"
"Terrifying." He smiles, leaning back and admiring it on her face. He grabs the needle, placing it between his teeth. "I can't wait for you to scare Wrecker with it."
"And Echo." She darkly chuckles as she strokes the soft fabric that hangs just past her chin on both of her cheeks.
xxx
Omega hops onto one of the chairs, peering over Echo's shoulder as he begins chopping up some of the fruit for their homemade pie. "Can I please help you? Hunter let me use his vibroknife just the other day! I promise I'll be super careful."
"Hunter might let you use a knife, but I'm not taking any chances." Echo replies back. "I would hate for you to end up looking like this." He teases, holding up his cybernetic arm. Omega groans, tossing back her head as he laughs at his own joke.
"Then what can I do?" She asks, resting her chin in her hands. "I don't want to just watch you bake. I want to help you bake."
"Here," Echo says, sliding her the recipe. "Get these spices ready. Follow the recipe exactly how it says. Otherwise, we'll end up with another bluefruit bread disaster." He grumbles, shaking his head as he continues to chop.
"Bluefruit bread disaster?" She repeats, tilting her head at him.
Echo hums, rolling his eyes. "Wrecker thought that it would be a good idea to add more cinnamon than the recipe called for. I thought he was just going to add a touch more. He practically added the whole bottle! I couldn't get the taste of cinnamon out of my mouth for nearly a week."
Omega laughs, covering her mouth. "I'm sure Hunter really hated it."
"Oh, he couldn't touch the stuff, much less actually try it. The smell alone was enough to steer him away from it." He explains as he scrapes his apple chunks into a measuring cup.
"So what did you do with the bread?" She asks as she grabs a few measuring spoons out of the drawer.
"Wrecker tried to eat it multiple times to show us that it wasn't that bad and Tech was getting sick listening to him gag every time he tried to swallow it. Crosshair made the final decision to toss it out while Wrecker was asleep for everyone's sanity."
"You guys sure have a lot of good stories," Omega says as she closely follows the recipe. Carefully, she pours her spice into a mixing bowl, making sure that none of it spills out. "Do you have any other fun stories?"
"Like what?" Echo asks, glancing at her from over his shoulder. "I mean, I could tell you about the time that Hunter accidentally locked Tech and Crosshair in the ventilation system."
"No." She laughs, shaking her head. Though it's a good one, she's heard it plenty of times. Once from Tech's perspective. Twice from both Crosshair and Hunter. And three times from Wrecker. None of them were the same, aside from the part about Tech and Crosshair threatening to kill Hunter while he slept. "I mean from before you joined the Bad Batch. Do you have any stories from when you were an ARC trooper?"
A soft smile grows on the clone's face. "Yeah. I have lots of memories with the 501st."
She tilts her head, showing she's listening as she adds the last teaspoon of spice into her mixing bowl.
"You've met Rex before. He and I were pretty close." Echo begins as he takes her mixing bowl from her hands. Slowly, he twists his cybernetic hand inside, stirring the contents together like a mixer. Omega awes, watching him work with a grin. "But my closest brother was actually from my batch. Fives and I were both promoted to ARC troopers."
Omega blinks, the name sounding oddly familiar.
"There was this one time we were supposed to be on watch duty." He says, missing her confused face. "Fives and I were doing what we normally do, but this night, we just couldn't sit still. I don't know if there was something in the air or if it was something that we ate, but we were more hyper than Wrecker after he eats fizz-candy."
Omega giggles, loving the idea of Echo being as crazy as Wrecker.
"We decided that we were just going to go for a quick walk and get out all of our energy." He continues. "When we ran into this odd-looking creature. Let me tell you, Meg, that thing was ugly."
"Uglier than Cid?" She asks with a devilish grin.
He laughs, tossing back his head. "Yes. Even uglier than Cid." He agrees. "Fives had the brilliant idea to bring the thing back to camp to scare General Skywalker. So together, the two of us stuffed this creature into my backpack and made our way back to camp."
Omega squints her eyes at him. "No way this happened."
"Huh?"
"There's no way that you went along with scaring your general." She declares, pointing her finger at him. "You're all about following the rules. Crosshair told me a fake story the other day, so I'm betting that this is a fake one, too."
Echo scoffs, taking a step back from her. "It is not!"
She hums, keeping her glare on him.
"Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted," Echo says as he returns her glare. He dips his finger into the spice and taps some onto her nose, making her scowl and brush it off. "We managed to get the thing back to camp. Fives dumped the creature into General Skywalker's tent and we hurried to get back on guard duty. Only, Fives thought that he put it in General Skywalker's tent."
Omega's eyes widen. "Whose tent did he really put it in?"
"Commander Tano's." Echo chuckles.
"Who's Commander Tano?"
"She was a Togurta, like Master Shakk Ti." Echo quickly explains. "She was General Skywalker's padawan."
"So you put it in the wrong Jedi's tent?"
"Oh yeah." He laughs, making her smile. "But I think it turned out better that way. Commander Tano thought it was General Skywalker who put the creature in her tent. She yelled at him the next morning, vowing to get him back. The Jedi had no idea what she was talking about!"
"So did she get him back?" She eagerly asks.
"She sure did." Echo chuckles. "She asked me and Fives if we could distract General Skywalker while she hid frogs in his sleeping bag. You should have heard the scream that come out of his tent that night. General Skywalker went toe to toe with Sith users like Ventress and he sounded more scared of tiny frogs!"
She laughs as Echo continues to add ingredients to their apple pie. Soon, the conversation between them stops as they intensely make sure that everything is perfect. Soon, they put the pie into the oven for it to bake.
And finally, the name hits Omega.
"I think I remember hearing about Fives."
Echo hums, tilting his head at her.
"When I was on Kamino, AZI mentioned helping a clone. I think he said his name was Fives." She softly says, looking up at Echo. "I don't know all of it because AZI's memory of it was quickly wiped, but he was able to tell me some things."
"Like what?" Echo quietly asks.
"Well, he was helping one of his brothers. I don't remember his name, but something was wrong with him. I think Fives removed his inhibitor chip because Nala Sa was really upset when she returned to check on me. That's when I was told about the chips and what they were designed to do." She says.
"Do you know what happened?" He gulps, his heart beginning to wildly beat.
"I remember his brother dying. That's why I was so concerned about everyone getting their chip removed. I was afraid that might happen to you too." She deeply breathes, sitting closer to Echo. "I don't remember everything else that happened after that. But AZI mentioned something about flying around Kamino with Fives riding him."
Echo chuckles, tears settling in his eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like Fives."
"He really cared about his brothers. Nala Sa was complaining about how he wouldn't leave his brother alone." She kindly giggles, looking up at him.
Echo smiles. "Thank you for telling me this, Meg."
The timer beeps and Omega and Echo turn to look at the oven. "Let's see if it's ready!" She cheers, grabbing his hand and eagerly pulling him along to follow.
"Alright, alright. I'm coming!" He grins.
xxx
"What are you supposed to be?" Hunter asks with a playful scoff.
"I'm a gorog," Wrecker scoffs as he gestures to his costume. The others grumble, tilting their heads to try to see the creature he claims to be. "I was originally going to be a cthon, but I thought that might be too scary for the kid."
Echo frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's a little crude, don't you think?"
"Huh?" Wrecker replies.
"Don't overthink it, Wrecker." Crosshair mumbles from the side.
The giant scoffs and glares at his brother. "I don't see you in a costume!"
"I didn't volunteer to take Omega trick or treating."
"I want to take her trick or treating." Wrecker clarifies with a grin. He shrugs his shoulders, smirking at the sniper. "Besides, it'll be a lot more fun without you."
Crosshair rolls his eyes as Wrecker suddenly throws something at him. He catches it, hurling it right back at him. Quickly, a game breaks out between them as Tech shakes his head.
"One minute they're at each other's throats. The next, they're acting as if they've never fought once in their entire lives." He says, ducking his head before Wrecker's toss could hit him square in the face.
"I don't know which one I prefer," Echo says, watching as their shouts gradually grow louder with each trick shot.
"Ta-da!" Omega suddenly cheers, entering the room with Hunter close behind her. She asked him if he would help her into her costume. She wanted to keep it a surprise for the others and not rat out Crosshair too soon.
Tech adjusts his goggles, impressed with how well made her costume is. "Are you a fyrnock?"
"Yupp." She grins, giving a twirl of her costume so they can see the whole thing. They praise every little piece she shows them, even letting them touch the webbing between her legs and arms.
"I thought you wanted to go as a porg," Echo says, leaning back into his seat with a smile.
"I changed my mind." She shrugs. "Porgs are too cute. I wanted to be something scary! Fyrnocks live in the dark and have creepy eyes!"
"You're definitely scary, kid. You look just like the ones we saw on Anaxes." Wrecker smiles as he admires the sharp-looking claws on her hands and feet. "How did you get such a good costume anyway?"
Omega turns with a smile. "I asked Crosshair to make it for me."
Wrecker and Echo scoff, surprised at the news as Tech awes and nods his head. "That makes sense. His heightened eyesight and steady hands would make him skilled at sewing and crafting."
"Pft. Crosshair sewing." Wrecker teases under his breath, earning a glare from the sniper. Without warning, he hurls their makeshift ball at Wrecker's face, making him groan.
"You know, we really could have used your skills to sew our clothes back up again after that mess on Cato Neimoidia," Hunter says, crossing his arms over his chest.
Crosshair smirks, flicking his toothpick at Hunter. "You never asked."
"Okay, can we go trick or treating now? I really want to show off my costume to Cid." Omega begs, slightly jumping up and down to get their attention.
"Alright, alright." Hunter smiles, looking down at her. "You and Wrecker have a good time. Remember to stay near him."
"I will!" She cheers, quickly exiting the ship.
"Wrecker, don't let her out of your sights." Hunter orders, narrowing his eyes at him.
"I won't!" He defends, glaring at Hunter.
"We all know how easily you can get distracted," Tech says, leaning back against the counter.
"I do not!"
"Do too."
"Shut up, Crosshair!"
"Just get out of here, already." Echo sighs, waving him towards the door. They don't need to waste more time arguing about something that will most definitely happen. "She's probably already halfway to Cid's."
"Okay, okay! I'm going!" Wrecker says, holding his hands up. "See you later!"
"Bye!" They call out, watching him bolt out the door.
The four of them stare at the closed door as Tech says, "How long do you think it will be before we get the call that he lost her?"
"I give it a half-hour," Echo says with a shrug.
"That's generous." Hunter chuckles.
"Well, he won't call right away. He'll try to find her first." He clarifies with a smirk.
"I'll say an hour." Crosshair says, walking towards the back of the ship. "He'll think she's following him and she'll think he's following her. Then they'll both call that they're lost."
"You're on!" Echo grins, standing up to grab himself another slice of apple pie.
Outside, Wrecker and Omega eagerly go to Cid's. The place is packed with all kinds of different costumes, but Omega's is the best, there's no doubt. The Trandoschan immediately praises Omega for what she's wearing. "Tiny, you look amazing!"
"Thank you, Cid!" She grins, showing off her costume. "Crosshair made it for me."
"Grumpy did that?" She scoffs and Omega nods her head. "I didn't take him as a costume-making type." She grumbles, rolling her eyes.
"None of us did." Wrecker adds as he quickly steps beside Omega to separate her from the odd creature eyeing her. There's plenty of creeps out tonight and Wrecker won't let them get close to Omega.
"And what are you supposed to be, Muscles?" Cid huffs, gesturing to his poorly made costume. "You look like you pulled that out of the trash!"
"Hey!"
"You couldn't get your brother to make you a costume too?" Cid asks, making Omega giggle. She looks up at Wrecker, who playfully pouts and crosses his arms over his chest.
"Look, we're just here for free candy." He says.
Cid smirks. "I only give out candy to people who try and put an effort into their costumes." She says as she drops a handful of candy into Omega's bag. The little girl grins, seeing all of the different kinds. She had no idea that trick-or-treating would give you this much free food.
"Thank you!" She grins, tightly clutching her bag. When Cid turns around to help a different patron, the little girl drops a few pieces into Wrecker's bag.
"You don't have to do that, kid. There are plenty more places for us to stop." He says, shaking his head at her.
"I know, but I think Cid gave me a lot to share with you. I don't think she actually hates your costume. She just wants to uphold her reputation of being mean." She whispers with a smile in Wrecker's ear, making him loudly laugh.
"Right! This is the one night in the year where she can be mean and no one can call her out on it!" He cheers, making Omega burst into giggles. He grabs her hand, leading her out of the cantina. "Come on, 'Mega. Onto the next place!"
The two of them spend the entire night trick-or-treating. Neither one has to call that lost each other, rather, they receive a call from Hunter who demands to know what is going on. They both assure him that they're safe and having fun.
When they return to the ship, most of the lights are off. The four that remained behind wanted to stay up and make sure that they came back in one piece. Omega has Hunter help her out of her costume as Wrecker tells the story about him accidentally knocking over a cart filled with pumpkins, sending them rolling down the streets.
"Did you have fun tonight?" Hunter asks as he unzips the costume.
Omega steps out, glad to be free from it. Though Crosshair did a good job making sure that she would be warm in it, she got a little too warm. It's nice to just be in her regular clothes. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun." She smiles. "I can't wait to eat some of my candy."
"I don't think you should have any tonight. It's pretty late." Hunter says as he hands Crosshair Omega's costume back. The sniper eyes it, bringing it to the back of the ship.
"But I want to try at least one piece!" She says. "After all of that work, I deserve to eat some of it."
Hunter hums, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't know."
"Please, Hunter! It's Halloween!"
He sighs with a smile. "Alright. Only because you and Wrecker didn't lose each other tonight. You did good, 'Mega."
She cheers, rushing over to her bag.
"Wrecker, how did you manage to knock over an entire cart?" Echo scoffs as Omega hands him a piece of candy. The clone looks down at her, watching her give each brother a piece. Tech tilts his head and Hunter tries to deny it, but she insists. When Crosshair returns, she eagerly gives him one too.
After eating some of her candy and sharing everything she and Wrecker did tonight, Omega passes out in the seat beside Tech. The pilot, seeing her uncomfortable position, carries her back to her bed. "Tell the others good night for me." She mumbles, her eyes closed.
"I will." He says. "Good night, Omega. Happy Halloween."
"Good night, Tech." She slurs, falling back asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~