Cass mustered up her strength and leaped from the bed. Her eyes darted to her lightsaber hooked to Shand's belt, and grasped at it. The weapon flew to her fingers, and the green blade ignited with a deep buzzing whir. Her gaze darkened as she positioned the blade under Shand's chin, holding it as still as Fennec's eye contact.
"A bit jumpy, I see," Shand calmly stated.
"What am I doing here?" Cass growled, edging the blade closer to the bounty hunter's pulse. Fennec's unflinching gaze made her uneasy.
"I saved you from those Imps," she answered simply. "You got knocked pretty hard."
Cass squinted and knitted her brows together. "Am I supposed to thank you?" she scoffed.
Shand shrugged and poked the corner of her mouth with her tongue."Is it conceited to say yes?"
"Just a little," Cass deadpanned.
Shand glanced down at the emerald saber and blew out a breath. "You can ease off on that thing already. I've got a plan—and luckily, it favors us both." Her eyes trailed over Cass' arm then up to her face, watching the Jedi internally squirm under her undivided attention.
Cass' grip loosened as she tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"
"I can get you to the kid," Shand responded surely, not realizing Cass had no idea what had happened on Bracca.
Cass' chest tightened, her jaw clenched.
"Omega?" she repeated. "What happened to Omega?" she seethed through grit teeth.
"Another bounty hunter took her."
"What?" the Jedi gasped shortly. She tightened her fingers around the hilt of her saber and pushed forward again. "Are you partners in this?"
"Of course not," Shand sneered, almost offended at the accusation. "Cad Bane has the guild wrapped around his finger and I'm sick of him. It's time someone new took over."
Cass groaned at the thought of the slick blue Duros she had heard about from countless other Jedi. "I couldn't care less about the guild—what do you want with me?"
"I saw you fight on Pantora." Shand leaned further back in her chair, seemingly unfazed by the weapon hovering over her jugular. "I could use your skillset."
"And what makes you think I'll help you?"
"You want the kid back, don't you?" Shand raised a brow.
She considered Fennec's offer—she had to. It's not as it she had much of a choice other than killing her right there and stealing the ship.
Cass sighed and averted her eyes away for a moment. She didn't know all the details, nor could she fully believe Shand was telling the truth—but cooperating was her best bet out of there.
The Jedi swallowed and brought her gaze back up. "And what's in it for you?"
"Just lower your weapon and I'll take you to her," Shand requested.
"What, so you can just trick me and take her for yourself-"
"-You any good with machinery?" Shand interrupted and tilted her head.
Cass furrowed her brows and blinked incredulously. "W-What?"
"Answer the question," the bounty hunter repeated.
Cass exhaled sharply and rolled her eyes. "Yes—what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, I consider myself a fair woman so I'll strike you a deal," Shand smirked. "Here's how it's gonna go. Firstly, you're going to reconsider slicing my head off because I generously saved you from those Imps."
Cass stared daggers right back, then slowly and hesitantly lowered her saber.
"Good girl." Shand hummed, then bowed slightly. "And secondly, the power went idle about an hour ago from damage I took getting off Bracca, which means neither of us can get anywhere without getting it fixed. So you're going to fix my ship, and I'll return the favor by bringing you to the kid."
Cass squinted and pocketed her saber. "Again, what stops you from taking Omega once we get to her? We both know her bounty is higher than my own."
Shand pursed her lips and widened her legs as she leaned back in her chair. "Let's say you'll owe me a favor," she threw out nonchalantly.
Cass' eyes sharpened. "What favor?"
"I don't know," Shand averted her eyes and traced a finger around the proximity sensor, faking some sort of thought process. "I'll think of something," she smirked.
"I don't exactly love the idea of being in debt to a bounty hunter."
"Oh but I do," Shand brought her eyes back up and gazed cooly. "Having a Jedi in your back pocket is a luxury few can attain...especially now."
Cass crossed her arms and tilted her chin back. "How do I even know I can trust you?"
"You're alive aren't you?" Shand challenged. "I could've killed you—turned you in—sold you. I had my pick really."
"How thoughtful," Cass hummed impassively.
"Look," Shand impatiently clicked her tongue. "I'm giving you a chance, of which I give out very few. Are you gonna help me or not? There's a very nice vacuum of space I could shoot you into if you prefer that," she threatened calmly and gestured a hand out towards the darkness outside.
"Fine," Cass grunted. "But if you even think about crossing me and taking Omega for yourself...I will not hesitate to kill you."
Shand almost smiled. Almost. "Vicious words coming from a Jedi," she taunted.
"I'm not a—I just," Cass groaned in frustration and clenched her fists at her sides. "I just want Omega back with us, alright?" she huffed.
Now Fennec actually grinned, albeit thinly and sarcastically. "You got it hun."
Cass rolled her eyes and loosened her posture. "So where is Cad Bane going?"
"The Lido system," Shand swiveled back around and pointed to the map on her computer. "There's an abandoned Kaminoan cloning facility on Bora Vio. That's where he's meeting his client-"
"Where are my comms?" Cass patted her naked wrist, and checked the bunk where she laid before.
Shand ignored the slight panic and irritation in her tone. "At the bottom of my trash compactor," she answered cooly.
Cass cricked her jaw and glared at the back of Shand's head. "You took my comms but let me keep my lightsaber?" she scoffed.
"I can't let you contact them."
"And why not?" Cass pleaded rigidly. "They'll help us-"
"They'll help you," Shand corrected. "They'll have no problem killing me if they get the chance."
"I did threaten your life a few moments ago, if you forgot-"
"-But I know you'll hold up your end up the bargain. I can't say the same for them."
Cass' nails dug deeper into the skin on her palms with every other word. "Well I can vouch-"
"-Doesn't matter," Shand stared back at Cass through the reflection in the glass. "It's hard enough having you onboard, I don't need to deal with any clones either."
"Well at least let me tell them I'm okay," she petitioned and stared right back. "Otherwise you'll have a very determined engineer on your ass making sure your information is wiped from the guild and you'll never see another score again—or maybe Hunter will put a vibroblade in your back, whichever you prefer," she threatened casually.
Shand glanced over her shoulder and twisted her lips to one side. "I think I prefer the vibroblade," she answered, her voice thick with amusement.
Cass rolled her eyes again and raked a hand over the bandages on her head. At that point, she couldn't tell what was making her headache worse—the wound or the conversation.
"Look, you don't have worry about getting out of here alive with the kid. I intend to keep my word. I have no dispute with you or your little band of misfits," Shand jeered. "As soon as we're done, I'll be out of your hair."
"You better be telling the truth," Cass pushed.
"Well you're a Jedi aren't you?" Shand perked a brow and tilted her head from the pilot's seat. "Wouldn't you know if I was lying?" she teased smugly.
Cass already knew she was indeed being honest, but she couldn't stand to listen to the bounty hunter taunt her a second longer. She diverted her gaze away from the cockpit, one hand rubbed away at her temple as she sank into the thin bunk mattress.
"The deflector shield generator needs to be fixed and the stabilizer coils are shot. The capacitor bearings need to be replaced but...I'm sure you can figure it out," Shand explained giddily.
"Oh good, I was hoping the list would be short," Cass deadpanned. "Anything else, your highness?"
Shand chuckled. "You know what? The hyperdrive has been malfunctioning lately, why don't you take a look at it?"
Cass sighed and grit her teeth. "Did you bypass the compressor?"
"No," Shand answered shortly.
"Of course you didn't," Cass groaned under her breath. She raked her hands over her face, then peeked through her fingers to glare at the hunter. Her tongue poked against her cheek, then her palms planted against her knees and forced herself up while holding back scornful curses.
She found a heavy metallic toolbox tucked away to the right, piled alongside food rations and a long rifle. Cass picked up the toolbox and held it against her hip for support. She looked one final time over her shoulder, finding Shand in the process of entering Bora Vio into the nav system.
"You might wanna adjust the trajectory around Luhaar. The asteroid fields are in their far orbit right now, you don't wanna get caught up in those," Cass warned. "They'll pelt your ship right into oblivion."
Shand glanced sideways, seeing a blurry outline of the Jedi in her peripheral. She paused a moment. "Thanks," she said a bit unsurely, then adjusted the course as directed.
Cass nodded tiredly and left the conversation before Shand could retaliate with a snarky jab, and followed the paneling on the ground towards the rear of the starship.
She found the projector box and ran a finger along the hinges. She set down the toolbox and pried the paneling open to reveal a mess of short circuited wires covered in ash.
She sighed and shook her head, then bit down on her lip in concentration. She knitted her fingers into the wires, untangling one from the other. Dirt crawled under her fingernails as she blinked hard trying to shake away her pounding headache. She disconnected a few bands and resealed the ends, but when she grabbed the next few, the tips of her fingers lit up with a short shock.
She hissed through her teeth and shook her hand out. She rubbed her burning thumb and index together and noticed a little red mark engraving itself into her skin—one that looked extremely similar to the ones Tech adorned on his own hands.
She stared at the wires angrily, silent fuming at the stupid little multicolored wires that seemed to laugh in her face. She let her head fall back and her eyes close shut. She reached out in the force, but nothing called back.
He was too far away again.
She cursed under her breath and stuck her hands back into the wires. And after a few more irritable shocks, she was finished with the upper paneling. She tightened a few bolts that ran along the backside of the paneling, and secured the box flush against the wall. She brushed the rest of the ash off with a piece of cloth strewn aside, then clicked the manual override button.
She heard the generator whirr online, then quickly flipped the switch off again. She shut the paneling and picked up the toolbox, then meandered towards the opposite end of the ship. She climbed down the rear ladder and found herself beginning on the next task.
She scratched at her bandages and crisscrossed her legs on the floor, then spent a good amount of time meticulously removing the stabilizer coils one by one—as there was four of them lined where she sat. She removed every bolt and was sure to rearrange the wires more carefully this time around. She filed away at the ash and rusted metal, then put them all together again. By the time she finished, the tips of her fingers were raw and black.
She sighed heavily as she continued on to do the same thing with the capacitor bearings, except the bearings were far smaller and greater in number compared to the coils. Thankfully, she remained out of earshot from the bounty hunter, and grumbled endless profanities to herself.
She thought for instant how it would almost be better to get propelled out into space than to sit here.
Do it for Omega.
She forcefully shook the thoughts from her head and blinked back her frustrated tears. She swallowed hard and worked her hands faster to get the job done quicker.
Then finally came the hyperdrive.
She hopped down below the deck and into the floor grates, and assessed the machinery. The hyperdrive was battered alright, but still safe within the compartment it rested in. She clicked around and hurriedly disabled the compressor, which alerted the cockpit of the drive's activation.
She carefully hopped back out, climbed up the ladder, then plopped the toolbox right back where she found it in the hull.
"I fixed everything," she muttered and approached the cockpit.
"I see that everything is operational," Shand commented and activated the newly configured hyperdrive. She shot them off into hyperspace, then spun in her chair. "Good job."
Cass remained silent as her body aches tremored through her limbs.
Shand tilted her head and crossed one leg over the other. "You got a name, Jedi?"
Cass ignored the request and averted her eyes distantly into the blue of hyperspace.
"I'm not gonna bite, I promise. I don't plan on turning you in," Shand reassured and raised her hands innocently. "I'd rather mind my business and follow my puck than risk being beheaded by a Jedi."
Cass had thought about beheading her once or twice while working away at the ship, but never considered it in actuality. And Shand—being the shrewd hunter she was—knew that. Shand put a lot of her trust in her knowledge of Jedi morals, knowing that Cass wouldn't kill her under the circumstances, and to Cass' dismay—she was right.
After imagining Shand's head roll and land at her feet, Cass' eye line eventually matched up with hers. She looked the hunter once over and finally exhaled.
"Cassiopeia."
Shand nodded slowly in approval. "Like the constellation or the Alderaanian queen?"
Cass' shoulders relaxed. She tucked her lips to the side to hide her excitement at someone actually recognizing the origin of her name—of which only one other person had done before, that person being Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Like the constellation," she muttered in response.
"It's a quite a mouthful." Shand hiked up a leg and brought her knee to her chest.
"Glad you like it," Cass deadpanned tiredly and played with the hem of her jacket.
After a few silent and uncomfortable moments, Shand clicked her tongue. "So...you just gonna stand there or..."
"No—I'm um..I'm just gonna meditate out here," Cass scratched at her bandages and sheepishly shuffled away from the cockpit.
Shand shrugged and spun back around in her chair as Cass rounded the corner and plopped onto the bunk once more. She got into position and rested her hands on her knees. She leaned her head back and let it gently rest against the wall behind her, easing the tension in her neck.
She let her eyes fall shut as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. For someone who had been unconscious for who knows how long, she sure was exhausted. But from the short glance of the map she got, she knew they would be pulling out of hyperspace at any moment, and she needed to be ready to find Omega.
Meditating and sleep was what her body needed, but doing so would only relax her more. She needed to stay awake, she needed to stay active—and more importantly, she needed to keep her mind off of Tech and the others.
She peeked her eyes open and lolled her head to the side. She noticed the weapons that lined the walls, almost like decoration, pieces from all around the galaxy hanging like trinkets. Her gaze traveled to the other side of the room, where a square chunk of cardboard and little spots of silver caught her eye.
She carefully got out of bed and wandered to the left, then bent down to pick up the metallic darts strewn about. She rolled each one in her hand, then backed up and aligned herself up with the board.
She pinched one between her fingertips and threw it. The dart just barely missed the wall and hit the edge of the board, causing Cass to purse her lips. She picked up a second and threw it, thought it was no better than the first. She threw another, and another, only growing more frustrated with each one.
She hated how quiet the ship was, she hated how empty it felt—how empty it made her feel. She hated how her pulse pounded in her ears and hated how the bandages rubbed against her scalp. Everything was making her skin crawl and she just wanted to be home.
Shand's smug remarks and the fact that she couldn't get one kriffing dart to land somewhere near the middle was only adding to the irritability that her exhaustion brought her, not to mention she forgot to eat a ration bar when she had the chance.
She called the darts back to her with a motion of her fingers, and began again. She clenched her jaw and continued throwing—and missing—until Shand followed the sound of her cursing.
"Is this what mediating looks like?" Shand laughed cooly as she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "The temple must have had their hands full."
Cass glared at the board and imagined it was Shand standing there instead. "I'm just trying to keep my mind occupied," Cass huffed as she threw another dart.
"Hm," Shand hummed and glanced over at the board. "You know you're supposed to aim for the middle, right?"
Cass grit her teeth and let another dart slip through her fingers. "Do you need something?" she hissed lowly.
"No," Shand shrugged as her eyes wandered back to Cass. "How's your head?"
Cass threw the last dart and shifted her weight to one side. "Kriffing hurts like hell still," she groaned.
"Maybe you should rest?" Shand suggested.
"I don't think so," Cass scoffed and crossed her arms. She hadn't had any nightmares for a few days now, and she wasn't about to jeopardize her winning streak just for a headache.
Shand turned away for a moment, and her movement caught Cass' eye. Shand reached into a cabinet low to the ground and with delicate gloved fingers, she pulled something out of a bottle.
"Here," Shand said as she tossed a little pill Cass' way. "I need you in one piece if we're gonna take down Bane."
Cass caught the oblong red pill, then laid it flat out in her palm. Symoxin. She glanced up at the hunter through her brows, then back down at the pill. She rolled it in her fingers, then popped it into her mouth and swallowed.
"It should kick in within a few minutes," Shand commented.
Cass forced herself to nod at the raven-haired woman. "Thank you," she peeped.
Shand returned the nod, then walked back into the cockpit. The ship lurched out of hyperspace, causing Cass to follow her towards the front.
"My tracker tells me he's on the south end of the facility. I'm gonna land slightly west and hopefully find the client before Bane does," Shand announced aloud and maneuvered the ship into the atmosphere.
"No," Cass shook her head and pointed a finger. "Land there. East side."
Shand glanced up through her brows. "Why?"
"All of these shuttles are SST-64s, see the round nosecones? These have been out of production for a few years now."
Shand squinted. "So?"
"So...look at that ship there," Cass dragged her finger towards a random ship piled in with the rest.
"It looks like a standard Kaminoan ship. There's dozens of them parked around the perimeter," Shand retorted.
"That one has a sharp nose, it's a 67. Those are in circulation now. That means whoever is meeting Bane arrived in that ship," Cass argued firmly. "Land there," she repeated.
Shand perked her brows, and let an impressed grin lace her lips. She didn't argue with the Jedi, and instead tilted her hands and swerved the ship exactly where Cass directed.
Shand cut the engines and stood up, then walked past Cass and placed her helmet over her head. She strapped a few explosives to her side and double checked her blaster, occasionally peering over at Cass who observed silently.
"You want any dentons?" Shand spoke up and gestured to one of the small bombs attached to her hip.
Cass shook her head and lifted her poncho, then pointed to the weapon at her own hip. "I've got all I need."
Shand shrugged and tapped against the wall plate, opening the entrance. She carefully peered outside, then exited the ship with Cass following closely behind.
They jaunted through the landing bay and steered onto the wide walkway that encircled the domed building. Both of them held their breath as they stayed close to the inner wall, their ears remained perked even as they rounded numerous corners and hallways.
"Wait," Cass called out quietly and tugged on Shand's arm.
Shand naturally followed the tug and laid flat against the wall besides the Jedi, then drew her blaster. She watched carefully, looking between Cass and the end of the corridor.
Cass' intuition was stronger than Shand's ears, so it took a moment before they heard slow footsteps echoing down the hall. An elongated white figure soon walked past them, causing Cass to linger her hand over her saber.
"Is that the client?" Cass whispered and looked over her shoulder at Fennec.
"Yes," the woman nodded. "Taun We."
Cass' face scrunched and her mind immediately began racing around. "But she's the Prime Minister's aide."
"And I care why?" Shand scoffed.
"I don't expect you to care," Cass rolled her eyes, then returned her gaze forward. "I'm just concerned why the Kaminoans want Omega back on Kamino badly enough to hire you both."
"I don't know, but we need to get moving."
Cass nodded and let Shand take the lead again. Their eyes followed up ahead and watched Taun We cautiously meander through the fog.
Shand grasped her blaster and raised it in Taun's direction, which quickly raised a red flag for Cass.
"What are you doing?" Cass glanced between the blaster and the slit in Fennec's mask.
"You do your job and I do mine," Shand shrugged her off and never wavered her stance.
"Don't-" Cass warned.
Shand fired a shot forward, perfectly landing between Taun We's shoulder blades, instantly knocking the Kaminoan and her credits to the ground.
"Was that necessary? I didn't exactly agree on you killing anyone!" Cass groaned lowly and glared at Shand in confusion. "I could have easily disabled her."
Shand ignored her protests and approached the lifeless body. She squatted down and picked up the case of credits, checked the contents, then closed the case again.
"Do you even have a plan?" Cass grumbled.
"I'm gonna negotiate," Shand mocked and gestured the credits in the air. "You should know all about that, right?"
"I told you you'd be sorry when my friends showed up," a small voice cried out angrily from beyond the fog.
"Quiet," another deep voice said.
Cass' body stiffened and her eyes widened. She took a step forward, but Shand swiftly caught her by her forearm.
"Easy, Jedi," Shand tilted her head warningly. "If the kid sees you, she'll blow it. Stay here and wait for my signal."
Cass clenched her jaw and hesitated, then regretfully nodded. She backed up away from Taun We's body as Shand stepped past it. Cass rounded a corner, but kept her head poked out to remain within earshot.
"Taun We?" Omega gasped. "She needs help!"
"None you can give," Cad Bane's grainy voice answered.
Shand disappeared into the fog, going out of Cass' sight and into Omega's. "He's right."
"Fennec Shand," Bane hissed.
"Hello, Bane," Shand welcomed, and Cass could hear the grin on her face.
"You got no business messin' with my score."
"You of all people know it's all about the price. Besides, she was my score first," Shand replied cooly. "Omega and I go way back. Don't we?"
Omega didn't respondor even make a peep, and Cass' stomach dropped a bit.
Bane scoffed. "You lack the experience to be goin' up against me."
"Yet I'm the one who has the payment," Shand smirked and shook the case beside her.
"That's my case you're holdin'," his voice raised pointedly. "Hand it over and I'll let you walk outta here."
"How about a trade?" Shand hummed. "The case for the girl."
Bane paused and shifted his weight. "Sounds fair...you first."
Cass heard a dull hum approaching and looked in the opposite direction. A small shape quickly floated in and appeared in her eye line, manifesting itself in the form of a Todo-360 droid. The speed of the droid picked up and it became clear that it wasn't going after herself, but rather at the case up ahead.
"Kriff," Cass cursed under her breath and left her post to follow after the droid. She leaped out and scooped the droid into her arms before it could pass her.
She tumbled back into the hallway to stay out of sight, but the droid immediately began kicking and hitting at her arms and side.
"Bane! Bane!" the droid cried. "Let me go, you heathen!"
"Stay quiet or I will slice you in half," Cass grit her teeth and squeezed the cold droid tighter against her body.
The Todo droid prodded her with his hand and sent a short electrocution through her body, causing her to cry out and jump back.
She recovered quickly and angrily pulled on the droid's leg, but the second time it shocked her—this time with a higher frequency—it made her drop the droid altogether.
She fell to her knees as the droid scurried away and disappeared into the fog. Cass took a shaky breath and jumped to her feet, then sprinted hurriedly after it.
"I've got the case!" the droid yelled as it swiped the credits from Shand's hand.
Before Shand or Bane could react, Cass sprinted out and dropped down, sliding her way across the floor beside the Todo to kick the case from it's tiny hands. She raised her fingers and swiped the case in Shand's direction, landing it back at her feet.
Shand swiftly picked the case up and swiveled her body to tuck it behind her, while Cass stood up beside her and caught her breath.
"Cass?" Omega's mouth gaped as she tried to run out to her sister.
Cass saw the fear in the child's eyes and it killed her not to take her forcibly. But there was a higher chance of Omega's safety if she played along and cooperated with Bane, and hopefully received a successful trade.
"A partner?" Bane scoffed and tugged Omega harder to his side. "What—couldn't handle catching scores by yourself?" he asked pointedly at Shand.
"I don't need a partner," she denied smugly and jutted her chin sideways, "but you have something she wants."
"The kid is mine and I'm gettin' my credits," Bane squinted and gripped Omega's arm tighter. "I'm not scared of you or your little friend here."
"No?" Shand smirked and tilted her head. "Well you should be."
Cass twisted her fingers outwards and called her saber from her hip. Keeping it pointed downwards, she ignited the weapon in her hand, and the fog illuminated to a bright emerald green.
Bane's eyes grew wide. "A Jedi?" he sneered and stepped back.
"Hand her over and we'll give you the credits," Cass spoke firmly and calmly, somehow hiding the fear rising from the back of her throat.
Bane's eyes flicked from Cass to Shand, then back to Cass. His fingers constricted around his blaster, and moved the weapon closer to Omega's side.
"She's only going to ask you once," Shand added in smoothly with another wave of the case. "Better make a decision now."
Bane waited another moment, considering his options. His eyes darted quickly to the corridor to his right, and the women immediately deciphered his plan.
He threw Omega aside, causing her to stumble down the hall. Shand raised her blaster and shot at Bane just as he did the same, but Cass lifted her saber quick enough to deflect it.
"Run, Omega!" Cass called out.
Omega did as she was told and hurriedly tumbled through the abandoned facility. Shand kept steadily shooting at Bane while Cass quickly advanced towards him. His shots proved useless, so he rounded a corner and pulled a toxin grenade from his pouch.
He discarded the bomb in their direction, causing it to flare out in their faces. The thick fog erupted through their mouths and nostrils, causing them to cough and stumble back.
Cass disengaged her saber and tucked her poncho over her mouth. She hurriedly sprinted away from the toxins, being sure to grab Shand on the way. Shand wheezed and continued to catch her breath, while Cass gently guided the hunter out of the haze and down a short corridor. Fennec palmed a free hand against the closest wall, her eyes brimmed with tears to flush out the gas.
"Go," she coughed and patted Cass' forearm. "Go get Omega."
Cass exhaled sharply and nodded, then gripped her saber tighter and sprinted away. She avoided the poisonous residue that lingered in the air up ahead, and instead took the interior maze of corridors.
She slowed down and started sidestepping through the halls, keeping one hand laced against the wall behind her. She searched for Omega's familiar energy, and when she found it—she latched onto it.
The corners she mindlessly explored soon became corners she naturally rounded to find the child. The intuitive feeling in her gut eventually brought her to a dark room in the center of the building, and to her delight—it also brought her to a head of blonde curls.
"Omega!" Cass called out, and the child practically jumped out of her boots.
"Cass!" Omega gasped and ran straight into the Jedi's arms.
Cass squatted down and held Omega close to her chest, her hands tightened around the kid's chest as fragile breaths escaped her lips.
An explosion sounded in the distant—no doubt being the sound of the two bounty hunters fighter over the credits—and Omega instinctively squeezed her arms around Cass' neck.
"I've got you," Cass reassured her and brushed her hand over the back of Omega's head. "I've always got you, okay?"
Omega nodded and tucked her face deeper into Cass' neck. Their eyes brimmed with tears, being both a mixture of fear and relief. Cass pressed a short kiss against Omega's temple, then pulled away and held her face in her hands.
Her eyes grazed over Omega's face, and her fingers ran across the kid's jawline and down her arms in search of any scrapes or burns. Cass tightly smiled at the sight of Omega's spotless face and squeezed her hands.
Omega did the same to Cass, though her eyes lingered on the bandages wrapped around Cass' head.
"What happened?" Omega pointed and squinted at the cloth.
"I didn't have the most graceful landing like you guys," Cass joked bittersweetly. "But I'm okay."
"And...what were you doing with that—that bounty hunter?" Omega winced and puckered her lips.
"She found me on Bracca," Cass answered slowly. "I didn't wanna be there but when she told me you were in danger, I had no other choice than to stay with her...and I'm so glad I did."
Omega grinned and planted a classic peck to Cass' forehead. Cass let out a relieved laugh and stood up, then returned the favor.
Omega scrunched her nose and peered up. "Now how to we get out of here?"
"I'm not sure. My comms are busted," Cass sighed and showed off her empty wrist. "We're gonna have to get a hold of the boys another way."
Omega pointed to the large dull screen behind them and wandered to the dash. "How about this? I was able to send a short message from my comm but I bet this has enough power to send a stronger signal."
"That's my smart girl," Cass applauded and sided next to her. "Now let's get this thing online."
. . . . . .