Hunter carefully helped Omega step up the rocky terrain of the mountain side. He wasn't all for the mission, especially after Tech crashed the Marauder into the ground. They were lucky enough that no one was hurt, but the modified Omicron was deemed unsafe. Fires had spread through the ship meaning they couldn't stay there for the night.
"Good news, Hunter," Tech's voice piped up from behind him, "There appears to be a storm passing by tonight. The Marauder should be safe enough to return to by dawn."
Hunter withheld an exaggerated sigh. They shouldn't have crashed in the first place, then they wouldn't be stuck on the rocky planet more than they needed to be.
"Do we have the necessary supplies to spend the night?"
The Sargent could sense his brother's awkward movements as he glanced back at his datapad.
"No, we don't," Echo chimed in. "We have one ration bar and a little bit of bacta enough for a scratch. We were supposed to head to town today and restock, remember?" Leave it to Echo to bring his positivity into every situation. At least he was realistic, which sometimes wasn't what Hunter wanted to hear, but needed too.
"Alright. We'll spend the night in the cave up ahead. Try and get some rest because we'll need to move out bright and early. Clear?" Hunter called out to the rest of his squad.
"I don't see why we can't head to town now?" Wrecker mumbled.
"Not everyone can keep up with the constant climbing like you, Wrecker. You're built more for this kind of environment, unlike the rest of us, aside from Hunter," Tech quipped, to which he received a slap on the back from his larger brother.
"You're just sayin' that 'cause you're out of shape," Wrecker teased.
Tech, clearly offended, responded quickly. "That has nothing to do with this, Wrecker. Besides, Omega needs rest."
Omega turned around at the mention of her name. "I feel fine. I'm not really that tired."
"Ha! See, Tech." Wrecker laughed, picking up Omega and setting her on his shoulder while his genius brother grumbled under his breath.
It didn't take much longer to reach the caves. By the time they all arrived, the sun had started setting, hiding behind the small mountain they had hiked. It wasn't an ideal shelter from what Hunter observed. The walls inside were wet from the last rain and the humidity combined. The temperature was far from what they were used to, but it was better than being out in the open where they were vulnerable.
"If we follow this path a little ways down, the shelter will do its job shielding us from the heavy rain that will start around 2300. I suggest we set up camp." Tech looked at Hunter, taking his helmet off.
Omega didn't mind the situation they were in. To her it was exciting despite what her brothers thought. It was a new environment and a new adventure awaiting. Tapping Wrecker's shoulder signaling to get down, she hopped off and ran ahead of the others. There were crystals stuffed into the cave walls, sending off a soft yellow glow. Omega had never seen such pretty rocks before. She carefully ran her hand over the gems, admiring their beauty. Further up she could hear the sound of gushing water and see ever so slightly the blue hue of the falling liquid. She didn't know that caves could have waterfalls in them. Maybe Tech would take her over there later.
"Omega, come back over here!" Echo's voice called out. Sighing in disappointment that she couldn't explore more, the young clone started walking towards the batch. Suddenly, a feeling of dread washed over her as a low rumble shook the ground. She lost balance, landing hard on the rocky floor. The ground continued to shake a few seconds longer until it finally came to a halt.
"What was that?!" Omega exclaimed.
"It appears that the area has just experienced a cataclysm of violent temblors," Tech concluded.
"Is this cave still safe?" Echo questioned, looking around to see if there was any serious visible damage.
"Hm, it's hard to tell. I'll need a few minutes to scan the area before I can give an accurate answer. One moment." Tech walked towards the entrance with Echo tagging alongside him.
"You alright, 'Mega?" Wrecker asked, seeing as she still hadn't moved from her position. He took a closer look at her face, just then noticing the worry on it.
"Omega?" Hunter repeated, catching on.
"I-I think I heard a crack." Her words shook as she said them, looking fearfully at him.
"Step back, Wrecker." The Sargent gestured the muscular clone away.
"I can help!" Wrecker insisted, not being able to stand to see the kid in distress.
"I know, but not right now." Wrecker gave Omega one last concerned look before stepping back.
Hunter slowly stepped closer to her. "Hang on just a second, kid." Inch by inch he reached to where the girl was. She was telling the truth about the crack. He could see a dark line carved into the ground just in front of her. However, he couldn't go any closer without causing the line to grow. Hunter cursed in his head.
"Kid, you're gonna have to jump to me, okay?" He watched as her eyes widened.
"I can't make that jump!"Omega glanced worriedly at the distance between her and Hunter. She wouldn't make it. She already knew that.
"You'll be fine," Hunter tried to convince her, "I'll catch you. I promise."
Omega, still hesitant, but trusting Hunter's words, nodded. She slowly stood up, wincing as the sound of rocks crumbling beneath her echoed through the cave. On wobbly legs she prepared to place more weight on the ground.
"Ready?" Hunter held his arms out to her.
"Ready," Omega said back. She took her stance, closing her eyes as she launched herself the furthest she could from where she was.
Hunter leaned forward, catching the girl just as he said. He let out a sigh of relief. "See, that wasn't so—" His heart stopped as he felt his body sink down with the rocks that decided to slant inward.
"Wrecker!" He shouted in a last minute attempt for help, but it was too late. The ground gave away, sending him and Omega falling into darkness.
I'm finally on Spring Break!!! I'll make sure to write more this week. Happy Saturday<3