We walked off through the plants, Hunter leading us. I was right behind him. I could hear Omega laughing and running; being curious.
"So this friend of yours, what's he doing all the way out here?" Echo asked suspiciously.
"Hiding," Tech responded. "That's what deserters do."
"Staying off the radar's not our specialty, but he's been doing it for years," Hunter said.
"And you trust a deserter?" Echo said.
"Why not? We're all deserters now," Tech responded, almost sarcastically.
I had just noticed the tripwire when Hunter pulled us to a stop. Omega nearly walked into it when Hunter stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"What are we looking at?" Omega asked curiously.
"A booby trap," Hunter said factually.
"Single trip wire," Wrecker scoffed as he stepped over it. "That's cute!" he laughed.
Hunter reached out his hand, trying to stop him from going to far when Wrecker tripped the laser wire. A bunch of lifeless battle droids popped up around him. He blasted two of them when Hunter stopped him.
"Easy, Wrecker!" Hunter ordered.
Wrecker stopped shooting, taking a look at his surroundings. "Was that me?" he asked.
"What do we have here?" a pink twi'lek stepped out from her hiding place, pointing a rifle at us.
I looked at Hunter, a scared look on my face. He put his hand on my shoulder, comforting me. A clone stepped out beside her, holding a blaster.
"More clones who have lost their way," she continued. The clone looked at her and nodded. she lowered her rifle.
"It's been a while, fellas," the clone said.
Not a word was said as we walked towards the house. I made sure that Omega was near to me as we walked, not letting her out of my sight.
When we made it to the house, we were offered a drink.
"I see a few new faces," the twi'lek said.
"Echo, Shadow, and Omega, Cut and Suu," Hunter said, gesturing to the people he named.
"Pleased to meet you," she said.
"Ma'am," Echo said.
"Likewise, I'm sure," I said, still unsure of these people.
"Where's Crosshair?" Cut asked.
"It's complicated," Hunter replied.
"Sounds familiar," cut said. "Rex told us about the clone troopers turning against the Jedi."
"You talked to Rex? When?" Echo said, taking a step forward.
"Well, he passed through yesterday," Cut replied, setting his glass down.
"Where'd he go?"
"Didn't ask. He was going on about some behavioural implant."
"He must mean the inhibitor chip," Omega said, stepping in between Hunter and I.
"The what?" Hunter asked. I glanced worriedly at Hunter, then at Omega.
"Inhibitor chips," she said casually. "The Kaminoans implanted them in the clones to modify their behaviour.
"Tech, you said the regs were programmed, but you never mentioned a chip," Hunter said, looking at Tech.
"How else did you think it worked?" He replied.
The door opened suddenly, and we all turned towards it. I put my hand on my blaster, but Hunter put his hand on my arm, stopping me from pulling it out. Two twi-lek kids ran in.
"Mom, Dad!" the kids called. "There's a ship outside!"
"Shaeeah, Jek! Remember me?" Wrecker called out. the kids ran towards him.
"Uncle Wrecker!" they shouted. Wrecker greeted them warmly.
"Who are you?" the blue twi-lek asked, looking at Omega.
"Omega," she answered.
"We never see kids around here," Shaeeah said. she grabbed Omega's hand. "Come with us."
Omega stopped before the door, looking at Hunter. He nodded, and the kids ran outside.
"Shadow, if you want, I have some clothes you could wear. If you want to get out of that armor," Suu offered.
"Thanks, Suu," I grabbed the clothes, stepping into the bathroom to change. I finished quickly and stepped back outside, putting my armor in the ship. I walked back to the house but didn't go inside, sitting on the steps.
"You alright, Shadow?" Hunter asked. I looked up. He was leaning against the wall.
"It's all a little overwhelming, Hunter," I replied, taking my place next to him. "I want Omega to be as safe as she can be, but while we're fugitives, she can't. I like to keep an eye on her."
"I do the same, Shadow," he said, meeting my eyes. "She's safe here. You can relax."
I shook my head. "I don't think I can, Hunter."
Our conversation was cut short by Cut joining us. "Alright, out with it. What's with the girl?"
"She's a defective clone, like we are," Hunter responded.
"Not exactly," Cut said, cutting into our argument. "The Kaminoans don't create without a purpose. You all have one, so, what's hers?"
"It doesn't matter. She's just a kid."
"And Shadow?"
"She's also just a kid."
"I'm not a kid!" I said defensively. I paused, then sighed. "I'm not a clone, Cut. I was taken by the Kaminoans at the age of 16 to protect Omega. To be her guardian."
"Shadow, you're both under our protection now," Hunter said, almost warningly. "We won't let anything happen to either of you. I want you to relax."
I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"Battling droids was easy compared to raising a child. Two children, even harder," he chuckled. "You have no idea what you're in for."
"We didn't have a choice. Kamino wasn't safe anymore for the two of them," Hunter said.
"Well, neither is Saleucami. Rex warned us of the storm that's coming," Cut said. "Clone troopers have already started showing up. I'm heading into town to book us transport off-world."
"We can take you where you need to go," Hunter offered.
"Nah, you're wanted men. Too risky," Cut declined. "I have to do what's best for them," he gestured to the kids.
He walked inside, leaving Hunter and I outside. We watched the kids, Shaeeah and Jek teaching Omega how to catch.
"I caught it!" she exclaimed excitedly.
Hunter smiled, the first genuine smile I'd seen in a long time.
"Why don't you go play with them?" he asked in a low voice. "You need to relax. Let loose. Play for a bit. Besides, that way you can watch Omega even closer."
"Alright," I shrugged my shoulders, joining the kids.
We threw the ball around for a while. I showed them a few tricks of my own that I knew, like bouncing a ball on my knees, or hitting it with my head. After a few minutes, Cut and Hunter walked out, wearing civilian clothing.
"I'll be right back, Omega," I told the small clone before running towards the adults. "Hunt, where are you going?" I asked as I came to a full stop, nearly plowing into them.
"We're going into town, to book a transport for Cut's family," Hunter explained, stopping to talk to me.
"Can I come?"
"Why don't you stay? Keep playing. We'll be back in no time."
"But, Hunter--"
"Stay, Shadow. I'll make Tech, Echo, and Wrecker keep an eye on you if I have to."
"Alright, alright. I'll stay," I said reluctantly.
"Thank you, Shadow," he gave my shoulder a pat and then he and Cut walked off.
I dragged myself back to the kids, rejoining their game of catch. After a while, Shaeeah ran inside. We kept playing without her, though. On her turn, Omega accidentally threw the ball past the fence.
"I'll get it!" she called.
"It's past the fence, we'll get it later," Jek stopped her.
Shaeeah soon came outside, calling Jek.
"I should get it," Omega muttered.
"Omega, it's past the fence. Whatever the reason, you can't get it now," I said.
"But it's my fault. I should be the one to get it."
I rolled my eyes at her persistence. "Alright, fine, we'll go together."
We made our way through the fence, easily finding the ball. It was a little ways out from the fence, so I kept my eyes and ears peeled. Shaeeah yelled our names, catching our attention. We turned, facing her.
"Omega, Shadow, don't move," she yelled.
"Why not, Shaeeah?" I asked.
There was a low growl behind me. I slowly turned around, facing a large, sharp-toothed creature. I pushed Omega behind me, reaching for my blasters. Blast! I left them inside because I was playing. I reached for my vibroknife, but alas, it was also left inside. The creature stalked forward as Omega and I slowly moved back. It pounced slightly, reaching forward with its claws. I screamed in pain as the claws made contact with my arm, pulling me towards it. I put up a fight, though the claws still had a grip on me. Once I had loosened myself from the claws, I gave the creature a kick in the face. It shook its head angrily, swiping its claws, getting me on the shoulder. I let out another scream of pain. A shot whizzed past my head, hitting it directly in the face. I crawled backwards, getting out of its grasp when Hunter ran past me, his vibroblade already out of its sheath. The creature didn't seem to give up until another shot came from the roof. I managed to get Omega through the fence, following her. Hunter wasn't far behind us.
I laid on the ground, panting, the pain beginning to get worse as the adrenaline wore off.
"What were you two doing out there?" Hunter asked angrily. "Do you realize you could've been killed? And Shadow, I'm especially angry with you. You're older, you should know better. You should've at least had your knife with you!"
I shut my eyes, not wanting to see the look of disappointment that I was sure was on his face.
"Easy, Hunter. They're not soldiers," I heard Cut say.
He checked Omega, making sure she wasn't hurt. He soon carried her off, telling the others that she would be fine.
"You should check on Shadow, though. I thought I saw blood," he called back.
Hunter and the others turned their gazes towards me. I slowly waved at them with the arm that wasn't injured.
"Come on, let's get you inside. I'll look at your wounds once we're inside," Hunter said, gently helping me sit up.
"I-I'm sorry, Hunter. It's just--"
"Don't explain right now. I'll get the full explanation later, after you've been treated," he said, helping me stand.
We walked inside, his hand on my back as we walked side by side.
"Suu, do you have a medkit?" Hunter asked.
Suu handed him a medkit, rushing the children out of the room. I took a seat on the chair provided and he began treating the long, deep gashes that were on my left arm. I winced at the pain, pulling my arm out of his grasp, cradling that arm. He glanced up worriedly at me before gently pulling my arm out to keep treating it. He began bandaging my arm, making sure the bandage was tight, but not too tight. He finished wrapping my arm, setting the rest of the bandages aside for the next wound. He began to look at my shoulder wound when I stopped him.
"Can't we take a break, Hunter?" I said. "Please? It hurts."
"You want me to finish treating your wounds, or do you want to give me a full explanation?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I-I can explain now," I said.
Hunter sat back in his seat, waiting for the explanation.
"We were just playing catch, like we were before you left. I showed them a few tricks, and we kept playing around. Omega accidentally threw the ball past Jek's head and past the fence. She offered to get it, but Jek said we'd get it later; that it was past the fence. Jek went inside, and Omega was persistent about getting the ball. She insisted it was her fault. I wouldn't have let her go alone, though. So we went together, getting the ball. I didn't realize there was an animal out there, Hunt. I wouldn't have gone out if I knew there was," I finished.
Hunter sat there, thinking.
"Are you gonna punish me our not?" I asked, tired of waiting.
"I don't know, Shadow. You did disobey the rule that the family has in place here, but it wasn't completely your fault. Besides, these scratches should be enough of a punishment," he said, pulling my sleeve away from my shoulder so he could get a better look at the wound.
"I guess," I said, inhaling sharply at his touch.
He made quick work of treating the wound, and soon, it was bandaged up, like my arm.
"Thanks, Hunt. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone past the fence, even though Omega was persistent."
"I think you've learned your lesson. Why don't you go see Omega?" he said, closing the medkit.
"Okay. Thanks, Hunter. For everything," I said.
I decided to see if Omega was in the ship, so I climbed the steps to the ship, seeing Echo and Tech.
"Hey, guys," I said, seeing them.
"Shadow, what are you doing here?" Echo asked.
"I wanted to see what you were up to, why?"
"I just got the ship impounded. They're on their way to get the ship," Tech explained.
"What? Why? Nevermind. I'll go tell Hunter!" I said, racing out of the ship.
Sprinting past Wrecker, towards the house, I saw the ship being taken.
"Hunter!" I yelled.
Hunter raced out of the house. "Tech!" he said angrily into his comm.
Cut stepped out of the house, standing next to Hunter, Wrecker, and I.
"Tech, next time consider taking inventory before getting the ship impounded!" I shouted into the comm.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Tech, Omega's on the ship," Hunter said frustratedly.
"We'll take care of her," Echo said.
"Hunt, what are we gonna do?" I groaned, frustrated. "Tech's supposed to talk to you, as sergeant, before he does something stupid, isn't he? Now we can't make sure Omega's okay because she's not here!" I began pacing.
"Shadow, calm down," Hunter said, placing his hand on my uninjured shoulder, preventing me from pacing. "Look, this isn't the ideal situation for any of us, but we'll have to go ahead with Tech's plan."
"For the record, I don't like it when Tech has a plan."
"Neither do I. At least, not right now," he responded.
We hurried to get the family ready and then we rushed to town. Once we made it to the spaceport, Hunter spoke to Tech via comm.
"Tech, we're in the spaceport. What's your status?"
"In progress," Tech responded. "The encryption shouldn't be a problem."
We continued walking. It was overwhelming being in public again. The sounds, sights, and smells all crowded my brain. I thought only of one objective: get Omega back with us, and kill Tech for doing this.
"Shadow, calm down," Hunter whispered.
"What do you mean? I'm calm," I said.
"I know you're worried for Omega, but we'll be reunited with her soon. Don't worry."
"I'm only thinking about how I'm gonna kill Tech for doing this to us."
He chuckled. "You and me both, kid."
We walked on in silence.
"Hurry up," Hunter spoke in his comm. "We need those chain codes to get them on the shuttle or we're gonna have to blast our way out of here."
"don't worry," Tech said. "I can slip through security unnoticed and deliver the disks to you momentarily."
We stepped in line to get on the shuttle.
"Have your chain codes out and ready for inspection," a clone said as he walked past us.
Once he was past, Tech commed us. "The chain codes are en route... with Omega."
"What!" I whispered angrily as to not be heard.
"By herself? You let her go by herself?" Hunter asked angrily.
"Well, we didn't let her go by herself," Tech defended.
"I'm on it!" Wrecker put his things down and ran off to who-knows-where.
"She ran off on her own, like Shadow taught her," Tech finished.
"I didn't teach her scrat!" I said, becoming angrier and angrier. "If anyone did, it'd be--"
"If something happens to her--" Hunter interrupted.
"Like I said, kids always find trouble," Suu put her hand on Hunter's shoulder.
I began pacing. "Where is she?"
"She'll be here."
We stepped forward as the line moved ahead. "We're running out of time, Hunter," Cut said.
"Omega's on her way," Hunter said in a low voice.
"No, something's wrong. She would've been here by now," Cut insisted.
"Stick to the plan, Cut," Hunter put his hand on Cut's shoulder.
"I can't risk it," Cut said as some clone troopers asked another citizen for their identification. "We have to find another way out."
"I'm here!" Omega yelled. "And I have the chain codes," she whispered.
"Yeah, Omega!" Shaeeah cheered quietly.
"Tech accidentally made five instead of four," she held them out.
"That's unlike Tech," I said suspiciously.
"You didn't tell them?" Cut asked.
"Tell us what?" Omega asked.
"Is there something you're not telling us, Hunter?" I asked, crossing my arms.
Hunter gave the bag he was holding to Suu as the family moved along. He crouched down to Omega's level, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"The extra chain code's for you, so you can leave with Cut and Suu," he explained gently.
I stared in shock. "Y-you wouldn't do this to her. To us!" I began to get angry.
"Why?" Omega asked, voice filled with pain. "Did I do something wrong?"
"You need a family, kid. They're good people. They'll give you the life you deserve," Hunter explained.
"But... I want to stay with you."
Hunter couldn't answer the sweet girl.
"Quit holding up the line," a trooper yelled.
"You have to go, Omega. It's for your own good," he finally said.
Hunter gently nudged her along. She looked back at us sadly before moving on to be with her newfound family.
"I can't believe you, Hunter," I said angrily. "You said we would stay with you. You came back to Kamino for us. This isn't for her own good. You're doing this because you think--"
"Don't you think this is hard on me?" he asked, frustrated. "I don't want to let go of Omega. But we can't provide what she needs. She needs a family. She needs to be safe. She needs--"
"No, Hunter. She needs us."
I turned and walked away from him. I couldn't believe him.
"Where are you going?" Hunter yelled. "We have to go help the others."
"So you want me but you don't want Omega? We come as a package deal, Hunter!" I yelled back.
"We'll talk about this later. Come on, the guys need our help!" he ran off to help his friends.
There was a mental tug-of-war in my mind. The others hadn't done anything to hurt me, only Hunter had. They didn't deserve to be captured, or their ship destroyed. Yet Hunter's actions had caused a deep wound in my heart. I decided to help them, running towards the impound lot. I ran between the clone troopers, knocking a few of them out along my way. I jumped behind cover as a laser bolt whizzed right above my head. I sighed in relief. I looked over the crate I was behind, shooting at the clones. Echo seemed to be struggling to get the magnetic clamp off. Hunter nodded at Wrecker, and Wrecker demagnetized the ship by pulling at the clamps. We raced to the ship. Although I was still unsure about Hunter, I knew I didn't want to be caught by the Empire. Tech jumped on the steps first, Echo right behind him. Hunter raced up the steps when Wrecker noticed who was missing.
"Wait. Omega's not back!" Wrecker exclaimed.
"Wrecker, she's not--" Hunter started.
"Wait for me!" a small voice yelled.
I turned, seeing Omega. A bright smile lit my face as I raced towards her. A clone grabbed onto her, pulling her back. I shot the clone, shooting the others that were coming as well. I nudged Omega towards the ship and she obliged, running up the steps, past Hunter. I raced towards the ship, climbing up after Wrecker. Tech flew us away, out of range of their blasters. I sighed in relief, taking a seat in the cockpit.
Sorry it's been so long!!! Schools been terrible, and I've been preoccupied with my other book and now my art account on Instagram! It's been tough, but I'll try to post a one-shot every once in a while!!