"Tech, Omega, do you copy?" Hunter repeats for the hundredth time into the comm, anxiously waiting for a response. He, Wrecker, and Alona had wandered far into the cave, no signs of any water anywhere.
Finally, there was an answer on the comm. "Affirmative. We took an unforeseen detour, but we are alive." Tech's voice chimes, seemingly out of breath. Alona dropped her head and laughed.
Hunter lets out a relieved sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Where are you?"
"That...is a good question. Stand by." Tech replies, going silent. Alona chews on her lip, leaning against the stone wall patiently. Another two minutes pass before the goggle-wearing man finally answers back. "Hunter, we found an alternate way out, but you will need to retrieve our gear." And then he gave some instructions to find the place where he and Omega had fallen.
Alona raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I'm so glad I cleared the rubble from the cave-in for no reason." She joked.
Quickly the three of them had come upon Tech and Omega's gear, seeing a few fresh vials of ipsium that had been mined from this cave.
Hunter raised the comm to his mouth. "Alright, Tech. We've got the gear and the ipsium."
"Good. Next you'll need to carefully scale down the narrow crevasse and descend into the aqueduct below. You will come upon us once the rapids eject you over the waterfall. But you must not compromise the mineral vials or you will perish."
Alona blinked. "No stress though."
"You gotta be kidding me!" Wrecker groaned, looking down at the dark abyss. There was no telling how far down the drop was to the water.
"Hang tight. We're on our way." Hunter said calmly, pulling his helmet over his head.
"I hate this planet!" Wrecker grumbled.
Alona was the first to step up to the edge. "Anything's better than Tatooine." She said as she flipped forwards, descending down into the unknown blackness of the mine.
She knew Hunter had jumped almost immediately after her, and Wrecker's horrified scream is heard mere seconds before Alona is submerged in ice-cold water that gave Kamino's a run for its money.
The water flowed rapidly in just one direction, and Alona gave into the current easily, holding her breath as she flailed around like a sock in the washer. She saw her left hand spark and stiffen up, and she cringed at just how bad the damage would be by the end of this.
The hand was starting to become a major problem in recent missions.
Water flooded into Alona's nose as she was sucked down a water tunnel, flowing through the cold liquid at an even faster rate. She had a feeling the waterfall was coming up. She would be able to breathe soon.
Hunter's teal painted parts of his armor were easy to point out despite the darkened water, only illuminated by the unmined ipsium. He was reaching out for her, but Alona shot out from the waterfall, landing in the calm but deep pool. Hunter shot out quickly after her and then Wrecker, who was still screaming.
Alona quickly swam to the bank, spluttering water and trying to clear her nose that burned from the liquid invasion. Hunter crawled up next to her, ripping his helmet off and coughing a couple times.
Wrecker washed up on his back, groaning in shock as he held up a thumb. "I'm good."
"See? That wasn't so bad." Omega's voice chimes as she crouches down in front of Wrecker's dramatic self.
Alona wrung her hair and ends of her sleeves and shirt out and stood up, nearly drooling over the sight of Hunter and his wet hair. He had removed his bandana to squeeze the water out, allowing his locks to fall freely onto his forehead, and she could tell by the way he smirked and glanced over at her that she had been caught staring.
He even made a show of tying his forehead back on in a very slow manner, his fingers moving to tie the knot in the back with the utmost perfection. Alona slyly brushed against his front as she passed him, bending down to pick up the case of ipsium Wrecker had protected on their way down.
"What's the plan, Tech?" Alona asked, turning to the 6'4 clone.
"We're blowing our way out of here." Omega answered for him, pointing to the small crack in the wall. The smallest amount of sunlight peeked through.
So the squad got to work, creating a barricade for them to duck behind when the explosion came, and then Hunter lifted Omega up onto his shoulders so she could place the vial of ipsium atop of a rock, a few inches from the small hole.
"How come he gets to blow it up?" Wrecker whines, watching Tech whip out his blaster.
Tech pointed the barrel at the vial of ipsium, squinting one eye shut while he focused."If the shot is not precise, it will cause another cave-in." He explained in a lax state.
Alona crouched down between Wrecker and Omega, ruffling the blonde's hair.
"I'm precise." Wrecker whined.
Alona snorted. "Remember when you shot me during the mission on Keldooine?"
"Remember when you almost decapitated me on Kamino?"
"Want me to do it for real?"
"Shh." Tech said sharply, adjusting his grip on his blaster.
Alona grinned and playfully bumped her shoulder into Wrecker's elbow.
Tech shot the ipsium vial and it exploded immediately, blowing small pieces of rubble around as it crumbled, revealing the bright sun that was just a few hours from going down.
The squad of five stood up and walked out of the mine, taking a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the bright blue sky. But when they did, Tech pointed to a small cluster of tents and storage crates surrounding a satellite, sitting at the bottom of the mountain and a few miles in the distance. "That is the spaceport, but there does not appear to be much activity."
Wrecker removed his helmet and lightly punched Tech's arm. "Well there better be some chow there, because I'm sick of rations." He expressed.
Hunter turned to Alona and Omega, taking a few seconds to check on both of his girls before saying, "Let's check it out."
The blonde nodded and walked ahead of the others, leading the group as they began the descent down the mountain.
Alona detached her robotic hand and flailed it around. "Tech, I appreciate the hand, but it's an issue when it comes to water." She admitted softly.
Tech glanced over at the metal appendage he had made for her months ago. "I know. I have been working on one that can sustain water, however it is currently resting on my makeshift desk on the Marauder."
Alona smiled softly. He had been working on another hand for her even though she never requested it. "We better get the Marauder back, then." She chimed lightly, kicking a rock down the decline of the mountain.
Two hours passed. The squad was a little over halfway there, finally at the bottom of the mountain. All that was left of the walk was a long flat, dry area. Luckily the scorching sun was just about to set over the top of the mountain, but that currently did not distract from the feet-dragging, dehydration-inducing heat that consumed the flat rockland.
The adults were well trained and disciplined when it came to walking long distances and dealing with extreme weather, but Omega had not reached that level just yet.
And as much as the blonde tried to make the others think she was okay, it was easy to tell that her feet hurt and that she was very exhausted.
So the adults took turns carrying her while she got her severely needed rest. Tech was currently the one carrying her, arms wrapped around her legs while her head rested on his shoulder.
Alona was the only person not slowing down from the heat. She wouldn't deny that she was tired, wanting nothing more than a long nap, but she could keep walking longer than it would take to get to this spaceport. She couldn't say the same for Wrecker, however. He was nearly bent down a complete 90 degrees and he yawned every five minutes.
Alona could tell Hunter was exhausted too. His shoulders had slumped out of the soldier-like hold he normally forced himself into keeping while in his armor. And his feet had started to drag across the ground at times.
By the time they reached the spaceport the sun was long gone and Omega had woken up.
Scanning the strangely quiet and vacant camp, Omega looked up at the others in confusion. "Where is everyone?"
"It's abandoned. For a while, by the look of it." Hunter replied, gesturing to the zipped up tents and items all wrapped up and not in use.
"We came all this way for nothing!" Wrecker said frustratingly. He ripped his helmet off and rescanned the premises.
Tech held up a finger. "Not nothing." He corrected, pointing to a large array that sat in the center of the spaceport. "I can send out a long-range transmission with that array."
So that's what he did, and minutes later the squad was staring at a transmission of Cid with her green scales in all their glory. They told her of their situation and requested some help since the whole reason they were here was because of a job they were doing for her.
"No can do, fellas. I'm tied up at the moment. You'll have to figure it out yourselves." Is her response.
Alona frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "What the hell."
"Cid, you sent us on this mission." Hunter retorted with an angered expression.
Cid crossed her arms. "Well, I didn't tell you to get your ship stolen, did I?" She retorted.
Omega looked at Cid in betrayal. "Cid, we need your help."
Tech adjusted his glasses. "Just like we helped you regain control of your parlor from Roland Durand, and when we cleared your sizable debt with Millegi-"
"I didn't ask for a recap, Goggles." Cid retorted, turning to Omega. She let out a groan before saying, "All right. Give me a few days, and I'll see what I can do."
"We don't have enough rations to last a few-" But Cid ended the transmission before Hunter could finish his sentence. Alona sighed and rubbed her temples, taking a deep breath.
"What do we do now?" Wrecker asked, his eyes blinking heavily.
"Get rest. Everyone is tired and frustrated. Sleep until tomorrow and then we'll figure it out." Alona answered when she realized Hunter didn't have an answer for his brother.
Hunter nodded. "Alona's right. We're staking out here for tonight." He declared, setting his helmet on the ground and placing his backpack next to it.
"I'll take first watch." Alona volunteered quickly, straightening her back that had started to get a small ache. She rubbed at the tender spot, scanning the grounds to determine where the best place to keep watch would be.
Tech, Wrecker, Hunter, and Omega had set up their sleeping bags in the center of the abandoned spaceport and by the time Alona had settled down against a boulder on the outskirts she could hear faint snoring coming from Tech and Wrecker.
Alona's lantern was on the dimmest setting to give her a bit of light as she kept watch for intruders. She had picked up a small rock and was fidgeting with it while she meditated and opened her senses across the camp.
So when Hunter approached with almost silent footsteps, she wasn't the least bit alarmed because she knew his intentions the second he had crawled out of his sleeping bag.
Hunter lowered himself to the ground, shoulder pressing into hers. He let out a sigh and extended his legs comfortably. "Hungry?"
Alona looked down at the rations bar he had offered her. He knew it was her favorite, mixed berries. She grimaced and shook her head. "No, I'm good."
Hunter raised his eyebrows. "You've never turned down these." He exclaimed in concern. "You said this was one of the most delicious things you've ever eaten."
And that was true until just a few seconds ago when she took one look at the mixed berry bar and nearly gagged. "Just the thought of eating it almost makes me gag."
Hunter hummed, sliding the bar back into the pocket of his khaki pants. Then he yawned, closing his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.
Alona chuckled and finally understood why he had come over here. He can't sleep without her.
Tapping her thighs, she invites him to lay his head down on them. Hunter quickly readjusts so that he was laying on the not-so-comfortable rock ground and used her thighs as a pillow.
She began running her fingers through his brown hair, nails scratching softly at his scalp. "We both need showers." She muttered softly after noticing the grease in his hair from sweating under the helmet all day. They were both covered in sweat and dust, but after three years of war the feeling was not something they cringed at. It had almost become the norm for them.
"I could definitely go for a shower," Hunter mumbled, looking up into her eyes. "Especially if you're in it with me." He smirked.
Alona grinned and leaned her head back against the large rock. "That does sound nice."
Hunter snuggled closer, pressing his left ear to Alona's stomach, listening in on the small heartbeat. She watched his eyes soften and his face relax even further.
The couple stayed quiet for a few minutes which allowed Alona's mind to wander back to that mother on Ord Mantell. She finally put together why that woman had caught her attention so badly.
It was the way that mother would look at her customers with kindness, talking and pitching sales, but when she would glance down at her sleeping baby her eyes would show visible love.
The more Alona thought about that, the more she found herself beginning to long for that same feeling. Two weeks ago Alona was afraid. She did not desire such a feeling.
But right now, she finally felt a little excited about what was to come in about 32 weeks. Holding a small little human–Her and Hunter's small little human–filled her with a warmth she didn't know that she needed...or even wanted.
"I think...I think I can be a mother." Alona said softly, staring up at the stars.
Hunter scanned her face, his mouth hanging slightly open. "Yeah?"
Alona nodded slowly, taking a deep breath in and exhaling slowly. "Yeah. I think I can do this...what about you?"
Hunter stayed quiet for a minute, chewing on his cheek while thinking. He couldn't explain the feeling he experienced when Alona called herself a mother. "You know, I never thought about having kids," He started, pausing to catch Alona's reaction. Her breath hitched. "Not until two weeks ago. And then I realized that if I were to ever have a family, I'd only want to do it with you, Alona. The idea of you carrying my kids, us raising them together...it makes me feel...it-it's hard to explain." He trailed off, unable to describe the overwhelmingly warm feeling.
Alona nodded. "It's indescribable. I feel it too, Hunter." She admitted, eyes examining every inch of his face. They were on the same page. They had begun to accept the crazy thing that had started making its way into their lives.
"We're gonna have a baby." Alona muttered quietly, sending a small smile down at Hunter.
He turned his head and planted a loving kiss on her stomach. "We're gonna have a baby."