Dedicated to Sparky_Lucius
22 BBY, Month 7
Rylann
Rylann found herself at the door of the lower level medbay, hoping to run into Kix or Omega. She was dreadfully bored since the Batch had already been gone over a week and her real birthday had passed. She wanted to do something. She was desperate for some entertainment and even her sports holo-casts weren't doing it for her. Besides, she couldn't stand any more training with Shaak Ti. It was a lot of repetition which only spurred on her boredom.
The door slid open revealing an empty medbay. Rylann frowned. Why was it that this medbay was always empty? Why did Kix need to "watch over" an empty medbay?
Rylann walked over to the counter against the wall, fingering the handles of some tools on a metal tray.
"Oh, it's you!" A voice called behind her, scaring the living daylight out of Rylann who ended up knocking over the tray.
Rylann cringed as the metal clattered on the floor, tools scattering to the feet of Omega. Rylann kneeled down to pick up the syringes and other various medical tools, avoiding the gaze of the girl she had been searching for. Now that they were here, Rylann didn't know what to do. She didn't plan this far ahead.
Omega knelt down beside her, helping Rylann pick up the other tools. Rylann could feel the girl's gaze on her, but Ry had a hard time looking her way. What was she to say? Hey, can you tell me about Project Conduit?
"Did you like the tree?" Omega asked, her soft accented voice echoing in the dark, empty room. Of course, the gift. That would've been a great opening.
"I loved it—love it, actually," Rylann said, setting the last of the tools onto the tray to set on the counter once more. "I've never seen something so beautiful—it reminds me of the tree in the courtyard of the Jedi Temple."
"That's on Coruscant, right?" Omega asked, drawing near to Rylann, hands clasped behind her back. "I've heard it's one of the most beautiful places in the Core Planets due to its sunset skylines."
"I wouldn't know since I've only really been on Coruscant," Rylann replied, crossing her arms as she leaned on the wall by the counter. "Shaak Ti isn't much of a traveler."
Omega tilted her head curiously as she pulled herself onto the examination bed. "Are you not from Genetia?"
"I'm from there, but I was taken from my family when I was two," Rylann explained, flushing.
"Oh," Omega said, face falling. "I had hoped to get you a gift that would remind you of home."
"Well, you did just that," Rylann said with a smile. "It does remind me of the Tree on Coruscant. The Temple Courtyard was always my place of solitude, especially at night."
"Are the sunsets that beautiful?" Omega asked, eyes widening. She paused, flushing as she averted her gaze. "Sorry, I get excited gathering all the information." The girl's blonde curls bounced slightly from her headband. "I don't know if I'll ever leave Kamino so I like to imagine what it would be like to leave."
"You're a clone right?" Rylann asked, recalling their previous conversation. "I've never seen a female clone before."
"There's not many of us," Omega admitted, tapping her fingers on her knees. "And we are often kept low-profile because we are so few and far between."
Rylann furrowed her brows. Something wasn't adding up. The Bad Batch was rare but they at least could be seen in public. Why the secrecy around Omega and other female clones? What else could Kaminoans be hiding?
"I don't know how to ask this, but why did they make you?" Rylann asked, standing up from leaning on the wall. "You've got to be maybe a couple years old at this point? Maybe five?"
"Oh no," Omega laughed. "I am nine years old."
Rylann's jaw dropped. She was as old as the Batch was. "You're aging isn't accelerated?"
"Nope," Omega said, popping the 'p.' "I'm like Boba—or Alpha as you all called him."
Rylann recalled Kenobi debriefing about the Mandalorian bounty hunter, Jango Fett, and his exact replica of a clone he took on as a son. For what? To take over the family bounty business?
"So, what do you do here?" Rylann asked, walking to the table to finger the vials on the back of the counter. "Are you a medic?"
Omega grinned sheepishly. "Yes, or at least I'd like to be. Nala Se lets me in on so much, but it's Kix, er, CT-6116, who is teaching me the big stuff." Omega's eyes glowed at the thought. "I want to be a combat medic and travel the galaxy."
"Is that why he's in here? Kix?" Rylann asked, turning on her heel to gaze at the girl.
"Oh, he likes to leave little packets of homework for me when he can't find time to teach me the hands-on stuff." Omega's smile dropped. "He'll be leaving soon, though."
"Oh, right." Rylann hit her head. How could she have forgotten? "Sometimes I forget they were created to fight." Rylann paused, tilting her head at the girl. "If they were created to fight, what were you created for?"
"To serve," Omega grinned, but paused. "They make it seem like I was an accident, but I don't think so." The girl leaned forward as if telling a secret in a low whisper. "I've been doing some digging on my creation, but it's all encrypted."
Rylann wondered if Tech could decrypt the files. "Interesting," was all she said, offering her best sympathetic smile.
Suddenly, her commlink buzzed, diverting her attention from the conversation. It was Shaak Ti. "One sec," Ry said, shooting Omega an apologetic look. With the click of a button, her master's form appeared in the blue hologram on her commlink. "Hello, Master."
The togruta nodded to her, hands clasped beneath her robe sleeves. "Hello, Rylann. What are you currently doing?"
Rylann had a choice. She could react immediately and lie or she could be honest. "Visiting a friend," Rylann said, shooting a smile at Omega who beamed back.
"I will need you in conference room 27B," Shaak Ti stated, her lips pursing. "We have a last minute meeting in thirty minutes."
Rylann scrunched her brows. What could be going on? "What for?"
"You remember Tallehna Kittro, correct?" Shaak Ti asked.
Rylann fought the urge to groan. Tallehna, or as Rylann always called Tally, was Shaak Ti's previous padawan. She was by-the-book, boring, and worst of all, a know-it-all. "Yes, she is off in the Outer Rim teaching at the smaller jedi temples, right?"
"She was doing that," Shaak Ti said, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "She's just arrived here with other military personnel from Coruscant to choose the new troops."
"Is she a General now?" Rylann asked, trying not to seem as shocked as she felt. Tally was a great jedi and student—greater than Rylann could ever be—but for her to be a general, fighting in a war? Ry couldn't see it. Old Tally with her heads in her books and nonsensical fact-spouting? She wouldn't survive a day.
"Yes and also has a new padawan," Shaak Ti added.
Rylann let out a long whistle. "That's a lot of change after living life on a backwater planet."
Shaak Ti pursed her lip, shaking her head. "Be kind, Rylann."
"I'll try," Rylann sighed, clicking off the commlink. This was a lit to take in. Now, Rylann felt even more self conscious about her status as a padawan. Rylann didn't feel ready to graduate but now that Miss If-Jedis-Had-Honor-Roll-She'd-Have-Honor-Roll was around, she would feel less than by a longshot.
"Do you not like Tallehna?" Omega asked, snapping Ry back to reality.
"I forgot you were here for a sec," Rylann said, laughing. "And it's not that I hate her, I just hate how she is good at everything and I'm not."
"I see," Omega said, but Ry gathered from the look on the girl's face that she didn't see exactly. She looked up suddenly, meeting Rylann's eyes. "Can you visit me again soon?"
Rylann paused, heart going out to the young girl. She could feel the desire for connection rolling off of Omega and for once Rylann could admit she wanted the same. She wanted more friends and Omega was a kindhearted girl. Rylann's talents in childcare may not be on par or even subpar, but she'd do her best to keep her under her wing. "How does weekly sound?"