#summerofbadbatch

Omega threw the stick down and ripped the blindfold off her face as she collapsed on the ground. Soft pants escaped her lips as she ducked her head, utterly exhausted and in pain as parts of her body ached from the blows. 

“Remember. You need to remain calm. Think before you act. Feel the intention of what my next blow will be aimed at.”

“It’s not as easy as you make it to be!”

For the past few months, Omega had been training. Training to close her mind, open her mind, feel everything yet also feel nothing. What was this feeling she was supposed to concentrate on every time she was jabbed, punched, or thrown a few feet away from her trainer? The Force.

And why was she training to become one with the Force? She didn’t even know herself half the time. All she knew was that her M-count, or what Ventress called ‘midi-chlorian,’ meant she had potential to become a Jedi.

“I never said this was easy. I said it will be easier in time.” Ventress responded, unimpressed by the complaints. “If we have enough time.”

Omega didn’t want to argue; she knew Ventress was right. Ventress would come and go like a rare cold breeze in this warm summer. She was always moving, never staying in one place for too long, and always three steps ahead to make sure she was not seen by the Empire or any of her ‘former allies.’ She only stays on Pabu for less than a week before she has to leave, making this a crucial time for Omega to learn all she can. Half the week had already passed, and so far, Omega couldn’t wrap her head around this week’s lesson. 

Ventress can see that. She felt the crashing waves of anger, shame, and worry from the young clone that collided with Ventress' sense of calm and mild irritation waves from the sunset.

“You’re not used to this type of training. That I can see.” Ventress spoke as she knelt beside the girl. “That is not your fault. Had you been a regular sentient being, you would have been trained younger than you are now.”

Omega tilted her head to Ventress, the corner of her eyes already forming tears. Ventress didn’t feel sympathy. She lost the right to do so a long time ago.

“Had that been so, you would have been dead by now. You almost were, yet here you are.” 

That was true. Omega had many close calls through the years, between Hemlock and the Empire; she could almost befriend death. But now she was free from their clutches and off their radar. But who knows what could happen tomorrow? It could all change in an instant. That’s why she needed Ventress' help. Even if Hunter and the others didn’t like it, she had to try.

Ventress's gloved hand reached out to the girl. Though she wasn’t sympathetic, she could try helping the girl understand what this new, unspoken path could lead her to. 

“We can try again tomorrow,” Ventress said as she helped the girl up from the floor.

“But-”

“Tomorrow. Use this time to be alone and meditate. Feel the force around you as you do it. Then you can come back and pick up where we left off.”

Omega pulled her arm out of Ventress's tight grip. She didn’t say another word as she turned her back to the older woman, but her actions speak for themselves as she kicked away the wooden stick. 

So much for training!

“You don’t get it, Lyana, it’s impossible to see where she’s going to hit me next!” Omega shouted as she furiously bit down on a piece of fruit. “I have to feel everything but also nothing! Sense where she hit me, but also concentrate on her voice. I mean, how can I do all of that at the same time?”

Lyana nodded sympathetically, letting her best friend air out her frustration. She gently nibbled her food as her mind whirled with thoughts. She had seen some of Omega training up close, either helping her or just idly watching on the sidelines with Batcher, if Ventress allowed her presence when she needed Omega distracted. 

“But isn’t that the whole point?” Lyana asked. “To be one with the force, or whatever the woman says?”

“Yes, but it’s impossible.” Omega huffed. She leaned back and let herself rest on Batcher’s wide chest.

 The blue lurca hound whined and gently licked Omega’s cheek until she broke into a smile.

Lyana rested a hand on Batcher’s head, rubbing the bony frill. The hound turned its head away from Omega and began to nuzzle into Lyana’s hand, letting out a low, satisfied grunt. 

“If you want my opinion,” Lyana started to say, “I think you’re able to do the impossible. Sounds cheesy for me to say, but after all you went through with the Empire, you can do anything.”

Omega felt her face grow warm, averting her eyes from Lyana’s soft gaze and warm smile. She looked at Batcher and stared into the bright blue pupils of the smiling hound. 

“Do you think I’d make a great Jedi one day?” Omega asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

“You’re going to be a great one. I’m willing to bet on it!” Lyana laughed. “Who knows, maybe you can find another force wielder and train them to be a Jedi?” 

Omega hummed in response, letting her arms pull Lyana into a tight hug. The two girls held one another as they watched the sun set over the ocean, warmed by Batcher's soft, dense fur and the warm summer breeze. 

Ventress was already up and awake by the time she sensed Omega’s presence coming to the entrance of the cavern. One glance at the light and she can see the girl being radiated by the morning sun’s rays as she waved hello to the older woman.

“Well, are you ready?” Ventress asked, grabbing the stick from the floor. 

She tossed it to Omega, and much to her surprise, the girl caught it. Her gaze flickered down to the stick and just stared at it. As opposed to the frown she had on her face the other day, it turned into a determined grin as she looked back up at her master.

“So… I lost a fight with a rancor.”

“Yeah.”

“I beat Wrecker at Fours and he bit me and it got infected.”

“Sure.”

“Echo actually lost both of his hands, so he took one of mine so now we both have one real hand and one stump.”

“You’re a bad liar.”

Crosshair held up a finger for silence. “I brought it on myself, though, because Echo was struggling with something so I said, ‘Need a hand?’ and he took me literally.”

“You mean he took your hand literally.”

“Yep.”

The silence that fell was soon interrupted by Crosshair’s snort, then Omega’s giggle, and soon they were both laughing, and for a moment it didn’t matter how many hands anyone had—or that Crosshair and Echo were, in fact, missing the same hand—only that they all had each other.

Phee lisented as Crosshair cursed and struggled through his task. He didn’t know she was there since he probably would have snarked at her to leave if he did. She hadn’t even meant to sneak up on him in the first place, but then she heard a cursed shout which scared a poor moon-yo. When she went to find out the source, she discovered a very frustrated sniper as he struggled with his prosthetic hand. He seemed to be trying to do some maintenance on it but wasn’t making much progress. After a few more curses and a handful of groans, she decided enough was enough.

“Need a hand?” she asked as she approached closer. 

He briefly lifted his eyes, not surprised she was standing there. He tinkered a bit more before he finally gave up and threw the tool to the ground. 

“Be my guest,” he hissed as he turned away but held his hand out for her. She raised a skeptical brow but picked up the tool and sat a respectable distance from the sulking man. Both for his comfort and her safety. Can never be too sure if someone bites when aggravated. 

“What seems to be the problem?” She asked as she took his hand to inspect it. When he remained quiet, she glanced up with an expectant look and found him still turned away from her. 

“Listen, as much as I understand you don’t like me, I can’t fix a problem if I don’t know what it is.”

He finally turned to her with an annoyed frown but finally spoke, “Blasted thing won’t respond when I try to do anything. I pick something up only to end up dropping it two minutes later.”

She hummed as she turned back to the offensive item in question. With a slight press of her finger, she opened the compartment that hid all the wiring. She inspected the wiring, carefully using the tool to push aside the wiring so she wouldn’t accidentally cause him pain. 

As she worked, she could feel Crosshair’s eyes watching her every move. It wasn’t so much annoying as it was curious. He usually kept their interactions to a minimum. Hunter assured he was like that with everyone when he first met them and to be fair to Crosshair she has enjoyed getting under his skin just a little too much. He reminded her of Tech, although she used a different method to get under his skin. She sometimes made it a game to see how red she could get his cheeks in the shortest amount of time. Although the things he could say, she could swear made her heart stop. 

With one final click, she finished and handed the tool back to him.

“Should work smoothly now,” she announced as she stood back up and dusted herself. She watched as he flexed his trembling fingers, testing the movements. After a moment he nodded, so she turned to take her leave. 

“I don’t hate you, you know?” he said, causing her to turn back. He now stood, massaging the back of his prosthetic hand as he stared at the ground. 

“Yeah, I know. I also know I don’t make it the easiest for you.”

“Yeah, well I suppose I could be less cruel.”

She hummed but said nothing. Guess they were both at fault. 

“Where did you learn how to do that anyway?” he asked, “You don’t seem-”

“Like the smart type?”

“Your words, not mine.”

She gave a small laugh with a shake of her head. 

“Learned from Brown Eyes.” Crosshair paused in mistrations. “He said it could be used for more than just prosthetics. Like when I need to repair Mel.”

Now it was Crosshair’s turn to hum. She almost decided to turn back but then he spoke up again. 

“What,” a pause, “what was he to you?” 

That took her by surprise. She figured he had been filled in on their relationship by the others or at least had an idea of it. Maybe he wanted a better understanding. 

“Well I’d say we’re what you hope to be with Jana,” she said, unable to resist the chance to tease him. It worked, with his mouth immediately turning into a scowl as his cheeks darkened, if only slightly. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re a bad liar, you know that right? Most of you are. Funny how the sweetest one of all of you is the best liar.”

That made him actually bark a short laugh, which in turn made her smile. He deserved a good laugh. He and his siblings. If there was one thing she enjoyed more than teasing Tech, it was making him laugh. He had a great laugh. Not too bad of a smile either. She missed that smile. So kriffing much.

“To answer your question,” she began as she looked down, “We never had a chance to define what we were.” 

Crosshair nodded and didn’t press further. It felt strange to talk about it. Shep, Hunter, and Wrecker never asked, but Shep wasn’t a pushy person and the latter two had more pressing matters. It sort of felt nice to let out in the open. While it hurt, it made it real. Whatever they were, it was real. 

“Thanks again for the hand,” he interrupted her thoughts.

“Yeah, well, you know where to find me if you need me.”

“Right, I’ll be sure to look for where there's buried treasure.”

“Oh he’s got jokes now,” she laughed, not the slightest bit upset. 

“I’m full of surprises.”

With that, he wandered off, leaving Phee with her thoughts once more. As she watched him go, she secretly hoped that Crosshair and Jana would have the chance she never did.