#thedadbatch

*I wrote this scene then a few weeks later I saw this work from one of my all time favorite SW fan artists @lornaka - I literally shrieked with happiness that we had the same idea :) - AC

Hunter sat in the pilot’s seat of the Marauder. The rest of the batch had gone to sleep, and he was on watch staring out into the darkness pinpricked with distant stars. He reached to push a button in front of him, softly grunted in pain and placed his hand on the bandages wrapped around his left side. The wound was healing but he definitely needed another bacta patch. He stared out into space before him and rested his forearms on the steering column. 

Omega climbed down from her room in the gunner’s nest and quietly walked into the cockpit. She wordlessly climbed into the copilot’s chair and drew her knees up to her chest. Hunter pushed another few buttons then turned to look at her.

                  “Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

She shook her head slowly. 

                  “I keep thinking about the Kaminoans….seeing that place.” She shuddered and hugged her knees again. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I don’t want to end up an experiment in a tube.”

Hunter could sense her fear. It made him angry. He just wanted to take on all that pain so badly. He would rather die than let something happen to her.

“That’s not gonna happen.” He said firmly. 

She sighed. “If I’m as valuable as you say, Lama Su will keep sending bounty hunters after me.”

“He can send every one in the galaxy.” Hunter growled. “You have us.” 

She looked at him with a half-smile then turned away to rest her cheek on her on her knee. She didn’t want him to see her tears. “You can’t fight them all.” 

Hunter moved out of his chair to kneel at her side. He slowly spun her chair to face him. He sighed and gently lifted her chin with a finger. She was too young to worry about something this serious. She met his eyes. 

“Omega, you don’t have to worry.” He wiped away a tear on her cheek with his thumb. “You are never going back to Kamino” he said matter-of-factly. 

“Promise?” she asked. 

“I promise.” His eyes hardened with resilience.

She managed a small smile. He stood and sat back down in his chair. 

“It’s late. Get back to bed, kid.” He said softly. 

Without moving she glanced toward the ladder of the gunner’s nest then back,

“I-I-umm.” 

Hunter knew. Clones were notorious for having especially vivid nightmares. He had never seen war or had nightmares when he was her age, but Omega was one of them and he could only imagine how frightening those thoughts must be to someone so young. He extended his hand toward her. 

“I will never let anyone hurt you, Omega.” 

She put her feet down and stepped across the cockpit. He gently gathered her in his arms and sucked his teeth when she rested her head on his chest. 

“Sorry!” She gasped and picked her head up.

“It’s ok.” He sighed, gently guiding her head back down. He didn’t care about the pain if she was comfortable.

 He reclined the pilot’s seat and propped his heels on the edge of the console. Omega felt the strength of his good arm around her and the steady rhythm of his breath; she felt safe. Her nightmares of Kamino melted away. Hunter felt her relax and he smiled to himself. He was getting better at this whole kid-raising thing.

A few hours later Wrecker entered the cockpit to begin his watch. He was met with the sight of Hunter struggling to stay awake in the pilot’s chair with Omega curled up against him. His cheek rested on her head, and he gazed heavily out at the stars.

Wrecker sat down in the co-pilot’s chair and gave him a smile and nod. He had been relieved from watch. Within seconds, Hunter’s eyes closed.

Crosshair: ( trying to kill them ) you should have come back I have no chip I tried to kill you . I’m mad you where my brother.I had no choice I’m doing this of my free will.

*This was one of the first scenes where I started exploring the dad/daughter dynamic of Hunter/Omega.

Rain drove down in sheets as the thunder rumbled. Dr. Hemlock pulled his arm tighter across Omega’s neck and pointed his blaster at her head. 

“If I go over you go over.” He hissed in her ear.

She caught a glimpse of the ground far below them. Her heart skipped a beat. She tried her best to calm herself. Dr. Hemlock’s eyes locked on Crosshair and Hunter who stopped a few yards away from them on the landing platform. Without taking his eyes of Omega, Hunter knelt and trained his blaster on the evil doctor. He felt a light pressure on his shoulder and caught the muzzle of Crosshair’s sniper rifle out of the corner of his eye.

“Drop the blasters!” Hemlock yelled over the thunder.

Lightning flashed and Hunter watched Hemlock push his blaster against Omega’s right temple. He felt his blood boil and set his jaw to keep the rage from overtaking him. A blaster bolt was too good; he wanted to kill that man with his bare hands for taking his little girl. Another bolt of lightning flashed, and he watched Omega slowly produce a metal shiv from her sleeve. Her look was determined, but he still saw the fear through her brave face. He watched each of her movements closely. He knew her plan. She caught his eye and he returned with a subtle nod.

“Shoot the binders” he growled.

Crosshair sighted his scope to see nothing but darkness and the faint blue lines of the handcuffs.

“I-I can’t” he stammered. “They’re too close…If I’m off. I can’t risk Omega.” Hunter took a breath and locked in. His voice was eerily calm and calculated.

“She knows what to do, Crosshair.” Wait for her…..then take the shot.”

Crosshair took a breath and rested his finger on the trigger. The rain beat against them. Omega saw the rifle muzzle rove back and forth then stop. She tightened her grip on her shiv and drove it into Hemlock’s thigh. He yelled in pain and let her go. She jumped sideways holding up the cuffs. Crosshair squeezed the trigger, BANG! the cuffs broke, and Omega dropped to the ground. Hunter immediately fired at Hemlock hitting him once, twice, three times in the chest with deadly accuracy. He continued shooting until the evil doctor fell over the platform to his death.

Omega gasped as she watched him fall. She slowly stood, the adrenaline rushing through her veins. She ran toward her brothers. She stopped a few feet in front of them, the emotion overcame her, and tears of relief flowed freely. She closed the gap and threw her arms around Crosshair’s neck. He gave an awkward side look to Hunter before putting his free arm around her. She looked at Hunter and pulled him into the group embrace. He put a reassuring hand against her head and felt her trembling. He knew she had been scared but still she had been so brave and resourceful in the face of danger; they had trained her well. She released them and Hunter gently placed his hands on her shoulders. 

“Are you alright?”

She took a breath and nodded. Hunter gave a soft smile. She never ceased to amaze him with how quickly she was becoming a real member of the squad.

“I’m so proud of you, kid”.

She smiled and buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace. Crosshair looked around.

“Come on. We must find the others”.

They gathered up their weapons and ran back down the landing platform. Hunter made sure Omega ran in front – he wasn’t going to lose her again.

*I've been on an Order 66 kick lately. It's just so interesting to see how it would affect a variety of characters. Also Hunter showing his soft and caring side just makes my heart melt. NOT my art btw!" :) - AC

Omega lay curled up in the gunner’s chair in her makeshift room. Hunter slept in the pilot’s chair of the Marauder with his boots resting on the edge of the console. He may have been asleep, but his heightened senses had made him ready for anything at a moment’s notice. Wrecker snored from an alcove in the back of the cockpit. His senses…not so much.

Omega’s dream: 

She, Hunter and Wrecker walked through the forests of an unknown planet. Suddenly, she heard a click behind her and turned around to see Hunter and Wrecker with their blasters drawn and trained on her. Hunter’s eyes were wild. He shook his head to make the burning feeling go away. He could feel the rage building and there was nothing he could do to stop it but he had to warn her Omega. He cried out to her just as the chip overtook him.

“Omega! Run!” 

Omega gasped as their fingers pulled the trigger…

                  “Ahhhhh!” Omega cried out. 

Hunter’s eyes snapped open, and he sat bolt upright in his chair. 

“Omega!” he gasped under his breath. 

He almost tripped over Wrecker’s foot as he rushed out of the dimly lit cockpit. Wrecker slowly stirred as he stumbled by. Hunter tore back the curtain to the gunner’s loft to find Omega curled up in her chair with her eyes squeezed shut and doll pressed to her heaving chest. 

“Omega, what’s wrong!?” 

He gasped looking around her room for any sign of a threat. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through him. When Omega finally opened her eyes, they were wide and wild with fear. 

“Are you ok?” he asked almost franticly. 

There was no answer besides the sound of her rapid breathing. 

He sighed softly and extended a hand toward her. He knew what happened.

“It’s just a nightmare.” 

She shook her head and held her doll even closer. Hunter took another breath and calmed himself as much as he could.

“What happened Omega?” he asked.

“Y-You shot me.” She stammered.

“What?” He breathed in shock.

“You and Wrecker shot me on a mission.”

 Tears rolled down her cheeks and she began to sob. 

“The chips malfunctioned.”

Hunter was at a loss. This was a much more serious nightmare than he was thinking. 

“Shhh. Shhh Omega. You’re alright. It’s ok.” 

His voice was gruff but also gentle and reassuring as he tried to calm her. He slowly moved toward her. Fear sparked in Omega’s eyes, and she pulled away.

“Rex didn’t mean to scare you.” Hunter continued, “It was all just a nightmare. Wrecker and I would never hurt you. No matter what happens.” 

“You didn’t mean to, but you couldn’t control it. Just like Rex said. You told me to run but it wasn’t enough.” She sniffed.

He reached his hand toward her in the small space, and she hesitantly took it. He gently gathered her in his arms. Tears still rolled down her cheeks.

“It was so real.” She gasped. 

He held her close and felt her heart racing.

“I know…I know..” he whispered as he started to gently rock her back and forth. 

He remembered his own worst nightmare. It was the same as hers. Rex had scared him too. He took a slow breath and closed his eyes. He knew how she felt. He really did but he couldn’t tell her. He just hugged her tighter.

“We’ll be ok, Omega. I promise.” 

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

“How do you know?” she asked.

He gave her a soft smile.

“I trust Rex. He’s our brother. He knows what to do.”

She buried her face in his chest. Her voice came as a muffled sob.

"What if he doesn't. What if you die?!"

Hunter ran his fingers through her blonde waves.

"Omega, look at me." he stated calmly.

She lifted her red and tear-stained face to meet his gaze. He gently took her face in both his hands trying to brush away as many tears as he could with his thumbs.

"I'm not going to die."

Omega sniffed and placed a hand on his wrist. Hunter searched her amber eyes brimming with more tears. He never realized how much they matched his own.

"Being a clone means you trust your brothers. That's what keeps you alive." I trust Rex...Do you trust me?"

She nodded before throwing her arms around his neck and burying her head under his chin. He was taken aback for a second then he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Ok." He smiled.

Wrecker’s head popped up the stairs to see Hunter sitting on the floor with Omega in his arms. 

“What’s the matter kid?” he asked innocently. 

“She had a bad dream.” Hunter replied. 

“Ohhhhh” Wrecker nodded. 

He put a giant hand on Omega’s shoulder as gently as he could.

“It’s ok kid.”

Another tear rolled down Omega’s cheek. She couldn’t bear to think about losing them.