A/N: Thank you to Sandriassaber, Mae, Kara, StrangerAvenger, FantasyProductions19, Cuthalion97, and TK-632 for the reviews! They're a definite support and I really appreciate it!And thank you, Mae, for pointing out thos typos!

Chapter 7: Talk, Tech!

Omega scrubbed in silence. Upon returning to the ship, Tech had handed her a cleaner and disposable rags before directing her to wipe down the ship again.

It was hard not to feel cast down and act on that disappointment in herself. She had disobeyed Hunter's orders to stay on the ship with Tech, and Tech himself had seemed...upset with her. Understandably. But now she had to fix this, too.

Omega took her time in cleaning this time around. It was a full hour before she was finished, and Tech was still working on the engines by the time she returned the supplies to their spot in storage.

She stepped back to view her handiwork - and smiled. There. Now it was well done. This was much better than what her first idea had resulted in. Perhaps it was better to get help than just launching herself into carrying out her own ideas without the approval of those who knew better.

"Omega?" Tech called.

Omega hurried to the door of the Marauder and took one of the tool piles from Tech's arms.

"How's it goin'?" she said.

"Everything is as it should be, now," he replied and stopped, surveying the ship's interior with quick tilts of his head.

"Not really," Omega mumbled.

Tech nodded once. "Very good. Hunter will appreciate these results."

Omega followed him to the cockpit, and Tech tapped away at his tablet. They stood in silence for a minute or two, then -

"What did you say?" Tech asked.

"I didn't say anything." Omega spun on her heel, feeling a bit better at Tech's positive appraisal of her work.

"I belive you said something in response to my report on the engines' condition," said Tech sparing her a brief glance before returning to his work.

"Oh, I said, no...Not everything is as it should be..." said Omega, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Why is that?"

"I messed up again."

Tech looked directly at her at that. "Correct," he said.

"How did you know where I'd gone, Tech?"

"When I discovered you weren't on the ship," tip-tap-p-p-tippity-tap-tap,"I traced your comm signal."

"Oh," said Omega in a very small voice.

Silence.

"You are not the only one at fault, Omega," said Tech, setting aside his device and moving towards one of the side computers. "Hunter instructed me to keep you with me at all times and I failed to comply."

Omega looked at him with wide eyes. "You mean you can be wrong, too?"

"Of course," said Tech, gesturing towards a small square panel. "That will need to be removed."

Omega took the lever he handed her and jammed it underneath the panel's lip.

"Gently, now," Tech warned. "I am not unfamiliar with mistakes and their consequences, both in others and myself," he went on. Omega tugged harder. "

"But what - about -Hunter? -Is he...ever wrong? Oh!"

The panel came off with a snap, and Omega flinched back at the shower of sparks that peppered her hands. The sparks were blue and white and pricked like tiny fire insects.

"Sometimes," said Tech. He took Omega's wrists and glanced once at her hands, then released them and pointed to three large red wires.

"These need to be replaced."

Omega reached forward, but paused. "I don't want to get shocked, Tech. Could you show me how they come out?"

"Of course," said Tech. He reached into the mess of wires, and Omega watched his long fingers twist the cables deftly from their positions. "It's not too different from reconnecting the circuits near AZI's central processor."

"Okay." Omega watched for a moment longer. "Sorry about messing up. I will never disobey again," she said.

Tech's hands paused for a moment. His fingers twitched. Omega looked up at his face, but there was nothing to read in it but cool, calm, collected control.

The ensuing silence felt awkward to Omega. She sighed and blew her hair away from her forehead.

"What's a Vagaari?"

"Hm?"

Omega huffed a smothered laugh. She had thought at first that Tech didn't always hear her questions on account of his being preoccupied by something else, but now she suspected that his frequent "hm?" in response to her inquiries was likely because he didn't want to answer and needed time to come up with a suitable response.

"A Vagaari," she repeated. "Echo said they have weird interests and Hunter wouldn't tell me anything further."

"Hmm..." said Tech and alternated between studying his wrist computer and the mess of wires at his fingertips.

"Are they very bad or something?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well..." Omega squinted up at the ceiling in thought. "I like learning things!"

"Yes, well," said Tech, "While that is definitely a desirable quality to possess - there! That should do it." He clicked the cover back into place. "Now where did I put that scomp link?" He wandered towards the rear of the ship and Omega tripped after him.

"What, Tech? While it's a desirable quality, what?"

"Curiosity does require caution to temper it." Tech rifled through a storage crate and pulled out a long cable and the desired tool.

"Is it like foolish bravery?"

Tech slid underneath the dashboard with a soft grunt.

Omega plopped herself down in the copilot's seat and spun it around a few times.

"I suppose it is similar," Tech said finally. "Fear is a necessary element to consider in every situation requiring...bravery. It prevents total recklessness."

"Like Wrecker?"

Tech huffed. "Well, Wrecker can afford to be a bit more...reckless than some. His physical abilities do make it possible for him to attempt things it would be utterly foolish for the rest of us to endeavor."

Omega scrutinized Tech for a long moment. Long enough that he finally slid out from under the control panel and glanced up at her. "What is it?"

"Did you get in trouble for being curious, Tech?"

"I did receive a memory wipe once for accessing files without the proper authorization."

Omega thought there was more to that story than he was telling her, and she said so, spinning self-consciously about in the chair.

"If Hunter didn't tell you about the Vagaari, it is logical to assume he would not wish me to divulge further information on the subject."

"But we were talking about you, not the Vagaari," said Omega. She was beginning to feel a little flustered. "Can't you ask Hunter?"

Tech popped his head out from under the control panel. "You ask him."