Chapter 9: The Mission

Everything was silent. The Marauder had entered hyperspace, the smugglers were no longer following. Omega tapped her hand along the cage roof, counting down the minutes until they reached Cid's again.

Somehow, she just couldn't find the courage to approach Tech and tell him what she'd done. She wasn't sure if it would hurt more to tell Hunter that she'd twisted the meaning in Tech's words to suit her curiosity, or if it would be worse to tell Tech.

She decided...each would be equally painful. Hunter would definitely be hurt, as would Tech, by her breaking trust with them. And the worst part would be seeing that hurt in Hunter's eyes, and not being able to detect it in Tech, but knowing it was there all the same.

Maybe Tech already knew - or at least suspected her of something. Omega didn't think he needed to be so loud over the comm, nor did she think he needed to be quite so rough in moving her out of his way.They were getting shot at! the tiny voice inside exclaimed. How do you know he is angry with you?

Omega was tired. Again. How could she face Tech and confess her mean act, especially after all he had done for her? He talked with her and taught her things about the ship he obviously loved so much. He could act passive and logical all day, but the Marauder definitely meant something to him. It was something he had put hours of work into, something he had helped build into the ship it was today. He would not want a liar onboard.

Omega slowly stood from her seat, trying with all her might to decide and take the first step - but, no. She couldn't bring herself to enter the cockpit. She told herself it was because Tech wasn't alone. Hunter and Echo were there, too. Right now, knowing that it was hard, but the right thing to do seemed just too much. Not in front of them all... She would wait.

Instead, Omega turned back and smiled at Wrecker. "Your turn to check after the mission!" she said.

Wrecker frowned. "Awww, but Hunter always gets a look. I don't wanna ask him!"

Omega poked him. "But it's your turn! I did it last time. Besides, we agreed...!"

Her voice trailed off. Agreeing sounded too much like trust. And she didn't want to think about that right now...

It would be at least a few hours before they reached Bracca. Omega sat atop Gonky and handed tools to Tech as needed while he twiddled and fiddled with the chip scanner.

It was good to be working with Tech again. He hadn't any hesitation at all in permitting her to assist him when she asked, and try as she might, she could find no signs that he had anything against her. Perhaps she had been too tired and sad the other night to make truly accurate observations. Because with Tech, it was hard to tell anything at all about what he was thinking or feeling at any given moment.

Omega liked Tech as he was. But she wondered how it would look if he ever smiled, nice and big like Wrecker, or at least steady and...there like Hunter did. Even Echo, who was a fairly stern companion smiled on occasion. When Tech smiled, it was more or less a smirk. And - at best - the small tilting up at the corners of his mouth. Both forms were rare.

Omega looked up from Tech's work and away from her thoughts at the sound of Wrecker's continued discomfort from the headache. Wrecker took a few steps about, antsy and unsettled.

"I - I don't like this plan!" he fussed.

Hunter came over and put a patient hand on Wrecker's back. "We agreed to meet Rex on Bracca," he said. "That's what we're doing."

"He wants to cut open my head!" said Wrecker, gesticulating wildly.

"All of our heads, actually." Tech could be so unhelpful at times.

Omega took the probe he had finished with and handed him the next tool.

"Not mine," she said cheerfully. "I don't have an inhibitor chip!"

"Wha-why not? That's not fair!" complained Wrecker.

Hunter ignored him and addressed Tech. "How's the chip scanner coming?"

"Since Rex's chip was removed," the technician replied, "I am able to establish a baseline by comparing his brain scan to ours - allowing for the detection of any cellular anomaly..." Tech tripped off in the direction of the cockpit.

"He means, it's almost finished!"

Omega hopped down from Gonky and trailed after Tech. She was feeling a lot more confident than she had before - now was as good a time as any to talk to Tech. She thought it would be better to get everything fixed up now before they were all distracted by the mission on Bracca.

So when she bounced to Tech's elbow and said, "Tech, I need to talk to you," his response brought only the keenest disappointment.

"I'm a little busy at the moment."

"But, Tech, this is really important!"

Echo stood from the copilot's seat and moved to the back of the ship where Wrecker was still fussing to Hunter about chips and open heads.

"Oh?" Tech tapped furiously at his datapad before gently inspecting the scanner in his hands.

"Yes, it's about...what we talked about a couple days ago." Omega rubbed her hands over each other and tried not to appear nervous.

"And what would that be?" said Tech after a long pause.

"Well," Omega began, feeling self conscious and more than a little out of place. "It has to do with...the Vagaari...sort of...?"

"Oh, well." Tech held the scanner up to the light, then bent low over it for further inspection. "There will be plenty of time to discuss the Vagaari and their unique customs and rituals later.The scanner takes precedence."

"But, Tech...!"

"Excuse me, Omega." Tech walked to the bunkroom and shut the door.

The scanner worked. Tech had located Wrecker's chip, and the Batch was preparing to remove it.

Something was wrong. Omega could feel it crackling in the back of her mind like an unknown electricity. She looked in Wrecker's face and saw a different pain than before. She tried to tell Hunter of her worries, but just as always, her words came out wrong. Uncertain and hesitant.

Hunter did his best to reassure her. It always made her feel better when he spoke. When he decided something was going to be a certain way, it was. Or he would fight to make it that way if it wasn't already...

"Wrecker...!"

Omega turned back at the strangled gasp. Wrecker's huge hand was closed around Tech's throat, and the technician was struggling feebly against the hold as he dangled in the air. Before anyone could move, Wrecker pulled back and hurled Tech into the wall.

Tech rebounded, twisting painfully to the floor, unconscious. A metal panel came loose from the wall and fell directly on top of him.

Before Omega knew what was happening, Wrecker was shooting at them all and Hunter had seized Omega in his arms and thrown them both behind cover.

Omega was scared. Echo shouted something at Rex, and then Hunter's voice was in her ears, telling her to stay with Tech. Then they were gone. And Wrecker had charged after them.

Omega ran to where Tech lay motionless on the ground. Her heart was pounding as loud as the sounds of the violent struggle going on outside the medical bay.

"Tech, wake up, pleeaase!!!" she begged, tugging on his hand. She even tapped him on the nose, but there was not so much as a twitch in Tech's pale face.

Omega could hear less layered noises outside. The others might have all been knocked out!

Omega hesitated, glancing between Tech and the door. Tech needed help, but Hunter and the others might need her help more. There was nothing she could do for Tech now - the panel was too heavy for her to move it off his chest. But she couldn't fight Wrecker either. She had to choose...

Omega bit her lip, glanced at Tech once more, and ran.

The medical bay was deathly silent. Not as in an absence of noise, but in the heavy scent of stale fear. It was taking awhile to fade.

Echo and Rex had recovered first, and were pulling the metal panel off of Tech who had regained consciousness, but was struggling with the weight.

Hunter launched into a coughing fit upon reviving, and Omega sat beside him, waiting in case he needed anything.

It took all four conscious men to get Wrecker onto the medical table.

Omega approached Tech as the table glided into the surgical tube.

"Tech, don't you think someone else should do it? You were hit really hard..."

"There is no one else to do it," said Tech impassively. "The others must learn from me, I have to do it. At least the first couple times."

"Tech, you can't be okay," Omega tried again. She didn't want Tech to mess up the surgery, she wanted him to rest. The others had been injured, but there was something about seeing Tech - reliable, controlled, always-know-what-to-do Tech - struggling to breathe, his eyes blown wide with fear and surprise. It was nothing she wanted to see again. "You can tell one of the others the procedure..."

"No, I cannot. It will be fine, Omega."

And Tech refused to continue. Omega finally gave up and stepped back.

Rex and Echo stayed near Tech to learn the procedure. Omega could see the exhaustion in Hunter's eyes, but she wanted to stay near Tech and learn too - just in case the others missed something. After all, she was a medical assistant.

It wasn't a long surgery, but waiting for Wrecker to wake up took a considerable amount of time. After a wait of ten mintues, Tech walked deliberately to the back of the room and seated himself in a chair.

"It would be most advisable to get some rest," he said.

Omega didn't bother to raise her head from the table, and listened to the others silently agree and shift around, making themselves comfortable.

It was a long time until Wrecker woke up...

The surgeries were nearly complete. Tech went under last. And just as with Wrecker and all the others, Omega stayed by the table and waited for him to regain consciousness.

She held Tech's hand when the table slid out from the surgical tube and sat, patiently waiting, determined to talk to him as soon as she could. She didn't want him or any of the others to come even close to death, but she really didn't want them to come close to death with all things not being well between them and her.

She felt gloved fingers gently squeeze her hand, then Tech was sitting up, Echo's flesh hand bracing him.

"Ah!" said Tech, and adjusted his goggles. "Excellent. It seems the opperation was a success."

Omega wandered away while Echo and Tech began to quietly talk. The subdued atmosphere was more...relaxed now... Almost...

Omega felt a soft tap on her shoulder, and when she turned, Wrecker knelt down and apologized.

Omega listened as hard as she could. Having been denied the opportunity to make a confession and ease a burden that weighed so painfully on her chest, she wanted to make sure that another would not have to suffer that same way.

And Wrecker - after something that wasn't his fault - was apologizing. She could see how hard it was , how confused her friend was. And she forgave him.

The Bad Batch loved her. Surely, it didn't take courage to approach Tech and apologize for her mistakes, even though she could have helped it, unlike Wrecker. Tech would forgive her too. There was no reason to be afraid.