Afternoon stretched into evening. The gray clouds overhead hadn't lightened at all despite the copious sheets of rain they sent streaking down from the sky. The viewport in the Marauder's cockpit was a shimmering mirror coated by a constant ripple of rain. Pounding fingers sounded all over the exterior of the ship, even underneath where water streamed to the surface of the landing platform and bounced up again.

Omega wandered back and forth, around and around.

Crosshair still had not come out of the bunkroom.

Omega had left only after he had sneeringly agreed to eat the food she had brought him. She hoped he hadn't lied just to get her to leave. He seemed starved.

Omega had worked with people before who were just as unpleasant as Crosshair. In one scenario, even more so. That had been scary. That had been the day Nala Se gave Omega the Kaminoan headpiece to wear, telling her it would "protect her".

Omega still didn't understand how that poor soldier could have been so awful to her. She had merely been trying to help by giving him pain meds and saying hello.

Nala Se had explained that when humans are hurt, they tend towards aggression as a means of defence and denial of their pain rather than silent acceptance.

Omega wondered now if Crosshair was so mean because he was hurting a lot. She was determined to find out. Maybe the problem with people who get hurt like that is that they drive everyone away by their behavior and soon have no one left to help them.

And Omega did not want that to happen to Crosshair.

Slipping through the narrow path between the the flight chairs, Omega reached Crosshair's weapons kit and slowly wrestled it all the way back to the bunkroom. She knocked.

Again, no answer.

She knocked again, sending a tentative "Crosshair...?" against the forbidding metal door.

She jumped back as the door hissed open, and Crosshair came slowly out. It looked as if he had been about to run her over despite his inability to move quickly, but his eyes darted to the weapons kit and he hesitated.

"Where did you get that?"

Omega shifted the end of the heavy case to lean against her side. She was about to drop it.

"You - left it on...the ship!" she gasped, heaving at the case again.

Crosshair grabbed the top of the weapons kit and hauled it to lean by the door. His searching look flickered down at Omega.

"What else did I...leave on the ship?" he asked.

Omega fidgeted, then grasped her fingers tightly, determined not to let Crosshair see how nervous she was. Perhaps now would be the time to give him his new communicator?

"Well," she began. "You left..." She almost said "your armor" but held back at the last moment. That could wait. She would have to ask Tech about it first. "Your communicator... But it got destroyed."

"And who destroyed it?"

Not "how did that happen". Crosshair, Omega reflected, was a very suspicious person. She opened her mouth but Crosshair interrupted before she even began to speak.

"Perhaps it was Hunter? He never could stand reminders."

"That's not true!" Omega shot back. She held her breath and counted to three. Anger would help nothing here.

Crosshair watched her through narrowed eyes.

"That's not true," Omega repeated again, more calmly. "The commlink got ruined when a bounty hunter smashed it. Hunter didn't get rid of it. He missed you just as much as the rest of us."

Crosshair scoffed. "Then explain to me why he didn't try to get me back..."

"Why didn't you try to come back?"

Crosshair's pale cheeks flushed, anger darkening his eyes. He snatched up the weapons kit from where it leaned on the wall and strode back into the bunkroom.

Omega followed.

Crosshair turned to glance at her over his shoulder, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Whaaat?"

Now was not the right time to mention that Omega had been wearing Crosshair's old communicator. She scuffed one boot on the floor and said, "Can I watch you?"

Crosshair glared, the studied her almost curiously. "What?"

"Can I watch you work on your weapons," said Omega, pointing to the kit. "Is that...okay...?"

Crosshair said nothing and lowered himself stiffly to the floor.

Omega took this as an invitation to stay, so she slowly sank to the ground as well, mimicking Crosshair's position.

Crosshair opened the black case and took out one of the Firepuncher attachments. He ran a hand along its length, and when a tiny smirk curled up one corner of his scowling lips, Omega was curious.

"Do you like being a sniper?" she asked.

The smirk vanished. Crosshair continued to ignore her.

Omega sighed and tapped her fingers on her knees as she'd seen Wrecker do sometimes.

She didn't know how to make Crosshair happy again, or even if he could be. But it was clear to her that something important was bothering him. So she did the only thing she knew how to do in situations like this. She could try to be friendly, no matter how difficult Crosshair might make it.

"The others all have enhanced skills," she said. "And I can't learn those things. You know, tracking the way Hunter does, or being really smart like Tech, or strong like Wrecker." Omega rocked slowly back and forth where she sat, eyebrows furrowed in thought as she considered her next words. "I know you have enhanced eyes..."

"How perceptive..."

"But maybe you could teach me to be a sniper, too?"

Crosshair continued to work, though the steady pace with which he was rubbing down his gun attachments faltered.

Omega rocked harder, nervousness pushing her to speak further.

"I know it might not be fun for me, but I can work hard! I've been getting better with my bow, and maybe if I practiced a lot, you could teach me to be really good at timing shots and aiming and -"

Crosshair growled and Omega jerked her gaze up to meet his.

"One thing about sniper's," he snarled. "We know how to be quiet."

Omega held her breath.

Crosshair eyed her once more, then returned to his work.

For a long while, there was nothing but the heavy pattering of rain on metal and the soft swish-swipe of a rag as Crosshair cleaned his weapons.

Omega found herself relaxing in the quiet. After a time she could hear each of her own inhales and exhales, as well as Crosshair's soft breathing. It was nice to sit and watch him work. She liked his steady motions of long practice, Crosshair's familiarity with his occupation making Omega feel more confident about approaching him. It didn't matter that he was still acting as if Omega didn't exist. She would have to be patient - maybe in the end he would be friendly like Hunter and the others. Or maybe...this was just the way he was? Quiet. Someone who liked to be alone...

At last Omega heard steps approaching outside the ship. But still she waited, being quiet so Crosshair could work. The peaceful silence was only broken when the door to the Marauder opened, four pairs of boots clomped up the stairs, and Wrecker yelled, "Boy, it's quiet in here!"