Author's Note: Hello friends! Here is the latest instalment in the "Nightmare" series, this one is a bit different in that it's Echo with the nightmares rather than Omega. After rewatching the Clone Wars recently, I wanted to explore some of Echo's past - there is no doubt in my mind that Omega wouldn't ask for stories of his adventures! With that, I wanted to give some speculation on both Omega and CF-99's pasts a little as its so unclear in canon. I hope we get some more insight into their pasts in future episodes, but I also hope you enjoy my interpretation. It's purely what I could come up with and what worked in my brain for this story, and I'm interested to see your takes on it too!

The stars seemed especially beautiful that night, so beautiful that Omega was too busy staring up at them to even consider sleeping. The few clouds in the sky appeared to glow blue and purple, and on occasion, a shooting star would dart across the sky. She could take a holo of it, but it would never compare to the beauty of the real thing.

Clone Force 99 had made a rest-stop on the deserted planet after a long few days amongst the stars. In hindsight, they should have landed somewhere to make a supply run, rations were running low, but they would reach their destination by the end of the next day. They could make do until then. Omega hoped she would be allowed to explore the surroundings in the morning – through the darkness she could see a large, open meadow – but she was pretty sure she wasn't that lucky.

The quiet across the ship was interrupted by sounds of distress, and Omega hopped down from the gunner seat in an instant. It was Echo, and he was tossing and turning on the bunk in clear distress. Omega hurried down the ladder and rushed to his side.

"Echo? Echo, wake up!" Omega reached and shook him gently, "Wake up, whatever you're seeing, it isn't real!"

Echo's scomp link arm lashed out, narrowly missing Omega as she jumped back in fright. There was only one other time she had seen him this way, when he had been brought to the medbay after the food fight. But even then, he had calmed down relatively quickly.

"Echo? Echo, can you hear me?" Omega reached carefully for his hand, "you're okay, you're-"

Echo scrambled up into sitting, gasping for breath as he looked around rapidly and wildly, eyes wide and terrified. He looked so much younger when he was afraid, almost as if he were a cadet again.

"Echo?" Omega repeated, her own anxiety rising. She reached for his hand again but he pulled it away, instead holding his head. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears, so loud he could barely hear the young clone beside him. He was barely registering her presence at all, he didn't even notice when she ran off. His chest felt tight, restricted, which only panicked him even more. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the shoulders,

"Echo? Echo! Hey! Easy, easy," Hunter's voice was firm, his eyes full of concern, "Breathe. C'mon. Breathe."

The contact was enough to bring him out of his panic, and he slowly began to regulate his breathing. He noticed Omega watching, wide eyed, behind Hunter.

"Omega, get some water," Hunter said quietly, glancing aside before bringing his attention back to Echo, who was visibly focusing on every breath he took, "You're alright, brother. You're alright."

"Here!" Omega rushed back with a canteen, and Hunter helped Echo to steady his shaking hand enough to drink. She stood back to give them space.

"That's it," Hunter put the half-empty canteen on the side, giving his brother a moment to collect his thoughts. Echo closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. He remained in silence for a good few minutes, focusing on grounding himself back to reality.

"You alright?" Hunter said, his hand still on Echo's shoulder. Echo nodded silently, letting out a sigh.

"Do you want some more water?" Omega picked up the canteen, and both Hunter and Echo cracked a smile.

"No, thank you," Echo took her hand and gave it a squeeze, "But thank you for your help."

"You would do the same for me," Omega smiled up at him.

"Let's give Echo some-" Hunter was cut off by a sudden, loud snore from Wrecker. All three of them startled, but none flinched harder than Echo. Panic struck through him all over again, and Omega stepped closer to put a reassuring hand on his knee.

"I could...I could use some air," Echo stumbled over his words, pushing himself up, "Too hot in here."

"Take as long as you need," Hunter stepped over to lower the entry ramp, "Omega, go back to-"

"I can go with you?" Omega interrupted, a little too eagerly for the situation. She had already run off to grab Lula from her bedroom.

"Omega..." Hunter's voice took on a warning tone, but Echo waved him off.

"It's fine," he looked to Omega, with a small smile, "I'd appreciate the company."

"Take this, at least," Hunter threw Omega a blanket, "It's cold out there. And no wandering off, it's the middle of the night."

"She's not going anywhere, right, Omega?" Echo raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, sir!" Omega threw the blanket around herself like a cape and followed Echo outside. The sky looked even more beautiful outside, rather than through a window. The pair stood in silence for a while, Omega nestling into her blanket with Lula while Echo appreciated the cool breeze. It helped ground himself back to reality. He was here, in the now, not the past. Those days were long gone.

"I'm...sorry you had to see that," Echo looked back at Omega sadly, "It doesn't happen as often anymore."

"You don't have to be sorry, Echo," Omega shook her head, too cautious to come any closer, "You can't help it. I just wanted to be sure you were okay."

"Well, thank you," Echo offered her a smile.

"It's what brothers do," Omega said proudly, "And sisters."

Echo laughed to himself, "You're right."

Omega began to wander around – not straying far from the ship – as she watched the stars, often losing her balance and stumbling from looking directly upwards. She ended up laying flat on her back in the long grass, tooka plush in arms, gazing up at the sky with a serene smile on her face. Echo watched her in amusement, her childish wonder enough to distract him from the memories of the nightmare, at least for now.

He himself turned to look at the mass of stars above them, Omega's fascination with them only sparked his interest further. Echo had spent his life amidst the stars, travelling from planet to planet, mission to mission. He'd slept under them countless times. Never had he really stopped to appreciate them, not until he met Omega. She would, with Tech's help, identify constellations, she would even create her own. She could seemingly watch them for hours without tiring, which admittedly was a good way to get some quiet on the ship. The stars were calming to watch, he should do it more often. They all should.

"Echo?" Omega's voice brought Echo out of his thoughts, and he turned to see her sat up in the grass. Her eyes were wide and curious. He knew there was a question incoming. Lula's eyes and ears peeked out from the blanket, as if she were listening too, "What was it like? Before you became a Bad Batcher?"

Echo sighed. He was struggling to collect his thoughts enough without trying to string together a sentence. And he'd been trying so hard to not relive his past. Omega meant well, she was just curious, but her timing wasn't always the best.

"Very different. I was a reg. An ARC trooper. I still had my legs," Echo found himself laughing at his own dry humour. Omega was unsure whether to laugh with him or not.

"Were you in Rex's squad before you became a Bad Batcher?" Omega asked, "You seem to know him better than the others do."

"Not Rex's squad exactly, but we fought alongside each other in the 501st. I'm the only surviving trooper from my original squad," Echo looked down.

"Oh," Omega took a side-step closer to him, "I'm sorry."

Echo shook his head, "It's part of the life of a clone. We lost brothers every battle. We're disposable. Replaceable."

"But you're not," Omega frowned, "Every clone I ever met...every one of you is different, even if you share the same face."

"The Kaminoans, the Republic didn't necessarily see it that way. The Jedi did, to a point. General Skywalker and Commander Tano saw us all as individuals, at least. I know from Cody that General Kenobi was much the same."

"What even is a Jedi?" Omega asked, "Nala Se and the clones I helped in the medical wing, they'd mention them all the time. I met General Shaak Ti, once. Nala Se said she was a Jedi. Are they a species?"

"Not a species," Echo chuckled, "More like a religion. Peacekeepers that can use the Force, not that I really know what that is."

"Peacekeepers...that were war generals?" Omega sat on the ramp of the Marauder, and after a moment, Echo joined her, "That doesn't make sense."

"I guess I didn't put much thought into it," Echo sighed, "Too busy echoing orders."

"Is that how you got your name?" Omega grinned.

"I hated it at first, but in the end, it stuck," Echo laughed to himself, "Always had my nose stuck in the reg manuals as a shiny."

"But I still don't understand about the Jedi..." Omega looked up at him, "Weren't they bad? Didn't the Emperor accuse them of treason?"

"That, I don't really have an answer for. I was out of the battle for a while, but the Jedi didn't appear to be a threat from where I was standing. The others were as confused as I was when we heard what Order 66 entailed. It was an honour to serve alongside the likes of the Jedi. General Skywalker was there with Rex and the boys when they found me on Skako Minor."

"General Skywalker," Omega repeated, "I think I've heard his name before."

"The 501st were under his command. Entirely possible you met at least one of his men if you were working on Kamino," Echo smiled fondly at the memories, "He wasn't your...typical Jedi, in that he was, let's say, a little reckless. Perhaps deviated from orders a little too much at times. Rubbed off on his Padawan, that goes without saying."

"Padawan?" Omega scrunched up her nose with confusion, "So many strange words."

"An apprentice Jedi," Echo laughed, "Commander Tano was a great match for her Master. They were...an unconventional pair, by the Jedi standards. But they were great leaders, we were lucky to have them."

Omega started to smile, relieved that Echo appeared to be back to himself, much more at ease. Until his face fell, and he bowed his head.

"Of course, they're gone now," he shook his head, and Omega moved closer to him, "Like the rest of the Jedi. And so many of our brothers."

"Like your squad," Omega mumbled sadly.

"Yeah, Domino Squad," Echo's voice took on a proud tone, "Droidbait, Cutup, Hevy and Fives. They were good men. I only wish Rishi station hadn't ended the way it did. Only Fives and I remained after that, we were only shinies when we lost them."

"And...what happened to Fives?" Omega studied his face, reaching to take his arm, "He meant a lot to you."

"He was a true brother, a fine soldier. Didn't do a mission without him. We became ARC-troopers together. Until the Citadel, we were rarely apart," Echo kept his eyes focused on the ramp.

"The Citadel...that was where-"

"Where I ended up like this," Echo raised his scomp arm, "I knew he was gone. I didn't need to be told. I woke up on Skako Minor, first face I saw was Rex. Tech was there too, wouldn't have been unplugged from that place without him. The rest of the Batch were warding off the droids outside. But no Fives. No sign of him."

"Oh," Omega sighed.

"I know Fives, he wouldn't have skipped out on that particular mission, just as I wouldn't have skipped out on rescuing him. Rex knew it didn't need saying. He only told me he died a hero, and I wouldn't have expected anything else. But that was before Tech looked up Fives' records."

"What happened?" Omega's eyes widened, her grip on his arm tightening.

"I don't know for sure, but I have a good idea," Echo's face hardened, "Records state he died of a parasite that caused insanity. Another clone named Tup suffered the same fate, they died just a day apart – and he was said to have killed a Jedi General. This was long before Order 66. Rex happened to mention that Fives had tried to warn him about the inhibitor chips."

"Oh...no," Omega looked down in realisation.

"Knowing Fives, he found out something he shouldn't have about the chips. Something that could jeopardise Order 66," Echo sighed, "They had to take him out before he could reveal the plan to the Jedi, his cause of death was a cover up. I'm sure of it."

"It's not fair," Omega's voice cracked, and Echo saw she had tears in her eyes. She shuffled closer to him until they were side-by-side, "You're living beings. We all are. We aren't property."

"I know," Echo put an arm around the young girl, unsure what else to say. When you're grown in a tube, created to fulfill an order by a bunch of scientists, you're nothing more than an asset. A faceless number. Omega was different, the Bad Batch were too, in a way. They weren't just another set of clones, they were science experiments, manipulated and enhanced to the Kaminoan's curiosities. He hated to think what tests they had endured throughout their lives, he had no doubt they happened but never had the heart to ask. They were experimental units, the experiments wouldn't have stopped when they were embryos.

"The Republic were lucky to have ARC troopers like you and Fives, even if they didn't appreciate you," Omega said proudly, sniffling and leaning on him, "He would be proud of you, Echo. I know he would."

"I'd like to think so," Echo offered her a grateful smile, "It pains me to know we never got to knowingly part ways. The last memory of him I have was seconds before the shuttle blew up. He was telling me to look out. His last memory of me would be...well, it would be the...the shuttle."

He faltered a moment, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head as if to shake away the memory of the blast. A blurry, incomplete memory, but one that haunted him all the same. Omega gave his hand a squeeze, and it was enough to snap him out of it, "But then again, clones are rarely given the luxury of a goodbye."

"Do you think you still would have joined Hunter and the others if Fives were still here?"

"A good question, that I don't really have an answer for," Echo frowned, "I made my choice because it felt like the right one. I didn't fit in with normal clones anymore. Even the Bad Batch struggled to trust me at first, I didn't want to have to fight to win the trust of every other clone all over again too. I needed a small squad of clones that understood, to a degree, how it felt to be different in an army of identical soldiers. Fives was my brother, my closest brother, but I'm not sure if he alone could have altered my decision. Even if he would have fought anyone who tried to make a dig at me."

Omega grinned, "Now I wish I could have met him. Do you think he would have liked us?"

"I think he would have liked Clone Force 99's style. Hell, he might have asked to join them along with me," Echo smirked, "Would have liked to see what Crosshair would have said to that."

"I think I have a good idea," Omega giggled quietly.

"Fives and Wrecker would create all kinds of chaos...and he would want to learn all of Tech's hacking techniques. He'd be a good fit, if he weren't a reg."

"What about me?"

"Oh, I have no doubt you would have a friend in Fives," Echo gave her a gentle squeeze, "We protected a squad of young cadets back on Kamino one time. He would have laid down his life for any of his brothers. Or a sister, for that matter. He would have liked your aversion to following the rules, I'm sure he would have told you many stories of his adventures."

Echo laughed to himself, "You know, Domino Squad were considered a bad batch of sorts, back when we were cadets."

"A bad batch?" Omega gaped, "But why?"

"Because we failed our final test. We couldn't work together, at first. Our trainer had all but given up on us, Fives and I tried to get a transfer to another squad, which thankfully got denied. That was selfish of us. Shaak Ti gave us another chance, we learned to work together by then," Echo found himself smiling at the memories, "99 never stopped believing in us, though."

"99?" Omega's eyes widened, "The maintenance clone?"

"You knew 99 too?" Echo stared at her in disbelief.

"He was one of my only friends on Kamino," Omega looked down sadly, "Before he..."

They both fell silent.

"Alright," Echo finally spoke, "You're always asking us what our lives were like. Tell me about yours. What was it like working on Kamino?"

Omega shrugged, "Not half as interesting as your stories."

"Still, I'm interested," Echo said, giving her a gentle nudge, "Tell me."

"Well, you know some of it," Omega sighed, "Most of my life I was underwater in Nala Se's lab. On my own, besides when I had four little brothers for a short time."

"Can't imagine them as anything different as they are now," Echo looked back at the ship, "Let alone smaller than you."

"I know," Omega hugged Lula tighter, "They were referred to as X-1, X-2, X-3 and X-4 back then. Crosshair was blonde, like me. Tech was the smallest when they left to join the other clones. Hunter always had his hair longer than the others, he didn't like feeling of the clippers. I made him his first bandana to keep his hair from his eyes."

"Blonde Crosshair, huh?" Echo chuckled, "Can't imagine that. Can't imagine Tech being short either."

"I know," a smile played on Omega's lips, "They looked so different when I saw them again."

"How long were they with you?" Echo asked, "They...didn't seem to remember you."

"I don't know. There was no way of keeping track of time down there. They were grown in Nala Se's lab, by the time they left they were roughly my age physically...but I couldn't tell you how old I was," Omega sighed, looking at the tooka in her arms, "Lula was mine. The only company I had before Clone Force 99 were created. I let Wrecker take her with him, he was scared. I said she would look after him."

"She did," the pair turned to see Hunter in the entryway, "Lula has helped calm Wrecker for as long as I can remember...and I can't say I remember anything about Nala Se's lab, but I can say I was sure I recognised you when I saw you after Kaller. I just...I couldn't put my finger on it, I guess."

Hunter got down from the ramp, standing beside where Omega and Echo sat. Omega smiled proudly and gave Lula another squeeze.

"What happened to you? After we left?" Hunter asked.

"Nala Se had me studying medical practise for a while before she took me up to the city to work in the medical wing," Omega's smile faded, "99 was the first person I spoke to, he was cleaning up in the medical wing when I arrived. He was kind. He was always kind."

"99 was a true hero. And a true brother," Echo said proudly, "He was a friend to every clone."

"It has never stopped being an honour to serve in his name," Hunter kept his head held high, "We graduated just days after he passed. Got permission to name our squad after him, he treated us like brothers even when the regs didn't."

"He did the same to me. He told Nala Se he would look out for me. I think he could tell I was like him. A clone, but different to the others. He could probably tell how scared I was too, I hadn't seen any other person other than Nala Se for years by then. And I had never left the lab before, Tipoca City was so bright and loud in comparison, there were people everywhere." Omega rested her head on Lula's, "And not many clones enjoyed being tended to and told what to do by a kid."

"I can imagine," Hunter shook his head, "The regs can be cruel, especially to those different to themselves."

"That first day...99 found me hiding in the supply room, after a trooper yelled at me for only trying to help," Omega sighed, "He sat with me, helped me calm down. I think he gave the clone a talking to as well, which I'm sure didn't end well for him. Nala Se found us and sent us both back to work."

"He kept an eye out for me after that, though. He took care of me when no one else would. Nala Se and the Kaminoans just expected me to work."

"You were just a kid, being expected to do all that," Echo shook his head, "The Kaminoans really have no idea."

"I was mainly working with droids. They don't need breaks like humans do. 99 would sneak me food from the mess hall if I couldn't get there myself, he brought spare blankets and pillows he could swipe from the stores, so I could get some sleep in the supply room."

"You didn't have your own quarters?"

"Not really. Unless Nala Se took me back down to the lab, which she did on occasion," Omega looked down, "I was kept down there for a few days about a year into the war. When Nala Se brought me back to the medical wing...it was overrun with injured clones. And...I never saw 99 again."

"That must have been the separatist invasion," Echo said bitterly, "He died a hero, Omega. He was helping Fives and I defend the city. He...he died in my arms."

Silence fell upon the three of them, leaving only the sound of the soft breeze that made Omega shiver. Echo instinctively pulled her closer to him. Tears leaked from the young girl's eyes.

"He told me about all the cadets he met, all their names, how good soldier they were." she whispered, "Including a group of four clones called the Experimental Unit."

"Yeah, his support meant more than he'd ever know," Hunter said solemnly.

"He was fascinated with you. He was so proud that defective clones like him were going to become such assets to the Republic," Omega smiled tearfully up at him, "I don't think he considered himself much of an asset."

"He was always there after every day of training, asking us how it went, what we'd learned," Hunter smiled at the memory, "Made a change from the regs and their comments."

"I don't understand why the other clones treated you that way," Omega shook her head.

"Me neither, we're all brothers, regardless of anything. We were all made for the same purpose, all fighting for the same thing," Echo gritted his teeth.

"We got used to it eventually," Hunter shrugged, "Well, Tech never stopped trying to correct the regs or having the last word, no matter how many punches it got him. Crosshair always kept to himself, that never changed, that didn't stop the regs going for him. He looked different, so he was a target. He was always first to step in to defend us, though. Especially when it involved Tech, who never knew when to stop, or Wrecker, who always took things worse than the rest of us."

"Wrecker?" Omega frowned.

"Yeah, not exactly what you'd expect. He didn't have such a thick skin at first. He got one soon enough," Hunter glanced back at the ship, "We all did. Kept well out of everyone's way after a while."

"No wonder Crosshair hated regs so much," Echo muttered, "I can promise we weren't all like that."

"I know," Hunter said, "You weren't all so bad."

"99 would be proud that you accepted Echo into your squad, Hunter," Omega said quietly, "He would want any clone that was different to feel like they belonged."

"You're right," Hunter ruffled Omega's hair affectionately, "I think he'd be proud that you joined us too, that you've got us looking out for you now he can't."

"The last thing he said to me, before Nala Se took me down to the lab, he told me I was special, and I must have been created to do great things," Omega leaned on Echo again, "Both of us had just been mocked by a group of clones in the corridor. He told me they were jealous."

"Well, you are doing great things," Hunter said with a smile, "You're helping fight for what's right. You've saved people. Not many people your age can say that."

"You're my age," Omega grinned, "In fact, you're younger."

"You know what I mean," Hunter rolled his eyes in amusement, Echo couldn't help but laugh. The three of them were silent for a while, all finding themselves watching the night sky as it began to lighten. The stars were beginning to fade. 99 connected them all before they had even met. For a defective clone that the Kaminoans had written off, he had impacted so many of his brothers. If only he knew they'd all find their way to each other eventually. Hunter recalled a memory he wasn't sure he had even told his squad-mates.

"He helped me, once," the sergeant leaned against the ship, "When I was a cadet. All four of us got additional training, relevant to our enhanced skills. Testing their limits, seeing just how far they could push us. Seeing just how much Wrecker could lift, how far Crosshair could shoot accurately, how much Tech could process at once. Fascinating to the Kaminoans, painful for us. Cross and Tech were always complaining of headaches. Wrecker was in constant pain, his growing pains were always worse than ours, on top of being pushed to the limits of his strength. We all rallied around one another, did our best to fix it. Tech would hack into shipment orders, get additional medpacs delivered with other med supplies, and swipe it from the hangar so we were always stocked when we needed it. We took care of ourselves."

"You could have asked me in the medical wing," Omega said, "I would have got it for you."

"We didn't know that at the time, or else we would have," Hunter smirked.

"And you? What did they do to you?" Omega watched as Hunter's expression turned from one of amusement, to one of despair.

"They wanted to see just how far my senses could go, and after they saw how an overload would just send me into a shutdown, they decided to see if they could fix that," he shook his head, "So as well as overloading me, they...they would deprive me of all senses. The deprivation tank blocked out all light, sound, smell, everything. They would leave me in there for, I don't even know how long, but it felt like hours. They would let me out and expect me to run a training course, so I could learn to work through it if I got overloaded in combat. I...could barely start it, let alone complete it. All my senses would be flooded to the point I struggled to even stand. The lights were too bright, everything was too loud, even the feeling of my clothes against my skin was too irritating. It never improved, not matter how many times they tried. Usually they would allow me back to the barracks to recover, but this one time, they tried to send me straight to assembly. The others were already there, so I had to get there alone. Safe to say I didn't make it."

"99 found me near the training room, he'd seen me after these tests before. Tech would be with me usually, he was good at sneaking away to find me after my tests. He would do the talking for me. But he wasn't there that time.

"99 knew I didn't want to go to the medical wing, he knew I had to work through it in my own time. I don't remember where he took me, I think it was some kind of maintenance supply room. Sat me down, held my hand, and waited it out with me, gave me some water. Stayed there until I was ready to go. He told me not to be ashamed of myself, not to take it as weakness. I had powerful gifts, and I would learn to make the best of them in my own way."

Omega got to her feet, jumping off the ramp to hug the sergeant, "They shouldn't have done that to you. To any of you. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise for their doing," Hunter sighed, putting an arm around her, "They learned our limits eventually. I did learn to handle my abilities in my own time. I can tune stuff out better, I can work through an overload, most of the time, but if I can't, I know how best to ride it out. Tech has found ways to help, he's always there to ride it out with me. I didn't need all their experiments to show me that."

"I was reprimanded for missing that assembly, but 99 took the fall. Told them he asked my help with something, not realising I had places to be. I don't even know if I thanked him. I don't know if we ever did," Hunter ran a hand through his hair, "He never got enough credit for everything he did for his brothers."

"So many brave clones, lost and forgotten," Echo said, his head bowed.

"Not forgotten," Omega said firmly, "The Kaminoans, the Republic may have seen them as numbers, but we remember them. We know their names and what they did for the galaxy. That's what matters."

"That's what matters," Echo repeated, smiling at the young clone. Omega was sure she saw tears in his eyes. She had never seen any of her brothers cry, and she knew that she never, ever wanted to.

"We do what we do to honour our brothers we lost along the way," Omega looked up at the stars, "We do this for Fives, and for Tup and Hevy and Cutup and Droidbait, and we do this for 99. They're still with us. They are."

"I guess in a way they all live on in us. We share the same face," Echo smirked, "Well, most of us do."

Omega laughed, interrupted by a yawn. Hunter chuckled and plucked Omega up into his arms.

"Is it time to go back to bed?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No, I want to stay with Echo and hear more stories," Omega did her best to seem wide awake, "He said he'd like the company."

Echo and Hunter both laughed, as the young girl rested her head on Hunter's shoulder.

"You've been great company, Omega. I appreciate it. But don't force yourself to stay awake on my count. I'll be fine," Echo got to his feet, "We've got a long day of travel in the morning."

"But I can sleep on the journey," Omega mumbled, "I want to stay out here with you."

"I'm not gonna win this argument, am I?" Hunter smirked.

"Nope," Omega yawned again, failing to hide it in time.

"Have you ever watched the sun rise, Omega?" Echo asked, and the girl shook her head. For a girl denying any tiredness, she was nestled comfortably in her big brother's arms, and looking ready to doze off any second, "Then why don't you stay awake to watch your first sunrise, and then we can both turn in."

"That sounds like a reasonable plan to me," Hunter nudged Omega lightly.

"Deal," Omega said through a yawn, making both her brothers laugh again. She turned to look at the sky, now an orange-tinted purple with the sun beginning to appear on the horizon. The sight woke her up a little, and she sat up on Hunter's lap in wonder, "Woah."

"What is going on out here?" Tech stepped into the doorway, "Is there something wrong?"

"Just waiting to watch the sun rise, Tech. Want to join us?" Hunter looked back at him. Tech paused, glancing at the sky in utter confusion.

"Why?"

"Because it's beautiful," Omega whispered.

"I suppose it is a pleasant view," Tech shrugged, "But it happens every day without fail. It's nothing out of the ordinary."

"But how often do we take the time to watch?" Echo said.

"What'd I miss?" Wrecker appeared behind Tech, "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Wrecker. They're just watching the sun rise," Tech said dismissively, despite sitting down on the ramp as he spoke. He tapped away at his datapad, "It should be over within 30 minutes. I will prepare the ship to depart at that time."

"You wanna keep it down?" Echo muttered.

"Look!" Omega gasped as the sun became more visible on the horizon, silencing the others, "Wow."

Seemingly, Omega's wonder was enough to get them all focusing on the view, even Wrecker remained quiet. The five of them watched the sun gradually rise, illuminating the sky with an orange glow as the stars slowly faded away.

Echo watched Omega for a moment. Her were eyes alight with wonder as she took in the changing colours of the sky, of the world around her beginning to lighten. She was still discovering so much about the galaxy and getting to watch her do so was such a source of inspiration for the experienced trooper. Seeing the galaxy through the eyes of a child experiencing these things for the first time, it was a whole new perspective. So many things they all took for granted and rarely took the time to notice, they were all new, incredible experiences for Omega. He could only hope that child-like wonder would continue for a long time. It was a much-needed light in such a dark, uncertain time.

"The sun rise is complete. I shall power up the ship, prepare for departure," Tech got to his feet and headed inside. He had paid attention to the scenery for only a few minutes before his focus went back to his datapad. Omega's intrigue at such, in his opinion, mundane things, were lost on him.

"She didn't quite make it," Hunter smirked, looking down at Omega, fast asleep and nestled up in the blankets, Lula's red-tipped ears peeking out in front of her. Echo shook his head in amusement.

"A deal's a deal, though, I could use a nap," Echo stood up, followed by Hunter.

"You alright?" the sergeant looked at him in concern, glancing at Omega as she shifted in her sleep.

"I'll live. I guess talking about the past, it helped," Echo shrugged, "Remembering the better times instead of the bad."

"Omega's good at talking," Hunter made his way back onto the ship, just as Omega began to stir.

"Did I miss it?" she mumbled, peeking over her brother's shoulder at Echo.

"I think you caught some of it," Echo chuckled, "Like Tech says, they happen everyday. You'll get to see another."

Omega yawned again, "Do you feel better?"

"I do," Echo tousled her hair before reaching the bunks, "Thank you for your company."

"I meant what I said. They'd be proud of you, Echo," Omega settled back on Hunter's shoulder. Echo smiled to himself and sat on the bunk. His own tiredness had caught up with him now, he felt like he could sleep for a week. He looked to the young clone, drifting back to sleep in her big brother's arms.

"Sleep well, ad'ika."

Echo woke a few hours later to the familiar sound of the engines, relieved to be waking naturally rather than being shaken awake by a night terror. He could hear Wrecker and Tech were talking in the cockpit, it sounded like Tech was lecturing him, and Wrecker was grumbling about it. They were low on rations, no doubt. Food was always top of Wrecker's priorities. As Echo sat up to see if he could swipe a ration bar before Wrecker did, he realised he wasn't alone in the bunk. Beside him, tucked under his arm, he found Lula staring up at him with her blank red eyes. Placed there to ward off the nightmares, he could only assume. It seemed she had done her job.

Hunter was asleep nearby in the seat by the computer terminal, Omega still curled up on his knee in the blankets, clutching at his arm. The sergeant must have lost the battle to get her back to bed, but Echo was pretty certain that he wouldn't have minded much. After the fall of Kamino, he had seemed to become more affectionate. They all had, except Tech. It would take a lot more than that to get Tech wanting a hug.

He got to his feet, leaving Lula sat on the bunk, waiting patiently for her friend to wake. Looking to the young girl, peacefully asleep in the arms of her brother, Echo felt a sense of pride. 99 needn't worry. She had his own squad to look out for her now.

For 99.

Thank you so much for reading! I was a bit nervous posting this fic due to the fact I struggled to pin down my several ideas and figure out which worked best. I'm not actually sure that Omega would have been living with very young CF-99 for that long at all, but the concept of her going from the big sister to the little sister is such an interesting, yet tragic one so I wanted to explore it a little bit in this fic - I might write some more along the lines of this idea! I'd also like to write more about 99 & Omega or CF-99, again I'm not sure as to the likelihood that any of them met, but its a nice idea. It's so difficult to tell how old the Bad Batch truly are, and how long Omega was working outside of Nala Se's lab.
I probably seem almost apologetic about my own interpretation, but it's because in my head I just want to know the canonical facts, and it's almost as if I want my ideas to be "correct". Either way, I hope you enjoyed this fic, and my ideas about their potential pasts. Please let me know what you think, I'm really curious!