One afternoon, about a week after Omega's first meeting with Alejandro, Hunter was sitting on the porch in front of the Lawquane household. It was a relatively warm day for fall on Dantooine, and the sun was bright in the sky. The only smells and tastes came from the farm, the wood of the porch, and the grass, slightly ochre and manure.
Hunter could feel the soft dirt where his feet sat and the solid, strangely smooth porch wood he was sitting on. The wind gently ruffled his hair, and though anyone could see the farm, only he noticed the little worm poking slightly out of the compost pile nearby.
Omega walked out, sat with him, and said, "I'm ready. I have one final question."
"What is it?" Hunter asked.
"Why did you and Suu both recommend I talk to Echo?"
"Because your trauma overlaps with his. Remember when you said that you didn't want to be another experiment in a tube?"
When Omega nodded, Hunter continued, "Echo knows your fear. He was an experiment in a tube. He knows what it's like to go through what you've endured. Both your traumas overlap. Talking is an opportunity for you to work together to start healing."
Omega looked to Hunter, surprised. Then again, she remembered when Echo had woken up in the medical bay after being knocked out.
"It's OK. I don't like being hooked up to the Kaminoan machines either." she'd said to him.
It was then that she clicked. Hunter was right. If anyone understood the medical abuse she'd endured, it would be Echo.
"Should I send a message to Echo that you're ready?" Hunter asked after a few moments.
When Omega nodded, Hunter sent a message to Echo. When Echo acknowledged, Hunter turned to Omega.
"He'll be waiting for you in the Living Room in about 10 minutes," Hunter said as he got up.
Omega immediately got up and tightly hugged Hunter, who smiled and returned the embrace.
"It's OK, ad'ika. You'll be alright." Hunter reassured, and Omega felt reassured. Once they broke apart, Omega headed inside, while Hunter went to find Cut to give Omega and Echo space while they talked.
Ten minutes later, Echo was sitting in the Lounge Room. The ceiling light was bright, dimmed before due to Omega's concussion. The only sounds are the gentle hum of the TV on standby and Jek and Shaeeah drawing in the other room. Echo can feel the soft leather of the seat, the soft carpet flecked with bits of Mantell Mix, and the wooden cabinet and table completed with a mix of oak, sugar, leather, carpet and TV electricity. Echo finally noticed that the TV aerial was a very good fake, but still fake.
Echo heard Omega ask Jek and Shaeeah to head out of the back. That confirmed that Omega would finally start telling Echo what the Demagolkas had done to her. It had taken months to get to this point, and Suu had given him and Hunter advice about kids who have gone through abuse and trauma, which explained a lot about the difficulties they'd had to this point.
"Young kids who go through abuse or trauma try their hardest to keep it in the past and never mention it again. We've gone through this with Jek and Shaeeah, and it sounds like you're having the same struggle with Omega."
After a moment or two, Omega enters. She's wearing the dark blue dress and black pants she bought a week ago. Echo can tell she's ready but still nervous, judging by how tightly she's holding Lula.
Omega sat on the sofa, rested against Echo, and sighed, "I'm about as ready as I'll ever be. Scaring Jek and Shaeeah as badly as I did the first night we were here made me realise I must start getting this off my chest."
Echo nodded and replied, "I understand Omega. Jek and Shaeeah understood. Isn't that why they've stayed with you at night every night since?"
Omega nodded and smiled. "That's why they did it. And honestly, I'm glad. Not only have they been able to calm me down after a nightmare, but I've also done the same for Jek and Shaeeah."
Echo returned the smile, "Is that all that's brought it on?"
Omega shook her head and sighed, "The abuse happened in the past. I wanted to keep it there. But my past is hurting me in the present, and if I don't start working to heal mentally from the abuse, it'll continue harming me into the future. At least that's what Suu told me,"
"Suu understands a lot about kids, so it's not surprising. Helps that she's a Childcare worker," Echo replied.
After a few moments of silence, Echo asked, "So, what do you want to cover today?"
"Well, I guess I could start with the source of my most recent nightmares," Omega replied. Echo nodded and gently patted her back in encouragement.
"Nala Se would regularly test me. She wanted to test my mutations concerning my strengths and limitations. They were rough. But, for the most part, Nala Se didn't care. It didn't matter how much pain I was in if the needle was bad or went in or out wrong. She also didn't care if I found the tests painful, humiliating or tiresome. Nala Se had free reign over me. She took advantage of that," she explained.
"That must have been hard," Echo said carefully and gently. Omega nodded, clutching Lula tighter and tensing up, but she refused to elaborate.
Recognising that he won't get much more out of her at this stage, he thought around for a change in subject.
But it was Omega who changed the subject first.
"What was your life like before you joined the Bad Batch?" she asked curiously.
Echo looked at her for a moment. It gets her to open up a bit more about her past. Then he should open up about his.
"It was very different. I was a reg and an ARC Trooper for a time. I still had my legs and arm then. I started in my unit, Domino Squad. After our first assignment at Rishi station, only Fives and I survived. We integrated into Rex's legion, the 501st," Echo explained.
"Oh. Who was in your squad?" Omega inquired, curious.
"Fives, Droidbait, Cutup, Heavy. They were the other four members of my squad. I'm the only survivor".
"Oh. I'm sorry," Omega replied, looking up apologetically at him.
"It's OK, Omega. Sadly, that is the life of a clone. In every battle, we lost brothers. That's the cruelty of war," Echo explained, looking back at the TV.
"Sounds like you and Fives were close. What happened?" Omega asked.
Echo replied, "He was a great soldier and a true friend and brother. We were inseparable. At least until the Citadel," at that point, a haunted look flashed over his features.
"The Citadel was where you."
"Ended up like this," Echo completed, raising his Scomp arm.
He continued, "When I woke up on Sako Minor, I saw Rex, the Batch, but no Fives. That's when I knew he was gone. He wouldn't have skipped out on rescuing me, same for me with him. Rex didn't need to say anything. I already knew. Rex told me he had died a hero. I believed that until Tech looked up Fives' records".
Omega could feel where this was going and was saddened noticeably, just a quiet "Oh".
"The records claimed he and another Clone named Tup died of a Separatist parasite that caused insanity. Fives had tried to warn Rex about the Inhibitor chips."
"Oh. I know where this is going," Omega replied, sighing, a haunted look flashing across her eyes as the realisations started.
"Knowing Fives, he discovered stuff about the Chips that he shouldn't have, so Fives got eliminated before he could tell the Jedi. It was a coverup. I know it." Echo said before he turned to Omega.
"How did you know it would be about the Inhibitor Chips?" Echo asked.
Omega continued, her voice shaky, "Nala Se. She told me the chips were to prevent aggression; it was to help you. That's why she made them and put them inside you. I saw her do it. She knew their real purpose; why would she do that? That chip turned good men into killing machines''.
At that point, Omega broke, buried her face into Echo's shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably.
It took a while for Echo to calm the stricken teen.
Eventually, Omega calmed enough, and Echo growled, "That Kriffing Demagolka was in on the plan. Because, of course,"
"What does Demagolka mean? I've heard you use that term a few times. What does it mean?" Omega wondered.
Echo explained, "It's the vilest thing you could call someone in Mandalorian culture. A very long time ago, there was a man in Mandalore called Demagol. He experimented on people, including children. He committed atrocities and was a real-life monster. The term Demagolka derives from his name. It means a monster who commits unimaginable crimes."
"Well, it fits Nala Se perfectly," Omega growled, in a very Crosshair-like way, which made Echo both chuckles but hurt a bit that Crosshair wasn't with them.
"The scars on your arms. They're from Nala Se?" Echo enquired, deciding to get back to Omega's past.
She replied, "Not all of them. Taun We, Koan Si, and Kie Lo had their times to test/abuse me. Nala Se was the most frequent and is the source of most of the scars".
At this, Omega pulled the sleeves up again, showing the IV scars crisscrossing her upper arms. She pointed to a few of the more prominent scars.
"Cora Sol gave me the worst scars. She was especially rough and particularly abusive towards me. I don't know how to describe some of what she did to me, and" she suddenly stopped, closed her eyes and shuddered violently.
"I won't push you to talk about that. Just know that I'll be here for you, ad'ika, once you're ready," Echo said kindly, more closely embracing Omega. She nodded in affirmation.
"I can't recall the memories of what she did to me properly. It's weird. I've got a photographic memory, yet that failed there" Omega opened her eyes and lapsed into thought.
It was then that Echo had a thought. Since Omega had a slight amount of Hunter's mutation, combined with being on the spectrum, could she suffer similar sensory overloads that Hunter often got?
"I heard that when Hunter experiences sensory overload, he usually doesn't remember what was happening at the time. Maybe something similar happened there?" Echo wondered. Omega shook her head in response.
"I'm not sure that's entirely it. I could recall everything done to me for a while. But, the memories, they've faded. Maybe it's because I can't describe what Cora Sol did to me."
"Probably. How badly did Koan Si and Kie Lo treat you?" Echo enquired.
Omega stated, "Not very good. They were about as rough as Nala Se but called upon very rarely. I think there are only one or two scars from them that I still have,"
Anger raged inside Echo. How could those Demagolkas have been cruel to a gift like Omega? How could they see her as nothing more than a mere experiment? Tech was right when he stated that Omega, under the bright-eyed happiness, was as traumatised as they were.
Echo held Omega for a while longer before realising there wasn't anything else he was going to get out of her today.
"I think we've finished for today. I can't push any further on," Omega sighed.
Echo stated, "You've been brave sharing this information, Omega. Very few people have gone through what you've gone through and have been able to talk about it as openly as you have. You're an incredible person, Omega, and don't let anyone say otherwise. Alright?"
"Alright," Omega replied. Echo asked, "Is this some of what you're talking about with Al?"
"We will. Al understands what I've endured. Even though he wasn't systemically medically abused like I was, the doctors were rough on him during the surgery on his back, so he has a lot of traumas associated with it,"
"That's good to hear," Echo replied. He continued, "You know Hunter sensed something was different about him. Even before he came over to ask Hunter if you'd like to join him on the balcony, he could sense that he'd be a good friend for you. Looks like he was right about that".
"He did? Well, it looks like he was right," Omega replied, smiling for the first time in the entire conversation.
Both Omega and Echo sensed the presence of another being. Looking towards the entrance, they saw Suu standing there.
"Am I allowed in?" Suu asked kindly.
When Echo and Omega nodded, she sat on the couch. Her stomach had grown slightly in the last week, consistent with her continuing pregnancy.
"If it's OK with you, I'd like a bit of time with my maternally adopted mom, alright, Echo?" Omega asked.
"I'm sure Suu's OK with that. Right?" Echo looked to Suu, who smiled, nodded, and stated, "Sure. I'm sure you need a maternal touch after the difficult topics you've discussed".
Omega nodded and snuggled against Suu, who embraced her adopted daughter as best she could. Omega relaxed, feeling safe in Suu's embrace.