Moments 10,19,20 and 69 by klcutting

Hence Lula - Chapter 5 by Pily

Also, a little from Episode 16, Season 1 of Bad Batch

A/N:

Bad Batch fanfic around somewhere in which Cid teaches Omega how to

fight dirty. If anyone knows the fic's name, link it to me so I can link it in the credits.

The ship was warm and crowded, with Crosshair back and Cid joining them. It was also hotter than outside. Crosshair notices that Echo and Omega have retreated to her gunner nest while the rest of the squad's in the cockpit. Cid was brooding on one of the bunks. The lights in the ceiling made the ship feel homely. Crosshair can smell and taste the ship's metal, the electronics and the various scents of Cid, his brothers and his sister. He noticed Wrecker's armour on the ground, meaning he's gone to the refresher. He detected a slight difference in scents between his brothers and sister. He thinks that it's because Omega uses a different body wash.

On the way back, Hunter updates Crosshair on some of their associates, including the Lawquanes. When they got the subject of the Lawquanes, Omega left the gunner nest and joined them.

"Suu's pregnant and could be giving birth any day now," Hunter concluded.

Crosshair stated, "Good for them. I hope things go well for them,"

"So do we. Oh, Omega's made a couple of friends, too," Hunter responded.

Crosshair sneered, "Who are they?"

"Hera Syndulla and Alejandro," Omega replied, which surprised Crosshair.

"Huh. That would explain what you guys were doing on Ryloth," Crosshair sneered.

Hunter stated, "It started as a simple supply mission, and then we got dragged into a wider battle. We haven't heard from the Syndullas since. We're guessing they're laying as low as they can,"

"At least I made a friend," Omega replied, perking up.

Crosshair nodded and stated, "Good for you. What can you tell me about this, Alejandro?"

"Well, after I got wounded on a mission, we went to spend some time with the Lawqunes on Dantooine. While there, I met a Togruta teenager named Alejandro. We formed a bond quickly and talked a lot to help with each other's mental health. We're now regularly talking over holopad," Omega replied, and Hunter smiled at her. That made Crosshair think of something.

"What planet were you all on when Omega got hurt?" Crosshair asked, turning to Hunter, who replied, "Agamar. We worked to get a Separatist weapon out of a base there, and Omega got hurt by a Rocket Droid as we escaped,"

"Huh. So, it was your blood I saw on the ground there," Crosshair stated.

"You're good now?" Crosshair asked.

Omega nodded, and Crosshair replied, "Good". He then turned back to the team.

"So what do we do once we get back?" Crosshair sneered.

Omega suggested, "How about we show him the training barracks Cid showed us?"

"Sure, we could do that," Hunter replied before he turned to Crosshair, who shrugged.

"I don't have anything better to do," Crosshair admitted.

Tech stated, "Then it's decided". Everyone then returned to their spots on the ship.

It was colder than outside and had no patrons. Evidently, Cid had just reopened. The lights came from the gambling machines and the alcohol stand. There wasn't much to hear except one holo table humming in the distance. Crosshair could smell and taste alcohol and traces of Spice in the air. The ground was rougher than on Hosnian Prime, which Crosshair didn't like. He noticed the place had a darker feel, which suited him.

"So, what brings you here?" Cid asked, turning to face him as she finished wiping the glasses.

Crosshair sneered, "Hunter told me about some training barracks you introduced the rest of the squad to,"

"So that's what you're looking for, Toothpick. Alright, I can take you there now if you want," Cid stated.

Crosshair responded, "That would be good,"

"Follow me and stay close," Cid sneered before she departed, with the Batch close behind.

It had warmed up when the Batch and Cid arrived at the training barracks. Crosshair was interested and disappointed in the quality of the obstacles and training equipment versus his time with the Empire or on Hosnian Prime. The area was once again lit up by Ord Mantell's star, and Crosshair could see despite the quality drop, they were well maintained. He could smell and taste the ropes, wood and metal of the training barracks and the dirt beneath his boots. The earth itself was solid, though the dust did slip slightly. At the same time, Crosshair was happy that everything was here. The barracks had grounds for archery and sniper training, keeping him in shape and helping his physical conditioning.

"So this is the facility you've all been training on," Crosshair stated.

Tech stated

"This is the one. Cid talked to a few people here and convinced them to let us use them. Including Omega, who's had a lot of fun on these, right?"

"Oh yeah, I love it. It's intense and always a blast. I might push for three obstacles this time. Though I hurt myself pushing too far last time," Omega replied, grimacing sheepishly, though the excitement was apparent. Crosshair nodded, then stated, "Let's give the course a try then," and Crosshair approached the equipment.

"Be more careful this time, Omega. We don't want you hurting yourself again," Tech warned.

"I'll be careful," Omega reassured.

Crosshair ran the course first to test his fitness, hoping that it hadn't been affected by his time alone. As it turned out, it had been affected though not noticeably. Crosshair was impressed by the sturdiness of the targets as they withstood full-power shots from his sniper rifle without leaving a hole.

The rest of the course was easy for Crosshair, and it showed how much the Kaminoans training him as a Sniper had helped his physical prowess.

"Impressive Toothpick, you haven't gone soft while working with the Imperials," Cid stated once Crosshair had finished.

Crosshair stated, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you've been keeping up with your fitness routines, something most Imperials aren't doing as well," Tech stated.

Cid sneered, "What Goggles said,"

"I'm more surprised I haven't lost any fitness from my time as a Bounty Hunter with Shamto. Even on Hosnian Prime, there isn't a bustling market for training facilities underground," Crosshair sneered.

"I'll leave you all to your adult playground. I, however, have an idea for Tiny, if she'd be OK with following me," Cid stated.

Hunter questioned, "What have you got planned?"

"I think it's about time I took a bit of a personal hand in Tiny's training,"

Cid stated.

Omega turned to Hunter and replied, "I'll be alright with Aunty Cid Hunter,"

"Watch it, Tiny," Cid sneered, though the smile on her face told Omega she wasn't serious. After a few moments, Hunter nodded and stated, "I'll come to check on you after we're done here, alright?"

"Alright," Omega and Cid replied before both headed for Cid's parlour.

Cid's Parlour had gotten much busier since Omega had left. There were now half a dozen patrons and multiple holo tables active, which meant the whole place was louder.

Cid went to one of the spare holo tables and activated it.

"What's this?" Omega asked.

Cid put a hand up to stop her talking and said, "Give me a chance to explain, Tiny,"

"Alright," Omega replied as she took a seat. Cid took a seat opposite her and stated, "Now. You have a problem. You're still a kid,"

"I'm 13. I'm not a kid anymore," Omega protested, but Cid swagged her finger, "Ah, ah, ah, Tiny, you're under 18. Still a kid in my eyes. But that's not important. What is important is what that means. You can't defeat larger opponents fighting conventionally. You have to learn how to fight creatively and dirty to win. It'll also get you out of trouble with the low lives of the galaxy,"

"Alright, sorry. So, what do you mean by fighting creatively and dirty?" Omega enquired.

Cid turned on the holo board and showed a fight between a male Trandoshan and a female Bothan.

"Watch the Bothan Tiny. Her name is Mas Viquen. The Trandoshan's name is Rindi Vli," Cid stated, pointing to the Bothan.

When the match began, Rindi charged with a powerful punch at Mas.

Omega watched as she ducked under the punch and struck Rindi n in the midsection, causing him to stagger back and fall onto his ass. Mas then delivered a flurry of kicks and punches to Rindi, scoring quite a few hits before Rindi blocked one and knocked her back.

Rindi charged at Mas, but she blocked the punch, then caught his foot in her hand and threw him off balance. Another strike and Rindi was knocked down.

"One, two, three, four, five," the referee called before Rindi got up.

He subsequently tried to grab Mas, but she was too fast and avoided his arms before delivering a few precise blows that caused Rindi to yell in pain and fall to his knees.

Another blow, this time to the back of the neck, and the Trandoshan were down for the count.

As the match ended, Omega burst forward with many questions.

"How did she get that big Trandoshan to fall on his ass like that? How did she know those spots would cause so much pain? How did she avoid his attacks?".

Cid nodded, then stated, "Tiny, she took advantage of pressure points to gain an advantage. I assume you know about pressure points?"

"Yeah, Nala Se told me about them. And used them against me a couple of times if I stepped out of line," Omega replied, nodding. Cid smiled, then replied

"As to what happened, the first hit was to the liver, a dangerous

spot to hit and very effective as a temporary disabling move. The head and neck are very effective targets for inflicting debilitating blows, and of course, the crotch is a good spot to hit, especially against men."

"Wow. Isn't that a bit underhanded, though?" Omega asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

Cid sneered, "Tiny, you're going to have to use these to stand a chance in a fight with beings bigger than you. You're going to have to fight dirty to win,"

"Alright. So, how do I practise this?" Omega asked, evidently excited by the prospect. Cid nodded, then stated, "I know someone willing to be the guinea pig. Follow me," she exited her parlour with Omega close behind.

The training zone was colder than inside Cid's Parlour. The area was shaded, so the only light came from artificial lamps. Omega noticed the only sounds came from a gentle breeze and a Dathomirian Zabrak male similar in age to Omega training. She could smell and taste his sweat, the dirt, and the materials that made up the arena. The ground was rough and unforgiving on her boots. Once she entered the ring, Omega felt the floor was still solid but more forgiving.

Spotting Omega, the Zabrak grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat off his body before he said, "I'm Kazak. Who are you?"

Omega replied, "I'm Omega. You're going to help me learn how to fight dirty,"

"Yep. I'm the guinea pig," Kazak stated before turning to Cid.

"Is she the Clone Commando in training I heard about?" he inquired.

Cid stated

"Yeah. Tiny needs to know as much as possible to be as effective in combat as possible,"

"Alright," Kazak replied before he turned to Omega, "The match starts now. And remember your pressure points. That would be my advice,"

At this, he charged at Omega.

Omega managed to narrowly avoid his grab and aimed a kick at his side. Narrowly avoiding it, Kazak grabbed Omega's leg and pulled her off balance.

Omegarolled as she fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding a kick from Kazak. She jumped up and charged him, aiming a punch directly at his midsection, which he blocked.

"Looks like you've gotten Omega some training. Good," Kazak sneered before he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Whoa! Ah! No, you don't," Omega stated as she felt Kazak trying to crush her. She struggled a bit but managed to get her hand on his shoulder. Hitting a pressure point that forced Kazak to loosen his grip on her. At this, Omega managed to wrestle herself free.

Only to be shoved across the arena. As Omega struggled to get up, Kazak charged at her again, about to slam himself onto her. She barely fled out of the way and sent a kick at him. It connected with his foot at the right angle to trip him up. Soon, Omega was on top of him, pinning her knee into his liver. She held him there until he passed out.

"Well done, Tiny," Cid stated, clapping. Omega got off Kazak, breathing hard as she wiped the sweat off her brow. After a few moments, Kazak came around.

"Good move there, keeping your knee on my liver to trap me," Kazak stated.

Omega replied, "It was the first thing that came to mind when I saw you hit the ground,"

"Alright. Let's try another round," Kazak suggested.

Kazak charged, and Omega was ready. This time, the battle was over in one punch. Omega drew back her fist and drove it into Kazak's crotch. As soon as he was hit, Kazak fell to the ground.

"Ouch. You told Omega about that one, didn't you, Cid," Kazak growled as he struggled to recover from the hit.

Cid chuckled, "Of course,"

"What have you got Omega doing now?" came a voice from behind. Turning around, Cid saw Hunter and Crosshair approach.

"Just teaching Tiny here a few fighting hacks to improve her chances of winning a fight," Cid stated.

Crosshair sneered, "And that includes teaching her to fight dirty?"

"She's got to use every trick in the book to win Toothpick. So, I decided I'd be the one to teach her," Cid stated.

Hunter asked, "This seems a little extreme?"

"I'm holding back, don't worry. I'm being a guinea pig for Omega to learn about what points to hit that's important," Kazak called as he and Omega went over to them.

"Hey, Hunter," Omega called as she hugged him tightly, which he returned.

"Are you injured?" Hunter asked.

Omega replied, "I'm fine, mostly. Just a few bruises and scrapes, but I'll be OK,"

"Make sure to practise, Tiny. You'll need the knowledge and skill. I can arrange for you to keep using Kazak for training if you want," Cid stated.

Hunter replied, "Whoa. Cid, aren't you worried about Omega getting hurt?"

"What part of Kazak's holding back didn't you hear, Bandana? He promised not to hurt her too much. Rough her up a bit, yeah, but nothing too hard," Cid sneered, waving Hunter off. He was unsure about it, but Omega seemed to be having much fun.

"Alright. But one of us should be supervising this," Hunter stated.

Cid replied, "What do you think I've been doing here for half an hour? Playing Dejarik?"

"Point taken," Hunter replied. Omega then turned to Kazak and said, "One more round?"

"Sure," Kazak replied, and they got back into the ring.

Kazak used his fighting techniques, but at least initially, Kazak used them slowly. This meant Omega had a chance to respond. Soon, Omega had a few tricks, mainly involving striking pressure points.

"Good work. With enough practice, you'll be an effective fighter," Kazak

stated, patting Omega on the head, causing her to giggle.

"Come on, let's get you some supper, and Serenity can check you over," Cid stated before adding, "You are coming, Bandana and Toothpick?"

"Yeah, we're coming," Hunter replied, and as they headed for Cid's parlour, the others joined them.

After a check-up and treatment of Omega's scrapes and bruises, dinner was served.

"Heard you've got a new relative coming," Cid stated.

Hunter replied, "Yeah, we're getting a new Nephew soon. He'll be named Corin,"

"Good for them," Cid stated. She returned to her office, and a sigh could be heard from her.

"That was a bit odd," Echo said.

Tech stated, "She may have a history with kids. But it's not any of our positions to prove it,"

They ate and drank their way through their food, then retired to the Marauder for the night.

A couple of days pass. Omega combines resting with training, both at the barracks and with Kazak, plus playing Dejarik. Crosshair initially disapproved, but Cid explained everything, and Crosshair was reassured.

A cold morning on their ship saw everyone rug up for warmth. Crosshair could tolerate the cold better than anyone else except Wrecker. There aren't any artificial lights on in the Havoc Marauder, only the light from Ord Mantell's star. Crosshair could see Omega wrapped up against Wrecker while Hunter, Tech, and Echo were all wearing their dressing gowns. He could smell and taste the dirt outside and the Caff that everyone except Omega drinks. Crosshair can smell and taste the tea that Omega is drinking. The chair he was sitting in was solid but supportive. Suddenly, they get a message.

"It's Cut and Suu," Tech stated as he looked at the signal.

"Cut, Suu, good to see you again," Tech stated.

Cut replied, "Good to see you too. We've got big news to share" before he noticed Crosshair.

"Hey, Crosshair, long time no see," Cut called.

Crosshair sneered, "Good to see you're alive. So, what's up?"

"Suu gave birth last night. It's a boy, and we've named him Corin," Cut responded, smiling as she brought the hologram to Suu, who was holding the tiny hybrid in her arms. Corin looked like a perfect

"He's a cutie," Hunter admitted.

Omega replied, "Agreed, he's so cute,"

"When we found out we were having a boy, Shaeeah said that the ratio of boys and girls was now equal," Suu said.

Echo enquired, "How does that work?"

"Because we've adopted Omega, that's why," Suu smiled.

Omega smiled, "Well, you are a mom to me, so it makes sense,"

"Glad to hear you delivered him safely, Suu. How're the kids?" Hunter asked.

Cut replied, "They're thrilled to bits. They're currently with Suu's sister, but they'll be popping around a bit later,"

"Good to hear," Crosshair stated. Cut then said, "Well, we'd better get going. We'll see you around, alright?"

"Alright," everyone replied, and the communication was cut.

"New life. It's always a beautiful thing," Tech stated.

Wrecker replied, "You can say that again,"

"Wouldn't a new mouth to feed stretch their budget, though?" Crosshair wondered.

Hunter replied, "The farm's doing brilliantly. The Lawquanes can afford it,"

"Good," Crosshair sneered.

"So, now what?" Hunter asked.

Crosshair sneered, "I'm going to clean my rifle,"

"Can I please watch?" Omega asked enthusiastically. Crosshair looked at Omega, and after a few moments, Crosshair shrugged.

"Sure. I don't know what for, but I guess you can sit and watch," Crosshair sneered before he grabbed his rifle and went to the back of the ship to start cleaning, with Omega following behind.

Omega watched as Crosshair cleaned his rifle, looking very interested at the various bits and pieces that made it up. Crosshair should have been irritated, but Crosshair couldn't be annoyed at her. She'd softened him from the first time they'd met after he'd abandoned the Empire. Crosshair reckoned it was that smile and eyes that did it.

Once he'd finished, Omega started asking questions about his sniper rifle. Again, this should have irritated Crosshair, but it didn't. Instead, he answered them, and Omega seemed very interested in his answers. After about an hour of this, Crosshair got an idea.

"How proficient are you with blasters?" Crosshair asked.

Omega huffed, "I haven't had any training with one. The others were waiting for you to return, I suspect,"

"Huh. Alright. Then how about tomorrow, mid-morning, I start training you in using a blaster. You need to know how to use things other than your bow," Crosshair sneered.

Omega excitedly replied, "Thank you, Crosshair," before she ran out to tell the others.

"She's a teenager, alright," Crosshair admitted as he watched her depart.

The following day the weather had warmed. Omega exited the ship and saw Crosshair had already set up the firing range. Omega saw a few small animals on the targets, though Lama Su, Nala Se, Cad Bane and Admiral Rampart were on others. The area was lit by the light of Ord Mantell's star, and Omega could smell and taste the targets and the dirt. Finally, the ground was solid by smooth under her boots.

When she arrived, Omega was amazed at how quickly Crosshair had made his firing range.

"Wow, it's like you never left," Omega said.

A muscle twitches in Crosshair's jaw, but he stated, "You like it? It's the best I could for improvisation,"

"It's great," Omega replied as her eyes drifted to the weapons.

"It's about time I taught you how to handle a variety of weapons. It seems to be the big thing you're missing in your training. If you want to be an effective Clone Commando, you must learn this," Crosshair sneered, smiling slightly at Omega's excitement to learn.

Crosshair started with the basic blaster, he showed Omega the best poses to get accurate shots off, and she imitated his stance.

"So, she's got Mimicry as one of her skills. Interesting," Crosshair admitted to himself. Omega fired a few shots and scored within close range of the targets.

"Good work. Seems like you do have a degree of my mutation," Crosshair stated.

Omega sighed, "My mutations are slight degrees of each of you. That's why I was abused so badly by Nala Se, to guide what tests she would do on you,"

"What?" Crosshair asked, a note of anger in his voice, which, to his non-surprise, made Omega recoil slightly. After a moment or two, Omega replied, "Since I have a little bit of all of your enhancements, I was the guinea pig for you guys,"

"And why am I only now learning this?" Crosshair sneered.

Tech stated, "We never got around to that part,"

"Well. Let me say that you're now safe, away from that Demagolka. You've got all of us to support you, and if you need to vent, you can ask for my targets, and you can fire on them to your heart's content. I even have targets of Nala Se for you to fire on," Crosshair stated.

Omega nodded, "Thanks Crosshair'' before giving him a quick hug.

Crosshair didn't return the hug but patted her on the back a few times, "No problem. You are part of the family,"

"That you are," Tech stated, giving Crosshair a thumbs up, and Crosshair nodded.

Most of the day was taken up by this training, which the Batch didn't mind, as Crosshair needed time to catch up on his part of the training. Steadily, Omega got better with the various blasters that Crosshair showed her.

After dinner, Omega was fast asleep in her bed, in the sleeping quarters off Cid's parlour.

"You're warming up to her," Tech stated.

Crosshair shrugged, "A little. I was expecting her to irritate and annoy me as Wrecker does,"

"Hey," Wrecker called, but Hunter quietened him, or he'd wake Omega.

Wrecker replied, more quietly, "Sorry,"

"As I was going to say, I thought Omega would irritate and annoy me, but she didn't. Her curiosity and inquisitiveness are kinda refreshing, actually," Crosshair explained.

Hunter replied, "That's good to hear". After more talking, nearly

everyone went to bed, but Hunter and Crosshair headed outside, silently watching the stars.

Though it didn't seem to have much impact on outsiders, the fact that they weren't fighting or even arguing went a long way toward reinforcing the trust between Crosshair and the rest of the Batch.

"It feels good to finally relax. With you, Hunter," Crosshair sighed.

Hunter replied, "Agreed," before he continued with, "I wish we could

have rescued you earlier,"

"I couldn't have returned to you unless my chip was removed. As I said, Rampart lied about removing it after I was fried on Bracca. And I had the suspicion that he'd lied to me about my chip, but I didn't pursue it until after the events of Kamino," Crosshair sneered.

Hunter stated, "That sounds like something Rampart would do. Was the chip damaged by any chance?"

"Not only was it damaged, but it would've killed me if I didn't get it removed. When Nala Se took it out, it had started turning necrotic, which meant, if it had stayed in my head, it would have killed me pretty quickly," Crosshair explained.

Crosshair then thought of something else, and he turned to Hunter and enquired, "Who helped you remove your chips? And does Omega have one?"

"Rex helped remove ours on Bracca. As for Omega, she didn't have one. Tech scanned her twice to confirm it for her. Something she's glad to know," Hunter replied. He rested a hand on Crosshair's shoulder and said, "Well, now we have each other's backs again. We've all missed you, Crosshair, and we're glad you're back,"

"Thanks, Hunter. I feel the same, honestly. It's good to be back," Crosshair replied, smiling slightly.

They sat and watched the stars until Hunter enquired, "If you're OK with saying it, what was it like working for the Empire?"

"Things haven't changed that much. The big difference is that you're working with conscripted people from around the Galaxy. And as it turns out, their view of us Clones isn't much different from the Regs. It's not fulfilling, and as you said, I was considered a number and nothing more. I would have thought running around for Shamto or Cid would be less fulfilling than working for the Empire, but I was surprised to be wrong. I knew I couldn't do it forever. Especially once you all trusted me enough to return to the squad," Crosshair explained.

Hunter admitted, "The Rebellion's not much better in regard to Clones. At least Bail Organa and Mon Mothma are pro-Clone, so we've at least got supporters. But that's about it,"

"We've got to stick together in these trying times, and we've got to do as much as possible for our sister. She's going to outlive us significantly. So, she needs to be able to stand on her own two feet, and we're the best people in the Galaxy to give her that shot," Crosshair stated.

Hunter nodded and replied, "That is true. Though the Lawquanes, Cid, and a few others can help as well,"

"Of course. Omega needs female role models other than Fennec Shand. I think Suu would be a great role model for her. Cid, not so much, but she considers Cid as part of the family, so I guess that question has already been solved," Cross stated.

Hunter nodded.

"And now for a totally out of left field question. Have you introduced Omega to Caff yet?" Crosshair asked after a minute or two of silence.

Hunter replied, "A small amount. Tech, Echo and I had a big argument about it a few months ago. We know that Caff can have negative effects on the development of adolescent brains and bodies, but with Omega's bad sleep patterns and regular nightmares leaving her with no energy in the morning, we had to do something to get her going in the morning,"

"Tech didn't want to introduce Omega to Caff until she was older. Doesn't he remember we were introduced to Caff when we were all younger than she is now?" Crosshair sneered.

Hunter reminded Crosshair, "All Clones were genetically altered to process Caff better without the negative side effects, except for Omega. Honestly, though, I'm glad we did. We're able to get her awake enough to do things much more quickly now than we used to, even if it has taken time for her body to adjust,"

"When do we graduate her to proper Caff of the type we drink?" Crosshair enquired.

Hunter stated, "Not until she's at least sixteen. So about three years away. That'll give her body enough time to finish growing and maturing, so that's not impacted anywhere near as bad as it would have been if we introduced straight Caff,"

"That's reasonable. I think," Crosshair replied.

He then stated, "You kept the stuff I left behind,"

"Why wouldn't I? You're my twin Crosshair. Of course, I kept your bag with me. Both as a reminder of our bond in the past and the hope that someday we'd all be reunited as a family," Hunter explained.

Crosshair nodded, "How sentimental of you," though the slight smile ruined the sneer.

"There is one more thing I want to discuss," Crosshair said.

Hunter asked, "What is it?"

"What if we were to settle down one day, not be soldiers constantly fighting? Where would we go? And what would we do?" Crosshair enquired.

Hunter replied, "Well, I can't easily answer the second question, but I have the perfect planet for the first. Dantooine"

"Ah yes, Dantooine. Considering the sector Dantooine resides in is setting up that Clone relocation and reintegration program I heard about, it would fit," Crosshair replied.

Hunter nodded before continuing, "Omega has friends and family in the Lawquanes. It's also peaceful, and there's a big support network. It'd be a great place if we wanted to slow down a bit, especially for Omega,"

"Wouldn't that attract the attention of the Empire?" Crosshair sneered.

Hunter replied, "We didn't see any Imperial forces on Dantooine during the month we were there, so I don't think it's too important to them,"

"Until thousands of their deserter Clones materialise there," Crosshair pointed out.

Hunter stated, "Apparently, it's a risk the government of the planet is willing to take,"

"How bold of them," Crosshair stated. Hunter then turned to Crosshair and said, "How often has Omega been using your targets for training with the bow?"

"A couple of times. I've also started teaching her how to use a blaster. I think it'd be an easier weapon for her to wield in a split-second pressure situation over her bow. Don't get me wrong, the bow is a great weapon, but she needs something she can pull out of her pocket and start using without having to take the time to activate it, pull it back, and let go to take a shot," Crosshair stated.

Hunter nodded, "Well, you're the best teacher for the job, Crosshair. That's why we held off on that,"

"You held off on training her to use a blaster until I returned?" Crosshair asked, annoyed that they'd left her vulnerable like that, but also touched in a positive way that they trusted him with such an important thing. Hunter nodded to confirm, and Crosshair returned the nod.

"Well, I think it'd be about time we got some sleep. We're glad to have you back, Crosshair," Hunter said, clapping his vod on the back.

Crosshair stated, "It's good to be back," before following Hunter into Cid's parlour for the night.

The following day, however, came the confirmation that Omega was the target for the Bounty Hunter Battle Royale. And unsurprisingly, Omega's anxiety levels, already elevated, spiked dramatically upon hearing this news, which didn't help her paranoia.

The Gunner nest was warm, which contrasted with the feelings Omega had. She was overloaded due to stress and paranoia, covered in only a blanket to try and calm her senses. Her clothes were under the blanket in front of her. She hated the feeling of anything on her skin while like this but kept the blanket around her for privacy reasons. Something she rarely had around the Kaminoans, and the Batch were keen to remain intact as long as possible. She could smell and taste the sweat in her hair and her scent on the blankets.

She heard a series of taps on the wall next to her room. Jumping, Omega opened the curtains and saw Crosshair.

"I need to access Gunner's controls. And you have been up here for the last hour. What did I say about getting stress and anxiety out when you have them?" Crosshair sneered.

Omega stated, "I know. I'm just overwhelmed. And no amount of blasting your targets will help with how bad my paranoia and anxiety are now,"

"And why would that be?" Crosshair stated.

Omega stated, remembering how blunt Crosshair was, "I've already had bad experiences with Bounty Hunters. I've got a massive target on my back. One of those Bounty Hunters out there was going to hand me over to the Kaminoans, and after he got into a fight with another Bounty Hunter, at one point, he almost blasted me,"

"Yikes. Glad the Bounty Hunter didn't," Crosshair stated.

"You understand why I'm paranoid," Omega replied.

"Right. It would explain a lot." Crosshair sneered as he tried to work. After a few minutes, he realised Omega's blanket partly blocked the controls. He attempted to move it, but Omega panicked and pushed it back. Seeing this, Crosshair figured out what might be going on, then turned to Omega and said, "I'll climb out of the nest. I can't work when you're covering yourself with that blanket. Get dressed, then come here" and Omega did as she was told.

Once she was dressed, she climbed out of the Gunner nest. Crosshair put his hands on her shoulders and kneeled to her level.

"Take a deep breath and relax," Crosshair said.

Omega did as she was told, and then Crosshair continued, "Now close your eyes and take a few deep breaths," Omega did as she was told and relaxed a bit more.

"Better?" Crosshair asked.

"Better," Omega replied.

"Now, get my targets and get the rest of the anxiety out. Your anxiety and stress levels won't escalate as quickly if they're building off a lower level," Crosshair explained.

Omega nodded, grabbed the targets, and exited the ship to set up. Crosshair continued working on the ship though he kept an eye on Omega.