Strange World • New World by TruView

FanFiction Author's Note: Reacquainted, an old friendship begins anew as two prominent figures of the RWT (Rim World Trifecta) delve deeper into each other's lives by way of the Force. Omega seeks a second opinion on what some of these visions could mean for the bundle of joy in her arms; while Barriss seeks to repay a debt she knows can never be repaid. Enjoy!

"How do you say her name again?"

"-OO, as in fool... -Si as in sick and -Ku, as in coup." Omega mirrored the smile she saw on the baby's facade upon hearing the sound of its name.

"Usiku." Barriss repeated the three syllable name effortlessly this time. "Okay. Cool. Is it Togrutan?"

"Not exactly. I mean, I've never heard of it before even though I do speak her language. I'll teach it to her, eventually. But does anyone ever know ALL the words there is to know in a language? Do you know all the words in Mirialan?"

"I suppose not," She conceded. "So what does it mean anyway?"

"Wish I knew."

Having suckled its fill well past the point of satiation, the child dozed off again. Omega then pulled down the shirt back over her and mused at the contentment written on the toddler's face.

"Already in dreamland I see." She whispered before kissing it gently on the forehead. "A-"

"I'm here." Came a metallic audible sound.

"AZ." Said a startled Barriss who gave no physical outward manifestation of actually being so. I didn't hear or sense this bot! Of course, it's an inorganic which did not intend me harm. It's funny how the Force works. She thought. Sometimes however, Barriss Offee could easily sense them regardless of whether they intended harm or not.

The servitor took the child and placed her in a floating cradle it controlled remotely and then sealed the hatch so the sleeper would not be disturbed by the outside world. It set itself to sentry mode lowering battery power to just enough to monitor life signs and then set it self down in the back. Both Barriss and Omega saw its bright yellow optics lose illumination until it went totally dark.

After a short sigh. Omega spoke. "This first vision I'm to tell you, I've seen it at least a dozen times. I'm almost sure it will happen, but telling it to another person especially someone like you who is Force-sensitive will help me understand it better."

"So you hope."

"So I hope." Omega agreed.

[First Vision, nearing a derelict vessel just inside the borders of Republic Territory] A Probable Future

"…not seeing this, over?" Asked the lone pilot.

"No actually," Replied one of the attendants at the communications office light years away at a major intake-facility/RWT HUB. "All we see is your cutter flying figure eights. You said the mystery vessel is as big as a Star-Destroyer, over?"

"Yeah! Just about. Except, it looks to be uninhabited. Huge chunks have either been blown off or heavily compromised by major cracks in the hull based on what I'm seeing. There's definitely no breathable atmosphere to speak of. Please advise over."

"And it doesn't register on any of your ship's instruments? So you can't send us a visual image then. What about your R2 unit, can it at least confirm that something is there, over?"

The astromech droid nestled just behind the cockpit of Ūsiku's modified C-Wing with its oval top exposed to the void of space piped a series of whistles and beeps which could not be interpreted by the listening com officers.

"R3 says... he cannot see… uhh anything. But I can see it! I'm not crazy, overworked, or tired. There must be something I can do!"

"Well," Began the first comms officer looking at the second who had been shaking his head in mock-seriousness. "since there's an absence of evidence, there really isn't much we can do from our position unfortunately. And your continued presence in that debatable region between the Old Republic and The RWT puts in jeopardy the armistice brokered by our two governments. Come on back, we can debrief and maybe send in a squadron of ships to investigate further… at a much MUCH later date. Copy that?"

"At a much later date…" Ūsiku mimicked just under her breath. "It might be too late by then. Look its just on the other side of the line. The Republic won't be around for hours yet, maybe even days! I'm going to take a closer look. Over."

"I've warned you about traveling too far inside the core with anything less than a flotilla, Ūsiku. Come back now before the Republic-Empire decide to undo the armistice and go after you!" That voice was all too familiar.

"Yes. Yes you have warned me… many, MMMMMANY times." There was an unmistakable hint of sarcasm in those words but it was not unbecoming of a recalcitrant teenager trying to forge her own path somewhere between the limelight of an impossible legacy and the looming shadow it cast upon her by a woman she could not remember. The angry adolescent tried but failed to mask her annoyance. "But in my defense, you've crossed over, several times in point of fact."

The long silence coming in from the other side of the audio feed could only mean that Omega was finding difficulty in nullifying the argument her young ward had just made. And just how did she find out about those other times? She gritted her teeth in a wash of frustration that could not be seen fortunately but might've easily been picked up by a powerful force-sensitive as this young Togruta was. Quickly composing herself with an errant sigh, she spoke calm words. "You weren't suppose to know about that. But since it's out there, I was, on a mission."

"What mission?" She prodded.

"The secret kind." Omega's hesitation belied the sincerity of those words.

"Naaaaa, I'm not buying it." Ūsiku guffawed, "Anyway, I've been slicing through the Mid Rim territories into the Core for a very brief minute. I'm gonna check on something. Rest assured that no one knows who I am. If and when the Republic decides to check out the disturbance on their long range scanners –which they probably won't– I'll be long gone. Right now, all I appear to be is a tiny spec buzzing over some imaginary fence. Completely harmless!"

"It's NOT completely harmless!" Omega countered with vocal authority.

"Stop worrying all the time. You're not my mom!" Retorted the pilot with equal strength.

"...but I AM your commanding officer. Under no circumstance are you to enter Republic space. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, I hear you general. Heading back now. Over and out." The radio clicked off.

"Ūsiku. Ūsiku! Come in." Omega called out in vain.

"She's cut communications ma'am." Said the second comms officer.

"Try and can get her back." She said standing over them. That same officer depressed a couple buttons on the main console before them to no effect and then apologized.

Omega leaned in close and played with the console herself and brought everything onto the main view screen that was actually off. Now lit, the flat-screen displayed the starscape of the region Ūsiku's ship had occupied with a bright yellow line denoting a demarcation between The Republic-Empire and Trifectan space. A tiny blue dot encircled by a lighter shade of the same hue denoted Ūsiku's C-Wing fighter, The Furious Angel. There it stayed for little more than a minute and then it started to move toward in Trifectan space.

"Very good." Omega nodded approvingly. And then as if response, the dot resolutely spun back around in the opposite direction heading toward the yellow line with deliberate speed where it soon moved beyond the demarcation point winking out altogether.

"Ma'am," The second comms officer spoke up first turning to face up at her, "We can deploy a small squadron of fighter to be at that location inside two hours. One! If we find the right jump vectors she used. Also-"

"NO." All Omega could do was let her gaze fall in disappointment. "It's probably nothing. She'll be back before that time anyway. I don't want to turn the eyes of the Republic in that direction by the presence of a attack vessels. Otherwise, we might as well declare the armistice over ourselves." The overzealous officer could only nod in agreement at that line of reasoning.

"Sorry ma'am."

"Nothing to apologize for. Contact me the moment she returns."

"Yes ma'am."

Barriss' elbows were placed on the armrest with the fingers interlaced at the knuckles.

"That's quite a story, Omega. And she's a teenager by that time I understand?"

"Yes. She is."

"Very impressive. She already on the fast track to superstardom. She'll be just as gifted as her mother."

"More so, I think. What are your thoughts?"

"Well, there's not much to go on, I'm afraid. The story is told from your perspective only; which means you did not get a look at the behemoth flotsam of which Usiku spoke."

Omega thought she could feel the wheels in Barriss' mind turning as she spoke.

"...but you were standing next to the main view screen." Barriss pushed haphazardly, "Did you see the coordinates?"

"I must have." Tilting her head, Omega closed her eyes searching inwardly for the answer –any answer. "I see a screen obviously. But the numbers are… the numbers remain a blur. I'm sorry."

"Well, it's on the edge of RWT space between us and the Old Republic. We are still whole by then which speaks to our level of commitment. Maybe the borders have moved in our favor."

"I'm sorry but there isn't much more I can add to this narrative, Barriss."

"It was this vision that gave you her name, wasn't it?" The epiphany was so clear and sudden.

"Yes, yes it was." Omega beamed at the Master whose lucent eyes were ever more spellbinding in the dark now that the sun had sunk beneath the sand dunes an hour past.

"You gotta find out what it means, Omega."

"I am."

"Seriously. Names are powerful things. They are never to be taken lightly. Many cultures dedicate whole ceremonies to them."

"Maybe it's an ancient Shili name."

"You've spoken with other Togrutan about it then. And they didn't know either?"

"Okay, maybe it's a very ancient Togrutan name."

"The sun has left us. You have time for another one of your visions?"

"Sure."

"Hey," Said Barriss leaning forward, "What do you think happened on that ship?"

"Something very very NOT good." Omega answered quietly. "I don't get any images, but I feel the answers. Ya know?"
"Yes, I know." Barriss voice became ponderous. "She use to swear at me in the worst of times using that dreaded 'C' word. After her ordeal on that vessel, never uses it again."