Chapter 4: Omega and "Melany"
Evesa, now going by the alias "Melany", was resting on a hightop chair in her kitchen, scrolling through her data pad with a mug of caf within arm's reach. She was going over her medical examinations of the deviant clones she found early that morning who were now resting in her medical bay. It was about midday and she was relieved to finally have a small break from tending to their wide variety of injuries. Melany assumed there would be injuries given the extent of the crash, she just did not realize how critical some of the injuries were, especially the wounds on the biggest clone trooper. While reviewing her examinations, she made an attempt to properly name each person in her care even though she never met these clones before. She could have waited to ask when one of them woke up but guessing using deductive reasoning was more fun. Given the names Rex threw at her during the debrief, she was able to make an educated guess. The easiest being Omega, the only female clone. Then she typed 'Crosshair' under the next file, assuming the clone with a sniper scope marker tattooed on his face would most likely fit that name. Now it was between 'Hunter' and 'Wrecker'. Thinking about their appearance, Melany remembered the brutal facial scars on the side of the behemoth clone's head. She decided that would most likely belong to 'Wrecker' which means the clone with the skull face tattoo and bandana would be 'Hunter'.
Melany tapped a couple of buttons on her data pad and all three EKG readings were displayed on her screen. Unfortunately she only had three medical beds in her possession so she put Omega, the seemingly most stable one, on her personal cot within the medbay. She took a sip of her caf as she monitored the men's EKG readings, pleased that everyone seemed to be stable now. Her chest tightened when she recalled how touch and go the biggest clone's health was when she first found him. Curious about the massive and deep lacerations across his chest, she began researching what creature could have possibly made those gashes. While Melany was deep into her research, she thought she heard an odd noise, maybe a scream, nearby. Knowing her closest neighbors were several klicks away from here, she could only assume one of the clones had woken up. She hopped off the hightop stool and made her way over to the medical bay, pulling up the three EKG's once more to confirm they were still stable.
Melany stepped through the doors as it slid open and glanced over at the cot on the far side of the room, "Oh!" She was surprised to find the young blonde female clone partially sitting up, "You're awake. How are you feeling?"
The girl suspiciously eyed her while looking the woman up and down, "I-I don't know. Who…are you?"
A small smile cracked Melany's lips, "I am the person who scared off those manka cats before they made you and your brothers into their midnight snack." She walked over to Omega and knelt down beside her cot, "As for my name, I'm Melany. Your friend, Rex, sent me."
"Rex?" Omega blinked in surprise, "How did he know about us?"
"He told me he received a transmission from Echo." She stood up to grab a couple medical tools off a nearby bench.
"Echo's here?!" Omega excitedly perked up.
"No, no, no. He's still on some island called, uh, Pabu?"
"Echo's on Pabu? He escaped the Empire after all?"
"I suppose?" Melany pulled out a medical scanner and began examining Omega, "I don't know the details. I can ask Rex the next time I get in contact with him."
"So where am I? Are my brothers okay? How do you know Rex-" She gasped as the sharp jab in chest surged through her again, "What's wrong with me?"
"Please don't sit up. You need to rest." Melany gently coaxed her to lay back down, "You and your brothers sustained a lot of injures from that crash. In your case, you've broken two ribs but your lungs are unharmed." She carefully began unwrapping the bandages around Omega's hands, noticing the bruising around one of her wrists, "Your hands received several minor lacerations. Upon closer examination, I was able to pull out all the glass shards found in your hands." She continued talking as she applied some bacta spray to Omega's hands and started wrapping them with fresh bandages, "Fortunately your pants were thick enough to protect your knees from receiving any scrapes and you don't have any head injuries unlike your brothers over there." She nodded her head towards the men resting on the medical beds before getting up to pour Omega a glass of water.
Omega sighed, "Thanks to Hunter. Without his helmet, I'm sure I would be in worse shape." She grimaced as a couple blurry memories of what led up to the crash flashed in her mind.
Melany paused, "Hunter is the one with the bandana?"
"Yes. Wrecker is my biggest brother and the tall thin one is Crosshair."
Melany smiled to herself; I guessed right! She also made a mental note to do another round of scans on Hunter's head since she just found out he was not wearing a helmet when they crashed.
Omega worriedly kept glancing over at her brothers, "They're going to be okay right?"
"Oh yes, nothing to worry about." She turned back to the young clone and handed her the glass of water, "I'll be overseeing you and your squads recovery for the duration of your stay."
Omega blinked wildly, panic beginning to build up again, "Our stay? Where're we staying exactly? I just remember going down in the Core Worlds Region. Please don't tell me this is Coruscant-"
"Breath, Omega, breath. Getting worked up is only going to make the pain in your chest worse." Melany handed her some medication that would help relieve the pain, "And, no, this isn't Coruscant. You're on Alderaan. Specifically my home on Alderaan."
Omega froze just as she was about to pop the pill into her mouth, "Wait a sec, this isn't a hospital?"
"Nope. Technically this is a winery. Alderaan is famous for its wineries, it's one of the planet's biggest exports. But I also use the winery as a facade for my clone transition assistance facility."
"A what?" Omega took the medication with a few gulps of water.
"A place where I take in clones defecting from the Empire and I help them transition to civilian life." Melany took the glass from Omega and placed it on a nearby counter. "As you well know, the clones were born and bred to be soldiers for the Republic but now that the Republic is gone and the Empire isn't what it's cracked up to be, clones have been defecting left and right." She walked to the foot of the cot and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, "Some may need assistance in adapting to a new incognito lifestyle and that's where I come in."
"Wait. So you do this stuff all the time?"
"Yes. I have a few contacts throughout the galaxy, Rex being one of them, and whenever they find a clone in need they either send them my way or send me to go find them if they're within the Core Worlds Region. Once they arrive I tend to them in whatever way they need, whether it be medical attention or removing their inhibitor chip or just being a safe place they can rest before making the decision to get back into the fight or officially retire. Once they decide what they wish to do with their lives, I'll reach out to one of my contacts to transport them to where they need to be." She glanced over at Omega's brothers, "Although you and your squad are the only extraction I don't have any plans for. According to Rex, you all seem to have your next step figured out already."
"Yeah, we decided to call Pabu our home." Omega went on to describe Pabu, talking about its natural beauty and the wonderfully kind people who inhabit the island. "It's kinda similar to what you're doing here with the clones. They provide a home for refugees who've been displaced by the war and, now, the Empire."
"That's good to hear. Now more than ever, we need more kind hearted people like that throughout the galaxy." Melany watched Omega yawn, knowing the medication was beginning to kick in, "Okay so I answered your questions regarding who I am, where you are, and how your brothers are doing. All that's left is how I know Rex." Seeing how Omega's eyelids were beginning to grow heavy, she softened her voice and gently tucked her in, "I grew up on Coruscant and I lived there during the war. I worked in the public sector which was near the barracks so I ran into troopers all the time."
Omega let out an unladylike yawn, "And that's how you met Rex?"
Melany smiled as she watched the young clone drift to sleep, "Sure. Let's go with that."
It was coming up on midnight and Melany had barely finished doing her daily chores around the compound. Besides taking care of her new guests, she also had a winery to oversee. She was grateful for the staff of droids that took care of most of the manual labor necessary to upkeep the workflow. All Melany had to do was handle the business side of the winery and taste test the wine when it was deemed ready. The previous owners of the winery used to have a droid housekeeper but they decommissioned it once Melany began working here. Unfortunately that meant all the housework had to be done by whoever was living in the compound, which was now Melany. Some days she was tempted to invite one or two of the other droids to come in and help but the previous owners had their reasons for excluding droids from entering the main house so Melany just left the droids alone and allowed them to follow their programing.
Now changed back into her light blue medical scrubs, she entered the private medbay to check up on her guests. She glanced over at Omega who was still sound asleep with the kind of peaceful expression only a child could produce. Melany made her way over to the clone that goes by 'Crosshair' and began examining him with the medical scanner. As the data collected on her tablet, she rolled him onto his side and lifted the top half of his black bodysuit in order to change the bacta patches on his back. After she finished, she lowered his top and rolled him onto his back again before tending to the smaller lacerations on his face and neck. Nothing a little bacta spray can't handle. Just as she finished spraying his injuries, the data pad beeped, notifying her the comprehensive report on his health was complete.
She quickly read through it, glad to see all vital signs were stable and improving but paused when she caught a glimpse of his missing right hand out of the corner of her eye. Setting aside the data pad, she moved closer to take a look at the fitting attached to his right arm. Being an amputee herself, she was quite familiar with this sort of equipment as well as the recovery process for such an incident. Melany reached for the magnifier and studied his arm, noticing how irritated the skin around the fitting looked. She had seen this before when she was first getting fitted for her prosthetic leg and she knew it meant the socket was not fitting properly. Putting on a fresh pair of gloves and grabbing her tools, she painstakingly began to remove the contraption from his arm, careful not to re-injure the tissue. About half an hour later, she removed the final piece of the fitting and inspected the wound. She was shocked to see how fresh the tissue was; this must have just happened! This poor trooper lost his hand and then went down in a terrible shuttle crash? Talk about having a bad day. She then spent another ten minutes properly cleaning and dressing the wound, leaving the poorly fitted socket off his arm. She would get him a proper fitting once the tissue healed a bit more.
Feeling good with the work she did on Crosshair, she stood up and moved onto the man laying next to him, Hunter. Remembering what Omega told her earlier about him not wearing his helmet upon impact, Melany proceeded with more thorough scans of his head. Although she already checked all four of them for concussions and other head injuries, she wanted to be certain there was no minor brain bleeding that was missed during the first frenzied hours of their arrival. While the scanners were examining his head, she proceeded to attend to the wounds on his upper body as well. Similar to what she did with Crosshair, she changed the bacta patches around his abdomen, careful not to move his head during the scans. Once the data pad started beeping with the readied report, she studied the results. Her brows furrowed in concern as she realized his brain scans were all over the place. The neuron response in his sensory cortex was hyperactive in a way she had never seen before, it was a miracle he had not gone into a seizure. Unsure of what caused this and concerned about a possible seizure occurring, she made the decision to medically induce him into a coma for a couple days. She hooked him up to the EEG equipment to monitor the electrical activity in his brain and then placed him on a ventilator for respiratory assistance.
After watching Hunter slip into a comatose state and monitoring his vitals for several minutes, she eventually made her way over to Wrecker. Since he was clearly in worse shape than the rest of the squad, Melany had spent most of her time with him when they first arrived. Because of this, she had the best understanding of his current health condition but like his brothers, his bandages needed to be changed. Cutting off the wraps with medical scissors, Melany studied the claw marks on his chest closely. Using the medical scanner, she took detailed scans in hopes she could do some more research on it later. Clearly an animal had caused this but without identifying the creature, she was not sure if she needed to inject him with some sort of anti-venom. The galaxy was such a vast place with an infinite variety of dangerous fauna, there was a chance that whatever caused these gashes had venom in its claws. After she inputted her measurements and observations of the slash marks into her tablet, she let the system begin searching through the Imperial, once known as the Republic, archives. She had tried a quick search earlier but it yielded no results so she hoped with this more detailed description there would be a match this time.
Similar to how she treated Wrecker's brothers, Melany put fresh bacta patches on the blaster wounds in his chest and abdomen and then she sprayed more bacta onto the unknown claw marks. At least all the bleeding has finally stopped. This squad needs bacta tank treatment more than anything. Unfortunately, despite her impressive private medbay, she did not have access to a bacta tank so sprays and patches combined with medication and bedrest would have to suffice.
Shortly after she finished wrapping fresh bandages around Wrecker's upper body, she heard her data pad beep once more but this time the beep was not a notification it was a restriction notice. "What in the galaxy?" She whispered to herself as she feverishly read the warning notice; The information searched for is listed under 'Restricted Imperial Access: High Classified Clearance codes required before proceeding.' She walked to the edge of the room and leaned against the wall; Restricted Imperial Access? The Empire is purposely hiding the information about this creature from public domain. How come? Is the creature apart of some secret Imperial lab experiment? Or perhaps this creature inhabits a planet the Empire wishes to keep secret? She lowered the tablet in her hand and stared at the squad resting in her medbay; Where did this squad come from and what were they doing before they crashed here?
Melany must have been more tired than she thought because in the short time she went to rest on the couch in the living room next to the medical bay, she had completely knocked out. She had stepped into the living room, leaving the medbay door open out of precaution, with the plan of resting and trying to dig deeper into the mysterious claw marks on Wrecker's chest. But after a couple minutes of researching, she could not keep her eyes open and succumbed to her exhaustion. In her defense, she had not slept in two days so when the sun had barely begun its ascent on a new day, she startled awake, bleary-eyed and confused. She glanced down at her medical clothes and found the data pad on the floor. She picked it up and read the information still on the screen; Restricted Imperial Access…
Melany leapt off the couch and hurried to go check on her guests, her thoughts rushing back to her in an instant. She let out a sigh of relief to find everyone still resting and the EKGs seemed to be stable. She took this moment of calm as an opportunity to get a pot of caf going and quickly went to freshen up. She was no stranger to taking quick showers and in less than ten minutes she was back in the kitchen with a clean outfit on and mug of warm caf in her hands. Letting the comforting aroma envelop her in a much needed hug, she turned on the holotelevision in the adjacent living room to the morning news while she perused her tablet in hopes of finding more information about the infamous Clone Force 99 squad after the fall of the Republic. She took mental notes on the description of the squad; genetically modified clones with desirable mutations; CT-9901 enhanced senses, CT-9902 enhanced intelligence, CT-9903 enhanced strength, and CT-9904 enhanced sharpshooting abilities. From all the Imperial reports, three entries piqued her interest: the squad was branded as traitors of the Empire, Crosshair was a former Imperial sharpshooter and commander of a special ops team, and the database claimed all of them, with the exception of Crosshair, were killed on Kamino when Tipoca City was destroyed about two years ago. Definitely will have to ask them about all this later. Especially the part about Crosshair being an ex-Imp.
Once in a while she would glance up at the HoloTV when a story of interest came on, typically about the Empire's newly conquered worlds and the propaganda that would follow about how the Empire is creating a safer galaxy for everyone. Refraining from letting out an audible groan at the Imperial-biased news, she decided to pause her research on Clone Force 99 and looked up the planet of Pabu. "Outer Rim Territory…oceanic planet with small islands…no spaceports or major industries. Seems like a safe option to call home-" Melany jumped and muted the HoloTV when she heard footsteps enter the room. "Hi Omega." She smiled at the young clone, "How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?"
Omega cautiously entered the living room, rubbing her eyes and letting out a yawn, "Hello." She blinked a few times as she briefly scanned the room, taking in the unfamiliar environment, "I slept good, all things considered. Whatever was in that medication worked great. My chest still hurts but not as bad as yesterday."
"That's decent progress." Melany put down the tablet and stood up from the couch, bringing her mug and Omega into the connecting kitchen with her, "Are you hungry? I can make you some breakfast if you wish?"
"Umm…" Omega observed the decently large kitchen, noticing how bright and pristine it was. "I wouldn't even know what to ask for. Normally Shep or Lyana would leave out a bowl of fruit for us to snack on."
"I can do that for you. Take a seat on any of the stools." She opened up her chiller, grabbed some fruit, and placed them on the counter, "I have some ripe starblossom ready to go. One of Alderaan's exclusive exports."
Omega's eyes widened when she looked at the petalled fruit, "I've never tried or even heard of starblossom before."
"Then I guess now is a good time to taste it." Melany cheerfully encouraged, "Let me cut you a slice and tell me what you think." She grabbed a knife and swiftly sliced up the fruit, handing a piece to Omega.
The young clone happily took the offering and popped the fruit into her mouth, her wide eyes growing even wider, "Mmmm! It's delicious! Can I have another piece?"
"You can have as much as you like. Juice?" The hostess laughed as she handed the plate of sliced starblossom to her guest along with a glass of juice. While Melany busily began preparing some more food for herself and her guest, she curiously asked, "So…Shep and Lyana are friends of yours on Pabu?"
Omega's face lit up at the mention of her friends. She excitedly swung her legs that dangled over the tall kitchen stool as she told Melany all about them. About how they met, all the fun she and Lyana had on the island, and what her and her brothers were planning on doing once they permanently settled down on Pabu. Omega was so animated while she talked about her friends, Melany could not help but smile at her enthusiasm. As much as Melany enjoyed the quiet of her normal daily routine, she always loved spending time with her guests, usually clones, who were staying with her. But Omega was an even greater breath of fresh air, her zest for life was contagious and it reminded Melany so much of herself when she was younger. By the time Omega had finished telling every tale in her memory about Pabu, the starblossom fruit was eaten as was the rest of the breakfast Melany provided.
Once Melany finished cleaning up the kitchen, she glanced over at Omega who was beginning to fall asleep on the sofa in the living room. Knowing how much she needed to rest, Melany quietly snuck by her into the medbay to do her medical rounds on the men. Just like last night, she started with Crosshair. She had barely begun to remove his wrappings when she jumped at the sound of Omega's voice.
"Do you need help? I used to be a lab assistant on Kamino so I'm decent at helping."
"Oh!" Melany breathed, fighting to calm her racing heartbeat, "I thought you were asleep." She turned to face her with a grateful smile, "Yes, I would love some help. Thank you." Omega went to wash her hands and snapped on a pair of clean gloves. Since Omega was still wearing the gray jumpsuit she arrived in, Melany had her stay a healthy distance away from any open wounds. She ended up having Omega help fetch her tools or read medical outputs from the scans. One thing Melany learned about Omega from breakfast was that she loved to talk but another thing Melany was quickly learning about her new assistant was her love of asking questions. Grateful she had complied the medical reports last night, Melany was able to easily answer Omega's questions while she tended to her brothers.
Now that Crosshair and Hunter were taken of, it was time to move on to Wrecker and the mystery of the claw marks resurfaced in Melany's mind. Then it dawned on her, Omega may hold the answers to this mystery. Now it was Melany's turn to take over the role of question-asking and she inquired about the slashes.
"I don't know." Omega pondered, handing her the medical scissors, "By the time I saw him, he already had those marks. I'm sure Hunter or Crosshair would know. Unfortunately the escape from Tantiss was so hectic, I didn't get the chance to ask them what happened."
"Tantiss?" Melany asked, not looking up from her task.
Omega hesitated, not because she did not trust Melany but more because she did not want to talk about it, she was still trying to process it herself. But since Melany's purpose here was to take care of Imperial clone deserters, she should probably know what was happening. "It was a secret Imperial base for the advance science division. They were experimenting on clones amongst other things."
That caught Melany's attention. Her posture went rigid as a small spark of anger ignited in her gut. Tons of questions flooded her mind but she quieted her thoughts when Omega continued explaining what was happening on Tantiss. While Omega talked, Melany quietly continued tending to Wrecker's wounds. She only interrupted Omega once when she asked the young clone to take a seat on her cot so Melany could address her injuries as well. Omega wrapped up the Tantiss debrief with their most recent mission, Omega's rescue/escape and defeating Hemlock and his clone operatives. Once Omega finished, her eyes widened with realization when Melany did not respond right away, "Did I ramble? I'm sorry if I overwhelmed you, I've been known to talk too much at times-"
"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong. Quite the opposite, actually. You did a lot of good for those imprisoned clones." Melany's voice was softer than normal as she kindly regarded the young clone. When Rex asked her to rescue this squad, he did not mention anything about Tantiss. She wondered if he did not know about it either.
Melany thought about when she first met Omega outside the shuttle wreck. Her first impression of the kid was sympathetic but now she also held an abundant amount of respect for her and her squad. They risked everything to free the other clones and they succeeded in that respect. But now they were here on Alderaan with a slew of injuries when they had hoped to be on Pabu beginning their fresh start on life. Perhaps being here was not the ideal situation for them but Melany was going to do everything in power to give them the comforts of starting over until they were healthy enough to head back to Pabu.
Melany smiled at the brave little clone in admiration, "Come with me." She gently nudged her shoulder.
"Where're we going?" Omega hopped off the cot but lingered by her brothers, "Shouldn't we stay here with them?"
Melany lifted up the data pad, "I'll be monitoring their vitals at all times. Come on." She strode out of the medbay with Omega close behind. She followed her up a spiraling staircase leading to the second floor and then they entered the first room to the left. "Now I normally make it a house rule that guests aren't allowed to have access to my bedroom but I'll make an exception for you."
"This is your room?" Omega stared at the large suite. Unlike the pristine kitchen downstairs, this bedroom was warm and cozy. The walls were a warm shade of beige with an elegant amount of wood accents framing the walls and bed. There was a simple stone fireplace in the corner that seamlessly blended into the walls and her large bed stood upon a plush rug. Her wardrobe and dresser were a similar shade of chestnut brown like her bed frame and nightstands. Funny enough, the accessories that caught Omega's eye the most were the array of fluffy pillows resting on her bed. "I've never seen a bedroom this nice before."
Melany softly laughed, "I can't take the credit for it. The previous owners designed all of this." She led Omega into the attached ensuite which, similar to the bedroom, was grand yet cozy with a nature based design. "Now, let me get you a few items and then I'll give you some privacy."
Amongst being in the nicest bathroom she'd ever seen, Omega noticed the two sinks, "Do you live here with someone?"
"Huh?" Melany was busily shuffling through some cabinets, "No, I live alone. Why?"
"Because of the two sinks. I've never seen that before unless more than one person shares the room."
"Ohhh…" She returned with a couple of the fluffiest towels Omega had ever seen, "The previous owners were married and this was their room. Once I took over, I moved into the master suite."
"What happened to them? Did they retire or did you buy out the winery-"
"They died." Melany handed her the towels and returned to the cabinet to grab more supplies.
Omega flinched at the sudden change in Melany's tone. Her cheerfulness was replaced by a solemn mood but Omega also picked up on a tinge of anger. "I'm so sorry I didn't know. How-"
"The Empire."
Omega bit her lower lip to refrain from asking more questions. It seemed Melany was close to the owners, possibly even related? If so, it was no wonder why there was a hint of rage in her tone which would begin to explain why she was helping Imperial clone deserters. This tiny bit of information only piqued Omega's interest about Melany's past and she was determined to find out more.
The somber mood lifted when Melany returned with a tray of shower supplies, "Here you go. Shampoo, conditioner, a bar of soap, a comb and a brush. That should be everything. These are yours to keep, by the way. Let me know if you ever need more of something."
Omega accepted the tray with wide eyes, "Wow, this is mine?" She glanced at the tray again, "I've never had my own comb before or a brush."
Melany's eyebrows shot up in bewilderment "Really?"
"I usually just use Hunter's comb. I don't mind not having my own though, I kinda like sharing with him. I know if I ask for a comb he would get me one but it's a fun bonding type thing." She giggled, "Although there was this one time when I accidentally lost his comb. Let me tell you, there are not many little things that infuriate him but messing with his hair routine is one of them. Apparently if he doesn't comb his hair shortly after washing it, it'll get all curly and frizzy and then he gets really grumpy."
Melany smiled at Omega's infectious laughter as she continued, "So when he stepped out of the privy with the wildest afro I've ever seen, Wrecker called him a baby wookie and he got so mad. It was hilarious until he made Wrecker and I search every nook and cranny on the ship until we found his comb."
"Wait, but why Wrecker? He didn't lose it."
"I think Hunter was still mad at him because of the wookie comment." She continued to laugh until a small pang of pain surged through her chest.
Melany stopped laughing when she noticed this, "Oh, I'm sorry, I should've told you that laughing will irritate your injuries. I'll give you more medication after you get out of the refresher."
Omega nodded as she stepped further into the ensuite while Melany began to rummage around in her closest, looking for something clean Omega could change into. While she waited for Melany to return, Omega closely examined the bathroom and meandered to the window. Her eyes widened when she saw rolling greens hills with long rows of grapevines that led to a thicket of tall conifer trees in the distance. She assumed the grove of trees marked the beginning of the forest, the forest where they crash landed. But beyond all the vibrantly colored vineyard hills and forest trees were massive snow capped mountains, some so tall the summits were hiding behind the fluffy white clouds.
"Alright I think this might work." Omega jumped at the sound of Melany's voice as she walked back into the bathroom. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
Omega shrugged with a smirk, "I didn't mean to be so jumpy." She eyed the clothes in Melany's hands, "Are those for me?"
"Yes, this is the best I could do. The spare clothes I carry are only clone trooper sized so I had to improvise a bit. We can go shopping for new clothes once everyone is feeling better. Until then, I'll have to make something special for you and your brothers as well since they also don't exactly fit the dimensions of a typical clone."
Omega smiled as she gratefully accepted the clothes, "That is so kind of you, thank you Melany."
She placed a gentle hand on Omega's shoulder, "It's the least I could do for heroes like you and your squad." She gave her shoulder a soft squeeze before heading out of the bathroom.
"Melany wait!"
"Yes?" She popped her head back in.
"The bandages, they'll get wet." Omega held up her bandaged hands to prove her point.
"Let me get some gloves from downstairs and I'll make sure to secure them so water won't get in." She hurried out of the room, leaving Omega by herself.
While alone, she hung up the towels on the rack next to the refresher and set up the tray of shower goodies before hanging up the clothes on the nearby hook. The clothes looked to be a pair of tan shorts and a black short-sleeved top which might have been fitted for Melany but it would wear comfortably on her. Just as she folded the shorts over the rack, a light CLINK sounded on the stone floor. She looked for what made the sound and furrowed her brow as she bent down to pick up a small round piece of jewelry on a necklace chain. Is this a ring? She held it up to examine it closely, noticing the humble but intricate gold band that was intertwined in a twisted vine design but what was not humble was the unique single trillion cut crystal in the center. This isn't just a ring, this is an engagement ring! She inspected the inside of the ring and found something inscribed; 'Ner mesh'la cyar'ika'…what does that mean?
Omega quickly stuffed the ring inside her pocket when she heard Melany's footsteps coming up the stairs. She knew she could have just asked about it, but after the conversation with Melany about living alone, she did not know what to think about finding an engagement ring hidden in her clothes. She also remembered how quickly her mood shifted when Omega inquired about the fate of the previous owners and she did not want to upset Melany any more today.
"Here are the gloves." Melany proudly announced as she entered the bedroom but her smile faltered when she stepped into the ensuite, sensing an air of apprehension in the room, "Everything okay?"
Omega avoided her gaze, quickly thinking up a lie, "Yes, I was just thinking about Tantiss."
Melany nodded understandingly, "Let's get you cleaned up. You'll feel so much better afterwards."
Once Omega was ready to shower, Melany left the bathroom and closed the door. She sat on her bed and pulled up the men's vitals on her datapad, noticing Crosshair's progress improving greatly. He should be waking up any day now. She tapped a couple buttons on her tablet and analyzed Hunter's EEG readings, noticing the electrical activity in his sensory cortex had normalized quite a bit although still higher than usual. Then she remembered what she read earlier; CT-9901 enhanced senses. She deduced it would make sense that someone with the nickname "Hunter" would have heightened senses which would explain the abnormal sensory cortex readings. Nonetheless, she decided she was going to keep him induced for another day out of precaution.
Omega stepped out of the ensuite ten minutes later, her hair still damp but her body looking far more relaxed than before.
"Feeling better?" Melany asked as she put down the data pad.
"Definitely. But my chest is starting to hurt again."
"Let's go back downstairs and I'll give you your next dosage." Before they left the bedroom, Melany glanced over her shoulder to look back at Omega, "Since you're the first to be awake, you get first choice on the guest rooms."
"Guest rooms?"
The surprise in Omega's made Melany turn around to look at her, "Did you think you'd be staying in the medbay the whole time?"
"Yes?" She sheepishly smiled.
Melany shook her head with a sympathetic smile, "I have three guest rooms. One downstairs and two upstairs. Once you pick your room, feel free to start making yourself feel at home. "
"I want the downstairs bedroom so I'm close to my brothers." Omega responded without any hesitation.
Melany softly laughed at Omega's dedication, "I thought so." She nodded for Omega to follow her back downstairs and she directed her to the guest room. Melany stepped away to make a quick lunch for Omega so she would have some food in her stomach before taking more medication. Omega wandered around the decently large room, it was not nearly as big as Melany's room but it was certainly bigger than anything she's ever slept in. The cozy, natural, minimalistic design was similar to Melany's room as well except without the fireplace and ensuite. Due to her broken ribs, Omega resisted the urge to jump onto the comfy looking bed with a plethora of pillows. She continued to explore the room, opening the drawers in the dresser and closet. She noticed there were some clothes already inside the furniture but she could immediately tell they were too big for her. These are probably the spare clone trooper clothes Melany was talking about. She slowly meandered back to the bed and carefully sat down, enjoying the soothing sensation of the plush blankets. Releasing a cleansing breath, she faced the window and admired the beautiful greenery again.
"How do you like the room?" Melany asked as she stepped inside with a plate and cup in her hands.
"This room is beautiful. Everything about this place is beautiful."
"I'm glad you think so." She sat beside her and handed over the sandwich and water, "I know I've definitely fallen in love with the beauty of Alderaan."
Omega saw this as an opportunity to dig a bit more into her past, "This is very different from Coruscant huh? That's where you grew up right?"
"This is quite different in comparison to Coruscant." Melany turned to look out the window, thinking about her home planet, "All the vegetation, the fauna, the clean air…it's completely different from what I grew up with. Don't get me wrong, I loved Coruscant, but the peace and quiet here is unparalleled." She glanced down at Omega chewing on the sandwich, "I'm sure you understand the feeling, given your transition from Kamino to Pabu."
Omega nodded, trying to chew the piece of food in her mouth before asking another question. She looked Melany up and down, taking in her soft round facial features, her reddish brown hair that always seemed to be in an updo, her vivid blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight, and her tall athletically lean figure. But as Omega continued to stare at her, she could not help but notice how young Melany looked, "How old are you?"
With an amused smirk she responded, "26. You?"
"14."
Melany hummed in fascination, "So you're an unaltered clone? Well…" She tilted her head in thought, "Technically you are slightly altered since the clone template had a Y chromosome and you clearly don't have that. But your aging process is natural?"
Omega nodded, "Mhmm. I like to tease my brothers that I'm technically their older sister."
Melany humorlessly laughed, "That's the sad reality about being a clone trooper though. It's a shame the clones have been robbed of experiencing a full lifespan." She sighed in discontentment, "I understand why the Kaminoans did what they did in terms of production but still, at the end of the day, clones are humans too. They deserve to be treated as such instead of Kaminoan, Republic, or Imperial property."
"You seem to be very protective of clones." Omega popped the medication into her mouth and swallowed it with a swig of water, "Why is that?"
"Like I said last night, I worked on Coruscant during the war. I got to know a lot of the troopers and many became my friends, including Rex." Melany avoided her gaze by focusing on the window.
Omega let out a yawn, "So if Rex knew about you this whole time, then why didn't he tell us about you?"
"Because he didn't know about my operation here until 9 months ago and by that point you and your brothers had decided to retire on Pabu. Besides, I had him promise to keep this a secret and to only reveal my operation to those who need it. And all those who have stayed here are sworn to secrecy as well."
"Rex didn't know you were here until 9 months ago? I thought you said you two were good friends." She glanced up at her incredulously.
"Technically I just said we were friends, not good friends. Most of Rex's good friends were killed during the war. But we have been friends for years." She hesitated, debating on how much of her past she wanted to reveal, "Rex didn't know about me until recently because he thought I was dead. Imperial records indicated I was killed a few years back so he didn't find out I was alive until 9 months ago thanks to a mutual contact."
Omega yawned again, the medication was kicking in, "If Rex thought you were dead then why didn't you reach out to him?"
"Because I was thought he was dead too. Imperial reports claimed he was killed in a Venator crash years ago." She paused to recollect her thoughts, "As far as the Empire knows, Rex and I are both dead. And it's best if we keep it that way."
That bit of information caught Omega's attention, "Melany isn't your real name is it?" When she did not respond, some more of the puzzle pieces fell into place, "This secluded compound, your secret operation to help clones, a fake name…you're not just keeping a low profile, you're hiding from the Empire, aren't you?"
Melany continued to sit there in silence as her thoughts battled each other over whether or not to tell the truth. Finally she responded in a quiet voice, "Yes. If they knew I was alive, they'd hunt me down and kill anyone else affiliated with me."
Omega's sleepy eyes widened, "But why? There's gotta be more to this than helping clone deserters. I know Rex and his team are hiding from the Empire because of their military past with the Republic. The same with my brothers when they first betrayed the Empire. But you? What did you really do to get on the Empire's bad side?"
Melany's voice came out as a raspy whisper, "Truthfully? Nothing. But in the Empire's eyes? I'm a traitor."
Phew! That was a long chapter! We'll be diving into our mystery hostess's past next (although I've already dropped a lot of hints haha). Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, if you wish, and have a wonderful week! :)
