Star Wars: The Bad Batch One-Shots

Fear

C r o s s h a i r.

Language, rated PG-13.

"What're you doing?" Crosshair sneered. Omega's head snapped up.

"Sorry," she said, getting to her feet. She knew she wasn't supposed to be in Crosshair's area, but it was the only thing she had for comfort. Hunter, Tech, Echo, and Wrecked were all away on a mission. "I'll go."

Crosshair watched the young clone slink out of the room, trembling slightly. It didn't take a mind-reader to tell that she was afraid of something.

Thunder crashed overhead. Omega let out a small squeak of fear at the noise, but kept walking.

Crosshair scoffed. The girl was afraid of the thunder? He didn't think that was a thing that people were actually afraid of, just in stories.

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Omega brought her knees to her chest and curled her arms around her legs. The pilot's chair always seemed big; now it seemed huge. The storm outside raged on and each crack of thunder made her flinch. Everything reminded her of Kamino: the storms, the way the floods would rage like the Kaminoan sea, everything.

Lightning struck so close that for a moment Omega couldn't see. She buried her face in her knees, trying to keep the tears from spilling over her cheeks.

"Okay, what is it?" Crosshair sighed from behind her.

"Nothing," Omega replied, keeping her face hidden. "It's nothing."

"Clearly it's something," Crosshair said, sitting down in the copilot's chair. "Otherwise you wouldn't be sulking like this."

Omega remained silent other than her ragged breathing.

"Spill it," Crosshair snapped. Thunder boomed. Omega flinched. "So it's the thunder."

"No," Omega answered a little too quickly. She could see it: the raging ocean splashing up against the glass windows, threatening to break through; the cracks that would sometimes appear and drip water; the way the thunder and lightning would keep her awake every time the storms came; how Nala Se would tell her that fear was her weakness.

Crosshair laid a hand on her shoulder. He hated to admit it, but he had a soft spot for the girl. He wanted to protect her, keep her safe. "Hey," he said, his voice gentler than he had hoped, "it's okay."

Omega turned around and threw herself onto him.

Crosshair froze for a second. He wasn't much for human contact, but he knew that Omega wasn't exactly familiar with it either. He awkwardly patted her back, unable to properly hug her back due to the height difference.

When she pulled away, he asked, "You okay now?"

Omega nodded. "Thank you," she said with a smile before skipping off to her room.

"She's getting to you, isn't she, Cross?" Hunter called from the ship entrance.

Crosshair sighed. "Yep."