FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

C H A P T E R F I F T Y-F O U R

THIRD PERSON POV

FLASHBACK

"But we're more than that." Omega cradled her legs closer to her chest. "We're a family...aren't we?"

"Well, uh, y-yes," Tech stammered, but he spoke truth. "Yes, of course we are."

"Then why don't you act like it?" Omega snapped before burying her chin into the space between her crossed arms, muttering inaudibly into her sleeve.

Tech was taken back by her words. His eyes fixated on the shimmering, crystal-clear lake as he gathered his thoughts. He then bit the inside of his lip before sighing heavily. In his peripheral, he could see Omega lifting her head from her arms to meet his eyes, but he wasn't quite ready to reciprocate.

"Echo chose...a different path...as did Crosshair. I have to respect their decision. Even though it can be difficult to understand, we must carry on." He shifted in his spot on the bank. "I may process moments and thoughts differently, but it does not mean that I feel any less than you." He finally turned his chin to the young girl, whose round, brown eyes expanded with astonishment. A small smile crept across her lips.

"Fern said she was ready to be a mother to me."

"Did she?" Tech breathed with genuine wonder.

She slowly nodded as she reminesced over Fern's oath to her from when they were on Kashyyyk.

"One day, Half-Pint, things will be better for us. I know it...One day, we will all have a place to call home, to create our futures together and be a proper family - building new customs and traditions. And I...I can be the mother you deserve."

"Fern has considered her role for all our futures, not just yours." Tech said with deep thought in his voice. "A quality she has perfected since she joined the squad."

"What do you mean?" Omega asked.

"Well," Tech straightened his posture as he rested his forearm on his propped knee. "it is evident Fern is not the same person she was during the war."

"How so?" Omega pivoted so she faced Tech directly. "What was Fern like during the war? She's never told me much for some reason."

"Well, she specialized in reconaissance missions and often acted alone. Through her experiential endeavors, she mastered an inventory of impressive skills, such as combat in a multitude of martial arts, marksmanship, mechanics, civilian psychology, and keen senses in speculation and endurance. That, of course, only skims the surface of her potential."

Omega sighed as the spectacled clone digressed, propping her elbow on her knee and smushing her cheek into her palm. She then giggled, catching Tech off-guard. He blinked with confusion. "What is so amusing to you?"

"I already knew that about Fern." She shook her head. Before she could clarify what she meant, Tech frowned in defense.

"She is much more extraordinary than most realize." Tech's chin rose as he studied the cascading waterfall, waiting in anticipation for Fern and the others to join them. "Did you know she once single-handedly sabotaged a Separatist radio signal to send decrypted messages to the Republic? The military was able to intervene over a dozen schemes before the enemy realized and altered their frequencies."

"Woah..." Omega beamed, intrigued. Her eyes then narrowed when she detected a contrariety. "Wait, I thought you and the squad never crossed paths with Fern during the war?"