Mom Omega

Part 9 - Spoils of Ruins

It's been half a year since Omega found her little brothers and her and Echo have been raising them on the run. Tensions are slowly rising between her and Echo about their and the boy's future, reaching an all-time high when Cid sends them to Serenno.

Omega can't believe she thought the beach run was gonna be relaxing. Or safe.

It ends when them running away from a bunch of crabs as fast as they can, and she drags Echo out of the water when he faceplants.

Wrecker is dragging the crate, though they're being surrounded fast. "Tech, we need a pickup, now!" Omega yells over comms.

"On our way," Tech promises, but the ship still takes a few minutes to finally show up.

"Tech, where are you?!" Wrecker whines, shooting at the crabs that are rapidly closing in around them from all sides.

"He's coming," Hunter pants, firing a crab through its eye.

Omega's eyes narrow on the approaching Marauder. Except, what, in the stars, is – "Tech, why is Crosshair hanging off the ship?!"

"It is... an unscheduled study break," Tech volunteers.

Omega rolls her eyes, pulling her energy bow string several more times at the crabs as the line comes down. With Crosshair sniping from up above, it's much faster and easier for cover. Wrecker hooks the crate onto the line, and they pile on top of it. Crosshair keeps firing with his ridiculously small rifle until the four of them pile inside and Omega slams the ramp shut.

She flops onto one of the seats, panting heavily. "That didn't go so well."

"I thought the beach was gonna be relaxing!" Wrecker wails.

Omega leans over, patting his back. "We'll get a break, I'm sure. Been working low for a long time." The kids aren't ready or made for this. She hates that it's the life they have to live. It's not fair to them.

"I can't believe you threw me off the ship,' Crosshair gripes wheeling on Tech.

"It was entirely unintentional," he protests.

"You tried to feed me to crabs!"

"I did not!"

"Yeah, you did!"

"It was an accident."

"You through me off the ramp and I skinned my hands off on a cord because you tried to get me snapped in half by crab pincers," Crosshair snaps.

"Tech, what happened?" Omega asks over the bickering.

"He was attempting to bring in a fish we caught. Crabs were attacking the ship, and I had to take off before they damaged something of critical importance. I thought Crosshair was inside."

"I was literally mid disconnecting the line!" Crosshair snaps back.

"Nu-uh. Stop arguing, or I'll make you hold hands for an hour. I bet you'd like that."

Tech and Crosshair throw glances of genuine horror in each other's directions, then sit on opposite seats on the ship, almost identically cut curls flopping into their faces. Finally.

Hunter laughs. "Nice," he crows, "Now we know what to do. Now we know for future."

"Don't get your hopes up," Crosshair snarls.

Wrecker laughs, and Omega pats his shoulder again. "Come on. Let's get back to Ord Mantell."

***

Cid is grumpy about their late return. Echo rolls his eyes about it, as does Omega – she always is. Not that she doesn't respect it. Well, once in a while.