Mom Omega

Part 11 - The Crossing

Omega knew Echo was going to leave. She just never thought dealing with the fallout would be so hard. She thought their leaving the 501st together would mean they would be a squad forever. She should have realized otherwise.

"This is supposed to be the mine Cid purchased," Omega says, gesturing towards the mine's entrance. She hopes it's not dangerous. She doesn't want to drag her brothers into something else life-threatening. Not ever, and not without Echo to help her. He's gone. She keeps expecting to see his black and red armor at her side, shadowing her, but he's gone.

And who does she have to blame for that? If she'd listened to him more, he'd still be here. If she'd...

He was the first brother she had. She just wants him back. She wants to help, but she has to take care of her brothers, first. But who's taking care of Echo now that he's away?

"So... what're we supposed to do?" Wrecker asks.

"Mine the ipsium," Tech answers, "If there is any."

Omega climbs up the platform, working on getting the mine door open. "Just be careful," she requests. "Ipsium is fine when it's refined, but before then, it's highly unstable, so whatever we do, we gotta be careful. It's like dealing with a primed thermal detonator."

Wrecker laughs. "Sounds dangerous. I like it!"

With no insult to her little brother, she's leaving him outside just for that reason. He gets too overexcited, and blowing things up is not what the mine needs with them inside. Cid would kill the few pieces remaining from the explosion.

Down below, Hunter crouches, lifting some rocks.

"Something wrong?" Crosshair asks him.

He shakes his head. "The storm's moving away. I think that's good."

"It is," Omega agrees, "We better hurry though, just in case. Hunter and Tech, you're with me. We'll mine the ipsium. Wrecker and Crosshair, keep watch. There are poachers in the area. If you see anything, comm me. And don't. Wonder."

The twins huff in unison. "Why don't we get to do anything fun?" Wrecker complains.

"Watching will be funner than you think," Omega says, begging that be true. The kids have a death wish. She would've thought Serenno would tone that down a little bit. "Besides, I need Tech to scan, and Hunter should be able to sense if something's about to blow up."

"Fiiiine," Crosshair gripes, sitting on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the valley below. Omega wishes she knew what to say to him. She doesn't. Instead, she just climbs into the mine, Hunter and Tech trailing not far behind.

They have to go towards the far back of the mine to even find the ipsium, and when Tech finally tracks it down, it's u on the ceiling, mostly out of reach.

"I'm guessing somebody tricked Cid into buying a mostly empty mine," Omega notes dryly, "First time something like that's ever happened. Let's just keep looking and see what we can find." She really doesn't want this to go nowhere. They could use the credits. She's got four children to take care of, and now she has to do it all alone.

"Uh," Hunter says, looking upwards, "I think that's going to be hard to reach."

"We'll have to form a system," she replies, "Hunter, can you reach it from that ledge?"

"If I can reach the ledge."

Omega grips his hand, hoisting him up onto the ledge. She has to climb up onto one, too, so she can pass between him and Tech. Her brothers are five. This is begging for disaster, but she trusts Hunter, so...