only_an_echo | [IC] { TRP } Inbox

[A pause. Trapper mews.]

Did he tell you his name?

He said his name is Boba. He calls Jango Fett his father, and said his DNA wasn't altered by the Kaminoans.

[Another pause. This tells Echo the recent status quo among clones hasn't changed.]

...He's telling the truth. Jango was the original template for all of us clones.

I know that much from Nala Se. ...it's just strange to hear a clone refer to him as a parental figure.

...he wanted to know why I was different.

That's because none of us were ever that close to him.

[He then frowns. The way she says it instantly reminds him of how Hunter broke the news to Omega once they were all reunited under different circumstances.

Trapper breaks the silence, meowing into the device as he brushes against Echo's hand and up his shoulder. Echo sighs at the mothcat in turn, focusing back onto Omega.]

Report back to base, Omega. We need to talk.

Edited 2023-05-27 04:27 (UTC)

What happened to him?

[She blinks at that order then. What was this about? The cadet? Well, either way, she won't argue.]

Yes, sir. I'm not far. I'll be there soon.

Copy that.

[He doesn't mean to sound so cryptic. Once she gets in, he can continue from where they last left off.

Trapper isn't so keen on being removed from his shoulder perch as Echo moves to wait for the girl, returning the device to its designated pouch as the mothkitten is cradled against his chest.]

[Omega's good on her word, as soon enough her figure can be seen coming along the muddy way. She's got the hood of her Eorza gathering coat up to dissuade any lingering wetness as a light drizzle has begun to fall. There's a lump under her coat suggesting where Tumble might be.

She ducks into the watchtower, shaking off her boots and coat at the doorway before slipping off the latter as she steps further inside.]

Echo? I'm back!

[There she is. Echo nods, stepping aside so that Omega can dry off and put away her things. He holds out a hand to help hang up her coat, along with a furry paw also trying to reach for the material in passing.]

Just in time. Go and dry off. I'll fix you something to drink.

[She smiles, handing off her coat before giving Trapper a scritch under the chin.]

Okay, be right back.

[The girl slips Tumble from her bag, setting him down on a side table before she runs off to her room to put things away and grab a towel.

Then it's back down she comes.]

[The corner of Echo's lips quirk slightly. Trapper purrs at the scritches, successfully pulling a section of the coat toward him in the process. It's short-lived, however, when the clone tugs it away from his little claws to let it drape on its hanger. Echo ignores the meow of protest, letting the mothkitten slip out next to Tumble before heading back over to where the small induction hot plate sits.

As he prepares the drink (hot chocolate?), he starts speaking when she returns.]

Jango Fett was a bounty hunter. Because he was the genetic template for the clone army, he had residence in Tipoca City for a time. But he was reported as deceased on Geonosis before the Clone Wars began. His son, Boba Fett, disappeared shortly after that event took place. No one knew where he went off to.

[He's not as matter-of-fact as Tech is, but he doesn't exactly sugarcoat what he knows.]

Do you remember what happened on Pantora?

[Omega settles into a chair at the bigger table they have, not that it's much bigger but it serves their purposes well enough.

She listens with rapt attention as Echo picks up the conversation where they left off, frowning a little as she learns of Jango Fett's supposed status.]

Poor Boba...

[The question Echo asks her however catches her off guard. What did Pantora have to do with anything? Much less, how could she forget what had occurred there? She nods.]

Of course I do.

[His brow furrows, but his gaze doesn't leave his work unattended.]

The bounty hunter had a reason for going after you. You were being targeted because you are different. Tech told us your genetic code is unaltered - the same as Boba's.

We let our guard down on Bracca after we were able to remove our inhibitor chips. We were supposed to leave the planet. We should have left before anyone else found out we were even there.

[In the middle of saying all of this, Echo pours the hot chocolate into a brightly-colored mug, setting the rest aside so that he can pick it up, walk it over, and set it down in front of Omega. He also takes a bit of time to sit in the chair next to her, pensive in his frowning.]

Getting away from Crosshair briefly separated us. You were with Hunter at the time. When we got back to the ship, we found Hunter was on the ground and you were nowhere in sight.

What..?

[It hadn't occurred to her that they'd found out why the bounty hunter had been after her. It's still something to process though.

She was different, she knew that. But she didn't know there was more to it. It makes a lot more sense why they'd have someone go after her, but it's still a lot to take in.

For a moment she sits there, watching the steam curl from her hot chocolate though her thoughts are far from the present, at least until Echo resumes.]

...what happened? Was Hunter okay?

[He doesn't rush with the information he's giving her, answering the questions with as much detail as he can provide.]

He was unconscious. I had to get him up. Fortunately his armor saved him from a blaster shot to the chest. Said there was a bounty hunter involved.

He had the right idea, but he wasn't in the best shape to go after you. We also had Crosshair on our tail and no idea where the two of you could have gone off to. We tried to see if Cid knew anything, but she wasn't much help.

[This is all in the past for Echo, but he observes Omega with some concern. He knows it's a lot to take in.]

And then you contacted us. The signal was too weak, but Tech instructed you to try amplifying its range so that we could figure out your current location.

[Worry knotted in her stomach. These were things that happened just after she'd been pulled here, then. As though dealing with Wrecker's chip hadn't been harrowing enough!

Hunter had gotten hurt because of her. Crosshair had found them, which meant the Empire had.

Omega curls her hands around the mug, trying to take some comfort in its warmth.]

But...you were able to find me, right? Is that when you found out I was...different?

[Echo solemnly nods.]

We did find you. You followed Tech's directions very well. If we never made contact, it would have taken longer for us to do anything about it.

[He tries his best to console the girl, keeping his hand within her field of vision before he rests it over her small shoulder.]

...That piece of information doesn't change who you are to us, Omega. What matters is that we're together again.

[Omega glances up at him, a faint smile trying to tug its way into place, but it's hard to get it to stick. There's a lot to think about here. She scoots closer to him to lean against him.]

I'm glad...

[She doesn't want to ever go back to Kamino, or be apart from them again. And while she hadn't thought of the possibility that her difference might make them change their impression of her, it means a lot to hear Echo say what he does.]

[A momentary lapse causes Echo to pause when Omega does this, only to hold onto her in the next.

He always means what he says. He doesn't always know what may be going through the squad's minds, but he tries to make sure they're okay. Tries to remind them of what they're supposed to be doing. Omega doesn't need the reminder, not when she's trying to process what he's just told her.]

...Are you going to be okay?

[Just having him hold her eases away whatever tension had been building up at the start of their conversation. The hot chocolate's forgotten for a moment, but this is more than enough of a comfort for her right now.

She doesn't have all her brothers here, but at least one of them is.]

I'll be okay. You're here with me.

["You're here with me."

This resonates with him - a small reminder, mentally repeated, wordlessly spoken back to her with a quiet glance.

Being alone isn't easy. It's something he doesn't like dealing with, either. But he'll hold onto her for as long as she needs.]

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