"Ladies don't start fights, but they can finish them." -Saachi, probably

Saachi didn't have any nightmares that night, but what little sleep she did get was restless. Admittedly, that came with having a ten-year-old sleeping on your lap. Once she woke up, she spent a good thirty minutes staring at the stars in hyperspace. The pretty lights nearly lulled her back to sleep, but Hunter was handing out rations.

"Thanks," She mumbled, biting into the dry nutribar. They really wouldn't be so bad if they had some curry to dip them in. Had the Republic never heard of spices?

"Who makes this stuff?" Saachi asked, nearly choking on the crumbs.

"Ask the long-necks," Echo swallowed his own rations with an accustomed distaste.

"It is perfectly safe to consume. Consuming one ration bar provides a grown adult with all the calories they need, including approximately twenty-seven grams of fiber, sixty milligrams of Vitamin C, and 3500 milligrams of-"

"No, I get that, but does it have to taste so weird?"

Echo guffawed with his whole chest, and Tech adjusted his goggles as he pondered Saachi's question.

"That is a question I do not believe I have an answer to." And with that, he returned to the device he was working on.

"Can't that thing wait, Tech? We got pretty banged up in the impound lot, and I could use some help with the coolant systems," Echo said.

"In a moment," Tech waved off the request with a distracted tone that meant he was going to forget about it in just a moment.

Saachi stood up, stretching out her arms and legs and cracking her neck from being curled up in the navigator's chair for the last few hours. Such a movement made her realize just how badly she needed to use the refresher.

"Uh, Echo?" She said in a small voice.

"Yeah?"

Saachi took a deep breath, feeling like a youngling on their first day of school. "Where's your refresher?"

"To the left of the gunner's nest," Tech answered, as if she had asked about the weather on Tatooine. Just what had she been so worried about?

Saachi made her way to the back of the ship, carefully climbing over Omega and Gonky sprawled across the hold.

"Omega?" Saachi paused.

"Yeah?"

"Is that my datapad?"

Omega was quiet, before insisting "No," in a tiny voice.

Yeah right. Saachi shook her head, before spotting the door Tech had indicated. It was just barely big enough for Wrecker to squeeze through. For the size of the ship, Saachi wasn't expecting much, but she certainly wasn't expecting the stench to hit her like an AT-TE.

She braved a look inside, squinting at the stench as she remembered what their barracks had smelt like. She hadn't noticed what the ship itself smelled like, but she had adjusted to it after the hours in-flight. The sudden shift to the fresher was enough of a difference to make her cough.

"What died in here!?" She shrieked.

"Oh, uh, sorry?" Wrecker blushed bashfully, and Saachi was immediately humbled.

"You know what, nevermind, at least there's clean toilet paper," She took a deep breath and entered the refresher.

The refresher units on most starships looked identical, with the exception of fancy starliners like the Halcyon. The plasteel had been white at one point, but had yellowed over the years. Everything- from the floors to the vac-tube to the sink unit- were all the same color. Some knots of hair found refuge in the corners with the dust bunnies and dried clumps of soap, and Saachi found herself mentally scolding these boys who were supposed to be adults, but some pitying part in her mind reminded her that the Bad Batch was a special operations squad that was constantly running from one mission to the other and any of their precious downtime was spent with naps, getting a proper meal, or training for their next mission. She couldn't blame them for choosing to do literally anything else over cleaning, but if all six of them were going to be living on this ship for an undetermined amount of time, it had to be kept cleaner than this.

She was pleased to see a sonic shower unit installed facing the toilet. The black apparatus appeared to have been an addition in afterthought, when so much time had been spent on the ship rather than in proper barracks with proper showers. Water supply was hard to come by in space, and any clean water available was best used for drinking, but the sonic was an adequate replacement.

Still, Saachi looked at herself in the spotted mirror above the sink and asked herself, not for the first time, what in the name of Brahma was she doing?

Hunter was giving Wrecker and Omega their rations when she emerged, and as Omega was distracted, Saachi snatched her datapad back.

"I don't mind you using it, beti, just make sure you ask me first, okay?"

"Okay," Omega blushed, caught in the act. At least all she appeared to have been doing on it was reading over basic medical procedures. Nala Se would be proud.

"Hit me again!" Wrecker swallowed his ration in one bite.

"That's all for now, rations are low," Hunter shook his head and set aside the box of food.

"You can have mine!" Saachi was horrified to see Omega offering her food to Wrecker, who didn't seem to realize the implications either.

Hunter pushed Wrecker to the side and immediately began to scold him, while Saachi crouched down to talk to Omega.

"Omega, that's your food. You need to eat it, okay? We all need to have our own portion of food so we can grow big and strong, okay?"

"But I'm not hungry!" Omega insisted.

"Not right now, you're not. But you will be soon. You need to eat it now, before you get hungry, or hold onto it until you do get hungry."

From a scientific perspective, Wrecker did need to eat more to keep up with his body mass, but Saachi watched Hunter count out the ration bars three times, each with a deepening frown. They only had so many, and Suu and Cut didn't have any leftovers they could offer when they left Saleucami. They'd have to get more food soon.

Wrecker assured Omega he didn't want it, and while suspicious, she didn't argue.

"Eh, guess I'm not used to having a kid around here," Wrecker admitted.

"None of us are," Hunter reminded him.

"Speak for yourself," Saachi said. Just as she was about to march past them with that self-satisfied air she assumed whenever she was around Hunter, the ship gave a jolt in hyperspace and the lights went out. Saachi pitched forward, but her fall was cut short by a muscular arm that was too small to be Wrecker's.

Hunter easily lifted her to stand again, making sure she caught her balance.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," She said, even as the heat flooded her cheeks. She hadn't been able to make herself look him in the face since Saleucami, despite Wrecker's anticipating glances.

"Echo, lights went out again! I thought you fixed that?"

"Yeah, add it to the list!" Echo hollered back.

The lights flickered back on, and all was well. Saachi quickly made her way back to the cockpit, determined not to trip over herself again.

"Repairs would go faster if I had some help," Echo pointedly told Tech as Saachi hid herself in the shadowy seat behind the pilot's.

"As soon as I finish building this scanner," Tech assured him. He was still working on his latest project, and from Echo's less-than-patient attitude, this was a normal occurrence, "Testing the functionality of our inhibitor chips takes precedence.

"I thought you said they were defective?" Echo asked, and Saachi sat up.

"A theory this device will be able to prove," Tech assured them, "Besides, the ship-wide diagnostic report indicated no critical systems were compromised."

Tech announced this with such confidence that Saachi thought being nearly thrown from her seat a second later must have been a dream. The cockpit flashed with a rainbow of colors alien to hyperspace, and the stars resumed their stationary spots in the sky, behind a giant blue planet.

Hunter stumbled into the cockpit, "Getting thrown out of hyperspace, I'd say that's pretty critical, Tech."

Tech had managed to set aside the scanner for the moment, and flipped a few switches on the console above to regain a semblance of control over the Marauder.

"It's not affecting life support. We're fine."

"Are you kidding me!?"

Echo grunted in frustration, "The power capacitor's blown, we need to land immediately!"

The dark moon rapidly approaching the careening ship looked 'immediate' enough.

"Get ready for your first crash landing!" Wrecker lifted the seat belts so that he and Omega could secure themselves.

"Crash?" Omega squeaked.

Hunter was able to respond to the little girl's worry before Saachi did, "Omega, strap in," He warned, taking his own seat opposite Saachi.

Saachi craned her neck to look down the hall. Wrecker pulled Omega's straps as tightly as he could to keep her safe, but the crash webbing was meant for someone twice her size. Saachi wondered if she should go sit next to Omega to help her keep calm, but the ship was shaking too violently for her to do anything except hold on for dear life.

The moon's gravity took hold a moment later, obscuring the viewport with dark clouds, and Saachi felt the dangerous pull towards the nose of the ship as they dived towards the surface. Loose materials skid across the floor, including Gonky, who lost his balance and helplessly slid into the console, his droid legs wiggling back and forth to try and right himself.

Saachi gripped the handles of the headrest and closed her eyes. Sirens wailed, and the cockpit released the pressurized air as it adjusted to the atmosphere outside, but aside from bracing themselves against the oncoming impact, the boys in the cockpit seemed satisfied that they would make it alive.

Wrecker, however....

"We'regonnadiewe'regonnadiewe'regonnadiewe'regonna-"

"Wrecker!" Saachi shouted. Only then did Wrecker notice Omega's terrified face looking up at him.

"...Be...fine! We're gonna be fine!" Wrecker chuckled unconvincingly as the ship shook around them. Saachi just hoped she wouldn't have to comfort Omega through any nightmares tonight.

If they survived this, that is.

Saachi had no more time to ponder whether they would live or not because at that moment they hit the ground, and the air was ripped from her lungs. Everything was still, except for the heavy breathing of the men around her.

Hunter recovered quickly and lifted Gonky upright again.

"Everybody alright?" He asked Omega and Wrecker.

Saachi heard Omega whimper, "Is it over?"

Hunter sighed in relief, and extended a hand to Saachi to help her up. Saachi took it before she could think it through, but her legs were still shaky and for the second time that day she stumbled against Hunter's chestplate.

"You alright?" He asked, suddenly concerned again.

"Just gotta...get my sea legs," Saachi laughed nervously. She brushed Hunter's hands away gently and went to check on Omega. Wrecker was holding his head like it hurt, and Saachi wanted to make sure adrenaline wasn't covering for any pain response Omega might have.

Once it was confirmed that no one was bleeding or had any broken bones, they began to take stock. Saachi helped Omega clean up all the stuff that had fallen out while Tech checked the diagnostics– thoroughly this time –and Hunter and Echo tried to figure out where they had landed.

The ship's computer couldn't tell them much more than they already knew. They were on a small moon with normal gravmetrics, but a thin atmosphere that would make it hard to breathe outside the ship.

"This storm's getting worse, it's knocking out our comms," Echo grunted in frustration as he tried to search for any signs of life where they could get help with repairs. Nothing more than a few space-faring creatures, and no settlements whatsoever.

Tech returned from the cockpit, "I suspect one of our capacitors sustained damage during our firefight with the regs. We won't be able to take off without replacing it. Inventory analysis indicates we have one spare onboard."

"Is it in here?" Omega asked, indicating a trunk she had become enamored with during the clean up. It was nearly as tall as she was, and much too heavy for her to lift on her own, which she discovered quickly when she tried to pick it up, dropping it with a clatter that made the boys look up.

All four members of the Bad Batch stared at the trunk at Omega's feet, unable to speak.

"What?" Omega asked, worried she had made another mistake.

"That's...Crosshair's weapon kit," Hunter said softly.

The ship was silent, except for the faint beep that alerted them to the malfunctioning power capacitor every few seconds.

"Fine, I'll say it. I kinda miss him." Wrecker pouted, folding his arms like he needed a hug.

"He shot you, remember?" Echo asked.

Wrecker laughed, "I sure do! that hurt!"

Tech cleared his throat, "It's worth noting the possibility that Crosshair's actions were influenced by his inhibitor chip."

"Can it do that?" Echo asked Saachi.

"It's what it was designed to do," Omega said.

Saachi nodded slowly, "I don't know too much about the inhibitor chips, but I do know that Crosshair was acting completely different in the hangar than how I saw him in the medical bay. The only time I'd seen a man's personality shift that much in so little time was when a chip malfunctioned. Nala Se went ballistic, and Fives-"

Saachi stopped. She hadn't told Echo about Fives yet.

"Fives what, what did Fives do?" Echo panicked, and took Saachi's arm in a steel grip.

Her wince was brief, but Hunter caught it anyways, and broke Echo's grip, giving the two of them the space they needed.

"Look, debating whether it was Crosshair's fault or not won't fix the ship. Right now we need to find that capacitor and get off this rock." With an air of finality, Hunter marched off to search the cockpit for their elusive capacitor, and Saachi waved Echo off.

"I'll tell you later," She hissed, approaching Omega. She was still looking at the weapon kit warily.

"I don't think we'll find the capacitor in there, Megs. Let's keep looking." Saachi lifted the heavy box and attempted to shove it back into the cluttered locker.

The others split off to search the rest of the ship, leaving Saachi to struggle on her own. On second glance, it couldn't hurt to look through some of the other things shoved into the locker.

She pulled out old flimsi reports and mechanic amalgamations long forgotten by their creator. There was an old canteen growing mold, and Saachi had Omega toss it in the ship's incinerator. It quickly became apparent to Saachi that a device the size of the much sought-after power capacitor wasn't in this locker, but that still left a mess of things that needed to be organized and put away. That was something Saachi was good at.

"Why do you have this?" Hunter snapped, Saachi looked up, kneeling on the floor. She didn't have much of anything right now, was he going to begrudge her what little possessions she did have? Luckily, the small flimsi book he held was not one of her personal possessions. It had a solid black cover, frayed at the edges, with flimsi pages sticking out in all directions covered in scrawling graphite.

"I dunno? Where'd you find it?" She asked.

"On the floor next to your foot," Hunter rebuffed, still spitting mad.

Saachi stood up. "I've never seen that before in my life. I was going through your-" Saachi jabbed him in the chest, forcing him back a step "-mess and it must have been stuck in the chaos."

Hunter's eyes narrowed like he didn't believe her. Without breaking eye contact, he tucked the book in his belt to keep it close.

"Found it!" Omega called from the gunner's tail. Tech held up the missing capacitor.

"Good. Let's hook it up and get off this rock," Saachi shoved past Hunter to sit in the cockpit, leaving the pile of trash, parts, and whatever else at Hunter's feet.

Saachi plopped herself in the captain's seat and stared out the cockpit, focusing on some rock formation in the distance and willing herself not to cry. What was she thinking, staying with these guys? All she did was mess up and fight with Hunter. Omega was more than welcome here, but Saachi still didn't feel like she belonged.

"Don't take it personally," Echo said, "Hunter doesn't like anyone to see his sketchbook," his voice echoed behind the rebreather he and Tech were wearing to go out and replace the capacitor.

Saachi blinked up at him, "Hunter has a sketchbook?"

Echo grinned at her, and followed Tech outside.

Saachi fell back in her chair and sighed again.

"Are you alright, Saachi?" Omega asked. Tech and Echo had left some of the other rebreathers on the chairs in their effort to untangle the masks, and Omega was only half-listening for Saachi's reply as she watched her breath fog on the mask.

Saachi nudged her foot against Omega's, "I'm tired, beti, aren't you?"

Omega shrugged, "Not really."

Saachi chuckled, and glanced out the viewport. The stars were muted in the moon's stormy atmosphere, and the planet was mostly dark, but she could see a flicker of light just outside, as Tech and Echo worked on replacing the capacitor.

"Ow, ow, owwww!" Wrecker whined loudly, holding his head in his hand as he made his way to the bunks. Saachi sat up.

"What's wrong with you?" Hunter asked, doing his best not to look at Saachi. Not that she cared, of course.

"I musta hit my head in the crash- ow."

"Remind me where all of you keep your medical supplies again?" Saachi made herself known as Echo and Tech came back inside.

" It's to the right of the pilot's seat," Echo nodded to Tech's chair.

"The capacitor's in place, but other systems are now failing," Tech reported. Saachi crawled beneath the console, finding a large case like the backpacks the Batch usually had strapped to their backs. A medical insignia was on the front, just like the one plastered on the door of the medical wing. She hit the underside of the console as she crawled back out, and now her head was hurting.

"And something's causing damage to the exterior hull!"

"You wanna narrow that down?"

Before Tech or Echo could do as Hunter asked, the lights flickered off. Everyone went quiet. Saachi sat back on her heels as she squinted up at the roof of the cockpit as if that would tell her how to fix the ship.

Then, she heard what was making Hunter so twitchy. 

Thunk....thunk-thunk...thunk... slowly making its way across the roof of the ship. It had to be just above the cockpit right now. Then it went quiet again.

Green lights flashed across the window as a large lizard leaped at the transparisteel. Saachi dropped the medical kit as it shrieked and Omega leaped back in her chair. Then it was gone in the darkness of the moon.

"Look!" Omega stood up, trying to catch another glimpse of it.

"What? What is it?" Wrecker asked as the others ran into the crowded cockpit.

Omega waved her arms. "Some kind of creature! About this big, with a long tail, and it ran off with the part!"

Echo gently nudged Saachi out of the way so that he could access the ship's diagnostics. As he flipped a few switches, some of the lights turned back on, but he let out a grunt of frustration.

"She's right. The capacitor's gone. And that was our last one."

"The creature is most likely an Ordo Moon Dragon, a species that feeds on raw energy. It was probably drawn to the capacitor's electric charge."

Saachi had heard the word 'capacitor so much in the last few minutes that it was starting to sound more like a made up word than an important technical part.

"You two get those other systems online. Wrecker, stay here. I'll go after the dragon and get our part back." The instructions to Saachi and Omega went unsaid, but Saachi didn't know how to make herself necessary otherwise.

"I'm fine, I-"

"You're staying," Hunter said firmly, "Let Saachi take a look at your head. She doesn't bite."

Saachi was taken aback at that. Had Hunter just given her a compliment?"

She turned away so no one could see her blush. It wasn't the first time he'd done so, after all, on Saleucami, he'd called her 'beautiful'. She still didn't know how to feel about that.

"I'll go with you!" Omega said. Saachi's heart stopped beating as her little girl's eyes were glued to Hunter.

"No, that thing could be dangerous,"

Thank goodness Hunter had common sense. He checked over his knife and blaster to make sure things were in order, and took the rebreather from Echo.

"I'm part of this squad now too, right?" Omega pleaded. Saachi looked back at Hunter to make sure he was standing firm, but he was looking at her.

"What do you think?" He asked Saachi.

"What do I think? I think that's ridiculous! She doesn't have any proper training, she's not even ten years old yet, and-"

"Please?" Omega begged, clasping both hands together. It was the same thing she'd seen Saachi do herself when she was begging Darta to get caff for her too when they were twelve hours deep in a shift after the Blue Shadow Virus Scare.

Saachi groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was just a lizard. A big, scaly lizard. And Hunter knew what he was doing, he'd managed to protect Omega from a Nexu already. She could trust him with Omega, couldn't she?

She knelt in front of Omega, taking the rebreather from her hand and shaking it in her face.

"First, this does not come off, got it? You keep it on at all times. No questions asked."

"Yes." Omega nodded.

"Second, you do whatever Hunter tells you to, okay? If he tells you to turn around and come back to the ship, you do it. No questions asked. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Omega saluted like the best of the cadets and took the rebreather from Saachi, securing it in place over her mouth and nose just as she'd seen Tech and Echo do.

Saachi stood and faced Hunter, who had already put his mask on, "I'll keep her safe, you have my word," He promised.

Saachi nodded. Omega stood at the airlock, bouncing up and down on the tips of her toes.

"Stay close, alright?" Hunter's voice was softer as he approached Omega in the doorway, but still stern all the same. Omega's eyes glowed with admiration, and nodded.

—

It was about an hour later, and Hunter and Omega still weren't back. The moon's storms sent all the comms up in static, so it was all Saachi could do to sit patiently and wait, hoping for any glimpse of blonde hair to peek out over the stalagmites and come running back to the door of the ship. Who knew how far that dragon had run?

While Saachi worried her bottom lip, Echo kept Tech on task. The lights were back on, the stabilizers were repaired, and the landing gear had been coaxed into fully extending again. With things going so well, Tech began his usual chatter.

"Saachi, if my memory is correct, and I assure you it is, the term beti is a form of endearment originating on the planet of Raxus Secundus."

Saachi pretended to be more worried about the files on her datapad. The only thing that would have given her away was her elevated heartbeat, and Hunter wasn't here right now.

"What are you trying to say, Tech?" Echo asked.

Saachi bit her lip.

"I am merely inferring from data given to us by Saachi herself. You may know her from the beginning of the war, but the rest of us know very little about Saachi, and I, for one, would like to know her a little better."

"Alright fine!" Saachi threw her datapad on the console, "My family's from Raxus, alright? But I'm not a Separatist!"

The ship was quiet, the metal ringing with the sound of her voice.

Tech looked at Echo, and back at Saachi. "I did not mean to infer that you were."

"Weren't you?" Saachi shook her head, "That's always everyone's first thought. Oh, you're from Raxus, so you must be a spy for the Confederacy- As if the war has been for a lifetime and not just three years!" Saachi threw her arms up in the air, and collapsed back into the chair.

Echo cleared his throat. "To be fair, for most of us, the war has been a lifetime." He said softly.

Saachi bit her lip. "I know, I know, Echo, and I'm sorry. I've just...I've completely cut off my family since the moment Senator Amidala returned from Geonosis, that was easy enough. But the culture, the food, the songs, the language that I grew up with, they're all still a part of me. And when I saw what the separatists did to Ryloth, at the Citadel, and especially what happened to you on Skako Minor...." Saachi looked at Echo, and he gently placed his hand over hers.

"I couldn't bear the thought of being associated with them."

Echo chuckled softly, a hint of mischief in his voice. "I know you well enough by now to know that you could never throw your lot in with them, Saachi," he said softly.

Tech cleared his throat, "I apologize for my intrusion, Saachi. I truly did not mean to infer that you were a Separatist, I only wish to get to know you better, as you will be stuck with us for quite a while."

Saachi thought about that. She really didn't know if staying with the Bad Batch was what she wanted, Omega was the one that made that decision and Saachi couldn't seem to let her go without a fight. But the Bad Batch had protected her and she had helped them, so perhaps it was a win-win situation so far.

Saachi also knew that if the Bad Batch was going to end up rescuing Yulia sooner or later, she wanted to be there for her best friend and to serve as a witness at her wedding to Echo.

"It's alright Tech, I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"Apology accepted," Tech was already halfway under the console again.

"Gonk, gonk, gonk," Gonky waddled up to the three of them, nudging Saachi's chair so it spun.

"What is it, boy?" Echo asked.

"Gonk," Gonky repeated his sound. It wasn't monotone, but it didn't have any inflections, either.

"I believe he is reminding us of Wrecker's current condition," Tech said, voice muffled, "Echo, hand me the hydrospanner."

Echo began searching for the tool, "You got it?" He asked Saachi.

"Got it." Saachi set her datapad aside and tiptoed around the tools scattered across the cockpit floor. Wrecker sat on one of the bunks in the hold, massaging his head with his hand.

"I'll be fine," He winced at Saachi.

"Maybe you will eventually, but we can always speed up the process," Saachi said gently, "Is there a certain area of your head that hurts?" Front, back, down by your neck?" Maybe he hadn't eaten enough, or slept enough. Saachi got headaches when she was dehydrated from too much caf.

"Right 'ere, on the side." Wrecker pointed.

Saachi took an ice pack and snapped it to activate the cooling gel. She placed it on Wrecker's forehead, drawing his focus from the affected area.

"When was the last time you drank something?" She asked. She knew he'd eaten that ration bar about two hours ago. Maybe they did need to set more rations aside for Wrecker's larger girth. Or maybe they just needed more rations in general.

"I've been drinkin' from my canteen!" He insisted, pointing it out to her. It had rolled beneath the bunk in their crash landing.

"That doesn't answer my question," Saachi chuckled, retrieving the canteen. Well, it was empty.

Wrecker grunted at a fresh surge of pain, dropping the ice pack on the floor, and Saachi's laughter vanished.

"Wrecker?" She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, but he flinched away.

"Good..."

"Huh?" Saachi couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Good... good soldiers..." Wrecker groaned again.

Saachi didn't know what to make of it, but it didn't sound good. She refilled his canteen in the refresher, and took a couple painkillers from the medkit.

"Wrecker, if you can hear me, I need you to take these painkillers, okay? And drink your whole canteen."

She took the hand that wasn't cradling his head, and pried his fingers apart, placing the pills in his palm. On instinct, Wrecker popped them into his mouth and quickly took the canteen. He downed it all in one gulp.

"Any better?" She asked, his forehead was slightly sweaty when she felt for his temperature, but at least his breathing sounded good.

"A little bit," He mumbled.

"Why don't you lie down for a bit, okay?" Saachi spotted Lula on the floor, and handed it to him.

"Okay," Wrecker agreed, lying back on his bunk. Saachi glanced around for a blanket, but they were all too small for the gentle giant.

"Hey Saachi?" Wrecker was studying Lula.

"Yeah?"

"Omega likes Lula, right?" He asked.

"I think so," Saachi said, "I don't think she's ever had a toy of her own before."

"Really?"

Saachi nodded, but Wrecker was quiet as she finished packing up the medkit.

"Saachi?"

"Yes, Wrecker?"

"You're a really good doctor."

Saachi hid her blush, "Go to sleep, Wrecker."

Most of the mess in the cockpit was cleaned up by the time she got there, and Tech was sitting up to discuss something with Echo.

"All done?" She asked.

"Should be. We are now waiting on Hunter and Omega with the power capacitor."

Saachi glanced out the viewscreen at the landscape of the dusty, dark moon they had crashed on. She hoped Omega was alright.

"How's Wrecker?" Echo asked, standing up.

"He should be alright. I told him to drink water and take a nap."

The grin Echo threw over her shoulder was one Saachi knew all too well, one that spoke of brothers conspiring in mischief, and she knew Wrecker was not sleeping as she told him. Hopefully, he was at least refilling his canteen.

"Does Wrecker usually get headaches?"

"No, usually it is Hunter." Tech wiped the grease from his gloves, "His enhanced senses can be overwhelming."

"I imagine," Saachi murmured, retrieving her datapad. She sunk into the chair again and began to make a list of the supplies they would need to restock the medkit. She glanced back into the hold, thinking of the grubby refresher. They'd need cleaning and hygiene supplies, in addition to food. Her mouth watered as she thought of rotis and chakli, pondering how to make them in the Marauder's limited space.

Echo sat in the chair next to Saachi, but she could feel his eyes on her.

"Do you have tikka masala on that list?" He asked, trying to act like he wasn't reading over her shoulder.

Saachi paused, her stomach growling over the dry nutribar, "I could probably make a cheaper version of it. I don't know how much meat we can afford. Or store." She glanced around the ship again. Wrecker was up and about, pulling blankets and insulating foam from the lockers that Saachi had painstakingly tried to clean up. She could ask him about it later.

Echo chuckled, "Nice, Fives wouldn't shut up about it after the first time you made it for the Company."

Saachi laughed, "Didn't he steal your portion?"

"Yes, but not before I got to try it."

"Good. We can definitely get rice and naan though, we'll need to find some form of protein and some vegetables, and the spices shouldn't be too expensive either."

Static crackled on Tech's comm.

"Wasn't me!" Wrecker shouted from the back.

Tech rolled his eyes and adjusted the signal, trying to pick up the message, "Hunter? Omega? Are you alright?"

Hunter's voice came over the comm just barely, "We have the part, we're right outside."

Omega bounded up the ramp and crashed through the airlock to present their prize to Tech.

"We got it from the dragon!" She grinned, standing triumphant like the knight from an ancient fable. Saachi couldn't help but smile at the glow on Omega's face.

Hunter was a bit slower, much like a mother fathier following her errant calves.

"Did you get the rest of the ship fixed?"

"She's in stellar condition," Tech confirmed. He handed Echo a mask and they headed back outside to plug the part back in.

"Was it alright?" Saachi asked Hunter.

"Yeah, Omega was a huge help," Hunter winced, tapping a steady rhythm against his temples as he took a deep breath.

Saachi grabbed his arm and guided him into a chair, "Are you okay? Is your head hurting?" She asked. Wrecker was nowhere to be seen back in the hold, but she could still hear him rummaging around.

"A little dizzy, but I'll be fine."

"The dragon knocked his mask off!" Omega said, plopping herself in the seat opposite Hunter's.

"You knocked your mask off!?"

"It's no big deal!" Hunter snapped back, "Omega got it back on within thirty seconds, and I'm a soldier. I'd be pretty karking pathetic if I couldn't go without oxygen for a minute or two."

Hunter's rebuttal hung in the air for a moment.

"What does 'karking' mean?" Omega asked.

"Language!" Saachi and Hunter both scolded.

Saachi shook her head and pulled out the medikit. What was the treatment for hypoxia, again?

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Sergeant Hunter. Want my CT number too?" Hunter leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms bitterly.

"Not with that attitude. What is your problem?"

"My problem?" Hunter demanded.

"I'm just trying to help you! Did it ever occur to you and that stupid, thick, tattooed skull of yours that someone might actually be trying to help you because they care about you?"

Saachi felt the sharp inhale of breath that Hunter took. It ran up her arms, leaving a trail of prickly gooseflesh in its wake. But Hunter didn't say anything, so she continued.

"Where are we?"

"On some maker-forsaken moon in the middle of absolutely nowhere. We just left Saleucami."

Well, his memory was intact. Didn't seem like he had hypoxia.

"What's two plus two!" Omega asked, wanting to get in on the fun.

Hunter's shoulders slumped and relieved some of their tension, "Four."

Omega beamed at Saachi. "He's clear!"

Saachi shook her head and gave Omega a little two-fingered salute, "Good to know, Doctor Omega."

Echo and Tech climbed aboard and sealed the ramp shut behind them. Hunter sighed and sat up. "Tech, get us out of here."

Tech smiled and placed his hands on the familiar controls, "Gladly."

Saachi held on to the back of Omega's chair to keep her balance. Unlike the last two, this takeoff was nice and slow, gently easing the battle-worn Marauder through the atmosphere and the safety of the stars. She glided as smoothly as a dream.

"Systems are up and running!" Tech reported proudly. Echo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, took you long enough!" Wrecker's bark cut through the cockpit.

"And where have you been? "Echo demanded.

Echo ignored his brother's stares, kneeling in front of Omega.

"Hey kid, come with me," He held out his hand, dwarfing Omega's in his palm, "Cover your eyes," He instructed, giving her a demonstration. Omega trusted him wholeheartedly, clinging to Wrecker's finger as he gently guided her through the hold, nudging stuff out of the way to give her a space to walk.

"What's he up to?" Hunter asked Saachi.

She shrugged. "He didn't tell me." The two of them followed Wrecker, and Tech activated the ship's autopilot.

Wrecker had Omega stand next to the console as he went and stood in front of the gunner's mount, which was now hidden behind a yellow curtain. Saachi recognized them from her cleaning blitz earlier.

"Okay...open 'em!" Wreckergestured grandly with his arms as Omega lowered her hand, staring at the curtain, a tiny bit of color in the ship's dark interior.

"Come on, check it out!" He urged. Omega glanced back at Saachi. She nodded, urging her forward, though she had no idea what Wrecker was trying to do.

"What's behind the curtain?" Saachi asked, more to herself than anyone else. Omega climbed the ladder to the mount, and pulled the curtain back. A moment later, Saachi heard her gasp, and went closer to get a better look.

"It's your own room," Wrecker explained to Omega. Blankets hung from the walls to provide a bit of color, as well as cover the windows, and foam matting cushioned the floor to make a wall-to-wall bed. A string of lights were pulled into the overhead console, and Lula sat proudly in the center of it all.

It wasn't for her, Saachi knew that, but the look of wonder on Omega's face as she explored her new room was the greatest gift anyone had ever given Saachi.

One by one, the others came closer to get a look at Wrecker's top-secret project, and Wrecker began to get a bit self-concious as Omega stayed quiet.

"Well, what do you think?" He asked, twiddling his thumbs, "I thought this place could feel more like a home-"

"It's perfect!" Omega exclaimed, "Thank you, Wrecker!"

Wrecker chuckled nervously, "Oh, uh, it was nothing."

"Not to her, it's not," Saachi pointed out. Omega sat in the center of her room, and hugged Lula close.

"I've never had my own room before," Omega said softly.

"Well, you're part of this squad now too," Hunter placed his hand on the floor of Omega's new bedroom.

Echo and Tech came closer, murmuring their approval to Wrecker for his handiwork as they got a good look at Omega's room, and Saachi moved out of the way. She returned to the cockpit for refuge, toying with her bottom lip as she consulted her shopping list. She could hear the cheerful chatter among the others as Omega tried to invite everyone up into her bunk all at once and Wrecker tried to squish them all into the gunner's mount.

"C'mon, boys, we've all fit in there before!"

"That was when we were much younger and you were much smaller, Wrecker!" Tech insisted.

It was hardly a surprise that Hunter made his escape to the cockpit again.

"Thank you," He muttered it so quietly that Saachi thought it was a hallucination. He was standing there with all the swagger of a Sergeant, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed like some kid at school who thought he had all the good looks in the galaxy.

"You're welcome," She said, half-heartedly, still hiding behind her datapad.

He rubbed the back of his neck. Definitely not the swaggering, cocky arse from her schooldays.

"You're right, I'm not used to many people trying to help us. We've survived this long by being a bunch of jerks, and that means we usually hang out with a bunch of jerks."

Saachi shrugged, but lowered her datapad just a little bit, "Takes one to know one."

Hunter nodded, but he seemed to be resisting the urge to play with his hands. He settled for twirling his knife between his fingers instead.

"Omega has a place with us. She told me that's what she wants. I know you only came with us because of her, so I just wanted to make sure. Do you want to be a part of this squad? Because if you do, there's a place for you."

Saachi didn't have a brilliantly-worded quip for this, but she wasn't completely speechless. She'd heard Omega talking with Hunter, she had to assume something like this was going to happen.

"I'll think about it."