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Omega watched as the Pantoran guards left the senator's chambers. The last managed to slam the door closed with a very final thud. It was quite impressive given that they were automatic, he reminded her briefly of Crosshair.
“He didn’t seem very happy,” she commented.
It was a little intimidating to have guards acting like that when she was away from her squad. The senator sighed but didn’t seem surprised by the man's attitude. She collected a small stack of datapads from her desk and brought them over to one of the plush couches.
“Not all of my guards approve of the way I’ve gotten involved with this issue.”
Omega climbed up next to her looking at her curiously. It was strange to spend time around a humanoid female. She didn’t know if it was a Pantoran thing or a senator thing but Chuchi was immaculately dressed; every hair was in place, her clothes fit perfectly and she wore the many pieces of gleaming jewelry like she wasn't even aware of their presence. Even the headdress! Omega wondered if she would ever want to dress like that.
“Why not?””
“I am the senator for Pantora, they think I should focus on that.” Chuchi’s kind smile faded. “And two of their friends have already died for this cause.”
“So why are you doing it?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.” Chuchi’s mouth set in a hard line and her eyes blazed, the edge of fiery orange around the irises becoming more pronounced. “I am senator for Pantora but also a senator of the Republic. Some issues are bigger than one world and we all have to step up and make things right.”
“Yes!” said Omega, almost bouncing. It was good to hear someone echoing her own views. Sometimes it felt like she was the only one on the Marauder arguing that they should help people. “But why doesn't everyone see that?”
Chuchi smiled and Omega noticed again how fast it faded.
“It's not really their fault, Omega. Do you care about the slavery in the Outer Rim? Or the people the Black Sun exploits to make spice?”
“ I…guess,” she said uncertainly. She vaguely knew the Black Sun ran the spice trade and that people were scared of them. Hunter had flatly refused to take a job from Sid that might end up crossing them. “But I don’t know anything about that.”
“A lot of people don’t know about the problems facing the clones,” countered Chuchi, her voice very reasonable. “Or, if they are aware, they don’t feel like they could change anything. Outside the Senate, most people are just trying to get by, everyone has their own battles to fight.”
She knew that, she supposed. It seemed like every world they went to that people were facing one challenge or another. Gungi and his people sprang into her mind. It seemed natural that they would try and save their planet before looking at the rest of the galaxy. She knew Hunter always wanted to make sure her and their squad were safe before thinking of anyone else. She couldn't really fault him for it but...they shouldn't have to choose.
“It doesn’t seem fair.”
“It isn’t.” Omega, pulled her feet up and hugged her knees. Chuchi caught the movement and glanced down at her. “Don’t look like that, now,” she said, swivelling her body and wrapping a cool hand around Omega’s shoulders. She smelled like flowers and cold rain. “You and your squad help people, don’t you?” Omega nodded and sniffed. “You came to help Rex. We do what we can, no one can ask more than that.”
Omega looked up at her.
“You help people too.”
Chuchi nodded.
“I do try. That’s what senators should do. And I can’t claim I wasn’t once as blind to the way the Republic treats the clones as anyone else.”
Omega frowned, after what she’d seen that felt so unlikely.
“So what changed?”
“I met someone.” Chuchi grinned, her teeth flashing white for a second. “Quite a few someones, but one in particular.”
Omega smiled too, the look on Chuchi’s face was infectious.
“Who were they?”
“That’s a secret.”
“I can keep a secret!” Chuchi had already taken her to see Bail. “You know I can.”
“Can you?” asked Chuchi, she was half teasing, half serious. “This is a very dangerous secret for me, you wouldn’t be able to tell a single soul. Could you do that?”
Her face had become very solemn and Omega deflated as she thought about it.
“Oh. No, I don’t think I could keep anything from my squad. You probably shouldn’t tell me then.”
Chuchi smiled again.
“That’s very wise. Alright, you could tell your squad but you’d have to be absolutely sure you only ever talked about it where you couldn’t be overheard.”
“That’s okay! Tech and Echo sweep the Marauder for bugs every day.”
“Alright then,” said Chuchi relenting. She shook her ID bracelet free from her sleeve and tapped the buttons in a complicated series. A holo appeared above it. “This was Fox.”
Omega knelt up to take a closer look, peering into the blue light. It showed a poor quality image of two people curled up together with their backs against a wall. One was Chuchi, but with her hair a mess and leaning back against the shoulder of a broad man with a riot of curls. They were both laughing and the man’s head was tipped down towards her as if he’d just pressed a kiss to her temple. The foreground was crowded and blurred by an errant arm and a pair of booted feet propped on a chair.
“He was a clone?”
Chuchi smiled, looking at the holo with warm eyes.
“He was. And I loved him very much.”
Tearing her eyes away, Chuchi pressed another button and the holo vanished.
“What happened to him?”
Chuchi looked away, over to the windows and the traffic flying past in the distance.
“I don’t really know. He died on duty with the Guard but the report was classified.”
Omega reached out and grabbed her cool blue hand, squeezing it a little.
“I’m sorry.”
Chuchi squeezed back and the corner of her mouth tilted up.
“Thank you, Omega.”
Once they were safely away from Coruscant and back in hyperspace Omega stopped trying to look busy and brave and crawled into Wrecker’s bunk. Hunter and Tech were great but Tech didn’t always react to bad days like she expected him to and Hunter fussed.
Wrecker just let her crawl underneath his arm with Lula and gave her a reassuring squeeze. She rubbed her face against his shoulder and shut her eyes, wishing they could go back to the way things had been before. She couldn't believe they'd just left Echo there.
“That was a nice lady,” rumbled Wrecker.
“Yeah,” Omega agreed. Senator Chuchi had been a bright spark amid everything going wrong. “I like her.”
“I never thought there’d be senators like her. She was tough!”
“And sad.” Omega said, her emotions catching up to her again as she remembered Fox. “She was really sad.”
Her voice started to crack and Wrecker tilted his head down to look at her but she didn’t look up.
“Was she?”
“Yes. She loved a clone and he d…died,” she said, hiccoughing a little. She doesn’t even know how.”
Her voiced edged towards a howl on the last word and almost immediately she heard the creak of the bunk as Hunter joined them.
“Did she? he asked, gently. “That was one lucky vod then.”
“His name was Fox,” she sobbed. “She had a holo of them together. They looked really h…happy.”
She felt a hand smoothing her hair and buried her face further into Wrecker’s shoulder.
“Fox.” Tech’s calm voice added. “That would be CC-1010, Commander of the Coruscant Guard.”
“I heard of him,” said Wrecker. “He was meant to be one scary son of a rancor.”
“He didn’t look scary,” said Omega mutinously as she began to calm. “Just happy.”
“That’s good, Omega,” soothed Hunter. “If they found some time to be happy in the middle of a war, that’s a good thing. She’ll see him again.”
“Remember?” asked Wrecker, positive and encouraging even in the face of her tears. “Not gone…”
“Just marching far away,” finished Omega. Tiredness was starting to wash over her like a blanket being dragged up now that she’d stopped crying.
“Bet he’s proud of her,” said Hunter distantly. “And everything she’s doing for his brothers.”