pov. Omega 

With each breath I took, a small cloud of smoke rose. Slowly but surely, my fingers became stiff. I clamped the soldering iron between my teeth and rubbed my hands together to warm them up a little. I had restored our thrust as best I could and I had spent the last few hours soldering wires, resetting fuses and replacing burned-out machine parts in my engine. Small sparks flew around as I reconnected the last two loose cables using the heat of the soldering iron. 

Satisfied with my work, I wiped a few beads of sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, which had formed while I was working, despite the biting cold around me. Without having to look, I put the soldering iron back in my tool belt and crawled out from under the hull of the Marauder again. "That's it," I muttered. I pushed the safety glasses with round, yellow-tinted lenses onto my head and looked at the empty box in the snow next to me. I had installed all the spare parts. 

Frustrated, I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. Now I would have to deal with the hyperdrive. For the past few hours I had been thinking about how I was going to get a new fuel cell on an uninhabited planet. I hadn't come up with an answer.
I rubbed my hands together again, shivering, grabbed the empty box and trudged back to the open loading ramp of the Marauder. The snow crunched under my boots and readily gave way under my weight, leaving deep imprints. 

Suddenly my foot caught on something. A jolt ran through my whole body. Before I could react, I landed face first in the snow. The box was ripped out of my hand and rolled a little further. "Chit!" I cursed. My words were muffled by the snow in my mouth. Annoyed, I spat the snow out again and sat up. I slid through the snow on my knees, curious to see what I had just tripped over. Because it didn't feel like a stone at all, but more like something made of metal. With my eyes narrowed, I inspected my unknown find. 

Rust ran across the surface. A few dents were visible. Without further ado, I shoveled some snow to the side with my hands and exposed a surface made of metal. "KIX!" I shouted without taking my eyes off the starship. I could hardly believe our luck. Maybe this ship still had a functioning hyperdrive. 

"What's going on?!" I heard the tense voice of the clone behind me.
I turned to him, still on my knees "Look what I found." I pointed enthusiastically to my find. Before I had even finished my sentence, Kix crouched down next to me in the snow and looked at the pile of scrap in the snow "That looks..." he seemed to be searching for the right word "ancient." He raised his eyebrow doubtfully "Sure the parts are still useful for something." 

I twisted my mouth into a slight grin. "We're ancient and still work pretty well, aren't we?" I teased him a little. Kix rolled his eyes with a smile on his lips.
"If you think so," he folded his arms in front of his chest, "let's take a look." 

I quickly pulled the cutting torch from my belt, put on my safety glasses to protect my eyes from the sparks and began to cut a hole in the metal surface in front of me. Sparks flew around. The hot metal steamed as it hit the cold air around it. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Kix turning his head away so as not to get sparks in his eyes. I kept moving the cutting torch in a circle over the metal until the circle closed and the metal fell into the interior of the ship with a dull bang. 

At the same time, Kix and I carefully peeked into the opening that had been created. It was hard to see anything. Even when I shone my flashlight through the opening, the deep darkness swallowed everything that was outside a meter. "Okay, let's go." I put my flashlight back in my belt and wanted to let myself fall through the opening with a swing. 

But before I could put my plan into action, Kix held me back by pulling me back by my upper arm. "We have no idea how deep it goes down there." He looked suspiciously over the edge. "I'll get a rope." He let go of my upper arm and stood up.
I rolled my eyes. "That's unnecessary, it won't go down that deep." It was a waste of time to go and get the climbing equipment. My gut told me that we could jump and I usually trusted my instincts. 

Kix just ignored me and continued to trudge towards the Marauder "Sometimes I wonder how she managed to survive on her own for so long." he muttered to himself as he disappeared into the ship.
I started tapping my foot impatiently. Kix took far too long for my liking. It felt like an eternity until he finally came back with a long rope and a harness in his hand.
I quickly slipped into the harness, pulled the straps tight and tied the rope into the loops provided with practiced fingers. "If I don't need this," I pointed with both hands to the harness on my body, "then you owe me a portion of Mantell Mix." 

Kix shrugged and grabbed the other end of the rope "Fine by me." He firmed his footing a little and indicated with a nod that he was ready. As I had planned to do a few minutes ago, I swung myself through the opening. I felt a slight pressure on my thighs as my weight shifted onto the harness.
Little by little, Kix let me go further into the ship, which I could only tell by the fact that the light that fell through the opening above me was getting further and further away. Suddenly I felt the ground beneath my feet. The opening was no more than three meters away. I quickly planted my feet firmly on the metal floor and pulled out my flashlight. I shone my light into the corridor to check. Loose cables hung from the ceiling. Parts of the wall had been torn out everywhere. In one corner I could see human bones. It wasn't just time that had taken its toll on this ship. Something terrible must have happened before the ship crashed. 

"Omega?" Kix's worried voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He was still holding the rope in his hand and peering over the edge of the opening.
I waved the flashlight a little. "You owe me a Mantell Mix," I shouted up.
In my mind's eye I could see Kix shaking his head. I knew he didn't like the snack. But it always reminded me of happier times. When all my VODs were still alive and I shared a portion with Wrecker after every mission. 

I took a step to the side as Kix flew down from the ceiling. He landed gently next to me, rolled over and got back on his feet straight away. The rope was still dangling from the ceiling. Kix must have tied it to the Marauder so that we could climb back to the surface later. 

As soon as the clone's gaze fell on the interior of the ship, his eyes widened. "I don't believe that," he murmured barely audibly. I swung the beam of the flashlight back and forth a little. Had I missed something? I tried hard to find out what was so special about this dilapidated corridor. "What?" I looked questioningly at the brown-haired man next to me. Kix let his gaze wander down the corridor "That's a Venator class Star Destroyer." He ducked slightly as a creaking sound was heard above us. 

I was speechless for a moment. This cruiser was just as old as we were. I looked over at Kix with sympathy. He had spent half his life on cruisers like this. Being on one again now had to reopen the barely healed wound of his brothers' deaths. "I can go and look for the hyperdrive on my own." I put my hand on his forearm "you don't have to be here." 

The soldier flinched a little at my touch, as if he had forgotten that I was here. "It's just a ship." He murmured and rubbed the back of his head. "The hyperdrive room is this way." He pointed with his hand along the corridor in front of us and walked off without another word. 

We walked through the corridor without saying a word. Again and again I could see pieces of armor. They were similar to those that Kix and I wore on our bodies. Time had clearly taken its toll on them. Holes had eaten away at the once sturdy material. Black and brown stains were spreading across the once brilliant white paintwork. I looked around skeptically as another creak sounded and I felt a tremor beneath my feet. "We should hurry." I looked over at Kix, whose gaze was glued to the half-rotted armor pieces in front of him. "Kix," I gently grabbed his forearm and pulled him further, "we have to keep going." 

He let himself be pulled along without resistance and pointed with his head to the door at the end of the corridor. "That's the room for the hyperdrive." I sighed with relief. I didn't want to be on this cruiser any longer than absolutely necessary. Even if it had been resting in its icy grave for decades, who knew if that would continue to be the case. As if by a miracle, the electronics of the door were still working. It cracked open without any major problems.

I turned the lock and the door swung open with a hiss. I ran into the room with quick steps. My gaze wandered around in disbelief. It looked as if a rancor had wreaked havoc in this room. The fuel cells of the hyperdrive had been ripped from their anchorage. The control panel was dented and almost unusable. My voice echoed in the empty room as I let loose every curse I could think of at Mando'a. 

"This doesn't look good." Kix's calm voice interrupted my tirade. How could he stay so calm? Our hope of getting out of here had just been shattered. Frustrated, I kicked a loose metal part, which flew over the edge next to me and hit the floor with a clatter, five meters below my feet. It was just too much. The last 24 hours had cost me all my energy. First the firefight with the First Order, then my nightmare of my brothers' deaths, and now we were stuck on this stupid moon. I would love to just hide in the Marauder's rear gun and never come out again. 

I took a deep breath in and out to calm myself down and clear my head. "Let's see what we can save." I looked at Kix encouragingly. I simply refused to give up. I had already freed myself from situations that were far more hopeless than this one. "Omega..." Kix looked at me doubtfully. I shook my head stubbornly. "There must be something useful here!" I stomped determinedly towards the fuel cells. I ran my fingers over the heart of the hyperdrive to check. 

The metal felt cold under my fingers. Scratches and deep cracks ran through the metal rings. With clenched teeth I looked for a fuel cell that wasn't completely broken. A triumphant cry escaped me when I discovered an almost completely intact fuel cell. "See," I turned to Kix with a broad grin, "exactly what we need." I pulled the cutting torch from my belt, passed my flashlight to Kix and carefully removed the machine part from its anchor. I carefully stowed our way out of this moon in one of my larger belt bags. 

Kix forced a slight smile "Can we finally get out of here now?"
I nodded "Sure." I reached out for my flashlight and took it from Kix.
Suddenly there was a rumble. A tremor made the ground shake beneath our feet. Rowing with my arms, I fought not to lose my balance. Without really noticing, I staggered towards the edge behind me.
"Let's go!" Kix grabbed my arm, preventing me from falling into the depths and dragged me towards the exit. 

We ran side by side, staggering, back the way we had come. The screeching sound of breaking metal kept ringing out. I kept ducking to avoid falling scrap. Breathing heavily, we reached the opening. Thank God the rope was still dangling from the ceiling. My fingers closed tightly around the rough material of the rope. I kept pulling myself up the rope until I reached the edge and climbed out of the ship. My gaze was directed towards the interior of the ship. Kix had only made it halfway. 

"Hurry up!" I yelled at him over the rumbling sound of sliding snow. It wouldn't be long now and the whole ship would slide away. I frantically grabbed the rope and started pulling with all my strength. My arms started to shake, my breathing became heavier, but I kept pulling. Until Kix crawled through the opening. I quickly helped him to his feet and we put some distance between us and the Venator. 

Not a second too soon. With a deafening rumble, the Venator sank into the snow. Huge masses of snow piled up above the starship. I stared in disbelief at the spot where a cruiser of gigantic size had been just a few seconds ago and now there was nothing but endless white. Although, there was something lying there in the snow. It must have been brought to the surface by the rotating masses of snow. I squinted a little to see what it was. 

Next to me, Kix clenched his hands into fists and ran towards the unknown object as if he were being controlled remotely. "Kix, wait!" I called after him, worried. We had no idea how stable the snow in front of us was. But it was as if he didn't hear me at all. Cursing quietly, I ran after him. As soon as I stopped a little behind him, I could see what was lying there in the snow. It was a helmet. It was neither riddled with holes nor stained with rot or rust. The symbol of the old republic shine towards me. 

"Oh Jesse." Kix murmured desperately. Tears welled up in his eyes.
I formed a silent "Oh" with my lips and stepped next to him. He had told me about Jesse. He had been like his twin. You had never met one without the other. 

A tear dripped down Kix's cheek "I knew he was dead..." he sniffed quietly "but still..." he collapsed to his knees in front of his fallen Vod's helmet. With shaking hands he grabbed the helmet and pressed his forehead against it with his eyes closed. "I'm sorry Jesse." a sob escaped him "So sorry I wasn't there." his tears dripped into the ground in front of him and left deep craters in the snow. 

Without thinking about it, I crouched down next to him and put a comforting arm around his shoulders. I didn't say a word, I was just there.Sniffling, Kix wiped his face. "We should go." He gently laid the helmet back in the snow and stood up. "The resistance needs these boxes." He took one last look at the helmet of his fallen Vod and stomped towards the Marauder. 

Sighing, I watched him go. I knew exactly what he was doing. He concentrated on the mission and blocked out the pain he was feeling. I was a master at it myself, but that's exactly why I knew that you couldn't run away from pain forever. At some point it would catch up with you and when that happened I would be there for Kix. 

I followed Kix through the snow with quick steps. While I was still marching towards the hyperdrive I pulled out the soldering iron and the intact fuel cell. Kix was already waiting in front of the part of the ship that allowed us to travel between worlds. "Kix," I ripped the battered fuel cell out of the hyperdrive and put it in my belt pouch. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here." I placed the intact fuel cell in the right place and fixed it with a precise weld. 

Without saying a word, Kix folded his arms in front of his chest and stared at the spot where the helmet was. He didn't even have to say it, I knew that he didn't want to talk about it. He had been taught from birth to ignore his feelings, to feel no pain, no sadness, to just keep going. 

With a click, I closed the hyperspace hatch "That's it." I pointed with my head to the loading ramp "Let's get out of here." With quick steps I walked up the loading ramp and entered the interior of the Marauder. A cozy warmth greeted me and only now that I was warm again did I realize how cold I actually was. I flopped down into the pilot's seat and began to start up the engines. 

I got a grunt of approval from Kix, who was right behind me and dropped into the co-pilot's seat.My fingers continued to fly over the buttons and switches until the engines roared to life. It was by no means the pleasant purr of usual, but they would do their job and last until we landed on D'Quar. Or so I hoped. Carefully, so as not to strain the thrust more than necessary, I pulled the controls up. 

I breathed a sigh of relief as the Marauder rose into the air without a warning light coming on. The starship rose higher and higher, the barren landscape moved further and further into the distance and faded completely when we reached the edge of the atmosphere. While the navicomputer calculated the course, I looked over at Kix.He was gripping the controls so tightly that his knuckles were protruding and was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice me looking at him. 

Usually I couldn't even approach him unnoticed when he was sleeping. This mission had taken more of a toll on both of us than we would ever admit to each other.The quiet beeping of the navicomputer pulled me out of my thoughts. The course was calculated. Without looking, I reached for the hyperdrive lever, sent a quick prayer to the Creator and, squinting, activated the hyperdrive.The hyperdrive didn't blow up. We weren't immediately thrown out of hyperspace either. I sank back into my seat with relief as the calming blue-white light of hyperspace fell on my face through the windshield. 

I pulled a toothpick from my belt and started chewing on it. I really hoped our next mission would be calmer. How could I have known what would await us when we landed on D'Qar?