Chapter Text
A deer caught in the headlights.
That’s the expression that comes to mind when he sees her eyes shoot straight to Hunter. Curiosity, uncertainty, and nervous concern fills big, chocolate brown irises that gaze up at him with an unspoken question communicated through the overwhelmed quirk of a lifted eyebrow.
As she scampers off, running alongside his children to play outside, encouraged by Hunter’s silent nod of approval, Cut allows himself a moment to appreciate how fitting this expression applies to the newest, and by far the smallest, member of clone force 99.
He listens from the door, a twinge of sadness giving him pause at the fact that it is immediately evident that Omega, for all her intelligence and curiosity, doesn’t know how to just be a kid. To play games and have fun, to toss around a ball outside, with the only goal and purpose being to find pure enjoyment and make new friends with others her age.
He turns to Hunter, brow furrowed as he considers him.
He can’t even begin to understand how this squad of experimental clones who were created and designed to be highly specialized soldiers in warfare, have now found themselves in the position of taking care of a little girl.
Judging by the smirk that his wife, Suu, is throwing Hunter’s way, they are both finding this unexplained circumstance that the batch has seemingly stumbled into amusing, and privately, Cut thinks to himself that having a kid around will only do them good.
Like every clone, the Kaminoen’s had created them with only one intention and purpose in mind, war. Now that the war had come to its resounding conclusion, for better or for worse, clones would have to start finding a purpose beyond the one that was given to them, and, if they were brave enough, choose their own paths to walk, rather than continue down the only one that had been assigned to them from their very creation.
Though he would never have anticipated this particular unit finding new purpose in taking care of a child, he can’t help but think that this turn of events, unexpected as they are, might just soften the rough edges of these battle hardened soldiers.
Go ahead and call his opinion biased because of his similar life experiences, but he thinks that they’ll find this newfound purpose to be much more rewarding than the one set out for them. Being forced to fight someone else’s battle, where your entire purpose boils down to destruction and war, your ability to fight, and in the end, willingness to die for someone else’s cause.
Now, they have someone to take care of, to protect, to fight for. To guide someone to grow and flourish as they come into their own as a person.
It is the exact opposite of the purpose that they had been created for, and, according to Cut, that’s exactly why it will be so effective.
It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have about a hundred questions that he’d like answered, though. So, with a hand on his hip, he turns to the man beside him, giving him a nudge.
“Alright, out with it,” he demands, moving to shut the outside door.
*
Perhaps, he concedes, the correct expression is child caught inches away from the snapping jaws of a Nexu.
As soon as his daughters frantic voice had raised the alarm, the group had immediately sprung into action.
For Cut and Suu, this was far from their first rodeo, and at the first sight of the large creature looming over the little girl, his wife was climbing, making it up to the roof of their house in record time, rifle slung casually across her shoulders.
The beast snarls, four red eyes glowering, wild and uncontrolled as it stalks its prey. Omega is frozen with fear, unable to even back away as its large, sharp teeth snap ever closer to her.
Hunter has put himself between the girl and the beast before Cut can even blink, raising a knife to slash at it with a practised hand. His response is automatic, immediate, and without question.
He puts himself right on the dangerous path in front of the raging Nexu, challenging and fighting it without fear, purely so that Omega won’t have to.
His wife is one hell of a shot.
Perched up on the roof for a better vantage point, she fires repeatedly, at first only managing to further annoy the Nexu. But when she changes her angle, repositioning slightly as she sends out her next round of shots, as close to the beast as she dares, trying to keep Hunter out of the line of fire. The Nexu startles, reeling back from the impact of the close volley of shots that surround it, before promptly turning, long, catlike legs carrying it in leaps and bounds as it skittishly vanishes back into the thick underbrush of the forest that surrounds their house.
*
The whole ordeal is over and done with in under two minutes. But, if he has to guess, looking at Omega, eyes wide and body taught with fear, he gauges that it probably doesn’t feel like that short of an amount of time to her.
No sooner than Suu has easily clambered down from the roof of their house, than Hunter is turning, towering over Omega, his brown eyes still wild with lingering worry and fear.
he rounds on her, “What were you doing out there ?” he demands, voice harsh as he looms above her, clearly expecting an answer.
In spite of the fact that he’s only had a small amount of time to observe their interactions, Cut understands that Hunter’s seeming anger is only born out of fear and worry, out of an all too familiar, parental nature, even if Hunter is unable to name that himself yet.
But, he also understands that Omega, being a child, most likely isn’t able to make that distinction.
“Do you realize you could have been killed?” he continues, berating her like any other sergeant would a disobedient member of his squad.
It’s when she flinches away from Hunter, small body curling in on itself as she avoids looking at him, her own lingering fear only provoked by his outburst, that Cut knows that he needs to step in, intervene and set an example for these boys who, he knows are doing their best. But also understands that because they were never given their own childhood, they don’t exactly know how to properly handle situations like this.
“Easy,” he says, voice low as he moves to Hunter’s side. “She’s not a soldier,” he gently chides, a hand briefly coming to rest on Hunter’s shoulder as he guides him back.
Cut might be considered many things, a clone, a deserter, some might say a coward. But the one thing he is certain of, the one thing that he knows without a doubt that he can be, is a father, who can provide his children, his family, with comfort and reassurance whenever they need it, and, right now, Omega looks like she needs it more than ever.
Considering that she’s a clone herself, Cut decides that she’s just as much a part of that family, too.
He kneels down in front of the frightened child, making sure that he’s at her eye level. Now that he’s close, he observes how she holds herself, how her hands shake and how every muscle in her small body is tense, even though the danger is past.
He feels her startle as he places a gentle hand on her shoulder, but she doesn’t pull back from him. Instead, watery, frightened eyes come to focus on his. What she finds in them is a mystery to him, but whatever she sees there must reassure her in some way, because he feels her shoulder drop, muscles unclenching beneath the weight of his hand.
He gives her a gentle smile. “Are you hurt?” he queries, keeping his voice calm, inquisitive eyes already checking her over for injuries.
He makes a low, sympathetic sound as his ears pick up a slight hitch in her breath, and he watches a single tear spring free from her eye as her lip wobbles.
“Now, let’s take a look here,” he continues to speak to her soothingly, hand coming to tilt her face up to look at him. It’s reflexive, natural, the way his thumb gently strokes along her cheek, brushing away the remnants of the tear that he finds there, before he lets his hand fall, lightly holding her shoulders.
“I’m sorry, I was trying to get the ball.” When she speaks, her voice is quiet and trembling. One look at her and he just knows that the shock is wearing off and she’s about to break.
He needs to get her out of here, to a place where she feels safe, away from all these people who, care for her as they might, are only making her feel more overwhelmed. She still won’t look at Hunter, and as her shoulders curl inward, impossibly trying to make herself even smaller than she already is, his reaction is instinctive, his body naturally and easily responding to what he can see she is searching for.
The question is a silent, unspoken plea, most likely because she doesn’t know how to ask for it, but nonetheless, his answer is instantaneous and without hesitation.
She practically falls against him as his arms encircle her, wound so tightly as she is with anxiety and tremors that she’s unsteady on her feet.
“I, I didn’t know,” her voice is quiet against his ear, an admission made so soft, but waited with so much guilt for someone so young and blameless that it breaks his heart.
He gently rests his chin against the top of her head, feeling small fists reaching and tightening as they latch onto the material of his shirt.
He wonders now, in the back of his mind, if Omega has ever been given a hug before.
Cuts only response to that chilling and unsettling line of Thought is to curl his body tighter around her, holding her against him with a sudden, protective urge
.“You’re safe, that’s all that matters,” he soothes, keeping his voice soft, and his tone reassuring.
“Come on,” he continues, practised arms easily scooping her up as he carries her, tucked securely against him.
She keeps her face hidden, tucked against his shoulder, and he thinks he can feel the telltale dampness of tears against the fabric of his shirt. She’s keeping it quiet, but when he rests a comforting hand on her back, holding her close to him, he can feel her shaking with the effort.
“Hey, kid, you alright?” Wrecker pipes up, voice concerned as he makes to follow Cut.
“She’ll be fine,” he answers for her easily, knowing that she’s not in a position where she can answer for herself right now.
With one glance at his wife, she’s intercepting wrecker, stopping his advance as Cut carries Omega off towards his house, knowing that she needs some time, and more people will just make it harder for her to calm down.
*
No one has ever held her like this.
Sure, the Kaminoens did, on a few occasions, carry her with the upmost reluctance. Usually, when too much time in the labs under experimentation had left her too weak to even stand. When it seemed like they had taken everything from her and left her meagre small body as the scraps.
But it was never like this. No one had ever just, held her, held her like She mattered, carried her as if she was something precious to them, cradled her against them like they truly cared for her, beyond what her body was capable of supplying to them.
Maybe that’s why the question, small and hesitant, slips past her lips. “C can we go back to the ship?” She asks, head still nestled against his shoulder.
She’s not ready for him to let go of her. She doesn’t want him to put her down because outside of his arms, the world seems too big and overwhelming for her to face.
He makes a soft sound of ascent, tightening his hold on her, carrying her on his hip as they trek through the forest back to the Havoc Marauder. They pass by trees, the thick foliage and plants. Insects in shapes and colours that she’s never seen before fly around them as they walk.
Strange, how only hours ago, she had been so fascinated by every little new thing that she encountered, almost everything that crossed her path was an adventure that she wanted to explore and learn about, her attention curious and captivated by everything. Now though, she refuses to pay any of it any mind, instead preferring to keep her head resting on Cut’s broad shoulder, her eyes closed against the light of the evening sun that peaks through the trees that surround them.
When finally they do come to a stop, and she hears the familiar sound of the Havocs ramp lowering to the ground, her eyes flutter open and she takes a shaky breath before she speaks.
“I... i’m so sorry, Cut, I I didn’t, I didn’t know,” she mumbles against his shoulder, and to her shame, her tears return.
She almost begins to panic when she feels Cut shift, thinking that he’s going to put her down. He doesn’t, and instead, he eases himself down, coming to sit at the top of the ships open ramp, situating her on his lap so that she faces him.
When she refuses to meet his gaze, all of her energy consumed by fighting tooth and nail to hide her tears from him, he reaches out, gently cupping her chin in his hand, calling softly, “Hey, none of that. Omega, please, just look at me. You think you can do that for me,Cyar?”
Surprised, teary brown eyes flicker up to meet his own. The Kaminoen’s had never cared when she cried, had actually found it to be an annoyance. So she had learned not to, or, if necessary, keep herself quiet enough so that her tears could be ignored, and wouldn’t be a hindrance to the scientists.
“Good, that’s it, I’ve got you,” he praises, giving her a gentle smile. “No one is angry with you, Omega. You are not in trouble, kiddo, I promise.”
She loses sight of his face as her tears blur her vision. She shakes her head in denial of his assurance. “B but, but Hunter sounded so mad at me,” she chokes out, stifling a sob at the memory of his raised voice
Cut looks down at her, ice softening.“I know he sounded angry, but I promise you, Omega, he was not mad at you, little one. No one is angry with you,” he soothes, cradling her face in both of his large hands, forcing her to see the unwavering honesty and conviction in his eyes.
“He was just worried, and scared of what could’ve happened to you. He just doesn’t want to see you get hurt, and all of that pent-up fear made him jump the gun in his reaction. It wasn’t right, and I will talk to him about it because there are better ways of responding in the future. But I promise, he could never be angry with you, kiddo.”
Cut’s reasoning is sound, and she tilts her head, biting her lip as she contemplates his words. He continues, his voice measured.
“If anything, we are in part to blame for what happened. Me or Suu should’ve clearly explained to you why it was important to stay inside the fence. Because tell me, kiddo, would you honestly have gone out there if you had known that Nexu frequently prowl the area looking for something to catch?” he asks, and without hesitation, she shakes her head.
“See? There we go. This isn’t on you, it wasn’t your fault, little one. I’m sorry that you had to go through that. I know that it must have been really scary for you to experience. But, you are safe now. I’m right here, cyar, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Her face crumples, and she doesn’t hold back the whimper that escapes her lips. When she slumps forward, he allows her to bury her face into the crook of his neck as she cries, strong arms wrapping her in his warmth as he gathers her close.
“I I’m sorry,” she sobs out, holding onto him as if she’s afraid he’s going to vanish.
He gently begins to rock her back and forth as he speaks to her, voice low and quiet. “Hey, remember what I said. No sorry’s, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for, sweet one,” he coos, resting his cheek against the top of her head. he must feel the way her body trembles, because his arms tighten around her, holding her securely against his chest.
“You’re allowed to cry, Omega. It’s a completely natural response. You don’t need to hold that in,” he encourages her gently, and when she finally releases a strangled cry, a sound that she has never felt like she has been permitted to make before, his hand comes up to gently cradle her head against him.
“That’s it, little one, let it out. I’m not going anywhere.” He strokes her hair, fingers gentle and slow, letting her ride the wave of her emotions.
*
When she’s calmed down enough that she can speak, she sniffles. “It’s it’s just so hard. Everything‘s so new and I don’t, it’s just so much all at once and I don’t know how to deal with it all.”
His fingers play with her hair absently, continuing to rock her back and forth as he considers.
“This your first time off Kamino?” he asks softly. When he feels her nod against his shoulder, he hums sympathetically, hand slowly smoothing over the crown of her head as he speaks.
“Yeah, I know that feeling. We went through a lifetime of training to prepare, and I still wasn’t ready by the time I was deployed on Geonosis.” He muses, “So for you, I reckon it feels a bit like you’ve been tossed into deep waters without learning how to swim, and now you’re running out of air.”
She gives him a shaky nod. “That pretty much sums it up,” she admits softly, and he nods, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
“No amount of training ever prepares you for leaving the only home you’ve ever known. It was hard at first, finding my footing in the galaxy beyond Kamino,” he reflects.
“How did you deal with it?” She asks tentatively, her voice small.
He raises a hand to scratch at the back of his neck, pondering, fingers continuing to play with her hair as he considers. The silence, in which he takes the time to think over his answer, is comfortable. He continues to hold her, the sound of his slow, steady breaths acting as a tether, guiding her back to a place of relative calm, her own breath‘s becoming more natural, her tears beginning to dry as he gives her the time to settle.
“In the beginning, when I first deserted the army, when it was just me, alone, with no prior life experience to compare the circumstance I found myself in to, I really had to find a way to ground myself in something, anything, familiar,” his voice is thoughtful as he recalls memories from his past, and Omega listens intently.
“How?” Omega asks curiously. “Everything is just so, different,” she says, her voice conflicted with all the unspoken thoughts that she doesn’t know how to give words to.
She doesn’t know how to tell him that compared to the sterile white and uniform gray of Tipoka City, the harsh lights, and the even harsher hands of those who worked in Kamino’s labs, the world beyond its ocean borders has never felt more alive, more vibrant, and more overwhelmingly frightening to her.
“Well, when I was on my own, all I had was myself, so I started with that. You start with the things that you have, the things that you’ll always have, no matter what else changes,” says Cut, shifting her so that she’s perched on his knee as he continues.
“You start with your heart, because no matter what, it’s always going to be beating,” he gently takes her hand, guiding it to where her heart flutters in her chest.
“Its rhythm might change, it might speed up or slow down but no matter what, it’s always there,” his face is kind and reassuring as he talks to her.
“Then, you’ve got your breath, because no matter where you are, that’s always something you can refocus on. No matter how loud and scary the world is around you, you’ll always have your breath, and when you focus on it, even if you lose track, it is always a safe thing for you to return to when it all becomes a bit much.” He demonstrates a few slow, calming breaths, letting her follow in her own time.
“Very good, Omega,” he says, giving her an encouraging nod.
He reaches out, gently picking her up as he moves off the ramp, then slowly setts her feet on the ground.
“There, there’s something else.” at the confused, slightly bewildered look she gives him, he gives her a rueful grin , explaining, “No matter what, you can always come back to the fact that you’ve got two feet on the ground, no matter where you are,” Cut smiles, crouching in front of her.
“That is, unless someone has given you a jetpack, or, you’ve somehow grown wings and have figured out how to fly, in which case, you’ll have to come and find me and tell me all about it,” he teases, playfully poking her belly which makes her giggle.
His expression is soft. “I know it seems like a small list to start, but sometimes, it’s all you need,” he continues.
“Does your list grow?” asks Omega, a perceptive eyebrow raised, tilting her head out of curiosity.
Cut smiles. “Yes, as you adjust, your list will too. As you settle, you’ll find more things that you can remind yourself of when you need to. Whenever I get overwhelmed now, I remind myself that I have a house, and Suu, and Shaeeah and Jek,” a fond smile overtakes his expression as he speaks about his children.
“I’ve got brothers, scattered to the winds as they are, who still love and care about me enough to not report me to the authorities.”
Omega gives him a smile, reaching out and taking his hand as she says softly, “Now you’ve got me, too.”
She doesn’t know how much her words have warm his heart, but he gives her hand a gentle squeeze in an effort to try and convey it.
“Yes, sweet one, I have you, too,” he whispers, pulling her in for a hug again. “You’re certainly the littlest of the bunch, but I’m happy to know that I’ve got a sister in the world.”
She rests her head against his shoulder, suddenly feeling exhausted by the events of the day. He must have a sixth sense for her tiredness, because no sooner is she reaching up her hand to rub at her eyes than he’s scooping her up into his arms, carrying her towards the Havoc Marauder.
“Come on, little one, you look like you could use some rest,” he says, already moving towards the ramp.
“But the sun isn’t even down yet,” she protests. But the fact that her head is already drooping against his shoulder and a yawn is forcing its way out of her as soon as she completes her sentence makes it a pretty weak attempt at an argument.
He chuckles, lightly ruffling her hair. “And you just went through an encounter with an angry Nexu. If that kind of ordeal doesn’t warrant a good nap, I don’t know what does.” he enters the ships cabin and he pauses as she peers out from over his shoulder.
“Which bunk?” he asks softly.
“Well, we don’t really have one for me yet,” she explains. If she were alone, she would most likely just find a comfortable corner of the ship to curl up in. But Cut has different plans.
“Well, the boys aren’t here right now. Looks to me like you’ve got first dibs,” he reasons, giving her a smile.
She thinks about it for a second before nodding decisively, pointing at the bunk she knows to be Hunter’s.
He tucks her in, and it’s comforting, being surrounded by Hunter even though he’s not there. Remembering that Cut has assured her that he isn’t mad at her tugs her lips up into a sleepy smile.
Omega is falling asleep before Cut has even exited the ship, tired thoughts focussed on her list.
Her heartbeat, her breath, the ground beneath her. Before she nods off, she adds, Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, Tech, and Cut, her brothers, and the Havoc Marauder, which is the closest thing that she’s ever had to a home, and in spite of the fact that it’s unconventional, she’s in it right now, and she feels safe, and that’s enough for her.
*
“What’s that you’ve got there.”
Everyone had gone to bed long ago, or at least, that’s what Echo had initially thought. But when he turned over in his bunk, only to find the one across from his empty, light suspicion and concern had him immediately getting up in pursuit.
Listen, every member of this team had their own share of sleeping problems and nightmares that they struggled with, and Echo wasn’t about to leave one of them suffering alone if he noticed that they weren’t in bed.
When he finds Hunter in the cockpit, not appearing to be struggling with signs that his enhanced senses were overwhelming him to the point where he couldn’t sleep, but instead sitting in one of the copilot chairs , just staring at something in his hand, he was initially thrown for a loop, but, after a pause, decided to join his brother anyways.
As Echo joins him in the cockpit, Hunter holds up the small, circular device in his hand. “It’s a holo puc. Omega gave it to me when she got back on the ship. She said Cut told her to give it to me.”
Echo leans back in his seat, folding his arms and raising a questioning eyebrow. They haven’t really talked about their plans swift diversion from letting omega go with the Lawquane Family to instead letting her escape with them last minute when she ran to the ship while they were in an active firefight.
“Well, let’s see it then,” he finally says at length.
After a slight hesitation, Hunter flicks a switch on the side of the puck, and a miniature hologram of Cut materializes before them.
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that in spite of the fact that he deserted the grand Army of the Republic, he still, like every other clone, had been created, bread, and trained for warfare from his very first breath.
Now though, seeing his flickering image in front of them, there is no question.
He stands at a perfect parade rest, hands clasped behind his back, feet exactly twelve inches apart as if he was attending a training inspection, when their trainers on Kamino would come around with a measuring tape to correct their distance if they weren’t standing in completely perfect form. His head is forward, and though his expression is unreadable, something about his posture has both of the soldiers subconsciously straightening in their seats.
When he speaks, he doesn’t carry the same booming demand for respect that their commanders and trainers did, but there’s a certain authority, a calm but firm demeanour conveyed in his tone that has both of them immediately snapping to attention.
“Hunter, if you’re seeing this, it means that you’ve come to your senses and taken Omega with you, congratulations, you figured it out,” he says, a hint of sarcasm entering his voice.
“I know you wanted to leave her with us because you thought it was what was best for her. But trust me, kid, you did the right thing by taking her with you. She trusts you, and feels safest when she’s with you. That, above anything else, is clear to see. In my opinion, that is what’s most important. That is what’s best for her.”
His voice softens, compassion and understanding gentling his tone. “I know that you’re scared, that you think with you she’s going to be in danger all the time. I can’t say that it’s not a risk or that it won’t happen. You saw today that kids are naturally more inclined towards danger whether they’re trying to attract it or not,” he gives them a half smile.
“But, there is no question in my mind that you and your squad possess the capabilities to keep her safe. I know you don’t trust yourself right now. But Omega trusts you, and I trust you, and you’re just going to have to trust both of our judgements until you believe it yourself,” he pauses, giving his words time to sink in before he continues, the slightest hint of something stern entering his voice immediately setting him and Echo on edge.
“However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can’t do better. Hunter, I understand that you’ve lived your life as a soldier, so you’re used to speaking and giving orders and commanding people that way, whether you’re trying to or not. But Omega is a child, and as far as we know, her ageing process has not been tampered with the way that ours has. You need to remember that every experience she goes on is new, and every interaction she has will help to inform her future.”
Hunter bows his head, having the distinct premonition that he’s about to be reprimanded. The way that Cut goes about it is certainly not the same way that a commanding officer would. He doesn’t shout, doesn’t even raise his voice a fraction, but he gets his point across so naturally, that it makes Hunter feel guilty all the same, and perhaps, he thinks, that’s exactly the point that Cut is trying to make.
“Omega is a kid, and like any other kid, she’s going to get herself into frightening situations. I’ll put it this way, Hunter, if it scares you, then it’s absolutely terrifying to her, and once the danger is passed, your immediate reaction cannot be to raise your voice, to demand why, or to expect her to explain herself. Instead, above all else, be gentle, I know you can be. Her well-being comes first, make sure that she’s safe and if necessary, remove her from the situation and sooth her until she’s calmed down. Then, after, and you still must remain calm while doing this, you can discuss actions and consequences.”
Hunter nods in understanding, even though he knows that this is just a projection and Cut can’t actually see him.
“One more thing, it may seem like pointing out the obvious to you, but to a kid, it’s best if you tell them not to do something and why they shouldn’t before they do it. That way, they will be aware of the consequences beforehand, and if they do end up still doing that thing that you told them not to do, your talk afterward can be a little different. But don’t anticipate or expect her to know everything, because,” he pauses, seeming to search for his words.
Suu pops into the frame briefly, giving Hunter a knowing look. “Like I said, Hunter, she’s a kid, and she’s going to find ways of getting into trouble. It is necessary for her growth, and it is unavoidable. All you can do is protect her when she does,” she says, and with a smile, vanishes again.
Cut nods, smiling at his departing wife. “What she said, if you’re not going to listen to me, I know you’ll listen to my wife,” his voice softens as he hears her laugh in the background.
“Like everything else you do, I know you’ll figure it out, Hunter. Just remember what I said. We can guess that Omega wasn’t given much of a childhood on Kamino. That in itself will leave its scars that you’ll have to watch out for . So if she stumbles, and she struggles to adjust, all you can do is give her your love, patience, and understanding. With that, I know you’ll succeed. Oh, and once you’re finished watching this, please destroy it for the continued safety of my family,” he says with a grin, before his image flickers and disappears in front of them.
Hunter and Echo sit in silence for a few moments, digesting and taking in all the advice they have been given. Hunter feels an unexpected surge of gratitude at Cut and Suu’s vote of confidence in their abilities to raise Omega. He feels his shoulders inexplicably soften.
“Well,” says echo, taking the puck from Hunter’s hand and easily snapping it in half with his scomplink hand. He rises to his feet, giving Hunter a salute.
“It looks like we’ve been given our new orders, haven’t we, sarge?” he asks with a smile.
Hunter follows, rising to his feet and returning the gesture with a wry grin.
“Sir, yes sir,” he says with a solemn nod. “Indeed we have.”