Omniel Tamree's Backstory

by **Omniel** Thu May 14, 2015 6:35 pm

Growing up on the streets of Mirteth’s capitol city wasn’t easy, especially since many people died after the PR release, but Omniel survived. The mass loss of adults left many children orphaned. Never having had parents many of the street rats bonded together and formed their own little families. Big kids, little kids, sometimes even a baby would make up these rings of survival.
Omniel’s family was on the small side consisting of 5 bigs and 8 littles. She was a little, just barely 9 years old. Her best friend was Josiah, he was a big at 15 years of age. He always watched out for Omniel, making sure she was fed and that none of the other families’ bigs tried to take her or pick on her. He watched out for her because Omniel was different. She was one of the few indigenous people left on Mirteth. Both animal like and humanoid, Omniel would have been a catch for the cartel slavers. Unique, exotic, and beautiful. Even though she was worth a fortune that would feed any family for a month, they all loved her and saw her as more than a way to get rich. Omniel knew that her life with her little family was a gift and she worked hard to help feed them.
“Omniel, are you ready?”, Josiah whispered in her ear. She nodded and walked out into the busy walkway. Omniel began her little show. She danced a quick little jig and flipped up onto her hands, her red-brown tail falling in her face and tickling her nose. She walked a few steps and flipped back on her feet. A few people had noticed her and stated to gather around. Omniel’s fox like ears twitched, catching the signal whistle from Josiah. Omniel took a deep breath and began to sing. The common song was brisk and happy. Soon a decently sized crowd had gathered round to listen to the song. When she finished a few people applauded, but most just continued on to wherever they were going before.
Omniel disappeared back into the shadows of the cities alleys to meet up with Josiah. “How did we do?”, Omniel’s was light as air with a touch of excitement to it. “We did pretty well today, Little Fox,” Josiah responded in his earthy voice. The nickname pleased Omniel because she knew it meant she had done well. “Come on, let’s go home and see how the others did,” Josiah said as he started to walk down the alley. Omniel followed him back to their home, an abandoned warehouse that they shared with another family. They made an odd pair. Josiah with his fair skin, pale blond hair and dark blue eyes towered over her. Omniel on the other hand was his exact opposite, tanned skinned, auburn hair, brown eyes and short even for a 9 year old. Not to mention her ears that hung next to her face almost blending in with her hair until the black tips twitch slightly, and her tail that was the same color as her hair, auburn with a black tip at the end that matched her ears. Her slight figure next to his larger one made people laugh sometimes, but she didn’t mind because he made her feel safe. Josiah pulled down the ladder to the fire escape and Omniel scrambled up it first. She paused at the third landing to make sure that Josiah was behind her, then she pulled open the window and climbed through.
The bang of the window slamming made her whirl around and she saw Josiah standing on the other side of the window. She moved to open it back up, when two hands grabbed her and pulled her arms behind her. She yelped painfully, “Josiah, help me!” He looked pitifully through the dirty glass, “I’m sorry Little Fox, it’s nothing personal but we have to feed the family.” Omniel couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t understand his betrayal. Why would he do this? He had always protected her. He said that they were all going to be alright. Was this what he had in mind? To sell her? “You were my friend,” Omniel whimpered with tears rolling down her face. A man stepped in front of her with a stick glowing red at one end. A slavers rod. Omniel squirmed and tried to pull away from the person holding her. The man with the stick advanced on her. Omniel opened her mouth and bit down hard on one of the hands holding her. They released her with a curse, “Dammit, Aremith! The little bitch bit me! You said this would be easy!” Omniel took off running. She dodged passed the two men that were supposedly guarding the stairs. Omniel raced down the three flights of stairs and ran out the heavy metal doors; straight into the stomach of the man who would save her and give her the best opportunity of her life.

Omniel walked quickly down the hall to the loading bay. The newest batch of SPR was ready to be smuggled out to the Beta Crypt dealers in the next system over. At 22 she was the youngest head of Beta Crypts smuggling operation in over 30 years, only two people ranked above her in the organization. One was a silly fat man who reaped the benefits that Omniel worked so hard for, and the other was Aegeon who was the head of the Beta Crypt crime organization and the man who saved her on that day so long ago when Aremith tried to capture her for the slave trade. When she entered the loading bay she grabbed a clip board and micro-computer. Checking the logs of the soon to be outgoing ships, Omniel selected the Lady Fair as the cargo ship to carry the latest batch.
Omniel walked over to the ship. “Omniel, my little darling! How’s the most beautiful lady in the universe been?” the booming, honeyed voice of the captain and piolet of the Lady Fair, brought a smile to her lips. “I’ve been well, Aremith. How was the flight in? And how’s the cargo?” Omniel dove right into business. “Flight was good, no trouble from anyone. Cargo is good too. I checked it twice before it was loaded and then check it once more,” the captain was always proud to be considered among Omniel’s first choices and would never want to disappoint her. “Good. As soon as you unload I have two shipments of cloth, one of liquor, one of tech, and the latest batch of SPR that need to go to Eme to deal out,” Omniel check off her list on the micro-computer and the carefully lettered out the ship name by the batch number on the clip board. By the time she was done Aremith was already giving orders to his crew to unload. “Aremith!” Omniel called. He turned and with a small smile she said, “It’s good to see you too.” Aremith laughed and waved at her, they both had work to do.
Omniel continued her rounds, checking in with each landed ship to make sure all their cargo had been accounted for. She had just started on letting the outgoing flights for the day know what they were carrying when a loud boom interrupted everything and the power went out. “Everyone stay calm,” Omniel shouted over the confused ship crews. She quickly found the light sticks and passed them out. Aremith and two other captains, Marrian and Dakota, came over to her. “All the connectors in the power grid seem fine,” Marrian addressed the small group confusedly. “Maybe there was just a power short at the generator,” Dakota naïvely spoke. Aremith shook his head as Omniel said, “If that were the case then the backup would have switched on by now. The only plausible answer is someone cut the power.” A scream reverberated through the hall outside the loading bay. Everyone’s eyes turned to Omniel. “Marrian and Dakota make sure every ship gets load and ready to take passengers. I need to know how many people each ship can hold, what cargo they can carry in relation to people, and if there are any ships willing to stay with me so load all left over cargo with me. Hurry we won’t have much time!” Omniel rattled off orders to the two seasoned veterans. “Aremith, you and I are going to round up everyone we can and get them here to take off,” another scream interrupted her. Omniel and Aremith both reached for their holstered guns and Omniel also pulled out a short sword. Aremith entered the hallway first with Omniel a few paces behind him.
Down the hall was a closed door. Aremith and Omniel stood on either side, with the silent count of three they barged in. The room was filled with people. Dealers, slaves, and even a few children, sat petrified. “Go to the loading bay, quickly,” Omniel whispered to the frightened people. Aremith and Omniel continued down the hall until it split into two corridors. “I’ll go left,” Omniel offered. Aremith nodded and they both split up.
Even though the building they were in wasn’t big, just a ‘t’ shape with one floor, Omniel felt like it stretched on forever. Her tail flicked nervously and her ears twitched for any sign of life. The first room she entered in that hallway was empty. She was getting close to the head offices. The second was empty as well. The third though was bad enough to make her gag. Horror was the only thing that could even begin to describe what she saw, but even that couldn’t fully grasp the sight before her. Blood spattered the walls, dripping in what would have been a beautiful artistic way had it not been for the pieces of body were scattered around. A woman’s arm was across her path, it had been thrown a good 5 feet from its body. At the desk sat a decapitated body slumped over, blood still gushing from the wound. From the clothes Omniel could tell it was her direct boss, she didn’t celebrate her promotion though, the gore of the room weighed heavily on her. If this was just the first room in the hall it would be worse. Omniel quickly went from room to room checking for signs of life, becoming more uneasy with each passing room. She felt herself growing cold with the thought of the monster that had done this.
A flash of black moving too quickly caught her attention. Instinct that only a street rat would have, made her dive towards the wall. The wall where her head had been moments before now had a large hole in it. Her survival sense kicked in, ducking into the doorway Omniel tried to see where her attacker was so that she could him. Another shot almost grazed her nose and she leapt back. Blindly, Omniel fired off two shots. A hiss of pain made her ears twitch. She hoped that she might have a chance now. She peeked around the corner. No one was in the hallway. Omniel felt a pit in her stomach. Slowly, she walked out, finger on the trigger ready to shoot at a moments notice. Nothing moved. All was silent except her breath. Omniel continued moving forward as quickly as she dared, pausing every couple of steps to listen for the assassin. Omniel had almost reached the final set of doors before she realized that the solid oak doors that framed the end of the hallway were blasted open. Omniel tried to quell her overwhelming sense of dread at what lay beyond in the back room.
She entered and when her eyes adjust to the darkness, she feel to her knees. Aegeon Kah was dead. His body lay in a crumpled heap. His head was gone. His wife lay behind him, she had attempted to shield the bodies of her young boys. Their body covered the walls and soaked the floor. It was too much for Omniel. The woman who was there when Omniel was a child was dead. The two boys she had watched begin life, were nothing but empty now. The man who had saved her from the streets and given her a chance to rise to all she was capable of was gone. She could remember the first day they met. Running into him outside of the warehouse, his laughter as Aremith and Nick explained to him why she got away, the way he looked her in the eyes and told her she was different and that she would not be a part of the slave trade, but a part of his inner ring. The man who trained her, believed in her, and taught her all her most valuable lessons, was now no more than a husk of parts. Omniel wiped her eyes and stood up. Crying wouldn’t do anyone any good. Aegeon would be pissed if he saw her like that when all of his most prized possession were in the loading bay.
Omniel began to walk back down the hall. Whoever or whatever had done this was gone, but if this building was compromised they couldn’t stay there. Movement from the end of the hall instantly made her pull her gun up and her spare hand flew to the sword. Aremith threw his hand up, “It’s just me kid.” Omniel lowered the gun and released the sword. “I sent everyone I found to the loading bay. Did you..” Omniel interrupted him, “They are all dead. We have to move everything now. This building is compromised.” Aremith closed his eyes and said a quick prayer to his gods, “I heard shots, are you alright?” Omniel nodded. Aremith’s lips tightened, “You’re in charge little darling, what you say goes, because this ring belongs to you and these pirates will follow you anywhere.” Omniel nodded again right now she couldn’t think about the future they had to move. Aremith and Omniel ran back to the loading bay.
Marrian and John took one look at them and their lack of other people and nodded. Both walked up and asked, “Omniel, what do you want us to do?” She looked at both of them, “Are all the ships loaded with people ready to take off?” Marrian nodded yes. “Good, give their pilots the takeoff signal and let them know we will meet up on the outskirts.” Marrian took off to let everyone know their orders. “Dakota,” Omniel continued, “which ships are staying to help carry the rest out?” “The Lady Fair, the Cheshire, the Voyageur, and the Crossbones. We are all ready to begin loading as soon as you let us know what we are taking,” his voice was soft but it carried as a captains should, as if every order would be followed instantaneously. He handed her the clip board and her micro-computer. Omniel did a few calculations in her head, “We’ll split the SPR up between the four ships, since it’s the most valuable. Each ship will also carry as much legal trade as it can. We will need it before what is coming is settled. This was Aegeon Kah’s largest operation and it carried the most valuable things, so we will be ok until we figure out our next move,” both of the captains left to deliver her orders. Omniel looked down at her, now most valuable posessions, the micro-computer that carried all of the Beta Crypts legal trade information and the clip board that held all of the illegal trade information. She could do this. She had the four best smuggling pirates in the world standing with her, they would survive this just as she had survived the streets. She leaned against the wall behind her and a small movement caught her eye. A child was cowered in the corner, shaking with fear.
Omniel knelt down beside him, “What’s your name kid?” He shook his head and tried to disappear into the wall. That’s when she saw it. The slave mark was etched into the middle of his forearm. She reached out and grabbed his arm, he tried to run away. She saw the blast of power before she felt it. It was like a rock hit her in the stomach and knocked the wind from her. The crews loading the ship looked at her in concern then quickly started laughing. When she caught her breath Omniel managed a wry smile, she should have known better, Aegeon wouldn’t have kept any slave here but ones that were gifted. The small boy was still cowered in the corner, looking more fearful now than before. Omniel got up and sat cross legged in front of the boy, “I’m Omniel,” she introduced herself to the child, trying to sound friendly. She waited for the child to answer. He didn’t answer but she noticed that his eyes followed the swish of her like it mesmerized him. “Are you like me?” he asked in a voice so small she almost didn’t hear. “No, I’m one of the few left of my species. I’m from Mirteth,” Omniel smiled at him. Her ears were flicked up and twitching in hopes of hearing the boy speak more. “Do you have a name?” she asked. He nodded, “Michael.” “Michael,” Omniel cocked her head to the side and listened to his heart beat as it calmed down, “do you know how you got your powers?” He shook his head, “The people who took me said I was special. They called me a fantastic.” Omniel’s eyes widened in surprise, “You’re a Phantasmic.” The boy nodded. “Michael,” Omniel started her head marveling at the miracle in front of her, “it’s not safe here so we have to leave. I promise you that no one will hurt you and that you won’t have to work as a slave, but you will have to do everything I say, because this will be dangerous.” Michael’s eyes filled with hope. Omniel shrugged out of her jacket and handed it to him. He held it, put it on and then looked at Omniel like she had given him the most precious thing in the world. Omniel stood up and held out her hand to the small child. He took it and they began to walk toward the ships. The crews didn’t laugh, they all wore sad smiles as they looked at the two walking towards them with a mix of joy, sadness, and respect. They all knew that Michael would always be in danger. They both walked aboard the Lady Fair. “Captains are we ready to take off?” Omniel turned and asked. They each saluted and went to their respective ships.
“You know, I never would have guess you had a way with kids,” Aremith smiled at her. “Me either,” Omniel laughed with him. “So, the kid isn’t old enough to have lived through PR injections, I’m guessing he was born like this?” Aremith asked even though he already knew the answer. Omniel nodded. His eyes widened slightly. Born Phantasmics were rare. Most adults never survived the PR injections and they shunned interactions with those that were normal for their own safety. Known offspring of Phantasmics could be counted on one hand. There were so few, but now Omniel knew of one more. She carried Michael aboard and helped him strap into his harness. Nick walked up to her, “Here,” he said gruffly, “kid’s gonna need something that fits.” He handed her a bundle clothing, including an armband that would cover his mark. “Thank you,” Omniel smiled at the man who had pretty much raised her since she bit him all those years ago. Omniel strapped into the harness and looked around her. This was their home for the time being now that Aegeon was dead. They had few choices. Join the Gamma Centurion and their tyrant warlord or try to set up their own ring in the outskirts out of the reach of Jaqre Y’kahn. Omniel didn’t know what they would chose but she knew they would look to her for guidance and she would have to be ready with answers. She felt them lift off and begin the journey to the outskirts and whatever would await their future.