Aric watched the war room. He always watched the war room, like it was a child he was minding. He had put Logan in charge of the details for Miriah, and since that day, his burden was lighter. He had come to accept that he was Miriah's left hand, Lana her right, and he was perfectly fine with that. Now, he could see the practice for the conference, which would take place in five days. He made note of some minor suggestions to the overall plan, and sent them to General Dinn. He almost walked over to her office, but was afraid he might wake the baby. He wanted to hold Aissa, but the situations just hadn't been where he could yet. She was sure a cutie, he thought with a smile. He heard the detail before he saw them, and then Miriah as she emerged from the center.
"Aric, you and Maura are coming for lunch, right?" she asked, and he nodded.
"She's picking up food now," he replied. "How are things on your side of the war room?"
"We'll discuss them over lunch," Miriah replied, her eyebrow arched over her silver gaze. Uhoh, Aric thought, that doesn't sound very good, but he nodded and resumed his stance. Miriah disappeared into the detail, invisible with her short stature surrounded by the armored troopers, most of whom he had personally selected for her guard. They went quickly across the vast space and down the hallway to the Commander's apartment.
Miriah hurried into the apartment and plopped onto the sofa in the family room, ripping the new boots from her aching feet. "Why did I think today would be a good day to break these in?" she groaned, lying back against the soft pillows. Corso lifted her feet, placing them in his lap, and proceeded to massage them, Miriah closing her eyes. "That really feels great, sugar."
"My pleasure," he told her. She had seemed a little better, more like her usual self, since yesterday, but now all he could sense was her pain and the ever present fatigue. "I'll use some of the oil I use on mine, see if I can soften them for you."
Miriah was quiet for a few minutes, enough that Corso wondered if she was sleeping, before she spoke. "I love you, Corso. I know I've been hard to live with since Nathema, but you always just love me."
"It's all I've ever wanted to do, darlin'. And I'll keep doing it. Just tell me how I can help." He continued to gently knead her feet, enjoying her groans of delight. He heard Aric and Maura enter, but Miriah made no move to get up.
"Come and eat, Spitfire," Aric called, coming into the room. "We've got some good food in here." When he saw Corso, he pointed. "New boots?" Corso nodded, and Aric chuckled. "No wonder you looked like you were in pain earlier."
"So much pain," Miriah said, pushing herself into a sitting position. "I'm actually hungry, so let's go." She pulled Corso's face to hers, kissing him gently before standing and following Aric into the dining room.
They filled plates and sat, and Corso was pleased that Miriah had put a normal amount of food on her own plate. "So, what's going on today?" he asked.
"We ran the practice simulator for the conference, no issues, just a few little detail items," Aric said. "Should be just fine for the conference."
"I've been working on the rooms, and we're almost finished with them," Maura said. "I got confirmation on wedding bouquets..." she trailed off as Miriah shook her head.
"We placed a moratorium on wedding discussions until after the conference, remember?"
Maura laughed. "I forgot for a moment. I'll table that for another time then." Calypso had actually told Miriah that she didn't want to do anything wedding related until after the conference and her parent's vacation. "Speaking of, when the conference is over, where are you two going?"
Corso's face lit up. "I had Rizzo, our ranch foreman, set up a little beach rental on Rishi. Everything is in his name, so we should be able to slip in without everyone knowing that the Alliance Commander is on the planet." His excitement was infectious and even Miriah grinned. "Six days of sun and sand, and I can't wait."
"I'm looking forward to it, too," Miriah said softly, placing her free hand in his. It might not be the best timing, since they were more vulnerable than Miriah liked, but it was needed. So needed.
"Everything here will be just fine. Devin will stand in for you, Mir, but I worry about you guys being out there," Aric admitted.
"Well, then it's a good thing that there are two cottages. You might have to work in paradise, but you and Maura will be able to let down some," Corso remarked casually, trying but not able to hide his smile.
"Wait! We're going along?" Maura said, her eyes wide. "Hell, yeah!"
"Nice, buddy! Now I'm completely on board with this," Aric said, his own smile huge. They chatted as they finished their meal, more relaxed than when they started. It wasn't until Miriah brought out chocolate cake for dessert that Aric remembered her earlier implication that something was not right. "Hey, Mir, what did you mean earlier? When I asked how things were going?"
"Theron is going to be released from the medcenter in the next few days. While I do believe what he's told us, I think we need to be cautious. I fear for his safety, if he were out in the courtyard facility, but I'm not entirely sure I want him in the secure area, either. I wanted to get your feedback," she replied, and the table went quiet to think about Miriah's words.
"Hmm," Aric said. "He'll need to remain on the main base for medical and rehab care, or I'd discreetly put him in Haven."
"Yeah, I considered that, too. We may have no choice but to put him in the apartments near you, which would definitely put him under observation, but would keep him safer than anywhere else."
"Do it," Maura said. "If he is truly trying to earn trust, then we may have to extend a little, too."
"Well said," Corso nodded. "My only real concern is for Lana, since Nico lives a floor above you guys."
"I'll get her take on it, but I agree. Good, that's at least almost solved." Miriah had eaten well at lunch, but now picked at her cake. "I need to get back, I'm still working on the two speeches." She had decided to prepare two speeches, one for the solid backing of all planets with the Republic, and one with the Empire. Personally, she had chosen to side with the Republic. Better the enemy you know, she'd told herself, but she would have to also consider the Alliance planets, and their stake in all this.
Theron sat on a bench and used the tail of his soft tshirt to wipe sweat from his face. He had been taking a few steps in his room, but today was the first time he'd walked out into the hospital floor. He'd been determined to make the entire round, but only a quarter of the way in, he was exhausted. He was still looking at his feet when someone stopped beside him, and he recognized Magdalane's boots. "Theron, I'm hoping you were going back to your room," she said softly, and he raised his flushed face to hers.
"I'm not sure I'll make it," he admitted, and she smiled.
"I can help. Just stand," she instructed, and he felt something holding him as he gingerly started forward. He finally sat on the bed and the medical droid helped him get comfortable. "You must be more accepting of your recovery.
"I know, I just want my life back," he said, taking a long sip of water.
"You were severely malnourished and dehydrated when you arrived, something that didn't happen overnight. Your wounds were such that if you'd had a less experienced medic, or couldn't have been put in a kolto tank, we wouldn't be talking now." By the look on his face, no one had explained this to him before. "You were lucky, Theron." He was suddenly overcome by emotion, and without warning, was sobbing into his hands. Magdalane merely pushed tissue his way, and when he gained control again, she waited him out.
"I am sorry for that," he apologized, blowing his nose. "It's been so long since I didn't have to hide, keep my true feelings and thoughts carefully behind my cover. I was lucky indeed. I should have died."
"I'm glad you didn't, and I'm sure there are others who think the same," Magdalane said, seeing that the emotional outburst combined with the physical exertion had depleted her patient. "We'll schedule some walks during the day. With assistance." She patted his shoulder and walked out, Theron's eyes already closed.
Lana had eaten lunch at her desk, content with the simple leftovers she'd brought and the reading she was doing on the news of the different worlds. Nico would be back tomorrow, she thought, and we'll have dinner. She was still smiling about that when she heard Miriah's detail as they came down the hallway. Lana stood with her datapad, ready to brief the boss on what she'd been reading, when Miriah came into her office instead. "I was just about to come to you," Lana said, and raised both eyebrows at the container in Miriah's hand. "I hope that's for me," she said, recognizing the cake inside.
"I need your opinion on this, it might just be part of a certain upcoming wedding," Miriah told her, laughing at the look of ecstasy on her friend's face as she lifted the container's lid. "Also, I have another concern I wanted to talk about."
"Of course," Lana said, sitting. Miriah explained the current dilemma of housing for Theron, watching Lana's face carefully for any signs of distress or unhappiness. "I'd say put him in the cantina apartments, too," Lana said, agreeing with Maura.
"No issues with Nico being in the same area?" Miriah asked, and Lana blushed.
"None. We're adults," Lana answered. "And, I will put out another release about him working for the Alliance in all this. I know some won't read it or won't care, just like with Torian, but it's all we can do."
"Excellent. Now, tell me what's going on out there," Miriah said, crossing her legs. Lana saw that she only wore socks, but didn't say anything, proceeding to recap the galxies news.
Torian was in his apartment, and was glad to see the biometric lock had done it's job. He wasn't sure if he and Caly would live here after they were married, but in case they did, he wanted it to be clean. He was tidying up when he heard the door chime. Checking the viewer, he sighed when he saw his neighbor. "Good afternoon, General," he said, with a sharp salute since she was still in uniform.
"Thank the stars, I thought someone had broken in over here," Solasta said, a cooing Aissa on her hip. Torian grinned at the baby but quickly sobered when Solasta let out a loud chuff.
"I heard the news, and lucky for you, I love Caly as if she were mine," she said, a low growl escaping her pursed lips. "Are you going to be living here?"
"I don't know yet," Torian admitted. "Caly took the cantina position, so currently we're closer to her work. I am with the security forces still, so I can live anywhere. It will be up to the Commander to say whether she believes her daughter would be safe here."
"I'll speak to her," Solasta said, bending to speak to Aissa, the language unfamiliar to Torian.
"She speaks Catharese? So young?" Torain asked softly, not wanting to insult anyone but intrigued by the kit.
"She does, a little," Solasta said, still nuzzling the baby. Suddenly the general straightened. "If you do live here, I think I'd like that." Abruptly for most, but normal for Solasta, she turned to her own door and Torian saw Aissa look over her mom's shoulder at him, grinning. He couldn't help but grin back.
Sarai inspected the cloth in her hands and nodded, satisfied. She had ordered it weeks ago, and it was finally here. The color was perfect and would be beautiful against Caly's skin, she thought. Suddenly inspired, she took the bundle into the spare bedroom, where Caly once lived. It had been converted into a craft room, and Sarai pushed aside her other projects to lay the heavy white silk onto the flat surface. Caly had tried on different styles, and then sketched her own dress. Sarai had converted the sketch into a pattern that would fit Caly's measurements, and she lay this pattern on the fabric. Every stitch will be perfect, she declared, and set to work.
Aric and Maura had dinner with Missy, laughing and talking. When they returned to their place, they skipped the holo news and went straight to their bed, too full and relaxed to do anything but settle for sleep. Maura raised up on one elbow and looked at Aric, her face alight with excitement. "Rishi! For almost a whole standard week!" she said, and giggled.
"We'll have to make sure the area is secure, but yeah, I think we'll also have some down time," he replied, and hugged her close. They deserved a break, he thought. We all do.