Miriah gazed out the window of her ship, lost in thought. Corso had walked by twice, but she hadn't moved in over an hour. He was making another round of the freighter when his son reached out and caught his arm. "She's still brooding, then?" he asked, his voice as deep as his father's. Corso nodded, and saw his son frown. "I don't want her like this, Dad," he said. "Maybe I should just …"
"No, Devin," he sighed. "She's just working it over in her mind. She knew, we knew, this day would come. We've already kept you with us longer than we thought we could. She wants you to go train, she just doesn't know how to get there," he said, the love in his eyes showing through. Devin knew they were as much in love now as they were eighteen years ago when they'd married. He used his force presence to gently probe around his mother.
"I can't stand to feel her like this, like her world is changing too rapidly for her to keep up," he said softly, seeing his father nod. "I'm going to go talk to her."
"Wait, Dev," Corso said. "Let me. She'll just smile and tell you that your whole future is ahead of you. Maybe I can get her to really talk to me this time." He pulled his son into a hug, and it was hard to tell them apart they were so similar in size and build. Corso grinned as he let his son go, ruffling the ebony hair that was his mother's trademark. He took a deep breath and walked onto the bridge, where his wife was still staring at the stars, unblinking.
"Cyare," he said softly, and not getting a reaction, he reached out and gently touched her arm. At his touch she jumped, and turned toward him, her eyes wide.
"Hey, sugar," she said, and he saw the tremble of her lips as she forced a smile. "Didn't hear you. Everything okay?" She glanced anxiously behind him, but seeing nothing, she turned her silver eyes to his. "Is Dev getting excited?"
"I'm not worried about Devin, kitten. You've been staring into hyperspace for a long time now, and I'm worried about you." He scooped her up from her chair and sat down with her in his lap, and wasn't too surprised when he felt her tears wetting his shirt. "Shh, love, it's going to be alright," he whispered. Finally, he thought. She's held this in for weeks now. He let his hands soothe her, his voice rumbling in her ear reassure her, and finally she lifted her tearstained face to his.
"I don't want him to know," she whispered. "He needs to do this, I know he does, but it's so hard to let go." He saw the sadness in her eyes, and knew it went all the way to her soul. He held her tightly against him, letting his own feeling of loss envelop him.
"I know, I hate it, too," he said softly. "But he needs this, and we always knew he would have to train on Tython. He's too strong in the force to escape their detection forever. He has a solid foundation, from our own little temple on Dantooine, but he needs this, Mir." He turned her face to his and found her lips, and for a few moments they were both lost in each other.
Devin felt the emotions and knew his dad had broken through the shell Miriah had pulled around herself. He almost wept himself, feeling her sorrow. He knew his parents loved him, and it was hard for him to think about not hearing his dad's booming laugh, or seeing his mother's dancing eyes smile at him as they had every day for the past fifteen years. He'd miss his brother, Logan, and the ranch, and his extended family. But he knew his destiny was Tython, had known it for years now. He still wasn't sure where his true strength was, but the training he'd already done had prepared him to find out. He blushed as he felt his parents kiss, and went to his cabin on the freighter.
Corso gently broke their kiss, and hugged his wife close. "He'll be safe, and as the nephew of the former Barsen'thor Magdalane, respected and looked after. It's not like Mags, sweetheart. He's almost a grown man, and knows there's life outside the force." He stroked her hair, hanging loose down her back in flowing waves. "He knows we love him, and he's always with us." He felt her nod against him.
"I know, sugar. I really do know those things. It's just hard to change," she said, shrugging. The beep of an incoming holo transmission made them both jump.
"I've got it," Devin yelled, leaping over the chair to hit the receive button. He was rewarded with the image of his brother. "Logan! What's going on? You miss me already?" he joked, laughing when his little brother made a rude gesture at him. Miriah and Corso joined him in the lounge.
"Hey son," Corso said. "Everything going okay on the ranch?" Logan may have looked more like his mother than Devin did, but he was definitely his father's son, preferring to be on the ranch with the livestock than anyplace he'd ever been. Miriah faulted herself, when Devin was younger they traveled more. Still, even when given a choice of adventure or staying on the ranch, Logan chose the animals.
"Everything's fine," he replied, "I just wanted to see where you guys were. Nana is here, we're going to have dinner soon. Dad, your favorite ronto had her calf this morning, they're both doing well." Corso was proud of both his sons, and nodded at Logan now. He is growing into quite the rancher, he thought. Logan was tall and rangy, not nearly as broad as Devin but quick, and deadly accurate with a blaster. At thirteen, he was entering a coltish stage, and had grown two inches in the past few months. He and Devin had always been close, and Corso knew that the separation would be as hard on Logan as it would be for Miriah. "Uncle Aric took me out to the Advantages range, and I got to shoot a sniper rifle!" Logan's excitement shone through his voice, making his parents smile. "Colin came too, and Uncle Aric said we'd both do well in the military if we wanted." Corso knew that was a possibility for his youngest son, and was supportive of that. Colin already had his application in for the Academy.
"How's Nana?" Miriah asked.
"She's fine, she's outside with the girls, they're doing some kind of weird meditation stuff." Sarai had been leading the cousins in a yoga style workout that had a little force meditation in it, and they were all loving it. "Calleigh and Michi are out there and Colleen is in here watching the holo." Colleen, at eleven years old, was the youngest daughter of Maura and Aric.
"Where's Ian?" Devin inquired. He'd trained most of his life with his force sensitive cousin. "Is he still at the temple? He was working on a new form that Master Shurxan had taught him last time I talked to him."
"No idea, it's just been me and Nana and all these girls all day," Logan said, a look of disgust on his face.
"Now son, be nice," Miriah said, her face relaxing into a smile. "I know they're your cousins, but they're just as welcome there as you are." She saw Logan blush, and wished she could put her arm around his shoulders. "We'll be on Tython tomorrow and heading back the next day. Don't forget to feed Lucky and give Nana a hug, okay?"
"I never forget to feed the lynx, cause she gets mean if I forget, and Nana hugs me all the time anyway," he said, a partial smile on his face. "Talk to you guys tomorrow." And with that, their youngest was off, leaving Corso and Miriah smiling.
"Mom, can I ask a favor before Tython?" Devin looked at his mother, who grinned at him.
"Of course."
"Can you make stuffed pasta for dinner? I think your cooking will be the hardest thing to give up." Miriah nodded and hugged him, and he felt through the force that she was accepting his training. As she turned to the ship's galley, Corso put his arm around her slim shoulders and went to help.
This ship is perfect, Miriah thought. It was the third one she'd owned. The first, Stardancer was sabotaged and exploded in hyperspace. The second, Windwalker, was now the main ship for their company, Advantages. This one they'd had about a year, and had finally named her Dreamweaver. Still a freighter, but with many custom amenities, including a full chef's galley, this ship was by far Miriah's favorite. Spacious cabins and real water showers made travel luxurious, and they'd enjoyed their time aboard. Miriah chopped and cooked, and the familiar activity calmed her mind. Corso knew the recipe well since it was a family favorite, and he worked around her, wordlessly putting the dish together.
Devin watched his parents, and thought about the coming separation. His aunt Mags had prepared him for life at the temple as best she could, but he knew it would push him out of his comfort zone and into real training, combat training. He still felt more pulled to the combat side, it just felt natural to him. Master Tekmer had told him many times that his lightsaber skill was excellent. It felt like a natural extension of the force in his hand, and he felt naked without it clipped to his side. He'd cleaned and rebuilt it just before they'd left Dantooine, and when he'd had it broken down on his dad's workbench, Jestera had approached him with a pouch in her hand. Inside, he found a crystal that had made his heart soar. It was black and purple, and was so powerful that he could feel it radiate in his palm. He'd fastened it into the socket on his hilt, and when he'd picked up the weapon it felt warm. Still felt warm, inviting, his. He smiled as he thought about those who had trained him, and his cousin Ian. His cousin was also combat proficient, but he'd developed the skill of stealth as well, and was loving the advantage it gave him. Ian would be joining him at the temple on Tython next year. He grinned at the thought. He and Ian would be an unstoppable team in the Jedi trials.
They sat and ate together, Miriah more relaxed than she'd been since the decision to let Devin train on Tython had been made. Corso watched her as she ate and laughed, and saw that she was indeed in a better frame of mind than she had been earlier. He also saw the slight sadness in her eyes, but knew that couldn't be helped. He made her sit with Devin in the lounge while he cleaned up, and when he joined them they had turned off the holo and were talking about the next day. He saw the fatigue overtake her then, and he pulled her up to stand beside him. "Get some rest, Devin. Tomorrow will be one of those days you want to remember always," he told his son, feeling Miriah's arms go around his waist. "We're going to bed."
"Night Mom, Dad," the young man told them, bending to kiss his mother's cheek before heading to the cabin he'd claimed as his own. Corso checked the navcomp and turned to meet Miriah in their quarters. The soft bed was a vast improvement on their first one, but his wife wasn't there. He heard the water in their shower start up, and readied the room for her, wanting her to be able to relax. Her worries had kept her awake for too many nights now, he thought. He pulled soft, warm clothes for her and set them aside while he folded the comforter back and put the decorative pillows away. He changed into his own pajamas, and waited. When he was just about to check on her, she rounded the doorway, and her face gave away what had taken so long. She smiled at him when she saw his handiwork, and when she'd dressed, he pulled her into the bed with him.
"He's going to be just fine, darlin', and so are you," he whispered, feeling her snuggle into his body.
"I know he is, I just miss him already and he's still here," she whispered back. He ran his hands over the tense muscles in her back, feeling them slowly release and relax.
Devin had learned to block his parent's emotions at an early age, but tonight he allowed himself to feel his mother, trying to determine if she was indeed going to be able to adjust to his being away. He felt his dad's calm, his mom's sadness mixed with pride, and knew they would be okay. He drifted to sleep with knowledge that above all, his parents loved him and each other. Love, he thought sleepily. Aunt Mags says it's the most powerful force of all.