Miriah had been back in her office for two days, and now, after working on the Copero trip, she was tired. She lay her head on her desk, her arm crossed in front of her. Why Copero, was the prevalent question in her mind, and she knew she wouldn't find the answer soon. She was still too weak to attempt the trip, and although she had plenty of volunteers to go, she felt like this was too personal to let others take this risk. No, she thought, I just want to look in that scumbag's eyes when he's being held helpless by the Eternal Alliance. She shifted her head and felt her neck creak. I hate getting old, she thought, and closed her eyes for a minute.
Corso had gone to check on the order he'd placed for new armor, and now approached the office again. "Shh," Aric said, and Corso stuck his head in the office. "She's better but I think we need to try to talk her out of the Copero mission again."
"I wholeheartedly agree, but it would be useless," Corso replied. He had this discussion with her last night, when they were lying together, their senses settling after being thoroughly stimulated and sent soaring. She had sighed against his chest, her skin warm on his, and told him she felt she had to be there to confront Theron. He couldn't argue with that, and that moment resigned himself to the fact that she was going on this mission. Now, he wondered how she would manage, as weak as she still was. "We're still on for dining in the mess hall this evening?"
Aric nodded. He'd been working with two sets of what he thought of as Command Guard, and he felt they were ready. Many he'd known since his time in Havoc Squad, but they were all fiercely loyal to the Commander, and that was checked and rechecked, Aric not leaving any stone unturned. He'd conducted many of the interviews with family and friends himself, and Corso had hacked into several Republic and Imperial databases to confirm identities and records. "We'll be outside the apartment at seven, but if you need to change that time, just let me know."
Lana hurried along the corridor and saw Aric and Corso chatting. She needed to talk to Miriah, and wondered what was going on with those two. She was planning to have dinner with them tonight, but the invitation she had just received had made her wonder what in the stars was going on with the males on Odessen, and she was furious. She passed the men with a flourish, and slammed the door of the office behind her.
Miriah jumped at the sudden bang of the door, and looked at the angry Sith in front of her. "Lana, what's wrong?" she asked, noting the bright pink spots of color on the blonde's cheeks.
"Have you been paying men to court me?" she sputtered, waving her hands around.
Miriah gave her an incredulous look. "Of course not. Why would I do that?"
Lana shook with fury. "I've been asked out, just since I left home this morning, by three different men. Never in all of my life have I garnered this much male attention, and the only explanation is that someone is paying them to try to get my mind off of my failed marriage!" She stared at her boss and friend, and saw in her eyes that she was being truthful. Her anger played out, she sat heavily in the chair across from Miriah, embarrassed that she'd lost her temper.
"Lana, you are a beautiful woman. You're the second in command of the Eternal Alliance. I daresay the combination would be quite appealing to a single man." Miriah stood and went to sit beside Lana. "What's really the problem," she said, her voice soft, her eyes understanding.
"I don't know, it's all just so strange," Lana whispered, her eyes filling. "I want to forget Theron, permanently. I want to get on with my life, but I am most definitely not ready for a relationship again."
"Maybe they aren't, either. Maybe there's room for a little fun in your life, Lana. Force knows you drive yourself harder than anyone."
"Well, apparently, Nico is joining us for dinner, then," she said, and her lips curved in a small smile. Miriah merely grinned at her friend.
"Okay," was all Miriah said, and when she stood, Lana made her way out to the confused faces of Aric and Corso.
Caly had gone back to work at Devin's house, and had been sitting with Declan and Mia when Declan finally said his first word, Mama. Mia cried and clapped, and Declan grinned at her, his four teeth showing proudly. "Such a sweeite, you are," Mia told him and Caly hugged the little boy.
"He really is such a good baby," Caly said, sitting in the floor with him, watching the child play with the interconnecting blocks he loved.
"So, how are things with Torian?" Mia asked, and saw Caly's smile.
"Really good," she replied. "I worry, though, that I am a distraction from his work. He says I'm not, that since the mission he was on, he's owed some free time, but still. I know he needs to be focused, and not worried about me or running interference with Mom and Dad."
"I'm sure he's fine, Caly. He knows how to balance things. You're going to the family dinner this evening, right?"
"I'll be there," the young woman responded. She looked forward to things being back to normal, although she knew the security around her mom would be tighter than ever. Still, it would be good to have everyone together. She picked Declan up when he got fussy and changed him, settling him in his bed. Tonight, Torian has asked her to meet him a little bit before the dinner, just to talk. He had arranged for Felix to be nearby, thus keeping within Miriah's guidelines. She felt warm all over, just thinking about it now, and her mind was elsewhere when Mia touched her shoulder.
"Go, get ready. Take a little time to make yourself feel beautiful," Mia smiled down at her, and Caly hugged her sister in law before sprinting out of the house.
Miriah had called Aric and Corso into the office. "We need some things, things we can only get in certain alleyways of Nar Shaddaa, unless that's all changed since I was frozen."
"What things, Mir?" Aric frowned, the smuggler's moon was definitely not on his secure site list.
"Disguises, different clothing. Something to let us blend in until we can locate Theron," she replied. "I've done some searching, and I think just a day trip would get us what we need." Corso and Aric exchanged looks, but let her go on. "We could take one of the freighters, but if only me and Corso go, we can take the ship I stole from Arcann." She finally looked up at them and saw the cautious expressions on their faces. "Go on, tell me I can't," she challenged them.
"Mir, darlin'. There would be no security, at all. You know that place is a nightmare at best. You're not exactly hard to recognize," Corso said, and Aric only nodded. "Besides, we can get one of the smugglers on Hylo's runs to pick up anything we needed."
"I know," Miriah huffed out a breath. "I just wanted to do something besides sit here." She stood and paced around the desk. "We do need some sort of camouflage, though. I don't want Theron to see who we are until we haul his sorry ass back to the ship."
"I think we could pull off being a supply ship," Corso said, and had Miriah and Aric's attention immediately. "Just need to change the registry of the Dreamweaver, haul some crates in. A little paint, some dents and a change of some of the antennae, should be enough to let her fit in on most any planet as just another ship, bringing supplies."
After a few moments, Aric's face brightened. "That just might work. We could have a full crew then, and no one would even blink about it." He turned to the door, then turned back. "I'm going to talk to Hylo, get her thoughts on it. You're staying here, right?" he asked, pointing at Miriah.
"I'd really rather go home and rest before dinner," Miriah confessed, feeling the insidious fatigue that never seemed to totally leave her lately. They made their way to the apartment, and Aric peeled off to go talk to Hylo. Corso lay down with Miriah, and she was asleep before she knew it.
Caly saw Aric come into the smuggler area while she was waiting for Torian, and had a moment of panic. Felix sat at the next table, but Aric was on a mission, and didn't notice either of them. "It's okay, Caly. You're not in any trouble, relax." Felix took another sip of beer and kicked back in the chair, watching his niece. He felt honored that Torian would ask this favor, and he was glad to do it. Maybe Miriah will finally let go of some of the anger she denies having against me, he thought.
Torian raced through the hallway to where he knew Caly waited. He saw her as soon as he was through and into the smuggler's hangar, her caramel hair loose and flowing around her shoulders. He took a deep breath and patted the small box in his pocket, suddenly nervous. He saw Felix there, and settled, making his way up to sit across from the one who held his heart. They chatted about their day for a few minutes, and Torian took Caly's hand. He glanced over to see Felix reading, and fished in his pocket. "Caly, I want to give you something. You don't have to freak out, and you don't have to wear it if it makes you uncomfortable," he told her, and slipped the silver band with sky blue stone mounted on it on her slender finger. When he looked up at her face, he could see the astonishment. "It's a promise, for later. I wanted to give you something real, that you could see, every day, and know my heart is with it."
"Oh," was all Caly could say, her eyes drawn to her hand in his, the ring shining. "Torian, it's just beautiful." She reached across to hug him, and they both saw Felix turn to them. Torian didn't care, he cupped Caly's face in his hands and kissed her.
"I love you, Caly," he whispered, and she smiled, her happiness radiating from her.
"I love you, too, Torian. I'll wear it every day," she vowed, and felt Torian pull away as Felix stood.
"Time to get going, kids," he said, but he was smiling, and they started toward the dining hall.
Miriah was seated with everyone in her family, and she had to admit, she was happy. They took up a good portion of the dining hall, but the other citizens on the base only stopped to tell Miriah how great it was that they were all together. Several people hugged her, making Corso edge closer to her, but with the troopers dressed in black armor all over the room, he wasn't as worried as he might have been. Nico had escorted Lana in, and they now sat across from Aric and Maura, seemingly having a great time. Finally they all sat, and Miriah told each one of them what she was most thankful for. Aric, for his protectiveness, Maura for her wisdom. Sarai, her love; Caly, her nurturing; Devin, his level head; Mia, her empathy. Logan, his loyalty; Elara, her mothering skills. Mags, her healing ability; Felix, his ability to forgive. Lana, her organizational skills, Nico, his ability to put people at ease. Finally she turned to Corso. "Sugar, I love you. I am so thankful to have you in my life, every single day. You are the best part of me." He hugged her tightly and they ate, laughing and talking.
On the way home, Miriah and Corso stood surrounded by the guard. When they were ready, they marched across the courtyard, and Miriah turned to her husband. "Everyone was in good spirits, weren't they?"
"Umhmm," Corso answered, but his mind was trying to figure out if Caly had worn a ring while they were cooking together while Miriah was sick, and finally concluded that she had not. Maybe it's just hers, he tried to console himself. They were waiting for the elevator when Aric approached. "Torian is going to Nar Shaddaa," he told them. "He knows the sizes and kinds of clothing we need, as well as bidding on a haul."
"Good idea, Aric," Miriah replied. "When is he going?"
"Ship is being fueled now." Okay, Mirah thought, let's get this mission going.
At the hangar, Caly turned to Torian. She'd slipped off after Devin had left her at her pod, and sneaked around to the hangar after Torian had told her he'd be gone a few days. "Be safe," she told him, and he hugged her, tucking her head under his chin.
"I will be. This will be an easy run," he told her. She looked up at him and he leaned in to kiss her, his hands in her hair. The kiss went longer than their usual, and Caly felt the exhilaration of it all through her body. Torian must have, too, she thought, because he carefully pushed her away before they got too caught up in it. "Be good, Caly. I'll be home soon." He kissed her nose and turned her toward the base. She reached the door and turned to wave, and he waved back.
That was close, he thought, willing his body to calm as he walked out onto the landing pad and into the cool air, and finally he could take a deep breath. His mind knew Caly was too young, but his body reacted to the beautiful woman in his arms. He boarded the ship with a sigh, and the promise to himself to do whatever it took to keep his vow to have her pure until they were wed.