"This isn't about you," Arcann said, his mask making his voice sound mechanical. "It never has been. But I will do whatever it takes to destroy my father." Miriah's body jerked as she opened her eyes, and her sigh immediately followed. She knew that Arcann had desperately wanted to defeat his father, and couldn't really blame him. She'd wanted to kill him herself. Valkorion had appeared for a few moments after they returned to Odessen, told her she was ready, and promptly disappeared again. She tried to get comfortable, nestled against Corso's chest, but she feared sleep was going to be elusive. She'd been restless since her fight with Arcann, and the dream that kept coming back.
Corso knew she was awake but felt helpless. She'd mentioned the day before that she was having some dreams, and he knew she was approaching exhaustion. It had been almost a week since they'd fought Arcann, and she'd slept only a handful of hours every night. The announcement of Empress Vaylin's coronation didn't help, he thought. They were meeting in the morning to discuss their next step. Maybe, he mused, that would help. Having a direction might just give her some peace. He pressed a kiss to her head and felt her sigh again. Instead of trying to get her to talk, he ran his hands over her back, and felt her respond, her kisses hot on his chest. He loved her gently, hoping to relax her enough to sleep a little longer, and was pleased to see her drift into slumber, draped across him. He closed his eyes, and remembered when they were first married, and Miriah had episodes of insomnia. He'd used sex then to help her sleep, too, he remembered, and smiled.
Lana had also been restless, but instead of dreams, she felt the betrayal and loss of Theron in her bed, in her life. Why, she kept asking herself, but the answer never came. She had berated herself since the debrief, trying to determine when she'd lost her sanity and allowed him into her heart. He'd tried to apologize, but she avoided him at all costs, and finally, he'd given up. She hadn't even seen him around for a few days, she realized, and felt her mind shift from anger to worry. Enough! She turned over in her cold bed, punched the pillow, and attempted again to purge Theron from her thoughts.
Aric woke early, anxious to get the day started. He had felt useless on the ground, since all the action against Arcann had taken place in space, but he'd been proud of Solasta's preparations and Maura's analytical skills. Now, in the seeming peace, he wondered who the next threat would be. He had some ideas on that front, and couldn't wait to discuss them in the meeting this morning. He lay there, Maura on his shoulder, and used his other senses to tell him about the base. He could smell the mess hall getting ready for breakfast, his ears picked up the early shift of builders, putting more apartments and barracks together. Since the defeat of Arcann, there had been scores of recruits appearing every day, so many that it was hard to find a place to put them all. Fortunately, they pitched in, and Aric had seen men moving beds into one of the barracks last evening. The smell of caffa reached him from their small kitchen, the timer having started the brew, and he stretched. "Mmm, caffa," Maura murmured, rubbing her hand down the soft, fine fur of his chest. His brain warred with itself between them, and in the end, chose Maura. She giggled as he swept his hands under her shirt, and they started their day enjoying each other, knowing it would be back to business soon.
Miriah smiled at the group as they gathered in the war room. The only one missing was Theron, but she still had reservations about the SIS agent, and didn't question where he was. "You look more rested," Lana told her, but Miriah couldn't return the sentiment. Lana looks like hell, she thought.
"I believe you need more roof garden time," Miriah told her softly, and saw Lana blush. "We'll talk after," she said, seeing Solasta and Devin stepping off the elevator, and Lana nodded. When they'd assembled, Miriah started. "What we know is that Arcann didn't die, but I believe him to be seriously wounded. Senya has him, and he no longer controls anything." Getting nods all around, she continued. "Scorpio apparently gave the throne to Vaylin. Scorpio told me it wasn't personal that she'd taken the Fleet, so her motivation had to be different." She paused as Lana tentatively raised a finger.
"My contact on Hoth reported that a Fleet ship was spotted in orbit, and some few hours later, a shuttle landed not far from his camp. He said that the droid exited the vessel, stood absolutely still for almost an hour, then reboarded and left."
"So, that must mean that either Scorpio is planning to set up on Hoth, or that the droid was gathering intel," Aric said, rubbing his chin.
"Maybe," Devin said, "it was simply set free." His statement made them all turn to look at him, and he shrugged his shoulders. They were silent for a few moments before continuing, all wondering what it meant that there might be Gemini droids roaming around the galaxy, doing what they pleased.
"What do we make of Vaylin ruling Zakuul?" Miriah asked.
"I think she's more obsessed with finding her mother and Arcann than she is of destroying us," Maura said. "Otherwise, I think we would have seen some movement already." Murmurs of agreement went around the group. "But we still need to be prepared."
"Solasta has everything organized already," Corso said, and got a nod and a slight smile from the tall Cathar. "And I owe you thanks, for letting Calypso help."
"No thanks needed," Solasta replied. "She has a very sharp mind, and an eye for detail." Miriah's expression softened when her daughter was mentioned.
"So, now, we need to figure out how to sustain our home here. With the influx of so many people, how are we doing financially?" Miriah had been worried about the supplies for a couple of days now.
"There's no shortage of credits or manpower," Hylo volunteered. "So far, everyone who has landed here had immediately pitched in wherever needed." Miriah knew she'd seen a whole company putting siding on a building just yesterday, so she nodded at Hylo.
Corso watched his wife as all her questions were asked and answered, and saw her relax, degree by degree, as her fears were neutralized. He'd been thinking about Theron, and was about to ask if anyone had seen him, when Aric asked the question. He saw Lana avert her gaze, and Miriah's relaxed face harden.
"I've not been in contact with him," Lana said. "There are no active missions currently." As they stood to adjourn the meeting, Aric pulled Corso aside.
"Whether or not he's currently in favor, we need to locate him, if only to be sure he isn't aiding the enemy," Aric said, his voice low. At Corso's nod, they started through the secure area. They saw Nico in the smuggler hangar, and chatted with him for a bit, gaining his word to report Theron's location if he saw him. They went through the military hangar, getting handshakes and greetings, but no Theron. The Voss area was under force protection, so they skirted it to visit the science area. Still, no one had any idea where Theron could be.
Miriah watched Aric and Corso, and had a good idea what they were doing. She turned her attention to Lana, and motioned her to the small office she used. Once inside, she sat, dwarfed by the large chair, and looked at her friend. "I'm worried," was all she said, and Lana covered her face with both hands, willing her tears to stay unshed. "You're not sleeping, and from the state of your clothing, not eating much. You would be furious at me if I were in the same shape. Lana, what happened after I left the other day?" Miriah knew something else had transpired, but had wanted to let Lana have her privacy. Now, however, the stakes were higher. Lana took a moment to gather herself, and looked at her friend.
"I told him he had no idea what you'd gone through to get to this point, and that he was an arrogant ass to have said anything." Lana fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve. "And then I went to my apartment. He tried to talk to me, to get me to just listen to him, but I couldn't. I can't," she said, turning her blue eyes to her friend. "I can't believe I was so taken in."
"Lana, do you have feelings for him?" Miriah asked, and saw the blonde woman nod. "Then you have to find a way to either forgive him or yourself. Well, and we have to find him."
"What do you mean, find him?"
"I mean that no one has seen him for a few days now," Miriah replied calmly, and saw Lana's eyes widen with concern. "Don't worry, Corso and Aric are looking now, but before you see him, you need to decide what you want." Miriah moved to touch her friend's shoulder, and saw Lana crumble.
"I do have feelings for him, but I hate the things he's been saying and doing lately," she sobbed, as Miriah stroked her back.
"I don't mind someone having a different idea or opinion," Miriah said, "but he was a little rude." She moved to sit in the chair beside Lana. "I truly thought I might just give him a kick, but I knew it would make Corso nauseous." Lana looked up at her with a slight frown, but when she figured out what Miriah meant, she fought back a smile. "Let's go see if anyone has spotted him yet, shall we?" With that, both women stood and made their way out to the elevator.
Aric and Corso had been walking around for more than an hour, with no luck. Finally, in the cantina, they sat to grab a bite to eat and watch the foot traffic. When they'd finished eating, Aric asked the server if she'd seen anyone fitting Theron's description, and was surprised with her laughter.
"Aww, yeah! He's a right smelly mess presently, in the very back, wee room straight away," she told them, and Corso glanced down where she pointed. "Running up quite a tab." Aric looked at Corso, and they made their way down the narrow hallway. They could smell him before they saw him, the odors of stale whiskey, sweat, and tears making a terrible stew of scent. They stood at the entrance, giving themselves a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dim light, and saw Theron, several days growth of beard on his face, his clothing ripped and filthy, surrounded by empty glasses and a few bottles.
"Wow," Corso said softly, and moved to touch his arm. When he didn't move, they entered and sat him up, getting a groan and another terrible smell for the mix from his breath.
"Let's get him somewhere and hose him down," Aric said, his face crinkled. Corso nodded and they hefted Theron between them, dragging him out of the cantina to the sounds of cheers and gagging. Once outside, the smell dissipated somewhat, but they were still determined to get him cleaned up before anyone really figured out who he was. Corso pointed to the elevator, and Aric nodded.
As they reached the medbay level, Aric had figured out where they were taking the agent, and grinned. The huge shower facility there would allow them to put his whole body in, then turn on the water. Theron muttered in his stupor as they dragged him, but until the water began, he had not opened his eyes.
When the warm water hit him, Theron sat up straight, blinking as the shower rinsed his clothes. Corso had put his blaster on his own belt for safekeeping, and they watched, arms crossed, as Theron regained himself. They were unprepared, however, for him to break down, and when the man covered his face, tears joining the shower water, Corso turned to Aric, who shrugged.
"Why?" Theron sobbed. "Why didn't you just let me drink myself to death?"
Miriah materialized behind her husband then, and startled them all. "Because, you idiot, she loves you! You just have to find a way to fix this!" She stalked away, in all her tiny fury, her hands fisted by her sides.
"Well, there you go," Corso said, and they helped Theron stand, taking him to the med techs before going to find Miriah. When they did, she was already in the apartment, making dinner and humming. She invited Aric and Maura to join them, but Aric was planning on cooking himself, and declined. Corso moved into the kitchen, and sat while he observed his wife. She was in her element, bare footed, her hair clipped up, grinning at him over her shoulder, and he relaxed.
Lana had been informed that Theron was in the medcenter, and stood out in the hallway, staring at her lover as he was examined and medicated. How did we get to this, she wondered, and was lost in her memories when she heard her name.
"Miss Beniko, he's asking for you," the tech said softly, and she straightened her hair before following him in. Theron's eyes were swollen and he still had a faint odor, and she approached hesitantly. He never opened his eyes, but reached out his hand.
Lana stood still for a moment before taking it, wondering how people overcame feelings of betrayal.