Summary: When Maximillian Veers takes up a placement on the Death Squadron, Mia can no longer look away in the name of love...
Her allegiance is questioned and there's a choice she's been postponing but can no longer avoid!
Notes: When I first created Mia Janson, I had a very different vision in my mind. Slowly but steadily, that vision changed and my Muse to create Mia both physically but also in spirit, heart and wit, was the wonderful Sridevi Kapoor...
... Just yesterday, the 1st of March, I was informed that Sridevi had sadly passed away at the early age of 54... More than just the Hawa Hawai girl or the seasoned, strong woman on English Vinglish, she was an inspiration. Rest In Peace...
Sridevi Kapoor
August 13, 1963, Sivakasi, Madras State, India - February 24, 2018, Dubai
1 ABY, Coronet City, Corellia
The shuttle gently began rising on that sunny morning on Coronet. The mood was a bustling one. Children played happily while the grownups settled in for the trip ahead.
It was a good day…
Except for the woman sitting in the very last row of the transport…
Her golden-brown eyes, usually lively and sparkly, seemed to have lost all light.
She was saying goodbye to her home. The place where she'd raised her children. Her home for eight years.
Her brother had been right. One day a decision would have to be made. She'd ignored her husband's line of duty during the time that same job had kept him in Corellia, working closely with CorSec, maintaining peace and order in the capital city of Coronet.
But then the transfer orders came - a placement on the Death Squadron, commanding the unit known as Thundering Herd!
And still, she stayed behind, always waiting patiently for her husband to come home on his leaves.
Her love for Max was bigger than the rest… or so she thought…
The discussions became a constant and one day he'd said it…
"Deep down inside you've always been one of them, haven't you?"
It hadn't been the words. It had been the way he asked, his tone of voice, his expression of disdain…
"If by 'them' you mean people who believe in basic decency, liberty and the right to live without fear, then yes!"
And before she could exactly process what was happening, she'd moved into Zev's old room and in a matter of days, she had announced that she was going back to Taanab.
Max had been beyond himself, begging her to reconsider, not to end their marriage like that. But what had made him break down had been their daughters adamantly staying by Mia's side.
And now here she was, on a transport heading to Commenor from where she was supposed to take a shuttle heading to Taanab…
Arlana, Sari and Lani were as quiet and demure as herself. It had never been her intention to take the girls away from their father, but it was unthinkable to remain there while Max served directly under Vader!
The boys had stayed behind - grown up men they were now… not boys anymore. Zev had recently got a promotion to Senior Agent with CorSec, and Orin was on a brilliant start on Coronet's university. They had their own life away from their home.
Taanab…
It hadn't been her home ever since she became Lady Veers.
In her rage against the man who symbolised the regime that had killed Derrit and had taken Wes away from home, she had disavowed from her rights to become Head of the Clan, passing that right instead to Wes.
She remembered the moment she'd said goodbye to her distraught mother, placing the medallion that she'd carried since her seventeenth lifeday. Lady Serina later found a way to send it to Wes…
Mia wondered how her mother would receive her…
But more than that, she had been questioning herself if by going back to Daouneer Valley wouldn't ultimately bring unwanted attention upon her family.
If anyone in the Empire managed to find out the Jansons and the Arkans had been funding and sending supplies to the Rebellion, it would be the end of them all…
"Rest, mother…" Arlana's steady hand held on to hers. She looked exhausted herself, but she was still first and always making sure her mother and sisters were alright. Even as a child, Arlana had been a strong but kind person, no doubt inherited from Eliana Veers!
"I will sweetheart. You should rest too, like your sisters." Mia touched the girl's face, caressing her pale cheek. "I'm so sorry, dear…"
"Don't be Maree ." She said, using the Taanabian word, which she'd always found to have a more affectionate tone than Basic. "You followed your heart on every step of the way. Unfortunately, father followed his military allegiance rather than his family… Maybe one day he'll see the error of his ways."
Arlana rested her head on Mia's shoulder, not letting go of her mother's hand. Mia closed her eyes trying to give in to the exhaustion that had crept up on her. Her eyes burned and she knew sooner or later the tears would inevitably surface, no matter how much she tried to act strongly around the girls.
Finally, the release of sleep fell upon her and the shuttle advanced through the stars.
The days on Commenor went by in a haze.
Decisions would have to be made and those decisions could affect the three girls roaming around in the cottage garden.
She could send them to Taanab, but they wouldn't even hear about it!
The little ones, even five-year-old Lani, had firmly refused to leave their mother, and Arlana had taken the chance to reason with Mia that she would need her to look after the little ones… wherever they were heading.
In the end, she had taken the decision that could prove riskier to the four of them but would protect everyone in Taanab.
"Lady Ithylia, protect my children…" The whispered prayer left her lips as she remained aware of what she needed to do. "Arlana, dear, look after your sisters for a while, will you? I'll come back in a couple of hours."
"Yes, mother."
Mia left for the town center. She knew exactly where she needed to go and who to contact.
She stopped in front of a nondescript Caf House, one that had many unsuspecting families enjoying another warm day on the picturesque town of Delkayd. Mia sat on a table, waiting for the waiter to come.
"Good morning, M'lady," The young red-haired boy greeted her. "What will you be having?"
"Do you still serve the 'Trygg Special'?" Mia asked with a pleasant smile.
The young man seemed confused for a moment. "I'll ask the owner, M'Lady. I just started working here a couple of weeks ago, so, unfortunately, I have not yet heard of that menu. If you'll excuse me…"
She saw as the boy disappeared at the back of the counter and after a couple of minutes, a round woman with a cheerful smile appeared. She walked to her table, greeting Mia before sitting down beside her.
"You asked for the Trygg Special?"
"I did."
The woman stretched her hand. "And who's asking, exactly?"
Mia handed her a card that the woman checked thoroughly. She squinted at first but afterwards gave her a wide smile, giving Mia her card back and adding another card.
"Allteef Spaceport. Hangar WA17. Tomorrow at 08:00 on the dot."
"Thank you…" Mia whispered.
The woman went back inside and the young waiter brought her some kind of fruit salad and a mug with juice.
Letting out a heavy sigh, she forced herself to eat. After all, that was what she was supposed to be there for…
It was early morning and the sky above had a rosy tint to it.
Mia stood on the Hangar waiting for her assigned transport. The girls were a bit restless, but Arlana had taken on herself to distract the little ones.
Then she saw their pilot. A blue-skinned Twi'lek with worn out fatigues and a ready smile.
"Lady Veers?" She asked.
"Yes."
"I'm Shiri'fen. My spaceship is over there. Please…" She signalled them to a corner of the hangar. The freighter looked like it had stepped right out of the Republic era. It was sturdy and its crew had obviously taken excellent care of it.
"Where are we going, Maree ?" Sari asked shyly.
"To a safe place…"
The five of them climbed the boarding ramp into the spaceship where a smiling Bothan awaited. The little ones gave him a curious look.
"Never seen a Bothan before?" He smiled, getting down to the girls' level.
"Uhn-uh…" Lani shook her head, half hidden behind Mia, but smiling at him.
"The name's Karsk Sey'nya!" He ruffled Lani's hair, rising to shake Mia's hand. "Welcome aboard the Drakonia."
"Thank you, Master Sey'nya." Mia reciprocated the greeting. The inside of the freighter looked well kept and had a certain air of… home.
"Make yourselves comfortable." He smiled again, his brown fur undulating slightly on his arms. "If you need anything, me and the wife are at your service!" Karsk winked, leaving them to their privacy.
"I like them!" Arlana announced.
"Good! Because they are our lift to wherever my brother is…" Mia settled the little ones on their chairs.
"Yay! We gon' see uncle Wes!" Lani cheered.
Mia sighed, sitting between the girls.
"I hope I'm making the right decision…"
Hoth System, Echo Base
The two men waited on the South entrance of Echo Base, scanning the skies above them with their macrobinoculars. The blond man chuckled at the impatience of the dark haired one by his side.
"Kriff's sake, Wes!" Tycho shook his head. "You grumbling won't make Shiri pilot that thing any faster!"
"I know, it's just… I can't believe Mia actually left that guy!" Wes stored his macros on his utility belt, giving Tycho a half smile. "Finally…"
"Yeah, just don't seem to happy about it when they arrive, ok?" Tycho warned him. "Try to remember your nieces just left their father behind… regardless of him being an Imp."
"I know! I'm not insensitive."
"Never said you were." Tycho rounded Wes' waist, leaning into a kiss.
Wes returned the kiss gladly, until a grey and red freighter caught his line of sight. "Ummm…" He broke the kiss, holding Tycho's chin with his index finger, turning the Alderaanian's head gently towards the image of the incoming ship. He kissed him on the cheek, whispering in his ear. "They're here."
Both men followed the freighter's manoeuvres as it descended evenly onto the landing dock assigned to the Drakonia .
The ship stopped and the ramp opened. Shiri and Karsk were the first ones out, walking towards the pilots.
"Nice to see you, guys!" Karsk slapped each on the shoulder. "I brought you some visitors, Janson… You never told me your sister was that good looking!" He raised his eyebrows. While Shiri just rolled her eyes at her husband. "Looking at you, no one would guess."
"You put up with him voluntarily?" Wes turned to Shiri.
"He barks more than he bites." The Twi'lek shrugged. "Come on, smart-ass… let's unload the cargo. Leave Janson and Celchu alone. See you later, guys."
"See ya." Both pilots waved at them.
After the couple left, two small girls ran down the ramp to throw each other into their awaiting arms with Arlana and Mia following close.
"Hello, Wes." Mia gave him a sad smile.
Wes held Sari with one arm, drawing his sister to him with the other. "Welcome to the Rebellion, Mia."
They remained holding close as the six of them left the hangar.
Little by little the oppressive height on her chest left her.
Whatever came ahead, she would face it head held high! She had her brother with her. She had her daughters. Even Tycho's presence helped.
They would pull through no matter what.
After all, she was a Janson!