Miriah sat back and rubbed the warm oil in her hands. Corso lay bare before her, and she was perched on his butt. He lay beneath her, his breathing even and slow, enjoying having her focus. She hummed as she worked the tension out of his muscles, the farm work which he had done for years taking a toll on him the past two days. She reminded herself that he was technically still recovering from his injuries, and had decided that she would try to be less of a burden on him. She was lost in thought, her fingers lingering over his smooth skin when he flipped her underneath him, capturing her mouth with his. When he lifted his head, she started to speak, but he stopped her with a finger over her lips. "Shh," he told her, "just kiss me and let's nap." She nodded and he kissed her again before gathering her close, his eyes already closing. They were already in hyperspace, on the way to Odessen.
Miriah closed her eyes and felt the guilt wash over her again. Somehow, word had gotten out on Dantooine that the Alliance Commander was at the ranch, and the second morning they were there, they all woke to the sounds of the gathered crowd. All day long, they kept coming, stopping only at the fencing, hoping to get a glimpse of her. She had tried to be accommodating, but after a while the press of people became scary, and she'd turned to Aric and Corso, who were flanking her, and Devin, who was putting out calming waves with Mia. When she turned toward the house, after having shaken thousands of hands, she saw the crowd part for the Jedi contingent, who divided the mass of people and set up a perimeter around her, letting her take a deep breath. With her safety assured, she lifted her hand, gaining their immediate attention. She spoke a few words, thanked them all and encouraged their support of the Alliance, and finally made her way into the house. But it was too late, the day was gone, and they were scheduled to leave only a few hours later. She let out a sigh and rolled over, feeling Corso's steady breath on her neck. He didn't deserve to miss the last day with his animals, she thought. None of them deserved to have to work on their break from Odessen. She tried to quiet her mind, focusing on the cadence of Corso's breathing, and finally drifted, totally enclosed in his embrace.
While they rested, Devin sat with Aric and Maura in the lounge area. Aric brought up the large presence at the ranch, and Devin shook his head. "We've all been telling her she needs more security, but I really thought she'd be safe at home."
Aric snorted. "She's just too stubborn to realize that everybody wants her. And that crowd today might have turned ugly if she hadn't had us around her. All it takes is one crazy," he said, shaking his own head.
"The look on her face when she finally got inside made my heart hurt," Maura said, putting her head on Aric's shoulder. "She wanted a break, but it didn't turn out to be much of one."
Lana had gotten Miriah's message that they were on the way back, and was happy. She had gone into work and was putting together some intel missions on Zakuul when Theron knocked on her door. When she looked up, all she saw was a hand with some cheery flowers in it, and grinned. He'd been doing little things for her for a couple of days now, and she realized she didn't tense in his presence anymore. "You can come in, Theron. Those are quite lovely," she told him, as he poked his head around the door frame.
"I thought they might bring a smile to your face," he said, and his voice sounded confident, a change from the past week. She knew he'd been to talk to his counselor, and it seemed as if it had been a good session. "Lunch?" he asked hopefully.
Lana paused and considered. "I could, I suppose. But first, I really want to talk to you about something." She could see the cloud cover his face, but was determined to get him to open up to her.
Theron sighed. "Okay, shoot," he told her, wincing.
"Oh, Theron, I'm not trying to start an argument here," she told him. "What is your take on the current situation on Zakuul?"
Theron paused, thinking. "Well, Vaylin doesn't have the Fleet anymore, so that weapon is gone. We pretty much demolished her primary droid factory on Darvannis. If I'm guessing here, I'd say we need more information. I'll put out some feelers, see what I can find out." He felt a zing of hope, and realized he'd missed doing his job. Lana rewarded him with a brilliant smile.
"Now, let's go find a bite to eat," she told him. "I've been thinking about some tea for a short while." They made their way to the mess hall, and both were optimistic, Lana about the future of Odessen, Theron about her.
On board the Dreamweaver, Miriah and Maura had cooked and they'd all sat down to a huge meal. When they were done, the conversation turned to the Alliance and Vaylin. Aric had been doing some thinking, and spoke his mind. "I think we need a detail on Zakuul to find out what's going on there," he stated, and saw Miriah nod in agreement.
"I was thinking the same thing, and I propose we ask Solasta to go down and gather some information," she said. "She has the most time on the ground there, and will know the area better than any of us."
"Good idea," Maura said. "I am risking a punch in the arm, but Mir, you really have to be more security conscious." Miriah frowned, but she'd realized, in the crowd on Dantooine, that she could have been easily hurt or killed by someone there, and she'd never see it coming.
"I hear you, sister. I always have Corso, but maybe I need to have more. I don't want to appear surrounded by bodyguards, but I know that my days of doing as I please are rapidly dwindling." Corso was shocked. He'd been wanting to discuss that very thing, but didn't want Miriah to get angry with him. Instead he sent a grateful look to his sister in law and put an arm around his wife, glad she was safe and beside him. "I never would have thought so many people would take time out of their busy days, or lives, to trek out to the ranch to see me."
Aric rose to refill his caffa mug. "You are the face of the Alliance, Mir. You are the glue, I've told you that before. Without you, we're basically a group of people who want our lives back, the ones we had before Arcann and Valkorion destroyed so much of our history and our planets." He leaned back on the counter, sipping the hot drink. "Besides, you look better than your other half," he joked, and saw Corso blush.
"He's right, darlin'. Let us keep you safe," he told her, kissing her cheek. She nodded her agreement, and saw the relief in his eyes.
Logan and Devin had been discussing the same things as they cleaned the galley. "I know you are generally around," Logan told Devin, "but I want to be involved, too. I want to be a part of the security detail."
Devin looked around his brother at Elara. "Did you discuss this with your boss?" he asked playfully. Logan popped him with a dishtowel and frowned.
"We discussed it, yes, but we are co-bosses," he shot back at his brother.
Devin grinned. "No, she's the boss. Moms are always the boss. You know that," he said with a smirk. Logan thought for a moment, then nodded. He'd seen, more and more since James was born, that his wife really did know how to make everything work better. "I'm sure we can work out a good rotation. If I know my uncles, they'll want to be in on this, as well as Aunt Maura. When we get back, we can see what's coming up and set up a schedule." They finished the clearing up and joined the others in the lounge.
The ship gently touched down on it's designated pad, and Miriah stretched from the pilot's seat. It was good to be home, she thought, then stopped. Home. This is home? She turned her head to see Corso helping take Onyx out of the hold, and it clicked into place. This is home, she admitted to herself, and shut down her ship.
Aric and Maura were almost out of the hangar when Sarai met them with hugs. "I see you've had a good few days," she commented, and they nodded at her.
"How are things here?" Maura asked.
"Nothing really new," Sarai told her. "The recruits continue to come in at a steady rate. We've already had to add some classes to the school to accommodate the new students, but it seems that with every ship coming in to bring new people, they bring resources with them. Last I saw, there was a huge stack of building materials out near the smuggler hangar." Aric was listening, but was also on alert. He told Sarai about the impromptu mob at the ranch, and she frowned. "She just can't be so accessible."
"Agreed," Aric said, and saw Corso and Devin flanking Miriah as they walked toward him, Logan hanging back to scan the area. Good, he thought, and caught Maura's attention, his eyes telling her that he was going ahead to make sure the hangar was secured. She gave him a nod and took Sarai's arm.
"Let's go help Elara with the baby things," she said, and they walked to where the young woman was carrying James. Aric reached the war room, and when he was assured that no one there was unfamiliar, motioned Corso forward.
"Really?" Miriah said, loud enough that Aric overheard. "In the secured area of the base? I really need this level of protection?" Her voice was incredulous, she'd roamed this area on her own since they'd initially touched down on this planet.
"Yes," Aric stated. "For starters, you need to get used to it. Also, you cannot know everyone, even everyone with this level of clearance."
Devin stepped forward. "I've got both assassin droid units at the apartment doors, with instructions to keep a clear perimeter there."
"I've set up a secure relay channel so that we know who's where," Corso said, and blushed when Miriah turned narrowed eyes to him.
"So, me and Maura, Dev, Lo, Corso, Ian, Felix I'm sure, and who else do we absolutely trust?" Aric asked. He'd thought about Colin, but knew that his son was with his infantry unit.
"Nico," Corso offered, and got a nod from Aric.
"Torian," Devin said, even though he hadn't known the Mandalorian long. "I know he's working with the new recruits, but in a pinch, he would be a good man to have on your side."
"That gives us plenty to work with. Mir, you'll need to give me your schedule, I'll set up the security," Aric said, getting approval from Corso. Once she'd gone inside the apartment, Corso hung back.
"Thanks, Aric. I don't trust many as well as I do you to keep her safe," he told his friend, getting a slap on the back from the Cathar.
"It's my pleasure to do it," he said. "I feel like I don't really do enough here, especially when I see her running around doing everything."
"I know what you mean," Corso said with a laugh, and followed Miriah inside.
Theron watched the Commander as she and her family entered the war room, and wondered about the discussion they were having. If I were Corso, he thought, I'd be more worried about her safety than anything else right now. He realized he had been correct when he saw them form up around her as they made their way to their apartment. Maybe, he thought, I haven't lost all of my mind, and that made him chuckle to himself as he rose to see if he could entice Lana into a walk.
Lana knew Miriah was back on planet, but wanted to give her the evening to settle in again before talking. She'd been trying to figure out how to explain her past, and every time she thought about it, she grew more hesitant. I know, she thought, that I have to get it out, or it will haunt me forever. She was contemplating how to start when Theron spoke to her, making her jump off the chair.
"Whoa, sorry," he said, and she could see he meant it. "I had no idea I'd startle you like that."
"No worries," she told him. "What is it?" He explained that he'd wanted to ask her to go for a walk, but after her scare, he'd understand if she needed a minute. "I really do," she told him, her hand on her chest, her heart still racing. "Can we meet for dinner instead?" His grin told her his answer, and they agreed on a time. She watched him leave, wondering if she would ever be able to tell him about Rasta, the man who had taken her innocence, her pride, and almost her life.
