Miriah paused outside the cantina, lost in her thoughts. It was a warm day, and her detail was around her, but she was oblivious. Felix looked around them anxiously, and finally Miriah felt his worry radiating around him. She caught his eye and smiled, and felt him relax a bit. Torian remained vigilant, and after another few moments, Miriah proceeded into the appearance change area. The stylists on hand were momentarily speechless, but quickly recovered and greeted her warmly. When she explained what she had in mind, she saw the shock pass over the young woman's face before it was replaced with a confident nod. They scanned her face into the terminal and Miriah took her time, picking the one style she thought worked best before showing the young woman.

"Excellent choice," she said, and Miriah saw her name was Lina. "Let's get started." Miriah followed her to the shampoo station, then back to her chair. "I promise, Commander, you're going to love this! As thick as your hair is, you'll only have to wash it and quickly dry it, then you're off to your day." The woman continued to talk, but Miriah tuned her out, anxiously biting her lower lip as the scissors did their work. She felt the cool air on her neck and suppressed a shiver, thinking about what Corso had said about this very thing only a few days ago. When it was done, she slowly lifted her hand to feel the back of her head and smiled.

"It's perfect! Thanks!" she grinned up at Lina, and was rewarded with a huge smile.

"I'll see you in a few weeks to keep it in shape, but let me know if you need anything. Anything at all," Lina gushed, happy that Miriah was happy. When the Alliance Commander met her detail outside, Felix let loose a low whistle.

"Mir, that's stunning!" he said appreciatively. "Honestly, it suits you well." Miriah blushed and thanked him.

"Good decision," Torain said in his usual blunt fashion. "Long hair can be a problem in a fight." Miriah looked at him for a moment before laughing, and they resumed their detail. When she walked into the war room, she saw Maura. The look on her sister's face was priceless.

"Mir! You look like a teenager again!" Maura hugged her, and pulled back to look at her again. They were giggling together when they heard Corso.

"Whoa!" he said loudly, moving toward them. He didn't say anything else, just pulled Miriah into a deep kiss. When he lifted his head, his words were only for her. "I love it, darlin. Remember what I plan to do," he said, and watched her eyes darken with passion before gently kissing her nose and letting her stand on her own.

"Well, now that we've all seen the new 'do," Miriah said, "I want to get everyone together to discuss some things." The others in the war room scrambled to assemble the team, and quickly the room filled. Maura stopped Aric at the elevator, so he wasn't so much surprised to see his sister in law as he was happy that she'd done something that made her happy. As they sat, Miriah remained standing. "I know that Colonel Dinn is working on the Zakuul angle, but I'm concerned about Scorpio. She knows where we are, so that means Vaylin either has that info and is waiting to do anything, or she hasn't been informed. Either way, we need to stay a few steps ahead. How are our new recruits fitting in?" She looked around at her advisors, and saw that Lana had joined them. She still looks pale, Miriah thought, but it's good to see her up and around. She sat in her chair and waited for the group to speak.

Aric was still standing and took a step forward. "We've started training in earnest, now that the issue of lodging has been satisfied. I noticed that the numbers have leveled out in the last couple of days. Now, we need equipment. Some have brought weapons with them, but we need to get some shipments of ammo and power packs." Miriah saw Hylo making notes and nodding. "Also, what are the seasons on this planet? I know it's been warm, but are we expecting a cooling off? Or even snow?" Every eye turned to Lana.

"As far as I am aware, there should only be snow at higher elevations," she said, her voice still a little raspy. "Here, we will experience a cooler weather pattern for a few months, but not freezing." Miriah saw everyone relax a small bit with that news. "So our gardens should be fine for a bit longer. We've managed to secure a couple of new food sources," and here she looked at Hylo.

Hylo stood and cleared her throat. "We have some perishable items coming in from closer around, but also some frozen food items from the core worlds, now that the tributes on some have lessened."

"What do you mean, the tributes have lessened?" Miriah asked.

"Apparently, since Vaylin took the throne, the Eternal Empire is accepting credits only from a good many worlds, and leaving their natural resources alone. Those worlds are more than happy to sell to us, as long as it can't be traced back to them." Miriah nodded slowly.

"Let's make sure they're safe on that front, then," Miriah said, and Hylo canted her head toward her. "That means that there may be more things for sale that we may need, so let's get some lists together. Aric, tell us what you need. Mags, you're the point for the force users. Is Theron here?" She saw his hand raised behind others standing around, and smiled. "Can you see what the specialists need?"

"Absolutely," he responded, and smiled himself. It felt good to be a part of things again, he admitted to himself. His joy was doubled when he saw Lana smile at him, too.

Miriah continued. "Devin, please check with the instructors. I'm sure our children have things they may need for school. Felix, let our vendors know that some supply routes may be opening up, and that we will need some warmer gear pretty soon." She saw Felix grin and knew he'd been feeling out of things lately. Other than the protection detail, he'd been looking for things to do.

Corso merely watched his wife as she did what she does best, organize and move the mission forward. He loved the way her hair moved when she did, and how young it made her look, and couldn't wait to have her attention. He was staring at her, lost in thought, when he realized the meeting was breaking up and people were milling past him. He waited until it was only Miriah, Maura and Aric left to approach. "We didn't address Scorpio, but what can we really say other than, be ready?" he asked, and put his hand on Miriah's shoulder.

"That's really all," Aric admitted, and shrugged. "I'm still puzzled by their relationship, and what it all means. I wonder if, as the Lady of Sorrows, there was a relationship there?"

"Good question," Miriah murmured. "We may never know, but we can be prepared. Still no word from Solasta? I admit, I'm getting a little worried."

"We got her check in this morning. She's expecting some intel this evening, she has a group that's been in the Old World," Aric told her. "Her XO has joined her at least." Corso turned his head sharply at Aric's words, and saw the grin on the Cathar's face. Well, it's a start, Corso thought.

Miriah sighed. "Okay, then, I'm going to the apartment, so the detail can be done for today," she said, watching Felix and Torian as they kept an eye on the room. Aric walked over to them, and Corso pulled her to stand, putting his arm around her as they walked to their apartment.

Lana caught up with Theron as they left the meeting. "Great to have you up and around," he told her, and she stopped, putting a hand on his arm.

"I'd like to have dinner, if you're up for it. Catch me up for the past couple of days," she told him, and saw his smile.

"You're on. Meet you back here in an hour?" She nodded and he set off to the different wings, making notes on his data pad as he talked with each of the specialists. He was feeling well, his mind clear and his emotions even, and as he made his way through the secured area of the base, realized he felt in tune with what they'd started here, possibly for the first time in weeks. By the time he met with Lana in the hallway, he was even whistling a tune, and she turned a surprised face to him.

"You seem more like yourself today," she told him, and he replied with a huge smile.

"I feel good. I know I still need to earn my place back, but I want to. I really want to." They stepped off the elevator and headed for the mess hall, and Lana felt herself let go of her worries, at least for the time being.

Corso simply couldn't keep his eyes off Miriah. Once they were in the apartment, she immediately went to change, and then into the kitchen. He worked beside her, but still found himself glancing at her. "I know, I look different, huh?" she finally said, and he blushed.

"You know I love you no matter how you look, but it's just amazing how different it makes you," he told her, bending to kiss her.

"I'm glad, because I want to suggest something, and it helps that I look different," she said, and he suddenly felt apprehensive. "I think, with some tinted glasses, I could, I mean, we could go to Zakuul and see things for ourselves."

"No," Corso said. "No way would that be a good idea. Besides, the Colonel is already there, and you know what a risk multiple landings are." Miriah simply stared at him, thinking, but he knew she was working on another angle. "I know you're getting antsy, and that the detail is making you feel claustrophobic, but darlin' this is just not a great idea."

Miriah sighed. "I know, we just really need to get an idea what's going on."

Corso took her in his arms, and since dinner was already cooking, he led her into the living area. "Let's see what we might be able to find on the holonet," he suggested, and she shrugged. They hopped from feed to feed, watching for a few seconds to determine the program, then moving on. They found the main holo news from the core worlds, and watched long enough to realize that former Chancellor Saresh still had a firm hold on the information being sent out. They skipped around for almost an hour before Miriah jumped to her feet and pointed.

"There!" she shouted, and Corso backed up one channel. On the feed they saw Vaylin, sitting at a table on a balcony, sipping from a delicate cup. Behind her, they could see that she was in some sort of high rise building, and Zakuul was the backdrop.

"What have we found?" Corso asked, and pulled his holo from his pocket. When Aric answered, they spoke briefly, but Miriah never took her eyes from the holo feed. In only a minute, Aric and Maura were at their door.

Aric stood in front of the holo and was speechless. When he found his voice, he confirmed what Miriah had been thinking. "This must be a feed from a security camera, that's the only thing that makes sense." Miriah nodded, and sat beside Corso.

"My question is, who has this going out over an unsecured feed, and why?"