Corso woke slowly, aware his wife was up already. He lay there for a moment before remembering the day before. He jumped up and threw a shirt on, already heading out toward the main rooms of the ship. He stopped short when he saw Miriah on the bridge, with Calypso in her lap. She was talking to the infant, and the baby was gazing at her intently. He stood back and watched them. His girls, he thought with a smile.
"You'll see, Calypso. Logan and Devin will show you all kinds of things, but flying? That's my area," Miriah said to the sleepy infant, softly chuckling when she just couldn't keep her light blue eyes open any longer. She shifted the child to her shoulder and rose from her captain's chair, and turning, saw Corso watching them. She joined him in the hallway and they made their way to their quarters.
"I told you I'd get up with her, and I'm sorry, darlin', I never heard her whimper." He kissed his wife, careful to not jostle the baby.
"She didn't cry. I woke up and she was just lying in her bed, sucking on her fist," Miriah told him. "I knew she was hungry, but she never made a sound. I guess for the past few days, crying did her no good." She gently placed the sleeping baby in her cradle. Calypso sighed and then relaxed, and her parents did, too.
Magdalane rose early, unable to completely relax with the dark force waves. She peered out into the rosy dawn sky, and wasn't surprised when she felt Felix stirring behind her. He always knows, she thought, when I'm troubled. He joined her just outside their quarters, speaking softly as Aric and Maura were still sleeping. "What's up, Mags? Can't sleep?" he asked, his voice worried.
"We used so much force yesterday, I was just too tired to keep up the shield against the dark force and sleep," she told him as they sat around the banked campfire. He put his arm around her, pulling her head onto his shoulder, where she closed her eyes. Just then, she giggled, making Felix look down at her in confusion. "I was just wondering how Mir is doing, and whether she and Corso fought over who was going to get up with the baby. I'd bet they both did." Felix smiled.
"Even with all the bad, at least something good came out of being here," he said. Mags nodded her agreement and enjoyed the quiet minutes before they would be hurled again into the day. It had not yet started to heat up when Aric and Maura joined them, Maura rubbing her eyes.
"Not looking forward to another day of looking at maps and intel," she said, yawning widely. Aric agreed as he stretched his muscled frame, trying to wake up himself. They trooped down to the mess tent and the caffa pot, and after his second cup, Aric seemed more himself.
"I'd rather be out shooting bad guys," he said, "but if it means you're safe, hon, I'll stay in command til I'm old and gray." Maura shot him a wry look, but she knew he just wanted to keep her safe. "Corso said it was terrible out there, so many dead and wounded. I wish I could do more."
Felix agreed. "I just keep Mags centered, that's it. I don't really have a function other than that."
Magdalane scoffed, "You do more than that. You make sure nothing hurts me when I'm in a force trance." She blushed a little, realizing that Felix was probably pretty bored. "Okay, I get it. But what can we do to change it?"
"I'm going with Miriah and Corso tomorrow," he stated, an apology to his wife in his eyes. "I need to feel like my being here has a purpose other than sitting on the sidelines."
"How do you know, with the new baby, that they'll be out in the trenches again?" Aric asked. "I'd think Miriah would be hard pressed to even leave the ship."
"She'll be back," Magdalane sighed. "She has a purpose here, I can feel it. And if she's here, you know Corso will be." They all nodded agreement, then silently mulled their days over a second cup of caffa. Finally, when she could put it off no longer, Magdalane rose and stretched. "I'm going to get to work," she said, and she put her hand on Felix's shoulder when he started to stand. "No, sweetheart. Go and see the commander with Maura and Aric. Perhaps he has something he needs you to help with. I'll be fine." She smiled into his eyes as they met hers, and he knew she was right. He nodded, stood and kissed her, and followed his sister in law to the center of the camp.
The commander met the group as they entered. "Majors, we have new intel to work through. Is this Felix Iresso you have with you?" He grinned and clapped the former soldier on the back. "I served with you on Hoth, do you remember? You once smacked me in the head for considering leaving my post." The dawning of recognition in Felix's eyes, and then the embarrassment of the statement, made Felix laugh.
"I do remember, how are you doing? Quite well, it appears." They spent a few minutes catching up, then the commander addressed the group.
"We're planning a eight man assault into the crazed groups southeast of the camp. The Majors here will get more details, but Felix? If you're up for it, would you look over the group makeups? I remember you're quite the tactician."
Felix grinned. "I'd be happy to," he replied, and made his way to the computer terminal.
Miriah and Sarai sat in the comfortable lounge of the ship, Sarai feeding her new granddaughter. "How will you be able to go back down, Mir? You miss her right now and you can see her," Sarai said, concerned for her daughter.
"I have to, Mom. Calypso is proof that we're needed there." She leaned over and kissed the baby's head. "I don't want to leave her, but I'll be coming back to the ship every evening. She needs to have consistency now, and even if Corso stays planetside, I'll be shuttling back." She shrugged. "It's only an hour or so if I take one of my shuttles." Corso entered then, hearing his name, and gave her an inquiring look. "I was just saying, if we took one of the ship's shuttles, we could be back every evening, or if you wanted to stay…"
"And miss time with my daughter? No way," he replied. "If you come back, I'm with you. Besides," he said, sitting beside her and putting his arm around her shoulders, "I kinda like sleeping in our bed rather than the cots down there." She laughed, knowing she preferred it as well, but felt a little guilty about her sisters being on Oricon without her.
They spent the day aboard the ship playing with the baby, and when she slept, being entertained by the young adults aboard. Logan told stories of when he and Devin were boys on the ranch, and Ian and Coleen added theirs. It was clear that Logan was looking forward to seeing Calypso grow up in their family. Miriah wondered how she might tell Devin, and remembered that he would get the opportunity to check messages weekly. She sat down at the computer terminal on the bridge and began to type.
"My sweet boy, I have wonderful news. During our work on Oricon, which involved rescuing passengers from downed shuttles, we recovered a tiny girl. Dad and I took her to the command post, and when we discovered she was an orphan, we adopted her. Her name is Calypso, and she's about two months old. I know it's an adjustment, but we love her already and know you will, too, when you get to meet her. I'm attaching a holo of her to this message, sleeping in Logan's old cradle on the ship.
I'm confident you're doing well with your training, or I'm sure Shan would have said something to Mags by now. We're all fine, and working on the Oricon problem in different ways. Dad and I are very proud of you, Dev. Please know that we always love you and think about you. Hopefully, we can bring Calypso to see you soon. In the meantime, work hard and keep your spirits up.
Love,
Mom"
Corso smiled when he read the message, and nodded when she pressed the Send button. "The peanut is awake," her told her, "and Logan is feeding her." He sat beside her on the bridge. "We have so very much to give her. I can't help but wonder if this is why we were sent here, cyare. To take care of Calypso. Maybe you should just stay here and take care of her. I'll go back and help." He knew she was shaking her head even before he looked up at her.
"We work together, sugar. You know that. Besides, she'll be safe here with Mom, and we'll see her every night. I don't want to leave her, but there's no way I'm taking her back down there." She stood and put her arms around him. "I feel guilty enough coming back here every night. I can't leave Mags and Maura down there." He knew she would feel that way, and hugged her back.
"We'll work it out, darlin'. You'll see, and maybe this will be done soon." They joined the rest of the family in the lounge, the holo playing a show very softly. Logan held Calypso, and she gazed at him with her limited focus. Miriah studied them together. Logan's hair color was a very near match to the baby's, and her light blue eyes were similar to Miriah's own silver ones. If we didn't tell people, they would assume she's our biological daughter, she thought. Maybe she was the reason we felt pulled to be here. She realized she was content, here with her family. Relaxed. Calypso started to fuss, and Logan handed her to Corso. She immediately settled in his arms, Daddy's girl already, she thought. He walked over and sat next to her, the baby already closing her eyes. How did something I had forgotten I wanted fill such a space inside that I feel whole again, she wondered. She put her head on her husband's shoulder, and rested there, content with her life.
By the end of the day, Felix felt he'd accomplished something. He'd put together a team that he felt had the best chance of success against the possessed force users. It included himself, Miriah, Corso, and a few others he'd met here. He sat back, a satisfied grin on his face. This, he thought, is what I needed. He was still figuring out specific details when Aric joined him and looked over his shoulder at the screen. "This is excellent, Felix. You know, maybe Maura and I should go with you on this."
Felix thought for a moment, and agreed. "You guys would certainly be assets. I know Mags will be stuck adding her considerable force to that keeping the supply ships safe, but the rest of us could make this push a success." He stretched, feeling the stiffness in his shoulders. "I haven't been in battle in a while, but I remember how to shoot," he said.
Aric laughed. "Like riding a speeder," he said. "Let's grab Maura and go eat. We can fill her in on the way." They made their way to the mess tent, where they'd started their day, and enjoyed the company to end the day.
By morning, Miriah had changed her mind a dozen times, but she resigned herself to leaving her new baby and returning to Oricon. She'd paced a good portion of the night, unable to keep her conflicting thoughts at bay. She'd spent hours staring at Calypso, the internal struggle of tearing herself away from the innocence of the child to go back to the hell of the moon was making her sick. Corso realized she was having trouble when she threw her gear bag onto the shuttle, muttering Huttese swear words, then collapsed in tears beside it on the floor.
"Shhh my love, I know it's terrible hard to leave her, I hate it, too. Stay here," he told her, sitting on the floor beside her and pulling her into his lap. Her tears soaked the front of his shirt.
"I can't, I need to be there. It just hurts more than I thought it would," she told him, trying to gain control over her emotions. "Let's just go, end this whole business of the Dread Masters, and go home."
Corso grinned, and stood up with her in his arms. "Sounds like a plan, cyare." He put her gently in the pilot's seat, and took the left seat after sealing the shuttle hatch. "Sarai, we'll see you all tonight. Give all the kids a kiss from us," he said over the comm relay. He turned to his wife, who was still sniffling. "Rest, kitten. I can get us down," he told her, seeing her nod in agreement.
They started for the moon's surface, not really wanting to be there but ready for the coming combat.