Aric and Corso worked with Torian on readying the drones. "Should all have night vision lenses now," Aric said, setting the last one down. They had fifteen drones, and Corso was busy feeding the requested routes into them now. Torian was plugging in power supplies, so that they could make the journey to and from without any issues. Miriah had been checking on them, and Corso could see by the way her shoulders had gotten closer to her ears that she was again stressed. He stood to go to her, and she leaned into him as his arm went around her.
"This is just a fact finding mission," he told her. "If there's something there, we'll alert the militia and bring forces. There's no need to start pacing and worrying, darlin'."
Miriah smiled up at him, but he could see in her eyes that she was already two steps ahead. "I'll try," she replied, and he lay his cheek on her head.
"I have some surefire stress relieving tricks," he said, his voice low, and she giggled softly.
"I think I remember those," she said. "Are things almost wrapped up for tonight?"
"Yeah, we'll send these babies off tomorrow afternoon," he confirmed. "So, for now, let's go see how close dinner is and then we can plan from there."
Aric saw his friends together and sighed. Torian had, as well, and sat across from Aric. "I sure didn't want to interfere with the Commander's rest break," he said, looking at the floor. "But it was just too glaring to ignore."
"She needed to know," Aric said, his large hand coming down on Torian's shoulder. "And believe me, it's better to be on the offensive with this."
"Caly is so worried, and Mom so pale," he said, his voice for Aric's ears only. Aric noted the use of family names, wondering if Torian realized the change. Torian was silent as he considered the past day. Caly had woken several times during the night, anxious about Miriah clearing the carbonite by-products. She'd finally settled early this morning, and at this rate, he figured she and her mom would both be exhausted soon.
"Miriah is innately strong. She will figure out how to overcome this and still do everything she wants to do. She always has." Aric strode away then, hoping he had convinced the young man. Truth was, he wasn't as sure this time. He'd seen Mir in all states of health, and now, she just seemed too fragile to continue, even with days of rest. Maura had seen it, too, and they'd talked into the night about how to handle things. Today, Mir looks good, he thought. If only Corso can keep her on an even keel for a little longer, just enough to get her through this. He saw his wife and sister in law as they entered the kitchen, and pasted on a smile.
Caly called to Torian, telling him dinner was ready. He hurried to her, and she took his hand. "You look tired, love," she told him, and he felt her words. He'd been running all day, and the thought of a hot meal and an early bedtime appealed to him.
"Let's make it an early night, okay?" he told her, and she nodded. She knew she'd been keeping him from sleep with her own nighttime dramas, and hoped she would be able to rest quietly herself tonight.
"I'm good with that," she said, and they joined the family already seated. He ate heartily, as he nearly always did, and helped to clear the table, but when she looked for him, she realized he was already gone. Hearing him in the shower as she entered their room, she quickly changed and turned down the bed. Torian emerged from the steam of the refresher and she waited for him to dress. Once under the sheets, she turned off the light and settled against him.
"I can see how Mom gets so exhausted," he said, hugging her close. "Just taking care of the things today made me tired."
"If I can't sleep, I'll go into one of the other rooms," she said, but felt him tighten his embrace.
"Then I won't sleep at all," he teased, and she chuckled softly.
"Well then, close your eyes. I'm not going anywhere," she replied, and felt his body relax under her cheek.
Lana had just settled on the sofa after lunch when she received the request for an interview. Hmm, she thought. Maybe, this would clarify some things about the agreement to work with the Republic. But I know how Miriah hates to be spotlighted. I'll send the request to her, see what she thinks. She sent the message and instantly regretted it. She'd forgotten the time difference, and realized it would be almost midnight on Dantooine. Maybe she'll be asleep and not see it for a bit. Sighing, she closed her eyes. She had wondered, more and more lately, how she would endure this for the next five months. Whenever she started to think about it, she could feel her blood pressure rise, and she knew that was not good for the little bean. She was trying to clear her thoughts again when she felt Tali's force slide over her, and her body relax. She opened her eyes to see her daughter's grin. "Tali, thank you," she whispered, and held her arm out. Tali eagerly snuggled with her, and they slept. Nico found them that way when he returned from food shopping, and his heart was full.
Corso looked up at his wife, who was sitting astride him, her ebony hair thrown back and her eyes filled with satisfaction. They had gone to bed early as everyone else had, but there were no thoughts of sleep. Instead, they had aroused each other, and Corso knew that his wife was as happy and relaxed as he was. He pulled her down to lie against his chest, and sighed happily. "Darlin', you are just magnificent," he said softly.
"The feeling is mutual, sugar." Miriah rolled to his side and sat up, reaching for the carafe of water. "I needed this as much as anything."
Corso sat up as well as he took the glass of water she offered. "I was afraid you weren't feeling strong enough," he admitted, kissing her shoulder. "This whole year, so far, has been nothing but one thing after another, and now one more."
"No! No thinking about all of that," she playfully objected. "Tonight is for us."
Corso grinned and put the empty glass down. "Well, now, darlin'. What else is planned for us?"
Miriah turned to him and pushed him flat. "I have an idea of what to do with this ice," she said, rattling the cubes in the glass, then putting one in her mouth. Her slow smile ignited his desire again, and he was grateful to be on the receiving end of her attentions as she slid down his body.
Magdalane closed the door to her room and knelt at the end of the bed. Exploring in the force, she tried to see if there were any dark force users on the planet. When she found nothing, she pushed her force sight to the area where they were planning to send drones. Sighing, she finally pulled her force to herself and stood. Nothing, she thought. Other than people. At least there's no large Sith contingent ready to invade, she reasoned. Still, I can feel conflict, and I really don't want Mir going in to fight. She lay in the soft bed, her mind filled with what she'd gleaned in the force. Suddenly she was enveloped in warmth, and it made her smile. Felix, she thought. She let the warmth relax her, and she was almost asleep when she felt the whisper of his lips on hers.
Caly slept well and when she rose to start breakfast, Torian was still sleeping. Let him get what he can, she thought, and made her way to the kitchen, laughing when she saw her uncle making caf. He startled at the sound, and then joined her. "My body knows it can sleep in, but my brain still has it's internal alarms set," he told her.
"I can only imagine," she said. "Although I do find myself getting up around the same time every morning, so maybe I have some, too." She busied herself with her breakfast casserole, and when it was cooking, and the fruit and other side dishes finished, she made her way back to check on Torian. He was dressing as she entered the room, and he hurried to her, hugging her close.
"Morning, sweetheart," he told her. "I think we both slept well." He hadn't been disturbed at all, and hoped she had a good night too.
"I know I did," she replied, and he was glad. "Breakfast is almost ready." They went out into the kitchen, and saw everyone gathering. Torian felt calm but purposeful, knowing they would have more info on the pirates by the evening.
Devin had been pacing since he'd gotten to the office. He had this urge to get on a ship to Dantooine, but he was not sure why. He had already checked in with his parents, and knew that they were sending drones over the areas of Dantooine where they were seeing some changes. Even though they're not personally moving from the ranch, I still feel pulled to be there, he told himself. But why? He had finished the items Lana had sent over, and knew that if he left, she'd feel obligated to return to the office in defiance of doctor's orders. That was the only reason he wasn't already in a hyperlane. He entered the force, searching for his mother. She was happy, he thought. And calm, centered. Maybe I'm just missing them, he thought. He also felt Magdalane's calm, and with a sigh, pulled his force back and sat heavily in the large chair. Yeah, I'm just wishing I was with them, I guess, he thought, then felt his daughter asking when he was coming home. Smiling, he stood, and felt more himself than he had all day. Coming, he told her, and set out for the elevators.
The day passed quickly on the ranch, and Miriah finally got to sit outside for a bit. By mid afternoon, she had notified the governor of the drone launch, which prompted his deep thanks since he'd not been able to route troops to the southern area yet. They watched as the shuttle lifted, piloted by Torian, to take the drones to the drop point. Caly tried to hide her nervousness, but Miriah felt it and pulled her close to her side. "He'll be fine, hon. Just going to a preset coordinate then opening the bay door. Nowhere near where we're looking."
"I know, but I still worry." Caly put her head on Miriah's shoulder, and Corso saw how she had to almost crouch to do so. Still, the gesture told him how much they cared for each other, and made him join them.
"We have a plan," he finally said, his arms around his wife and daughter. Caly looked up a him, hope shining in her eyes.
"Of course, we do," Miriah confirmed, and felt Corso squeeze her closer. "If we find anyone who shouldn't be on Dantooine, we will deal with them." Caly took a deep breath, and didn't ask the question she wanted to ask. Instead, she saw the company that was already on Dantooine forming up to do drills, and felt a measure of peace. If Uncle Aric and Dad are this comfortable having Mom here, there must not be too much of a danger, she reasoned.
Torian piloted the shuttle close to the drop point. On this part of the planet, it was already dusk, and he was having difficulty seeing in the low light, not dark enough for night vision but enough that the shadows were murky. Suddenly he was aware of another craft, that passed so close he was knocked off course by the jet wash, tumbling over twice before recovering the controls. Damn, he thought, what was that? He was coming back into his projected course when he saw the Imperial fighter, and ducked lower, hoping to let the drones go before having to turn back. The Imperial ship followed and he hit the door switch quickly. When the drones had deployed, he turned and shot at the smaller ship, feeling the plasma hit the shuttle with loud thumps. I can do this, he told himself, and lined up for another run. The Imp ship was smoking now, and he knew he could down it with another few shots. He pulled the shuttle into a sharp descent, the metal screaming with the unusual forces on it. When he had the shot, he took it, and saw the Imperial ship crash onto the surface. Knowing it likely wasn't alone, he gathered his wits and headed back to the nearest city. He'd need fuel, and maybe repairs, he thought, and took a deep breath. This will not be welcomed news, but now they knew.
Aric had been monitoring comms all evening. They had gathered in the office of the ranch house to listen, and Caly had brought platters of food in. Seeing the extensive spread, Miriah caught Caly's arm. "I understand," she said, gesturing to all the food. "But sit, and eat with us. No need to fix anything else." Caly nodded at her mother and sat beside her.
Torian landed the shuttle and saw that he indeed had damage that would need to be repaired before he could make it back to the ranch. With a large sigh, he pulled out his holo, making sure no on was around him. "We definitely have Imps," he said when he saw Aric's face. "I shot one of their fighters down, and got the kark out before any more showed up. Are you getting data from the drones?"
Aric looked over to see the despair on Caly's face. "Are you hurt?" he asked.
"No, not at all. I had some damage that needs to be fixed before I fly this shuttle again, but I'm perfectly fine." Aric saw relief flood Caly's features.
"We're getting data streams back, yes. Good work. Do you want us to come pick you up?"
"No, it's just a hydraulic line that needs to be replaced. Should only take a couple of hours, I'm at the spaceport here in Sedra."
"Okay then, let us know when you launch on the way back, and if you need anything," Aric told him, getting a sharp salute.
"Affirmative, Colonel. Would you please let..."
"Already done," Aric assured him, and the image winked out.
Miriah squeezed Caly's hand. "He'll be back in a bit. Meanwhile, let's eat and figure out what to do tomorrow." Caly nodded and took a sandwich before passing the platter around.
Aric contacted the governor's office as well as the captain of the company here, letting them know what they'd learned. They planned a time for morning to discuss a response, and Aric sat back. "Mir, I know we didn't plan on this, but it's turned out to be a good thing we're on this planet."
"Agreed," she said. She waited for the anxiety, but it didn't come, and she leaned against Corso. Maybe I really am getting better, she thought, and was grateful for everyone there. Tomorrow, we'll run the Empire off this planet, she thought, and instantly felt more like herself than she had in a long time.