The dawn had begun its trespass against the night as Gursan leisurely piloted his speeder back to the shuttle fields. We're all lucky to be still be here to see another sunrise, he thought as he watched the smoke from fires that still burned deeper in Odessen's forests billow skyward against a horizon that bleached from soft orange, to purple, then to the reluctant black of night that was being slowly banished.
His speeder approached the landing field where the Rai Enka'ri sat and was surprised to see it had remained untouched throughout the invasion. Parking next to Solasta's speeder bike beneath the aft section of the ship, he walked beneath its belly to the ramp that hung below the cockpit and was surprised to find Solasta kneeling in the patchy green grass several meters away. Still dressed in her heavy battle armor, she had removed her helmet and faced the rising sun with eyes closed, and Gursan could hear her quietly speaking in Catharese as he drew near.
Quietly he knelt beside her, closed his eyes, and raised his face to the warming rays of sunlight that now peeked through the jagged highlands in the distance. Solasta had heard the speeder and recognized the sound of Gursan's footfall by the fifth step, but didn't waiver from her ritual to acknowledge his presence when he joined her.
After a few minutes Solasta's voice became quiet. Gursan waited what he thought was an appropriate amount of time before turning his head slightly towards her and through squinted eyes he saw her bowed and hands clasped neatly in her lap. Breaking the silence, he asked, "Prayers for those lost in battle last night?"
"No, I'm reciting the Skha ya zhdestvo shi'tari lem [Right of the Morning Light] to welcome the birth of a son into the Commander's clan, and a daughter to Uldisa and Therias."
"Ah, yes. The commander's niece gave birth to a son while they were between here and Nathema," said Gursan, "When did Uldisa have hers?"
Solasta reached her hand over to lock it with Gursan's and said, "She gave birth in one of the shelters sometime through the night. Unfortunately, Therias was in the Command Center and missed the whole thing, but everyone's doing fine." In return, he gently squeezed her hand to convey his love and they remained that way until the sun had made its full appearance before Gursan spoke again.
"The prayer for the dead; does it include those from Eternal Empire?"
Without raising her head, Solasta said, "The Shka ya priyat mait ni'sha vseg raya [Rite of Our Legacy's Twilight] is performed for everyone who has moved into the Aether. If you're wondering about those who were wicked in this life; ally or enemy, the Gods have a special place waiting for them in the Aether. If my prayer helps ensure they find what awaits them, I'm happy to pray for them too."
Solasta murmured something in Catharese before standing and pulling Gursan to his feet by their still locked hands.
A feeling of regret took hold in the pit of his stomach when he realized that he mistook her quiet reflection as having completed her ritual and cleared his throat nervously before saying, "The base defense forces have begun processing the Zakuulan's who surrendered, and we're not back on duty for twenty hours. Let's grab a shower, something to eat, and some rest. You must be exhausted, Hellcat."
Canting her head slightly down, Solasta peered up at Gursan with mischievous eyes as the edges of her mouth curled to form a grin and she wickedly uttered, "Not as tired as you might think."
Gursan collapsed on the bed beside Solasta, sweaty and breathing heavy he pulled the sheets over their bodies. Solasta moved her body next to his and wrapped her arm across his chest as she entwined a leg between his. Purring loudly to express her contentment, she nuzzled her face into the space between his chin and shoulder to playfully nip at his neck.
"Are you okay, Sol?" Gursan whispered between breaths.
"No, but I will be."
"...and Laynie?" Gursan asked cautiously.
Solasta thought for a moment before answering, her tone quiet and resigned. "After she was gone, I spent too many nights laying awake feeling hopeless and alone, but I've accepted that Laynie is where she needs to be. She's force sensitive and the Jedi won't be returning her to us; her path is different than ours."
Gursan stroked her cheek and kissed her forehead before saying, "You weren't alone. You're not alone, Hellcat."
"Last night on the battlefront, I realized— " she began, but she was interrupted by the datapad that sat on the nightstand and its urgent chimes announcing a priority communication. Sitting up and keying her code to unlock the screen, she opened the message and read. "Looks like the Eternal Fleet's gone rogue and has started orbital strikes on Zakuul, Imperial, and Republic planets. The commander is out of the med-bay and her team is gearing up for a trip to Zakuul so the she can claim Vaylin's throne and rein them under control."
Gursan sat up beside her and tugged the corner of the datapad so he could read it too. "Should we head back to the base?" he asked.
"Shouldn't we go to Corellia and evac your parents?"
Gursan chuckled at the look of surprise on her face before saying, "They'll be fine until Miriah gets to the throne. If there's one thing Corellian's know how to do, it's queue into a bomb shelter."
Throwing a quick glance past him, she studied the chrono and said, "Get some sleep. I'm going back to the base to see the team off. I won't be long."
Dressing quickly, Solasta bolted outside to her speeder, and rode back to the main base while she snacked on the field ration bars she had scooped from the ship's galley on her way out. While the sun had almost reached its climax in the sky overhead to signal the end of morning and welcome the mid-day, the ship's interior was dimly lit for night-running as Gursan laid back in bed and pulled the covers over himself. Drifting off to sleep he thought, must remember to ask Sol what she realized last night.
At the Alliance base, Solasta passed through the security checkpoints with little more than a nod from the guard details and found her way to the Dreamweaver's private hanger where she recognized an anxious looking Calypso and serene Master Sarai Chantalle among the crowd of people that had collected to see the commander's team off. When Calypso noticed Solasta, she left her Grandmother's side and pushed her way through the groups of people until she could throw her arms around the waist of her tall Cathar friend.
"I'm sorry about Laynie." whispered Calypso as she hugged Solasta tightly.
Solasta bent forward, breaking the hold Caly had around her so they could press foreheads in a proper hello and whispered, 'Thank-you."
Sarai caught up to Calypso and said, "Colonel Dinn, if the Jedi Order had made me aware of the plans for Alayna, I would have interjected on behalf of Gursan and yourself."
Nodding respectfully to Sarai first, then looking at Caly, Solasta asked, "Has the Major told everyone?"
"Not everyone, but he has shared with those who are close to you," said Sarai. "He was quite concerned; as we all were when we learned of the news, and he sought some guidance, Colonel."
A swell of elation washed over Solasta at the realization that, unlike the Republic Forces she wasn't just a military asset or a tactical variable in the economics of war, and those she had grown to call friends in the Alliance cared about her. Despite the sudden uplift in Solasta's spirits her practiced stone-faced command expression didn't change, but the lightness in her heart didn't go unnoticed by Sarai through the force.
"I've come to terms with what's happened, and I have to believe it is best for Alayna, Master Chantalle." said a very stoic Solasta.
The room erupted with cheers on the heels of Solasta's words as Commander Riggs and her team entered the hangar and began working their way through the crowd. Miriah's stride was determined as she moved directly towards her ship, saluting troops along the way, and only stopping when she stood in front of them. Hugging Sarai, then Caly, Miriah threw her arms around Solasta next and said, "You have the thanks of the Alliance, and myself, for keeping everyone safe. Admiral Aygo has hinted that you used some unorthodox tactics. We'll need to discuss this when I return."
Turning and walking towards the ramp of her ship, Miriah saluted the remaining soldiers before stepping through the door and the heavy airlock closed behind her. The idling engines grew stronger and Miriah's freighter slowly lifted into the air, rotated ninety degrees, and slid through the open hangar door before the engines roared as the throttle opened wide.
Sitting and drinking her caffa while she read the duty roster, Solasta's ears twitched as she listened to the shuffle of Gursan's feet on the ship deck as he made his way to the galley. Gursan had stirred when Solasta returned the previous night and remembered the feeling of her body molded against his as he fell back asleep, but he was alone when he woke in the morning and confused at where she had gone. Looking up when he finally appeared in the doorway, wearing nothing more than the bed sheet bunched in one hand and held firmly around his waist, a sultry mreow escaped Solasta and her eyes widened at the sight of his broad and fur-less chest.
"Oh, you're dressed already. We have a few hours yet, and I was hoping to entice you back to bed," he said glumly.
Laying her datapad on the table, Solasta stood and said, "Breakfast is still warm. Sit and eat it now," as she unlatched the cabinet door and pulled out a mug and a plate to serve him.
Gursan sat and pulled the train of his bed sheet gown beneath his chair, and asked, "What was it you realized during the fight?"
Placing a plate heaped full of scrambled Oro bird egg and some Ronto links in front of Gursan, Solasta turned back to pour the caffa and said, "Commander Riggs will have claimed the throne in a few hours, ending this war once and for all, and cementing my realization that it's time to leave the military and settle down. We can begin the adoption process, sell the ship or return it to the Republic and get ourselves a real home— maybe return to Coruscant if I can get a pardon from Chancellor Madon."
The shock on Gursan's face was clear as he held the fork full of scrambled egg inches from his mouth, which hung open. After a few seconds, he said, "Well this is... unexpected. What will we do beside raise a child?"
"I don't know yet. Whatever we want? Whatever we would have done instead of the Republic Army?"
Solasta kissed the top of his head as she passed by him on her way to the door and stopping short of walking through, she turned and said, "I'm at Echo Camp for the day and you're at Gamma Camp. Looks like you'll be done early, so come help us when you're done, okay?"
Gursan mumbled something incoherent as he resumed shoveling food into his mouth.
The line of Zakuulan prisoners at Echo Camp seemed to be never ending and although Solasta had lost track of time, her stomach had not and it was loudly asserting its displeasure had having missed lunch. Pulling the third ration bar from the oversized pocket on her pant-leg and tearing open the foil wrapper she noticed Major Jorgan had arrived and was moving through the camp, stopping to talk with soldiers at various stations. Watching him as he began walking in her direction, Aric raised his hand to press a button on the relay that was hooked over his ear and began speaking.
Within seconds he stopped suddenly and sat on the large rock that was next to him, and Solasta recognized the subtle changes in his expression. Bad news.
As Solastsa continued to watch Major Jorgan, he slowly raised his hands and buried his face in them, and she walked a few steps to go to him and ask what was wrong when she felt a tug at her elbow. Turning, she was greeted by an ex-Zakuulan soldier; now prisoner, who asked, "Are you the one that was rampaging through the forest?"
Preoccupied with concern for Major Jorgan, she rudely asked, "What?"
"You— they... they say you're something called a Sith Demon and can't be killed."
Solasta furrowed her brow and growled, "Keep moving with your group, unless you want to find out for yourself."
Turning back towards the direction of where Major Jorgan had been sitting, she was startled by the sight of him only a meter away and quickly nodded to greet him as she said, 'Major."
"Solasta, we're a long way from the Republic Army. It's perfectly fine if you just call me Aric," he said sombrely.
Canting her head left, curious at his tone and the subtly troubled expression on his face, she said, "As you wish, Aric," but she didn't press him with any questions.
For the hours that followed, Aric remained with Solasta and helped her group with distributing supplies, medicines, or simple reassurances that the Alliance did not execute prisoners to those who found themselves abandoned on Odessen now that Empress Vaylin was dead. When they had exhausted their supplies Solasta began packing the empty crates onto the skiff and noticed Aric a few meters away, motioning for her to join him. Placing the crates in her hands back onto the ground, she walked the short distance to where Aric stood in a small grouping of rocks that offered them a small measure of privacy.
"Sed, [Sit]," he said.
Solasta had never heard Aric speak Catharese, and until that moment she wasn't sure if he even knew their mother tongue, but his decision to speak it now alarmed her. She didn't take her eyes off him as she sat on a small cairn of rocks, studying his drawn eyebrows and the tense muscles in his face, and she knew it was more than just the strain of the past few days that weighed on his mind.
"Moiya til zelk. Corso til tia, en tikaya. [There is news. Corso is broken, his heart.]"
It was at moment Solasta knew Aric's choice of words bespoke his fluency in the Catharese language. Many Cathar would have lazily said Ronj to express any injury, wound, or sickness, but his choice of tia meant that cared enough to speak properly, and that something was seriously wrong with Corso's heart. Gathering her thoughts after a moment of shock, Solasta stood and realized that she had unconsciously begun purring to soothe Aric, and the weak grin on his face told her the sentiment was appreciated.
"En til ii raj'maju, [He is a fighter,]" said Solasta, and reaching out to place a hand on Aric's shoulder she whispered, "En ay'viik. [He will recover]."
As Aric nodded she could see a small measure of stress had lifted, and the fact he and the rest of the Commander's family hadn't raced to Zakuul was evidence that Miriah and her team were safe.
Hearing the familiar sound of Gursan's speeder approach, she left Aric to meet him. When he climbed off, Solasta threw her arms around his chest and hugged tight in an unprecedented display of public affection while still on-duty.
"Ra'tikaya ri. [I love you.]" she said.
"I love you too," and feeling the desperation in her embrace he asked, "What's wrong?"
Speaking in a hushed tone, Solasta explained that Corso had fallen ill with his heart, but they didn't know anything more.
"Well then, Hellcat, we need to be at the main base. The Commander will need us there," said Gursan as he leaned forward to press his forehead to hers.
As they followed Aric's speeder back to the base in silence Gursan thought more about their conversation over breakfast until finally he opened the private channel on his relay.
"Solasta?"
"Yeah?"
"You caught me flat-footed this morning, but I'm ready to make whatever changes you want," said Gursan as he turned his head to look at her.
Solasta returned the glance, blinking slowly at him and said, "We'll plan our next move once everyone's home safe and sound."