She's up pacing. Again, Corso thought. He knew Missy was going to Zakuul first thing in the morning, but I'm fine, kids are fine. Family is content inside the base. He watched her surreptitiously, not wanting her to know he was watching her. Her arms were crossed over her body, and she looked so tired. After several minutes, he shifted slightly and she saw him. "Oh, sugar. I didn't want to wake you," she whispered, going to his side. He pulled her on top of him.
"I can think of way better things to do if we're awake at this hour," he told her, his breath raising the hairs on her neck, making her shiver.
"While I'm all for it, I just feel so tense, I'm not sure how much either of us would enjoy it," she admitted. "I'm tied up in knots over sending Missy essentially on her own to act as bait." Corso just held her, his hands gently massaging her back and up to her neck. "Ooooh that feels so good," she murmured, and he could feel her relaxing on top of him. Her muscles bunching under his hands, he did his best to give her some relief, and after a while felt her go slack, finally asleep. He lay there, her familiar weight soothing to him, and closed his eyes with her.
Torian had felt light as a feather since his talk with Corso, and now, waking in the middle of the night, he couldn't believe his good fortune. He caught himself grinning, but then a little seed of doubt appeared. Nothing his whole life had gone as planned, why did he think things would be wonderful now? He rolled onto his side and Caly snuggled to him, and he forgot what he was worried about. He would tell Mandalore his news in the morning, and he was sure she would be happy for him. Caly wiggled her bottom against him and he had to take deep breaths as he turned away. I'll be insane by the time we marry, he thought. But it will be worth it. He tried to go back to sleep, but his smile remained.
Missy stood in the breaking dawn, the air cold but calm. She saw Aric coming toward her, and smiled. "I'm glad to get this going," she told him, and he nodded.
"I've programmed your secure frequency," he told her, handing her a relay. "We'll be expecting your check ins on it, and if anything gets crazy, you can just open the channel and we can hear everything on your end." He paused as she inspected the device. "Are you good with this?" he finally asked, and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Very good. I'm looking forward to helping." Aric studied her, seeing a confident young woman who was healthy and in good spirits. He was reluctant to get too attached to her at first, but now, she was family. He hugged her then, and she giggled as she returned it. "I'm going to be fine. Now, go do whatever you do this early."
Aric laughed, and waited until she was aboard the shuttle before going to get breakfast. He figured Corso and Mir would be up, and turned down to the apartment. As he entered, he smelled the caf and did a little happy dance as he made his way to the kitchen.
Corso was cooking bantha bacon as Aric came in, and grinned at his friend. "Good timing. We're about to sit down, and I made plenty." Aric eyed the spread of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast with jam, and his salivary glands got the best of him.
"It would be insane to say no to this," he said, taking the plates Corso carried and putting them on the table. "Mir doing okay today?"
Corso eyed the door. "She's not sleeping well, but that's not unusual. That's about it, really. She's worried all the time, more than she was even before the poisoning. I don't know, Aric. I wish we could just go away for a few days, just to let her mind rest for a while."
Aric thought about his words. "I know, I wish I could give that to you both. Maybe soon," he said, and poured them both caf. "Maybe we can get you two away in a ship for a few days, but a ground op would be a logistical nightmare, security-wise."
"I know," Corso sighed, and sat across from Aric. "I wish things were different, but we may have to take what we can get."
"And what is that?" Miriah asked, swooping into the kitchen. She'd applied some light makeup, just to lessen the dark smudges and lines around her eyes, but it didn't make her feel less tired and stressed.
"Taking the Dreamweaverup and just resting for a few days, just us," Corso told her, and she saw the longing in his eyes as he took her hand.
"That's not a bad idea. Easily defended on her own, and we wouldn't have to do a lot of planning," she said thoughtfully. "I'll see how things look at the office, I promise."
Corso leaned over to kiss her. "I would appreciate it, darlin'. Sometimes, I feel like the weight of the whole galaxies is centered here."
"Me, too," she admitted, and caressed his cheek. The sound of the happy tune Aric was humming caught their attention, and they both laughed at the sight of him enjoying breakfast.
"I swear, I'd eat here every day if it wouldn't make me feel guilty," he said between bites, and when Corso brought some fresh baked biscuits to the table, Aric sighed in contentment.
Miriah tried to eat, and did manage enough to make Corso happy. When they all made their way out to the detail, she felt a little more energy than she'd had before. I want to get in a workout today, she thought as they walked, the men chatting to each other. I want to know that Missy is safely on the ground on Zakuul and that the troopers on the ground are aware she's there. I need to talk to Senya, she decided, and when they were at the office, Miriah went to her desk and pulled out her holo.
"Good morning, Commander," Senya greeted her, and Miriah smiled. They caught up and Miriah reminded Senya that Missy was on the way. "We're ready, boss. My forces will be very light in the area she's working, and hopefully we can nab a traitor."
"I really hope so, too," Miriah said. "This has gone on too long. Did you locate any other unusual patrons there?"
"The name that Arcann gave us, of the wealthy backer who held the stores of potassium, was a false name, of course. We searched some of the warehouses here, but came up with nothing. It's possible the woman knew only what she was told, and that's all Arcann could get from her."
Miriah thought about that. "You're probably right, she was low enough on the food chain to have only need to know info," she mused. "At any rate, maybe Missy will be the catalyst we need."
"We'll keep her safe, Commander. I promise." Senya's image winked out and Miriah realized she did feel a little less worried about it all. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and turned to look at Corso. He was reading through all the posts he'd received in his absence and chuckled at a few. He looks relaxed, she thought. Normal. She took another deep breath, letting it out as slowly as the first. At that point, everything clicked into place and her focus returned, sharper than ever. Reaching for the datapad, she sent a message to Lana that she was ready for the morning brief.
Lana heard her datapad chime and lifted Nico's arm to roll over and try to find it, buried in her clothes on the side of the bed. Once she fished it out and hit the switch to bring it to life, she sat straight up. "Damn!" she said, and rushed into the shower. She readied herself as quickly as possible, opting to just let her hair air dry as she pulled on clothes. At least she was at her apartment, and had fresh clothes available. She stopped her frantic movements only to send a quick message to the boss, saying she'd be there in ten minutes. Lana examined herself in the mirror and saw Nico watching her, still sprawled on her bed.
"The Commander is already in the office?" he asked her, his voice sending spirals of heat through her stomach.
"As I should be at this time of morning," Lana said. "I'd kiss you, but we know I'd be very late then, so I'll just say see you later."
Nico grinned at her, and watched as she rushed out the door before rising and pulling on his own clothes. He figured he'd go home and get cleaned up, ready for the day. He knew he had a short shuttle run but that was all, and wasn't in a hurry as it was scheduled for the afternoon. He recalled Lana's panic at receiving the message this morning, and it made him smile. The running of the Alliance didn't just mean Odessen, and he knew how hard both Lana and Miriah worked to make it seem so smooth. He felt pride in them both, and that had him humming as he boarded the elevator. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was on the right side of things instead of looking up from the bottom.
Lana hurried across the courtyard, the sun bright but a definite chill in the air. The snow had mostly all melted, except under the trees and overhangs, and she felt the promise of warmer days. She smiled and nodded at those she met, and like Miriah, felt like things were truly heading back to their normal. When she reached Miriah's office, she went to Corso and surprised him with a hug. "It's great to see you back here," she told him, laughing at his expression. She settled across from Miriah and pulled up the reports that had been coming in since she left the office yesterday. "It seems that things are fairly quiet across the Eternal Alliance," she said, scrolling through the list. "There were a couple of updates on rebuilding, but nothing major. The usual petty squawk about wanting you to visit, along with a few requests for additional supplies. Nothing we can't handle. The only thing I'd bring to your attention would be the request from Haven to dedicate the colony there."
"I mentioned it to Aric a few weeks ago. I believe he said it would be easier to go when the snow melted and security would be easier to arrange." Miriah was reading the reports as well. "Maybe we should go to some planets, or have them all come here again."
"Security would be a nightmare, and I'm sure Aric would tell you the same, if you go to each planet. I'd wait on the weather to be warmer for a conference as well," Lana murmured, thinking of the last time and how much the officials had enjoyed the promenade and courtyard. They discussed Missy's insertion on Zakuul and made arrangements for the check ins. When Lana went to her own office, they had the day set.
Torian closed his call with a smile. As he'd figured, Shae Vizla has endorsed his engagement with a huge laugh and congratulations. She'd complimented him on cementing the relationship between Mandalorians and the Alliance with his choice of riduur, which had made him wonder if she knew that he truly loved Caly. Deciding that it didn't matter, he made his way to the bank to withdraw the ring from his storage there. He had seen Miriah's amethyst settings, and had talked to Mia for insight on Caly's jewelry tastes. He'd picked a brilliant sapphire in an antique setting, and when he'd shown it to Mia, she'd cried happy tears. Whistling, he tucked it in his shirt pocket, being careful to button the flap down, and patting it with his palm to ensure it was secure. In five days, he'd be able to say the words to her, and even thinking about it calmed him. He walked back out into the sunlight and stood in the rays, feeling as if his life were finally getting on track.
Corso had stayed home at lunch, and Miriah had finished the afternoon as quickly as she could. When she finally cleared her desk, she met Maura for a workout. Once they'd finished, she pulled Maura to the side and discussed the day with her. "I'm really thinking we may just take a few days out in space," she finished, and looked at her sister.
Maura thought about it. It might be a good solution for the vacation Corso wanted with her, and it would be as safe as things ever were. "I'd do it, Mir. You both need it, and things will be fine here."
"I don't know," Miriah mused. "I feel like I've been out of the office a lot lately, and I don't want anyone to think that I'm shirking my responsibilities."
"Just consider it part of Corso's rehab," Maura shrugged. "Besides, anyone who knows anything knows that you've earned a little down time." Miriah hugged her and they parted at the elevator, Maura going to cook for her husband. Miriah only stood there for a few minutes, long enough that her detail started to shift around her to allow for the normal traffic of the war room. Instead of going home, though, she directed them to the military hangar.
"Ready the Dreamweaver," she told the duty officer there, and he responded with a sharp salute.
"Absolutely, Commander. She should be ready to lift off in two hours. Shall I file a flight plan?" he asked, standing at attention.
"I'll do that from home. Thanks, Lieutenant." She nodded at the young man and had the brief thought that she didn't remember being that young before resuming her journey home.
Corso had napped then made dinner. Caly had breezed through and helped him finish and now she was setting the table when Miriah came in. They ate and talked, Torian joining them, and when the kids were gone, Miriah turned to her husband. "Do you have a gear bag packed?" she asked him, and saw his surprise.
"Of course, darlin'. Always," he answered.
"Let's go, then." He grinned and hopped up from the sofa. Miriah had flied the flight plan and sent messages to Lana and Aric, and waited for him at the door.
"Are you not taking a bag?" he asked, puzzled.
"Not planning on needing many clothes," she answered, and laughing in delight, they let the detail take them to the ramp of the ship.