Miriah looked up from her datapad and saw Corso and Aric in the hallway. This had been her new normal for a week now, and while she appreciated the vigilance, she hated that they spent their days watching over her. She was feeling much stronger, especially since Mags had insisted on a blood transfusion a few days ago. She powered down her datapad and computer, and stood just as Aric hurried away. "Everything okay?" she asked her husband as he ambled into the room.
"Aric will be right back," he told her, meeting her in front of her desk, his hands going to her waist. She sent him a sultry smile and saw his eyes widen with knowing. When he was near enough, Miriah pulled on his collar until she could kiss him, and instead of backing away, like he'd been doing the two weeks she'd been recovering, he lifted her to sit on the edge of her desk. Lost in each other, the kisses went on, deep, fulfilling and needed. Miriah felt her body warm with the contact, her brain taken over by the passion Corso was igniting. His soft lips bushed over the pulse point under her ear and she felt herself melt when his warm tongue caressed the same spot. She was going under fast, his need for her like a drug. She was sinking back on the desk, under his spell, when she heard her datapad hit the carpeted floor. Her eyes peeked open and she saw her door swing shut. Corso had managed to start unfastening her top, his fingers sure and quick as ever. Her breathy sighs as he touched made her forget for a moment that Lana or someone else might walk in at any time.
Aric returned to his post and glanced into the office. Immediately going to the door, he closed it with a quiet snick. Good for them, he thought.
"Sugar?" she whispered, getting a hummed response. "We're still in my office, and Aric is waiting. Let's go home and continue this." Corso lifted his head and held her for a few more seconds before lifting her down. Together they walked into the hallway. "We're ready," she told Aric, who was trying and failing to hide his grin.
"I can see that," he replied sarcastically, but when Corso was near enough, he clapped his friend on the shoulder. It was good to see things getting back to normal, he thought. As they walked through the war room, Miriah diverted to where Theron was working.
"Any news on the traitor?" she asked.
Theron momentarily looked afraid, then smoothed his facial expression and turned to her. "Not really. Mole hunts take time, Commander." His tone was not encouraging, and Miriah sighed.
"Okay then, let me know." Theron nodded at her and they resumed their path. If they'd turned around, they would have seen the anger on Theron's face as they walked away.
Lana had been monitoring her datapad for information, and when she finally got the message she was waiting for, she punched her fist in the air. At last!, she thought. She quickly saved the message and started for the war room, but something stopped her, and instead, she sent a message to Miriah, asking for a few minutes. When she received the affirmative reply, she started out to the apartment. As she strode past Theron, he caught her around the waist.
"You look happy," he murmured in her hair.
Lana giggled, "I am happy. I just finished that number puzzle you gave me." For reasons she couldn't identify, she kept her news to herself. It just seemed better that Miriah hear it before anyone else.
"Where are you rushing off to?" he asked, kissing her cheek.
"Just taking Miriah's datapd, she left it in her office," Lana explained, and Theron snickered.
"I just saw them, I'm quite sure she wasn't thinking about work," he commented, and it made Lana pause. What if I'm interrupting them, she asked herself, but knew this was too important to let sit.
"I won't be a minute, then we can get dinner, okay?" she asked, but she could see his answer before he spoke.
"I have a little work to finish before I can go, but we can meet in an hour or so," he responded. Yeah, she thought, or two or three. She brushed the thought away, and waved as she continued to the apartment.
Miriah had just walked into the kitchen for water when her datapad chimed. Dammit, she thought, and read Lana's message, turning to the two men who had escorted her in. "Hey Aric, you may want to stay for this. Lana says she has news on the traitor, she's on her way now."
Aric paused in his walk to the door. "That would be good news," he said softly, and went into the kitchen. They could hear him making caffa, and sighing, Corso took his wife in his arms.
"Sometimes, I hate your job," he said, hugging her against his still-aroused frame. Miriah's hands found the edge of his shirt and she was sending heated little sparks of electricity over his back, and he sighed again. "Hopefully, this will be quick." He'd just stepped away from her when the door chime sounded, and he opened the door for Lana.
"I'm so sorry," she said, catching her breath. "I found him! Or her! The traitor!" she said, almost squealing with excitement. "Umbara. When you found that nameplate, Aric, I started to narrow my search, and I found the same frequency that Nico found on Iokath."
"Hmm," Aric said, rubbing his chin. "I'll do some research, discreetly, of course. See what I can find out about the planet."
"We have to go there," Miriah said with conviction, and even though they knew it, too, the men grudgingly agreed. "Let's see what we find in the next few hours and set up a departure time. Lana, I'd like you to go, too. You're the one who can track this person." Lana nodded eagerly, she would like to see this traitor brought to justice as much as anyone. "Aric, you and Maura can sit this one out if you like."
"No way! Nuh-uh! We're in," he responded, making them laugh. "I'll tell Maura, you guys are in for the evening, right?"
Miriah looked at Corso from under her dark lashes. "I believe we are. But message me with anything you find that's interesting, okay?"
"You got it, Spitfire." He almost got to the door before turning around. "Don't stay up late, we may want to get an early start tomorrow." Corso grinned and Miriah giggled as they agreed.
"I'll let General Dinn know to get the Dreamweaver ready," Lana said, turning to go herself. "I'll make sure that she knows what's on our agenda so that she'll be prepared while we're gone." Miriah nodded at her, and waved as the door closed.
"Now, where were we," Miriah purred, and Corso threw her over his shoulder, heading for their bed.
Devin walked into his house and saw his wife sleeping on the sofa. Good, he thought, and followed the sounds of his son's laughter to the kitchen, where Caly was entertaining him as well as cooking their dinner. He knelt to hug Declan and swept Caly into his arms as well. The house was gleaming it was so clean, and he knew Caly had to have been busy all day. "You don't have to work so hard, Caly," he said softly as he stepped back.
Caly turned her eyes to him, and he was taken aback at the depth of emotion he saw. "It keeps me from thinking too much," she finally answered, abruptly turning to the chopping board, where she'd been working.
"He's okay," Devin told her, and she whirled back to face him.
"How do you know? How can you tell? What else..." He stopped her with an upraised hand.
"If he weren't, then the agreed upon checkins would have stopped," he told her. "Careful what you say here, Mia has enough going on without knowing everything." Caly nodded, but some of the haunted look faded from her eyes. "Aww, Caly. I hate that you're so stressed."
"It's not just that he's gone, I've lost my friends, too. They all think he's a murderer," she said quietly, and Devin took her in his arms again.
"You have us," he whispered, and felt her tears against his shirt. "You'll always have us."
Miriah took her datapad off the nightstand and looked at the messages there. Corso lay napping, his head on her thigh, and she smiled. It was good to have them both feeling well, she decided. She was reading Aric's assessment of Umbara when she heard Corso's voice. "You shouldn't be doing that," he told her.
"There's no law against reading naked," she quipped, then, in a more serious tone, "is there?" He shifted to look at her and grinned, making her laugh. "Listen to this, Aric says that Umbara is known as the shadow world, since light can't penetrate it's atmosphere. He also says there's rumors of mining going on there, for adegan crystals, by the Sith. Maybe I should tell Acina that we're going mole hunting there." Corso sat up and moved closer, taking the datapad from her hand and placing it back on the nightstand.
"We can talk about it in the morning. Right now, I'm getting dressed and going for food." He kissed her as he stood, then sighed. "Send Lana a message to see if she agrees, if so, she can just send notification after we're aboard the ship."
"Good idea," Miriah agreed. "Hurry back," she told him, striking a pose that made him stop for a moment before racing to the door.
Lana looked at her message and thought for a moment. Adegan crystals, Sith, Umbara. What does it all mean, in the greater scheme of things. She was puzzled by why the traitor would be on a world so barren, and how transmissions were getting out from the planet. As for telling Acina, well, she had a feeling that even if they told her, they would be fighting the miners and the guardians. She had done a little research of her own, and had come across mention of a train that moved the crystals from the mines to the shuttles for transport. Still, she was unsure how it all came together for the traitor, and she wondered who the traitor was for the millionth time. Sighing, she dug into the carton of Corellian stir fry and tried to still her mind, tired of waiting for Theron to come home. That's another matter, she thought, that I need to figure out but I just don't have the energy. She clicked on the holo, more for noise than anything else, and finished her dinner.
Aric and Maura stood on their balcony, enjoying the cooler night air. "All packed?" Aric asked, and Maura nodded.
"Who all is going on this expedition?" she asked him, snuggling into his arms.
"Lana, Mir, Corso, me and you," he said, squeezing her.
"No Jedi? For heals?"
"Not that I saw. Mia is definitely out, not sure if Mir even asked Mags." He kissed her shoulder, her back against his chest giving him other ideas.
Maura frowned. "Not sure I like that," she finally said. "I mean, I can be a field medic anytime, but no Jedi seems like we're asking for trouble."
Aric picked up his datapad and sent Miriah a message, the third one in the last hour. I bet Corso wants to skin me right now, he thought, but grinned. "I mentioned it, but I have a feeling that she's not really working right now."
"Oh? What do you think she's doing?" Maura asked him, a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Exactly what we should be doing," he informed her, gently biting her neck, a low purr in his voice. They quickly left the balcony, and for once, Aric didn't take his datapad. He thought about it once, a few hours later, but left it outside, enjoying the woman in his arms too much to be bothered.
Theron sat alone in the war room. He knew something was up, since the Dreamweaver sat, fueled and ready on the tarmac outside the main hangar, and the anger took over his face. He would stop this, once and for all. After almost an hour, he stood and made his way home, both excited and sad. He would miss Lana, he thought, as he slid into bed, taking her sleeping form into his arm. He surely would.