Breathing in deeply, eyes closed, and an euphoric expression on her face, Solasta hummed with delight at the smell of Uldisa's new daughter. She didn't know if it was the powders and ointments that parents slathered their newborns with or the scent of the pure new flesh, but she believed it was what the Aether must smell like.
"I could spend entire day just breathing in baby smell," she said as she turned and held out the baby for Gursan to take.
Gursan took the small bundle wrapped in a soft pink blanket and held it close to his chest. Smiling as he looked at the sleeping face of the child in his arms he said, "She's beautiful." His disposition regarding babies ranged from polite, to indifferent, and to disgust whenever a diaper needed changing; swearing that he'd been in Colicoid nests that smelled better, but today he seemed genuinely happy for Uldisa and Therias.
"We've decided to name her Della Aurel; Della for my mother and Aurel for Therias'," said Uldisa.
Uldisa was still in the med-bay for a few more days while doctors made sure the drop in her blood pressure during labour was a simple side-effect of trying to have a baby in a concrete bunker during the middle of a battle for the future of the known galaxy. Lying on the medical bed, which was raised to a comfortable angle so she could sit upright without having to strain her still exhausted abdominal muscles, she looked tired and drawn by the ordeal and a new regime of feeding every three hours, while Therias beamed with a pride that would put the cockiest of male Flutterplumes to shame. Their new daughter had dark wisps of hair that was most definitely her father's and they hoped the steel-grey newborn eyes would change in time to match Uldisa's striking ice-blues.
Gursan sat holding the small bundle as the continued to talk; Uldisa sharing the story of Della's arrival during an invasion, Therias of his 'knuckle-down and stay focused' commitment to his job in the command center, and Gursan of the game of chase Solasta led everyone on during the battle. Their pleasant conversation was interrupted by Della's sudden high-pitched wails and Gursan jumped immediately to his feet from the chair he had settled in, arms stiffly extended to hand the baby back to Uldisa. His expression both grave and surprised at the sudden burst of noise from the child that had been sleeping soundly only seconds before.
"Time for another feeding," said Uldisa as she shifted herself on the med-bay bed to unbutton the flap on her blue nursing shirt.
Taking this as a cue that the new parents may desire some privacy, Solasta and Gursan excused themselves with promises of returning when Uldisa was better rested and left the Med-Center. Holding hands as they walked through the large public square that was at the center of the base, neither spoke as they walked a fair distance before the chirp of Solasta's holo sounded. Pulling the unit from her belt and activating it, she was greeted with the image of a rather radiant looking Lana Beniko. I wonder what secret she's trying to conceal, wondered Solasta.
"The Commander is free to speak with you about the base defense, if you are available to meet with her now," said Lana.
"I will be there immediately, Miss Beni- Lana," said Solasta, as she caught herself. She had decided to make a deliberate effort to drop her military formality with addressing others, but it was proving to be more difficult habit to break than she expected.
Giving Gursan a quick kiss on the cheek, she let go of his hand and said, "I guess we'll see if the Alliance court marshal's me before the Republic does. If I don't come back, you'll visit me in the Brig, right?"
"Hey, if you're lucky, maybe you'll get to share a cell with Saresh," joked Gursan.
A trill of laughter could be heard from Solasta as she turned and began walking briskly in the direction of the stout building that sat next to the command center. Although they looked like separate structures, an underground tunnel carved through the rock connected them so that access between the Alliance offices and the nerve center of the entire base was both discreet and securely controlled.
Solasta knew the Commander's time was in high demand since she and her team had returned, so she quickened her pace. Aside from the initial greeting in the hangars when the Dreamweaver landed, and both Solasta and Gursan had fiercely hugged Miriah when she emerged from the ship, Miriah was scarcely seen away from Corso's bedside while he recovered. The Jedi Healers mended the damage to Corso's heart before they left Zakuul, but it would take time for him to regain his strength and she was only absent a few times through the day from his side, and only for a few hours at a time, to attend meetings to discuss the rebuilding of the worlds ravaged by Valkorian's family or presumably to eat and attend to her personal needs.
Passing through the security checkpoint at the elevators with her Ident-Card, down three levels to the hallway between the buildings, Solasta was stopped by an older HK-47 droid who scanned her thoroughly before stepping aside to let her pass into the office space. Continuing through long corridor, she watched as intelligence personnel scurried past her from one room to the next until she had reached the plain and unassuming office that was Miriah's.
Approaching the door Solasta noticed it was pushed inwards and open wide. Inside, Miriah sat at her desk talking with Lana, who sat across from her in one of the two guest chairs.
Miriah called out, "Come in." when she noticed Solasta.
Stepping inside, Solasta sharply stood at attention, saluted, and said, "Reporting as requested, Commander."
The corners of Miriah's mouth curled slightly into a dry smile— knowing Solasta was trying to shed some of her military discipline, the continued strict adherence to protocols both amused and reminded her of Aric's slow unwinding when he and Maura had left the Republic Forces. I wonder if it's a Cathar trait to be so regimented, she thought.
"Please, sit and relax, Sol." said Miriah as she extended her hand, motioning towards the empty seat across from her and next to Lana. Solasta relaxed her prone stance and examined the chair briefly before sitting on it, back straight and eye's looking distant as if focused on some spot on the wall behind Miriah.
Without hesitation, Miriah began, "Admirial Aygo's report of Odessen's defense has details of the ground forces you led during the attack."
Lana continued, "The Delta-Six defense plan was a solid counter-measure to keep Vaylin's forces at bay, but your efforts— the decision to take a platoon and drive a small offensive was both a brilliant and unorthodox strategy. Rather than advance on the Gravestone, you kept a considerable number of enemy troops busy with trying to intercept you instead."
"Respectfully, I— " Solasta started, but was cut-off by Miriah.
"Although Aygo was a little upset with your tactics he can't deny that it had a considerable payoff with ensuring our ships and the Gravestone got airborne. He's reluctant to say he's impressed, but he is and that's no small feat."
"Respectfully, my decision was nothing more than a rage-fueled rampage meant to satisfy a personal grievance against the galaxy. Commander, at a minimum I should be stripped of my rank and removed from Alliance command— at the worst, I should be court marshaled for endangering the lives of the soldiers under my care."
Solasta glanced between Miriah and Lana to see they were both unfazed by her statement.
Miriah leaned back in her chair and raised her hands to illustrate as she spoke, "You exercised command privilege to improvise in battle and in return created the opportunity for our forces to get off the ground. Trust me, I know that not everything goes as planned, but adapting and overcoming obstacles is a valuable survival skill I can appreciate."
"Sir, that's not— "
Sitting forward and sliding a gold pair of rank pips across the desktop until they rested in front of Solasta, Mirah said, "Colonel Dinn, I would like to offer you the position and rank of General Officer to lead the forces here on Odessen."
"You want to... promote me?" The words came slowly as an incredulous expression formed over Solasta's face.
"Yes. Do you accept?"
"I... Could I have twenty hours to consider before answering?"
Miriah beamed a wide smile before saying, "Of course you can!" and a small laugh escaped her as Solasta's glance shifted to the floor suddenly. "Another thing, Sol. Many of us smile when we're happy so please try to get used to it— maybe even try it yourself occasionally."
Watching as Solasta grinned then slowly curled her lips back to display her fangs, her faced looking mildly pained as she tried to mimic a smile, Lana stifled her amusement at the sight before saying, "Well, that's a start I suppose. Just message Miriah and myself with your decision, once you've reached it."
Solasta walked back through hallway, confused and absently answering 'hello' to those who spoke to her as she passed through the security check-points and finally stepped outside to where Gursan was waiting for her. Raising an eyebrow at the vacant expression on Solasta's face he joked, "You're back. I don't need to schedule the conjugal visits then?"
"The commander has offered me a promotion."
Gursan threw his arms around her and hugged her tight. "Congratulations!"
When she didn't respond, Gursan stepped back to see a conflicted look on her face. "What did they offer you? Did you accept?"
"General Officer of the Odessen military forces, and no I didn't give an answer. Gursan, we're talking about quitting the military, joining the civvie population and starting a family— not advancing our careers further."
"Still, this could be really good. General Officer would locate you here full-time with more predicable hours, I would think. All very conducive to family life. You could have it all, Hellcat."
"Gursan, how do I go from never having what I want, to having it all? The galaxy is playing some twisted joke on me."
A feigned look of pain crossed Gursan's face, "You've never gotten anything you've wanted?"
"I need what I want with you. I want this but don't know if I need it."
"My wife who never stops over-thinking things, can't figure out this could be like finding an oasis on Tatooine? The Eternal Empire has fallen, the Sith and Republic are licking their wounds, and for the first time in a very long time there might be peace in the galaxy. How hard can the job really be?"
"But— "
"But, nothing. Take your time and whatever you decide, you know I'll have your six."