Miriah woke in a cold sweat, the dream echoing in her mind. What have I done, she asked herself, but she knew the trade she'd made was the right one, even if it did put her stomach in the danger zone again. She rose and quietly made her way to the kitchen, her datapad in her hand. She'd gotten a message since she had last looked at it and it made her stop in her tracks. Solasta had sent a report on Mag's disappearance, and also a personal account of loss that made tears come to Miriah's eyes. Sol thinks I should just accept that Mags had to work through her grief, and love her through whatever was left, she thought and it felt right to her. She helped Corso when they all thought I was dead, and force knows that had to be difficult. With that decided, she put on some water for tea, hoping to calm her thoughts.
Magdalane had startled awake with Miriah's dream and hurriedly dressed. She had let Miriah suffer before, but she would never do that again, she vowed to herself. She slipped out of the apartment, noting that it was still either very late or very early, depending on your point of view. She saw very few people out and about, and made it to Miriah's apartment in only a few minutes. Letting herself in, she quietly followed her force sense to Miriah's side. When she arrived, she noted that there were two cups set out, and smiled. Miriah stood and hugged her sister then, and they both cried a little. "I'll never do that again," Mags sniffed.
"I'll hold you to that," Miriah said with a watery smile. They sat with their tea, and Mags felt the haunting thoughts Miriah was having.
"You're troubled," Mags finally said, and Miriah nodded.
"I had to secure the trade routes. I couldn't let our pilots and crews face the danger of piracy and the Empire's attacks." Miriah looked into her tea cup, as if answers were lying there. They were quiet while several minutes passed before Miriah spoke again. "The sacrifice is small, it's the potential for further problems that has me wondering if I made the right choice."
"You promised to help train their military," Mags said softly. "That was a good thing, Mir. They have done little to rebuild after Valkorion, and as I understand it, their military ranks are less than half the number they had prior to that war."
Miriah nodded. "Expertise is all we're giving there. Knowledge is valuable, but there's no cost to give it."
"Then what has you worried so?" Mags asked, and saw the despair in Miriah's eyes.
"Something had to be traded," she whispered, and stood. "Go home and rest, Mags. I will definitely need you later today."
"You go rest, as well. Even if you only lie in bed, your body can rest. And Corso can, too." Mags hugged her sister again before leaving, something shifting into place that had been long missing. As she walked back to the home she now shared with Sarai, she felt a warmth envelope her, and knew that Felix was pleased. She could no longer talk to him as they had when he'd first become one with the force, but she could feel his unique presence, and it had prevented her from taking her own life out in the wilderness. With a deep breath, she felt that Miriah had indeed returned to rest, and slipped back into her own bed, content.
Devin felt his mother's worry as well, but he was up checking on the children when he felt her up. His burden was the persistent feeling that there was someone hiding in plain sight. He'd caught several slivers of pure dark side force in the past few days, but hadn't been able yet to pinpoint the source. Now, he sighed, and saw Merida squirm, so he quickly blocked his feelings. She's going to be something, he thought with a grin. I hope I can teach her all she needs to know. I won't interfere with her early training, but she will require more. He patted her back and turned to check Declan again. Poor little guy had fallen hard out on the sidewalk earlier and had been grouchy ever since. He went in to see Declan sitting up, rubbing his eyes, and picked the little boy up, cradling him on his shoulder. Declan hugged him tight, and hid his face in his father's neck, content to have him. Just before he fell asleep again, Devin heard him call for his Mimi, and had to smile. We all want her, buddy, he thought, and in that instant wanted nothing more than to hug his mom. He put the child back in his bed, and made his way to his own, more determined than ever to figure out where this threat may be and eliminate it.
Nico woke with his wife in his arms and his daughter on the other side, and figured it was a great day already. He had slept better than he had in a month, knowing that his future runs would be in protected space, rather than taking a major risk every time he left Alliance space. He was up and making breakfast for them all when Lana joined him, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "It's good to have you here when we wake up," she told him, her voice rough with sleep. He turned to kiss her and handed her a mug of tea, which she took with a grateful smile.
"I'm wondering how we're going to help train the Republic military. Word is, they have fewer and fewer volunteers every year. I know that most of their forces were in Iokath." He stirred the eggs and heard Lana put her cup down at the table.
"I am more concerned about what the Commander didn't say than what she did say." Her words made Nico spin around quickly, but Tali ran in then, and the moment was lost. It was only later in the day that Nico recalled his wife's words, and knew them to be true.
Miriah woke later than normal, but she realized she didn't care. She stretched carefully and thought of her nighttime tea with Magdalane. It was time, she thought, but Solasta's letter had changed her outlook. I must let Sol know how much it meant to me that she revealed something from her past, she thought. With a heavy sigh, she stood, and had finished in the refresher when Corso appeared. He wore his happy face, she saw, and tried to smile convincingly.
"Ready for food, darlin'?" he asked, and she nodded. Her body still craved food, even if it didn't like it much after she'd eaten. Still, she had to keep up her strength. Following him into the kitchen, she stopped to stare. Corso had found purple roses, her favorites, and had them on the table, along with a sumptuous breakfast.
"Sugar, this is, just, wow," she said, and he bent to kiss her.
"The past few days have been hectic, and I wanted you to have a good start to another crazy day," he said with a grin, and she couldn't help but grin back. He pulled out her chair and sat across from her, nodding as she dove into the omelet he'd made. He felt sometimes that he really couldn't do very much during their day, but he could make sure she was fed and had everything she needed. The ships were outfitted, and they were in the final stages, so his job was slow at the moment. He instead made sure that the love of his life was taken care of, and honestly, he loved doing it. He refilled her juice and saw a shadow pass over her face. I'd give everything I own to take part of her burden, he thought, and reached for her hand.
Miriah squeezed Corso's hand and stood. "That was a very delicious breakfast, love, but I need to get to the office. We'll have a conference this afternoon, so it will be a long day."
"Whatever you need, beautiful. I'm here to help." She hugged him and cleared their dishes from the table as he loaded the washer, and when they were done, they headed outside. The detail waited, and with a nod to the guard captain, they started to the offices.
Lana saw the detail and waited at the door. When Miriah was headed to her desk, Lana followed and was about to start the morning brief when Miriah stopped her. "Before we do this, I need you to request an emergency conference of our usual people. We'll do it at noon, then break for lunch, okay?" Lana nodded, and saw the expression on her boss's face. She couldn't really place it, but she looked resigned, and again, she wondered what else was in the Republic agreement. They went through the brief and Lana stood.
"I'll get the message out, and have the conference room ready," she said, and Miriah nodded. Lana turned to her office but hesitated, and turned back to Miriah. "You need anything? A hot cocoa, or just a hug?" she asked, her voice quiet. She was rewarded with a gentle smile.
"I'm always up for a hug, but maybe after this meeting. I have a feeling I'll need it a lot then." Lana just stared at her friend, but she knew Miriah would say nothing more right now, and with a smile of her own, she went to her office to work.
Magdalane woke to Sarai's humming, and felt different. Not as empty. No grief waiting to ambush her. Cautiously, she rose and dressed, and realized her face felt different. With her fingers tracing her forehead and around her eyes, she could tell she was relaxed, and almost laughed out loud. She joined Sarai in the kitchen, and soon they were sitting together. Sarai didn't need to ask, she could tell that Mags and Miriah had reconciled. She only nodded when Mags told her the story, and then she saw her oldest frown. "She wouldn't say what was worrying her, she only said that something had to be traded. Any idea what she was talking about?"
Sarai thought for a moment. "No idea, hon. But it truly makes me happy to see your spirits lifted today." Magdalane had looked so wan for such a time now that her face almost looked radiant in contrast. They had just cleaned up when Magdalane saw the message about the meeting, and took a deep breath. Whatever is going on, we'll find out soon, she thought, and hugged her mother on the way to see if she could help in the med center.
Devin saw the message and made arrangements for his afternoon classes. He wondered every day if he should shift some of the training to his staff, so that he had more time for the older students. He intended every day to talk to the others, and put it off every time. He took a deep breath and let his force go, covering Odessen easily and holding it, then narrowing in on each of the groups of citizens. Haven was as usual, all working happily, enjoying each other and their community. Riggsville was thriving, hunting being their primary occupation right now, but he could see the plots laid out for farming and there were small boats being made for fishing on the river. Nothing odd there, he realized, and turned to the base. So many people go through this area in a day's time, anyone could be the person I'm seeking, and I might miss them. With a sigh, he pulled the container from his desk that held his grandfather's ring, and put it on his right hand. I can feel something nearing, he thought. Grandfather, help me keep them all safe.
Miriah had worked on civil documents for hours before she stood and stretched. Corso was at her side in an instant, and she leaned on his shoulder. "Let's go to the conference room," she said, and he took her arm. Once the detail had left them inside, and all of the security measures were in place, they sat together. There was only a handful of minutes before the meeting, and Corso was suddenly worried, the defeated expression on Miriah's face cutting into his heart.
"What is it, love?" he asked, but she only shook her head.
"I did what I had to do. Just remember that. I love you, sugar." Corso hugged her close, stroking her hair.
"I love you, my darlin'. Whatever it is, I'm with you. You remember that." The door opened to let Aric and Maura in, and they sat up.
When all were gathered, Miriah stood. "I know that my announcement last night took you all by surprise. I wanted to stop any runs that could take a crew into an unsafe route. As I said, we agreed to help train their military leaders. We'll make sure that we pass on only good practices, the black ops secrets of the Alliance will remain with us." At that, Aric grinned at her and Corso saw her face relax a fraction. "General, I ask you to put together a list of trainers, but don't skimp on the training here." Solasta nodded, she had already put a list in her datapad to send to the Commander. "The Jedi under the training of Satele Shan would like to visit our temple here," she said, looking at Devin. He smiled at his mother, his only thoughts were of the hug he'd missed so much last night. "The most important part is that our crews can supply the Alliance safely." Applause broke out, and Lana's smile was brilliant, thinking of Nico's safety as well as the rest of the Alliance flight crews and ships. They were all laughing and happy, until Magdalane caught her youngest sister's eye and instantly sobered. The rest followed, all looking at Miriah.
"There was one other request that Chancellor Rans made. It was a reasonable request, though one I hadn't even considered. I have thought about this a million different ways, but it was a sound decision, and one I can't regret as it secured our routes." She hesitated, and it made Corso move a fraction closer to her. Miriah held Magdalane's gaze as she took a deep breath.
"They want Saresh in trade." The room was silent, Miriah's words having stolen all their excitement.