Caly looked up as her dad approached at a dead run. "We've got to do something, Dad! Please, let's go, now!"
Corso looked at the despair on his daughter's face and grimly nodded. "Go find Torian, meet us on the ship," he said as he gently rolled his wife over. Her pale face glistened with tears, and his heart ached for her. Eyes never leaving her, he reached for his holo and hit the frequency for Aric. "It's time," he said when he saw his best friend, and Aric nodded.
Devin saw his father on the holo and his heart dropped. Mom must be in a very bad way, he thought. He'd been briefed on the plan, and knew without a doubt that the time had come. He turned back to the man in custody and shook his head. So much, he thought. His uncle was still there, though. "Go," Devin said to him. "I've got this. Dad needs you and Aunt Maura."
Aric stared at his nephew, and saw the man he'd become. "We'll be in touch," he finally said, and turned to leave, his holo in his hand. Maura appeared at the other end, and somehow she already knew.
"I'm on the way now," she said, before he had even uttered a word. He hit the elevator running, and burst through the other side.
Corso picked Miriah up from the floor, growing more worried when she didn't move. He was almost out of the apartment when he stopped and pulled his holo out again, dialing Mags. When she answered, he saw that she was standing on the ramp of the Dreamweaver. "We'll be there in a minute," he said, and saw her nod. Cradling Miriah's face against his neck, he jogged through the military hangar, ignoring all the curious faces turned his way.
Caly found Torian and he knew immediately what was going on. He merely grabbed her hand and turned to the tunnel into the military area. They hurried up the ramp and when they were aboard, Caly ran to her parent's quarters, seeing Miriah so still, lying on the bed. She gasped, and Corso hugged her. "Mom's going to be okay, Mags has already said she just needs a lot of rest." Caly nodded weakly and sniffed back her tears.
"I hate seeing her like this," she said, and Corso closed his eyes. Not as much as I do, he thought.
Magdalane and Sarai decided to cook, since they could see how upset Caly was. They quickly stowed their gear and settled for take off. "How did you know?" Mags asked her mother, and got a snort of derision.
"You girls think I don't know when things are unbalanced in your lives? Like I just stay in my apartment like a hermit? Anyone with eyes could see how Miriah was doing," Sarai responded. "When I felt the panic around her, I figured that something had to give, and then I saw Maura heading this way."
"You're right, Mom. I'm sorry," Mags said, and saw Sarai's eyes moisten.
"She's really bad this time," she said, and Mags agreed. She knew that Miriah was going to recover, but she feared the reaction when she became aware she'd been taken off Odessen when she was down.
Corso slid into the seat beside Aric. "We'll be in the hyperlane in a few minutes," Aric said, and Corso nodded. He, too, wondered how Miriah would react when she woke.
"Devin has the spy under control, but what do we do if Mir is really mad?" he asked, and Aric just shook his head.
"She'll have to see it was necessary. She really pulled a blaster on Caly?"
"She did," Corso confirmed. They fell silent, each worried in their own way that things wouldn't be as they'd hoped.
Devin sat across from the disgraced Jedi. "How is it that you are communicating with the same people who tried to destroy your base on Ossus?" he asked, staring at the man.
"Who do you think told the Imps where to look?" the man sneered. He dropped the bravado when Devin force choked him, and it was all Devin could do to control the urge to hold him there until he again fell unconscious. When he did let him go, the man fell, coughing and holding his throat. "How are you able to do that? I've never seen..."
"Not your concern," Devin snapped. "I do have someone I trust to finish this interrogation." He stepped back and opened the door to allow Arcann to come in, and the spy felt his heart start to race.
"I will get the truth," Arcann said, his deep, gravely voice resonating in the small space.
"I'm counting on it," Devin said, and stepped outside. Frankly, he didn't care if Arcann damaged the spy or not. With a shrug, he made his way home, knowing that no more messages would be sent to Malgus, and that his mom was safe. That's enough, he told himself.
Lana had gotten the message that Miriah was off world, and realized that's what Corso and Aric were planning. Makes sense, she thought. She had gotten settled on the sofa, and both Nico and Tali had hovered until she told them that she was perfectly fine, and she'd call if she needed anything. Nico had gone to get dinner at the cantina, and Tali had come to stand beside her mother, reaching out to stroke Lana's hair. "Mama, I can stay here when the new baby comes, right?" she asked softly.
"Of course, love. You belong to us now, you'll never go anywhere else. I love you, Tali." Lana saw the little girl's eyes grow bright, but felt her relief in the force. "Do you think you'll like having a brother?"
"I really will. Merida loves her brother, so I know I'll love mine." Tali put her head on Lana's shoulder and Lana pulled her to lie beside her. "I'll help, Mama. I won't let you get bored while you on rest."
Lana chuckled. "I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk and read about."
"The 'Mander is gone," Tali said. "She needs rest, too."
"She surely does," Lana agreed. "We'll all be just fine." At least, I hope so.
Corso stepped gingerly into their quarters, and felt his heart leap when Miriah wasn't on the bed. He half ran to the refresher, and heard the shower, mixed with Miriah's sobs. Oh, darlin', he thought, and took a seat in one of the chairs to wait for her. When she stepped out, she had regained her composure, and instead of greeting him, gave him a cold stare. She dressed and remained seated on the bed, refusing to look at him again. Finally, after several minutes, she spoke. "So you, and probably Aric, thought it was in my best interests to be taken off Odessen. May I ask where we're going?" He was shocked at her cold tone, and cleared his throat.
"Dantooine," he replied. "We have everything already set up there, and it made sense."
Miriah nodded slowly. "How far out?" Corso told her they were in the hyperlane and would refuel on Rishi's orbital station. Still, she held herself rigidly, her anger almost a halo around her. She didn't move as he stood to go to her, until he got close enough to put his arms around her. With more speed than he had figured she had, she was pummeling him with her fists, striking his chest, until he pulled her close to him, holding her against him. After a few seconds, she pushed away, turning her back to him.
"Darlin', we were all so worried," he started.
"Enough that you'd embarrass me, haul me off as if I didn't have a choice?" she yelled. "I'm humiliated, Corso. At least the military hangar personnel saw me being taken aboard, and I'm sure the rumors are going crazy!"
"Devin has the spy in custody, I'm figuring that most of the speculation is around him," Corso mumbled, and that statement took some of the fire out of Miriah. "That's how we knew it was a good time to check out the info on Dantooine." Miriah blew out a breath and sat.
"Still, it would have been nice to be consulted," she bit out, and Corso sighed. "Go. I'll let you know when I'm able to rationally talk about this." Corso started to the door, and stopped to look back at her.
"I love you, Mir. I'm glad we got you out of the pressure cooker of Odessen," he said calmly, and left her. The quarters door slid shut, and heard the click of the lock, and sighed again.
Caly saw her dad come down the short hallway and ran to hug him. She could see by the look on his face that her mom was not happy, and she felt for him. "It was right, Dad. She'll see it."
Corso gave his daughter a weak smile. "I know, I just have to be patient and let her think on it. Let's go eat," he told her and they joined the family in the galley. Corso fixed a plate of food but didn't sit, instead going back to the captain's quarters. Caly ran to intercept him.
"Dad, let me," she said, and Corso handed over the plate.
Caly knocked on the door, but got no answer. "Mom? I've got some food for you," she called out, and waited. After a few minutes, Miriah opened the door.
"Thanks, Caly." She seems so subdued, Caly thought. She handed the warm plate over and hesitated before following her mom into the small sitting area. "I will eat," Miriah said. "But at the moment I feel like a prisoner, like no one thinks I can make decisions for myself."
"Oh, Mom, no. No one thinks that. We all just love you and want you to have some time to relax." Caly saw her take a few bites, and then the tears started.
"Caly, I'm so sorry," Miriah said. "I would never have..."
"I know, Mom." Caly wrapped her arms around her mother, and felt how fragile she was. "It's okay."
Miriah could only cry though, and after a few minutes where Miriah's tears slowed, Caly stood. "Dad only loves you. I do, too." Miriah nodded, but Caly saw that she wouldn't eat any more, as if those few bites would sustain her. Well, it's a start, she thought, and watched her mother go back to lie down on the bed.
Aric sat beside his wife and held her hand. "Mir's really mad," he observed, and saw Mags nod, sitting across from them.
"I figured she would be, since she had no control. You know how she hates not being in control," Mags commented, and everyone knew she was right. "Corso will take the brunt of it, but she'll probably take a little out of all of us."
"I can't blame her, really," Sarai said. "She's been building up to this for a few months, and now she's not sure how to react. In her own mind, she was doing fine." Everyone was quiet, thinking about Sarai's words. They looked up as Corso sat with them, and Aric poured a fresh mug of caf for him.
"Corso, my man, you need to rest, too. I'd bet you spent most nights lately trying to get Mir settled," Aric said, and Corso only grimaced.
"I'll be happy when she's had some time to catch up," he said, and sighed. He figured he be sleeping somewhere other than beside her, at least tonight, maybe more. It doesn't matter, he told himself. As long as she's safe. He sat there long after the others had gone to their quarters, then when all was quiet, he made his way to where he knew Miriah had barricaded herself. A tap on the door told him it was locked and he slid down it, propped up against the wall.
Caly snuggled close to Torian. "I've never seen Mom get so out of herself," she said softly. "When she realized it was me she was pointing her blaster at, it was as if she just shut down."
Torian smoothed the caramel hair around his beloved's face. "I'm sure it was the last straw," he murmured. "She's been under too much strain for too long. This trip to Dantooine will be a good break."
"But what if the rumor about pirates is true?" Caly asked. Torian didn't have an answer for that, and instead kissed her. Caly's mind eased with the attention, and when they finally settled to sleep, she felt confident that they'd done the right thing.
Corso fell backwards into their quarters when Miriah opened the door. "Didn't know you were there," she said, and he could tell that she'd slept a little. She stepped around him to the galley for water, carrying several bottles back to her side of the bed, slipping them into the small cooler they'd installed there. Corso had been silent, and she saw him staring at her. "I'm not ready to hear how sorry you are," she said sharply, and slid the door closed again.
"I'm not sorry," he said, loud enough for her to hear him. "I did what was necessary to keep you from hurting yourself or someone else." He was quiet for a few minutes. "I'm reminded of a song that kept me company while you were in carbonite." He began to sing, his clear baritone true and beautiful.
So I'll stay unforgiven,
And I'll keep love together.
And I'll be yours forever,
I'll sleep close to heaven.
Miriah heard him singing and listened, feeling tears tracking down her face once more. The lyrics and tune tore at her heart, but she stayed put, too tired to get into any discussions. Instead, she knelt by the door, knowing everything she ever needed was just on the other side.
Copyrighted lyrics by Breaking Benjamin, Close to Heaven, album Dark Before Dawn, 2015