Arn Peralun was in awe of the quarters he was given aboard the Dreamweaver. He'd slept so deeply that he felt refreshed, he'd had his robes cleaned while he slept, and the food was simply amazing. He almost wished they'd never reach Onderon. And the Jedi aboard, Magdalane. He felt great sorrow in her but she was pure light, so bright it was hard to look at sometimes. Of course, he'd read about her in the Jedi historical archives, as she was the Barsen'thor, but to meet her? He could only feel serene in her presence. If the One, Devin Riggs, had been aboard, he might not have been able to act very Jedi-like, his awe would have taken over. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be, he thought, and readied himself to greet the day, already smelling breakfast.
Miriah woke slowly, warm and lovingly cocooned by her husband's arms. She sighed contently, and felt him tighten his embrace. "You slept, darlin'. I was getting a little worried, hoping I hadn't harmed you in some way."
"Of course, you didn't, sugar," she told him, her smile reassuring him. They had retired early, their eyes only for each other after the tension of the day, and had engaged in Miriah's favorite stress relieving activities. She had spurred him on until he lost that famous control and they tumbled over and over again, until they collapsed on each other, spent. She was vaguely aware that at some point he had pulled the soft, warm bedding over them, but she didn't wake. Now, she was becoming aware of her body's needs and slowly extricated herself, muttering a curse at the cool air outside the blankets. She sprinted to the refresher and giggled when Corso joined her in the shower, his wet body sliding on hers until they were lost to their needs again.
Mags shook her head but smiled. Caly sent her a questioning look, but Mags refused to speak. After a minute, she finally said, "Corso and Miriah will be a little bit. We should go ahead and eat." Caly's brow furrowed but then she blushed hotly and swiftly put the food on the service bar.
"I'll gather everyone," Torian told her, after kissing her soundly. She still gets a little shy, he thought, but I love that about her. He approached the hallway and met Arn.
"You're Mandalorian?" the Jedi asked, awe in his tone. When Torian nodded, he smiled. "Never met a Mandalorian before."
Torian chuckled. "You'll see lots of us when we get to Onderon, should be at least ten ships on the way there now." He noted the look of amazement on the Jedi's face and went past to knock on Theron Shan's door, then the Jorgans, just to let them know that there was a meal ready. By the time he returned to sit at Caly's side, her face carried only a hint of the earlier redness. The passengers of the ship slowly congregated, congratulating Caly on another wonderful meal, and about halfway though, the Commander and Corso slid in beside him, both looking well.
"So glad you have food," Miriah said, loading her plate. Caly always felt happier after her mom ate well, so she was content with that. Aric smirked at them both, but held his tongue, happy that everyone was relaxed and seemed ready for the next part of this mission. He'd communicated with Odessen very early, and Lana had told him she was getting a dossier ready on the major players on Onderon. He had thanked her, grateful for any info she might be able to find. Maura nudged his ribs, and grinned at him.
"If you say one word, I'll confess what we were up to last night," she warned him, and saw his eyes widen.
"Okay, I'll behave. At least she's not pacing." Anything they could do to keep Miriah from being wound so tight she lost her temper would be a good thing, he realized. Still, another day and a half until Onderon.
Lana had gotten Tali to school and went straight to the office, anxious to view the data she'd received there overnight. She had told Aric she'd have all there was to know by the time the Commander was over Onderon, and she intended to do just that. She stretched her back once inside the war room, and startled when Devin stopped to touch her. Just his soothing force helped, she realized, and gave him a grateful smile. "I know I have four more weeks, but I can't figure out how I'll get there," she told him, and he laughed.
"Mia wondered the same, as most expectant mothers do, I imagine. Still, nature works as intended. You know, you don't have to be here to work." He offered his arm to Lana, and she took it, smiling.
"One day at a time, as they say," she replied. Once she was settled at her desk, Devin pushed a little more force her way, knowing how hard it was for her to use right now, and she thanked him again.
"Let me know if you need anything," Devin said, and made a mental note to check on her later. "I'll get Mia to stop by, maybe she has some helpful advice."
Lana nodded slowly. "I'd like that," she admitted, and waved as Devin returned to his own office. Turning to her two computers, she started to compile data, and the morning flew by.
The evening saw Miriah at the controls of the ship, lost in thought. Corso was in the lounge, and she was aware that it was late, but that they'd all been off time-wise, the long hours in hyperspace distorted to Coruscanti time. She knew they were about to enter another jump, and waited for the hyperdrive to disengage. She was thinking about the coming Life Day, wondering when she'd find time to buy gifts for the children, when she heard the engines change, accompanied by the proximity alarms. "What is going on?" she said aloud, then as the ship slowed from hyperspeed the line of Imperial ships emerged from the darkness. Miriah hit the general alarm, and slowed their forward progress.
They were all still for a few minutes, in which Miriah determined this was a blockade set up to stop any trade into the system where Onderon lay. She had only shouted it back to her family when the lead ship started to shoot at them. "Stations!" she yelled, and felt more than saw Corso slide into the co-pilot seat.
Arn watched the family move, the Cathar and his wife into the forward and rear turrets, and the Mandalorian into the starboard one. He looked at Magdalane, who nodded, and he scampered up into the port turret. He relished the thought of blasting Imperial ships out of the sky, yet he felt guilty at the glee that rushed through his system.
"Status!" Miriah yelled, taking the freighter into an elegant dive and roll to give the turrets the maximum exposure to the blockade.
"Give'em hell, Mir," Aric shouted, and they felt the forward guns start. Corso used the Rakatan tech that had been added to the ship to target the nearest ship, and let out one of his old war whoops when it disintegrated. Two more were disabled from the guns and a fourth sheared in half with the wreckage from the other ships. The remaining two bugged out, and it was only when it was all done that Miriah felt she could take a deep breath.
"I think they had an idea there might be help heading to Onderon," she finally said, and felt Corso's hand resting on hers, which had remained on the thruster controls. Recovering herself a little, she pulled her holo out, connecting with Shae Vizla, warning her and the Mando'ade about the possibility of blockades. Once done, she felt her hand start to shake a little, and hastily pushed the device into her pocket, standing to check on everyone. Before she left the bridge, she caressed Corso's face with her fingertips.
"Ship is fine, a few more score marks but everything responding as normal," he told her, and took her hand to kiss her palm. She pulled away, but he knew she was just checking on Caly, and let her go. Thank the force her reflexes are as good as ever, he thought. That dive was classic Miriah. With that thought, he smiled, and continued to monitor the ship's diagnostic.
Caly had braced herself in the galley, not really understanding what was happening, but instinct had told her that she needed a stable spot. She felt the movement, slightly, as they engaged, and heard the guns firing. When all was quiet, she stood from the shelter she'd taken in an empty cabinet and had only taken two steps when her mother ran into the galley, hugging her tightly. "I'm fine, Mom, are you okay?" she asked, but Miriah just held on. Magdalane joined them, and once everyone was calmed with Mags force waves, Miriah stood back but held onto Caly's face with both hands.
"Glad you found a good spot," Miriah finally said, and Caly laughed.
"I'm fine, like I said. Are you?" Caly asked, and Miriah nodded. Aric and Maura hurried down into the lounge, and Torian found her then, hugging her much as Miriah had. "I wasn't scared. I only hoped that the casseroles I have in the ovens didn't make a mess."
"Ner mesh'la verd," he told her softly. "My beautiful warrior." He gently kissed her and let her gain her feet. "We should be safe now. We'll be back in hyperspace when your father determines if there's any repairs needed."
"I was never afraid," Caly insisted, but she took Torian's hand and let him lead her into the lounge and onto the long sofa there. If only he knew how much I would like to shoot things, sometimes, she thought, and almost giggled.
Lana ambled out into the courtyard and was instantly warmed by the midday sun. Sighing, she closed her eyes and stood to the side, letting her body relax. "I love that face," she heard, and smiled, recognizing Nico's growl.
"You could see it more regularly now, you know," she shot back, and heard him chuckle. "But first I need to feed this one." Taking his arm, she let herself be led to one of the small nooks on the perimeter of the mess hall.
"Rest, love. I'll be right back." She saw Nico join the rapidly moving line, and closed her eyes again. She was sleeping in fits and starts, getting comfortable for short periods of time before it was all uncomfortable again. She had tried so hard to not wake him, but she knew he had to have felt her tossing and turning. He never said anything, though. She could feel him approaching and smiled as he put the tray between them.
"Here we go, beautiful," he told her, and laughed when she sighed happily. "Any chance you'll go home after this and rest? I can get Tali and pick up dinner."
"The Commander will be landing on Onderon tomorrow, and I still have a couple of sources I'm waiting on to report in," she told him, and saw the concern in his eyes. "I can monitor that at home, I suppose. But I want Miriah to have the files I've prepared as soon as I hear from them." She concentrated on her food, but she felt Nico's worry.
"Okay then, let's do that," he finally said, and took her hand. "I only worry about you, love."
"I know, and I appreciate it. It is getting harder to move around, but sometimes I need to," she explained.
"Yeah, I get it," he told her. "We'll figure something else out, but I wish you'd work from home."
"Devin said as much this morning," she admitted. Maybe I need to listen, if only to give them both some peace. Considering, she sat back, full and drowsy, and mused on how to run the office from home.
Corso engaged the hyperdrive once the coordinates were set and joined the others. "Ship's just fine," he said, slipping his arm around Miriah's shoulders. The group chattered on, but Miriah's attention was clearly his. "That dive and roll was amazing, darlin'. Put us in the perfect position and caught them off guard." He bent to kiss her, and she met him eagerly.
"I didn't even really think about it, just did it," she said softly. "I thought I was too old for this, but just maybe I have a few more years of battle I can withstand."
Corso pulled a horrified face. "Darlin', you should never have to, but I have full confidence that you can do whatever you put your mind to." He sighed as she snuggled closer to him, and hoped with all his heart that she'd never have to face an enemy again, knowing in his heart she would, sooner than he ever wanted.
Devin whistled as he came into the house, and stopped short. The usual smoothly running ship was chaos today, with what looked like flour and oil on the floor, toys scattered about and a plant lying broken, dirt smeared along the floor. He reached out in the force. Mia was with Merida in the bath, and Declan was sitting on the floor, subdued. He made his way to them, and saw the downcast face of his son, and the guilty eyes of his daughter. Mia didn't turn, but told him quietly that there had been some temper tantrums this afternoon, and that he needed to speak to his daughter. He tried to keep his face solemn, in solidarity with his wife, but it was proving difficult.
"Sorry, Daddy," Declan said, a fat tear rolling down his cheek, mixing with the dirt and smears of flour. Mia lifted Merida up and Devin took her, wrapped in a towel. When he'd gotten her dressed, she sat on the bed and tried to tell him what had happened and how the mess was made.
"Okay, Merida, but we need to go clean it up," he told her, taking her hand.
"All done," she told him, and when they stepped back into the family room, all of the debris had indeed been cleaned up, and he turned to look at her. She shrugged, and walked into the kitchen just as Mia rounded the corner with Declan.
"What…." Her face was incredulous when she looked at Devin, and he just lifted his hands in a helpless gesture.
"It wasn't me," he told her, and knowing bloomed on her face. They went into the kitchen, and it was clean as well. Merida had taken containers out of the fridge, and was warming the stew as it sat on the floor.
"Merida needs to be neat," she told her parents, repeating her lessons. "And make things calm. I'm sorry, Momma." It was only much later, when everyone was in bed, that Devin remembered his words to Lana, and had to laugh to himself. Not today.