Aric and Maura enjoyed the aftereffects of her dancing, but that combined with the actual dancing had her very sore and stiff this morning. Magdagane saw, and her aura burned brilliant as she infused her sister with healing and calm. Maura was grateful, she'd even had trouble bending to hug Calleigh this morning. After the kids were fed and set for the morning, the men set off to make sure Brock was safely off the station, and the women were joined by Risha, who'd brought gifts for the children .
"You guys should do this more often,"Risha told them, enjoying having their company. "Rick and I should be going to Dantooine more often, I know, but it's been hard to find an assistant here that I trust. I just fired the last one, she was good at making appointments and then neglecting to notify me. Oh well, I'll keep looking. Sorry I missed Akaavi's wedding, I heard it was wonderful." Miriah nodded, remembering the look on her friend's face as they left for their hunt. "Only Mandalorians would think a two week hunt would be romantic." Miriah chuckled but nodded, she'd thought it was unusual too, but then it wouldn't have mattered where she and Corso were, only that they were together.
Corso and Aric stood together as the Republic squad took the restrained Brock to their shuttle, after having shoved him in a shower and given him prison clothes to wear. The squad leader approached the two men, and told them that the prisoner had requested to speak to them before he was taken. They looked at each other, and at Corso's shrug, walked over to where Brock was being held by two large sergeants.
"I…I know my word isn't much with you, but I give it to you that I will tell you all that I know if you keep me safe. " Brock wouldn't look at them, but he knew they were listening.
"You'll be locked away on our capitol planet, Brock, you'll be safe. It won't be the luxurious life you've been used to, but you won't be harmed." Aric was convinced that the Twi'lek would talk once he was assured that he wouldn't be turned over to the Imps. Corso couldn't say a word, just watched the man with disgust.
Felix walked up then, and asked, "Why poison the general? She was only concerned about her family, and had done nothing on Balmorra." Brock made a groaning sound, and finally answered.
"That was my idea. I thought it might distract her from what was going on. An ill-advised attempt at diversion," he said. Corso motioned to the squad leader to take him and the lieutenant gave the order. Aric turned to the Mantellian as the shuttle lifted off.
"I know, she was almost hurt again, but Cor? Nothing you could have done. You can't shadow her every minute, you know she'd go crazy. All we can do is minimize risk, for all of them." He clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "Let's go home. Ready, Felix?" Felix nodded, and joined them in the walk back to the ship.
Risha was just coming down the ramp when they approached, and they stopped to thank her. She hugged them all, and when she hugged Corso, she whispered something to him that made him smile. Aric wondered what that was about, but let it go. They went through the airlock and emerged into a frenzy of flight prep. The kids were having lunch, a little early but they were fine with it. Sarai was entertaining them, and Miriah was on the bridge. Magdalane was preparing Michi's bottles, and Maura was making lunch for the adults, to eat once they were in flight. Corso went to Miriah, who was just finishing preflight.
"Hey sugar, we good to go?" She didn't look up, didn't have to, she would have recognized his booted footsteps anywhere. He stopped in front of her and she raised her head. When she did, he pulled her up and into his body, hugging her, still having said nothing. She hugged him back, he'd been in a strange mood since last night, and she didn't exactly know why. Finally, he spoke to her in a low voice.
"You are the only thing in this world that means anything to me besides Devin. The thought of that scum hurting you, anyone hurting you, makes me insane." She knew he'd been upset last night, but thought he was past it now. Evidently, he was still chewing on it, she thought.
"I try to be careful, be cautious, love. Last night there was nothing I could have done any differently, nor could you. I'm okay, sugar." She held him close, as he rocked with her, loving the way they fit together. He sat in her captain's chair, pulling her down into his lap, and kissed her.
"Let's go home, kitten." She nodded and hit the intercom button to let everyone know she was undocking, and sitting against the one she loved, she took the ship toward the hyperlane. Miriah turned and kissed him again, then got up to put their son down for his nap. She was leaving the kid's quarters when she saw Mags with Michi, putting her down as well. The twins were already snoozing, and Miriah waited for Mags at the door.
"I know it took a lot of effort for you to use the force last night, and I wanted to thank you again, Mags. " She walked with her sister back to the lounge area, actually hungry for lunch today. "Corso is still a little freaked about the whole thing."
"He loves you, Mir, he's gonna be freaked about some guy pulling a knife in a restaurant. Felix was the same last night, you just don't see it with him, he's so used to having to be stoic on diplomatic missions." They joined everyone and sat to eat, the ship already on an accelerated pace toward home. After lunch, they sat around the lounge, talking over the mission so far and what was going on with the others they had in the pipeline.
"Garza said there was nothing urgent when we talked last night," Aric told the group. Miriah was working on vetting some new equipment, and Tanno had left Aric a message that he would be in town while they were at the Port. "Tanno has a girlfriend, so he's been in town since we left. Says all is quiet. He even ran her through our systems before taking her out a second time, just in case."
"No way! Well, good for him, finding someone. He's a nice guy. Hope it works out for him." Corso was happy for the Weequay, knowing that being with Miriah was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Aric agreed, and they got quiet. Miriah was leaning on Corso, and he had his arm around her. She closed her eyes for just a second, but when she opened them again it was a couple of hours later, and still Corso held her close to him. They'd all been talking, she guessed, since everyone but Mags was still there. She started to sit up but Corso had laced his fingers in her hair and she couldn't move. He apologized and untangled them. "Sorry, love, didn't mean to hurt you," he told her, gently arranging her hair around her shoulders as she sat up.
"Good nap, Spitfire?" Aric teased her, seeing her still struggling to wake.
"Are you feeling okay, Mir?" Maura asked, seeing her youngest sister's face. "You look pale." She rose and crossed to her, feeling her forehead. "You're not sick, right?" Miriah shook her head.
"Just tired, I guess." She sat up striaight, and took a sip of the water Corso offered her. She stood and walked to their quarters, and through to the refresher to wash her face. She was pulling a towel from the cabinet when Corso's worried face joined hers in the mirror. She smiled at him as she patted her face. "I'm okay, Cor, really." He put his hands on her shoulders, and nodded.
"Okay, I know you would know more than me, but please, tell me if things change?" She nodded back.
"I'm ready to be home, in our bed. That's all." She took his hand and went back to the lounge, where Devin met her with his arms up, and she lifted him. "Wow, Dev, you are really growing. This is getting more difficult every day." He grinned and kissed her cheek, and got down to play. Their trip was uneventful, and when they landed the next morning, everyone was glad to be home. They agreed to meet at the office that afternoon, to catch up on the missions and such.
Aric was the first one at the office, the twins still napping. He checked the office accounts and sent the general mails to the different partners, and switched to his own. It was there he saw a new message from Garza, and he gasped out loud when he opened it. The shuttle that had gone to pick up Brock never returned, and when they sent a search party, all they found was debris.
Aric swore and pounded his fist on the desk, just as Tanno Vik came in. He didn't know what had the big guy so upset, but he knew it had to be bad, and he approached cautiously. "Boss? You okay?"
"The whole squad, six good Republic soldiers. Blown to bits. The only decent thing is that Brock is space debris now, too." Aric was up, pacing now. Miriah and Corso came in then, and saw that something was going on.
Aric turned and told them what happened, and Miriah put both her hands over her face. Corso only stood there a moment, then turned and walked outside. They could hear his yells of frustration through the walls, and Aric hung his head. They all flinched when they heard his fist connect with the door, and Miriah wanted to go him but Aric saw her start to move and shook his head.
"Don't, Mir, just let him get it out. I did the same thing to my desk," and showed her his bruised and bleeding hand. She went for the medkit and ice, getting enough to treat Corso as well. She was still in a little shock when she went back to look at Aric's hand, and was applying kolto to her brother in law when Corso came back in, his eyes sad, holding his right hand against his body. She turned to him, and saw his face, and forgot about Aric.
"Sit, my love, let me see." She took his injured hand in hers and ran the scanner. Only three broken bones, she thought, we must be on track to set a record for injuries this month. She turned to see that Aric had put the ice pack on his own hand, and turned back to Corso, who was getting a little woozy as she manipulated the injured hand. "Hold still, sugar. Here's some kolto and pain killer," she said, injecting him, seeing the pain ease in his eyes. She applied kolto gauze to the broken skin of each knuckle, and once the bandage was in place, kissed his hand. "That always works for Dev," she told him, a slight smile on her lips.
"I should have just killed him. Last year, when he was here. I should have just let Torchy burn a hole right through that thick skull of his." He rested his forehead against her shoulder, sighing heavily. "I feel responsible that he was still walking around, and now look. I'm sure his contact had something to do with this. Probably took them out to keep Brock from talking." He got up and paced, and almost ran into Aric, who was pacing as well. Corso was a little unsteady, the pain killer she'd given him making his balance off, and she tried to get him to sit with her. He refused, and his attention turned inward, working over this problem, and he didn't see her tears start. Only when she drew into herself, hugging her knees and hiding her face against them, did he realize she was upset. Her medic training had held her together enough to treat both him and Aric, but now she was feeling the same emotions they all were.
Tanno had gone to make caffa, and brought it all back to Aric's desk, turning to pat Miriah's shoulder after he set things down. Corso came to sit beside her, putting his arm around her. When he heard her sob, he picked her up and put her in his lap, not even feeling his injured hand. Maura walked in with the twins, and immediately herded them to the playroom while she sorted out what had happened. Tanno told her, in a quiet voice in the hallway, and she returned to put her arms around her husband, grabbing his hand to check it. When she was satisfied that it was healing, she knelt beside Aric's chair, murmuring to him. Finally they stood, and walked to the speeder. Maura put Aric in, then returned for the twins. They left, after Maura circled back to kiss Miriah's head and Corso's cheek. She hugged Tanno, and took her family home.
Aric moped around the house, still trying to figure out who would have known about the transport and where in space it would have been. Maura contacted Garza's office, found out the details, and wrote notes to the families of the soldiers. Aric joined her in their home office, and they sat silently. Calleigh came in and hugged them both, concerned about them. Maura rallied herself and made dinner, and they ate, subdued. Aric bathed both kids and read to them, and then joined Maura in their shower. Her arms went around him and they stood, just the contact making them both feeling better. "I love you," Aric told her, pulling her closer.
"Love you, too, hon," she replied, kissing his neck. They got out of the shower and moved to their bed, holding each other. Comfort gave over to need, and they loved each other slowly, gently, with attention to every detail. Losing people you just talked to will do that, Maura thought. Make you appreciate the fact that you still have each other.
Corso and Miriah were in a similar mood, but Corso was still a little loopy from the pain killers Miriah insisted he needed for his hand. The bones were almost knitted, but the skin was being stubborn, and she would do nothing to disturb the healing. Instead, she massaged him, her hands soothing as well as igniting him. She was sitting astride his back, working the kinks out of his shoulders. "Mir, cyare, this is torture."
"Oh," she cried, getting onto her knees. "I'm sorry, sugar, didn't realize I was hurting your back." She sat beside him instead, and in one smooth movement, he'd pinned her under him, trying hard to control himself.
"That's not exactly what I meant, gorgeous." He kissed her then, and felt her resistance fade as he nipped her shoulder. Her legs wrapped around him and felt his control slip another notch. She pushed just a little harder and he let himself go, managing to love her and not hurt her. It was always a fear he had, given their size differences, that if he let himself just go, he'd somehow hurt her. When they settled to sleep, he realized his bandage had come off at some point, and looked at the healed skin in wonder. Maybe she healed it, he thought, and kissed her temple as she drifted into sleep, feeling his eyes close as well.