Miriah was awake, again, but this time it was nightmares. Her ship, her beloved home for many years, was gone and she felt its loss in her soul. She shifted against her husband, who was sleeping deeply, and sighed. Now what do we do, she wondered. It was the first time she'd dwelled on the loss, and even though she knew there were lucky to have escaped, a part of her identity was gone. She could buy another, she knew that, but would she? She closed her eyes and tried to settle and rest, but for the first time in a week, she wasn't tired. At least Devin is sleeping, she thought. She lay there and finally realized what she was. She was angry. Angry at the situation, at the cell that had tried and almost succeeded in killing her and her family. Angry at Garza, even. Just plain mad as hell, she thought. Now, what am I gonna do about it? She smoothed her hands down her belly, silently hoping Logan would not be affected by her emotions like Devin was. Corso stirred at her movement, and sleepily blinked at her.
"Wha's wrong, kitten? Need to sleep," he mumbled, his eyes already closing. She put her head on his shoulder and felt his strong arms around her. She was still angry, but the nearness of her beloved soothed her mind, his abundant warmth soothed her body, and she could feel the tension draining away as she closed her eyes.
Aric had come to the same conclusion about his own feelings, after loving his wife and letting her sleep. He held Maura close, but his mind just wouldn't stop thinking about why all this had happened. One of the cuts on his ear still stung, and it just served to fuel his anger. From the time the shuttle carrying Numen Brock exploded and killed not only him but the Republic squadron that had him in custody, Aric felt they'd been toyed with by this cell of Imps. No more, he thought. It's time to draw a line, right here. Once he'd resolved to not be deceived any longer, he was able to relax. He felt himself getting drowsy, and smiled as he smelled Maura's hair, drawing her closer. She felt him softly kiss her forehead, and she snuggled to him.
At breakfast, Aric spoke about what he'd figured out during the night. "I finally realized, last night, that we've been led around by the nose long enough. Now, it's going to be the Advantages way or no way. I'm tired of being bait." He looked around the table, and saw Miriah nodding.
"I agree. I realized last night that I was just plain mad about it all." She looked at Corso and saw when he realized she'd been thinking about this when he woke with her. "So, where do we go from here?"
"Home, tomorrow," Aric replied, getting excited murmurs of agreement from the group. "Mags, are you and Ian up to the trip?"
"Absolutely," she replied, holding Felix's hand in hers. "I can go right now if you want." The sisters giggled. Mags was notorious for her meticulous planning, but her willingness to leave on the spot said something to them.
"Then let's spend the day resting and relaxing, and then go home in the morning." Aric turned to Maura, "Sound good?" He smiled when Maura pulled him to her and kissed his cheek.
"Perfect, hon," Maura said. She stood to go to the twins, where the children were playing. Devin and Colin were playing with their pod racers, Calleigh was singing softly to her stuffed bear, and Michi was putting pieces into a puzzle board built for little hands. Maura had to smile, they were all so precious. Suddenly Devin's head came up, his eyes became worried, and he headed toward the others.
"Miriah, heads up," Maura called over her shoulder. Miriah looked and saw her son making a beeline to the group, but instead of his mother, his usual target, the little boy went to Magdalane.
"What is it, little one?" she asked, seeing his worried expression. She lifted the little boy into her lap, looking into his eyes. "Something, he senses something. Not of us, but outside. Close. A threat to his mom." She looked quickly at the group. "What is going on?"
Corso was instantly on alert. " I see nothing on the security video but the detail. It's a different detail than last night, but I would expect that." He went to the other side of the room, picked up his sniper rifle, and handed Miriah her gunbelt. "We're full charged, ready for whatever is out there." Aric had retrieved his assault cannon and stood ready, but Mags was shaking her head.
"No one is going to charge through the door, guys. I only meant that there is someone out there putting out enough anger through the force that Devin can feel it, and he's afraid for his mother. That's all."
"Still, better to be armed than not," Corso said, his face a grim mask. He bent and picked up his son from Mag's lap, hugging him tightly. "Thanks, little man, we'll keep Mama safe, okay? You go with the other children, where you'll be safe too." The little boy clung to his father, and Corso murmured to him, wanting the child to feel safe but wanting him to be wary as well. He put Devin in his mom's lap then, and Devin hugged her tightly.
Aric crossed to the holo and almost immediately Garza's image was before him. "Verify the unit that's on guard detail at the moment here," he asked. Her reply was clipped as she consulted her datapad.
"That would be Delta One, Jorgan. You know the CO, Major Reebo."
Aric laughed to himself, he did indeed know "Bubbles" Reebo. "We've decided that we'll be leaving in the morning, General. I'm sorry to bust your timeline, but we're all ready to get home." He saw the sadness in her eyes, but also the resignation. She knew they wouldn't change their plans.
"Very well. I will meet you at the spaceport then, unless I get up there before too late this evening. Garza out."
"So, we know we're being looked after by qualified people. Major Reebo is an old Ord buddy, you might know him too, Corso." Aric crossed over to the group. "Maybe I should go tell him to be extra vigilant, that our force users have felt something." Miriah nodded at him, and before Maura could stop him, he was out the door. Corso turned to his wife, still holding their son.
"Mir, take him and the other children into the back, farthest away from the door, and stay with them there." She started to protest, but the look on his face stopped her. It was a look of pleading, with sadness and concern mixed in his eyes. She gathered the children and they made a game of marching in a line to the back of the apartment.
Maura spoke softly to Corso. "It's okay, Corso, " she told him. "We're all here, all working together. " He nodded to her, but was still on guard. He decided to check on Miriah, and walked to the back of the apartment. When he entered Sarai's room, which was the most distant point to the door of the apartment, he saw Magdalane feeding Ian, and Miriah reading to the other children. Devin looked up at his father and grinned, making Corso relax. If Devin was smiling, things were okay, right? Miriah's loose hair shone in the sunlight streaming through the window, Devin on one of her knees and Calleigh on the other, Colin lying on the floor pushing a truck but with his head on Miriah's foot. Michi stood at her shoulder, her tiny arm draped around her aunt's neck. Home, Corso thought. We need to be home, I can keep her safe at home. As if she'd read his thoughts, she turned her silver eyes to his and smiled.
Aric found his old drinking buddy and slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Bubbles, how are ya?" he said, grinning at the man.
"Doing well, Jorgan," Major Reebo responded. "See you all got a bit of trouble, eh?" He turned to look at the detail, who presented an imposing scene to anyone approaching the apartment complex.
"Just doing Garza's stuff, as usual. Thought that was over when we gave up our commissions, but we were wrong." They laughed together, and chatted. Soon Aric rejoined the group in the apartment, where the children were napping and all was quiet. Miriah and Maura had almost totally packed their equipment, and Corso had all their gear in trunks, stacked neatly in the corner of the workroom. "Wow, you all work fast when you want something. I have to remember that," he laughed, dodging Miriah's hand as she reached to swat his arm. Corso was watching her, making sure she didn't lift anything she shouldn't be, and laughed at them.
"Let's go sit, we have all day to do this," Maura said, and when they got to the sofa saw Mags and Ian there. "Let me have him for a bit, " she said, holding her arms out to her sister. Ian was awake, his eyes changing from their newborn blue to a light brown, gazing around. "So you know for sure Ian is force sensitive?"
"Yes," Magdalane said, smiling at her son. "I can feel his force presence. He's too young to do much with it, but he can feel me." Felix joined them, having put Michi in her bed.
"Mags, how do I deal with Devin and his sudden awareness of his force power? I mean, can he feel all the things you can?" Miriah asked her oldest sister, and with a blush, turned her eyes to her husband.
"No, he can feel the emotions, and knows whether they're happy or sad, but that's all. I sincerely doubt he's worried as long as you're happy. You know, he'll lose a little of this when he grows a little more aware of the world around him, it's just that he's so young and open right now."
"Well, we'd appreciate it greatly if you'd start working with him when you think he's ready," Corso said, taking Miriah's hand in his own. She gently squeezed his, knowing he was as confused about their son's force awareness as she was. He absently rubbed his thumb on her hand, making her delight in his touch.
"See? That right there? He would know that you both were happy, but since he has no point of reference for sensuality yet, that's all he could know," Mags laughed, seeing the blush on her sister's face. "And of course, I'll start with him. You don't have to be afraid, I promise," she said, feeling their apprehension.
Sarai brought in some cheesecake and caffa, Felix behind her with a large bowl of cut fruit, and they snacked and talked, about home and future projects. "I'll finish packing the kitchen after dinner, shouldn't take too long," Sarai told them. "It'll be nice to get back to my little house, I've missed it. Miriah, how are you feeling?"
"Good," she told her mother. "No nausea at all, which is surprising given that I'm still in the first weeks." She unconsciously smoothed her hand down her middle, something that made Corso smile. "And Devin slept all night." She didn't mention the nightmare, or missing her ship.
"It's going to cost Garza a fortune to ship all this gear back to Dantooine," Aric said. "I've booked our passage aboard the first transport, four cabins so the kiddos will bunk with us, no other way for us all to be on the same ship." They nodded, and Felix started packing the toys that were in the corner, smiling at the thought of being home.
They ordered dinner, and it turned into a large affair, with Elara coming to see them off with Jay Blessing, along with Diedre and Paolo who were leaving as well. The apartment was filled with laughter and voices, and through it all the children had a blast. Devin had no recurrence of his earlier fear, and when they were all in bed, Miriah sighed with relief. The sisters sat in the living room over a cup of tea, Sarai already in bed.
"Maura, are you glad the senate candidacy is over?" Mags asked.
"Very," Maura replied. "I hate being on display, but this mission has surely forced me to do things I never thought I'd do, for sure. Aric has been my rock, but I wouldn't have made it without you guys." She nudged Miriah, who giggled.
"Where are the guys, anyway?" Mags asked, then saw Felix with his brothers in law come through the apartment door, flowers in their hands. "What's going on?" she asked, but smiled at the sight. Felix held peach colored roses, while Aric held pink ones and Corso held light lavender ones. They crossed the room to their wives, and while they all spoke, Corso only had eyes for Miriah.
"It's late, cyare, but I wanted our last night here to be a good one," he told her, handing her the flowers. "There's a vase for them in our room." He bent to kiss her, and she pulled him close, laying the flowers on the sofa to put both arms around his neck. They kissed, and when they had to breathe, Corso told her he loved her, he always would, and that he was so happy with their family growing. The third time they broke to breathe, they realized they were alone in the room, and Miriah took her beautiful flowers and led her husband to their bed.
The next morning, amid all the confusion of getting the children up and fed and ready to leave, sending shipping instructions to Garza's office, and Miriah's slight nausea, they finally made their way down to the taxi stand. Corso carried Devin, his smiling face all Miriah needed to know things were good with her oldest son. As they all departed the taxis and made their way into the spaceport, Major Jay Blessing met the group. "Sorry to interrupt, but can you all come with me?" Aric looked at Corso, who looked at Felix.
"What is going on here?" Aric asked, putting Calleigh down to stand with her mother.
"I just have orders to bring your group to Hangar Twenty-four," Blessing said, and shrugged. Aric frowned but when Corso nodded, they proceeded to the indicated hangar. When they'd arrived, they saw General Garza outside the closed hangar door.
"Advantages, so glad so see you all, and thank you for all you've done for me, for us. It's been an eventful few months, and this is the only way I can think of to make up for your losses here." She moved aside and motioned to the soldier standing at the door. The large, heavy metal doors started to open, and when they were fully retracted, the shining ship on the other side took Miriah's breath.
"Oh my, " she said. "That's 'Dancer's much younger sister, Cor. Isn't it beautiful?" Miriah took a few reverent steps toward the ship, then stopped. "It's very beautiful, General."
"Why are we here?" Aric said, giving Garza a puzzled look.
"This is Miriah's new ship. The registry is all set, the paperwork aboard on the bridge. You can contact the ministry's office when you decide on a name. I owed you a ship, but I couldn't find the same model," the general said, looking at the group. Corso let Devin slide down his leg, taking the little boy's hand.
"It's mine? Really?" Miriah was incredulous. She'd loved the Stardancer, but this, this ship was amazing.
"It really is," Garza said, "With the thanks of the Senate and the Republic Army. Corellian Shipworks just delivered it last night." At her words, her assistant approached.
Devin looked at Magdalane and tried to get her attention, but everyone was so focused on the new shiny ship. He tugged on his dad's pants leg, but was ignored. He watched his mother walking toward that man, the one who wanted to hurt her and he charged.
Miriah was walking toward Garza's assistant to get the data pad he was holding, when a streak passed her, small in size but moving so fast she didn't realize it was her son at first. Devin hit the assistant in the knees, and because he had no other weapon, bit into the man's leg as hard as he could.
The assistant screeched and started to shake his leg to rid himself of whatever was piercing it. It was then that Magdalane lifted the now pale and swearing man, Devin letting go of his leg and dropping to the deck of the hangar, where his mother scooped him up and cuddled him as he babbled.
"Man bad, gonna hurt Mama. Not like him, want him away. Daddy, help!" the little boy sobbed.
"It's fine, sweetie man, I've got you, I'm okay," Miriah told him, looking at the general. "What the void is going on here?"
"I'd like to know that myself," Garza replied, as her assistant of three years dangled from a force hold, kicking and screaming in a decidedly Imperial accent.