Corso walked through the office door to see the rest of the group hard at work. He'd been called to the barn for a sick animal in the very early morning, so he'd missed seeing his wife and son until now. Miriah looked up to see him casually striding toward her. "I'm sorry, guys, to be coming in so late," he told them now.
"No worries, Cor. The bantha make it?" Aric had worked with the giant animals on several occasions, helping the ranch operations.
"I think she will. She's an older one, but I hope she'll be able to enjoy her retirement." He settled at his workbench, but kept his gaze on his wife across the hall. In a soft voice, he asked Aric, "Is she doing okay this morning?"
"Seems to be," Aric answered him, his voice also soft. "She got here a few minutes before we did, and Devin was chattering. She had cookies with the kids a little bit ago, and hasn't turned that awful green color she gets sometimes." Corso nodded, relieved.
"So what are we working on?" he asked, and Felix held up his datapad.
"Makeb push, just sent the mission specs to your station," Felix said. "Garza wants it done this week, so that's the current. Oh, and Mags sent the holofrequency to the Voss ship, but we haven't heard anything yet."
Magdalane was sitting quietly, sending messages to her consular friends, trying to figure out what problem at the Voss Temple would require mediation. She reviewed what she knew of the current situation there, but could find no reason to have her mediate things. She waited for more information from her contacts, and used the force to check out the group. Mom is with the kids, loving being there reading to them, she thought. Miriah is getting tired and headachy, typical early pregnancy for her. Maybe I'll go let Corso know she needs a break but is too stubborn to take one on her own. Maura is relaxed and happy, thinking about Aric as much as the Makeb planning. Felix is totally absorbed into planning the relocation of Makeb's citizens, which made her smile. She knew he'd essentially put his immersion into the company on hold while she was pregnant, and was enjoying making a contribution to the planning. He looked up as he felt her aura whisper over him and met her eyes, seeing her smile.
Mags looks lovely today, he thought. She's taking assessment of the group, but only to see any potential problems. He watched her as she made her way slowly, calmly to Corso, bending to speak softly to him. Wonder what that's about, he mused, then realized she was telling her brother in law something about Miriah. Corso stood and made his way to Miriah's desk.
"Darlin', ready to take Dev home for lunch and naptime?" he asked his wife, seeing her slightly unfocused eyes widen. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Uh, yeah, I'm good," she grinned. "Just thinking," she said, slowly standing, her hand on the desk to steady her, the slight dizziness always present. "Let's get the little man, and come back here later." He nodded, going into the playroom to gather Devin and say goodbye to Sarai. He strode back to Miriah's desk, Devin already laying his head on his dad's shoulder.
Magdalane walked Miriah to the door. "Now, rest, Mir. I can feel your fatigue."
"Let us know what you hear about the Voss situation, okay? The Makeb planning is just a regular mission, but the Voss thing is a mystery," Miriah told her, getting a grin in return.
"I will," Mags told her, seeing Corso and Devin approach. "We're going home, too. Michi is ready, and I'd like a little nap, too."
Miriah had just washed Devin's hands from his lunch and was turning to take him to nap when Corso stopped her. "I'll get him settled, cyare. You need to lie down." She was so tired she didn't argue, and that concerned him. Devin was asleep quickly, having played with his cousins all morning, and Corso went looking for his wife. Their porch swing was empty, as was her favorite lounge chair on the back deck, so that left their bed. He found her there, drowsy and warm, and hesitated. When he did, she opened those silver eyes and crooked her finger at him, motioning him to her. He sat on the edge of the bed, suddenly feeling his early morning, and removed his boots. He gathered her to him, feeling her sink into his side, warm and soft. He felt her breathing even out, and his own eyes closing, content.
Magdalane felt her youngest sister succumb to sleep, and was relieved. Felix felt her relax, and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Miriah. She's over tired, but she just went to sleep." He nodded, knowing how much Mags craved sleep with both their children. "I think I will, too. Want to join me?" He took her hand and they snuggled together. Felix thought his wife was asleep, but then she spoke.
"What is your opinion on Terik-ko and his request?" she asked him, relaxed but thinking.
"I think it's so odd to see a Voss anywhere but his home planet that there must be something to it," he responded. He felt her sigh and stretch, their sofa easily holding them both. "I can't ever remember seeing him before though, and I tried to keep track of anyone around you, especially when you were in those trances." He remembered well the hyper vigilance, the absolute terror of something happening to her while she was unable to defend herself, and suppressed a shudder at the thought of going through that again. "Hopefully, a couple of holocalls.." his words trailed off as he saw she was sleeping, and he smiled at her, softly kissing her forehead. Sleep, love, he thought, and was happy to just hold her as she did.
Aric had been watching Maura as she moved around the house, picking up toys and giving their C2 unit a list of things that she wanted done. She seems preoccupied, he thought, and waited for her to take a breath before getting her attention. "Hey, babe. C'mere," he said, laughing at her skeptical face. "Please?" She hesitated, wondering what he was up to, but made her way over to where he sat on one end of the sofa.
"What, you silly Cathar," she said, and sighed when he patted the cushion next to him. "Okay, I'll sit. What's up, Aric?"
"You. You've been flying around the house, doing things, and wearing this strange expression on your face, the one you get when you're thinking something through. Spill." He put his arm around her and pulled her head on his shoulder. "See? I got two of them, and they can hold a whole lot." He felt her smile, and was then dismayed to feel her sob. "Honey, what's wrong?"
"Mags just had Ian, Miriah's pregnant, and I want to be, too," she said through her tears. "I love the twins, but they don't need me as much as they used to, and that's only going to get worse. I wonder, if I went to see a doctor, a specialist, if they could help." She sniffed and hid her face in the fine fur of his neck, making him pull her closer.
"Sweetheart, if that's what you want to do, I'm with you," he told her, gently rubbing her back. "I know it's been long enough since we lost our little girl, and I'd love another child with you."
"Really? You would go with me to see someone?" she asked as she raised her reddened eyes to his.
"Whatever you want, honey, whenever you want it." He kissed her then, pulling them both to stretch out. "Maybe, if we practice enough, we won't need to." She laughed, her eyes shining, and pulled his shirt over his head. This, he thought, could be quite fun.
The group met back at the office, the children and adults rested. Sarai had decided to stay home for the afternoon and cook for them all, knowing Miriah had done it too often lately. Magdalane had just gotten a cup of tea and sat down at her desk when her personal holo chime started. She fished around in her gear bag and finally retrieved the device, hitting the button to accept the call. The image wavered, but settled into the familiar likeness of Grandmaster Satele Shan.
"Grandmaster, what can I do for you," Mags asked.
"Greetings Magdalane. I wanted to touch base with you about your recent visitor. Has he attempted to contact you again?"
"No, he hasn't, but he does have the holofrequency," Mags answered. "I expect, if he truly wants my help, he'll be in touch." Shan nodded her agreement.
"The Council has asked to be kept apprised of the situation. I'd like to know what they're up to on Voss that has this one so concerned."
"I would like to know as well, " Mags responded, "and of course, I'll keep you in the loop." They said their farewells and all eyes turned to Mags.
"So, Shan is interested," Aric pondered. "That could mean one of two things. Either she is concerned that Magdalane has lost her diplomatic skills," he paused as the laughter ensued, waiting for the giggles to end, "or they're feeling something is off with the Voss." That brought about a sudden mood shift in the room, and Aric looked with solemn eyes at his sister in law. "Mags, what did you think?"
Mags slowly nodded. "I think you're correct. The force users on Tython have combined their auras and have felt some disturbance." She let out a breath, blowing her hair away from her face. "And they're concerned." She moved around her desk, slowly pacing and thinking. "The work I did with the visions of the Voss, there was some discussion in the group of elders then about whether some had true visions or dreams. I determined that many of the so-called visionaries were simply recalling waking dreams." She turned to Miriah. "That's why I was able to help you with your nightmares. I learned to use the force to enter those dreams, alter them in some fashion. I made some of their visionaries very angry." She glanced at Felix and from the look on his face she knew he remembered their last day on the planet. They'd been berated and discounted, escorted from the Temple. He shook his head.
"That's why I don't want to go back, love. I won't see anyone belittle you." He stood and went to her, urging her to sit with him. "It's not worth it. Even if this Terik-ko begs you, let's not go back there."
"I'd have to agree," Maura said. "I've questioned the force before, and whether the Jedi really can live up to their ideals, but I've never doubted it nor your power to use it, Mags. They're not even really a part of the Republic, they don't want to be. They're still being wooed by the Imps. What investment do we really have there?"
"Even this Terik-ko. Who's to say his visions are really visions? " Miriah asked. "He could be having dreams, or he could have been sent here to lure us to the planet for something else."
"I felt nothing sinister from him, no ulterior motives. He truly believes what he told us," Mags said.
"Regardless, we're not moving from this planet. Not on his say-so," Aric stated. He'd decided that nothing short of detonate was going to move him, not for a while. Calleigh ran to him then, wanting to be picked up. "And I think we're heading home. Getting tired, sweetie?" he asked, seeing Calleigh rub her eyes.
"Sounds like a good idea," Corso chimed in, getting to his feet. Devin had followed his cousin down the hallway and went to his mama. "Don't do it, Mir. I'll get him."
They closed the office, making sure the alarm was set and that their security company's guards were in place, then left for Sarai's house. The little cottage was surrounded by flowers in bloom, making Miriah smile as they approached. Devin saw the house and shouted, "Nana!", making them both smile.
As they gathered to eat, Sarai kissed each grandchild. Mags thought she felt something off with her mother, but said nothing. Once they'd finished their meal, she finally addressed the group. "I wanted to weigh in on the Voss situation," she told them, gathering them in her living room with dessert. "I called a few knights I know who had been there recently. From what they tell me, the division is between the 'seers' and those who have no visions. The non seers have always been treated as lesser, and they're now protesting that the seers are nothing more than fakes." She looked at the group. "This could potentially provide the Empire with an opening to influence a majority of the planet to their views."
"So what you're telling us is that Terik-ko was truthful about the problems there, and that we might need to address them?" Aric asked, the concern on his face reflecting the seriousness of the situation. "But what could any of us do? Mags only reported her findings, she didn't split the people of a planet."
"That's the question, Aric. That is indeed the question." Sarai looked at her family, their unity and love, and wondered where this question would take them.