Xynri completed the call, turning into her quarters and turning off the holo disguise she always used when dealing with the Sith. It's just better to not show everything to Anyzama, she thought. In this case, though, I think I'll make the trip to Dantooine. She left her quarters and made her way to the ship's bridge.
Sarai had been in a force trance for almost twelve hours now. She was feeling strong and calm when she emerged, and asked all the force users to join her in a short meditation. The combined force auras produced light so pure and strong that even Joslin could see it, clear across the planet from them. Not only could the newly minted Sith see the light, she reeled from the light side push against her own dark force. For a fraction of a second, her resolve wavered, but then the rage took control again, and she was lost in her thirst to rid herself of any influence that dared to compete with her, human or otherwise.
The shuttle from Darth Anyzama's cruiser docked with the troop transport. As she stepped through the air lock, the surge of light force energy rocked her, causing her to stumble with its impact. Nikos reached out to steady her, and was hit with a wave of nausea, a residual effect from that much force. They held each other, waiting out the energy surge. When it ended, they slowly made their way out to the commanding officer, neither of them completely recovered but resolute in their mission. "You have made good time, " she told the general.
"We have, my lord. What are your instructions?" He knew of the Sith's reputation, and hastened to please her.
Anyzama paced for a moment before answering. "Joslin will be leading you on the planet, but I am not convinced her mission is one that should be supported by the Empire." There, she thought, I said it. "I want you to be there, be ready to attack on her order, but I will be monitoring things and will tell you if you should follow it." She acknowledged his nod and turned to leave, stopping at the commander's words.
"How many opponents are we talking about? A company? A squadron?" he asked.
"Just a family," Anyzama replied quietly, not looking at the man but continuing to her shuttle.
Devin felt all the force energy as it sang in his blood, making him happy and light. He ran to his nana and climbed into her lap, and without conscious thought added his force to hers. Stars, he is strong, she thought. Like a conduit to pure force power. The little boy grinned and chatted with Sarai, but all she could concentrate on was the flood of force running through them both. Magdalane had been in the meditation circle, but now her head came up from playing with her son to feel the spike in force energy her mother and nephew were creating. She could feel Devin's giggles, and her own mouth curved in a smile. Ian is force sensitive, she thought, but I wonder if he'll ever be as open to it as Devin is.
Miriah was baking, her tension outlet. She'd been up early and in the kitchen most of the day, and all available surfaces were covered with treats. The Jedi from the Aria colony were entranced. They had the food they needed and supplies and such, but no one with the talent to bake like this. Obo had joined them in the kitchen, and was sitting with Corso and Aric, the kids in the floor with cookies. Maura was watching the activity, and saw that Miriah was rapidly getting tired. "Miriah, go, sit. You've been at this for hours now and you need a break." She gently pushed her younger sister toward her husband, stopping to get a cup of tea for them both before joining them with the others.
Obo groaned and patted his full stomach. "Mir, you could open a bakery anytime and make a fortune," he told her, getting nods and murmurs of agreement from around the room. "You need to eat some of this, or at least eat something."
"Yes, you do," Corso gently reminded her, getting up to get a plate for her. He returned to the table with things he knew she liked, and frowned when she only picked at the food. "What's wrong, darlin'?"
Miriah looked into his deep brown eyes and sighed. "I'm anxious, waiting for an attack that I'm afraid we won't see coming. Worried about Devin and this little one," she said, patting her slightly rounded abdomen. He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently.
"We are all on alert, we have the perimeter secured," he said, kissing her temple. "You know I'll protect you with my life. You're safe, cyare." Obo heard this and agreed.
"We're with you, Mir. All the way. Besides, I'm going to need a constant supply of these cookies," he grinned.
"Absolutely," Aric agreed.
Joslin anxiously awaited the troop transport that she'd been notified was on the way to the planet's surface. She felt the darkness of the anger she'd been feeding on grow stronger, and gave in to its pull. She'd spent the day planning, and had figured out the patrols around the ranch. If she timed it right, she'd be able to lure Miriah out easily. Then, she thought, she'll die. The closeness of it made her giddy and she spun around, her arms outstretched. It didn't matter to her at all that Miriah was carrying an innocent life inside her. As far as she was concerned, any collateral damage was justified. She stopped, slightly dizzy, and considered what would come after Miriah's death. Jestera, she thought. If I can rid the galaxy of those two, I will be happy. She saw the approaching shuttle and hugged herself. This is it, she thought, and watched as the troops, her troops, started to gather.
Jestera felt the approach of the additional forces, as all the force sensitives did. Devin ran into the kitchen from the playroom, headed for his mama, his little face filled with worry. Yes, Jestera thought, he is well aware of the danger approaching. She vowed to keep him safe. He climbed up into his mother's arms and settled on her shoulder, whispering to her. Jestera could feel him relax at his mother's response, and saw Magdalane approach the pair. The Cathar walked over as well, and they talked quietly.
"I know he's worried," Mags said. "I can feel it, but you calm him, Mir. He'll be alright." Mags planted a kiss on the drowsy little boy's head and turned to Jestara. "I'm going to make us some tea, Jestara. Would you like some?" At her nod, Mags left, and Jestara lightly touched Devin on the back. She was amazed at the force he carried, and told Miriah that.
"He's certainly surprised us with it. Mom has started to work with him, but she says he's already got more control than he should have at his age." She gently put her cheek against his head, feeling him relax in sleep. "He's such a sweetheart, it's been hard to see him worried."
"I know it must be, Miriah, but he will be key in this. I feel it. I will die before he comes to harm, I promise you."
Xynri was in her own shuttle, headed to the planet, when she realized she had come down on the Chantalle side of this battle in her mind. The idea of it startled her for a second, but when she thought about it, she had no issue with Miriah Chantalle and especially had a problem with hurting children. She knew Joslin, and Joslin knew her, but they had only met once. Even then, Xynri had felt like a bug being inspected. Yes, she thought, I definitely will be in defense of this family.
Shurxan met with Corso and Aric on the deck as the sun descended in the evening sky. "Things are escalating quickly," he said in a soft voice. "The troops have touched down. I suspect morning will be the idea attack time, given that the sun will be at their backs and in our faces." A master tactician, he'd thought of those things when planning the defense of the ranch. "We will double the number of persons on patrol, and keep someone here to monitor the comms channels." Aric nodded, he had talked with Shurxan earlier about all this, but they wanted to give Corso as much peace as they could, knowing he'd be worried about his wife and children.
"It's a sound plan," he told his brother in law now. "We'll have all possible approaches covered. Maybe you should stay back at the house, be with Miriah until this is over." He clapped his hand on Corso's shoulder, but before the other man could speak, they heard a voice in the shadows.
"That is my mission, one I have gladly accepted as my own," Jestera said, her voice also soft but firm. "I have felt it in the force since we arrived. Joslin thought we were friends once, now she harbors as much hate for me as she does for Miriah. We must stand together."
"It would make them both easier to defend," Aric said. Corso stood shaking his head.
"No, no I cannot leave Miriah. I won't," he said, his voice having a frantic note in it. "She's my world, everything there is to me. Joslin will have to go through me to get to her." He paced, anxiety flowing off of him in waves. "No, I am here with her."
Aric stopped Corso's pacing with a hand on his arm. "We need you, Cor, buddy. On the perimeter. If we do this right, Joslin will never get close enough to hurt anyone in the house." Corso began his pacing again, unable to voice his thoughts. "Look, let's not push this now. Let's get everyone fed and in bed, and the night patrols set up. We can reevaluate things in the morning." Corso let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and nodded. As they parted to go inside, Jestera turned to Corso.
"I won't let anything hurt her," she said, and saw Corso's nod. They joined the now large group for the meal, both with their thoughts of the coming battle foremost in their minds.
Joslin was leading the eighty Imperial troops across the terrain toward the ranch. She was in her element, the evil gleaming around her as her hair whipped in the wind from the speeder. They'd been moving since the shuttle landed, and they were now within five kilometers of the ranch. She called a halt to the movement and the soldiers prepared to camp, leaving Joslin in her own tent to contact her lord. The call rang many times before Darth Anyzama accepted it. When it did, Anyzama saw the madness in her apprentice's eyes, the recklessness of her movement, and it concerned her greatly. More and more, she knew this was a disaster. Joslin spoke, and her voice held the edge of her obsession. "We are in place. I will lure her out at daybreak, and our troops will be victorious!" she said triumphantly.
"Are you sure this is what you want, apprentice?" Anyzama asked. "You realize this will ignite warfare on both the Republic and Empire sides." She glanced over at Nikos, who now appeared uncomfortable with the sight of Joslin.
"Yes, of course I'm sure. She has to die. She has taken all I ever had, and I will have my revenge!"Joslin shouted.
"You would be wise to watch how you speak to your master," Anyzama warned, her tone holding enough threat to cut through Joslin's madness. "You are not as strong as you think."
"Y..Yes, my lord," Joslin replied, seeing the malice in her master's eyes. "I am sorry, the thrill of the battle has .."
"Yes, yes, I know," Anyzama said. "But be warned. If you are not successful, your life is forfeit." The call disconnected, and Joslin sat, her energy expended.
Miriah leaned over Devin as he slept, and placed a kiss on her son's head. Corso watched from the hallway, knowing that she was worried. When she left the little boy sleeping soundly, he hugged her close, feeling her tears wet his chest. "Shhh darlin', I've got you, " he said.
"He's just so little and he's been through so much in his short life already," she sobbed, clutching handfuls of his shirt. "I've just realized that he's the one who's been through the most."
"He's fine, Mir, and will continue to be fine. C'mon, let's go lie down," he said in a soothing voice. He led her to their room, helped her undress and put her nightshirt on, then held her as her tears slowed. "He's strong, darlin'. Like you. He can take it. He's a happy, healthy little boy who loves his mama."
"He loves you, too. Don't think he doesn't," she sniffed. "I love you more, though." He bent and kissed her, his love flowing around her. If we could just stay in this moment, he thought. He gently rubbed her back until she slept in his arms, leaving him to worry but glad she was able to rest. Force be with her, he prayed. With us all.
Joslin rose after only a few hour's rest, ready for the day of her reckoning. She reached into her gear bag and extracted a small device, one that played a recorded bit of audio on a loop. Her eyes glowed and she felt the dark force rise in her chest. She mounted a speeder and took off, the ranch house in view in minutes. She placed the audio device in some shrubs, activating the timer on it. She sped back to where the camp was beginning to stir and checked her chrono.
When Flar and Ken passed the shrub, a motion sensor activated the recording thirty seconds later. Devin's voice cut through the morning air, calling for his mother.