Miriah sat at the table in the conference room, stunned. The visitors, who had introduced themselves as Kira Carson and Lord Scourge, had related a story that Miriah was having trouble wrapping her mind around. Apparently, they had killed Tenebrae's preserved body at the same instant Miriah banished Valkorion from her mind. When the body disintegrated, it released a sort of plague, that had them both unconscious. Satele Shan found them and nursed them back to health, but then she and her followers were affected, and remained in a coma state, on a ship that was on a preprogrammed circle in the Outer Rim. This is my test, Miriah thought. She gathered her focus and stood. "My sister, Master Magdalane, and my son, Devin, will be the best here to help you with this. I yield any questions to them."
Mags looked stunned as well. "I don't have any questions as yet. I am trained in mind shielding, it's true. We need to find the ship and bring it closer."
"I knew we'd come to the right place," Kira said, hope in her voice.
"We're wasting time!" Lord Scourge said, pounding his fist on the table before rising to pace. Devin chose that moment to stroll into the room. He wore his black robes and had pulled both dark and light force over him, wanting to project power. Scourge stopped his pacing to examine Devin, and finally nodded.
"Sorry I'm late. We do have all the resources needed to help," Devin confirmed. He remembered that his mother had another conference call soon, and decided to take the visitors to their work area. "Let's move into the room I've had set up for this mission." Devin led them to a smaller room that was still secure. He let them examine the sensor arrays, and explained how to get in and out of the secure area. He was confident that all areas had been covered, when Scourge spoke.
"Kira and I have been vessels, as the Commander has been. We believe that gave us the ability to survive his plague. The Commander may be needed at some point," he said, and Devin nodded.
"Magdalane and I both have very strong force bonds with the Commander," Devin assured them. "If needed, she will gladly do whatever is necessary."
Miriah took a sip of cold juice and sighed. Lana sat on one side and Maura on the other, both waiting for the next call. "Doing okay, Mir?" Maura asked.
"As well as I can," Miriah replied with a small smile. The holocom chimed then and the image of Chancellor Rans appeared. "Good afternoon, Galena," she said, instantly assuming her Commander bearing.
Corso had gotten to the southern tip of Dantooine and borrowed a speeder, taking it out to where he could see the strobing lights against the early morning sky, the sun just beginning to edge over the horizon. After an hour, he stopped the speeder and took out his macrobinoculars, pointing them at the stadium that had been built. Wow, he thought. There must be several thousand people there. Putting the device away, he hopped back on the speeder and started toward the crowds.
"How is the training going?" Miriah asked, and they discuss the troops and the supply routes. Miriah told Rans that they had ten new ships in service, and that their defense was in excellent shape. Miriah knew it was coming, and when Rans relaxed, Miriah prepared herself.
"I've heard there are some issues, personal issues, that might keep you from being able to lead the Alliance," Rans said, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "I offer again to bring the Alliance into the Republic. We could be stronger together."
"Now, Galena," Miriah said, her tone only slightly mocking. "You know that the media only reports innuendo and suppositions. Corso is working for us on Dantooine, nothing more."
Chancellor Rans looked slightly unsettled with that, and they closed the call. Miriah sighed and sat back in her chair. "It never ends, does it?"
"We all know the truth," Lana said. "And Corso will be back soon." Miriah hoped her friend was right. "With that over, I'm heading to the office to work on conference things." Miriah watched as she left, and noted to herself that Lana looked well.
Lana raced down to her office and when she was inside, pulled her holo from her pocket. "Hey, hon. How are things going?" she asked Nico, who was relaxing on the sofa.
"Jaren just had a bottle and a change, and is sleeping. Everything is fine." He knew she was anxious leaving the baby, not that he was taking care of him. "We'll pick Tali up and get a snack to celebrate school being out for a bit."
Lana sighed with relief. She knew Nico was capable, but she felt as if she were missing an appendage without the baby close by. "That sounds wonderful," she told her husband, and they signed off. Nico didn't miss the signs of fatigue on his wife's face, and decided he and Tali would go shopping for dinner and some nice things for Lana.
Corso melted into the crowds, walking around the swoop race stadium. There were vendors and stalls, merchants selling everything from food to clothing with the team's emblems. He smiled, he was in the sunshine, there was a lot to see and do, and he was enjoying himself. He stood and listened to the chatter about who was sneaky and who was fast. Buying a ticket, he entered the stadium and found a seat. He bought food and beer from one of the wandering vendors and sat back, ready to see the next race.
Miriah sat at her desk, going through the items Lana wanted to discuss. Lana sat on the other side and they worked in tandem. Once they were done, Miriah sat back and rubbed her eyes. "How's everything going, Lana?"
"Everything is excellent. Jaren is sleeping almost 7 hours at night, thanks to your lavender bath idea, and Tali is blossoming in school," she answered. "How are you, really, Mir?"
"I'm feeling okay. Not great, but not awful. I'll be glad to get everything back to normal." Miriah let her face relax, and gave Lana a real smile. "It'll all be over soon, and Corso will be home."
"Have you thought about what your response will be to Corso's report on the races?" Lana asked.
"Probably nothing, as long as they move on. Dantooine's governor says that their revenue has boosted the economy in that area, and there have been no disturbances."
"I think that's the perfect response," Lana said, gathering her datapads.
"I just want him to come home," Miriah admitted, and Lana chuckled.
"I'm confident that he will," Lana replied, "and with that, I'm going home. You should, too."
"I will be shortly," Miriah responded and waved when Lana left. When she was alone, Miriah put her head down and rubbed her temples. She was still there minutes later when her sisters entered the office.
"Mir, you okay?" Mags asked, and Miriah lifted her head quickly, hitting it on the solid desk.
"Ouch! I was," Miriah said. "Now my headache is worse." Mags ran her fingertips over the red welt that had appeared, her cool, calm force easing the ache.
"There. Now, we came to take you to the apartment. You have to see these dresses, Mir," Mags told her, and Miriah stood, nodding.
Corso watched as the swoop racers made lap after lap, and when the winner was announced, he stood to make his way back to the speeder. He didn't see the holocam, and left whistling, having had a good day. He walked over to the winning pit and celebrated with them, then talked with a few other people. He made his way back to his speeder, not a care in the world.
Devin was making his way home when he saw his cousin Ian rushing toward him. What's going on, he wondered briefly, but then Ian was at his side, panting. "Is…Kira…Carson..really here?" he gasped.
"Yeah, I left her in the mess hall with Lord Scourge. There's a mission involving…" Devin looked around and knew he couldn't talk out in the Promenade. "I can't talk here, but yes, she's here. Why?"
Ian's face was pink, and Devin wasn't sure if it was due to his running or not. "Dev, she's very special to me. She's my Mia." His breath was coming easier now, and his face paled.
"So go, see her, be with her," Devin said, and saw his cousin pale further.
"I don't know what to say. We got separated in the assault on Tython, and I didn't know if she'd escaped." Ian kept looking at the mess hall, wanting to go but afraid.
Devin put his hand on Ian's shoulder. "Tell her you missed her and haven't stopped thinking about her," he said gently. "She'll understand."
"Maybe," Ian replied, and Devin clapped his hand on his cousin's shoulder before turning for home, and his Mia.
"Oh! This is so beautiful!" Miriah exclaimed, looking at the wedding dress that Sarai had made. "Coleen must be so happy. I know Mom had a good feeling about Ty."
"She can't even talk about the dress without crying," Maura said. "But now you see why we changed the flowers and cake."
"I wish I felt like I could make a good cake right now," Miriah said. "Cakes need to be made with love, and my heart is too bruised right now." She gingerly touched the forest green. "Mags, you will look killer in this."
"By the time we need cake, your heart will be healed," Magdalane predicted. She pulled another long, white box from the closet. "Mir, there's a note. We only looked at the dress." She placed the box in front of Miriah and stepped back.
Miriah took the top from the box and lost her breath. Her trembling finger traced the metallic threads, the intricate pattern. Finally, she took the note. My dearest Mir, I had a dream of this dress, it's pattern and materials. I knew I had to make it for you. Wear it, and renew your vows with Corso for the family. I know you have trials ahead, but I believe in you with all my heart. Love, Mom. Tears flowed down Miriah's face as her shaking hand passed the card to Mags. The room was quiet as they absorbed Sarai's words, only the occasional sniffle breaking the silence. When it was passed back to Miriah, she pressed it to her heart. "I can't believe she had time to do all of this," Miriah whispered.
"She knew, far sooner than we did, that she was declining," Mags said. "I can remember her getting up at night, not able to sleep, and I'd find her in here, working on something." She put the lid back on the long, white box and sighed.
"We would love to see you renew your vows," Maura said, pulling Miriah into a hug that Mags joined.
"Maybe," Miriah said, feeling her sister's love in their hugs.
Scourge had seen Kira and Ian, and left the mess hall. He'd heard a lot of things about the Alliance, and he was learning that much of it was myth. He'd not had to pay for anything since he'd landed, and the mess hall food was amazingly good. The courtyard had lots of benches and lighting for the residents, and he'd seen a sign for military family housing, so there was a good infrastructure here. And the force. He'd never felt neutral force before, and it was intoxicating. He didn't tour the temple, but he didn't have to. The force here was ever present. All in all, this might just be a pleasant interlude, he thought, sitting on one of the benches, for once in his life not feeling as if he were either a spectacle or odd.
Lana stepped out of the luxurious bath that Nico had made for her and pulled on the soft, new robe. "Honey, you have made this a perfect day," she told him, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing lotion onto her long legs, making Nico's smile broader.
"You needed a little pampering, I really should do things for you more often," he told her, his fingers following hers on her smooth skin, making her giggle. When she was snuggled into his side, hours later, he sighed in contentment. The women in the Alliance work hard at making it run, he thought. Now if only we can get Miriah back to fighting form.
Ian squared his shoulder and took a deep breath, then grabbed the door handle. He had only taken two steps when he felt someone crash into him from the side. Suddenly, he knew this body, this hug. "Kira, love," he whispered, taking in her smell and her force presence. "I can't believe I'm holding you."
"Ian, I never thought I'd see you again," Kira said, taking a step back. She took his hand. "Come, sit with me and talk." Ian followed Kira to her seat and they spend hours catching up before retiring to his room at the temple.
Corso arrived at the room he'd been assigned and when he was settled, he pulled out his holo. He felt himself relax when Miriah appeared. "Hey darlin'," he said and she smiled.
"What did you do today?" she asked, and listened to his description of the swoop races, the crowds and the sights. He really did enjoy it, she thought, listening to him.
"And what did you do today?" Corso asked, and Miriah related to him the events as she knew them. Corso saw that she was careful to note that Devin and Mags were working with Kira and Scourge, and it made his guilt gnaw at his stomach. "So now, you need to get in that big tub and soak, eat a bite of food, and get into our bed and rest," he told her and saw her sad smile. They ended the call and Miriah though about his words. It sounded marvelous, but she couldn't find the energy to move, and simply closed her eyes, her depression engulfing her.