Miriah woke and instantly felt the absence of her husband. Stretching languidly, she felt herself reaching out in the force, and discovering everyone else in the galley. She stood and wrapped her robe around her body, and made her way barefoot into the main body of the ship. Corso must have sensed me, she thought, as he met her in the doorway.
"Darlin'," he said softly after kissing her good morning, "we have some obstacles here."
Lifting her left eyebrow, she let him lead her over to the table where Aric had just placed her hot cocoa. She could see they had all been eating cake from the large, white box on the table, but when she lifted the lid, there was only some frosting left. She ran her finger through one of the edges, and put it in her mouth, closing her eyes with the sugar rush to her bloodstream. Opening them, she nodded. "Okay, what's going on?" she asked.
"Here," Aric said, pushing his datapad across the table to her. "This is the action report. Apparently, Mags and Devin are on the way to Dantooine to check out a possible Malgus sighting." They were all quiet while Miriah read Solasta's report. She finished it and went back and read it again.
"That's one," she said evenly. "What else?"
Corso sighed heavily. "Reporters got wind of us being here on Rishi. That's why we're in orbit now." Miriah put her head in her hands, which made Corso even more upset.
"So, an alternate plan?" she asked, and sipped her drink. Miriah had to make a conscious effort to rein in the force she suddenly had and the constant barrage of information she received now without asking for it, so it was relatively easy to decide in her mind, but she waited for Aric and Corso to weigh in.
"I say we go to Dantooine," Aric said after a beat. "It's close enough, it's a secure location, and we might be able to serve as back up in case Mags and Devin need help." Miriah almost snorted at the idea of Devin needing help, but she refrained.
"I agree," Corso said. "We can still have a little break." Maura saw that Miriah had already reached the conclusion and nudged her sister.
"What do you say, Mir?" she asked softly, and was answered with a nod.
"Let's go to Dantooine. I think I'd rather the Alliance think I'm working than slacking off on Rishi," Miriah said, and stood. "I need to talk to Devin." She went back to her room, the quiet of the area allowing her to filter through all the force voices and focus on Devin. Dev, what do you think of this report by a former Jedi?
She's legit, Mom. I can tell she absolutely believes that Malgus is or was on Dantooine. But I can't tell if he's still there, or what he was desperate to find. Devin knew that his mother was still learning to use her force abilities, and wondered if she was loving or hating it. She had told him many times that it was necessary that he helped her defeat Vitiate, but he still felt a little guilty that her mostly latent force ability was awakened, especially since she seemed to struggle with some aspects of it.
We're on the way to Dantooine now, to the ranch. Will you use it as a base or go to the southern outpost?
We are planning to use the ranch. Will that be okay?
Perfect, Miriah replied. We'll see you soon.
Devin smiled as Mags nodded, at once tuned into what was happening. Arn was still asleep, he and Magdalane had talked far into the night. We'll be on Dantooine after Mom and Dad, he thought, running a quick calculation of the remaining distance. Taking a sip of caf, he settled back into the pilot's seat in the small, nondescript ship they'd taken, and felt Mags fall asleep in the other chair. We'll figure this out and be back on Odessen soon.
Miriah had asked for a transcript of the meeting with Master Gnost-Dural, and once she'd showered and dressed for the day, she sat on the sofa to read. What she learned made her sigh heavily. "Ancient Jedi talismans, buried on Dantooine. Who would have thought?" she asked, and Maura, who'd joined her, shook her head.
"Why now? And for what purpose?" Maura added. "All valid questions. And who is the girl?"
"Devin says she's a reliable witness." Miriah put the datapad aside and ran her hands through her hair.
"Aric feels bad that Rishi fell through," Maura said quietly. "Are you very upset?"
Miriah shrugged. "No, not really. I really felt the ceremony was enough, and now at least we're making some progress toward finding Malgus once and for all." She grinned then. "I would have liked some of that cake, but, oh well." Maura laughed at that.
"We've got a few hours to Dantooine." Corso called them to breakfast and they stood, hugging before heading to the galley.
Magdalane was startled awake by an urgent alert. She sat up and fumbled around for her datapad for a minute before finally closing her fingers around it and pulling it from the side pocked of her seat. She blinked rapidly, trying to focus, and finally saw the message from Ian. We're on the way to Odessen, he wrote. Kira is doing very well, and we wanted the baby to be a true citizen of the Alliance. Mags smiled at that. She would contact him once they were on the ranch, she decided, since they were still in hyperspace. As she took a deep breath, she was aware of Arn now in the pilot's seat. "Hello," she said shyly, and he nodded her way. She felt herself grow warm and felt at once guilty and pleased, which she quickly smoothed under her Jedi armor. "How far away are we?" she asked.
"About six standard hours or so. This was once your home, is it not?" Arn replied, and she nodded, a sudden lump in her throat when she thought of Felix and their life on Dantooine.
"Miriah's on her way here as well, their other destination was overrun by reporters," she murmured. She rose to go into the refresher, where she splashed cold water over her face. I have to figure out my emotions, she told herself, or they will be in the way of this mission. She looked into her eyes in the mirror, and saw when her training took over to wipe emotion from her eyes, and felt calm infuse her. Now, she thought. I can do this.
Miriah settled the harness over her body and pulled up the nav comp. "If we land in the hangar, Mags will have to land in the field."
Corso took her hand in his. "They already know we're on the way, so I'm sure that flight control at the ranch will inform them." Miriah nodded, and closed her eyes. They would be landing in a few minutes, and she suddenly felt tired. "Nothing will be ready for us, but we can send a grocery order over with the house droid and there was plenty of firewood when I was last here."
"Ooooh a warm fire sounds like heaven right now," Miriah replied, a smile playing over her face.
"I know this wasn't the plan," Corso drawled, "but darlin', I'm happy anywhere I'm with you."
Miriah suddenly sat up straight and looked at him. "You know I didn't plan this, right? That I'm not trying to insert myself into the mission Dev and Mags are on?"
Corso kissed her fingertips. "Of course not, love. I'm sorry I've made you so nervous about that." He saw her relax and again berated himself for ever believing he was right to try and make her change. He had to let go of her hand to set the ship down, and they both stood as they heard the overhead door of the hangar clang shut.
Aric met them at the ramp. "Mir, in the spirit of being on the base and going directly to the house, I've told the detachment that a detail won't be needed," he said, and saw Corso's frown. "Of course, if you're going anywhere but the house, we'll revert to normal ops." Corso nodded, he was fine with that. They made their way rapidly to the house, the weather less than optimal with a cold rain falling. Corso hurried ahead to get the heat going, knowing Miriah was already freezing. Spring on the ranch was unpredictable. Maura was already logging into the secure signal, sending a report to Odessen.
Lana received the change of plans for the Commander, and sighed. I know she was hoping for sun and sand, she thought. But maybe it will work out. She was on her way to pick up the baby, and then Tali on her way back, then dinner. Nico was due in shortly, and she wanted to have things settled for him. Jaren was now sleeping all night, so they all were getting better rest. Lana smiled at her daughter as she skipped to them from her Jedi class, and together they entered the main base. "The 'Mander is happy," Tali told her, and Lana hugged her close.
"I'm glad, she's on Dantooine, at the ranch," Lana said, and Tali clapped her hands.
"That is a good place," Tali said, and pressed the elevator button. It is indeed, Lana thought, happy that the boss was getting a little break.
Devin had been torn between taking on the mission to find Malgus and leaving Mia, even though her anxiety about her family had diminished since they'd informed Miriah of what was happening. He knew that Mia was the backbone of their family, doing everything to keep them happy and going. Mom and Dad shared that role, he thought, and I need to be doing more to help her. But how can I when I'm standing in for Mom on missions, he wondered. Mia said she was fine, and he'd connected with her in the force only a few minutes earlier. He was still feeling uncertain when he got a message from his daughter, and chuckled softly. Go, find the Sith, and keep Mimi safe. I'll keep Momma safe. Indeed she would, he thought, and told her to just be helpful.
Corso had the fireplace crackling and Aric had made caf, and they all gathered in the family room, basking in the warmth. Miriah and Corso were in the soft pillows close to the fire, and Aric and Maura were across from them. "Not exactly what we planned," Aric said. "I'll be investigating what happened on Rishi, as there were only three who knew we were going there."
"Not sure it's worth it," Miriah said, resting her head on Corso's shoulder. "It could have leaked from anywhere that was involved in getting the ship ready to coordinating landing. We need to find a planet in the Alliance to vacation on."
"Good idea," Aric replied, "I'll start searching."
Maura took his datapad. "You can search later, hon. Let's just enjoy the fire and the good company."
Devin landed the small craft and they took their bags in hand. "Looks like it's nasty out there," he commented, waiting on the ramp to lower. They were met by a speeder and whisked away, and they entered the ranch house by door off the deck. It was warm at least, he thought, shaking the cold rain off his outer robe and hanging it on the hooks that lined the wall. Magdalane followed suit, and they went through the kitchen to the family room.
Arn was reluctant to remove his outer robe. His cybernetics felt nothing, and he was a little embarrassed to reveal just how much of him was machine. Instead, he concentrated on the flow of force and followed the others into a large room with soft seating arranged around the fireplace. He could see Corso Riggs and Aric Jorgan, along with Maura Jorgan, but didn't see the Commander until he was closer. She was asleep, and he could feel her peace.
"Dad, Uncle Aric," Devin said softly. "So glad you guys are here. We've got a lot to talk about, but not right now." He, too, had felt Miriah's peace and didn't want to disturb her.
"There's fresh caf in the kitchen," Corso said, "and we brought some cookies from the ship. We've got a grocery order on the way, but it may be a little bit in this weather."
Magdalane took her gear bag to her room, and showed Arm to a room on the same wing. "This is Miriah's house," she said. "We always take this wing, but if you would rather have another room..."
"No, this is more than fine," Arn replied, and when Magdalane turned away, he caught her hand. "Master Magdalane, I feel it too, but I'm not sure how to proceed, either."
Startled, Mags only nodded. Arn kissed the back of her hand and let it go, but his gaze lingered even after she had slowly walked to her own room. Stars, she thought, I have to think about this. Warmth wrapped around her, and she felt Felix's presence. I wish I knew what to do. It felt like Felix hugged her then, and she felt it as he left her, but it wasn't sad. Instead she felt settled, and knew that whatever happened with Arn, she had Felix's blessing.
Kira couldn't decide if she was happy or guilty. Ian had done everything for her, from packing to taking care of the journey, and making sure she had good food and rest. On the other side, she was leaving her calling, her life's work of helping the Jedi Order to regain their former strength. Ian had argued that she could do that from Odessen, and she tried to quell her inner conflict, but it was hard. Now, she knew that Ian was joyful, and she was tired. She rubbed her hand over her sizable bump and felt the reassuring kicks in response. Relaxing, Kira put her head on Ian's shoulder, and when his arm came around her, she felt comforted, protected. I can enjoy being a mom, on Odessen, she told herself, and almost believed it.