Corso took Miriah's hand as they ate breakfast in the mess hall. The week since they'd returned had been filled with the expansion on Odessen, and the first of the immigrants were due in today. He knew they'd all be busy, and wanted to keep the day easy for his wife. She had eaten well, and he was sipping his caf, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Aric was on his way over, and Corso thought he had a determined look in his eye.
"Commander, we will have the empty barracks ready for the first of the new people today. We've had to increase our mess hall staff to provide food for them, but it's all on track." He sat and handed a replacement cup of caf to Corso as he kept his eyes on Miriah.
"I know you've got a handle on it all, Colonel," she teased, but kept a straight face.
Aric sighed. "It's always stressful when there are new immigrants in the main base," he admitted. "I want you to be invisible, as far as they're concerned."
Miriah said nothing, but her face softened. "I'm always protected, Aric. I'm not worried, about that anyway. I'm more worried about the ramp up of activity in the Empire's forces. What can you tell me about that?"
Aric grinned. "Nothing, out here in the mess hall." Corso smiled as well at their teasing. "Let's meet in half an hour, we can go over all the changes." Miriah nodded and stood, her black clad detail materializing around her from the edges of the room. Corso joined her as they started forward, and they went into the main base.
Mia had walked the children to school, her own two and Tali and James. It was a good arrangement, she usually took them to school and Lara usually picked them all up. As usual, their lively chatter had made her smile, and on the way back, she had stopped at Devin's office for a quick kiss before heading back to the apartment. She had the afternoon walk-in clinic today, and she was excited to go back to work. She took the elevator up and when the doors slid open, she saw someone in the hallway, across from her door. Immediately, she stopped and pulled force to her, scanning the person ahead. No danger, she finally realized, no weapons or any ill intent. The cloaked person turned, and she saw an infant in a sling across her chest. Somehow the presence of the child reassured Mia, and she took a step forward.
In her apartment, Magdalane stretched, enjoying a day off. She'd spent much of the night talking to Arn, the holosignal strong enough for her to see the beard he had grown. It made him seem more dignified, she thought with a smile. She had even let herself wonder if they had a future. She'd already decided that even if they took their attraction to a physical level, she would never marry again. With a happy sigh, she took herself to the kitchen, a cup of tea seeming like a welcome breakfast.
In her office, Miriah smiled and did her job, but her head ached. The constant barrage of information from the force was overwhelming, and even though Mags had been working with her to filter out the important bits, just the sheer knowledge of it all made her slightly nauseous. She could feel Corso worrying about her, and gave him a smile meant to reassure him. Rubbing her temples, Miriah saw Aric approaching. Their meeting, she recalled, sitting back in her large chair. "So, how many?" she asked.
"We have twenty thousand expected in the next few days. The settlement has housing for them, and their infrastructure is ready," Aric explained. "The barracks will hold the two hundred who are applying to work here."
"There's enough room for everyone? And the settlement is ready with food and provisions?" she asked, knowing it would take days for even the simplest of cases to be inspected and cleared to be sent to the planet.
"Yes, I've double checked it all," Aric assured her. "Mir, you okay?"
Miriah stopped rubbing her temples to look at her brother in law. "Just a little headache," she confessed. Corso immediately stood, ever worried about her. "Sit, Corso, I'm fine."
"Maybe time for a break? Some cookies and a drink?" Corso asked, his eyes searching hers.
"That sounds great. I'll get Mags in today, see if she has any concerns about the health of the new arrivals and Maura will be back tomorrow." Miriah frowned. "Maybe I should not be off tomorrow," she said softly.
"Why not?" Aric asked. "Maura is feeling well these days, especially since the news of a new grandbaby." He'd just learned a few days ago that Ty and Coleen were expecting a new arrival.
"I just feel… like maybe I should be here, help with all the coordination."
"No. It's all going to go just fine. I promise, Mir. If anything is wrong, we'll call you in, okay?"
Miriah was silent for a minute. "Okay." The tug of work was still there, she knew it would always be there, but she also knew she was ready for a little downtime.
Kira struggled to walk into the med center, Ian doing all he could to support her. She'd been in active labor for hours, he thought. How much more can she stand? The droid quickly brought a hover chair for her and they sped off to the maternity wing. As they rounded the corner, Mags joined them, her force joining theirs to give relief from Kira's pain. Mags could feel it would be awhile, and their daughter would be on Odessen. She thanked the force again that Ian and Kira were here, and forgot the rest of the galaxy as she concentrated on the task at hand.
Lana gazed over the group of people milling about in the orbital station, and wondered again if they were doing the right thing in opening up Odessen to more immigrants. Sighing, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Nico working on his datapad. At least this assignment had the added perk of having her own personal pilot, she thought. Lana turned her eyes back to the crowd of people. At least most of these immigrants are from other planets in the Alliance, and that thought eased her worry somewhat. She was amazed that so many people still wanted to live on Odessen, applications coming in every single day, so many that they'd started assigning one of the intel techs to send a stock reply and keep the records updated. So many, she thought. The initial group would be finished in a few days, and then she would be back on Odessen, her work to greet and go over the first few days on the planet with the new people done. Miriah will be glad to have this going, Lana told herself, and I will, too.
Mia paused as she reached the other woman, feeling a thread of recognition but nothing she could grasp onto. "Hello," she said, and saw the responding nod. "I live here, can I help you?"
"Mia?" Mia was hit by a flood of emotions then, and took a step back. "Don't be afraid. I'm sure you don't recognize me."
Mia did, though. "Liv! I…I don't know..."
"Mia, we have to talk. I was hoping you'd figure out that the flowers and messages were from me, but I was afraid that if I told you outright, you'd have me detained on the orbital station."
Mia was still wary, having not seen her sister since she was very young. "What do you want?" she finally asked, afraid to hear the answer.
"Just to talk to you, please. Just a few minutes."
Mia slowly nodded, if only for the chance to sit down. Her head was swimming in emotions, and she had to use force again to steady her as she palmed the lock and led her sister inside. Devin sent a query to her, and she told him she was fine. "Liv, can I get you or the baby something?"
"No, we're fine." Mia sat across from them and saw Liv take a deep breath.
"Mia, I'm here for help, and to tell you that I'm not really your sister."
Miriah had just settled back in her chair when an intel tech ran from the war room. "Commander, I need a word about this information that just came in."
"Of course," she said, and waved him in. "What's going on?"
"Malgus is on the move," the slender man told her. "We have reports from several sources that indicate he's docked on Hutta."
"Thanks for that," she told the young man, and turned to Corso. "I'm walking over to talk to General Dinn, see that she's ready for the new people."
"Wait, Mir," Corso said, coming to his feet. "I would expect that you'd be more upset about Malgus," he said.
"Why? I didn't think he'd just go away," she smiled at Corso. "Nothing I can do at this point as he's still in Imperial space. Now, today, we have an influx of people on Odessen to deal with."
"I guess you're right, darlin'," he grinned. "I'll come with you." Together they made their way to the hall, waiting on the detail, then Miriah turned and gripped his arm.
"Mags is with Ian and Kira at the med center," she told him, and his eyes lit up. No other explanation was needed, and they made their way down the corridor.
"What do you mean, you're not my sister? Mom and Dad..."
"Weren't your biological parents, either," Liv said quietly.
"You need to explain this," Mia replied, and searched Liv's face, her hands shaking in her lap.
"None of us were their actual children," Liv said. "They were both killed, about two months ago, by the owner of the ship they were trying to scavenge. They left papers that told the whole story." Mia saw how tired Liv was and stood to make tea, needing the distraction of the task. "For years, they bought children from the other scavengers who ran across them. I have no idea where you or I came from, but they never stopped. When they died, they had four young ones, and I managed to find families for those. I thought it was over, that everyone was settled." Liv paused as Mia placed a mug before her. She slowly took a sip, and sighed. "Then this one was delivered." Liv indicated the bundle on her chest. "She's only a few weeks old, and I can't find anyone for her."
"Wow," Mia said, sitting back on the sofa, her thoughts running so fast she was almost dizzy. She remembered the day she'd been left with the Jedi on Tython. The only tears had been hers, she realized. "It makes a weird kind of sense, actually." Liv sipped her tea and took one of the cookies on the plate.
"I can't keep her, Mia. I just can't. I don't have the skills or the space," Liv explained. She gently pulled the infant from the sling. Mia could see blond hair and when the tiny girl stretched her arms up, she smiled soflty.
"Why can't you keep her, Liv? She's a beauty," Mia said, her eyes glued to the baby.
"She's a force user, Mia. I have no idea where there's even a temple anymore besides here. And your married to the One, so you should raise her, teach her," Liv implored. "She needs a chance to be loved and taught. I can't do that, Mia. Besides," Liv was sobbing now, "I had a hard enough time placing the other ones."
"Shh Liv, let me hold her," Mia said, and Liv handed over the baby. Mia could feel the force from her. "You know we already have a son and daughter."
"She'll have siblings," Liv said, a small smile on her face. "I can only be on Odessen for twenty-four standard hours, Mia. Please, can you take her?"
"I need to consult my husband, Liv. This is a huge ask." Mia put the infant on her shoulder and the baby snuggled into her.
"I know, but can I leave her here while I go and sleep? I had no idea how sleep deprived a parent can be," Liv said. "I have a room."
Mia didn't hesitate. "Of course," she said, and reached out to touch Liv's arm. I have to get Devin here, she thought, and immediately had his response. Liv stood and Mia hugged her with her free arm. "Come back when you've had some rest."
"Thanks, Mia. I really appreciate it," Liv responded, and dropped a bag on the floor. "Baby stuff is in there." Liv hurried to the door, and when she reached the elevator, she let relief flood through her. She had five minutes to board the transport to Coruscant, and she knew she had to hurry.
Devin saw the slightly ragged woman who left the elevator as he got on, but paid her no mind, his thoughts squarely on his wife. He rushed inside and stopped short at the tiny baby in his wife's arms. "Mia?" he asked, and she placed the infant in his own arms.
"It's a long story, but explains so much," she said, and drew her husband to sit beside her.
Kira felt like she was going to come apart with the effort of having her baby. She held onto Ian and Mags, their force combining to ease the pain but the pressure remained, and she was so tired. "I can't," she panted, turning to Ian. "I was a fool to think I could do this."
"Easy, honey," he assured her. "It'll be over soon and we'll have this beautiful little one." Mags could feel the fear and doubt Kira had, and increased her force. Mags knew that it would be several hours before their baby was born, but didn't want to discourage them.
Miriah was almost to their apartment, breaking for lunch, when she felt all the changes taking place in the force around her family. It felt like a body blow, and Corso steadied her when she stumbled. "Let's go in," he said, guiding her through the door where she collapsed into his arms.
"Too much," was all she said before she sank into darkness, her mind churning until that moment.