Corellia. Another war zone. Miriah shifted, her blaster in one hand and her shotgun in the other, to try to get a better angle on the Imperial trooper that was directly to her left. She could see smoke coming from the bunker in front of her, and figured Corso had managed to get a grenade in there. Stars, she thought, if I’d had any idea when I agreed to come on this mission that things were this dire, I might have rethought it. No, she wouldn’t have, she decided, she’d still be right here, fighting with the group she’d been assigned to in the dropship area of Carrick Station. She could hear the fighting behind her, which was suddenly background noise as she heard Corso yelp in pain. Mere seconds later, as she was struggling through casualties to get to him, she was aware that he’d fallen, a large scorch marking his chest armor. She brought the kolto gun up but before she could fire, she felt something large hit her right shoulder from behind. She tried to ignore the pain, and shift the kolto to the other hand, but then the butt of a rifle struck the back of her head. She was down, within a hands reach from her beloved Corso, and couldn’t move. Her vision started to fade, and still Corso hadn’t moved. NO! she screamed, then everything faded away.

Miriah jerked awake, and promptly fell off the little stool she’d been sitting on. She stood slowly and awkwardly, her right arm immobilized and throbbing. It took her a moment to realize that she hadn’t just been dreaming, but reliving the day. She glanced at Corso, floating unconscious in the kolto tank, face covered by the breathing mask, and her heart dropped. She remembered he’d been conscious for a few minutes before being put in there. He’d yelled her name over and over, pleading for her to answer, and she’d jumped off the medbay cot and rushed to him. There had been blood, so much blood! He’d fought so hard to not be put in the “tank of evil”, he’d called it. All she could do was hold his hand and tell him she’d be here. She was still holding his hand, looking into his eyes as he drifted into chemically induced sleep.

Only after he’d been placed in the tank did she allow the doc at the fleet med station to work on her shoulder. They would have both been fine, she thought, if the sage with their detachment had lived. She wondered for a second if her sister knew the Jedi who’d died, but then the pain returned up her right side and forced her to close her eyes and find her seat. She scooted closer to the tank where Corso was floating, and put her hand on its side, leaned her head against it, and drifted on the current of whatever she’d been given.

“Severe blood loss, and plasma burn to the right shoulder, doesn’t need joint reconstruction but there was considerable muscle damage. Concussion, but not her first, I’d guess. She’ll make a full recovery in time,” the medic recounted to Miriah’s sister, Magdalane. “Her husband was in pretty bad shape when they got here, sure wish you’d been here then. We had him stabilized, but he put up such a fight over getting into the kolto tank that he started bleeding again.” She shook her head, amazed that both her sister and brother-in-law were still with them. She looked to the back of the medbay and saw Miriah then, slumped against a tank. Magdalane reached out with her force ability, to soothe her baby sister but hesitated when she realized Miriah was asleep. She moved closer to her sister, trying to figure out what was going on. When she got near, she put her hand on Miriah’s uninjured shoulder, but her sister didn’t respond. Magdalane called for assistance and when they lifted the petite woman to the bed she was on fire with fever, and shaking with chills. Magdalane again used her force skills to try and figure out where the problem was. Miriah opened her eyes slowly, saw her sister there, and tried to smile at her.

“Not exactly the way I wanted to see you again, Mags” she said softly, her voice shaky.

“I know, but what can I say?” Magdalane rested her hand on Miriah’s forehead. “You have some infection going, but I can’t really tell what’s going on unless I try to heal you. I have to warn you, however, that this will require a soul link, there’s no other way.” Miriah knew what she meant by that, and was a little concerned but nodded yes to her sister.

“First, heal Corso, please Mags… I’m so afraid for him. I couldn’t get to him in time..” Miriah shook out.

“He’s doing well, Mir, don’t worry. He’ll be out of the tank before you’re well enough to walk again.” Miriah’s silver blue eyes got big at that, but she didn’t argue. She knew Magdalane wouldn’t tell her that if it weren’t true. Magdalane told Miriah to close her eyes and relax her mind, and she tried, but she just couldn’t relax until Corso was okay.

The light created by Magdalane’s healing trance grew and Miriah felt warm and relaxed, then she heard her sister’s voice. Miriah finally succumbed to what felt like a deep sleep. As she drifted, she dreamed of the last year, when she’d first met Corso on Ord Mantell, how that one incident both was the worst (since her ship had been stolen) and the best (meeting the man who’d changed her life). All the times she’d taken strength from his unquestioned trust in her.

While Miriah was being rid of the infection, Corso was floating, the meds he’d been given starting to clear from his mind a bit. He, too, was doing battle in his dreams, and when he was replaying it in his head the one thought he came back to was that Miriah was there, in the med station, so she’d gotten out. She’d been moving on her own, and he remembered her trying to soothe him right before he’d been sedated. Thank the stars she’s alive, he thought, everything else doesn’t matter right now. For the first time since he’d been placed in the kolto tank, he could relax.

Magdalane was drained, but wouldn’t leave the medbay. Corso had been pulled out of the tank, bleary eyed and sore, but mostly healed. Magdalane looked at her brother-in –law across the bed from her. He was covered in kolto residue, green bits drying in his dreadlocks. She sent Corso for a shower and some food, but he hadn’t left for more than 5 minutes, so since he was now clean and dressed, she knew he hadn’t eaten. Magdalane stretched, and walked around for a few minutes since Corso was at Miriah’s side. It had been a day since the healing trance, and she wasn’t concerned yet, she knew it would take time. The infection had grown fast, very fast. It’s because she’s so small and never rests or eats properly, she thought. I’ve really got to talk to Corso about that. She also wondered if this was some new biological warfare, and decided she should investigate it further.

She walked back over to Corso then, but didn’t have the heart to have a serious discussion with him. He looked so forlorn, so tired that she really wished he’d gotten more tank time if only to get him to rest.

Corso looked at her through bloodshot eyes, “You said yesterday you had to create a soul link to heal Mir. What exactly does that mean?”

Magdalane thought for a minute, then said, “To use the force to heal, you have to link your aura to the patient’s force signature. Most of the time it’s brief, and since in battle, you don’t know or have a history with most of the people you heal, it’s not an issue. But Miriah is my little sister, and her healing required extensive force use. The soul link I had with her was strong.”

Corso looked a little worried about it, and Magdalane hurried to explain,” it’s not like I could read her mind or have control over her, but in the future it might be that we ‘blend’ a little more—for instance, she might like oatmeal, where she normally hates it but I love it so she might want it. I fully expect to have to stock real chocolate onboard the ship now,” she chuckled. Corso smiled at that, he knew how much his captain needed her chocolate fixes, and would never eat that “replicated crap”.

Miriah was drifting, soaring. She knew that Magdalane and Corso were near her, and that she was healing. She could feel their love and concern, but just couldn’t open her eyes to tell them she was doing better. For two days she drifted, and each time she was semi aware, she knew that Corso was there. “Rest, my love, but come back soon,” she heard him whisper as he lightly ran his fingers over her cheek. She wanted to, more than anything, but just couldn’t force herself through the fog.

Finally, late on the second day, Miriah opened her eyes and everyone let out a sigh of relief. Corso smiled so big she was afraid he’d hurt himself again, and Magdalane hugged them both. The nightmare was finally over. Later, when she’d finally convinced Corso to go get some food, she had a minute to talk to Mags.

“Okay, Mags, what can I expect now that we’ve linked? And how much did you see in my mind, hmm?”

Magdalane responded, “What did I see? Oh, just the usual, new shoes, your ship, Corso, hot sex…” She was cut off when the pillow Miriah threw hit her face. They both giggled then, but Miriah wasn’t sure Mags was kidding.

“Thanks Mags”, Miriah said seriously, “I know it takes a bunch out of you to do those, and you know I love you.”

The sisters hugged for a long time.

Later that evening, Corso lay beside her in the narrow medbay cot. Miriah wasn’t sure that was allowed, but she didn’t really care. Every time she tried to talk about what had happened, he shushed her. She realized then that they didn’t need to talk, not about the battle, because they fought together. All that really mattered was that they survived, and that they had each other. Miriah closed her eyes, and finally slept.

Magdalane was still puzzled over Miriah’s sudden and very fast growing infection. She spoke with the medic on duty and got very little information, so she made arrangements for Miriah to get some blood drawn to try to figure this out further. Her force abilities were not giving her much more to work with, but she had a feeling it had to do with the Imperial forces on Corellia. They had stubbornly held on when the Republic had regained the allegiance of the Corellian government, refusing to abandon their efforts to subvert all efforts at peace. The Black Hole area contained the worst of the fighting, and there was also a large radiation leak in one part of it. Mags wondered if there was some mutation at work, and if there was, did it come from a natural source?

Miriah went, at Mag’s request, for further bloodwork and another checkup, but she wasn’t happy about it. She’d been grounded until she recovered completely, and the fact that Corso was enforcing her recovery made her grumpy. He’d been injured worse, but she was being punished, she thought. She walked out of the med station and directly to the cantina, determined to at least do one thing on her own. She’d just started her second drink when she saw her sister’s robe out of the corner of her eye. Miriah sighed as Mags sat down across from her, her own drink in her hand. They both just sat in silence, waiting for the other to speak.

“You went in for the checkup?” Mags asked.

“Yes, I did, and it said I was fine,” Miriah responded. “You can use the force to tell that, though. Why don’t you tell me what you’re really worried about here. Because, like I keep telling everyone, I’m good to go.”

Mags thought for a minute, then said softly, “Mir, you were very, very sick. It happened very quickly, you’d only been injured for about four hours when it set in. The scary part is that, on the surface? I could tell you weren’t well, but if I hadn’t known you as well as I do, I would have just thought it was the injury and worry. Do you see what I mean?”

“Not really. Infections due to injury aren’t uncommon,” she replied.

“Miriah, what I’m saying, is that even with my force ability, I could not tell that you had a raging infection until I attempted to heal you. If I can’t see that in my own sister, can you see how it might be hidden in battle, until it’s too late to stop it?”

Miriah had to think about that for a bit. With the kind of wound Corso had gotten, how much worse would an infection on top of that had been to recover from? Since that made her anxious again, she ordered another drink.

“So is this normal? The infection part, I mean. Or are you thinking it’s something more?” Miriah asked.

Magdalane shifted in her seat, looking around them, and said, “That’s what I need to find out. What if this is a new weapon?” She shuddered, thinking how close her sister and brother in law had been to death.

They sat in silence for a while, then parted to get ready for the memorial service being held for the Jedi sage that had been assigned to their detachment. Magdalane had felt the change in the force when she died, her last scream echoed in Mag’s head when it happened, and she wanted to remember her colleague and her sacrifice. She met Corso and Miriah there, and the somberness of the occasion had them all introspective. They were leaving the service when Mags got a message from the medical research lab: “We’ve identified the antibodies, but have no idea what the infectious agent is.“

She decided to return to her ship, to talk to Felix Iresso, her future husband. He has more distance from this, but not much, she thought. He’d been very upset to have been away when it all happened since he and Corso had become good friends, and he loved Miriah like she was his own little sister. When she entered the ship, she saw that he was already doing research on the holonet about known bacterial agents on Corellia. She walked over to him and kissed him, then turned to the screen.

“What are you seeing on this?” she asked.

Felix sighed, “As much as I hate the thought of it, we have to go there and take samples, try to figure this out, before it hits someone else not as lucky to have you standing by.” She agreed, and sent a message to the Jedi council and to the dropship commander on the station. They received an answer quickly from both messages, and they made arrangements to go to Corellia the next day.

Mags and Felix were standing in the launch area the next morning, a huge case beside them to contain samples from the planet. They were quiet, just waiting, when Mags felt the force pulse with anger, and turned to see Miriah stomping toward her.

“You don’t get to do this without me!” she shouted at her sister. Corso was behind her, and gave Mags a sheepish look.

“You know how she is, Mags, thinks she’s invincible,” he said. “I’ve tried talking to her ever since she saw the mission schedule.”

“Well, well, we’re all going together, eh?” The whole group turned to see Maura and her husband Aric approaching the shuttle.

“No! No way you’re going in, Maura. You’re supposed to be on admin duty, not in a war zone!” Mags was furious.

“Easy, Mags, I’m just here to see Aric off,” Maura said, patting her slightly rounded stomach. “Besides, my durasteel doesn’t fit right now,” she smiled, then got a serious look on her face. “Please be cautious, you guys. It makes me queasy to think of my whole family down there.” Aric assured her they were in good hands, since he was assigned to them.

They all stood silently, waiting. The shuttle started to board, and Mags turned to Miriah, “Please stay here, I just don’t know what might be down there and you’re still not healed completely.”

Miriah held both of Mag’s hands in hers, “We go together or not at all. We’ve had to spend most of our lives apart, and I’m not letting you go in there without me. Trust me, Mags, I’m not looking to get another blaster bolt. We’re just going in to get samples.”

Mags nodded her then, and the boarded the shuttle, still holding hands.

The small shuttle bumped along, making everyone a little nervous. There were many sighs of relief when the passengers felt it land at the spaceport, and they made their way out, stretching and pulling along their gear. Mags looked at Miriah then, and noticed she was even more pale than her usual fair complexion. She’s also not moving like she’s on fire, Mags noted, wondering if there was more there for her to worry about. She pulled Corso’s arm, letting Miriah go on ahead a few paces.

“What’s going on? Miriah doesn’t seem well.”

“It’s ok,” Corso hurried to reassure Mags, “she never does well when she’s not doing the flying. I have to say I agree, she’d have done a much nicer job with that shuttle.” He smiled, knowing his captain could fly pretty much anything and make it look easy. “Besides,” he said with a wry grin, “at least she’s not yelling anymore.”

Magdalane let it go, knowing that Corso wouldn’t put her sister in any danger if he could help it. The group made their way into the heart of the spaceport, but there was so much noise, so many people—and it looked like the exits were closed. She could hear someone trying to get through to the crowd over the comm, but she couldn’t make out what was being said. She stilled her mind, letting the force flow around her. When Felix noticed she’d stopped walking, he went to her side.

“What’s going on?” he asked in his gentle voice. “What are you feeling?”

Mags replied, “All I feel here is panic, there’s something going on outside the spaceport. I can’t tell what though.”

Miriah saw them at that point, and made her way back to them, Corso and Aric in tow. “Imperial bombing just down the outside ramp, looks like they were trying to take out the tram and the shuttle to the front in one go. We’re stuck, for the time being at least.”

Aric spoke up, “I’ll go see if I can help the regiment here. Maybe see what their plan is, to push this scum back.” He took off toward the observation deck, Felix and Corso behind him in their armor. They weren’t gone long, however, returning to the women, dejection apparent in their slow walk and lowered heads.

“All the troops have already gone out, and the magnetics aren’t online to open the spaceport. We’re stuck here until they can get the controls repaired,” Aric told them. “At least we’re well stocked, we can wait it out for a bit.”

Miriah bit her lower lip, looking around at the mass of people slowly regaining order, and spied the cantina across the way. She hated being confined in any way, and when she looked back at the group she did so with a grin on her face. “Don’t know about you all, but I think a drink is in order,” she said as she started across the room.

Magdalane started to protest, but Corso shook his head. “Let her go,” he said, “I’ll go keep her company.”

“Might as well all go, got nothing else we can do but stand around otherwise,” grumbled Aric. He would have been much happier if he’d been able to help out, he hated just wasting time. “I’m going to holo Maura, let her know we might be delayed getting back.”

The rest of the group made their way to where Miriah already held a table, placing an order for them all, including Magdalane’s favorite, Alderaanian peach brandy. She smiled at her older sister, “I remembered, Mags, and don’t say you won’t have any, cause we may be here for a while yet. Bartender told me there were only two slicers here on station, and they’re working to get the life support stable before they start on anything else.”

Aric strolled over to join them, much calmer after talking to Maura. He sat between Miriah and Felix, grabbing a mug of beer and touching it to her glass. He frowned, looking at Miriah’s drink, “Hutt tequila? Straight? Damn, woman, that’s hardcore. Oohrah!”

“Comes with the life,”she smirked. Corso just looked at her, frowning, knowing this could get messy if they were here long. Besides, he wondered why she would use her professional persona around her family. She still had her sleep issues, and he knew she’d been cranky about being grounded, so he figured she was so tired she just slipped into what was easy. He vowed to keep an eye on that.

Felix started tell them stories of Hoth, of when he met Mags. Magdalane slowly sipped her warmed brandy, smiling at Felix but keeping an eye on Miriah. She still wasn’t convinced her sister was healed enough to be down here, much less consuming tequila like water. What is making me so uneasy with this, she wondered. She’d felt no deception from the station commander, but something was just off. It felt to her like maybe someone had figured out why they’d come down and were trying to keep them from taking any samples off planet. She shook the suspicion off, putting it down to being tired herself.

They sat and talked amongst themselves, and ordered some food to help soak up the alcohol. Miriah slowly dropped her “smuggler” attitude and relaxed, having fun trading stories. Corso and Felix kept their drinking to a minimum, switching to water, so they’d be ready to roll when the all clear was given. Magdalane had gotten sleepy after her one drink, and leaned against Felix, which made him happy. Aric became more animated and talkative, telling them about his and Maura’s plans for a home base to raise the baby. After a couple of hours had passed, Aric and Felix went in search of the commander to check the status of the repairs. They searched for him all over the spaceport, checking the offices as well as the airlocks. After about an hour of looking, they came to the same conclusion.

The commander was gone, and they were still stuck on Corellia.

Miriah, Corso and Magdalane were still sitting in the cantina when the lights dimmed and the main generator went out. “Lovely,” Miriah said, “well, at least we were prepared to go out in the field. I know Corso has field rations and we all have water.” She smiled at her husband then, the first real smile he’d seen from her in a couple of days. She looks so tired, he thought. So fragile, why am I only noticing this now? He moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She dropped her head on his shoulder with a soft moan.

“If only I could get rid of this headache. I know it’s just the aftereffects of the concussion, but it just hangs on. That’s why I wanted the alcohol, it kills the pain a little,” she finally confessed to him in a whisper. “Just don’t tell Mags, she’ll overreact.” He frowned as he searched her face, and she closed her eyes. He kissed her on the head, hoping that just a little rest here would help.

Aric and Felix made their way back to the table, both looking concerned. “He’s gone, no trace of how or why,” Aric growled. “Coward probably had an escape hatch all along. Now that the main power is out, I say we try to get to the shuttle bay and see if we can override the controls there, at least get off this rock.”

Mags just shook her head, “We can’t leave these people here, essentially trapped. Why don’t we see if one of us can splice into the door controls here instead? Then we can move on to the shuttle bay.” They all agreed that might be the best course of action. They gathered their gear and started toward the main doors of the spaceport. As they walked along, Magdalane couldn’t help but stop when she saw a need she could address. She gave out what little food she had in her pack, almost all of her water, and even healed a few of the elderly. Everywhere she stopped to assist, she left behind calm and hope. That’s what they need the most here, she thought, hope.

Corso reached the door panel first. He usually had a couple of computer spikes in his pack, but a brief rummage through it didn’t produce any. Miriah was looking through both of their packs while he started running the override codes that he knew. About the third code in, the doors suddenly hummed and popped open. “Very nice, sweetie,” Miriah said with a grin. Corso was as surprised as anyone else, and was the object of cheers and many hugs as the citizens ventured out to view the devastation for the first time. Aric went out to try and assess the damage to the Black Hole shuttle.

“It’s toast,” he said, running back to the spaceport door. “The tram looks fixable, but the shuttle is gone. Think it’s time to regroup back at fleet. At least until the shuttle here is replaced.”

The group made their way back through the spaceport and out the other side to the shuttle bay, where Corso went to work again with the codes. Felix and Magdalane worked on getting their gear inside the shuttle and Miriah finally fished out a spike that had seen better days, but might work. She handed it over to Corso, who caught her wrist and pulled her to him. “Are you going to be able to fly that thing, love? I know you aren’t feeling the best.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “And you’ll be in the right seat, if I get dizzy.”

“You’ve been dizzy? Miriah, why the void haven’t you said something? This whole week I thought you were just mad that you’d been grounded.”

“I know,” she said, “but you’re just getting over a major injury too, you didn’t need to worry about me.”

He sighed, pulling her into a hug, “That’s my job, sweetheart, to make sure you’re okay, and I can’t do that if you don’t tell me when things are wrong. Promise me, you’ll talk to Mags about it when we get back.”

“Break it up, you two, and let’s get this pig off the ground,” Aric barked as he walked past. He was anxious about getting back too, and wanted to get his family out of here as quickly as possible. He didn’t have a good feeling about this at all, and wanted out before something else crazy happened.

After an hour, and many words Magdalane had never heard before from her sister, Corso managed to get the doors to the bay open. As they boarded the shuttle, Mags again pulled Corso aside. He knew she was concerned, but wanted to spare her the worry until they’d arrived on station.

“She’s still having problems, isn’t she?” Mags asked him. He just nodded, and went to the small bridge before she could ask anything else.

Miriah told them all to strap in, and moments later the shuttle took off. Corso was right, Mags thought, Miriah really could fly this thing. She felt the shuttle lurch then, but steady out quickly.

On the bridge, Miriah was out cold in the pilot’s seat, and Corso was trying to fly while frantic with worry about her. As soon as he got clearance to land, she began to flutter her eyes and slowly regain her bearings. She smiled over at him weakly, pale and shaky. When they touched down, he ripped off his restraint harness and leapt over to her, took off her harness, and lifted her in his arms, making his way to the ramp.

“I knew it,” Magdalane said. “Take her to my ship, I’m right behind you.” Corso took off to the other hangar, Aric clearing a way for them through the flight crews lingering about, Felix and Mags close on his heels. Miriah was only partially conscious, but she knew she was being moved. She felt a little sick then, but held on until she felt the cool air of the Corvette class ship her sister used. Corso put her gently down on a couch, and his worried face was immediately replaced by the worried face of her sister.

“It’s been too long for me to heal your brain now, Mir, all I can do help you relax and calm the nausea some. Now, just try to relax.” Mags did her best, using all the force ability she could, and that was considerable. After a few minutes, Miriah did feel better, just not all the way back to normal. Mags could still see the pain in her eyes.

“When did you last eat a meal, Miriah, and I don’t mean a chunk of chocolate or a protein bar, a real meal, “ Mags asked.

Miriah shrugged her shoulders, “I had some toast this morning, “she said. “I know, I need to take better care of myself, need to eat and rest and blah, blah, blah.” She rolled her eyes at her sister.

Mags sighed, “If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for him,” she said, looking over at Corso who was pacing worriedly. “I know you haven’t slept a full night since you were born, but you can at least eat well occasionally. He doesn’t deserve the worry.”

Miriah acknowledged that with a wicked grin, “I can eat, but sleep? Just rest assured he doesn’t suffer if I’m not asleep.” Mags slapped her on the shoulder, but had to smile. At least she sounds like my sister now, she thought.

Maura burst through the ship’s hatch, carrying bags of food. The guys all helped put it out, and Miriah sat up slowly. Mags helped her stand, but Corso didn’t take the chance she might be unsteady and again carried her, this time to a chair at the table. Miriah attempted to eat, and was doing pretty well. Maura was so glad they were all together, and she had the pregnancy glow fully in effect. Corso just kept glancing at Miriah, but was reassured by her smile and the fact that she’d just eaten as much as he’d ever seen her consume. Magdalane and Felix were laughing and holding hands, and Aric was doting on his Maura, encouraging her to refill her plate.

Once they’d all finished eating, Maura cleared her throat. “I have some news about this whole Corellia thing. Being in Garza’s office does have its advantages, and this morning I got an intercepted transmission that was taken from a freighter found abandoned and adrift on the outer rim. Their cargo was irradiated bacterial samples, and they offloaded them to the Torvix clan on Corellia. The captain claimed he had no idea what they were for, but the entire crew died aboard the ship, probably from an infection. “

Magdalane looked at the table, then up at the assembled group. “That’s very bad, and exactly what I was afraid of—a biological weapon on Corellia.”

They were all silent then, the impact clear—they would have to go back down there.

I admit though, I yelled at my monitor a few times because Miriah shouldn't be hiding things.

You could die woman! Don't be stupid!

They sat in a stunned silence, then slowly started to clear the table. They said little, as their thoughts were all over the place. With the mood subdued aboard the ship, the beep of the holo seemed unusually loud and Magdalane jumped before moving over to answer.

The image of Satele Shan wavered, then steadied. "Greetings Master Magdalane. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Is your family there with you?"

"We are all here, as a matter of fact," she replied. "Well, all except my mother."

"Very good. We've obtained information that you need to know about. Magdalane, you have indeed stumbled upon a new and very dangerous weapon intended to enable the Empire to gain the Black Hole area of Corellia to use as a forward base. The biologicals that were transported there are of a kind never before seen by Republic forces. As such, you, Magdalane, and your family have now been identified by the Empire as targets."

"So what's new about that," snorted Miriah, sitting just behind Mags, still a little unsteady on her feet.

"As a group, you are unique. Magdalane, you identified the presence of an infectious agent," Satele continued, unfazed by Miriah's outburst. "Miriah, you were indeed infected and produced antibodies, the only living person known to have them."

"Great, just great," murmured Corso. "more tests and such to drive her crazy and make her feel terrible." Miriah smiled up at him and took his hand.

"We believe the attack on the Corellia spaceport was actually designed to take out the shuttle with your group onboard, but was initiated too early. Therefore, the council has instructed me to offer Tython and the Jedi temple here as a sanctuary, and we'd like to have you all here- for protection, of course, but also to further the knowledge of this agent and how to counter it." Satele smiled the gathered people in front of her.

"Master Satele, your offer is generous," replied Felix, his deep voice smooth despite the worry. He and Satele had become friends during his many appearances before the council regarding his marriage to Magdalane. " I would very much like to know that my family was safe, but I'd also like to take this fight to the Imps, go back down and get those samples and whatever else is necessary."

"I appreciate your desire to do more, Lieutenant, but you would become a target to be ransomed if taken alive, and we just can't risk that. The same applies to the sisters and their husbands. Sarai has already returned to Tython. We would ask that you travel here tomorrow aboard a ship we've sent ahead for you."

"Unh-uh, no way I'm leaving my ship here," Miriah shook her head, "She comes with me if I have to go, and it appears that I do."

"Miriah, your ship would immediately be identified and tracked. It's well known by Imperial forces, and from what I can see you're in no shape for evasive tactics right now," Satele tried to soothe an already annoyed Miriah. "We can move it out of the main hanger area, but you need to travel discreetly. Will you all come to Tython, tomorrow?"

The assembled group looked at each other, and Aric spoke," Master Satele, I'm guessing that you've spoken to General Garza and that our leave would be covered. Can we have a few minutes to discuss this and get back to you?"

"Yes," she replied, "but please, do not tarry with this. Time is critical here, not only to get you out of fleet undetected but to assure your safety."

They said their farewells, and all returned to the table, Miriah at least moving with only Corso's arm to steady her. Maura spoke first, "Let's just go, all this worry isn't good for the twins, and I really don't want you guys down there. Please?"

Aric left his chair and knelt at Marua's side. "Are they ok? Are you?" he asked, his worry immediate for his growing family. She reassured him that she was, and he gently rubbed her slight belly.

"That's it, then, " Magdalane said. "We can't say no."

"The void we can't," Miriah said loudly, slamming her fist on the table. "Leave my ship? My contract with the Republic to supply troops? What about my crew? I'm not leaving them to be kidnapped!"

"We'll need to take them with us, and I'm sure the supplies can be taken by another ship," Corso was trying to soothe her, her anger making her headache return with a vengeance. He stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders and neck, trying to ease the tension knots there. "I want you safe, Mir, please?"

She closed her eyes, his hands working magic on her sore and strained muscles. She nodded at Mags then, accepting that at least she would have time to get rid of this concussion. Magdalane walked back to the holo let Tython know to expect them and get the particulars of transport.

"She says we should all move to the military wing of the plaza, until morning. What a crazy day!" Mags started toward her quarters, to pack some things to take with her. They all arranged to meet at the hangar doors in thirty minutes, then set off to pack. They needed to be unobtrusive, so no one could take much, but Miriah did manage to get some chocolate, Corso some weapons and tools, Felix his data pads and extra armor. Maura packed maternity clothes, since she might need them before she got back. Aric, like Corso, was more concerned with weapons and ammo.

They met up and were greeted by their escort, moving quickly to their quarters for the evening. They were somewhat split up then, but it was late and they were all tired. The next morning, they assembled in the mess hall for breakfast, ready to meet the transport. No one was smiling. Corso worried about the hyperspace jump's effect on Miriah's concussion, Aric worried about the flight and the babies, and no one had slept well. Even the ever-sunny Maura seemed subdued. After a minimal effort at eating, they moved as a group to the briefing room. When they arrived there, they were escorted onto a small ship. About four hours later, they landed on Tython and were immediately escorted to the temple.

Satele Shan greeted them with a grim smile and took them to the third floor, where they'd been assigned a pod of their own. It had a common area, four bedrooms and a kitchen area.

"I will leave you all to get settled," she told the group. "Let's meet up this evening to discuss our next move." Satele took Magdalane aside, "Show everyone around the temple if you like, but limit your time with the students. Too many questions, and let's face it, the guys will attract attention in their armor." She smiled then, hugging Magdalane. "I'm so glad you all are safe, at least for now."

They'd just unpacked when the alert siren sounded.

Magdalane took charge, leading the group out of their rooms and out into the hall. I should know where to go, she thought, I’ve spent over half my life here. They reached the ground floor just as the all clear was sounded, and they looked around, puzzled. They could see nothing that might be alarming, but just then Satele strode up to them, a scowl on her face.

“Apparently there was a shuttle with bogus registration and no reason to be here attempting to land at the pad. Turns out, your crew has arrived, Miriah. Wonder where they learned to falsify their identities?” she asked.

Miriah couldh’t help but smirk, “I have no clue, but I’m proud of them.”

“Your personal medic is with them, Maura, as well as the Transdoshan on your crew, Magdalane. I think that takes care of everyone we needed to be here. Any more surprises?” She turned on her heel, only to hide a grin of her own. These Chantalle girls, she thought, they’re a handful.

Magdalane couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the new arrivals coming toward the temple. Qyzen was surrounded by females. Risha and Akaavi on each arm, Elara fussing around them. Qyzen was taken with Akaavi, she could tell, and figured they were talking of hunts and points. She’d talked to Miriah earlier, Bowdaar and Guss were on their homeworlds, and Tharan was at a symposium, so both their crews were now safe.

Elara immediately sought out Maura, satisfying herself with a quick scan to check on the twins, then they all went off to get settled. Mags and Miriah, however, had an appointment in the research wing. Miriah was dreading this, she hated being still and hated wasting time even more. The only thing that kept her from refusing was the thought of soldiers getting sick or dying without some sort of treatment available. Corso promised to check on her if she had to be there very long. She sighed as they set off, determined to get through it.

She made it through the multiple scans, but by the time they got to the bone marrow samples her patience was gone, and she was decidedly hostile. She had to stay in the procedure room afterward, which was fine with her since her headache was battling with her bones for the most painful award. Corso found her there, tense and swearing under her breath, and started to massage her temples. He took down her hair and moved his fingers along her scalp, speaking softly to her until her eyes closed. He looked at her then, her long black hair fanned out and spilling over the edge of the cot, slight purple smudges under her eyes from fatigue, her pallor making her seem even more fragile than usual, and wondered how things had managed to get so complicated. He wondered where Magdalane was, and why she’d left her sister in such pain.

Magdalane had, in fact, just been yelling at the medical staff about that very thing. “She’s not a healer, she’s not even force sensitive, and you just left her like that? That’s beyond lazy, that’s just cruel!” she shouted, inches from the medic’s face. She left then to find her sister, determined to fix things. She’d just burst into the room when Corso stopped her with a look, and she saw that he had already soothed Miriah. She took Corso out into the hall.

“I’m so sorry this happened,” she said, “I’ve just learned that the medic was new, but it’s no excuse.”

Corso just looked at her, saying nothing, but she could feel the aggravation radiating in waves from him. Mags went to her sister then, gently placing her hands on Miriah’s face and filling her with force healing. She shook her head, then left them to find Felix.

Felix was in the huge library, surrounded by data pads, all with a different bacterial or viral agent displayed. She had to smile at him, he was trying so hard to resolve this so that their life could get back to what they thought of as normal. “Hey,” he said, looking up, “I’m not having much luck finding what the scientists couldn’t.” He laughed softly, then took her hand, “any luck on your end?”

“No,” she sighed, “and since the medic didn’t do his job, now Corso is angry too. “

“Well, we’re all tired and worried,” he said, “let’s go for a walk, clear our heads. Maybe we’ll come up with a plan.”

Aric found Maura sitting in the muted sunlight, and was struck at how relaxed she looked, how rested. Maybe the worry of the past few days has eased for her, he thought. He started toward her, taking two steps before his holo beeped. General Garza came into view, and he continued toward his wife and sat so that they could both communicate.

“Any news, General?” he asked. He almost hoped there was none, since the enforced vacation seemed to be so good for Maura, and he was actually enjoying being out of his armor for a change.

“The Empire is looking for you, looking hard. They want to limit what we can learn of this infectious agent. Don’t worry, this call is secure, but you won’t hear from me again until we are sure nothing can be traced. Just wanted to let you know that. Also to see how Maura is doing, and I can see she’s doing well. Take care of yourselves, and try to enjoy the time off. Garza out.”

Aric knew this was the best plan, but it still was hard to be so isolated. He also hated that he was stared at here, the small children fascinated by the Cathar. He would just have to try to tune it out, he thought. He looked over at Maura, who was studying the playgroup across the square from them. She turned to him and smiled, “I know this is trying your patience, sweetie. How can I help?”

He took her hand, helped her stand, and just walked, eventually running into Felix and Mags, who were also already tiring of doing nothing. They were discussing what to do next, when Mags fell to her knees, head swimming in pain and confusion. Felix and Aric, helping her up, could see nothing wrong, but knew something had happened. Mags opened her eyes, and took off at a run to the med center.

As they all ran down the temple hallways, dodging students, Felix called to her but Mags wouldn’t stop. Finally he caught up to her and made her stop. Breathless, she looked at him with fear in her eyes.

“Something’s wrong. Something’s happened. Miriah is crashing, and she’ll die if I can’t get to her NOW!”

Magdalane ran through the door and was stopped short by the sight of Corso with his blaster aimed at her. She looked at Miriah, who was bleeding from all the puncture wounds from her testing and her nose and mouth. Corso lowered the blaster and nodded toward the medic Mags had yelled at earlier in the day, now dead beside the med cot. He swallowed hard, then said, “that Imp scum injected her with something, then laughed in my face. Told me she’d be dead soon, courtesy of the Emperor. Please do something, Mags, I can’t lose her now!”

Magdalane rushed to her sister, holding her face in both hands and the sudden light intensity momentarily blinded the rest of the room. She crawled up on the cot, lying beside her sister, oblivious to the blood that now stained them both, and the light got even brighter, covering them both and now those in the room had to turn away. Corso slumped to sit on the floor then, unable to keep his feet under him any longer, but never letting go of the pale, slender hand in his. He could hear Maura crying near the door, but couldn’t see her for the brilliant aura Mags had created. How long can she hold the healing trance, he wondered, and how long can Miriah hang on until it works? Just when the light seemed to dim a little, it increased a hundred fold. Satele had joined in the healing trance, and now Corso could see it through his eyelids, his eyes burning and watering, yet he would have to be dragged out before he’d leave Miriah.

Then the light slowly started to recede, and he could see a little more clearly. Mags was still covering most of Miriah’s slight form with light as well as with her own body. He could see that the puncture sites that were bleeding freely before had stopped, and he started to look around to see what the medic had used. He spotted the injector under the table next to the cot, and retrieved it, handing it to Satele. “I’m not sorry I killed him, I’d do it again in a second.” Satele put her hand on his arm, and he felt her calming aura pass through him, giving him an energy boost as well as the ability to take a deep breath. She patted his arm, then left the room, herding everyone else out. Mags and Corso were left, looking at Miriah as she lay very still, her heartbeat even but weak, her breathing slow.

They both looked at each other for a long minute, then both began to speak at the same time. “I didn’t mean to blame you earlier,” Corso told her. “I should have stayed, watched everything,” Mags said, “and I didn’t.”

They worked together in silence to try and clean up, knowing that it was just a way to keep themselves busy. Neither wanted to voice the question they both had, because to say it would be to acknowledge there was a possibility that Miriah wouldn’t make it. They just kept working, speaking only when necessary, until Felix came back into the room.

“The worst is over now, Satele says it’s just time that will reverse the damage now,” Felix told them. He took Mag’s hand, noted the blood that was still all over her, and led her away. Corso didn’t care that he had blood on himself too, it was hers. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, knowing how close he’d come to never seeing her again. His throat ached from unshed tears and the effort of not yelling his pain.

Satele made her way to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. “This is our chief medical officer,” she said as she gestured to the tall, gray haired man who had followed her in. Corso nodded to him, his manners innate even in his current state.

“Is there any reason she has to stay here?” he looked between them.

The medical officer said, ”She needs peace and quiet, and time, to replace her blood supply.”

Corso nodded, then took Miriah in his arms, her head on his shoulder, and left. He carried her to their rooms, and not stopping, walked directly to the showers. He remembered his blaster then, and took Torchy out of his holster. He started the water, adjusted the temperature, and sat on the floor with Miriah in his arms, letting the water wash over them both. It was only there that he could let his own tears go. Once they were both relatively clean, he carried her to their bed, wrapping her in warm towels until he could find clothes for her. Magdalane and Maura appeared at the door, and he nodded at them, not trusting his voice. They took over dressing Miriah, and he saw that Maura’s hands shook as she rubbed lotion on her sister’s arms. Mags gently combed out her wet hair, while Corso changed and retrieved his blaster.

Magdalane refused to change her robe, or shower, or even drink. She felt entirely responsible for all that had happened, and wouldn’t listen when Felix tried to reason with her. It was only when Corso hugged her, thanking her for saving Miriah, that she finally broke, sobbing on his shoulder. She was exhausted from the extended healing trance, and with the wall of anger broken between her and Corso, she could rest. Felix led her to their room, where he helped her change into night clothes. He brought her hot tea and sat with her, but it didn’t take long until her head drooped on his shoulder, and she slept.

Maura had trouble controlling her tears, and kept walking back to look at Miriah. Aric finally took her arm and made her lie on the couch, and he sat on the floor beside her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared,” she told him. He did his best to reassure her, but the truth was that he’d been shaken too. He’d come to love the feisty Miriah, and respect Corso. Aric finally got Maura to eat, for the babies’ sake, and she slept in short naps on the couch, while he slept on the floor beside her.

Corso took Miriah in his arms, thinking she still felt a little cold. He wrapped them both in a soft blanket, but every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was all the blood, her small form not moving, and that son of a Hutt that had hurt her. Hours after he’d lain down, he slept, but kept jerking awake, just as he did now. He saw Mags then, sitting beside the bed, so tired she could barely hold herself up.

“Go Mags, rest. You need it, and she will need you rested. It’s ok, we’re ok here,” he told her.

“I came for you, Corso, you need to sleep, and your aura is keeping me awake,” she said with a small smile.

He felt her touch his forehead, and that was all he knew, until he woke the next morning to silver eyes looking into his.

Miriah waited until everyone left their quarters to get up and quickly dress. Yes, she’d been a victim, she thought, but not anymore. She knew the others were in the Jedi council chambers, discussing a plan for keeping them safe. Safe, she snorted to herself, that was an illusion, one they could ill afford to entertain. She was having no more of this! In the past few days, she had hardly recognized herself. She’d let others dictate what they thought was best for her, and she’d had enough now. If she wasn’t safe in the damn Jedi headquarters, there was no place safe.

She made it to the council chambers with only two rest breaks. This lack of oxygen is annoying, but I’ll power through it, she thought. She opened the doors despite the young Jedi standing guard outside, and walked as quickly as she could manage to where her family stood, speaking to the assembled council members. As she approached, she could see Mags close her eyes and shake her head. Yeah, Miriah thought, you know what’s coming, dear sister. Cover your ears!

“Miriah, you’re up and about,” Satele Shan said, “Wonderful..”

“Yes, I’m up, and about to leave. I’ve had enough talking about this, and if I’m going to be a target anyway, I’m going to be a moving target. Corso, you can stay if you like, but Akaavi and Risha are waiting at the shuttle dock. “

Corso stood there for a second, looking at the determination on his wife’s face, then took off to gather his weapons. There was no way he was letting her go without him to watch her back. Miriah turned back to the gathered Jedi. “You have your samples, now make the vaccines or whatever you need to do. I’m going to take this to the Torvix. I have my husband, my crew and my ship. That’s all I need.” She turned to leave the room, only to be stopped by Satele’s voice, “You can’t go, Miriah.” She stopped, and turned deliberately to the assembled council.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Miriah sneered. “You people took my father, my mother, and my sister from Maura and me. I almost gave you my life yesterday. We’ve given enough.” Her voice grew stronger but not louder, “No more! Ask Rogun what happens when there’s a target on me, better yet, ask Skavak or Darmas…oh wait, you can’t, cause they’re dead,” she added. “And don’t think I can’t find my ship; Risha already has it relocated.”

Aric turned to Maura, saluted her sharply, and said “Major Chantalle, as leader of Havoc Squad, you have the authority to reassign me. I am requesting temporary assignment to the Stardancer, until no longer needed there.” He looked into her eyes, pleading to be sent. She knew it was necessary but hating sending him away.

Marua straightened, “Before I was hit with two tons of hormones, I was a soldier.” She sighed, “Request approved, Lieutenant. Safe travels.” She turned, so he couldn’t see the tears in her eyes he knew were there.

Magdalane spoke up, hesistantly at first, “You will need a healer, and your medic is not available.” She turned to the council, “I am requesting to be sent with this crew as their field medic. No, wait, not requesting, I’m telling you that I’m going with this crew, to see this mission finished.” She stood tall, and Felix stepped up beside her, indicating his intention to serve as well.

Miriah strode toward the door, ignoring the voices of the Jedi council as they tried to call her back. She stomped down the ramps and toward the shuttle pad, the others at her heels. Once she got there, she turned to them sternly. “This is MY ship, there will be MY orders and I will tolerate no argument. If you can’t handle that, feel free to stay planetside.”

“Yes, sir,” replied Aric. “Good to go.” Miriah almost smiled at that, almost. The others just nodded and headed for the shuttle to strap themselves in. Corso was already mostly through the preflight, and didn’t look up when she entered the cockpit. He was confused. After yesterday, he expected days of rest and healing, not this—this was his captain in full on battle mode, giving orders and ready for combat. He wanted to ask how this was possible, but figured he’d better give her some time to let the anger cool. He preferred action to hiding anyway, and just hoped she was as well as she thought she was.

They were about to close the door when Maura ran out to the shuttle for one more hug from them all. She was staying strong, and when she stepped away from the shuttle, it was into the arms of her mother, who’d heard what was happening. They both waved, and watched until they launched.

Miriah piloted the shuttle to Ord Mantell, where her ship had been taken this morning by Risha’s friend. Miriah had to chuckle at the irony of that. She also found that as long as she was sitting down, she wasn’t lightheaded. Once they left Ord, however, they headed for someplace Corso didn’t expect. Miriah piloted them to the smuggler’s moon of Nar Shadaa. When she stood up to go out to the Promenade, she had to grab her chair to keep from passing out, but once she gained her equilibrium, she took a deep breath and turned to Corso.

“I’m going to get chem suits, hon, come with me?” She longed to drop the tough shell she’d put around her but was afraid if she did, she’d give in to the fatigue. Corso stood then, and put his arms around her, just for a moment, before starting toward the door. The others aboard, after stowing their gear, had gathered in the lounge, and now started to leave with her and Corso. Miriah stopped them with a look.

“We’ll be back very soon,” she said, “so don’t wander off. In fact, I’m bringing food back, so there’s no need to go anywhere.”

Magdalane just looked at her sister, fierce in her captain role, and saw the person that others saw when Miriah was working—a tough, smart, confident woman who always thought three steps ahead. That was their mistake, she thought, she might be pixie sized but she was more than a match for most, and Mags admired that. She nodded at Miriah, and the two took off, leaving the others gathered to wait.

They quickly found the suits Miriah wanted, thanks to Akaavi’s contact here, and were back on the ship shortly. Corso stopped in the lounge with the food, but Miriah went to their quarters. He found her there, sitting on the bed with her head in her hands. “I know you’re tired and fighting it, but you really need to eat something, love. If I bring it to you, will you try?” he asked. She shook her head no, and he sighed and sat down heavily beside her, just allowing her to be quiet for a few minutes.

“Yeah, ok, I’ll try,” she told him, “just not too much, eh?” He stood to leave and she caught his hand, and for the first time that day she smiled at him, “You’re the best, you know that? The best thing that ever came into my world.” At that, he kissed her, then went back to get something he thought she might like. When he got back, she’d fallen asleep sitting there, and he eased her down and slipped off her boots. He decided that he’d arrange for security for the hangar, and they could start again in the morning. He told the others what he’d done, and they all agreed it might be better to start fresh.

Miriah woke in the early morning hours, as was her habit, and noting what Corso had done, smiled to herself in approval. She readied the navcomp and went through equipment, sorting and piling up what she figured they’d need on Corellia. She’d wandered back to the kitchen area to find a bite to eat, and that was where Aric found her.

“Good morning, Captain,” he said, his face stern. “I am assuming that we’ll be on the ground today. I have experience in a chem suit, I’d be happy to bring the others up to speed.”

“Perfect. We’ll be taking off as soon as the ship’s bell sounds 0700.”

“Can I ask a question?”

“Sure, but only if you can stand the answer,” she said warily. He grinned at her. “You would have been as good a soldier as Maura, did you ever consider the military?”

She replied, “Where do you think I learned to fly? But it got….complicated, when my flight instructor insisted on a different method of ‘testing’ the only woman in his class, and I just couldn’t stay there.”

Felix joined them then, and soon the entire crew was gathered. Magdalane appeared, in a different robe than usual. This one was almost entirely white, and with the tall headpiece, she looked like a warrior princess.

“Damn, Mags, you look regal. And a little scary,” Miriah told her, impressed.

Mags replied, ”Taking a page from your book, Mir, you always look like you’d like nothing better than to blast someone with your shotgun. I can put on a game face, too.”

Miriah shook her head in wonder, then took her tea up to the bridge, where Corso was all ready to take off. She buckled in, then reached across the console map to touch his arm. He looked up, his concern apparent. “I know you think I’m not ready, but I just can’t let them win, Corso, I can’t.”

He smiled softly, “I know Mir, I know, but I want us to get through this too. You know I’m with you, no matter what.”

Miriah took the Stardancer out of the spaceport then, and held tightly to Corso’s hand as they hit the hyperlane to Corellia.

Miriah had decided that when they arrived in orbit around Corellia, instead of going through the orbital station, they would take the ship’s shuttle down to the planet, bypassing the usual channels to maintain some element of surprise. Felix and Aric had helped Mags with the chemical “suit”, which was really just a mouthpiece and goggles, attached to an air scrubber, but the effort of breathing with the mouthpiece was suffocating for some. They all packed gear in their packs that they would need to stay a couple of days, just in case. Their plan was to land near the refinery district, there was a Republic waystation there, and set off from there to the hypermatter warehouse, where Miriah and Corso had been before. There was a reasonable expectation that they’d find the infectious agent there, and hopefully in the past week there would have been some progress made there.

No such luck, thought Miriah. They’d had no problem landing at the waystation, and little fighting leading up to the half mile before the warehouse, but there they encountered heavy resistance. Magdalane had gone into a kind of trance, and they watched her—she could sense the incoming enemies well before they reached the group and if Mags drew her purple lightsaber, they fell back into battle positions, all surrounding their glowing healer. Miriah had never seen her sister in a combat situation, and it was a truly awesome sight. When they’d advanced about a quarter of the distance they needed to cover, Magdalane thew up a shield over each member of the group, just as cannon fire whistled low overhead and landed behind them, exploding in flames and throwing shrapnel against the shield. Aric motioned for them to take cover in a nearby building, and they moved there quickly.

“Let’s rest a moment,” he’d said, taking a drink from his water supply. “I think from this point we may want to consider strategy on these bigger groups. Miriah, you can tranquilize and Magdalane can force lift, our damage dealers will just have to be aware of their targets. “ They agreed, and as they sat there, they realized that they were working together well.

Miriah glanced at the group. The men were all similarly outfitted in durasteel armor, and had multiple weapons. Corso had his jetpack, Aric his assault cannon. They all looked so competent! Mags was a spear of brilliant white light, which made her emerald green eyes sparkle. She’d told Miriah of her power change since she’d gotten involved with Felix, and now Miriah saw what she was talking about. As for herself, she’d done her share of blasting.

“I’m going scouting,” she stated, then clicked her stealth generator. Corso didn’t ask, just took up a position directly behind her, to take advantage of the generator as well. They skirted the edge of the courtyard ahead of them, using hand signals to communicate, never getting close enough to be detected. That is, until one of the Torvix scouts, who was trotting up to the courtyard, tripped on rubble and fell directly into Corso, breaking the stealth. Before the scout could even register what he’d done, Miriah had kicked and pistol whipped him before shooting him in the head, and he lay at their feet. She nodded to Corso, then went stealth again and returned to the group.

“Sixteen total, three groups of four then one group on the far outside perimeter. We had to kill one, but it was quiet. They’ll find him, but hopefully not until they come to clean up all their dead,” she told the group. They gathered themselves up and started moving again. They’d only gone up a block or so when a sniper started firing from a nearby rooftop. Felix took him out, then they returned to slowly inching forward, scanning the area for signs of anything unusual.

They approached the first group of four Torvix troops, all heavily armed. Miriah, again under stealth, crept up and shot a tranquilizer dart at the front guy, who immediately appeared to fall asleep standing up. When she was clear, she keyed her relay, signaling the group to open fire. She was directly behind one of the troops, and she hit him with two shotgun blasts in quick succession, just as Corso jet packed to him and finished him. They turned to her right and began firing at the other troops, just as the second group rushed up to help their comrades.

Magdalane was providing excellent force heals, keeping everyone moving forward. Miriah hadn’t had to use her kolto gun at all, she realized. They’d been fighting this second group, which were much more heavily armored, for several minutes when she heard Aric request help. She turned to look for him, and saw a commando aim his pulse cannon at Corso, almost at point blank range.

Miriah yelled for Corso to take cover, and launched herself at the commando. She hit him square in the chest with her body, but he only stumbled, brushing her aside. As she landed, she managed to kick him, but found he truly was armored everywhere. She threw a stun grenade then, and knocked him backwards. He forgot about Corso, and backhanded her as she tried to get up. She heard her nose break, but instead of making her back off, it made her fight harder. She felt the tingle of Mag’s channeling force healing to her, but didn’t stop to see where she was, instead she shoved her blaster between the plates of her opponent’s chest armor and pulled the trigger three times. She was dancing off to her next target before he fell.

Magdalane didn’t really see the fighting at all, or really “see”anything—her concentration was focused inward, letting her feel the life forces around her and enabling her to send force healing wherever it was needed. She knew they were slowly gaining the upper hand, and she was aware that the fighting was slowing down. She opened her eyes to see Miriah, shotgun in one hand and blaster in the other, taking two opponents down with ease. She had to smile at that, seeing her sister truly in her element.

When the three groups of Torvix had been taken down, “neutralized” as Aric put it, they stopped to regroup. Corso gently wiped the blood off Miriah’s face, noting the battle lust in her eyes. He’d told her once that seeing her in battle was breathtaking, and still thought that was true. He glanced around at the others, and saw that everyone was in good shape.

They took down the remaining group easily, then inched forward to the spot where Miriah and Corso had been injured two weeks ago. They took samples, secured them, and prepared to leave. Wow, Miriah thought, all that for two minutes of actual work. When they turned to retrace their route, the appearance of troops in the areas they’d just come through was a surprise. They retreated to the abandoned, bombed out building they’d rested in before, and again Miriah and Corso, invisible, went to scout the new troops.

They returned in a rush, their faces grim. “They’re Imps, at least a battalion of them,” Miriah said, “and now we’re cut off.”

“Luckily, I put a data pad in here with detailed maps,” Aric said, patting his pack. “Let’s see how we might get around this area and back on track for the waystation. We’ll need to find a safe place to stay the night, the animals from the zoo were released here and a lot of them, well, you don’t want to find in the dark.” The gathered around the Cathar, and decided to go west, away from the tanks of irradiated water that were to the east of their position. There should be some buildings there, Aric thought, for shelter.

Miriah told them all to gather close. “My stealth generator will cover us all, as long as we stay in a 10 meter range.” She clicked it on and they moved out, clumsy at first at walking in such close proximity, but getting the hang of it. They managed to get across the courtyard and turn left, when Miriah stopped suddenly, pointing ahead of her. Patrol droids, the kind that can see through the shield the stealth generator made. She motioned to her right, and they eased their way around the patrol. The walked slowly but steadily, and reached an area that appeared deserted, with several buildings for shelter.

When they got inside, they all were glad to put their packs down and stretch. “I don’t know how you two do that for long,” Magdalane said, referring to the crouched position forced by the limits of the stealth generator.

“Beats the hell out of getting shot at,” Miriah replied. Corso nodded his agreement, but saw that Miriah was beyond tired. She needs rest and food, he thought, she never ate last night and hasn’t today. They each got out field rations, and sat down to eat. Felix, bless him, had thought to put a small lamp in his gear. It wasn’t cold right now, but it would be later, and Corso was glad they had a couple of blankets.

Miriah lay down with her head on Corso’s thigh, and fell asleep immediately, her food untouched. Maybe I’ll let her sleep for a few minutes, then get her to eat something, he thought. Mags noticed she hadn’t eaten as well, and gave Corso a worried look, but her force scan showed nothing amiss other than the alarmingly low red cell count. Corso gently tugged on her pony tail, and she opened her eyes.

“Tonight, you have to eat, love, or I’m going to let Mags here run more tests on you, “ he teased. She smiled at him, and sat up, making a face at the field rations. Corso turned to his pack, lifted out a vacuum packed square. “You eat at least half of that,” he said, “and you get this chocolate bar I just happened to throw in here this morning.”

“See? This is why I love this man!” she beamed. “He doesn’t feel threatened by my love for chocolate!”

They all laughed, relaxing a bit from the stressful day. Felix, who never said a whole lot, just looked around at the people gathered there. This would have made a great combat unit, he thought. He’d offered to take first watch, so after they ate and cleared the trash, they all tried to figure out the best way to stay warm. Mags and Felix had a blanket, and Corso and Miriah had one. Aric had one, but said he wouldn’t use it, his fur kept him quite warm. Corso unlatched his chest plate, pulled Miriah onto his lap, and stretched out his legs. He knew she was always cold, and since she’d lost so much blood she’d been even colder. At least this way, she’d be warm and not lying on the stone floor, he thought. Mags looked over at them in the corner, and was thankful that her sister had someone who cared so much about her.

They all tried to rest, but Miriah was the only one, ironically, that actually slept. When Corso got up for his watch duty, she didn’t even move from where he’d gently put her down on the blanket. When the sunlight through the cracks in the walls woke them, they quickly got their gear together to move out, hoping to be back on the Stardancer soon.

They decided to try moving without the stealth generator, and they were making progress when shots rang out from overhead. Another sniper, and this time Felix had more difficulty getting the kill shot, taking a bolt in the arm in the process. It wasn’t too bad, and Magdalane had it healing almost before he noticed it. They crept forward, from cover to cover, then spotted the unit the sniper had been covering.

Miriah held up both hands, flashed all her fingers again, then four. Twenty -four Imperial troops. She sighed to herself, trying to think of the best option. She glanced at Corso, who shrugged. Aric was bringing up the rear, and motioned them to move back.

“The only other option really isn’t an option at all, “he said, “The irradiated lake over there is the only way around them. We’ll just have to….”

They heard the shouts of the troops who’d just found the dead sniper, and knew time was short until they’d be fanned out, looking for them. Miriah had an idea, “Let’s wait til they send scout parties out looking for us, then we infiltrate the main camp and wait for the scouts to come back.” It wasn’t an ideal plan, but at least it allowed them some control.

They huddled together with the stealth generator softly humming, waiting for their chance, Felix on the roof of a building nearby, watching the camp through a sniper scope. They heard two clicks in their relays, and waited for Felix to join them before moving forward.

There were only three left in camp. Miriah and Corso quickly took them down, dragging the bodies over to a tent. Then they settled in to wait, Aric monitoring the comms from the scout parties. They didn’t have to wait long. A party of five strolled into the camp, joking and laughing until they realized the camp appeared deserted. Aric started the party with his cannon, Felix and Miriah took out the stragglers on the edge of the group, Corso finished the injured in the middle. Nice, he thought, that wasn’t too bad. They didn’t have time to move that group when the second scout group showed up, having heard the fire from the first party’s demise.

They’d just engaged the second group when both the third and fourth groups showed up. At that point, there was no thought, just combat. They’d taken down about half of them, when Aric shouted, “Need help here!”

Miriah looked around her, at the dead and dying, and finally located the Cathar to her left. He didn’t have a fatal injury but was far enough from where Mags stood that she couldn’t direct healing to him. Miriah hurried over to him, and seeing that his leg was where the wound was, helped him stand and leaned him against her small frame.

“No, Miriah, just shoot me with some kolto and I’ll be fine,” he told her.

“No way, I’m not incurring the wrath of Maura,” she grinned at him, “Let’s go, soldier.” She practically dragged him through the casualties, aching with fatigue but determined to get him to Mags for proper healing. About halfway there, she saw him raise his sidearm and shoot , and saw an Imp fall in front of her. By the time she put him on the ground next to her sister, her head was swimming and she felt like her limbs weighed a ton each. Mags saw she was struggling, and infused her with a slow release heal, just to take the edge off her fatigue. Miriah smiled at her, then resumed combat.

When the hours long fight ended, they sat in one of the tents, exhausted and dazed. Even Mag’s brilliant aura seemed dim. Miriah had never felt so tired in her life, and she and Corso sat leaning on each other. His armor bore the marks of more than a few near misses, just like the other two guys. Aric was sitting quietly, unusual for him, but he was trying to give his leg a little rest. Felix was out looking around the area, then he turned to the group with a puzzled look on his face.

“Miriah, didn’t you say there were twenty-four? When you saw them?” he asked. She had to think for a minute, but replied, “Yes, twenty- four.”

Felix sat down heavily in the dirt, and looked at the group, “There’s only twenty-three here. There’s someone still out there, and my guess is that they’re going for reinforcements.” They had no choice now, they had to move again.

They started moving toward the waystation, but not as quickly as before. The enemies they’d faced had worn them down, and the heat of the day felt more oppressive than it had earlier. Corso had checked everyone’s power crystals and thought they’d be ok today, but if they were still in the field tomorrow it might get problematic. Aric, as usual, brought up the rear of the group. Miriah was on point. I trust her, Aric thought. She’s as quick as Maura, and their tactics were similar. He was moving without any problem from his leg injury, but he was embarrassed that he’d even gotten it. The thought of getting back to Maura and his babies kept him moving forward.

Magdalane was not holding up as well as the others in the prolonged combat. Her force use was as strong, but her body was growing weary. My diplomatic missions have lessened my endurance, she thought, and that I have to change. Felix knew she was tired, and carried her supplies as well as his own pack. He took her hand as they walked, as much for moral as physical support. She smiled gratefully at him, drawing strength from his touch.

Miriah and Corso moved as one person, so attuned to each other they appeared to share one mind. Corso kept one hand lightly on her hip, the slightest pressure would communicate direction or danger to her without any further movement or sound from him. He tapped her hipbone once just then, and she turned with a raised eyebrow. “Break,” he said, nodding at a fading Magdalane. She nodded, then moved back a few feet, dropping her pack to the ground in a little clearing that provided tree cover and shade.

“By my calculation, we should reach the waystation about dusk, if we keep our current speed,” Felix told them. There was noticeable relief in all their faces. “Let’s rest here about 45 minutes, then move out.” That would give Mags the time she needed to be refreshed for this last push, he thought. He watched her stretch out, using her pack as a pillow, and remove her tall helmet. Miriah walked over to her and sat beside her.

“You doing ok there, Maggie Mae?” Miriah teased. “If you ask nice, I’ll share what’s left of my chocolate bar.”

“Oh please, dear sweet sister,” Mags purred at her, “you would forever be my favorite.” Miriah broke off half of what she had left, handing it to Mags. “Mmm that’s better than,” she glanced at Felix with a grin, “almost anything else I can think of.” They all laughed, but Miriah could see that the sugar boost helped her sister. She was used to the rigors of being mobile most all the time, but she knew Mags was not.

Miriah slipped her jacket off, just for a little cooling. As usual, she wore a sleeveless white shirt underneath, so her arms wouldn’t be restricted, and the breeze was refreshing. The muscles in her arms were well defined from training and when she stretched, her shirt came up. No fat at all on her, Mags thought, probably why she’s tolerating the blood loss and all this without as much difficulty as most.

Aric noticed too. How could someone so slight practically drag him earlier? “I just can’t figure out how someone your size can be so freakishly strong,” he told her. “You pretty much carried me earlier, but I bet I double your body mass easily.”

Miriah shrugged, “I don’t know, I’ve just always been this way.” Mags piped up, “It’s because she’s so damn stubborn. Her nickname when she was in school…”

“NO Mags, don’t do it,” Miriah groaned. It was bad enough when she was young, she didn’t want her family reviving it. She was saved by the sound of a ship flying overhead, so close the downdraft rattled the tree limbs. She looked up to see Imperial markings, and tracked it visually to see its direction.

“It’s not landing,”Corso said, “the gear was up and the engines weren’t throttling at all. It’s searching.”

Miriah nodded in agreement, then picked up her jacket and pack, “Better stay in the tree line, and break’s over.” They started off again, somewhat refreshed. About an hour into this push, dusk started to fall. We should be close, she thought, and she felt Corso bump her hip bone again. When she turned, she was in his arms. He gently turned her back to the edge of the woods they’d been following, and pointed.

She could see the lights of the waystation a couple of miles in the distance. Following the woods had put them a little behind Felix’s projection, but they could still get there without having to break for the night. She was planning their path when the air was filled with the sound of a ship, about to land in the small clearing just ahead of them. They all stared as the shuttle landed and the door opened, an Imperial officer walking down the ramp. He stopped at its edge, and called out.

“Captain Chantalle, we need to talk.”

Miriah looked at the others, confused. Corso shook his head, and grabbed her arm.

“The irradiated bacteria was also tagged, so we’ve been able to track you and your party the entire time you’ve been here,” he smirked. “If you come forward, the rest of your group will be allowed to continue to the waystation.”

She sighed, she knew it was a lie but didn’t know how they’d get around him. She took a step forward, but was blocked by both Felix and Corso, Aric behind her. “You go,” Corso whispered, “we all go with you, Mags stays here to heal us.”

“Heal us? You know just the guns on the ship would shred us, and I’m sure he’s not alone,” she said.

“But he IS alone,” Felix said, “ if he had troops on board, Mags would feel their life force.” He turned to his future wife, “Right, hon? He’s alone, isn’t he?”

Mags reached out with her force sight, “He might have droids on board, but no life forms,” she told them.

They nodded, and the guys surrounded Miriah as she walked toward the ship. They’d just cleared the trees when a concussion grenade threw them to the ground. They lay there helpless, as the Imperial walked forward. He grabbed Miriah’s jacket, and started dragging her to the shuttle, muttering about all the trouble this ragtag bunch had caused. He looked back to the trees, just as a blinding white light shot out and he was lifted off his feet. He let go of Miriah then, and she scrambled backward, drawing her weapons.

Magdalane stepped out of the woods then, her aura so bright Miriah couldn’t look directly at her. Miriah took up a position to the side and slightly behind the suspended officer, who was uselessly flailing his legs in an effort to break the force lift. When the shotgun blast hit him, he dropped, begging for mercy.

“I was only doing my job,” he whined, “trying to spare everyone that didn’t have antibodies”

“SHUT UP,” yelled Corso, the butt of his blaster connecting with the officer’s jaw hard enough to knock him out. Corso stood over him, struggling with the desire to just kill the man who’d most likely given the order to the medic back on Tython, the man who wanted Miriah dead. Miriah put her hand on his arm.

“No, love, don’t,” she said in a soft voice, “he may be the only source of more info on the infections.” He looked into her eyes, seeing the truth of her words but not wanting to leave anyone alive who might harm her. He finally broke her gaze, and moved to pull the officer to the landing gear of his shuttle, pulling out stun cuffs to secure him to the gear. They stripped him of his weapons, and searched the shuttle for any other useful items.

They made it to the station quickly, not stopping nor looking back. When they recounted that there was a prisoner secured to a shuttle in the nearby clearing, troops were sent out to retrieve him. It was fully dark then, and they were all on their last bit of energy. They were sitting in the briefing room when General Garza herself strode in.

“Well done, all of you, “ she said. “The Jedi have been working nonstop and have produced a treatment for the infection, and the officer? He was the scientist who developed the monstrosity to begin with, trying to stop your group before word got to his superiors.” Her voice softened, “go, get aboard my flagship. You’ll have everything you need to be comfortable on the way to Coruscant.”

Miriah spoke up,” Thank you, General, but my ship is in orbit here. Corso and I will just take our shuttle back to her.”

“Oh, quite right, I’d forgotten that. Well, if the others want to …” she was cut off by the looks of the group.

“With all due gratitude, General, my temporary assignment is to the Stardancer ,” Aric said. The general nodded.

“In that case, the Republic is grateful for your work here. Please travel safely.” She strode out, leaving the group.

“Well I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to be home,” Miriah said, getting up and moving to the door. They all agreed, and followed her to the shuttle. In less than hour, they were coming through the airlock to the ship. They’d alerted Risha from the shuttle, and when they came through the door, it was to a celebration feast, with the crew cheering and hugging them. Bow lifted Miriah off her feet in a flurry of barks and chirps, while Risha actually hugged Corso. After greeting her crew, Miriah slipped off to the shower in her quarters, but rejoined the party.

They ate and laughed, enjoying the company, until Corso yawned and stretched, and pulled Miriah up to join him. They said goodnight, and went to their quarters, ready for rest.

As Corso held her close, she heard him whisper, “Let’s not take any jobs on Corellia for a while, ok?” She just smiled, nodding at him as she closed her eyes.