The next morning, before they jumped to hyperspace, they contacted their home bases to see if any more communications had come in. Tanno reported nothing into the office or their house, where he was staying while they were gone. Akaavi had nothing either. They readied themselves for travel knowing their homes were well guarded.

Magdalane and Felix had taken their ship and gone to Carrick Station, since they would be on active diplomatic service in two days. Maura shook her head at that, she knew how difficult it was to be on a ship with tiny babies. Miriah’s C2 unit was working on cleaning the ship to Sarai’s standards, and Miriah was on the bridge, checking out the ship’s systems and getting ready for the hyperspace jump to Coruscant. Just before they left, Sarai contacted her friend in the nursery on Tython.

“Cara, dear, would you let me know if any children are brought to us that weren’t recruited in?” Her friend told her she would, and they were off. The ship slipped smoothly into the hyperspace lane to Coruscant, its occupants looking for things to do for the next ten hours. Miriah smiled, she was thinking of what she and Corso used to do to pass time in hyperspace, but she figured that might not be the socially acceptable thing. Corso caught her smiling, and winked at her, grinning. He’d figured she was thinking what he’d been thinking.

Maura joined Miriah on the bridge, sighing as she slipped into the right seat. “I know how we used to get through the boredom of space travel, but that doesn’t seem right with the kids and Mom on board.” Miriah burst out in laughter while Maura looked a little embarrassed. When Miriah had recovered speech, she told Maura that’s exactly what she and Corso had been grinning about.

“I’m sure we’re not the only ones in history to pass the hours that way,” Miriah said. “Maybe even Mom and Dad, at one point.” They both giggled, but quickly stopped when Sarai entered the bridge.

“Everyone is napping, and I think I will, too. Everything ok, girls?” Sarai was aware they were being silly, but enjoyed that they were lighthearted enough to do so. They assured her they were fine, and Maura followed her off the bridge to find Aric.

He was in the training room, stretching the stiffness out of his scar. Maura sat to watch him, unused to being idle. “Bored?” he asked her, as she stretched out on the mat beside him.

“Just wondering about stuff. Like, how did that Moff even know about us, unless he has deep contacts in the Republic army? And why us? We do military consultations but not rescues as a rule.” She idly twisted her russet hair around her finger, “How did they trace us to Dantooine? And now, how many know that’s our home base?”

“Well,” Aric said, “if I had to guess, I might think that anyone hanging around Port Nowhere might pick the location up pretty easily, Miriah and Corso made no secret out of where they were retiring.” He turned toward her. “And if Rowan sent the same video clip to someone in the Republic army, they might have nudged him toward us as an alternative to being seen openly contacting the enemy’s military power.” She nodded, her brow furrowed.

“I’d do pretty much anything that might save my child,” she said, “even if it didn’t make sense to anyone else. You would, too.”

“And it’s not just the child, but the mother, too. It would have had to be more than a casual relationship for him to even know of the child, there has to be love there. The Empire doesn’t look kindly on officers fraternizing with slaves.”

Corso sat at his workstation, Colin’s toy blaster under the magnifying scope. He sighed, the plasteel was melted, probably by the sun. He couldn’t fix it, and he’d promised the little boy he would. Inspriation struck, and he fished out parts from a nearby drawer. He finished work on it just as Aric found him.

“Whatcha got there?” Corso held up the toy blaster, reinforced with parts from an actual blaster, and grinned.

“Now, this is a great toy. The barrel was melted so I fused the toy parts with an old one I had here.” Corso was quite pleased, Colin would have this one for a long time. The men talked of toys they’d had as kids, and finally went to find the others.

They spent the day peacefully, playing with the kids, talking. After dinner, they knew they’d be docking with the orbital station soon, and put the kids down before the hyperdrive disengaged. Once docked, Aric put out a message to a few troopers on station and they all went to their quarters, figuring on getting an early start the next morning on this capitol planet.

Miriah never liked being on Coruscant, and actively avoided it if she could. She said she always felt like she was being watched. It also brought back memories of a double agent she’d been duped by and had eventually killed. It was with these things in mind that Corso set about distracting her from being here. They’d long ago installed soundproofing, and Miriah fell asleep, ravished and satisfied, wrapped in his arms.

Aric and Maura had spent so much time on Coruscant, with training and working directly for General Garza, that the planet was like a second home. It was in her office that they found themselves starting, not only to update current missions they’d worked on but to let her know how Rowan figured in the whole puzzle they’d been dealing with. She was impressed that they’d managed to get so far, and assured them she’d keep working to figure out how he’d gotten their information.

Sarai had contacts on Coruscant as well, having previously worked with the Tython delegation. She spoke to an ambassador she knew had an interest in force sensitive children, hoping he’d been contacted by the mother. He hadn’t but assured Sarai that he’d let her know if he heard anything. They all searched a sector, staying near the taxi stations, but saw no one that raised any suspicion, no one with a small child out and about. They all met at the spaceport, knowing Miriah would be ready for a break from the children, since she’d stayed on the ship with them. They entered the airlock, smelling the food she’d cooked. When they saw the kids, everyone clean faced and ready to be fed, Maura was impressed. She sat with Miriah while she fed Devin. Corso had stopped to greet them both but then moved to put weapons out of the reach of little hands.

“You are amazing, Mir, this is great,” Aric said, as they began to eat dinner. She smiled at them.

“I’m just so glad I didn’t have to be on Courscant. I was perfectly happy to be here. And Cor, Colin loves his blaster.” She looked around the table at them, seeing they were tired.

“I saw fresh peaches and cream in the cooler, too,” Maura said, sighing. She loved that particular dessert.

“Just for you, sis.” Miriah knew her well, she thought.

They undocked from the orbital station, fully fueled and ready for the day and a half of hyperspace. Sarai found Miriah on the bridge, and sat to talk to her.

“I am so thankful that you haven’t changed to the sonic showers, the hot water is wonderful. Your ship is very comfortable, Miriah. I can see now why you love it so much.” She put her tiny feet up on the opposite chair.

“Are you doing okay, Mom? I know you did a ton of walking today.”

“I’m fine, just ready to relax a bit. How ‘bout you? Lots going on here today.” She smiled at her youngest daughter, struck again by how much she resembled her father.

Miriah smiled at her, “Nothing too unusual, really. The kids all love playing together, and Devin is always a happy baby. He’s going to be walking soon. Calleigh is like a second mom and takes care of Colin, who’s usually just as happy as Devin is. It works for us, we all get along, and it’s great to have family around.” She patted her mother’s arm. “You should think about Dantooine, for retirement.” Sarai looked thoughtful, never having considered it before.

“You’re right, I should,” she said with a smile, then made her way to her quarters.

Hyperspace travel was just boring. Miriah knew lots of crews that drank the entire time, but that never appealed to her much. In their smuggling days, she and her crew always worked on weapons maintenance, ship maintenance, physical training, and after she hooked up with Corso, lots of fun things. Things that just weren’t possible now. The babies were getting a little cranky, too, not having a change of scenery. She cued up an animated holovid for them, just to have something different, and they were watching, Devin sitting in his grandmother’s lap. It made her think of the woman, running, with a small child. How difficult that must be for them both. She hoped they’d had food and shelter, and that the child was well. She couldn’t imagine what the poor woman had been through, and wondered if both Rowan and the Sith considered her more property to be regained than anything else. She shook her head and tried to focus on the children in front of her.

That night, Corso was restlessly sleeping when he heard Devin fussing. He got up and went to him, trying to calm him so that Miriah could sleep. He lifted the little boy in his arms and Devin snuggled to his dad. Sarai had heard him, too, but when she saw her grandson in his dad’s arms, the little boy’s head on his dad’s bare chest, Corso humming to him and rubbing his back, her heart was touched. The contrast of the soft baby skin with his dad’s muscles and taunt skin was striking, and when Corso softly kissed his son’s head and placed him back in his bed, he’d won a permanent place in Sarai’s heart. Corso padded back to Miriah, never knowing that she was there.

They reached Nar Shaddaa without incident but they knew it was time to get the kids out of the ship. They took rooms at a decent cantina, and split up, appearing to be families on vacation but keeping a watchful eye out. There were several times that each thought they’d seen a likely candidate. That evening, over dinner, they discussed the possibilities, and they all came back to one woman they’d each seen, wearing a blue robe that hid her face. After dinner, Miriah and Corso had decided to see if she’d found work in any of their favorite cantinas, and set off. Miriah, ever cautious, opted to keep her leathers on instead of dressing up, so she was armed. Corso was always armed, he just felt more comfortable that way.

It was at the Slippery Slope cantina that they saw what they thought was the same woman. Miriah was downing Hutt tequila, her drink of choice when working, since she could consume way more than was healthy without the consequences that would befall most other people. She was facing the table with the woman, less threatening that way, when she saw the surreptitious movement under the robe that indicated the woman was breastfeeding. Miriah gazed lovingly at Corso, leaning close to him. “She has the child with her now, feeding him under the robe. I’ll create a distraction, you get her out of here and back to the ship.” He nodded, at once excited to have found her, and worried about what kind of distraction Miriah would start. He didn’t have long to worry, though. Miriah stood and climbed on top of their table. She looked positively delicious in her black leathers, and he’d noticed several of the men in the cantina looking her over already.

“I challenge anyone in this fine establishment to attempt to outdrink me. If you can, you win five thousand credits. If you lose, you get to pay my tab. Any takers?” At that, she grinned and put one hand on her hip, striking a sexy pose. Corso almost got trampled by the rush to their table, and he edged out and over to the robed woman, who was trying to gather her bag and the hidden child and escape.

Corso managed to hold onto the woman’s elbow long enough to whisper to her, “We know who you are and Rowan hired us to get you and the child to safety.” That one statement stopped her cold, and she decided to trust the dreadlocked human with the kind eyes. He was leaving with her when he heard Miriah call for another round, and shook his head. He’d be back for her as soon as he could.

Corso got the woman, who said her name was Nuala, to the ship, where Maura and Sarai took over, helping her to her own quarters, cooing over the baby, who had been very well cared for. They fed her and helped her get the baby settled so she could sleep. Nuala had no idea who these people were, but she knew the older woman was a Jedi, and she felt safe with them.

Corso hurried back to the cantina, hoping to get Miriah out without having to shoot anybody. When he arrived, there was only one man left drinking, and he was going under fast. Miriah appeared as sober as usual, and smiled up at him with a wink. “Hello, sugar. I’m just gonna beat this one guy, then we can go. Now,” she said as she picked her opponent’s head up by his hair, “one more? Or are you done?” The man roused enough to do one more shot with her, which she downed with a smile, and then he passed out. Miriah raised her arms in victory, and stood, swaying, to follow Corso out. She stopped at the bartender, handing him a cred stick. “Don’t make him pay for my fun, I’ve got it.” She took Corso’s hand, wanting to get out of the cantina before that last shot made her unable to walk, which it did, halfway to the taxi stop. Corso just swung her up over his shoulder, at least she wasn’t drinking champagne, he thought. She giggled and sang all the way back to the ship, and he had to laugh. She was rarely as relaxed as she was when she was drunk. He came through the airlock with her on his shoulder, both of them laughing. Aric and Maura were there, and expressed concern as Corso gently put her on her feet, then caught her under her arms as she almost fell.

“Izz okay, jus’ need water and a whole lotta painkillers,” she giggled, slipping to the floor. “I love you guys, do I ever tell you that? I love you so much.” She brushed her now loose hair out of her face to take the water Aric handed her.

“How much did she drink?” he asked Corso, looking at his sister in law slumped over under the table, humming.

“I counted twelve shots on the table, but she’d had at least five others while we looked,” he replied with a sigh. “She might feel it tomorrow, but she has an incredible tolerance for tequila. Not the first time I’ve seen her run that distraction, but it always scares the hell outta me.” He shook his head, picked up his very drunk wife from the floor, and carried her to their quarters. She was out, he noticed, and gently undressed her, tucking her in with a kiss before he went to the bridge to get them out into space where the woman and child would be harder to find.

Miriah opened her eyes to darkness, and she felt Corso beside her. She could feel the thrum of the hyperdrive engines, and figured Corso had put them on course to Tython. She started to sit up, thinking she needed more water to dilute the tequila, when she heard Corso tell her there was a carafe of iced water on the bedside table. She drank as much as she could, and then stretched out beside him again. “Sorry to wake you up, sugar, and thanks for the water.” She kissed his shoulder and closed her eyes.

“I hate that, you know. I mean, I understand it works and that we got her out, but you pay a price for it.” He grew silent and she thought he’d gone to sleep until he said, “I always worry that you’ll be drugged or actually lose, then some idiot will try to take you off.” He shifted to pull her on top of him, “I just worry when you’re vulnerable, that someone will take advantage of that.” She put her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“I know, and I try to not do those things anymore, but other than stripping, it was the fastest way to divert all eyes to me while you got her out of there.” He was running his fingers in her hair, but stopped when she mentioned stripping, which got a little snort of laughter from her. “I wouldn’t do that, sugar, that’s just for you.” She pulled his head to hers and kissed him. “I thought about starting a fight but didn’t want to scare the mark or land in jail.”

She kissed him again, and he fisted his hands in her hair to deepen the kiss. She pulled back to look at him and smiled, going back again and again to kiss him. He groaned, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist her if she wanted more, even if she was still a little drunk.

Aric was whispering to Maura. They’d not been asleep yet, enjoying the long travel in ways they hadn’t in a long time. “I need to tell them they need more soundproofing.”

Maura snickered, “Yeah, now I feel sorry for Risha. She used to complain and I would think, no way could it be that bad. But now I definitely see what she means. It’s this common wall.” She pointed behind them.

“At least we know Miriah is still alive after all that alcohol,” Aric snorted. They finally got up to go find a snack and when they entered the galley they saw Nuala, feeding her son. She shyly looked up at them, and said hello.

“Hi, Nuala. Can I bring you something? You need to keep your strength up. We’re on the way to Tython, where you’ll both be safe.” She expressed her thanks, and accepted the milk and cookies that Maura brought over to her. “My sister thinks it’s her mission to keep the entire clan supplied with cookies,” she laughed, getting a smile from Nuala.

“I can’t thank you all enough. Is that your sister, the black haired woman?” Maura nodded, sitting down across from her. “She was amazing, she had everyone in the whole place looking at her. She’s beautiful.” Maura laughed.

“Yeah, that’s Miriah. She has that effect on people, it’s probably why she’s been so successful as a smuggler in the past. We’re just glad you got out without problems.”

“And the man who brought me here?”

“That was Corso, Miriah’s husband.”

“He didn’t say so but he was very worried, leaving her in the cantina. I could feel it. She got back, right?”

Aric looked at her for a moment. “Nuala, are you force sensitive?” She hesitated, then nodded. That’s why she’s been able to stay a few steps ahead of the Sith, he thought. “Tell us about the Sith,” he asked her.

“He is Sith,” she said simply. “I had worked for him since I was bought by his house guard, in the kitchen. I did not know of force sensitivity or how to control it, until I heard him talk of it with another slave, who was sent to Korriban. I didn’t want to go there, so I kept mine hidden. At a party about a year ago, I met Dinar, Colonel Dinar Rowan, who found me after the party.” She smiled, and as Aric surmised, their relationship wasn’t only physical. “He promised to help me, then the Sith figured out I was with child. He doesn’t know that my son isn’t his son. He cannot know.”

“Rowan told us that the Sith knows the child is force sensitive now, how would he have known that?” Maura had been pondering this fact, and saw that Nuala’s face turned very pale.

“I do not know, the only ones who should know that are Dinar and myself. I was trying to get to Tython with him before it became obvious. But perhaps the Sith found out from something we left behind.”

“Force signatures can remain on objects for a time,” Sarai said softly. Nuala glanced at her and felt her calm aura enfold the group, the same calmness she felt from her son. They were all silent, lost in thought, when Miriah came out and walked to the cooler, dressed only in Corso’s shirt.

“Oh, didn’t know you guys were up. Did we wake you?” She looked at them with wide, innocent, silver eyes, only the ghost of a smile on her lips, pushing her wildly tumbled hair back. “Sorry, still purging the tequila,” she said, holding up more water and ice. She turned and walked back to their quarters before the laughing started behind her. Even Nuala had to smile, she already liked these people and sincerely hoped being with them would not cause them to come to harm.

“Remind me to never drink with your sister, hon,” Aric told Maura as they went back to bed. Sarai and Nuala had stayed up, discussing Tython and what Nuala might be able to do for work there.

Twenty four hours later, they were dropping out of hyperspace when the proximity warning sounded. Miriah jumped from bed and raced to the bridge, seeing nothing. She silenced the alarm just as she saw the ship ahead drop its cloaking, revealing the sleek lines of an Imperial build. She turned to her mother, who had joined her, and whispered, “The Sith? Or the Moff?” Her mother mouthed back “Sith” and put a force shield around the interior of the ship. Nuala had sensed what was happening and hid. Miriah stood there staring at the ship in her view until she heard the holo beep. She reached to accept the call, but Corso grabbed he hand.

“Sure we should?” he asked her worriedly, looking around at the rest of the group. “Maybe if we ignore him he’ll go away.”

Miriah squeezed his hand, and answered the call. “What the hell are you doing, sitting cloaked at a jump point, you moron!”

Corso winced and looked at Aric, “Yeah, she just said that.”

Miriah continued, “And, if you’re going to call anyone this early who’s on vacation, you could at least move out of their way first.”

The Sith looked at the angry woman in his holo view. His intelligence said this was the right ship, but he couldn’t detect any force user on board. This appeared to be exactly what the flight plan indicated, a family vacation. She was shaking her tiny fist at him now, which amused him, but this close to Republic space he dared not make too many waves. He disconnected the call and moved his ship so that she could pass.

On board the Stardancer, Miriah grinned at her family. “That’s how you brush off a Sith,” she said, “though Mom’s shield was essential to the ruse.” She hugged Sarai, who was speechless, and quickly put several parsecs between them toward the orbital station. Only then did she realize she had faced down a Sith lord in her nightshirt.

They docked with the orbital station and quickly boarded the shuttles down to the planet, wanting to get Nuala and her child into the temple. Sarai went with them and paved the way, getting them settled and making a report to the council about the Sith sitting not far from the orbital station, looking for a child who wasn’t his.

The children were happy to be off the ship, running and playing in the yard. Corso and Aric were outside with them, the women inside getting a meal together. “So, we did what Rowan wanted, even if we didn’t especially want to, and now what? Is this over? Do we have to now watch over our shoulder for a Sith?” Corso asked Aric, enjoying the warm sun but still a little concerned. “I mean, it seems like we got off easy, like maybe there’s a bigger battle coming.” He looked around them at the serenity of the area, the whole planet peaceful and welcoming.

“That Sith won’t come here, wouldn’t dare face this many force users in one place. Now, Rowan, I just don’t know what his plans are, but he knows how to contact us. I’m thinking he either fakes his death or just outright defects, like Elara did.” Aric shrugged, knowing that this wasn’t completely finished but not able to predict what the next move would be. “Either way, I think we can call on Garza for help if we need to. An Imperial officer would be quite a coup for her.” Corso nodded, turning as Maura called them in to eat. Sarai joined them as they were finishing, telling them that Nuala had gotten a job with the kitchen staff, and was amazed that she’d be paid for it. She smiled at her family, “I am so happy that I got to be a part of this. Thanks to you all for including me.” She hugged them each, knowing they’d be going back to their home soon, and not wanting to give up being around her grandchildren.

Miriah stretched and grinned at Corso, “I think I really need a little down time, not in hyperspace. Mom, would it be okay with you if we stay a couple of days?” She saw Sarai’s eyes fill as she hugged her youngest daughter and nodded. Miriah had come to realize her mother was getting older, and not working the same horrific hours she used to work. Maura grinned at them both, knowing that Mir had reached out to try and heal old hurts.

That evening, in her old room upstairs, with all her old possessions still in their places, she grinned at Corso. “Never thought I’d have permission to have a boy in my room.” He laughed, pulling her to him in the small bed.

“We’ll have to sleep close, this is a small space,” he told her.

“We’ll manage,” she told him, getting closer and closing her eyes. “We always do.”

Maura and Miriah were walking by the river, just to be outside. It was early morning, and they weren’t going far, so they didn’t take the kids or the blasters or relays with them. It was just a stroll. They were chatting, laughing and being relaxed.

Miriah told her sister,” I can’t believe I actually did this, and it’s working out well. Corso had a little bit of a struggle with the bed in my old room, he’s a lot taller than I am, of course. But it was fine. We tend to sleep all over each other anyway, even in a large bed.”

“I know, I’ve seen you, and I have no idea how either of you can do that. Aric likes to snuggle but he is also fond of lying on his back, stretched all over. Makes me crazy at home, really makes me crazy here. I know, Mom is loving having us here, but I think one more night is all we can take.” Miriah nodded, then stopped.

“Wait, I heard something,” she whispered. As she turned to her right, two very small tranquilizer darts left their gauntlet. One pierced Maura in the chest, while the other penetrated Miriah’s neck. Maura was on the ground, paralyzed but able to hear, when the two figures in dark armor lifted Miriah between then and took off at a run through the woods toward the Forge. Maura screamed and screamed at them, but no sound came from her. After only a moment, one of the figures returned to Maura. I’m going to die here, and no one will know what’s happened to Miriah, she thought. She still couldn’t move, but when the figure approached her, he merely tossed a data chip beside her outstretched hand, and fled.

Miriah woke and immediately knew she was on a ship. She was shackled in stun cuffs to a bunk in what appeared to be a hold. It took her quite a few minutes to shake off the lingering effects of whatever drug they’d used, and when she could open her eyes, she saw a light skinned Zabrak sitting on a crate across from her, watching her struggle to regain consciousness and sit up. She noted that the man wore Mandalorian armor, and seemed at home on the ship.

“Well, sorry about that, love. Miscalculated the dose a bit for someone your size. Was only meant to incapacitate you, not destroy you.” He slid off the crate and approached her. She expected to be hit, and almost flinched when he reached beside her for a bottle of water, and drank when he held it to her lips. “There now, “ he told her. “We’re only the messengers, delivering you to someone who needs to speak to you. No harm will come to you, if you behave.” He left her then, and she was hit with a longing for Corso and Devin that took her breath away. She hated the tears that came to her eyes then, not wanting to show any weakness. She sniffed them back when she heard footsteps approaching.

A very tall, blonde man with beautiful eyes approached her, looking her over. “No bruises, good work,” he said over his shoulder. He looked back at her, “We were sent to bring you to speak to someone, who has assured us that he will not harm you. He’s paid us extra to see that you are not hurt in any way. Do you understand?”

“Of course, I understand. Why couldn’t this person just asked to talk to me instead of this?”

“His, um, circumstances require him to deceive those above him, so you’re to be a prisoner that he’s interrogating.”

Ah, she thought, Moff Rowan. It made sense to her now, and she nodded at the blonde man. “I understand.”

“Good. Now, we’ll take these off, so long as you don’t try to hurt anyone. Bert, here, will stay with you, show you where the ‘fresher is and stuff.”

“Can I get a message to my husband? Let him know I’m okay before he comes searching for me?”

“No, sorry, we left a data chip with info with the other woman you were with. They know.”

Maura sat up, unsure of how long she’d been unable to move. She grabbed the chip and stumbled back toward the house, crying silently. Where did they take her? And why? Oh stars, Devin! She sobbed as she reached the door, falling inside, making enough noise that Aric rushed to see what had fallen. He ran to her and lifted her up, laughing.

“What are you doing, hon? Are you two nuts chasing each other?” He looked at the fear and tears on her face. “What’s happened? Where’s Miriah?”

“I don’t know. They used darts, I was immobile, we both were.” She took a deep breath and continued. “They took her, dammit, and left this with me.” She held up the chip, just as Corso came into the kitchen. He took one look at Maura and felt the floor drop out from under him.

“Where is she?” he asked, shaking. “Start from the beginning, “ he encouraged her. When she’d gone through it again, she realized that they hadn’t tried to hurt either of them.

Corso was pacing, pale and trembling with anger. “I’ll kill them, every single one of them. Let’s go, maybe we can still track them on the ground.” He took off toward the river, charging up his blaster as he went, Aric behind him. Maura stood and went to check on the kids and found Devin just waking up. She fed him and dressed him, and when she’d gotten downstairs with him, the men returned.

“We tracked them to the shuttle they used, but that’s all we could do,” Aric said, sitting down heavily. “Where’s the chip?” Maura took it out of her pocket and handed it to him.

“Where’s Corso?” she asked, but then saw him come in from the yard. “Cor, I’m so…” She stopped at his raised hand.

“No, Maura, wasn’t your fault. I have to stay calm for Dev, or at least try.” Corso took his son in his arms. The little boy was smiling and touching his dad’s face. “Dada,” he said, with Miriah’s grin. “Let’s see what’s on the chip.”

The chip slid easily into the terminal, and the image of Moff Rowan appeared. “I’m sorry to do this, but I have to appear to be actively looking for a traitor to the Empire who escaped with a Sith’s child. I know one of you has been taken, but I don’t know who. I entrusted this mission to someone with the expertise to handle it, and not cause any harm. I owe you my son’s life, and I can promise that no harm will come to your family member. I will arrange a place to return whoever was taken to you, and hope that at that time you will allow me to defect. I-I’m sorry, but it has to be done this way.” The video cut off, leaving static.

Corso looked calmly at Aric, “He’s a dead man. I’ll shoot him before he defects, that way it’s just an Imperial officer.”

“Corso, think about Nuala, and their son. I hate his methods, but if he can assure Mir’s safety..” Maura was at a loss.

“It’s all pretty words, Maura. The fact remains that my wife has been taken against her will, is with people whose work is to kidnap and torture prisoners. What do I tell Dev when he wants his mama?” He put the little boy on the floor to play and tried to control the rage and fear that coursed through him. He felt sick with anxiety, and was trying to control his breathing when Sarai came in, having been alerted by Aric. She went to her younger son in law, hugging him against her small frame. He held on like she was a lifeline, his anguish was so great. He asked Sarai, in a low voice, “Can you tell, with the force, if she’s okay? If she was hurt or if she’s afraid?” Sarai hesitated, then answered him.

“It’s possible, if she’s open to me, given our history.” Corso nodded.

“Please, try,” he begged in that same low voice. “If not for me, for Devin.” She got on her knees, entering a force trance. Corso noticed that her aura was different from Mags, less brilliant but shimmering.

On the Mandalorian’s ship, Miriah was lying on the cot, her head still pounding from the dart, when she felt a force presence, the cool sliver of light that told her a force user, a light side force user, was attempting to “hear” her. She looked at her surroundings, noted that she wasn’t bound, had food and was unharmed. The presence lasted for a minute then was gone. Wonder who that was, Mags or Mom?

On Tython, Sarai opened her eyes and looked with relief at Aric, Maura and Corso. “She’s okay, not hurt other than a headache, she’s not immobilized or anything. She feels worried, about you, Corso and about Devin, but she’s not afraid. She misses you.” The knot in Corso’s chest loosened a little with that, and he took a deep breath.

“We have to get back to Dantooine. That’s the only way he can contact us.” Aric nodded, and started to gather things up that the kids had out while Maura got them cleaned up and ready to go. They made it to the ship in record time, and were hitting the hyperlane to Dantooine barely an hour after they left. Sarai had come with them, worried about Miriah but also wanting to help with Devin. He was doing fine for now, playing with his cousins. By evening, the stress had worn Corso down, and since he had nothing else to occupy his thoughts, he paced, refusing dinner. He’d fed Devin and fixed his bottle, but the little boy would have none of it. “Mama,” he wailed, over and over. Calleigh held onto Maura, upset that Devin was upset. Sarai took him but he lunged for his dad, still calling for his mama. After struggling for almost half an hour, the very upset little boy lay in his dad’s arms, with his bottle, sniffling and still softly calling, “Mama”, his voice hoarse from his cries. Corso held him, even after he’d fallen asleep, his own tears threatening as he cuddled his son to him.

“That was hard, son, but you did well.” Sarai sat down next to him and put a plate of food in front of him. “You have to eat something, Corso,” but he shook his head. He couldn’t force anything past the lump in his throat. He brushed the pieces of black hair, Miriah’s hair, off the child’s sweating, tearstained face, his hand trembling. His heart felt as broken as Devin’s had been, and he knew it would only be worse if he didn’t get her back soon.

Miriah was still awake, her gut clenching as she realized it was time for Devin’s night-night bottle. Oh stars, I miss him so much it actually physically hurts. She felt tears slide down her face and she swallowed hard, trying to control them. Her keeper, Bert, asked what was wrong, and she told him, “My beautiful baby boy, who’s ten months old, will be missing his mama and screaming about it right now.” She lay down, her arms wrapped around her middle, and silently cried. When she finally slept, Bert covered her with a blanket and went to talk to his boss.

“Hey, Cy, this lady is good people. She’s gonna be alright, right? She’s missing her kid. Women crying real tears, not the fake ones, get to me, man.” Cy nodded.

“She’ll be okay. I’ll make damn sure of it.” Both men watched the stars stream past, thinking that they’d both be glad to be done with this job.

Corso sat on the bridge, his worry almost palpable. Aric entered and sat in the left seat. “How ya holding up, buddy? Can I get you anything?” Corso shook his head, he had no appetite and just wanted to see Miriah’s face, hear her laugh. “We’ll get her back, I promise, Cor. If it’s the last thing I ever do, she’ll be back with us.”

Corso looked at his brother in law then, and they clasped hands, grateful that Aric understood what he was feeling and wasn’t trying to cheer him up or offer platitudes. They sat on the bridge, silent but content for the time being. Maura found them there, pondering why it was Miriah and not Maura.

“I think it was a size issue. She was easier for them to carry. That, and my dart hit my chest, hers hit her in the neck. When they took her, she was unconscious. “ Maura felt so guilty.

Corso sighed, “That’s exactly why I hate some of the risks she takes. In her mind, she’s equal and her size is irrelevant. But for everyone else, it gives them an unfair advantage.” Corso remained on the bridge all night, unable to sleep, walking from where his son lay sleeping and back to watch the stars. He closed his eyes and sent her his thoughts, the stress and fear of the day making his body tired but his mind refused to let him rest.

Miriah dreamed of them both, her husband and son, and woke screaming. Terrified, she jumped up only to realize she wasn’t where she should be and the dream was reality. She was still shaking when Cy rushed in to see what had happened. She slowly sat on the edge of the cot, not wanting them to restrain her again.

“Nightmare?” Cy asked her, and she nodded, not looking up, her hair covering her face. He sighed, looking at this tiny woman who was only a pawn in a much larger game. He didn’t want to comfort her, to get attached in any way, but he’d already decided he liked her.

“It’ll be over soon, and I’ll do my best to make sure the deal is kept.” He walked over to the crates where Bert had been sitting all day, and took his spot. “Here, this is my personal datapad. Send your love a message. He’s gotta be sick with worry by now.”

She looked up at him, puzzled. “But you said they had a data chip. Won’t this put us all in danger?”

He looked unconcerned. “I’m a bounty hunter. I don’t work for anyone but myself. If Rowan doesn’t want to hire me again, it’s really fine with me.” He handed her his datapad, and she eagerly started typing. “Just no identifiers, and I have to input a code before you send it, so you know I’m going to read it.” She nodded, and kept writing, feeling the first faint ray of hope in her heart.

Corso was sitting on the bridge still, his mind blessedly blank, having gone past rational thought a few hours ago. He heard a faint beep, but dismissed it. The beeping sound continued, and he finally roused himself to look for what it was. He found his datapad where he’d left it, in the lounge by the holo. When he picked it up, he almost deleted the message without looking at it, but the subject line, just her name, made him catch his breath. He almost ran to the bridge, where he sat and opened the message.

My darling Corso,

I am okay, but I miss you and Devin so much! I swear, I was only walking with Maura. I know Dev wasn’t happy with the whole bottle situation tonight, but I’ll make it up to him, to both of you. I am unhurt, and my new friends have treated me very well. I know you’ve seen the data chip, so you have an idea of what’s going on here, but I truly believe that they mean me no harm.

I will be with you soon, sugar. I love you with all that I am. Take care of Devin, and tell him his mama loves him to pieces.

Miriah

Corso took the first deep breath he’d had since this started. She was okay! Aric found him a few hours later, asleep in the captain’s chair, his datapad clutched to his chest.

Aric found Corso on the bridge, sleeping, but when he turned to leave he saw the datapad on and read Miriah’s message. Thank the stars, he thought. Spitfire is okay. He went to find Maura, who had gotten all three kids up and ready for breakfast, and told her what he’d seen. She hugged him hard, struggling to hold back tears of her own. Calleigh heard Aric say her aunt’s name and asked her mama, “An’ Riah ‘k?” Maura nodded.

“Yes sweetie, Aunt Miriah’s okay. She’ll be back with us soon. Can you help me keep Devin happy until then?”.

The little girl smiled and nodded, then ran to the bridge to kiss her uncle Corso on his cheek, which only had him opening one eye before going back to sleep. Calleigh giggled and ran back to have breakfast. Devin had slept at least, and seemed happy enough so far today, Maura thought. They’d be on Dantooine by afternoon, then they’d just have to wait for the next step. Maura hoped they were ready for whatever it was.

Miriah woke with most of the drugged headache gone, pushing aside the blanket and sitting up slowly. She didn’t see either of the men she’d met so far, and made her way to the small refresher. When she started back for the cot, she saw Bert bringing her food.

“Hi Bert, thanks for this,” she told him. He looked at her strangely, and shook his head.

“We captured you and brought you here, and you’re thanking me? “

“You could have been much, much worse to me, and you’ve treated me well so far.” She smiled at him, and he at once saw why she was regarded as one of the most cunning smugglers ever. He backed slowly out of the hold, thinking he’d be better off if he didn’t start spilling his secrets to her.

She ate, smiling at her captor’s wariness. She jumped, however, when she felt the ship dock. Cy came to get her with a grim look. “This is what we’re supposed to do, but I’m having second thoughts. We were just going to dock, hand you over, and haul jets. I just can’t do that now. We’re gonna stay docked here for a bit, just to make sure everything is on the up and up.” She nodded as he put the stun cuffs on her, little licks of fear shooting up her spine.

The airlock opened to a cadre of six Imperial troopers, who formed around her and marched her to a large open room. She stood there, looking around, trying to determine the class of ship, but couldn’t. Suddenly she was forced to her knees by an unseen hand. Damn it, the Sith is with him, she thought. She stayed bowed over, so she didn’t see the slap coming. Its impact threw her on her side, the studded gauntlet opening a gash in the side of her face. She looked up to see Moff Rowan glaring at her, but she detected fear in his eyes.

“Now, where did you take the slave girl?” Miriah spat blood and sneered at the two before her, and immediately felt her throat being crushed. I’m not getting out of this alive, she thought as her feet left the floor, but she refused to show any reaction. She coughed a little but remained defiant, glaring at the Sith lord who, she could tell, wasn’t as strong in the force as he wanted others to believe he was. The Sith let her go, and she dropped to her knees again, coughing. When she raised her head, she was met with another slap, splitting her lip and splattering blood over her and her guard.

“You might as well tell us, we will find out.” Rowan paced in front of her. If he was on her side, he sure had a helluva way to show it, she thought.

She ground out through gritted teeth, “Nar Shaddaa. Where she wanted to go.” She gasped when the next blow broke ribs, and lying on the floor, she lost consciousness from the kick the Sith lord placed against her temple. She was only out for a minute, she thought. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Rowan being run through by a red lightsaber, and she closed her eyes again. Force, she thought, if I do really have a little of you in me, and can call it up, please get me home to my family. As she struggled to say conscious and get up, through her blurred vision she saw Cy and Bert enter the room, blasters drawn and firing. They got the attention of the guard, who left Miriah on the floor to chase after them. The Sith ignored the chase and, whirling around, left the room. She scooted on the floor toward the hallway, if she could get up and get to Cy’s ship, she might escape with her life.

She got up and was dragging one leg, which had caught an errant blaster bolt when the Sith was deflecting Cy’s attempts. On the way, she was caught from behind by Bert’s empty arm and practically lifted to the airlock. They boarded Cy’s ship and, with the bounty hunter banged up but moving, got the ship undocked and made an immediate jump to hyperspace.

Bert was putting a bandage on his own head when she looked behind her, and helped her to the bridge. “Cy, Bert, they would have killed me if you hadn’t come. How did you know?”

“Your transmission.” She looked at them like they’d grown horns. Transmission?

The men looked at each other, and back to her. Bert said, “You came over both our relays, calling on the force to get you home to your family. We thought you had found a relay in there and got lucky with the frequency.” He looked at her closely. “Boss, she doesn’t have a relay.” That’s the last thing Miriah heard before she passed out.

When she woke, she almost wished for death, she was in so much pain. Bert had put a kolto patch on her face but that was all he knew to do. They’d put her in her cot, and she couldn’t see anyone from where she was. She couldn’t sit up, though she tried and failed, yelping in pain. She had no idea they were over Dantooine.

Cy had traced the datapad she’d sent her message to last night, and it’s registered owner had a ranch on Dantooine. He knew he couldn’t just haul her mangled body through the spaceport there, and walked to the hold to see if she could tell him where to take her. She opened the eye that wasn’t swollen shut and tried to smile, the dried blood on her lips cracking and new blood trickling down.

“Where do I go, on Dantooine? I want to get you home. Can you get medical care at home?” She nodded and whispered the coordinates to their hangar before she passed out again. Cy hobbled to the navcomp and put in the coordinates, then sat heavily in his chair. Hopefully, he’d be able to get her care before he got shot.

Corso and Aric were unloading the Stardancer when they heard a ship approaching at low level flight. Akaavi, who looked up, saw the markings and turned to Corso, “It is of the homeworld. Mandalorian.” Corso turned to Aric and ran outside, just as the bounty hunter’s ship touched down. Corso stood there, hand on his blaster, and waited. The ramp slowly lowered and he saw a blonde man with a blanket wrapped bundle in his arms taking halting steps down.

“I am bringing your Miriah back. She’s in urgent need of medical care, a kolto tank if you have one. Please, take care of her first then I’ll answer any question you ask." Corso approached the man, Akaavi at his side with her vibroblade drawn. When he reached Cy, he held his arms out and the hunter put his bundle in them, the motion causing the blanket to shift. When he saw her face, he cried out, partially in joy and partially in rage over what had been done to her. He ran, not to the house, but back onto the Stardancer, the closest kolto tank facility was its medbay. Maura and Aric found him there, trying to figure out how to operate the mechanism to fill the tank. Aric gently took Corso’s shoulders and pushed him to a chair nearby while Maura and Akaavi got the tank ready. Corso couldn’t believe it, he just kept looking at her bruised and bloody face. That bastard better run very far, he thought. He gently squeezed her and she groaned in pain, prompting him to put her on one of the exam tables and unwrap the blankets.

“I see why she needs the tank,” he said, turning pale. “The scanner says there are 6 broken ribs, a moderate concussion, and crushing trauma to the trachea. That’s apart from the facial trauma and the blaster burn on her right leg.” He was shaking so hard his voice vibrated. “Maura, I know the masks are over in the locked cabinet, the key is hanging on the side of the tank. Akaavi, can you go get Sarai from the house? She might have some hints for the trachea. Damn Sith!” He paced but never got far from his wife as she lay there. Maura had pulled out her holo and was conferring with Elara Dorne, the former medical officer on her squad. She walked with the holo over to the scanner screen, which had detailed Miriah’s injuries.

“Oh dear,” Elara said, “I’m estimating a week in the tank, but I’ll run these numbers again and get back to you. Put her on one hundred percent oxygen for at least a couple of days and I’d sedate her, even with the concussion, just to make sure she doesn’t panic.” Maura turned to her sister as the call disconnected, and started to get her ready for the tank. She left her underthings on, and put her in a special suit that Elara had said would reduce any scarring. She’s so still, Maura thought. She nodded at the men but Corso held Aric back, walking to his wife’s slight form and lifting her easily, carrying her to the tank. They put her in, up to her neck, then fitted the mask tightly, making sure it sealed correctly. Corso kissed her forehead, then lowered her into the tank. Once she was immersed, they checked the readouts and matched them to the instructions Elara had sent on the terminal. Maura stepped up to the intravenous line and injected a dose of sedative, sighing when she saw her sister totally relax in the blue-green fluid.

Corso tried to sit but instead ended up sliding down the wall, almost in shock himself. Sarai saw him when she rushed in, and after seeing that Miriah was stable, turned to Corso. “Son, I know how hard this is. She will heal, but you have to help. Don’t make her use her limited resources worrying about you.” She walked over to him and crouched to speak softly to him, “She’s not in pain, and now she can heal. Devin needs one of his parents whole. Now come on, son, get up and let’s figure out what to do next.” She placed her hand on his head, and he felt her calming aura. He got up, blinking back tears, and nodded.

“Devin and I will just live here,” he told them. “Someone will have to be here all the time.”

“True, but we’re here, we’ll all help. Now, there were two others outside who need some medical attention too. Let’s get them in here and find out what happened to our girl.” Sarai went down the ramp and led the two back.

Cy spoke first. “You must be Corso,” he said to the dreadlocked man. “My name is Cy Corchran. We were hired to take one of you, the Moff didn’t care which, and bring them to his ship. My guess is that the Sith that he worked under figured out his plot. When we docked with his ship, and we took Miriah out, just like the plan, we were surrounded by guards in red armor.”

“Imperial Guard,” Aric said, rejoining them, a serious look on his face. Cy nodded and hissed as Sarai cleaned the wound in his leg.

“Something just seemed off, and I was afraid the bargain wasn’t going to be kept, so instead of leaving, we stuck around. We were just sitting there when we heard her ask for help on our relays, so in we went, blasting.” Corso nodded, he was beginning to like this guy. We got her out and back to the ship, but had no idea where to take her until I remembered the message. I traced your datapad.” He shifted to allow Sarai to see another wound. “She’s good people. She cried for you and your son last night, that’s why I let her use the datapad.”

“Thank you doesn’t seem like enough,” Corso told him. Cy grinned.

“No worries there, mate, I got paid up front. Rowan’s dead, by the way. The Sith killed him, at least that’s what I think happened.” They sat, silent, wondering what to tell Nuala.

“Now, everyone’s patched up,” Sarai said, “let us give my daughter some quiet to let the kolto work.”

“Thank you, Jedi , for that, but we’ll be going. Don’t want to lead the Sith here.” Cy was limping toward his ship when he heard Aric’s voice.

“He already knows where we are. You might as well stay. With Miriah out, we’re a blaster short of our normal.” Aric grinned, and Cy chuckled.

“Deal.”

Corso sat near the tank where Miriah floated most of that day, until he heard his son calling for him. Akaavi brought him into the medbay , and the little boy reached for his dada. Corso put him on his shoulder, and heard him say, very softly, “Mama”. Corso closed his eyes, how was he going to explain this to such a small child? He realized he didn’t have to when he saw his son reach out and lay his hand on the tank, and turn to look at him with a brilliant smile. “Mama!” he said, then the sweet little boy turned to just look at her, his hand still on the tank.

Corso realized Devin didn’t care about anything but the fact that his mama was home, even if she was in that tank, she was home. When Devin got sleepy, Corso changed him into his pajamas and prepared his bottle, dreading a repeat of the previous evening. Akaavi had thought that if he were held with a garment of his mother’s, with her scent, it would calm him. Corso went to their quarters and grabbed her nightshirt, smelling her peaches and vanilla, and when he picked Devin up for his bottle, he gave the shirt to his son. Knowing she was near, and smelling her familiar scent, the child closed his eyes before the bottle was empty, and Corso sighed in relief. I’m so glad you didn’t do what you did last night, little man, Corso thought. I don’t think I would have made it through that again. Corso rolled his son’s bed into the medbay and placed him inside to sleep. He got both pillows from their bed and a blanket, and stretched out on an exam bed, his pillow under his head, Miriah’s clutched to his chest. He just lay there, sending his love to his wife, waiting for sleep to overtake his tired mind.

Maura and Aric stayed on the ship, hoping Corso would let them help monitor Miriah as she healed. Maura tiptoed into the medbay, seeing both him and Devin asleep, and crept up to the monitor screen to check the numbers and administer another dose of sedative.

“She’s doing okay, Maura?” she heard Corso’s deep voice, coarse with sleep, behind her. She nodded, and turned to sit in the chair beside the tank.

“It hurts me to see her in there,” Maura told him, rubbing her temples. “It should have been me, Corso.”

“How do you figure that? It wasn’t personal against her, she just happened to be handy. If Aric and I had been out there instead, would you have said it should have been him?” He swung his bare feet to the floor and walked over to the tank. “It just happened. And now a Sith will die for it.”

Maura put her hand on his arm, “Just focus on getting her better, okay? We’ll figure out who gets to pay for this later.” And if I know my sister, she’ll want to put a shotgun between his shoulder blades herself as soon as she can walk, she thought. “Go back to sleep, Cor, I’ll sit here a bit.”

“No, talk to me. I’ve been just half sleeping anyway.” He sat on the exam bed, swinging his feet. “I keep wondering how much she knows or can feel. I know when I’m in that mask, all I can think of is how to get out.” He told her how easily Devin accepted that his mama was there, and she smiled. The little boy slept peacefully in the presence of his unconscious mother, just content in the knowledge that she was nearby.

“How ‘bout you, Corso?” she asked him. “What are you feeling with all this?”

“Scared but hopeful, since the readings have been pretty stable. Lonely, since her voice inside me is silent. You know, that voice that tells you exactly what she would say if she were actually talking to you. The anger is fighting with all the other emotions to be first, but as long as she’s in that tank, anger has to take a back seat.” He looked at his feet. “You can look at my face and see that scars don’t really matter to me, but they will to her. I tried to see how badly the cut on her face might scar, but I can’t really tell. I’d like to be able to tell Cy and Bert how much I appreciate them getting her here alive, but I just can’t think of the words to say.”

“I think they know. They said that you and Devin are all she talked about.” Maura shook her head at him, “Rest, brother, I’m going back to bed. The alarm will tell us if anything changes.” He nodded at her, lying back on the hard exam bed, covering his eyes with his forearm. She heard him turn toward Miriah as she left, and whisper, “Love you, kitten.” She had no doubt that Miriah knew that.

The whole thought of the Sith showing up on Dantooine had Sarai worried. She called a couple of her friends for advice, but it had been a very long time since she’d taken on a dark side force user. She sighed as she readied the kids for the day, missing Devin who was on the ship with his dad. Poor Corso, she thought, he must be so tired. That man is the most dedicated to his family I’ve ever known, she thought. She took Colin and Calliegh by the hand and walked them down to the ship, with C2 bringing breakfast to the others. When she entered the ship, she realized they were all still sleeping. She told the twins to be very quiet, and took them to the playroom. Sarai doubled back to check on Miriah and her force connection told her that her daughter was deeply unconscious and continuing to heal. There were no thoughts or emotions, just the force pulses that corresponded to her heartbeat and breathing. Sarai saw that Corso was sleeping. Good, she thought. She checked on Devin, and saw that he was awake and looking at her with those beautiful brown eyes. He smiled when he saw her, and when she picked him up, he pointed at the tank and said “Mama” very quietly, and smiled again. Sarai hugged him close and took him to eat breakfast.

Aric and Maura joined the kids, and in a few minutes, Corso made his way to the galley. The group wasn’t exactly solemn, just quiet and tired. Corso thanked Sarai and C2 for the food, and returned to check on Miriah. There was no change in her condition, and Elara had confirmed that for optimum healing, she’d need to be there a full seven standard days. I’ll be totally nuts by then, he thought. He turned and began to pace again. The question really wasn’t if the Sith would come here, but when. They needed a plan, he thought. He walked down the corridor looking for Aric. He found the Cathar talking to the bounty hunter and his crew.

“Corso! I was just going to find you. We need to put together a plan, since the Sith won’t give up, or at least I don’t think he will. Cy and Bert are willing to help.” Corso nodded, he figured paying for help wasn’t a bad plan.

“What’s the fee?” he asked. Cy immediately shook his head.

“Nothing. You guys patched us up, and didn’t shoot us. Besides, we were paid to keep Miriah safe, and we failed at that once. We won’t again.”

Akaavi had set them up in the guest house, and she and Cy had greatly enjoyed sharing tales of Mandalore. The two men had been grateful for food that hadn’t come from a replicator and real water showers. They’d discussed it the evening before, and decided to wait it out here.

Corso nodded, “You are more than welcome here, I owe you everything just for getting her back to me and my son.”

“Speaking of,” Aric said, “how’s Spitfire doing this morning?” The two hunters laughed at his nickname for the small woman.

“Healing, stable. Pretty much what I expected but I’m ready for this week to be over.” He walked back to the medbay after checking on Devin, who was playing with his cousins. He peered into the tank, trying to asses her wounds, and saw that the facial laceration had actually knitted pretty well. She’d have a small scar, but it would be hard to see. She’ll be happy about that, he thought. Her ribs had fused but not healed yet, and the blaster wound was doing well. She was bruised all over, and looked so small in that tank. He shook his head, realizing he was torturing himself but felt helpless to do otherwise. He reached out to touch the tank and drew his hand back as if burned. He looked closely at her and slowly put his hand on the tank again. He could feel her, could feel that she was there, her presence. Maybe that’s what Dev could feel last night, what calmed him so. Corso stood there a great part of the day, maintaining contact with the tank wall.

Aric found him there late in the afternoon. “Hey man, I think we’re set. Can you look at the firepower and make adjustments?” He handed Corso a datapad, then reached out himself to touch the tank. “Wow, you really can feel her. How can she do that unconscious?”

“Sarai says it’s just her presence, her personality that we can feel. It’s something , though. Better than the nothingness when she was just out there.” He looked over the planned positions and noted that Aric had left out Sarai and her lightsaber. “Aric, we have a Jedi knight, we should consider her in this.”

“Damn, I knew I forgot something.” He took the datapad back, “I’ll rework it. Thanks for talking to Maura during the night, I could tell when she came back to bed she felt a little more settled about things.”

“You know you guys can sleep up at the house. You’d be more comfortable there. I won’t leave her anyway.”

“We’re fine here, Corso. We’re with you, I can’t leave her here either. Maura feels so guilty there’s no way she’s going anywhere. Akaavi and Bow are still on guard duty, right?” Corso nodded. “I might see if they want another, I feel useless.” He still had his hand on the tank wall. “See you later, Mir, heal faster.” He turned and walked out, feeling oddly reassured by Miriah’s presence.

The sedative began to wear off, and Miriah became conscious of where she was and what was going on. She felt light, and realized she was in a kolto tank. The events that put her there rushed back in her mind, and she almost panicked. I’m alive, she thought, and oh stars, I’m in pain, but I’m alive. She couldn’t open her eyes, but she could feel Corso nearby. The alarms started going off, and Maura ran in, looking at the numbers.

“Damn it, her sedative is wearing off,” she swore as she turned to the stim cabinet to draw up another dose. “I’m sorry, Miriah, I was so sleepy last night I didn’t notice the time.” She injected the drug into the line and Miriah felt the pain recede just before she slipped back under. Sarai joined Maura in the medbay, realizing that Maura was hurting in her own way. They’d always taken care of each other, she thought, and Maura feels responsible for this. Sarai touched her middle daughter’s arm and Maura crumbled into her mother’s arms.

Aric saw Cy and Bert talking with Akaavi. He looked at them as he approached. Well, who’d have thought it, he mused, but I do believe Akaavi is flirting wih Cy. He had to smile, he’d figured they have common things to talk about, but never figured it would be more. He still had a slight grin when he reached them.

“Aric, Cy and Bert would like to join Bow and me on guard.” Akaavi looked shyly at Cy.

“I was just coming to ask if you wanted more help myself.”

“Well you are welcome to do as you wish, but with four we have plenty.” Akaavi had worked with Miriah for a long time, and considered them all her clan. “We want to protect Miriah, but you and Maura and Corso are targets, too.”

“She’s right, mate. Your kids could be as well, these guys are totally ruthless. The Jedi might be the biggest advantage.” Cy looked down, aware that he might have misspoken but wanting to put a light on what might come.

Aric sighed, “Okay then, I’ll do whatever you guys need me to do.” Akaavi waited until Cy and Bert had gone back to the house.

“Maura needs you. Even though she won’t actually say much, she is guilt ridden and very afraid.” Aric nodded, not saying anything, and turned to walk back to the ship. He found Maura, as he expected, in the medbay, talking quietly with Corso. He walked up to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She turned to rest her head on his shoulder, and he could feel how tired she was.

“Maura, honey, why don’t you get a nap in this afternoon? So that when you’re up tonight you won’t be so tired. “

“That’s a really good idea, Maura. One of us has to keep their mind sharp,” Corso agreed. “Go ahead, I’m fine here. Sarai will bring Devin down later.”

Aric led Maura to their quarters, and kissed her, eliciting a soft moan. “Sleep, honey. Then if you want, wake me up tonight when you’re up checking on Miriah.” He grinned, and kissed her again before he crouched to remove her shoes. He gently lifted her legs so that she was stretched out, kissed her once more, then left her to rest. She fell asleep quickly, but just as last night, she kept dreaming of Miriah and how she’d looked before they’d gotten her into the tank.

Corso played with Devin for awhile, then he handed the little boy to Akaavi to take up to the house for dinner. He felt marginally better, but still had a vague unease. He supposed he would until this Sith was dead. He looked at Miriah’s face, so still and pale in the kolto. How much would she be able to tell them after all the sedation, when she did come out? Would her concussion have her unable to recognize him? I’m not dead, just resting, love. You know I’ll always know you and love you. He shook his head, there was no way he really just heard that in his thoughts, right? He looked closer at her face, and would have sworn he saw a slight smile.

Throughout the next five days, Miriah continued to heal, although the bruises hadn’t changed much. Her face, the laceration that Corso thought she’d be most upset about, had actually healed well, with just a very faint line for a scar, Corso remained close to her, as close as he could. Rizzo, his ranch foreman, came to the ship if he needed anything, and Devin had gotten to the point he’d cry if he were at the house, and magically be fine on the ship.

There was no movement on the Sith front. Nothing. They knew he’d not given up, but figured he might just be searching somewhere else. Corso thought Miriah would have told him Nar Shaddaa, since the Sith could track the Stardancer there, but until they could ask her it was only a guess. Surely by now he would know the child is on Tython, Corso mused. He was standing with his back to the tank when he heard a splash. He turned quickly to see Miriah struggling to get to the top of the tank.

“Maura!” he yelled as he pulled the top off the tank. If he didn’t get her calmed and to the surface, she could rip the mask off and drown in the healing fluid. He grabbed her shoulders when she got close enough, and feeling his touch, relaxed. “I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he told her. Maura rushed to help him, pulling her head up.

“Mir, taking the mask off now, okay?” Maura saw her nod, and pulled the release on the breathing mask, hearing her take a deep breath. Her ribs had healed but the soreness remained. She still hadn’t opened her eyes.

“Cor?” he heard her whisper. Elara had told them the trachea damage would have bruised her vocal cords, which would take months to heal completely.

“I’m here, darlin’.”

“I want you to be the first thing I see.” He stood holding her shoulders out of the tank and turned her toward him.

“Open your eyes, then, beautiful.” She slowly opened those trademark silver eyes, and for the first time in almost a week, he saw her. She was still bruised, but basically healed. He pulled her over, her body still in the tank, to kiss her softly. “Welcome back. I missed you so much. Now, let’s get you out of there.” He pulled her up so that she sat on the upper edge of the tank, and let her sit there for a few minutes before swinging her feet over to the steps. “I’m going to lift you down, don’t try to stand on the steps, okay?” She nodded at him. By the time she was standing on the ground, they were both pretty much covered in kolto, and when Maura grabbed her in a hug, they were all three covered in the sweet smelling fluid. She was shaky, having been suspended in fluid for six days, and Maura pulled a chair over to sit her down.

“Gotta get in the shower so I can hold Dev,” she whispered. “My arms are hungry to hold him.” Corso lifted her, carrying her easily to their shower, and got in with her to get the kolto off them both. She leaned on him, trembling, and cried, remembering her ordeal. He knew she’d have to just get it out, and let her cry without asking any questions. He saw her touch the cheek that had been cut, and she let out a little sigh when her fingertips had figured out it had healed well. He didn’t want to overwhelm her but couldn’t resist kissing her throat when he was rinsing her long black hair, and when he saw the residual bruises, he thought again of killing the Sith.

He wrapped her in a towel and took her to their quarters, putting her on their bed and gathering some clothes for her. He tried to dress her, but she took over while he got dressed himself. She noticed that their bed was made, and looked at him with a question on her face. “I’ve been sleeping in the medbay,” he told her, shrugging. “Ready for your son?” He grinned when her face lit up at the thought. “You sit here, I’ll get him.” He moved to the door, then back to kiss her once more. “So very glad you’re back, love.” He left to get Devin, and Maura came in with some painkillers and water.

“You’ll need these, Mir, you’re not as healed as you think. Once you get a chance to be with Dev and Corso for a little bit, you’re getting a thorough scan.” Mirian nodded.

“Thanks, Maura. You saved me.” They hugged, only separating when they heard Devin squeal “Mama!”

The little boy almost threw himself out of his dad’s arms to get to her. He latched onto her, around her bruised neck, but she didn’t care. She hugged his familiar weight to her as he rested his head on her shoulder, and she kissed his head, closing her eyes. “You’ve grown, Dev, what have you been doing?” He lifted his head to grin at her, and Corso thought that it was the perfect picture, his son and his wife, grinning at each other, almost nose to nose. For the first time since he’d taken the blanket wrapped bundle from the bounty hunter, he felt like his world was right. His son’s little hands traced her face, and he gave her a kiss on her cheek, which made her tear up, before he put his head back on her shoulder. Corso handed the water to her.

“Drink, kitten. You’re a little dehydrated from the tank.” She did, and he went to get more. When he returned, both his wife and his son were sleeping and he left them with a smile.

Aric and Sarai had been talking while getting the twins ready for the day, and suddenly Sarai stopped moving and smiled. “Miriah’s awake,” she said, “awake and holding her son. The joy is unmistakable.”

“Excellent!” Aric grinned. Calleigh clapped her hands and smiled at her dad, and Colin copied her. He finished helping Sarai and rushed down to the ship. When he walked in the medbay he saw Maura setting up for a scan, and an empty kolto tank. “So she’s sprung, eh?”

“Well, more like escaped, but she’s out.” Maura beamed at Aric. “I feel like I can breathe now.” He crossed to her and pulled her against him, and she laughed.

“What? You’ve kept me at arms length for a week."

“You know, you’re right. We’ll have some together time later, when the twins nap.” They snuggled together, enjoying the feel of each other, until Corso walked back in.

“She and Devin are sleeping, and it’s such a wonderful sight.” He sighed. “Thanks, both of you, for all you’ve done this past week for us.”

“Aww Cor, you know we’re all family, we wanted to help. Tanno and I are going up to the office, want to come along? I need to check the encrypted stuff.” Aric was already striding toward the ramp.

“Right behind you.” When they arrived, they saw that their security company had indeed been keeping an eye on things, and felt a little easier about going inside. The cool air drifted around them as they walked to the holo.

“I know I’ve been tied up with Miriah’s recovery, and I’m sorry I haven’t been pulling my weight around here.” Corso felt guilty about the ranch, too, but at least there he had Rizzo.

“You had a good reason, man, “ Tanno said. He’d kept up with the ongoing missions on his and Corso’s assignments. “I need more cookies, therefore we need the cookie baker well. It’s all good.”

Corso and Aric laughed, knowing Miriah she was already thinking the same thing. Her mission in life, they teased her, was to make sure Devin and the twins always had cookies in the house. They were still chuckling about that when Aric said, in a loud voice, “Whoa!”

“What?” Corso asked and moved over to the holo to see what Aric was talking about. He saw a news clip from Nar Shaddaa, where a Hutt-owned child care center was invaded by Imperial troops. It was said that it was ordered by a Sith lord, a Darth Skyler, who was even now being questioned by the Dark Council.

“Hah! The damn Dark Council probably gave him the idea,” Corso said. “They’ll never do anything to him. And I’d guessed Miriah might have told him Nar Shaddaa, but it was a total guess on my part until now.”

The news piece went on to say that the Darth was looking for his child who was abducted from his home in Drummond Kass after his mother had died in childbirth and that no ransom was ever demanded. All the Darth wants, the news writer stated, was to have his son home again.

“Well, the only thing we can be reasonable sure of, is that he will be occupied by the council for the present time. Once it comes out that the mother of the child was a slave in his home, and it will since the force users on that side have many of the same traits as the light ones, things will go one of two ways. One, he’ll be laughed out of the council and told to marry a pureblood and have regular Sith babies. Or two, he’ll be called to answer the charges from the Hutts, who will no doubt be bought off. Either way, he’s free to continue his search pretty soon.” Aric moved from the holo to the computer terminal. “I’m estimating two weeks travel time from Drummond Kass to Dantooine, so that gives us a window.”

“If he thinks that Miriah died aboard Rowan’s ship, he might think I’m coming after him as well,” Corso stated, thinking that would have been the absolute truth if that had happened. Aric nodded thoughtfully, agreeing.

“He might at that, she was left for dead. I bet Spitfire would love to plant a blaster against his face. When she gets a little stronger, we need to know what she knows.” The men locked up, no encrypted messages for them today. They rode back to the hangar, where they all went to see if Miriah was awake.

They found her still asleep, Devin awake and playing happily on the bed beside her. He turned when they entered, pointing at Miriah and telling them “Mama!” with a huge grin. Corso took his son in his arms. “He’s been so excited to see her.”

“She needs to be up at the house so you all can rest and recover. I worry about Sarai making so many trips up and down too. “

Tanno scooped her up, not even waking her, and started for the house. Corso and Aric shrugged at each other, and followed, Devin chattering the whole way. Corso showed Tanno where to put Miriah, and when he placed her on her own bed, she groaned and tried to sit up, but moved too fast.

“How did I get here?” she whispered, looking at Tanno, who was closest to her. “And, hi guys. Great to see you!” She laughed silently, and they had to join in.

“I know you all have a million questions, and, just fyi, you’re all in trouble because Maura was supposed to scan me, but she will just have to do that here. So, fire away.” She whispered answers to their questions until no sound came out at all, and knew she’d have to stop. She was getting tired, too, and lay back against her pillows. “This feels so good!” she mouthed, and moments later was sleeping.

Aric and Corso sat in the chairs at the foot of the bed, discussing the events of her kidnapping and beating, Corso getting more and more angry at the thought of it. “Don’t let it drive you crazy, Cor, he’ll get his beating soon. In the meantime, be glad she’s doing as well as she is.”

“You’re right, I know. She really is doing well.” Maura came in, hands on her hips, demanding to know why Miriah had been moved. They shushed her, pointing to the sleeping woman, but Maura wouldn’t be deterred, and they pointed at Tanno, who took off down the hall at a rapid pace.

The resultant laughter woke Miriah, who had to smile. Maura on the warpath didn’t happen often but was always amusing. Later that afternoon, she had all the kids on the bed with her, playing and happy to have her with them. Calleigh kept her hand on Miriah’s shoulder the whole time, and Colin, who normally was a little more shy, crawled in her lap while Devin was on her shoulder and put his head on her other shoulder. She napped after the kids went to have snacks, and ate dinner in bed. She knew why she was so tired, but hated that she couldn’t be with everyone. When Corso came to bring Devin before bed, he sat beside them, but to his surprise, Devin crawled into his arms. He reached out to touch him mom, rubbing strands of her hair between his thumb and fingers as his eyelids drooped. Corso put him in his room and came back to sit beside her.

“I don’t want to jar you or anything during the night, so I’m going to sleep on the couch,” he said, putting his hands up when she began to protest. “I would be hurt, if I hurt you, kitten. And, let’s face it, the potential is great.”

“Corso Riggs, you will sleep right here, with me in your arms, just like you’re supposed to. I need you to. Please?” He ended up doing just as she asked, and it was the best sleep either of them had had since Nar Shaddaa.

The group resumed their normal activities, with an air of watchfulness. Miriah continued to gain strength while the rest of the group received a new mission from Garza to plan. Sarai could have gone back to Tython, but her force sense told her she’d be needed there. Her masters on Tython understood, and remained on alert for any unusual activity around their newest members. She enjoyed being with the grandchildren, and got to see how they handled the stress. One afternoon, she and Miriah were sitting outside while the children napped.

“How are you feeling, my girl? Not the injuries, in your mind. Nightmares? Flashbacks?”

“Amazingly enough,” Miriah replied, “no nightmares. Occasionally a flashback if I’m tired.” Her voice was croaky and gave out easily. “I get thoughts that I should have died, or that I was almost dead.” She closed her eyes, and had a slight smile on her face. “Corso usually snaps me right out of it, though.”

“That man loves you beyond all distraction, you know.” Sarai saw her smile grow, and had to chuckle.

“Hey, you know, when I was on the ship? I was sure I was going to die there, and I remember saying to myself, ‘if I have any force ability and can use it, please get me home to my family’. Cy and Bert heard that in their relay. But Mom? I didn’t have a relay. Did I really use the force to call them?”

“Sure sounds like it, Mir. You will never be able to control it, but in extreme circumstances you might be able to use it a little.” Sarai heard Devin fussing inside. “I’ll go get Dev, be right back.” She brought the little boy to his mom, and he went back to sleep in her lap. “That’s kind of what I was talking about. The stress of the past couple of weeks has made him afraid something else will happen. He’s been waking up during the night?”

“Only one or two nights, but I find myself checking on him most nights, just to touch him. He might just be feeling my anxiety.” She rubbed her son’s back, noticing how much he’d grown in the last month. He’d been pulling himself up all over the place, and she knew it was only a matter of time until he’d be mobile. It was so good, she thought, to feel him, hold him.

Sarai watched them, noting that the moment Dev was in her lap, they were both more relaxed. He loves his dad a lot, she thought, but he’s mama’s boy. Speaking of, she saw Corso approaching from the side of the house, and watched his face change into a smile when he saw his wife and son. He walked over to bend and kiss Miriah, and she felt his longing for her, which had her blushing a little. He turned and hugged her, and she felt his genuine love for his mother in law. He’s an exceptional man, not afraid to show emotion, she thought. It’s all up front with him. Aric, you have to dig a little to get to the squishy core. That made her grin, as did Corso bringing drinks back for all of them.

“Pretty day, pretty women, my life is good,” he told them, that smile lighting his face. “I’ve got some bantha for the grill tonight, if that sounds good? Aric and Maura are coming down. Isn’t Risha supposed to be here soon?”

“She’s been delayed, something at the Port needs her signature for repairs. Probably tomorrow.” Miriah put her hand on his thigh and he covered it with his own. Since she’d gotten out of the tank, they never missed an opportunity to touch each other, often to the point of distraction. “Anything you cook is good, sugar.” Sarai agreed.

Corso and Aric were at the office, feeding the women info on current ops and new ones by remote terminal. They had been working at home, not wanting the kids at the office for obvious reasons. There had been no more encrypted messages, and Corso had set up a keyword alert on the holonews to capture anything reported about Darth Skylar. The one thing that had happened since the news report about Skylar’s son was that he was now being reported as dead. Whether that was to gain sympathy for the Darth or to discourage anyone but him looking for the child was anyone’s guess.

Miriah had been working on the tactical invasion of a factory when she felt very anxious, her heartbeat racing and her breathing ragged. She jumped up and ran, as quickly as she could still limping from the blaster bolt, to find someone, anyone. Sarai was the first person she saw, and she grabbed her mother in a crushing hug, begging her to not let her die. Sarai recognized the flashback and calmly talked to her until her obvious fear had subsided. “Mom, I’m sorry, that’s not usually how it happens. I usually just hear myself say the words in my head, but know where I am. I truly wasn’t sure where I was for a moment there.”

Sarai regarded her youngest daughter, seeing the dilated pupils and sensing her heartbeat. “This is probably a combination of the concussion and the trauma, dear. Let’s do another scan, see how your brain bruise is healing.” They walked in to the med room, where a portable scanner lay on the table. Sarai did the scan, and reported that she was healing slowly, but healing. They walked together outside, where Miriah fell into a chair and almost instantly was sleep.

Sarai called Corso. “She had a full post traumatic stress episode. Has that happened before?”

“No, she would get a strange look on her face and when I’d ask her what was wrong, she’d just say it was a little flashback, but nothing.” He got up from his desk, ready to leave the office. “Is she okay now? I mean, is she still panicked?” She reassured him that Miriah was fine and sleeping, but she could feel his concern. She was just going to tell him to stay there when she heard shouting outside, Miriah’s croaky voice and the voices of Cy and Bert.

“I don’t know what exactly is going on but come home, now.” She ran out on the deck, where Miriah was holding a blaster in one hand and a shotgun in another, and she had Cy and Bert in her sights.

“Mom! They were there! They knew what would happen on that ship, and they just handed me over to them. I remember they were there! Why aren’t you helping me?”

“Miriah, we did take you to the ship, but we also got you off it,” Cy told her, trying to calm the agitated woman, knowing she was a dead sure shot.

“Miriah, they did help you, they brought you home.” Sarai saw Corso approaching from behind Cy and Bert. “They didn’t hurt you at all.”

“But they were there! I remember them being there! My whole self still hurts from it all, and they let it happen!”

Corso approached her and she swung her blaster to him. “NO!” she told him. “I know I’m not crazy. I know these guys were there!”

“Sweetheart, there were there, you’re right. But when they figured out what had happened they brought you home.” She shook her head, and winced against the pain. “Honey, it’s me, Corso. You know I’d never let anyone near you who might hurt you. Put the blaster down, kitten. Please?” He continued to talk to her, his voice so familiar and melodic it calmed her, and they could see when she broke free of the attack. She dropped her weapons and put them on the deck, falling to her knees sobbing.

Corso was beside her immediately, holding her against him as she struggled to understand what had just happened. “I-I am so sssorry,” she told Cy and Bert, and they assured her that they understood. She turned to Corso. “Oh, sugar..” He kissed her before she could say anything, and murmured to her that he was fine, and she would be, too, she just needed a little more time. Her tears came fresh and hard at that. “Time is the one thing we don’t have. He will come here, I know it, and now I’m afraid to have my weapons on me.” She stood and limped to their room, and he found her there on the bed. “I lied, to you and to Mom. I have been having nightmares, but they were manageable, and I would go back to sleep after them. But, yes, I’ve not been sleeping as well as I led you both to believe.” She hid her face with her hands. “I’m afraid, so afraid, all the time. I feel like I can’t be by myself anywhere, and it’s affecting Devin, too, because he can tell how terrified I feel. “ She hugged her knees, “Maybe it would have been better if Cy and Bert had left me there to die,” she whispered.

“Don’t ever, ever say that, Miriah. I would not be able to go on if something happened to you. Please, love, don’t ever wish to die.” He held her against her will at first, then as she relaxed against him, she clutched him as if she would drown if she let go. Now that he thought about it, he should have known. He’d woken up several times since she’d been out of the kolto tank, to see her sitting on the edge of the bed, usually saying she’d been to check on Devin. Now he knew, she was trying to talk herself down from the nightmare. They spent some time just holding each other, and they talked about how horrible the whole event was, the first time they’d really done that. It helped, Miriah thought. He left her to rest and went to check on the others, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Aric and Maura sat on the deck with Cy and Bert. Cy told them what had happened, just as Corso walked up. “Is she doing okay?” Cy asked him.

“She’s resting,” Corso said. “Sarai said it’s the repeated concussion combined with the trauma of it all. Mir also confessed she’s having nightmares along with the flashbacks.” He sat heavily, “She can’t trust herself to be armed now. I can’t leave her here defenseless either. I’m sorry, Aric, I’m not going to be at the office until we know for sure that Miriah’s safe.”

“Absolutely, Cor, no worries there. I’m beginning to think we should all be together, easier to guard and no one becomes an easy target. I was thinking that this morning. You guys are the only ones with that much room. Tanno is joining the patrol here as we speak. What do you think?”

Corso nodded, “I think it’s a good idea. We’re never leaving Miriah alone anywhere either, she gets spooked more often when she by herself, she said. I hate that this has happened to her, hate it with everything I am.”

“Me too, Cor, but all we can do now is go forward.” Aric put his arm around Maura, who had been silent.

“I’m going to go be with her now,” Maura said, and jumped up before anyone could see the tears she blinked back. She found her sister, lying on her bed with her eyes open, and flung herself down beside her.

“Hey Maura,” Miriah said in her soft voice. “I’m going crazy, you know.” Maura hugged her.

“No you’re not. Your brain is trying to process the fact that you almost died, and that it’s got a boo-boo. We’re all here for you, Mir. Aric and I are moving here temporarily, so that it’s easier to keep track. Is that okay with you.”

“Of course it is, hon. You guys can have anything here, but you’ll probably want the other side of the house. Mom is at the far end of the hall over there, but you guys can have the rest.” She yawned.

“Sleepy? Want me to move?” Maura asked her. Miriah shook her head.

“If I sleep now, I won’t sleep tonight.”

“Normally, that’s a good thing for you guys. Is Corso still being stubborn?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “but honestly I’ve been so weird who could blame him?”

“Weird isn’t the right word, Mir. Fragile. Fragile is the right word. It was traumatic for him, too. It’s really hard seeing someone you love so injured. I was the same way when Aric was hurt. I was so afraid I’d hurt something, and he wouldn’t say so.” She sighed. “Just give him time, Mir.”

They talked for quite a while, and when they joined the others, Miriah seemed more settled, more herself. Corso took her hand and pulled her down beside him. Devin saw her and crawled to her, pulling himself up using her leg. She lifted him into her lap and he buried his face in her chest, giggling, and she couldn’t help but giggle, too.

They enjoyed dinner outside, but there was a feeling of anticipation that lingered around the group. If Aric’s calculations were correct, they still had a week and a half before they could reasonably expect retaliation, but they were still alert. Akaavi and Cy, who’d grown close over the past week, relieved Tanno and Bert on patrol, and they all went inside to get the kids to bed. Devin seemed a little more relaxed and had gone back to wanting his mom to hold him while he went to sleep. Corso took him to his bed, and returned to Miriah, who was sitting on the bed, staring at the wall.

“Miriah, darlin’, are you okay?” She lifted her head to look at him, nodding.

“I’m okay, just thinking. It just came back to me, a memory of something on the Imp ship. I got the impression that the Darth wasn’t as powerful in the force as he wanted everyone around him to think he was. I don’t know if that’s because I’m used to Mags and Mom, or if he really is a little less than masterful on the dark side.” She was undressing as she talked, and he couldn’t watch without wanting her, something he wasn’t sure she was healed enough for. “Cor, sugar, am I that hard to look at?”

“No, you’re too easy to look at, that’s the problem.” He shivered as she ran her hands up his back under his shirt. “Mir, you’re not healed. And if you keep that up, I won’t be able to turn away.”

“I know, sugar. I’m counting on it.” She smiled at him, and he was hers.

Maura and Aric had been awake, talking and other things, for hours. For the past week they’d been working at Miriah and Corso’s house, enjoying the company and watching the kids play while they worked from remote terminals set up to connect to the ones at the office. They’d begun to see some activity from Darth Skylar, and were able to track his movements from news reports involving children. He still seemed to be moving randomly, and they were confused by that since the guy he’d sent to break into the office knew where to find them. “He’s either trying to confuse us, or he thinks Miriah is dead and we’re hunting him down,” Aric told Maura, running his fingertips along her spine.

“I think he thinks she’s dead, and he knows someone’s after him. He could get here without going through all this other nonsense, and we wouldn’t know until he showed up. Ahhh honey, that feels too good.” Maura pulled him to her and kissed him, and they tabled the discussion of Darth Skylar until morning.

Miriah was feeling more herself every day, and the nightmares had almost stopped. She would occasionally have a little anxiety, but since they all made an effort to stay close, that had been more manageable. Her strength wasn’t quite back, but she was improving. Her voice, throaty even before the choking, was now a smoky, slightly husky alto. Corso thought her voice was sexy before, now it was downright sensual. Everything she said made his body react, and if she laughed? Oh, stars, he thought, her laugh is music. They’d slept for a while but Miriah had jumped up, thinking she heard Devin, and went to check on him. When she came back to bed, Corso pulled her close, still half asleep. “S’okay?” he mumbled. She whispered that he was, and he kissed her hair. She lay there, thinking, but felt very safe in his arms. She thought Corso had gone back to sleep, but he felt that she was still awake. “What’s wrong, love, can’t sleep?”

“Nothing is wrong, I’m not anxious or anything, just not sleepy. I know you are, sugar, sleep.” She kissed his nose, and was surprised when he captured her mouth with his. Oh well, she thought, we can nap tomorrow.

Devin woke them at his usual time, and now that he was on the verge of walking, every day was an adventure. Sarai had recently gone shopping and gotten him some new clothes, since he was growing so fast. Risha had brought him some boots that looked just like Corso’s and those were all he wanted to wear. So it was that both her husband and her son were dressed alike, a gray long sleeved tshirt, black cargo pants, and boots. The days were still a little cool, and she saw Corso take their son out to the deck after breakfast. With his new boots, Dev could balance pretty well, she thought as she looked out the window at them. Then she saw him take a step toward his dad. He was looking at the ronto herd closest to the house, and hadn’t seen it. She tapped on the window and pointed at the little boy, just as he ventured another step. Devin looked at his mom and grinned, then took his third step. Suddenly he couldn’t be stopped, and took off across the deck, his dad laughing and chasing him. Miriah had happy tears, she was so proud of her son. Suddenly her vision dimmed with a flash of the Sith with her son in his arms. She told herself it was just a flashback, just a false memory, but her hands were shaking when Corso finally captured Devin and brought him inside. She hugged and praised her son, but the vision had her uneasy, and Corso could tell something was up. She told him about it as she watched Devin take off across the kitchen floor, wobbling and weaving, but walking.

Aric came into the kitchen just in time to see Devin toddling toward him. “Hey, Dev! Great job! Wow, he’s fast,” he said, laughing. He called to Maura to be careful coming into the kitchen, and she entered to see her nephew grinning and walking back and forth. She clapped and picked him up, and he giggled at his aunt.

Aric crossed to the worktable and sat with a cup of caffa. “I’ve been thinking, and talked to Maura about this. Maybe we should take Garza up on seeing if they can track Skylar. At least give us a heads up if he enters the area.”

Corso nodded, “That’s probably a good idea. I’d like to be able to be prepared and not look over my shoulder all the time.” He put his arm around Miriah. “Maybe my girl could sleep then.” He put his head on hers.

“Not sleeping again? I thought you were doing better, “ Maura frowned at her sister.

“I am doing better, just couldn’t go back to sleep last night after I’d gotten up to check on Devin. I’m doing fine, really.” She nudged Corso in the ribs, “No one suffered, believe me.”

“So glad we’re on the other end of the house,” Aric said, laughing as Corso blushed. They were talking as Miriah took sheet after sheet of cookies out of the oven, which brought a smiling Tanno to the door.

“I smelled cookies, thought I might be able to talk you out of a couple,” he grinned at Miriah, who gave him a dozen to take with him. The kids smelled them too, and suddenly the kitchen was filled with people wanting cookies. They were still all there when they heard the blaster fire from the south pasture. Sarai herded the kids to the basement playroom, leaving C2 with them, as they took up their prearranged positions. Miriah grabbed her blaster and shotgun from their room, and joined Corso on the roof through the attic. Maura and Aric, along with their assault cannons, were on the west side balcony, Tanno and Bert on the east. Sarai, Akaavi and Cy were fanned out across the rear. There was an audible click as they all activated their relays to test them.

“Anyone see where the blaster fire came from?” Corso asked.

Cy reported, “South side, along the stream, only saw the muzzle flash.” Corso brought his sniper rifle up, peering through the scope.

“Targets acquired. Not Imperial, repeat not Imperial. Total six, Republic Army Special Forces.” He could hear everyone clicking weapons on safety, and the buzz of Sarai’s lightsaber ceased. Maura and Aric strode out to meet the squad, and Corso turned to Miriah. “Garza must have gotten nervous, she’s learned since the last time you yelled in her office.” Miriah grinned back at him. They made their way back through the attic into the house, and told C2 the children were safe.

Akaavi told Miriah they had room in the guest house for the newcomers, and as they approached she could see that Maura and Aric knew these soldiers. Maura stopped to introduce Major Kitamur Nocturna. “Call me Kit, m’am,” he said, and shook Corso’s hand before following Maura down to their new quarters.

Devin toddled across the deck and put his arms up to his mom, wanting to be picked up. Miriah’s ribs were still a little sore, but she crouched to lift her son, stumbling when she tried to stand up. Akaavi steadied her, “Miriah, you are still having a lot of pain. Why did you not say something?” Miriah sighed, looking at her friend.

“Because I’m tired of being useless, having to have everyone do things for me. I hate that. I know, you guys don’t mind it, but I do. I want my life back.” Akaavi nodded.

“You are a true warrior, one who does not like to be seen as weak.” They stood there, Devin on Miriah’s hip, watching the squad coordinate gear, before they both went to the house. The twins were inside with Sarai and it was cookie time.

Corso and Aric stood together. “Why did Garza send them? Does she know something that we don’t?” Corso asked.

“She said intel had them wanting to capture the Sith lord rather than kill him, she thinks that’s more likely to happen if she has boots on the ground here.” He turned to Corso, “She thinks that after what he did to Miriah, you’ll kill him without blinking. She’s right. Any of us would.”

“So they brought a force proof cell? How?” Aric chuckled at Corso’s frown.

“No, I’m suspecting they’ll use chemical restraints. That’s what I’d do, anyway.” He nudged his friend and brother in law. “You okay with all this? I mean, this is your place.”

Corso nodded, “You know I’m all for whatever keeps our families safe. Akaavi’s the only one that’s making any sacrifice, and I kinda think she’s liking having Cy around. It’s not like we don’t have plenty of food and more on the hoof if we want it. I think Mir is feeling a little overwhelmed, but she’s still healing and not at a hundred percent yet.” Aric nodded.

Miriah saw the two men with their heads together, and figured they were discussing the manpower boost. She was sitting with Dev in her lap, cookies being consumed by all the kids and the adults in the kitchen. Maura had monitored the number of them the twins had, and gotten them milk from the fridge. Miriah stood and took Devin to get his hands and face clean before he went to sleep. He’d be a year old next month, and she wondered how long he’d keep taking this morning nap. She went from his room to her own and Corso found her there, in a deep sleep.

Sarai was using the training room to stay limber, and her saber was humming loudly as she decimated target droids. She felt Corso enter and finished the form before stopping to talk to him. He looks troubled, she thought. “Hello son, what’s on your mind that has your face solemn?”

“Miriah put Devin down for a nap and didn’t come back into the kitchen, so I went to check on her. I found her on our bed, sound asleep. You know that’s unusual for her. Just wondered if the concussion is affecting her.” Sarai nodded, considering. She hadn’t studied healing for a very long time. “She’s afraid she’ll never get well, and it worries her. She was awake for part of the night, just vaguely anxious about things in general.”

“It’s only been a couple of weeks now since the incident. I think she’s pushing herself too hard, too fast. Doing too much. If she’s sleeping now it’s because her body has forced her to. She needs to listen to it.” Corso nodded.

“I’ll be with her, then, if anyone needs me.” Sarai rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, making him blush as he walked back to their room. Miriah hadn’t moved, so he checked on Devin, who was sleeping too. Corso went to their room, quietly removed his boots, and lay down with Miriah, How, he thought, can I help her? Or is she pushing herself so hard so that I won’t worry about her? He looked over at her, her long black hair braided because her usual ponytail made her head ache. Her neck was still faintly bruised, and her ribs a mottled green-purple still. As he watched her, he saw her start into the nightmare that had haunted her, her eyes moving rapidly, her legs moving, her breathing accelerating. He took her in his arms, gently trying to wake her before it could get too vivid. She did wake when he pulled her against him, talking softly to her, telling her that she was safe, he’d never let anything hurt her if he were there, he was so sorry this had happened, that he wished it had been him, not her. She became fully awake when she felt his kiss on her forehead, and gasped as she realized what had happened. He held her close for a long time, and she took the comfort he offered, letting it sink deep into her soul, letting her breathe easily and feel secure.

None of the group was aware that Darth Skylar had noticed the military transport approach Dantooine, and that he’d cursed, going into a mini tantrum on his own ship. He’d killed a few of his own crew with his rage, then collapsed, knowing he’d have to wait for days for his power to return. He hated being so weak! He’d never been very powerful, but as he’d aged, the drain on his force connection was more tenuous than ever. He’d locked himself in his quarters, not wanting the rest of the ship to know he was currently powerless. He really wasn’t too afraid of the soldiers or of the Chantalles and their weapons. It was the Jedi he feared. The Jedi knight, the matriarch. Sarai.

Dinner that evening, with their suddenly huge number of people, was a fun affair. The soldiers took over, making Miriah sit at the worktable and talk to them. They left dessert for her to make, only because “sweets aren’t warrior food, ma’am.” She giggled at that, but knew every bite would be gone. She remembered that phrase from her brief stint at military academy and it was torture for someone addicted to chocolate. She ended up making three cheesecakes and five dozen more cookies, and enjoyed the company as she worked. Devin toddled by at one point, Calleigh following him to make sure he didn’t fall. Calleigh and Colin were unfazed by the troops, but Devin stared at them in their armor. He had toy troopers, and went to get one and hold it up to one of the guys.

“Hey little buddy, “ the young man said, crouching to talk to the little boy. “That looks just like my drill instructor at boot camp.” Devin just grinned, pleased with himself, and Miriah laughed.

“He’s fascinated by all the armor and weapons,’ she told them.

“Aww don’t be too hard on him, it’s a boy thing, we all do it.” The young man took the toy figure and, with some amateur slight of hand, made it disappear. Devin looked at the man, then at his mom, puzzled. When the soldier pulled it out again, Devin beamed and clapped. As Miriah stood there, barefoot, in casual clothes with her hair down, she didn’t look old enough to have a child of her own. The troopers had been briefed on what she’d gone through, and they were doing their best to keep her mind off it and the coming conflict. The only time anyone had mentioned it to her was when the Major had requested that Skylar be taken alive. She couldn’t promise that, she’d told him. She would try, but should a clear opportunity present itself, she would not hold back, and Garza would just have to get over it. That had made him laugh. He shook his head, and walked back to the two soldiers manning the grill with Corso overseeing. He looked over at her and winked, and she smiled at him, feeling more like her normal self.

They gathered around the outside tables to eat, so that they had plenty of room, and they enjoyed both the food and the company. C2 had been busy getting more supplies shipped into the ranch, and Miriah had pulled him aside to thank him. His response had been, “It’s more than a pleasure to see you smile, master. “ She’d also thanked Akaavi for all her hard work making the guest house available.

“I know it’s your home, ‘Kaavi, and I thank you.” The Mandalorian had blushed, and hugged her friend.

“I have found someone to make my life as whole as your life with Corso. How can I do less than welcome all who come to protect that life? Our clan is enriched, Miriah, and I am thankful.” They watched as the soldiers made quick work of washing down the grill and deck. The kids had already been put to bed, Devin was very tired after walking around all day. They gathered in the kitchen for dessert and then bid the squad goodnight. Sarai was very thoughtful, she felt a vague force disturbance, like a push against her normal light side. She saw that Corso was focused on Miriah, and went to talk to Aric, just so that someone else would know what she felt. She found him dancing Maura around the darkened deck, and decided it would wait.

It began raining about midnight, and the thunder woke both Miriah and Devin. She went to him but rather than picking him up, she leaned over the crib rail and softly rubbed his back, and even though the thunder continued, he went back to sleep after only a few minutes. She went back to bed to snuggle with Corso, who always woke up now when she got out of bed, and was waiting for her to come back. “Whenever it rains, it reminds me of the night you told me we’d have Dev,” he told her, as she settled her head on his shoulder. They were asleep in minutes, and it was a good night.

The next morning brought more rain, and while it was excellent for the pastures and gardens, the troopers weren’t as happy to see it. Major Nocturna was downright annoyed with it. “Does it always rain like this here?”

Aric told him, “Actually, it’s not the usual rainy season, but there are the occasional periods of rain all year long. Other than making it feel cooler, it’s kinda nice.” He grinned at the major, looking over his shoulder to see his wife getting soaked, her clothes plastered to her just in the short distance from the guest house to the main house. “Excuse me, Major, I’d better, ah, go help her,” he smiled.

Forcing them to stay inside, the rain proved useful for brainstorming sessions, which were hard to do when herding the kids outside or the constant in and out of the people around the house. Sarai got their attention with her declaration of a dark force presence, and she could see the conflict in her youngest daughter’s eyes. They discussed possible approach scenarios with the major and determined that the easiest approach would be the same one the squad had taken, up the stream.

After the session with the major, Aric found Maura in the playroom, the twins busy building a city of blocks which Devin, as his role as “monster” then destroyed with his new walking ability, to their screams of laughter. “Hey gorgeous,” he told her, his mouth close to her ear, hands on her waist. “What’s bothering you?”

She sighed, “This. This is why we left Havoc squad, to keep the kids safe, and here we are again. I know, this isn’t the usual job we do, and we didn’t really choose to do it. But the end result is the same.” She turned into his arms and he held her there. Calleigh came up to them, tugging on her dad’s leg.

“Mama cry?” the little girl asked, a worried look on her face. Maura bent and scooped her up.

“No, sweetie, I’m fine.” Calleigh smiled, and they rubbed noses, her favorite thing right now, and returned to play. “She feels too much, Aric, she has to have some force sensitivity.”

“Maybe,” he replied, “but empathy is never a bad thing.” Maura agreed, and went back to the kitchen with her husband, getting lunch together for the kids. As they came into the kitchen, Miriah joined them to wash hands, then they fed the little ones first. Corso had started a large pot of ronto stew for dinner and he wandered in to add a few ingredients, and took Devin to clean up before his nap.

Restless, Miriah began to bake. By the time Devin was awake again, she’d covered the work island in the kitchen with baked goods. She brewed fresh caffa and started slicing the banana bread she’d just taken out of the oven. The smells brought people from all over the house, and once again the kitchen was the gathering place.

The rain continued throughout the day, making the adults both sleepy and nervous. Nervous due to the lowered visibility, which caused the patrols to venture a little further to check the perimeter. Akaavi and Cy were not on patrol and had come up to the house to clean weapons. Corso had already checked the blasters, and Cy had started on the rifles. Everyone was getting ready, they could feel the imminent threat.

By the time they woke the next morning, the rain had cleared and the skies were blue. Miriah had been cold all night, and she shivered in the morning air. When she made it into the kitchen, Corso had built a fire in the fireplace there, and she sat near it, with a mug of hot chocolate he’d made for her. “You are incredibly sweet, “ she told him, smiling.

“I love you, darlin’,” he told her, “I always want you to be warm and happy.” He sat beside her and leaned in to kiss her, just as several of the soldiers came through the door to cook. They turned around when they saw the couple, but Corso called them back.

“We’re sorry, didn’t mean to intrude,” the young man who’d played with Devin blushed.

“You have to get used to that sort of thing around here. Be glad you aren’t staying on their end of the house,” Aric commented, strolling to the caffa, dodging the small pillow Miriah had launched at his head.

They were there when they got a relay transmission from one of the troopers. “Base, we have incoming friendlies. Point has spotted a group of Jedi approaching the ranch on the main path. ETA two minutes.”

Sarai met the group of knights at the front door, beaming. “Welcome, friends. It’s a little bit of a zoo here but a good zoo.” She took them to her room where they would share this and one other room between the five of them.

“Wow, Mom, I had no idea they were coming here. We can put Devin in with us and use that room too.” Miriah was worried about sleeping everyone.

“No need, dear, we’ll be patrolling too. How better to detect a force user?” She smiled at her youngest daughter. “There here for us, for you, my girl. No one messes with our own and gets away with it. There is no emotion, during combat. No one said anything about out of combat.” She grinned at the look on Miriah’s face, and patted her cheek as she went to gather more linens.

“C2, are you okay? This is a lot to take on,” Miriah told her droid. C2 assured her he was operating at peak efficiency and had no difficulty in the numbers staying in the house. She met up with Maura on the deck where she was letting the kids play. “Can you believe how this is going?” she asked her sister.

“I’m kinda glad we haven’t said anything to Mags about it, she’d have to sleep out here,” Maura laughed. “The kids were my major concern, but they seem perfectly fine with it all. What about Corso?”

“Oh, as long as he gets to grill and play with Devin, I don’t think he cares. I do feel a little overwhelmed, but I’m dealing with it. Where is Cor anyway?”

“Last time I saw him he was heading to the barn over there.” She pointed and Miriah put Devin on her hip and started after him. She found him in the storage area, grabbing cases of water and beer to take up to the house. She watched him, enjoying the sight of her very fit husband, his forearms bunching with lifting the cases. He smiled when he saw her, and walked over to them.

“Did you get warmed up, sweetheart? Or do you need some help with that? Hey, Dev, “ he said, cupping her face for a long slow kiss that made Devin giggle. “Wanted to do that this morning, but got interrupted. Kinda strange, isn’t it, to have so much support?” She nodded, threading her fingers with his.

“It is, but I feel safe. I feel like Devin is safe, which is worth everything.” He agreed and had to let go of her hand to work the repulsor sled with supplies. Once they got out of the rough ground around the barn, Miriah let Devin walk until he got tired, then Corso put him on top of the cases and he rode on the sled, laughing and singing. “He’s such a happy child,” she said, looking at Corso, who smiled at them both.

It would be their last peaceful day. Darth Skylar used his mind to assess his condition, finding his force skills at their maximum. He met with his guard, and they made plans to shuttle down in thirty six hours.

They woke to the sound of troopers forming up outside, and Miriah muttered, ”So glad I didn’t stay at the academy,” under her breath as she made her way to the shower. Corso considered getting up, but since they’d been up late and then again in the middle of the night, he decided to just stay where he was. It’s strange, he thought, that the thought of battle coming, not knowing what will happen next, makes you want to affirm life so much. He grinned to himself, Aric is lucky he wasn’t on this end of the house last night. He shifted to hug her pillow to him, and closed his eyes again.

Aric and Maura had spent the night in much the same fashion, but instead of heady abandon, they were more urgent, more edgy, knowing the combat to come could very well cost the lives of their friends and family. Aric sniffed the air, searching to see if anyone had made caffa yet, while Maura slept with her head on his shoulder. He didn’t even notice the troopers, neither did Maura, it was so much a part of their lives for so long. He longed to get up, to pace the nerves off, but hated to disturb his wife. She had even cried at one point last night, worried about the twins. He worried too, but had finally convinced her that they would be fine. He wished she and Miriah would just hide out with them in the basement, but he knew that wouldn’t fly with either of them.

Sarai had known the activity that was going on in the house over the night, but she couldn’t blame her daughters for seeking the comforts of their mates. She made her way to the kitchen, where she made caffa and started putting out the baked goods that Miriah had done yesterday. She’d just started making eggs when two of the soldiers showed up to help. When everyone made their way into the kitchen, they were startled to see most of the work done. Devin had surprised them by yelling, “Nana” to Sarai, making her tear up and rush to take him from Miriah. He just grinned and patted her face.

By late evening, they were anxious. It made sense for the Darth to approach under the cover of darkness, and they were preparing to take the fight to him rather than let him approach the house and the kids. Miriah saw Cy catch Akaavi in a passionate kiss, and had to smile for her friend’s good fortune. They would be patrolling the path, in case they had miscalculated the landing point, and she approached them to wish them well. They set off, holding hands.

She and Corso were going to stick to the stream since they could travel under stealth. She was testing the generator when she felt his hands on her hips, pulling her into him. She grinned, and told him over her shoulder, “Figured after last night you wouldn’t even notice how well these leathers fit.”

“Are you kidding me? Who wouldn’t notice? I’m tired, woman, not dead,” he told her, caressing her over her armor. She giggled and turned to kiss him.

“Hey under there, no funny stuff, we have a Sith to kil…I mean capture,” Aric grinned at them, knowing what Corso was doing since he’d seen how well the leathers fit, too. Aric was geared out in durasteel, as was Corso and Maura, his assault cannon slung carelessly over his shoulder. Aric and Maura would approach the projected landing site from the west, and could take a speeder over the rough pasture before coming around the edge of the property. She grinned at him, and wrapped her arms around his waist, ready to move. They took off across the pasture, and Maura had to admit, this was a beautiful property. They passed sleepy ronto herds and baby bantha, the planet going to sleep but not its inhabitants. Corso had warned them to watch for a pack of wild kath hounds .

Sarai was with Corso and Miriah, since she was small enough to fit under the stealth generator. They were moving at a steady pace down the bank of the stream when Sarai felt the dark force push. “He’s in flight now,” she told them, and Corso passed that info along. They reached the lake, where the herds got water, in record time, their anticipation fueling their travel, and were waiting under the stealth cover for the shuttle. Corso spotted it first, and pointed, relaying the info. Aric and Maura were in position, as were the troopers. As the shuttle got closer, Sarai called out twenty four force signatures, and one of the other knights confirmed that. Miriah turned to her mom, “Be careful, Mom, Devin needs his Nana to come back to the house.” They both had unshed tears as they hugged, and then the shuttle was on the ground.

Corso watched as the Imperial Guard came off the shuttle, all fully armored and armed. The Sith lord came last, and as he did, he stopped short on the ramp. “Impossible! She’s dead, I saw her die!” he yelled. He must be talking about Miriah, Corso thought. The arrogant Pureblood looked around him, yelling, “I am here to find out where the child is. Tell me that, and we will leave.”

Miriah stepped forward, “I think that would be a foolish thing to do, Skylar. He’s not your child, surely you know that by now.”

Darth Skylar’s face turned into a mask of rage as he pulled his lightsaber from his belt. “You know nothing, fool. You’re supposed to be dead anyway.”

Miriah smirked at him, “You’re too weak to kill a little thing like me, Skylar.” He moved his hand as if to force choke her and she smiled when he doubled over in pain from her kick.

Corso saw Aric pull his assault cannon down and aim at the nearest group of Imperial Guard. At his signal, they began their decimation of the assembled Imperials. The first rounds went out before the Imps could get their shields activated, and the area became a typical battle zone, such as they’d all seen on Corellia not long ago. The cadre of Guard split up, and in the ensuing melee Darth Skylar had managed to slip under the shuttle. Miriah saw him about the same time Sarai did, and they followed under stealth.

Corso had just taken down a Guard when he realized Miriah wasn’t in her usual position behind him. He tapped his relay and said, “Missing two, Miriah and Sarai. Probably under stealth. Careful with stray rounds.” He hadn’t seen Skylar try to evade, but he figured that would be in character for the Darth, and he knew Miriah wanted to make sure he knew she was very much alive. His heart dropped when he heard her hoarse whisper in his earpiece.

“Miriah and Sarai are tracking the Sith, up the stream. Toward the house. I’m going to tranq him when I get a clear shot.” He heard her move from the generator and the zing of the dart, then the Darth’s cry as it struck. “Okay, it’s beddy-bye time for the scary Sith Lord,” she giggled. “Putting the cuffs on him now, hope they’re as force resistant as you said, Major.” The others were finishing up their battles, the wounded Imps being taking as prisoners by the troopers. Miriah was the medic, so she’d have to patch them up when she could. Corso had taken a glancing blow to his right arm, so he had put his rifle away and was using Torchy, his blaster, to take the two on his side of the field. He’d put a little kolto patch on it, he reasoned he’d be fine until Miriah could look at it. Maura was putting kolto on a couple of troopers on her side of the field, but then they heard lightsabers hum to life, and the knights moving as one up the stream toward where Sarai and Miriah would be.

Corso set out at a run to catch up to the knights, who were using force speed to aid their progress. He heard Aric and Maura behind him, moving at a good clip. Good, he thought, neither of them injured. They reached the area where Sarai and Miriah were, to see Darth Skylar standing, the shattered cuffs behind him on the ground. He was surrounded by the knights, their sabers ready, and he was furious.

“You’ll never learn anything, and I will never give up the dark side. There is nothing you can say or do that will convince me to give up this power, this life.” Miriah simply tranquilized him again, turning to Corso as he got closer to her.

“That guy never shuts up,” she told him. “What are we supposed to do for restraints?” Corso keyed his relay and asked the major, who was on the way with the sedatives. No one noticed that the Sith lord had raised his head to look at Miriah, focusing his will and limited force power toward the one he was most angered by. Suddenly she was being choked, on her already damaged trachea. She was already seeing red, from the burst blood vessels in one of her eyes, and losing consciousness when she was released abruptly. She looked up to see the head of the Sith on the ground beside him, her mother’s lightsaber piercing his torso again and again. Sarai was unstoppable, making sure her child would never again be hurt by this creature. Miriah finally stepped over to her mother, putting her hand on Sarai’s arm. “Mom, it’s good, I’m fine and he’s very dead now.” Sarai stopped, and stood still for a minute before deactivating her saber. When she did, Miriah hugged her, feeling the remorse in her mother’s body .

“It’s never a good thing to act in rage, but I feel justified in calling this defense of my daughter. I stand before you, knights of the order, to be handed my punishment.” She turned and faced her fellow knights, one by one. No one moved, until one of the older knights merely walked up to Sarai and touched her shoulder. One by one, the other knights did the same as they filed past the corpse and toward the house.

Sarai stood there, silent, tears on her face. Miriah put her arm around her mother, “Mom, what can we do help?”

“Take me to my grandchildren,” she told them, and Maura pulled the speeder up to her. Aric helped the trembling woman onto the vehicle, and they sped away.

“Now, Spitfire, let’s see what damage you have this time.” He grabbed a kolto pack from the other speeder’s cargo hold and injected her, the most noticeable injury the reddened eye.

“I’m fine, but I see my husband is bleeding. Let me see that,” she said, pulling the armored plate off Corso’s shoulder. It was a glancing blow but required a kolto gel, which she applied with shaking hands. The major appeared and wasn’t surprised at all to find the Sith dead, but he was a little shocked at the person responsible.

“Well, Garza can’t really say too much about that,” he said, and directed two of the soldiers to bag the remains.

Miriah patched up the troopers, everyone being in fair shape, and a few of the surviving prisoners before wearily finding Corso, who had gone back for their speeder and supplies. She found him talking quietly to Aric, and they immediately stopped talking when she approached.

“Ok, what the void? I know you two are up to something over here, spill it,” she told them, hands on her hips.

They looked up at her with guilty faces, and finally Aric spoke up.

“We were just worried that tonight might trigger the nightmares and flashbacks again,” he told her, hugging her. “We don’t want that to happen.” He released her and turned her toward Corso, leaving his hands on her shoulders. “We were only concerned. “

She took a step toward Corso, who stood to wrap her in a hug. “Let’s go see our boy,” she told him, sniffling. They set out, Aric leading, for home.

The first streaks of light were visible in the sky as they made their way back to their home. The twin moons had provided plenty of light, but in this early dawn, they wouldn’t have been able to see the house itself except that there were lights on inside. Miriah was still trembling slightly, but she figured it was as much from adrenaline as fatigue. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Corso as the speeder headed toward the ones she loved most. It was only a few minute’s ride, but she found herself urging more speed the closer she got to her son. When they got off the speeder, Corso caught her in his arms.

“Easy, sweetheart, he’s still asleep, you know.” He held her there, feeling her relax against him. “Let me see your eye,” he told her, pulling out a light stick, “okay it looks pretty good now, just a little red. How’s your throat?”

She said, “It’s a little sore, but no more than usual these days. Mom took him out before he could do any more real damage.” She pulled him down for what was going to be a quick kiss, but she’d forgotten nothing is quick with him. When they parted, she was shaking for a different reason.

He held her hand and they walked toward the deck. The atmosphere inside the house was relaxed and subdued. Miriah slipped away from the kitchen and down to the basement, where she saw her mother sitting on the floor between the beds where her grandchildren slept. She walked quietly to Devin, and reached out and moved a strand of his hair away from his face. She looked at Sarai then.

“You know, when I first found out about Devin on the way, Mags had a vision,” she started quietly. “She told me that he would heal me, somehow, that he would complete a circle. I thought she’d just had some bad Corellian food.” She snickered softly, seeing her mother smile. “But I see it, now. A mother does anything, anything at all, to make sure her children are happy and safe. That’s what you were doing. By being distant all those years ago, you thought you were protecting me against your despair and grief.” Sarai bowed her head, unable to meet her daughter’s eyes, the unshed tears making her blink rapidly. “Now, Devin has brought us closer than we’ve ever been, and after tonight? I can never doubt that you love me. I know what it took for you to do what you did, Mom. I would have done the same to make sure Dev was safe.” She sat down on the floor with her mom, but they were quiet, just taking in the moment and the fact that the kids were secure.

Maura and Aric had set up a space in the barn for prisoners, taken them food and water, seen to their medical needs. Out of the twenty four Guard, there were only eight who survived. The bodies of the others were taken to the squad’s hold, and there were two troopers on guard duty inside, two outside the barn. One of the prisoners talked to Maura as she applied kolto to a blaster burn. “He was unstable, when we got here and he saw the troopers, he went nuts, killed six of his crew, just because.” He shook his head, “Never would have thought you would help us, I figured when I fell, you’d come back and finish me rather than provide aid.”

Maura looked up at him, “We don’t operate that way at all.” She handed him a bowl of stew and a bottle of water. “Now, eat and drink all the water. Here’s some painkillers, take them when you’re done. There’s more water, just ask for it. Okay?” She looked at the young Imperial, seeing him as someone’s son, young and afraid. He nodded and she put her hand on his shoulder, rising. As she took a step away, he said, “thank you.” She nodded at him, and told the guards her instructions. She caught up with Aric, who was talking with one of the troopers, outside.

“They’ll be shipping out day after tomorrow. Will the prisoners be well enough to transport by then?” She nodded, then grabbed Aric’s arm and started toward the house. “What’s the hurry, hon? The kids are still sleeping.”

“I don’t care, I want to put my eyes and my hands on them. Need to.” He didn’t argue, and when he saw Corso looking worried just inside the kitchen, he just grabbed his arm and they all went down. They could see Sarai and Miriah as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Corso went to Devin, much as Miriah had, and she joined him. He wrapped her arm around her shoulders, and bending, kissed the top of her head.

Maura sat between the twins, Aric sat on Calleigh’s bed, reaching out to finger one of the golden curls of hair that always seemed to be in her face. Maura touched Colin’s hand, and he instinctively grabbed her finger, just like he used to when he was an infant. They spent a few minutes in contented silence, then Corso lifted his son and took him, with Miriah close by, up to his regular bed. Aric and Maura did the same, only Calleigh waking for a few moments. When she saw her daddy, she was fine, and when they were all resettled, the adults joined the crowd in the kitchen.

Akaavi and Cy had returned and the women hugged, no words needed. They watched as the new couple crossed to the fireplace and sat together. The remaining troopers were cooking, the sun was coming up, and Aric returned to the group with three cups of caffa and a hot chocolate. Miriah just smiled at him, pleased he’d remembered. Corso looked worn out, she saw, he was leaning on the wall in a daze. She led him over to the worktable and sat him down, checking the kolto patch on his shoulder. She leaned toward his ear, and whispered, “Go to bed, sugar, you’re so tired and this is looking good but still needs a little time.”

Corso shook his head, “No, I’ll sleep when you can be with me, and you know Devin will be awake shortly.” He pulled her down to sit beside him, and kept her hand in his. Aric and Maura joined them, amazed at how normal everything seemed. They heard the kids waking up, and soon Sarai had Devin in her arms and Colin by the hand, Maura and Calleigh following, in for breakfast. When the kids and everyone else had eaten, the kids went to play in the playroom, no one wanted them anywhere near the barn or even in sight of it. Aric and Corso were cleaning weapons that had been used, and Cy joined them there.

“Corso, I never thought I’d enjoy being grounded so long,” Cy told them. “And meeting Akaavi was the best thing that’s happened to me in forever. May I come back, whenever my schedule permits?” Both Corso and Aric smiled.

“You’d better, we have a vested interest in seeing Akaavi happy. My wife considers her another sister, you know, and all of us are her clan. She’s special to us, and you are welcome here anytime. I think I can safely say Miriah won’t pull a shotgun on you.” They laughed, and Corso realized it really was over now.

Miriah put Devin in his bed for a much needed nap, and found Corso wandering up the hall. She took his hand and led him to their room, where they slept for a change. Miriah woke when she heard Dev, but Corso was still in a deep sleep. She got up quietly and left him to rest, going to see her little boy who was standing in the crib, grinning at her. She met Maura and the twins in the kitchen for cookie time. Tanno Vik came in, and she sat him down for cookies, too, since she figured that’s what he was here for anyway. It was, but he also had gotten an encrypted holo from Garza at the office.

“She was mad, really mad, that Skylar was dead, but then one of his crewmen had talked to the major last night and cleared a lot of stuff up that she wanted to know, so I guess she’s okay with it all. Gave us a new mission to plan, anyway. May I have another, please? These are even better than my mother’s”

“For that, you get three more cookies,” Miriah told him, laughing. She turned to see Corso shuffling up the hallway, half asleep still. She caught his uninjured shoulder and spun him around. “Go back and rest,” she told him.

“No, it’s cookie time.” He lifted her under one of his arms and went back to the kitchen, setting her down and grabbing cookies, dancing away as she swatted at him, making everyone laugh. He took shelter between Colin and Devin as she shook her head at him, grinning.

“I could conquer the world with cookies, if you guys were in charge.” Tanno and Corso nodded in agreement, prompting the kids to nod along, which had everyone laughing again. Just then, Aric came in the door.

“Oh boy, it’s cookie time, “ he said, sparking a new round of laughter.

Once the cookies were done, Maura went to check on Sarai, who’d gone to bed after breakfast. Or so Maura had thought. Instead, she found her mother meditating, on her knees in the floor. Maura was backing out when she heard her mother call her, and she went back in the room. “Sorry to disturb you, Mom, I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” She sat on the floor beside Sarai, putting her hand on her mother’s arm. “It was very right, what happened. Miriah told me you’d talked about it, I’m so glad you two seem to be able to be with each other.”

“Maura, you are an exceptional leader, and you’ve always made me proud. From your school days to your Havoc squad days, you’ve always been driven to succeed and excel. You also raised Miriah, don’t think I don’t know that, and the bond between the two of you was a source of envy for me. I don’t condone what I did when she was a baby, but we both understand it better now.” She rose slowly, her knees creaking. “I would do what I did last night for any of you, but it meant more that it was for Miriah.” Maura hugged the petite warrior, realizing that she was very tired.

“Rest, Mom, we’ll have dinner soon.” Marua walked to the door, and when she looked back Sarai was already asleep.

Miriah had taken cookies and muffins down to the barn, wanting them to be eaten before they got stale. When she got there, she hesitated. She knew, logically, that the Sith lord wasn’t in there, but she did know that his associates were. Maura had told her that they were mostly scared kids, and that she’d thought of Colin and Devin as she tended to their wounds early this morning. As it was, most were sleeping when she entered, and the troopers on guard had been very appreciative of the treats. There was one prisoner who looked at her in awe and quickly looked away. She approached him with the cookies, and he took one. She insisted that he take more, but he hesitated.

“Why are you reluctant? They’re freely given, in hopes someone enjoys them,” she said, trying to meet his eyes.

“I helped hold you. On the ship,” he whispered. “I don’t deserve your kindness.” She put four cookies on the table near him, patted his shoulder, and walked away with a huge lump in her throat. He couldn’t have been more than fifteen years old, she thought. It troubled her greatly on her walk back to the house. She hadn’t thought about the fact that these Imperial Guard had seen her before. She vowed she’d send things, but not go back down there herself.

Aric had briefed them on the next mission planning, and Miriah thought she might go to the office in a couple of days, but she really needed a little down time first. She wanted to be able to decompress with her mom, and play with Dev. Even with her sleep issues, she didn’t think she’d have any trouble sleeping tonight, and poor Corso was already loopy with fatigue. As soon as Dev is in bed, she thought, I’m going to bed. She was just giving the baby his last bottle of the day when Corso stumbled into their bedroom and into the shower. She put the little boy in his bed and when she returned she saw her husband already stretched out and almost asleep. She gently kissed him, and he drew her down to his side with a contented sigh. It would be nice to sleep, she mused, without being worried. So she did.