Miriah squeezed her eyes shut as splinters from the crate she was crouched behind flew in all directions from the blaster bolt. She’d been pinned down, here in this forsaken hole, for nearly an hour. The power pack for her blaster had been changed out three times already, and still the Regulators came. She looked around now, trying to locate Corso, but there was so much chaos she still couldn’t find him. She let out a sigh and resumed her position, trying to get line of sight around the containers.

She saw a Regulator’s sleeve barely visible around the opposing crate and fired. The resulting scream of pain forced the soldier out, and before he could scream again, he had a hole in his forehead. He fell heavily, and his partner across the way scurried into the building again. Stupid Regulators, she thought. They don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into. She lay in wait, hoping to see another to pick off, the main battle raging to her left. Where is Corso, she thought, listening to hear one of his war whoops. She heard nothing but blaster and cannon fire, and when the frequency of both started to lessen, she made her way up to the front line, where she looked carefully at each man present. Finally she stopped a Republic soldier with a medic armband.

“Have you seen a man named Corso Riggs?” she asked him. “Tall, brown eyes, dreadlocks..”

“Yeah, sent ‘im in the last evac shuttle, chest wound,” he said, hurrying off to the next wounded. Miriah stared at his retreating back in shock. No, she thought, he has to be mistaken. I would have known if he’d gotten hurt, wouldn’t I? She walked slowly to the Republic camp, looking for Corso in every face, every soldier lying on the ground, every one she met as she made her way to the shuttle to return to the orbital station. Maybe he’s just there, waiting for me, she thought. Yeah, that has to be it. She sat, stunned still, as the shuttle took off. The hour’s journey felt days long, and the anxiety in her chest grew with every heartbeat. We should never have gotten separated, there was too much going on, it’s all my fault. A sense of dread overtook her, and she could barely swallow around the lump in her throat. He has to be alright, he just has to be. I know he hates the kolto tank, but he’ll probably already be in one by the time I get there. The Regulators aren’t stupid, I am, for getting him hurt. She covered her face with her hands, ignoring the stinging cuts from shrapnel and not noticing how filthy she was. No, I can’t cry now, she thought, I have to be strong for him. He’ll need to know that I’m okay, so he can concentrate on getting better.

She exited the shuttle with the rest of the weary fighters, and saw Risha coming toward her, parting the crowd. The serious look on the engineer’s face told Miriah that things were not going well. They hugged as they met, and Risha turned her captian toward a bench.

“No, Rish, we have to get to the med center,” she said, resisting Risha’s pull to sit.

“Sit down, Miriah,” the solemn faced woman said. “Please.” Miriah sat immediately, Risha wasn’t one to ever say please for anything, and that alone told her the news was grave. “They sent someone to the hangar. He’s in critical condition, they are trying to stabilize him enough to put him in a tank, but he’s lost a huge amount of blood.” Risha looked at her hands, and reached out to take one of Miriah’s. “He’s not doing well, Mir. I wanted you to hear that from a friend before we got there.” Miriah nodded, trying to hold back her panic, and they stood to walk to the medical facility.

Once there, Miriah badgered the staff. “I want to see my husband, “ she said, for probably the thousandth time. And again, the staff told her she couldn’t. She paced, sat, paced again. Risha was replaced by Bow, and Miriah still persisted. Cold, tired, and hungry, but she would not leave. Her mind finally shut down, but her body remained in motion, around the small waiting area. Evening gave way to night, and night into early morning. On the back side of her pacing route, the doors opened to the main med bay and a man emerged, wearing the white clothing of the medical corps.

“Mrs. Riggs,” he said, and Miriah stopped dead, her silver eyes holding hope as she gazed at him, momentarily confused.

“Yes,” she rasped out, her tears having made her hoarse. “How is he? Can I see him?”

“Let’s sit,” the medic told her, and Miriah felt the room tilt. “He got here aboard the evac, and the medic had done what he could en route. Tremendous blood loss, blunt force trauma to his chest. We worked on him for hours, Mrs. Riggs.” Miriah looked up to see Risha and Guss join Bow, then turned attention to the medic again.

“So when can I see him? He’s in a tank, recovering, right?” She waited for the answer, nervously licking her lips.

“I’m sorry, Captain. We couldn’t save him. There was just too much damage.” She felt the tears start. Hot, thick tears that made tracks in the dirt on her face. Still, she looked at the medic for answers. “I’m sorry,” he said again, and when Risha approached them, the medic stood. “I’ll let the desk know to wait for your arrangements.” Miriah was motionless, other than the tears. Risha sat and put her arm around her captain, her friend.

“Mir, let’s go. We can’t do anything for him here.” She stood and tried to pull Miriah up with her, but the tiny woman refused to budge.

“I don’t believe it, Rish. It doesn’t feel right. I would know, in my heart, if he were dead. He’s not dead,” she said. “He’s not dead!,” she yelled, suddenly gaining her feet and moving quickly to the now-locked doors. “He’s not dead! He can’t be! He promised!” she wailed, her fists pounding the doors where the medic had disappeared, where Corso was. Her Corso, who’d said he’d never leave her, who’d promised he would be with her when they were both old and gray.

Bow reached her as the security team rushed the waiting area, and he turned to them with a growl, stopping the wide-eyed detail in their tracks. “Come, little one, let us leave this place and figure out what we should do next,” he told Miriah. He put his huge furry arms around her, and felt her collapse, her keening wail echoing in the hallways, as he carried her to the ship. Risha followed them, wiping her face and trying to block out the sound of her friend’s grief. Guss waited until they were aboard the ship and Bow had placed Miriah on the bed in her quarters before sedating her.

Risha stayed with her, watching as the tears slowed and her friend slept. It hardly seemed real, she thought. They’d been through so much, seen so many battles and so many tough situations, that she had come to believe they’d always return. When Miriah finally succumbed to the sedative, Risha took a warm, wet cloth and washed her friend’s face, not knowing how she’d go on without him.

The day turned into two. The captain’s quarters remained locked from the inside. The crew heard yells and curses, sobs and wails. Objects struck walls and they could hear her crying in the night. The third day, their captain stepped out of her quarters and looked at her crew. She was pale and shaky, but there was a fire in her eyes. Risha brought her a mug of cocoa, but Miriah refused it. Anger was her fuel now. She turned and addressed them all

“I will avenge him. If it takes the rest of my life, I will hunt them down,” she said.

“You mean, you’ll kill the ones who did this? Who killed Corso?” Bow asked, puzzled when she shook her head.

“No, I’ll kill them all. Every last one.”

It was just a dream, she thought, just a nightmare. She started to get up, but remembered her promise to Corso, that if she woke up in the middle of the night, she would at least stay in bed to rest. She hugged her knees, hot tears streaming down her face, trying hard to make no sounds that might wake him. After the tears had slowed, she snuggled up to her sleeping husband, putting her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. He surprised her by grabbing her hand, kissing her palm, then placing her hand over his heart, holding it there with his own much larger, slightly calloused hand. She lay there feeling his heartbeat, so steady and strong. Just like him, she thought. He whispered to her then, “Same nightmare?” She nodded against his shoulder, using all her control to not cry again. “Mmmm sweetheart, feel my heart? You’re there, you’ll always be there, and I’ll never choose to leave you.”

Miriah woke with a start, instinctively reaching for Corso, her spirits falling hard when she touched only air. She slowly rolled out of the bunk she’d found on Frinn Mesa’s Republic outpost, and saw that Akaavi had already gone in search of caffa. She stood, struggling to get the image of her dream out of her mind, pushing past the grief to center herself. She walked to her pack and slipped out of Corso’s shirt, the only one she could find when she left the ship that the damn droid hadn’t already washed. She folded it carefully and placed it aside.

Akaavi approached her with a mug in each hand. “Captain, I have located a set of targets that will be suitable.” Miriah brought the Mandalorian along, knowing that among her crew, Akaavi would most understand the vengeance aspect. Miriah took the mug, and placed it next to her gear bag, untouched. She was barely drinking water, and had limited herself to one protein bar a day. Already, her leather armor hung on her small frame.

“Let’s get moving then. Notify Bow that we may be calling for flybys.” She took Torchy, Corso’s beloved blaster, and placed it in the middle of her back, tucked in her belt. Somehow, just having it on her made her feel safer. They mounted their speeders and headed north, to a prison colony that the Regulators had made to hold Makeb citizens who resisted their offensive. They hid the speeders, and used stealth generators to enter the camp. The first guard went down quietly, the muffled thump of Miriah’s shotgun fading before the body fell. Akaavi slashed one of the two remaining with her vibrosword while Miriah disabled the other with a kick, then dispatched him with a blaster bolt to his head. They looked at each other over the bodies, and with a nod, each triggered their stealth.

Methodically, they worked their way through the camp. When they had released the prisoners they found, they retrieved their speeders and followed the directions given by one of the citizens to another Regulator outpost. Miriah saw that there were crates of arms scattered around the area, some unguarded. “Let’s see if we can get some of the crates out to the Republic guys,” she whispered to Akaavi over their relays. “They could use the ammo if nothing else.” Akaavi clicked once to tell her she understood, and they advanced.

Miriah sneaked behind the first guard, but failed to see the approaching sentry droid. The droid was programmed to break any stealth, and before she was ready, Miriah was seen. Oh well, she thought, just have to attack. She quickly had the guard bending double from a swift kick to his privates, and while he was bent over expelling the contents of his stomach, she blaster whipped him down. The next guard had started to shoot at that point, and she threw a thermal grenade at him, weakening him significantly. She triggered her relay, yelling, “Now, Bow, right here!” and she watched her ship in low level flight as it passed over them, reigning destruction on the group of Regulators there. She breathed a sigh of relief at the break in the combat, and took a few moments to assess the next moves.

Risha answered the holo absently, noting that it was the med station. “We have Mr. Riggs’ personal effects here,” the dry, efficient Twi’lek stated. “You’ll need to come down here and get them. Also, we need to know what you want done with the remains.” Remains, Risha thought. Problem is, nothing remains, especially of Miriah.

“I’ll be there shortly,” the engineer said, wanting to punch the secretary. She wanted to stay available for her captain, so the med station would have to wait. She rejoined the Wookie on the bridge, and settled in to monitor the relay comms.

Miriah stood on a low rise, her macrobinoculars sweeping over the camp in the distance. “I see an official of some kind, a high value target. Ready to move?” She repacked her gear and started off, not even looking to know that Akaavi had her back. As they approached the small camp, an alarm triggered and the sound was momentarily disorienting. Miriah staggered back, hitting her stealth a moment too late. She groaned as she was punched, on her knees before she could react. The Regulator stood over her, rifle ready. Miriah looked up at him just as Akaavi’s blade came through his chest, and she had to roll out of the way as he fell. They retreated a few paces, just to catch their breath.

“Do you have a death wish, Captain?” The Mandalorian was completely serious, knowing her friend was suffering.

“Of course not, Akaavi,” Miriah replied. “I haven’t killed nearly enough of these people yet.”

“Well then, let us move more cautiously,” Akaavi stated. Miriah nodded, and they moved around the perimeter of the camp. When they got close enough, Miriah fired a tranquilizer dart at the official, and they started to clear his guard. Akaavi was deadly with her blade, but the shotgun and blaster combo Miriah used to maximum efficiency was cutting through the contingent quickly. In only a matter of minutes, they were left with only the still stunned officer standing between them.

“Who are you,” the officer mumbled as he regained his senses and realized he would soon die.

“No one important,” Miriah told him, not even blinking when she shot him in the head and he fell to the ground. She stood over him, wondering how many would be enough to make the pain go away, when she heard Akaavi call her name.

“This is not just a recon camp. There are victims here,” she told her captain, nodding toward a small crate. “They’ve been tortured.” Miriah’s horror was reflected in her silver eyes, and she rushed toward the cluster of crates there. Together, she and Akaavi released the people being held there, giving medical treatment when they could and moving the entire group to a safe spot several meters away. The Republic evac teams rushed in, and Miriah watched as the victims were taken away. When the area was clear, she placed charges around the camp. When she was done, she called Bow to do a low flyby and sat on a rock with Akaavi, watching the entire camp burn in the twilight.

“What’s the count?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the roaring fire in front of her.

“Seventy-four,” Akaavi answered, trying to get her captain to take the bottle of water in her hand. Miriah ignored it, her tired eyes closing for a few seconds. How many, she wondered. She stood there, swaying with fatigue, for a few minutes longer before turning toward the speeders. They silently drove back to the Republic camp, where Miriah sat on her bunk with Corso’s shirt, unable to relax or sleep but feeling some comfort from the soft fabric that she clutched, her husband’s scent clinging to the fibers. Akaavi brought her a hot bowl of stew, and for the first time in several days, she ate. The hot food and the long day caught up to her, and she fell asleep still sitting on her bunk. Akaavi took the bowl and moved her friend to lie down, seeing that she never loosened her grip on the worn, soft shirt she held in both hands.

Risha approached the med station with some trepidation. I know Miriah isn’t up to this, but what would she want done? She stopped at the desk and told the droid there what she wanted. Another droid brought a small box to the counter, and Risha put her signature on the datapad before carrying the box back to the ship. Once she was there, she gingerly opened the container and took out the familiar jacket that lay on top. She put it aside, and looked again into the box. She lifted out the blaster rifle, but something just wasn’t right. This weapon is filthy, she thought. Not like Corso at all. She went through the box, but nothing else was familiar. The most glaring omission was his wedding band. I know Miriah is still too raw, but she will want that someday, and it’s not even here. I’m going back there tomorrow, they can’t get away with this!

In the medbay, the sealed bag that was labeled “Corso Riggs” was stored in a cooler. In the larger room, there were ten kolto tanks. Every one of them was labeled with a patient’s name, except for one. The tall man who was inside, the healing fluid bathing him in a blue-green glow, had no family around, no one who had come to see him. He also had no name on his tank. His dreadlocks floated in the fluid, hiding his face.

When Miriah woke, it was not yet dawn. All around her were sleeping soldiers in various armors, all trying to get a little rest between battles. She looked down at the soft shirt she still clutched, and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply. A look of peace rested on her face, her eyes closed as the memories washed over her. She sat there, remembering him, for several minutes before shaking herself out of her reverie and standing slowly. The battles of yesterday had taken their toll on her, and since she’d decided to eat as little as possible she wasn’t bouncing back nearly as well as she’d hoped.

Akaavi was still sleeping, and Miriah decided to go out of the camp on her own. She pulled the relay out of her ear and left her holo on the cot. She was walking out to the campfire, tucking Torchy in her back as she’d done the day before, when she stopped dead in her tracks. His birthday. Today was his birthday, and she’d just remembered it. Damn it! I never got to give him the antique blaster rifle I got him! Tears blurred her vision as she stumbled to the portable refresher, and she splashed cool water on her face. She stood there, gulping back her sobs, waiting for the calm to overtake her. She was still standing outside the ‘freshers when an older woman approached her.

“You are the one,” the woman said, taking her slender hand. “You freed my son yesterday. Come, sit, let me get you some breakfast.”

“Oh, thank you, but no,” Miriah told her, refusing to move. “I’m fine, just getting myself ready to go out there again.”

“Please, take care. It means the world to me to have him home.” Miriah watched the woman pour two mugs of caffa and move to the other side of the compound, where the torture victims had been taken. The resulting rage she felt made her shake, and she moved swiftly to her speeder. She had spotted a small Regulator encampment yesterday that didn’t show up on any of the maps she’d seen, and wanted to find out what was there.

The camp was hidden above a lake, and there were speeders and parts of speeders scattered around. She used her stealth to enter the camp, most of the soldiers there sleeping. She managed to kill three as they slept, taking the edge off her rage a bit. As she moved into the center of the first level she encountered two soldiers. After stunning one, she kicked the second before getting behind him and finishing him with a shotgun blast. The stunned one started to plead for his life, but his words fell on deaf ears and she shot him at point blank range, his tears meaning nothing to her. The thought occurred to her that Akaavi would be wondering where she was, but she didn’t go to get her friend. It just seems better alone, she thought. She triggered her stealth and moved further into the camp, seeing the sun starting to peek above the horizon. In the gloom just before dawn, she killed seven more Regulators, falling into a fatal rhythm of mayhem and death, a spinning, twirling blur of blaster fire and shotgun blasts.

Stopping to take a breath, she slipped under stealth and made her way to the biggest tent in the compound. As she approached, she heard the guard captain trying to explain the deaths. “But we haven’t seen a squadron in days! There are bodies everywhere, and no explanation!” The captain paced in front of his superior officer, a frown on his face. “One of the men said they saw only one attacker, a small woman. But that can’t be true, there has to be more!” Miriah grinned to herself as she hit the guard captain with a tranquilizer dart, pulling his superior over to kneel in front of her with her blaster at his temple.

“So,“ she said, her voice rough from disuse, “you think it’s right to just take over things here, eh?” She watched as the officer groveled, fear making his eyes wild. “You cost me so much more than any wealth, all of you did. Someone has to pay, and I elect you.” She started to squeeze the trigger, then stopped and pulled Torchy from her back. The high pitched whine had the officer closing his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. When she’d killed him, Miriah closed her eyes, just for a second, feeling a connection with Corso through the blaster. Enough, she thought, back to business. She went stealth again and moved to the next encampment, silently switching the power pack in her main blaster. When she finally stopped to catch her breath, thirty-two more had joined her count.

Akaavi startled awake to the sound of Miriah’s holo chiming on the cot where she’d left it. Damn, the Mandalorian thought, she’s gone. She reached over and hit the button to answer. Risha’s blue wavering form materialized. “Where’s Mir?” the engineer asked.

“Not sure, I was sleeping,” Akaavi replied. “Is there a problem?”

Risha sighed. “Yeah, there is. I went to the med station to get Corso’s stuff and make arrangements to have him put in stasis. When I went through the crate of his effects, his wedding band was gone. I’m going back today to see what’s going on there, but wanted to let Miriah know.” She rubbed her face. “How’s she doing, anyway?”

“Terrible. She is slipping away, Risha. I’ve tried to keep her with me, but she’s gone this morning, I don’t know where.”

“Well, I’ll call back when I finish with the fools at the med station,” Risha told her, then ended the call. Akaavi sighed and rose from the bunk, wondering where Miriah had gone.

Risha approached the empty desk at the med station, determined to get answers. She stood there for several minutes, waiting for help, to no avail. She saw that the doors to the medbay were cracked open, and could hear voices inside, so she casually walked over to peek in. The sight of all the kolto tanks made her shiver, and she hugged her arms around her body. She’d taken a couple of steps inside when a droid approached her.

“May I help you?” it asked. Risha gave herself a moment to get annoyed, then answered.

“Yes. My Captain lost her husband in this wretched place, and some of his personal items have gone missing.”

“The form you need to fill out is found…”

“No! You don’t understand!” Risha yelled. “If she has to come down here to talk to you, this place will be a smoking hole. Find his wedding ring. Today!” She whirled around to leave and saw the one lone tank with no family, and it stopped her cold. She took one tentative step toward it, then another. She approached the tank with trepidation, realizing that her eyes were telling her what Miriah’s heart had known all along.

He wasn’t dead. He was here. Risha called back to the ship. “Bow, he’s not dead! Get Akaavi and Miriah back here, as fast as you can!”

“Wait, what?” the Wookie was incredulous. “He’s there?”

“Floating in a kolto tank in front of me,” Risha said, a note of happiness in her voice. “Get them back here, Bow.” He assured her he would, and signed off. Risha stared at the man in the tank, ignoring the droid until it went to get the doctor. When the white clad man stood at her side, Risha turned to him. “This man, right here, is Corso Riggs. He’s not dead, but you might wish you were when his wife figures out you lied to her.”

“This man came in with no identification, we had no idea. The man we thought was Riggs had a jacket with id chips, that’s what we used,” the man explained. Risha just stood there, drinking in the sight of someone she thought was gone forever.

Akaavi answered the holo immediately, hoping it was the captain. When Bow told her his news, she was at once thrilled and dismayed. “She’s gone, Bow. She left her relay and holo here, and she’s gone. I can only hope she’s more careful than she was yesterday.”

Miriah stood watching the camp she’d decimated burn. Purple smudges under her silver eyes belied her fatigue, and she was a good ten pounds lighter than she had been the week before. The pain in her chest was unrelenting and she had expended all the energy she had. The wind picked up, blowing her hair around her face, drying the tears that had started to trace down her face. Happy Birthday, sugar, she thought, just before the world went black and she slumped to the ground.

Miriah woke slowly, realizing that she’d not gotten on the ground the usual way. She reached for her bag, her head throbbing, and pulled out a bottle of water. A couple of sips, that’s all I need, she thought. She pulled herself up to sit against a large rock, and surveyed the scene in front of her. The camp still burned, although parts had turned to char. The wind had picked up, and the sun was lower in the sky. About an hour, she guessed, had passed with her unconscious. She fished in her bag again, and her hand touched a foil-wrapped package. Chocolate, she realized. A bar that Corso had put in here for emergencies. The thought touched her heart , and she smiled a small smile. The first bite revived her a bit, and she stood, still a little dizzy but getting stronger. She briefly thought about getting in touch with her crew, but the thought was all she did. Two shuttles flew overhead, and she set off in the same direction they’d gone, hoping to find another camp or two along the way.

Risha greeted Akaavi and they both made their way to the med station. Risha had been beside Corso in the tank since she’d realized it was him, and was only now willing to switch with Akaavi so that she could rest for a bit. “And you’ve not heard or seen Miriah since yesterday morning?” she asked the Mandalorian now.

“Nothing. No one at the outpost had, either.” Akaavi shook her head. “She’s in no condition to be out there by herself, but I don’t know where to find her.” Risha gathered up her datapad and jacket from the chair beside the kolto tank.

“Why not just follow the destruction?” she laughed, then stopped. “You know, that might not be a bad idea. I’ll see if I can slice the Regulator’s feeds and figure out where they’re taking heavy casualties.” Akaavi nodded her agreement and Risha set off toward the hangar.

Miriah traveled south, over a light bridge and on toward another before she found more Regulators. She stowed her speeder behind some boulders and triggered the stealth generator, moving silently around the perimeter. Once she’d scouted the area, she found a spot to sit and observe. She noticed that there was a pattern to their movement, and started to pick off the patrols, two by two. Soon she was down to four remaining in the camp, and dusk was approaching. The four who were left were huddled in the center of the camp, looking in all directions, wondering what kind of beast had taken their buddies. Miriah knew that with darkness imminent, the group wouldn’t dare venture too far from the campfire, especially with a killer nearby. She decided that she would wait as well, and moved to a higher point, where she could still see the camp but was far enough away that she could rest.

By midnight, the four had elected a watchman and had settled into an uneasy sleep. Miriah watched them, knowing the uncertainty of what they faced was wearing on them. She felt herself drifting as well, and she dreamed Corso was with her, talking to her. He hated that she was in this state, wanted her to go back to her ship and give this revenge up. She refused, and when she opened her eyes, there were tears running down her face. She got up on her knees, taking the macrobinoculars out to scan the camp below. They were all asleep, and Miriah decided to have mercy on them and killed all four without waking them. She slept there, just outside the camp, until morning.

After nearly a week in the kolto tank, Corso’s wounds were healed and the doctor was ready to take him out. The whole crew was there, except Miriah, when he was lifted from the tank and placed on an exam cot. The adrenal was injected, and those dark brown eyes slowly opened, looking for the one person that wasn’t there. “Welcome back from the dead, Corso,” Guss told him.

“Wh-what?” Corso looked around, disoriented and now a little afraid since Miriah wasn’t there. “Where’s Mir? Was she hurt?” Bow had to restrain him from getting off the cot, knowing he wasn’t up for that yet. Risha explained the events of the last week, and saw when understanding dawned on Corso’s face. “So, she’s out there somewhere- on her own, tired, hungry and heartbroken- killing as many Regulators as she can?” Risha and Akaavi nodded, and he sighed. “I have to find her, we have to find her. Before she takes on more than she can handle.”

“You’re going nowhere, not yet,” the doctor assured him. “Maybe tomorrow, but not today.” Corso was still too weak to protest much, and Risha assigned Bow to keep him in the med station. When the others had gone back to the ship, Corso opened his eyes and addressed the Wookie.

“How bad was she?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“Very,” Bow replied, “I have never seen her more distraught. Not sleeping, nor eating, as far as I could tell. Makes her very reckless.” Corso agreed, he knew his wife too well to think she was functioning normally but Bow’s description made him even more anxious to find her. Hang on, Miriah, he thought. Just hang on til I can find you.

Miriah rubbed her eyes awake, feeling the sting of too little sleep and too many tears. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair and briefly thought about just cutting it all off. The only thing that stopped her was the memory of Corso’s hands in it. She stood, gaining her balance, and started toward the speeder. She felt almost drunk, but she knew it was fatigue and grief. She traveled slowly, not trusting her usual speed, and found another small Regulator camp just over a rise. How many, she wondered, until I don’t want to kill them anymore? All she really knew was that these would have to die. She carefully set charges around the camp. There were only a handful of soldiers there now, but closer to dusk there should be more, she reasoned. She found a cool spot to sit, and waited.

Risha had been busy, monitoring the comm traffic for anything that might give her a clue as to where her captain had been. There was a lot of traffic, the Regulators had been taking heavy casualties, and in the past ten hours there had been nothing to indicate Miriah’s path. Finally, someone came on the comms channel reserved for emergency traffic and yelled something about “she’s here, she’s set the camp to blow!” That sounds like something she’d do, Risha reasoned, and took down the coordinates.

Using the rock as cover, Miriah saw two groups of soldiers enter the camp. She watched as they put their gear down and gathered at the center to eat. She hit the detonator and with a solid whump the thermal charges exploded, creating a wall of fire. She could hear the surprised yells and screams on the other side, and waited, blaster ready, to pick off any soldier that crossed the fire line. There were only two who tried, and she easily killed them with her blaster pistol. Miriah sat back, waiting for the fire to run out of fuel and extinguish itself. When it finally did, it was fully dark, and she was weary. Corso, she thought, I don’t know how much longer I can do this. She thought she saw him then, shimmering just out of her reach, but soon realized she was hallucinating. She closed her eyes, and the tears streamed down until she fell asleep.

Bow was vigilant as Corso drifted in and out of sleep. He saw Risha as she approached, and stood when she waved him over. “I think I might have found her general direction, and she is indeed creating havoc in her path,” the engineer told him.

“I would expect no less,” Bow answered. “If Corso is released tomorrow, we’ll have to see how strong he is before going after her. You know she won’t stop until she sees him.”

Corso heard them, but kept his eyes shut. Mir, darlin’ please, I’m coming for you, I promise.

As dawn broke, Miriah sat up and retrieved the chocolate bar from her bag. The sugary treat melted on her tongue and she sighed. Another day, more Regulators to kill. She wondered how her crew was doing, hoping they were okay. She had stayed on the perimeter of the mesa so far, but decided today would be a good day to venture inland, if for no other reason but to elude any pursuers. She was moving slowly, sore from the fighting and from her short sleep on the rocks. By the time she’d loaded her gear onto her speeder, she had to stop and rest.

When she was underway, Miriah made a sharp turn to the center of the mesa. She’d only gone a few feet past a large rock formation when she was jumped and hauled off her speeder, which crashed into the rocks violently. She was spun around but had anticipated this and was ready. Her well-aimed kick hit its mark and she danced away from the Regulator, her blaster bolt ending his life. She hit her stealth generator just as the noise from the crash brought at least ten soldiers running in her direction. She watched as they took her gear bag, her only resource, and pulled the wreckage of her speeder further into the camp. Dammit! Now I have nothing, she thought. She backed away slowly, remaining under stealth. In moving backward, though, she failed to see the baby makrin until it yelped. She’d stepped on its foot, and its cries brought its mother running, breaking Miriah’s stealth. She wasn’t sure if she was far enough away from the Regulators to kill the makrin without alerting them, but she really had no choice. She turned with her blaster to the mother, but before she could get a shot off, one of the spike-like pincers pierced her leg, and she yelled out in pain. The adrenaline burst cleared her head enough to get her shots off, and she lay there, bleeding, among the corpses of the makrin.

No kolto, everything was in my bag, she mused. Maybe this is how it all ends. She managed to pull herself into the shade of a rock formation and after a few minutes, to look at her wound. The pincer had gone through her leg, but not touched bone or ligament. Lucky. She looked in the small gear bag she had left, which had been slung over her shoulder, and found only a bottle of water, a protein bar, and Corso’s shirt. Tears stung her eyes as she tore a strip off the shirt and used it to apply pressure to her leg. Once she’d gotten the worst of the bleeding stopped, she slumped back against the rocks. I don’t want to be here, like this. Not sure I can get back to the outpost, either. She decided to rest for a little bit before she tried.

Corso paced in the medbay, Risha watching him. “We need to go, now!” he shouted, looking around for the doctor who would release him.

“Relax, Corso. Bow is monitoring the area we think she’s working in, he’ll let us know if conditions change or if he spots her specifically.” Risha was beginning to get restless too, but knew it would be pointless to let anyone see it. “Besides, you need to conserve your energy to deal with her once she figures out what happened. You know she’s gonna blow sky high. I’ve got bail money put aside if we need it.” She quirked a smile at the Mantellian, and he stopped his circuit of the medbay to stare at her.

“I hadn’t considered that, she will certainly be upset with someone,” he said, thoughtful. “We may need to have a plan. I just want to find her first. We can deal with the fallout after.”

The hours wore on, and Miriah had begun to travel in the direction she thought the outpost should be, hobbling on her wounded leg. The bleeding had slowed, but the heat she felt in the flesh surrounding the hole was disturbing, and she knew she needed medical care. She’d limped for about half an hour when she stopped to rest in the shade of a large tree. The cool breeze eased the heat and lulled her into a light sleep that was interrupted by a shuttle flying overhead. Great, she thought, I was going the wrong way. She reversed direction and started back, but when she reached the corpses of the makrin she sat again, too worn out to go further. Dusk found her in the same position, using Corso’s shirt as both bandage and soaking it with water to cool her face and neck. She was burning up, but she knew it was the wound and not the day. There was a small stream not too far away, and as soon as the sun set she started toward it, taking advantage of the drop in temperature.

When Miriah reached the water, she saw it was clear and eased her leg into it. The relief was instant, and she took a shaky breath. So far, she hadn’t seen any Regulators or any other creatures. After standing in the rushing water as long as she could, she eased herself up the bank to a cluster of rocks, still warm from the sun. She shivered as she leaned against them, drawing comfort from the heat, and fell into a restless sleep. By morning, the infection in the wound had progressed, and Miriah found she was too weak to stand. She knew she needed to get into the cool water again. She tried to scoot down to the water’s edge but the pain was too much to bear, and finally she crossed her arms on her chest and rolled down to the stream. The cool water soothed the raw skin and revived her a bit. She scooped some up in her hands, her one water bottle having long been empty. As soon as the cool water hit her empty stomach, it came up, making her sputter. She tried again, with smaller amounts, and managed to keep it down. When she started to shiver, she slowly pulled herself up the bank, finding a little shade and settling in.

Her reserves gone, only Miriah’s iron will kept her from giving up. The fever was back, though, and she was having trouble telling the difference in her dreams and the occasional hallucination. She saw her crew, and her Corso, as if they were beside her, and they comforted her even if they weren’t real. When the evening came, she once again made her slow journey to the water. Standing in the stream, she broke off a corner of the protein bar, nibbling with care. She kept it down, but didn’t eat much. As she settled in for the night, she was aware that this would be her final resting place.

Corso and Risha were loading speeders in preparation for their search. They were taking off at first light, but Corso was filled with worry and couldn’t sleep. Guss approached him with a medium sized bag that was so full it was barely closed. “Medical supplies,” he shrugged. “Just got a feeling you’ll need them.” Corso took the bag and nodded, adding it to the others in the small hold on the vehicle. They made their way to the lounge area, where Risha and Akaavi were sitting.

“Let’s get some rest, so we can make the most of the available daylight tomorrow,” Corso told them, and made his way to the bed he’d always shared with Miriah. When he slipped under the covers, he held her pillow to his chest, and breathed in her scent, his eyes closed. I’m coming, darlin’. I love you.

Corso woke before dawn, chaffing to be on the speeders out looking for Miriah. He’d slept fitfully, dreaming that she was in dire trouble, waking himself several times, out of breath and trembling. After starting the caffa he woke Risha and Akaavi. Bow joined them after only a few minutes. They’d decided the evening before that Bow would go with Corso to find their captain, but Risha still wasn’t happy with that plan.

“I need to go with you, Corso. Bow can stay here and do flybys to see if he can locate her,” she said now, tapping her foot at the caffa machine. “You know that’s the best plan.”

“Maybe, Risha, but I’ve been out there. The Regulators don’t usually do ranged combat, they get up close and personal. I don’t want to have to worry about you getting killed if we run into a pack or two.” Corso sipped his caffa, burning his tongue but not caring. He wanted to be moving, and he’d do anything to get this over and get out there. She’s out there, and she needs me.

“Fine,” Risha huffed, and went to the bridge. Moments later, she was back in the lounge, the light of an idea in her eyes. “Hey, remember the trackers we put in the blasters after Torchy was stolen?”

“Yeah,” Corso replied, blowing on his mug.

“She took Torchy with her, Cor. She made a point of it. If the blaster still has a charge, we can track her!” She turned and ran to the bridge, Corso on her heels. “I could just kick myself for not thinking of this before.” She booted up the tracking software on the navigation computer. “There! The signal’s weak, but it’s there!” She watched as the blinking red dot began to fade, but it didn’t move. “There’s a lot of interference from the atmosphere, Corso, but I’m sending the coordinates to your datapad. Now, move!” She pushed the now smiling Mantellian toward the door. When he and Bow had pushed the speeders down the ramp, she let out a war whoop that she’d learned from Corso, looking forward to getting Miriah back home.

Miriah woke, and had just enough water left in her bottle to wet her dry mouth. She knew she had to get to the stream, but she was so tired. She knew she couldn’t stand, and opted to use the rolling trick she’d used the day before. Problem was, she passed out on the way to the stream, and ended up splashing in rather than stopping on the bank. The crystal clear, cold water all around her had her gasping as she tried to reach the surface. Only when she’d slaked her thirst did she realize she’d left her water bottle up on the rocks. Damn! She floated on the water, letting the chill take the heat away from her wound, which was now beginning to ooze again. She made her way to the bank, used the last of her strength to pull herself up, and collapsed on the edge, slipping into unconsciousness again as the morning sun started to heat up the day.

Corso and Bow met the Republic outpost commander on their way out, and told him their mission. He gave them the latest intel on where the Regulators were likely to be, and wished them well. “That little woman left a wide path of death and destruction. We’re deeply indebted to her, and hope you find her soon,” he’d told them. Corso nodded and set off, Bow on his heels. He knew it was unlikely they’d get to her today, but he was going to do his best to cover as much ground as he possibly could.

Miriah smiled in her semi-conscious state, thinking of Corso’s smile. She felt warm and cool, and roused further to realize she was still at the stream, her bare feet in the water. She inched her way up the bank on her elbows, but didn’t get too far before her body shut down again, the infection and the lack of food taking over. She spent the day in and out of awareness, the pain bringing tears to her eyes that never fell and the fever progressively weakening her. The only relief she got was from the water and the dreams. By dusk, she had admitted to herself that she’d fought as long as she could, and had made peace with the effort she’d put forth. She slipped under again, knowing she might not wake, and her last thought was of Corso, of their life. She smiled in the darkness, and let go.

Corso felt a rush of fear fill his senses, and urged his speeder faster as he keyed his relay. “Risha, can you still see her?”

“Yes, she hasn’t moved at all. Coordinates are the same,” she responded. “You are making good time, Corso. Be careful. You can’t help her if you’re injured again.” He nodded, not caring that she couldn’t see him. They’d been traveling all day, and had seen the burned out camps and in some cases the bodies where Miriah had been. Bow had been amazed at the fury of his captain, but not surprised at the havoc she’d wreaked. He knew she was capable of such, he’d seen it once before, when she’d freed him from Hutt slavery.

They stopped for a short break, to eat and drink and just walk around for a few minutes. Bow offered Corso a meal pack, which he refused. “What good will you be, Corso, if your recovery suffers because you are stubborn?”

“I’m not being stubborn, my stomach is in knots, worried about Miriah,” he said, pacing. “She may be perfectly fine, but my gut says she’s not. It says she’s hurting. If she hurts, then I hurt with her.” He turned back to the speeder, not wanting Bow to see the tears that had filled his eyes at the thought of losing Miriah. He had to find her, soon. For both their sakes.

The darkness grew, but still Corso rode. He wouldn’t stop until he had to, he’d vowed. He would keep going until he ran into resistance, but at the rate Miriah had decimated the Regulator camps, they saw nothing living except makrin and the occasional pterathki flying above them. He checked in with Risha regularly, and she’d told him the signal was weakening from Torchy. Figures, he thought, now that I’m out here. He surged forward, since the signal showed she was within a few kilometers from where they were now. Getting to where the coordinates led them, they saw nothing. They searched around and failed to see anyone or anything but rocks. Corso sat heavily, and contacted Risha again. "She’s not here, Rish. You must be reading it wrong or something. There’s nothing here.”

“She has to be, Corso. The dot is weak but it’s still in the same place it was when you left here,” she assured him. “Maybe when it’s daylight again you’ll be able to tell what’s going on.” Corso sighed, he knew she was right. Bow made a fire and they settled in to wait for sunrise. Corso couldn’t help but think about her, about them, and his stomach vied with his healing wound for the most painful. He sipped some water, ate half a protein bar, and dosed. In his dream, Miriah was reaching out to him, and just as he was about to touch her outstretched hand, he woke. The sun was pink in the sky, and he knew dawn was close. He made some instant caffa over the banked fire and sipped it slowly. I have to find her today. She’s in trouble, I just know it. I feel it.

Bow sat up and joined Corso in the caffa, stretching and shaking his furry head. “There are some decomposing makrin that we passed not far from here, and I see a stream. Maybe she stayed close to the water?”

Corso stood and took out his macrobinoculars, scanning the area. He nearly dropped the expensive equipment when he saw a dark form near the stream’s edge. “I see something!” He took off running, not waiting for the Wookie to rise and follow him. As he drew close, his heart told him it was her, even if his eyes weren’t yet sure. When he saw the waterfall of black hair, he knew. He called out to her, but she didn’t move. When he reached her, he went to his knees to pull her up, and when his hands touched her skin, he felt the fever.

“Here,” Bow pointed out, “she’s wounded, and it’s infected. I’ll go back for the med bag that Guss sent.” Corso could only nod at him, holding his desperately ill wife. I’m here, darlin’. Now we have to get you back to the ship. He rose with her in his arms, deathly still and barely breathing, and carried her to where they had spent the night. We were so close, and didn’t know she was there. What if the hours we spent sleeping pushed her past the point of recovery? He shook his head, he couldn’t think about that now. All he could do was hold her. At least that, I know.

Corso reached for the bag as Bow hefted it toward him and spilled its contents out on the ground beside him. He gingerly placed Miriah down, noting that she hadn’t moved on her own at all, and searched the pile of supplies for kolto gel and a stim for the fever. He wished he’d paid more attention to his wife when she was patching him up all the time, but he hadn’t, and now he didn’t know what he was looking for. He touched his relay, activating it, and told Risha he’d found Miriah. He answered her one question with “Not good,” and asked for Guss.

“Guss, what do I do here?” he asked, the fear evident in his voice.

“What’s her temp?” the Mon Calamari asked, trying to assess his captain remotely. “Use the scanner, Corso, and tell me what it says.” He waited while Corso fumbled with the hand-held device.

“Temp is, whoa, one hundred four point seven, respirations at twelve, heart rate at..damn, really? Heart rate is one hundred eighteen. Help me, Guss. What do I give her?”

“Best use the green stim I put in the bag. Give her one of the red ones, too, it’s an antibiotic. Does she have a wound that’s infected?” That was the only reason the medic could figure out for the fever.

“Yes, and I’m guessing it’s from a makrin, she’s been unconscious since we found her, and there’s an oozing, gaping hole in her thigh that’s warm to the touch,” Corso replied, letting out a sigh. Miriah, darlin’, please don’t leave me, he thought, brushing her cheek with his fingertips.

“Okay, squirt some kolto gel in there and let it sit for a minute, then pack it in as far as you can. Get her back here quickly,” Guss replied, saying a prayer to the force for their safe and swift travel.

Corso injected the stims quickly, and took out his knife to cut away the leather pants and the dirty bandage around Miriah’s wound. “Bow, can you hand me that gel?” he asked, seeing the big Wookie pacing. Corso squirted the thick gel into the wound, watched it firm up, and started to push it into the wound with his fingers. Wow this is really deep, he realized. When he couldn’t pack it in any further, he filled the rest of the wound and wrapped a dressing around Miriah’s leg. When he pulled it tight, she groaned, the first response he’d gotten from her. “Miriah, can you hear me, sweetheart?” He waited but there was no further response from her.

Miriah was floating along in her mind, images coming forth without any continuity. She saw her sisters and her mother, back when she was a girl on Tython. She saw her crew. Then she saw Corso, and he looked so real, so close she could almost touch him. She reached out her hand, just as something tugged on her leg, making her cry out in pain before drifting under again.

“How are we going to get her back to the ship?” Bow asked, packing the speeders up for the trip.

“I’m going to hold her in front of me,” Corso replied, picking Miriah up from the ground, feeling the burn of his own recent wound as he did. He didn’t care, he just wanted to get back to the ship, get Miriah where she had the best chance to heal.

“How?” the Wookie asked. “She can’t hold on, and you can’t use both hands.” He thought for a few moments, then shrugged. “I just can’t see a way.”

“I’ll hold her with one arm,” Corso explained, “and drive with the other. We won’t be able to fly, but we’ll get there.” Bow nodded, it was really the only way, and went to steady the speeder while Corso got on. Then Bow lifted his captain and placed her in her husband’s arms. When Corso nodded at him, he stepped away and mounted his own speeder, and they set off.

They drove slowly, Miriah’s face burning against Corso’s scar. After about half an hour, they stopped. Corso had to reposition Miriah, and when he did, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. I will get you back, and you will recover. You have to, love. Her limp body hung over the side of the speeder, and he checked her wound. It had started to weep through the bandage, and he debated with himself over whether to change it. The thunder that started overhead made his decision for him, and they set off again, hoping to at least find shelter before the storm. They found a large overhang of rock, and pulled under it just as the drops started to fall. Bow took Miriah so that Corso could dismount, and pulled his own bag off the speeder to lay her on. Corso dug around in the medical bag and found the scanner, almost afraid of what it would say. There was no change, and he debated with himself about calling Guss again. Instead, he cut away the now soaked bandage and used bottled water to clean the wound before repacking and redressing it. Even when he knew he must be hurting her, Miriah didn’t make a sound.

Miriah felt her body being carried and lowered, and wondered what kind of beast would do that. She had no idea that she was being cared for, instead all she knew was her fevered dreams and visions. She felt herself start to shake, and wished the pain would end, every movement sending waves of white-hot agony through her body. She tried to fight it, but there was no use. Her resilience was gone, and she couldn’t muster enough strength to even open her eyes.

Corso was just finishing the dressing when Miriah started to shiver, just a little at first but then violently. He put his arms around her, trying to soothe her, and startled when Bow wrapped them both in a blanket. After a few minutes, the shivering slowed to being intermittent, and Corso let out the breath he’d been holding. “I don’t know, Bow, seems like we need to figure out a way to get her back faster. I’m afraid she’s so sick, she won’t make it if we can’t get her somewhere warm and dry.” He looked around at where they were, and knew it was still a very long ride back to the Republic outpost.

“Didn’t that officer at the outpost give you his contact info? Maybe he can send transport,” Bow replied, seeing the huge grin that took over Corso’s face at the thought.

“Great thinking, Bow,” Corso told his friend, fishing out his datapad to send a message. They settled back to await an answer and the end of the rain, Corso still holding Miriah close, his body heat easing her tremors. They’d been sitting awhile, Corso drifting in and out of a fitful doze, when his holo chimed. It was the Republic officer, telling him they were sending medical transport to their location. After thanking him, Corso slipped out of the blanket and wrapped Miriah up in it. He stood and stretched, just as the violent shivering shook her. He quickly picked her up again, setting her against him. Hurry, he thought, please!

Life as part of the force is very strange, Miriah thought. She could feel herself being moved around, then very bright lights, then sudden darkness. Hot, then cold, then hot again. I thought it would be painless, but this is horrible, she realized. She felt what little was left in her stomach rise as her leg was prodded, and after expelling the water, she collapsed again, the pain and nausea too much to bear.

Corso stood with Bow, watching the medical transport lift off, his one and only heart aboard. They watched until they couldn’t see the shuttle any longer, then hopped on their speeders, pushing them until they whined in protest, toward the Republic outpost. Corso had alerted Risha to their plans, and she was standing by with Akaavi at the outpost, both of them anxious to see Miriah. Guss had talked to him for a minute, telling him that she was too far post injury to put in a kolto tank, but that there were antitoxins for the makrin poison available. That helped a little, Corso mused. His attention was focused on the path in front of him, and he didn’t see the three Regulators to his left until he heard the shots.

“Just keep going,” Bow said over the relay link. “We can outrun them easily.” Bow cut the link to muffle his grunt when he took a hit to his arm, but he kept his speeder fully throttled. He would not stop, not now, not when they were almost a whole crew again. He leaned forward and ducked, knowing he’d be out of range in a few seconds.

Corso saw Bow swerve out of the corner of his vision, but the Wookie steadied his speeder and they streaked out of range of the shooters. They were coming to a light bridge, and Corso could see armed soldiers there. He stopped far enough out to get his blaster rifle ready, and Bow drew his vibrosword. Quickly they took out the small group there, and wasted no time getting back to the speeders.

Miriah was warm. Finally, she thought. This must be the real force, because I don’t hurt anymore. She tried to move but found she couldn’t, and it was okay with her. She thought again of Corso, of how they’d planned to grow old together. I wonder if I can find him in the force, if by being one with the force means we’re all jumbled or are ourselves? Her thoughts wandered, and she found that she was at peace, knowing she’d done all that she could to not only survive but make those who took Corso’s life suffer just as she had. She let herself drift, content in knowing she had overcome all her barriers to others, had forged a relationship with her mother, had truly loved a very good man.

Corso felt something shift inside him, and it urged him faster. She’s letting go, not fighting anymore, he thought. No, darlin’, don’t! He fought down his panic and kept riding, seeing the distant markers of the outpost. The day was waning, and he could see the outline of the shuttle parked to the side of the compound. At least she’s getting care.

Risha and Akaavi sat together in the waiting area, not being allowed in to the treatment room. They both stood when Corso and Bow entered, and Corso could see the tear tracks on Risha’s face. “She’s in there,“ the engineer told him, “but they’re working on her still. Oh, Corso, she was so pale!” Risha held in her sob, but it was evident they were all afraid. Finally they were allowed in to see Miriah, and they approached the softly lit treatment table with care. Corso took her slender hand in his, bending to kiss her cheek.

“She’s still cool, at least. The fever seems to have gone,” he said. He pulled a nearby stool up to the table and sat, intending to stay there until he could look into those silver eyes he loved.

Mirah sensed movement, and felt a hand take hers, soft lips on her face. I’ve thought about Corso so much, now I’m imagining him, she thought. Still, it warmed her heart, and the sensation was so real. Not only did I love him, he loved me. She felt the grief then, and had to shut down that line of thought. I’ll just enjoy this dream, and the feel of his hand, even if it isn’t real. She relaxed, and for the first time since she’d left her ship, actually rested.

Corso felt her muscles tense for a moment, then relax. Her breathing seemed to steady, her vital signs remaining stable. She’s going to be alright, he told himself. She will. He sent Risha and Akaavi back to the ship to get some of her things, and made himself comfortable. Nothing is making me move.

It was the middle of that first night that Miriah started to feel pain again. The sudden onset of it made her cry out and try to move away from whatever was causing the discomfort. She felt the grip on her hand tighten, and swung wide, frightened eyes toward the person beside her. She saw him then, and the shock combined with the pain sent her out again. She doesn’t know I’m not dead, he remembered. Maybe I should let Risha stay here instead. But he just couldn’t leave her, not this sick. Not like this.

It was two days before Miriah began to wake up. Again, the middle of the night seemed to be the right time to her, and she slowly opened her eyes. Corso was beside her, his head on the bed. He’s here? How? Where am I, then? The nurse droid approached her, and confirmed that she was in the medical facility. So he has to be alive, was all along! She watched him sleep, and saw the worry on his face. She reached out a finger, gently touching his sleeping face, and sighed.

It was another week before Miriah was limping along, a week in which the good doctor who had mistakenly told her that Corso was dead had been reassigned. Risha thought it was probably to keep him alive, and Corso agreed with her. Miriah steadily improved, and finally got to be released to her ship.

“Now, can we just go back to Dantooine?” Corso asked her, holding her close on the bridge, and laughed when she only nodded. It was time. Home.