I Promise You

[Lina Ovmar]

The three of them had tumbled through the airlock as instructed, seized by the hands of medics. Mia handed Kade over, fixing those who tried to fuss over her wounds with a cold stare. She slipped away, knowing that Kade and Brent were both in good hands. She needed to be alone, she could feel her grief battling to take hold of her, unwilling to remain boxed and ignored. Fingers touched the wall of the corridor for support, heart hammering in her chest. She found a small observation deck, empty of people. No doubt it was for the staff and they all had their hands full, she closed the door behind her.

The view of Manda'yaim was marred by the wreckage of the station, scrappage and bodies drifted across a the green and grey backdrop that was her home. She'd felt them all die, felt the flicker of fear, the pain and the silence that followed. It was the silence that hurt the most. To know that those eyes would never again see their home, that those hands would touch the face of a loved one, or feel the warmth of an embrace.

She thought of Rel, of Anija, Ordo, Verz...all of them, all of the people she loved and of the distance that had grown between them. Distance she had forced out of what? Fear? Anger? Pain? It didn't matter why she had done it, simply that she had. She sank to her knees, tears cascading silently over her cheeks. She should have died today, but she didn't.

A sob escaped her, and she clasped a hand over her mouth to quiet it.

[member="Anija Betna"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

For a long moment, Anija found herself becoming lost in the comm chatter. But something shook her free of it. a tap on her shoulder, as one of the bridge officers let her know the three were aboard. Now came the solemn task of gathering the dead so that their armor could be returned to whatever surviving family they had. Her chest ached. She took a deep breath and excused herself from the bridge. When she'd finally entered the solitude of the lift, she slumped against the cool metal panelling and leaned her forehead against it for a long moment as she waited for the lift to arrive at its destination.

She'd intended to head to her quarters and rest. But she felt unsettled. Frowning slightly, she slipped out of the lift, and simply tried to relax and let the Force guide her where it would. There were so many people who were grieving, or still in shock. And so many of the crew burned with anger. Not that she blamed them one bit. She was angry too. But she knew that there had to be more to the story than what was on the surface.

Shaking her head, Anija looked up. it was then that she realized where she was. The observation bubble on the crew deck. It wasn't often she came here. But, like many, she found it calming. But, she wasn't alone. it took her a few moments to realize who else was there. And when she did, she let out a breath, the whispered word falling between them. "Ba'vodu...?" she asked, her tone hesitant. The ripples of emotion were strong, and she could see and hear the quiet sobbing which reached her a moment later. Biting her lip, Anija crossed the space in two steps and wrapped Mia in a hug. It had been years since they'd spoken, really. And Anija wasn't really sure what Mia thought of her now.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia turned as the whisper from Anija reached her ears. Drawing in a deep shuddering breath, she looked at her feet, ashamed of her fragility. She didn't expect the hug, jumping slightly as Anija's feet stepped into her vision and arms wrapped around her.

She relaxed, arms wrapping about her niece in return. She stayed like it for a long moment, her tears subsiding. Drawing back she looked at Anija properly for the first time in a long time. Her hand reached up to stroke her cheek.

"Thank you, Ad'ika." She said softly. She stepped away, turning her back on the room to look back at the destruction wrought by a single man. "Do you remember Keldabe?" She asked, not expecting an answer. "All the pain, and the silence. I promised myself that I would never again allow suffering among my people like it again. Yet here we are."

She looked at Anija, gone was the raw emotion, boxed again in the back of her mind, in its place her eyes glitter d with cool anger. "I have failed you, I am sorry."

[member="Anija Betna"]

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

A frown crossed Anija's face at the mention of Keldabe. She remembered it well, though there were times she wished she couldn't remember it. But, for all the trauma from that experience, she had found herself to have grown into a strong woman as a result of that and many other things from her younger years. There was silence between them as she contemplated the scene of destruction spread before them. Years had passed since the attacks on Keldabe. And now... this. She felt her chest tighten in anger for a moment as she gazed out at the smoldering remains of the station.

Her fingers tightened briefly around Mia's shoulders for an instant at those words. "Nayc. We had no way to know what would happen.. or how far it would go..." she whispered in the quiet of the observation bubble. 'We all had given our focus elsewhere, and not kept it where it should have been. Manda'yaim." Her voice was quiet, yet held an edge to it. "And we paid for it. We have to realize that we can't be always out solving the galaxy's problems, we need to be looking after our own." For a moment, she chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. The events at Roche... and here, were leaning heavily towards just that.

The ache in her chest didn't go away. Ember had been one of her closest friends. She'd spent months training with him, and to an extent, she considered him family.But, she wasn't about to let that, or her quest for personal vengeance get in the way. Not now. There was too much at stake for the Clans themselves.