"I'm what?"

"Force-sensitive, like me, like Elena. You could control the Force like a Jedi."

Koril was even more confused. Surely Rech was wrong, or joking.

"Do you have any Jedi in your family?"

"No," Koril said cautiously. After a moment, he added, "At least, not that I know of."

Rech nodded, shrugging a little. "It has been known to happen, that the Force manifests in non-sensitives without family inheritance." Rech grinned suddenly. "Must be why you're such a good pilot; quick reflexes are a Jedi trait."

Koril was still at a loss for words. Only one question remained on his mind.

"...How do you know?"

"That test I just did, it was a low-tech but fool-proof way of proving Force-sensitivity. Your power in the Force repelled mine, like two magnets facing each other. But," he paused, his voice falling, "your dream was what had me...curious.

"What you saw wasn't just a nightmare. Mand and I have seen the same thing. We think it's a vision of the future, and apparently it's powerful enough to physically affect us; it's burned Mand and pained me, and obviously it's affected you, too."

Koril nodded. "Elena found a burn that I had no idea about." He lifted his shirt to show Rech the burn on his side, and the Jedi inspected it, nodding.

"Force Lightning burn."

Rech sat back and sighed, thinking for a moment. "Your muscles are sore because they're calcifying, a side effect of the Lightning. I can alleviate that for now, but I'm afraid you may not be able to prevent the vision-dream," he corrected himself, "from reoccurring." He looked up at Koril. "Mand's hardly been able to sleep for weeks, though she's trying some meditations to combat it."

"So, what can I do?"

To Koril's surprise, Rech smiled a little. "I could treat you every day, if you needed. Mand and I will be here for a while."

Koril nodded, mulling over his thoughts. So he could be a Jedi, and his dream was some kind of prophetic vision? He hoped not. He hoped Rech was wrong. As much as he wanted to provide Elena with an equal, somehow he knew he could never come close. The three of them had been training since they were young, and his own training focused solely on flying.

"Quick reflexes are a Jedi trait," Rech had said. As far back as Koril knew, the Rys'tihns had been pilots, serving in the Royal Navy for centuries upon centuries when they weren't monarchs themselves. Surely that was just a coincidence. No one had ever mentioned a Jedi in their lineage. But then, no one had ever asked, that he knew of.

The best recordkeepers in every Royal Family were the Ghost Heirs; they, more than anyone else among the Known Heirs and official records, would know detailed history of the entire family. If only Koril knew how to contact his Ghost Heirs, if only he had been with Elena when she had met Deilia...

Rech broke Koril's concentration. "Let me see what I can do for that wound, okay? Master Noor can finish what's left when he's finished talking with Elena."

Before he knew what he was saying, he had already said it. "Don't tell her."

Rech looked at him, brows furrowed. "Why not? She'll be excited for you."

"Please," he pleaded. Rech's harsher expression prompted his addition. "Let me."

At that, Rech relaxed and nodded, then proceeded to stretch his hand over Koril's gaping wound and close his eyes, concentrating.


Elena stood facing the closed door to Koril's room, her arms crossed tightly over herself. Rech and Master Noor were just inside, combining their efforts to repair Koril's lung. She stayed outside the room, not wanting to disturb them, but subconsciously, something else was also holding her back.

It had only been a few minutes since Noor had concluded his conversation with her, in which he informed her that she was facing disciplinary action for her defiance of Master Skywalker's orders. But Noor also told her he was going to plead her case to the Jedi Grand Master himself. Unfortunately, Master Noor's promise to help her hadn't alleviated her conscience. She knew she'd be facing an inquiry about her actions, she just wished it hadn't come so soon.

Wholly engrossed in her own thoughts, Elena hadn't even noticed Mand's approaching presence, or even the sound of her footsteps echoing in the hallway. She jumped slightly when Mand touched her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Mand apologized quickly, "I didn't mean to startle you." Elena shook her head to dismiss Mand's regret, and also to clear her mind of her previous thoughts.

"Did Vianne and Brylie get you situated?"

Mand nodded. "They set us up in a room on the third floor. The Trislenas' caretakers have Cordira in the basement." She seemed to study Elena's face for a moment before continuing sensitively. "Are you okay?"

Elena held Mand's gaze silently for a few moments, not answering. She finally released a breath as Mand pulled her into a tight hug. Mand had been her closest friend ever since the two had worked together to save Paneau from its Imperial invaders some seven years ago. If anybody could understand what Elena was facing, it was Mand.

"Don't worry," she soothed. "Master Noor knows how to work for the best outcome." Mand released Elena and smiled a little at her. "I mean, look at me. He pulled all the strings he could for me, remember?"

Elena couldn't help but smile wanly, too, nodding in agreement. The Jedi Master had taken almost sole responsibility for tracking Mand after her kidnapping, working through any organization he could convince to cooperate to help find the missing teen. In the four-year process, he had built strong relationships with both Rech and Elena, as well, taking to the three as if they were his apprentices. And even after Mand's rescue, Noor hadn't let them down, keeping Rech and Mand one step ahead of a dangerous bounty hunter and saving Koril from permanent vision damage in the aftermath of the Dalon Palace collapse.

Glad to see her comforted somewhat, Mand turned and began to lead Elena down the hall, seemingly attempting to distract her.

"This place is magnificent," Mand breathed. "I can't believe Koril never invited us over."

"Yeah, the first time I came here was right before we were asked to leave. And even before the Palace disaster, he never mentioned it at all..." Elena trailed off, remembering Koril's request to tell Rech and Mand about his status as a Royal himself. Mand didn't seem to notice, as she was more interested in taking in the surrounding hall, ornately decorated with carved statues and brilliant paintings, just like the main floor below. Only the Dalon Palace had been so opulently adorned, and Elena hoped Mand wouldn't make the connection just yet.

Mand evidently took Elena's silence as a sign of her concern for Koril's health. "He'll be fine. He has two of the best Healers on this side of the galaxy working on him."

Surprising herself, Elena smiled and nodded. "I know." She was no longer worried about that since Rech had already been healing him for more than a half hour, but something else was eating at her. As she stared blankly ahead, her smile fell into a pained, troubled look. Concerned, Mand stopped her at a bench underneath a bright window and sat, tugging Elena down into the spot beside her.

"What is it?"

Elena felt strangely numb but exasperated at herself at the same time. She had yet to talk to anyone about it, and though she wanted to, she couldn't quite gather herself enough to focus on the main issue. She decided to start with what had opened the flood gates.

"I finally said it," she spoke, barely above a whisper. She could hardly believe it herself, after denying it for so long, but she had nearly lost Koril twice, and it forced her to realize that she was in love with him. She glanced at Mand, wondering if she understood what was meant. The small but spreading smile on Mand's face told Elena she had, but as Elena's expression remained the same, Mand's began to fall, becoming more curious.

"And that's...bad?"

"No, I meant it," Elena said as she returned her gaze to the floor in front of her. Thankfully Mand remained patient as Elena struggled to piece together and voice her feelings.

"I just don't know that I deserve him."

"Elena..."

"Two times," Elena immediately interjected, looking at her. Mand sat back a little, quieted, understanding her train of thought. "I don't know why, after the first time, I didn't..." she trailed off again, looking down at the cold stone floor, but after a soft laugh came from beside her, she picked her head up to see Mand grinning broadly.

"Why is it funny?" Elena asked, almost hurt. Mand shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said as she neutralized her expression. "It's not." She looked at Elena suddenly with great sympathy as she continued. "I went through the same thing with Rech." Elena softened her expression, though she wasn't entirely sure what Mand meant.

"After he - and you - rescued me, I didn't think I could be the woman he fell in love with before my disappearance. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him, and I thought that if we continued together, I'd...screw up, that I wouldn't be what he expected, what he wanted... The list is endless.

"But," she said with a distant smile, "he assured me that it didn't matter. He had me, and he had me back, and that's all he wanted."

Elena shook her head. "You and Rech are different, though."

"What makes you say that?"

She arched her eyebrows at Mand. "You two were already destined to be together, even before our fiasco on Montar. Everyone could see it."

Mand simply smiled, her eyes glimmering in memory. "You should've seen your face the night you and Koril first danced."

Elena turned her head away, her cheeks flushing. Had she really been that transparent so early on? Apparently she had, if even Mand had noticed in her own engagement bliss. Elena sighed, remembering the soft music that had been playing in the Palace's ballroom when Koril had first taken her hand, leading her out onto the floor. In an elegant but simple lavender evening gown, it was the first time she could remember she had been treated like a lady, free of her rigid Jedi persona for one lavish night that celebrated Paneau's Rebuilding anniversary.

It seemed so long ago that she had first met Koril, though it had hardly been more than a standard year. So much had transpired between that slow, perfect dance and the past few days that saw Koril fight for his life more than once...

"Just give it some time," Mand said quietly, bringing Elena back to the present. "I have a feeling he'll wait as long as it takes."

Elena smiled and hugged Mand again, silently deciding that Koril had waited long enough.


Deilia Rys'tihn angrily tossed her hydrospanner onto the durasteel floor beside her, venting further frustration with a heavy sigh. There was no way she could repair the medical droid anymore. Intent on forcing a rusted bolt off to access a faulty servo, she had inadvertently stripped one of its gears, rendering the droid's main method of motion useless. She'd have to acquire a new droid entirely.

And of course, the droid had broken as soon as the planet's imported supply of medicine had been halted. She couldn't even risk getting herself or her Uncle Cade to a rural medical center anonymously if one of them got hurt. She hated being unable to fix things, and she hated being unprepared even more.

Resigning, Deilia stood from her crouched position, tossed back her light amplification goggles onto her forehead, and wiped the grime off her hands onto a towel tucked into her belt. In the minimal artificial lighting of the small underwater cavern she and Cade Rys'tihn called home, she tucked a stray strand of her blond hair behind her ear and packed up her tool bag. She made her way from the dank cove to the main chamber, doubling over to pass through the short, narrow passageway she had trekked through countless times before. She felt one of her boots slip slightly on the durasteel's damp surface, reminding her she needed to refit them with a new coat of silica. That could wait until later, though; the whole cavern wasn't wet like that, just the front cove where the water from the lake entrance rose with increased atmospheric pressure. The cavern's own air filtration and ventilation system was supposed to counter those changes and adjust the pressure, but it was in need of repairs, too.

Deilia set her tool bag beside her blaster holsters on a desk in her 'room,' a grotto that she had to climb up a long ladder to access. Still frustrated, she sat on her bed in a huff, propping herself up on her thighs with her elbows, dangling her hands between her knees. The smallest things had angered her easily in the past few days, and glancing back up at her desk at her blasters, she finally had to admit to herself why.

All her most reliable, infallible intel had informed her that her brother Koril, the last of the Rys'tihn Known Heirs, had been killed on Coruscant, and she had geared herself up to fulfill her duties as a Ghost Heir, prepared to finally realize the reason for her existence. She almost felt guilty for being so excited, but taking her place in the Rys'tihn Royal Family was what she had been groomed for her entire life.

But how had her intel gotten the information so disastrously wrong? Surely they had gone through all available official and unofficial channels, checked their sources two and three times, and done everything short of carry her brother's body home. Her own life depended on that information, and they knew that. She made an unnecessary, risky venture into the Rys'tihn Manor, but she had done so with the knowledge that it was her duty to secure the remaining crest and take up residence in the family's home.

Somehow, Deilia had expected Koril's girlfriend to be...different. A formal, refined Paneau, not a rugged, non-native Jedi. Meeting Elena had made Deilia question several things, most importantly, her few but pivotal interactions with her father, Merli'il. She recalled him specifically telling her that her twin brother and her mother knew that she had become the Tyro Ghost Heir, and that they would know how to contact her and Merli'il's brother Cade, the Master Ghost Heir. Neither seemed to have been true, provided Koril had been honest with his girl who answered in his stead. Deilia hoped he would have contacted her by now, even though he had been injured, but she hadn't heard from anyone. The comm down in the main chamber had been silent.

Adding to the pile, she pulled her goggles off her head and carelessly tossed them onto her desk, glancing at the viewscreen on the wall beside her bed that displayed another picturesque Paneau sunset. A few clouds in the sky turned the Lexcen Lake just meters over her head into a mosaic of purple and gold, appropriate colors as the planet prepared to welcome a new king. Beautiful as it was, Deilia knew that hardly another soul had the same vantage point as she; the lake itself was a nature preserve, preventing anyone from building or living within 200 kilometers of its shores. The isolation was trying at times, but she had become an excellent swimmer and spent her free time exploring Paneau's largest lake's deepest shelves. The various species of wildlife were fascinating, especially when it came to ideas for improving the cavern's lake entrance security.

A beep from the comm station in the main chamber startled Deilia from her thoughts. She quickly climbed down the ladder, skipping the last few steps to reach the floor faster. Cade remained asleep in his room as she silenced the station's shrill beeping, somewhat disappointed in the hailer's identity. Still, she smiled as Jolani Trislena's worn but elegant features filled the screen.

"Hello, dear," the kind old woman greeted her. "I'm afraid I've some unsettling news." Jolani was the Trislena's Mistress Ghost Heir, and of all the other ten heirs Deilia was in constant contact with, Jolani was the most endearing and friendly. Her usually pleasant face was grim with concern, and Deilia remained silent to hear her message.

"We've gotten word that Veon Banarecc is in trouble. He's disappeared from all our surveillance networks, but we're very sure he's still on Coruscant. His health is failing, and unless we can get our agents back on his trail, he may not survive."

"Have the Banarecc heirs been notified?"

Jolani nodded. "Veolar referred me to you, actually. He's taken the Prophecy quite literally, and insists that you would have the best chance of arranging the Jedi team to find him."

Deilia furrowed her brows in reluctance, realizing what Jolani meant. The Prophecy was quite specific about this event: Only with the death of a Jedi friend does the fallen king return...

"Deilia," Jolani began, understanding her hesitation, "it has to be done. If Veon is not brought back -"

"I know," she said resignedly. "I know." The Prophecy had to be followed; it hadn't been proven wrong yet, and it was coming upon its most pivotal event to play out. Deilia decided she'd study it, refresh her memory, just to make sure she was interpreting it correctly.

"I'll see what I can do," she sighed. "I'll have to break a few rules..."

Jolani just smiled. "You have our permission." And with that, the screen went blank, returning to its normal droning hum.


Koril had just tugged a light jacket on when he heard the door to his room open. Though he was still barefoot, enjoying the stone floor's coolness under his feet, he stepped around the corner into the room's main entry. Elena stood by the door, smiling and once again dressed in her proper Jedi tunic. He smiled, too, as he effortlessly walked over to her. What a difference an hour had made.

"You look good," she said, watching his every move. He even flexed his left arm for her, rotating it as he hadn't been able to without the muscles the spear had damaged or removed.

"Thanks. Rech and Noor did a great job." He pulled his shirt down slightly to show her. "See? Hardly even a scar."

She stepped closer to him, inspecting the spot where a gaping hole had been, but her eyes didn't linger there long. Instead she looked up at him and lifted herself up on her toes, kissing him as she locked her cool hand in his. Though it was a bit of a surprise, it was a welcome one; he gave back happily. If he had still been sore, he wouldn't have noticed.

After a moment, she stood on the floor again, smiling a little as genuinely as he had seen before. Something had changed, but he'd ask later. Something else was on her mind, as well, as her smile faded with the brief silence.

"Everybody's waiting to see you downstairs," she said quietly. He nodded.

"Who's still here?"

"Jethro Trislena and his family, Celia and Dakar Trislena, Vianne and her sons, Veron Banarecc, and all the Ordeels. So, pretty much everyone but Xavius Trislena and his family, and the Gedalls. Kander had her baby just a few hours ago: a boy, Zeek. They've all returned to their family mansion to be with her."

"And Rech and Mand are settled alright?" Elena nodded.

"Like I said, everyone's waiting downstairs."

Koril glanced out the window on the far side of the room, noticing the late hour. Stars were already twinkling in the dark blue backdrop, and the low rumble of a transport ship passing overhead reminded him of his conversation with Rech earlier in the evening.

As if predicting her services being needed, Kaydee stepped through the door. "Master Koril, how wonderful to see you well again!"

"Thank you, Kaydee." Koril glanced at Elena beside him, grinning slightly. "She hasn't left your side, has she?"

Elena shrugged. "Actually, I've hardly seen her."

Koril withheld a laugh of disbelief as he returned to the droid, dampening his expression. "Kaydee, can you get into my father's files and find a deciphering code for me?"

"I'm afraid I cannot, Master Koril. If you are referring to the codes which would unlock the coordinates within your crest, as I told Mistress Elena, I do not possess them."

Koril looked at Elena, confused. She seemed almost hesitant to explain.

"When I met Deilia, she somehow guessed that we didn't know how to reach her. She told me that Kaydee had the deciphering codes, so I asked her earlier today."

"To which I responded that only Master Merli'il possessed them," Kaydee added in her usual matter-of-fact tone. "They simply are not in my programming, I assure you. I would most certainly remember if they were."

Koril furrowed his brows in thought. Kaydee had been damaged when a blaster bolt tore through her skull on Coruscant, and they had never been quite sure if she had retained all of her memories and data when she was rebuilt. She may have lost some things in the bolt's electrical surge, since her head held so much information... That's it.

"Kaydee! What did Master Kanomin do with your old parts and plating? She sent them with us, didn't she?"

"Yes, of course, Master Koril. They were placed in a crate and stowed in a storage room in the lower level, I believe."

Koril didn't even bother with shoes; he started off towards the turbolift, still holding Elena's hand as she kept up with him.

"What is it?" Elena asked, her curiosity piqued. Koril glanced back to make sure Kaydee was following.

"Remember how Kaydee's coverings were so old and beat up? I hope you didn't think we couldn't afford to buy new ones for her." He punched the button for the lower level just as Kaydee stepped into the lift with them. "My father once told me that she was almost more valuable on the outside than on the inside."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I think she does have the codes, just not in her wiring."

Koril hardly allowed the turbolift doors to open before he left it, still dragging Elena by the hand through a maze of hallways in the less visually stimulating basement. He finally arrived at the storage room and keyed in its security code to unlock it.

"It's that white one in the corner, Sir," Kaydee instructed as she trailed behind. Koril wasted no time, nearly jumping over to it to pry its lid open and scour its contents. Elena helped, too, though less energetically, not sure what she was looking for.

In the mix of spare droid parts were Kaydee's old chest plates and arm coverings, and Koril pulled several up to inspect closely. He thought he remembered some kind of weird design on one of her outer plates...

"Koril, look," said Elena with a hint of wonder. She was holding the two halves of Kaydee's old skull casing, which still had a blaster hole in each. What Elena was looking at, however, was the interior surface of each piece. On first glance, the metal appeared jagged and rough, contrasted by its worn but smooth exterior, but after Elena handed him one half, he looked closer, and saw that the entire inner surface was covered with microscopic numbers and characters etched into it.


"Well, this is it."

Koril was standing waist deep in water on a shallow shelf of the Lexcen Lake. After compiling the code scratched into the interior of Kaydee's old fittings the previous night, his pendant's information was unlocked, revealing the coordinates and leading them to the location of the Rys'tihn Ghost Heirs. At least, it was supposed to.

"I don't see anything," Elena said sadly, just steps behind him in the water. Confused, Koril checked the small nav computer he had brought with him. The coordinates matched where he was standing exactly, as he thought they would, but looking around at the eerily silent lake, he saw no structures, no buildings of any kind. His Ghost Heirs lived here?

A bright blue soori fish swam between his legs, followed closely by a tight school of smaller black darts. The water was crystal clear from the surface to the smooth, mottled gray stones underneath his feet, and he could see just a few meters further into the lake where the shelf disappeared and plunged the water's color from a pleasant blue-green to an ominous black. Though the unknown yawning chasm should've been a warning, Koril was determined to find something.

Pulling his compact rebreather from his belt, he glanced back at Elena to see her doing the same. She hadn't hesitated a moment when she agreed to accompany him on the excursion, though she seemed surprised when he had handed her the rebreather. He waited for her to wade closer to his side before they both began approaching the shelf's edge, finally having to submerge completely after a few steps.

Getting used to the rebreather's rhythm took him a few seconds to do, though Elena seemed instantly at ease with hers. She watched him carefully, making sure his worked correctly, and he alleviated her concern with a quick nod. Together they swam the remaining distance to the edge, cautiously peering over into its depths.

Various marine vegetation dotted the rocky and muddy terrain on the nearby outcroppings, each peaking at different elevations throughout the submerged landscape. In an almost perfect alternating pattern, a species of a vibrant purple aquatic vine flower clung to the sides of the descending crags, spiraling down into the darkness below as if beckoning a visitor to a secret that was hidden in the black. Koril looked at Elena and caught her attention, motioning with his hand to follow him down over the edge. She seemed wary at first but nodded, staying at his side as they began swimming straight down.

The purple flowers on the rocks swirled down alongside them, though their radiant color lost no intensity as the light from above diminished. They were glowing the same bright purple as Koril tugged his glow rod off his belt and turned it on, shining it down further into the darkness they hadn't yet reached. Elena also turned her glow rod on beside him, inspecting the rocky wall behind them. The sudden bright light scattered a myriad of small critters that had taken up shelter in the shadows of the uneven surface, forcing Elena to shield her face briefly.

When they had cleared, Koril noticed on the wall the organisms had vacated that a ring of soft blue orb-like lights was slowly beginning to illuminate. Curious, he swam closer, and the lights intensified. He stretched his hand out to touch one blue orb, but snapped it back when he heard a loud thud. The wall seemed to tremble briefly as sediment and debris fell from it, revealing a smooth metal surface inside the lighted ring. Another series of clicks sounded as the metal panel split in two and swooshed open, revealing a circular passageway that extended into the rock, illuminated by the same blue spheres embedded along its metallic sides.

Koril shone his light into the tunnel, which was just barely wide enough for two people to swim side by side through, and looked at Elena for her reaction. Her eyes were wide and alert, but she neither refused nor agreed to proceed. Koril looked ahead again, carefully scanning the corridor. Something about it was drawing him, and it was leading straight back to the coordinates he had just been standing on overhead.

Deciding he needed to investigate, he cautiously swam into the tunnel, glancing back to see Elena follow suit. The lights drew him further and further into it, and up ahead he noticed the lights diverged. One row continued straight forward, while another turned to the right and disappeared as it seemed to travel down. More light seemed to emanate from the new path to the right than the one ahead, and just as he started to make the turn, Elena grabbed his arm tightly.

Her sharp eyes, still beautifully emerald green in the soft blue luminescent glow, were full of alarm. She glanced at the right tunnel then looked back at him, shaking her head. He furrowed his brows, wondering what would cause her so much concern. After taking a quick breath, she pulled her rebreather from her mouth and formed the words, "another person," before returning it. Instead of discouraging him, her warning had intrigued him. Where she hadn't sensed any other sentient being, the prospect of finding someone where his Ghost Heirs should be was exciting. He tugged her along eagerly and finally she eased just as the tunnel dove downward.

After taking her hand, Koril attached his glow rod back to his belt and swam down, his anticipation building. Elena didn't share his excitement, but at least she hadn't abandoned him. The blue lights led them down for what seemed like minutes before finally ending and depositing them into a large underwater cavern. White lights were lighting the brown, rocky walls all around them, even shining up onto the ceiling. Koril guessed it had to be around five or six stories tall with almost nothing but the lights and the rock. But the lights on the brown walls were dim compared to the brightness that seemed to originate around a bend in the cave's layout. Still intent on finding that person Elena sensed, Koril swam forward with her, following the intense light.

Around the bend was a magnificent sight that Koril instantly decided had no peer. From the cave's floor to its ceiling, a vibrant, detailed, and extravagant mosaic covered the far wall. Every color in the spectrum was represented in any number of the various images of people and scenery, and elegantly flowing through and around all the scenes was an ancient script in a variety of sizes. Koril recognized from the largest inscription perched atop the central depiction of a young man that it was written in Paneau's original characters. He had barely had the chance to take it all in when he noticed another swimmer darting about the mosaic at its floor, studying a few areas of the wall intensely. He turned his head to glance at Elena's reaction, but was surprised to see slight confusion on her face.

Just as he turned back at the mosaic, the unknown swimmer whirled around and looked in their direction. An instant later, every single light illuminating the cave switched off, leaving Koril and Elena's glow rods as a minimal source of light, which was easily swallowed by the large cavern. Elena gripped Koril's arm tightly as he tugged his light off his belt and shone it in the general vicinity of where the other swimmer had been, alarmed to see no one there anymore. He heard no noises, and Elena made no movements beside him. His heart was pounding in his ears.

Without warning, Koril felt Elena's hand release his arm as he was simultaneously struck by a powerful, seemingly solid wall of water, knocking his rebreather out of his mouth and his glow rod out of his hand, both of which fell somewhere he could no longer see. The force of it had tumbled him, turned him in all directions so he no longer had bearings. He needed to get reoriented and find Elena, as he was quickly becoming lightheaded without air. Without any lights he saw nothing, heard nothing, until a small intense light was in his face, held there by a semi-masked stranger. He felt a hand grip him by the neck, but the stranger's eyes went wide in sudden surprise and released him, grabbing his arm and pulling him along in some unknown direction. Something about his would-be attacker's eyes kept him from struggling, though he was partially becoming dizzy anyway from the lack of oxygen. He tried to look around to find Elena, but the stranger was pulling him through the dark, and he saw no other movement; his lungs burned, desperate for air...

With a great splash, Koril was hoisted up onto a cold metal floor, gasping and coughing as he realized he was out of the water. He still could see nothing but black, but he heard and felt another rush of water beside him.

"Koril! I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you!" an unknown female voice echoed about. It was impossible to tell where it was coming from, especially through his own choking coughs. Boots clicked on the durasteel floor around his head, and a small click brought a blinding light that flooded the small room. He had hardly recovered and gotten proper breaths when the blond woman bent over him and started to drag him completely out of the water. His legs were still submerged, though he thought he felt a step with his foot. Just as he started to grasp his surroundings, another wave of water rose up as Elena leaped out of the room's watery entrance and landed just beside him.

With water still pouring off her body, Elena extended her hand to the woman, tense and prepared to fight, but something halted her. Neither said a word, and Elena instantly knelt at his side, leaning over him.

"Are you okay?"

He was still breathing heavily, but glad to at least be breathing air, no longer water, he nodded, looking over at the other woman as Elena helped him to stand, supporting him at his waist with her arm behind him.

His mind nearly refused to believe it. It was almost like looking at a younger version of his mother, except that the woman standing in front of him looked more like him than anyone.

"Koril," Elena said shortly, still forcing her own breathing to calm, "meet your twin sister, Deilia."

Deilia just looked regretful, scanning both Koril and Elena for a moment.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Koril opened his mouth to respond, but Elena beat him to it.

"No," she said, looking up at him, "that was me. I Force pushed you out of the way of a dart. I didn't mean to knock your breather away." She gave him an apologetic look.

Deilia spoke up next. "You two startled me, I'm sorry. I forgot that the crest disables the security trips in the tunnels."

Koril's head was spinning, and it wasn't entirely the fault of his recent lack of oxygen. He continued to hold onto Elena, and she steadily held him just as tightly.

Finally, he found his voice. "What was that...that mosaic?" Deilia held his gaze but said nothing until she stepped aside, revealing a short passageway.

"Please, come inside. I'll get some towels, some drinks...and I'll tell you everything you don't yet know." She politely stood beside the opening, suddenly becoming a welcoming host. Elena helped him forward then released him, hunkering down to slowly walk through it. She waited for him on the other side, taking his hand when he emerged.

"Deilia, are you - oh," an older man said as he strode into the main chamber, seeing Koril and Elena standing just inside. Momentarily, he looked alarmed, but he smiled after recognizing Koril. Koril recognized him, too.

"You look just like your father, Koril," he said warmly. Oddly enough, Koril thought the same of him. Deilia stood after making her way through the passageway, tossing her diving equipment she had been wearing into a bin beside them. She returned to face Koril, her face lightening slightly.

"This is Cade, our Master Heir. He's Merli'il and Jaala's brother," Deilia informed him. "Sit, please," she said, indicating an intimate arrangement of plush violet sofas in the center of the chamber, "and don't worry about getting anything wet; you can't ruin anything in here." Cade also invited them to sit while Deilia disappeared into another area.

Elena turned to Koril and caressed his face, searching his eyes to make sure he was okay. He nodded, though he was still coughing sporadically, and she sat with him on one of the sofas, holding his hand tightly. Cade sat opposite them just as Deilia returned with several warm towels. Despite the disapproving look he received from her, Koril wrapped one around Elena first, and she returned the favor.

Still wet and apparently not caring, Deilia sat beside Cade, sighing a little as she looked at her uncle. "Merli'il hadn't even told him about us." Cade sighed, too, and both turned their attention back to Koril.

"We have the codes to your father's files and records, and we also have some of his physical possessions, as well," Cade began. "We can get those to you later." Koril nodded, and his uncle continued. "You obviously found our location. Why didn't you simply contact us? It would've been easier, and frankly, a little less dangerous." Cade shot a glance at Deilia, who looked away regretfully.

"I had to come," Koril said, surprised to find his voice scratchy. "I didn't want to risk an unsecured transmission or being overheard."

Cade nodded understandingly, agreeing. "What all has your father told you about our history?"

Koril hardly suppressed his anger. "Apparently, not much." He could see in Cade and Deilia's expressions that he had gotten his point across. Unaffected, Cade continued.

"The Rys'tihn Ghost Heirs have been the Keepers of the Prophecy for centuries."

Deilia interjected. "That's what you saw on the wall, that mosaic."

"It was created by a Jedi thousands of years ago. He had been on the Security Board for years under a Trislena king, but after he started making bizarre predictions, the king banished him here."

"He was experiencing visions," Elena added, to which Cade nodded.

"Only he hadn't realized they were so far in the future. Everyone thought him crazy and ignored him, until about a century later when the Ordeels succumbed to a rare disease that nearly wiped out the entire family while they were in power, as he had predicted. The Jedi had long since been gone, but the Rys'tihns found his cave, where he had recorded every vision on the wall, as you saw. They made the decision to move their Ghost Heirs here after flooding the area, and it was declared a wildlife preserve by King Lexcen Ordeel.

"The Ghost Heirs of every family know about the Prophecy and its history of being accurate. We all keep a close watch on the planet's events, making sure that things haven't fallen out of place."

Koril mulled things around in his head, trying to grasp the scope of it. "So, was the Dalon Palace collapse predicted?"

Cade and Deilia exchanged grim glances, but they finally both nodded.

"And you didn't do anything about it?" Elena tightened her hand around his.

"We can't, Koril, no matter what the Prophecy says will happen," Deilia said carefully. "To change what is supposed to pass would be to control the future, and that's not what our responsibility is. We are the Guardians of the Legacy of Paneau, nothing more."

"So innocent people have to die - "

"Koril - "

"Yes."

Deilia held Koril's gaze as she answered him strongly, but her expression faltered as Koril asked another question.

"And what about me, was I supposed to die?"

Again Cade and Deilia exchanged glances, and it was Cade who answered him.

"No, you weren't."

Koril was confused. The two seemed puzzled themselves, though they had been so strongly set in their beliefs just moments before. Something about the most recent chain of events visibly unsettled them, as if they had lost control over it and were dumbfounded in its wake.

"That's why we were so confused," Deilia continued quietly. "Something's out of place, and we're not yet sure what it is. We think we're coming up on one of the most important eras of our history, but everything's been going wrong."

Cade looked at Deilia just as she started to speak again, but she quieted.

"Take them to the house," Cade ordered. Deilia nodded obediently and stood, waving her hand for Koril and Elena to follow her to the other side of the chamber where a small, four-person tram awaited them in the dark.