Straining her eyes to see through the darkness, Sakiko sped up her pace, nearly sprinting ahead with her blade at her side. She heard Echo and Volta's swift footsteps keeping up behind her, but soon all sound, all sensations were nonexistent as she encountered what Volta had already seen...and her heart stopped completely.

A solidly framed man lay crumpled on the rocky ground, his face turned away and partially covered by his long, wavy brown hair. An unmistakable Loreean ear pointed up into the air from his bloodied head, and as Sakiko knelt beside him with little strength, she saw the numerous grave injuries all over his body that hadn't been treated at all. Without much conscious thought, she reached her hand back, giving her saber to Volta to hold for ongoing light as she pulled her gloves off and her other hand so delicately brushed his hair from his face...

...but even in the scant lighting, she found no blue Ryuuzaki markings above or below his eyes, and his gray, lifeless features weren't familiar at all.

Profound relief threatened to collapse her, but she drew on the Force to maintain her composure, letting it steady her weakened voice. "He is Loreean," she breathed, "...but he is not my son. They must have been traveling companions." Her fingertips so lightly lingered on the man's forehead as she carefully determined his condition with the Force. "He is gone... His wounds sustained in their crash landing were too severe."

With a gentle, sympathetic hand on her shoulder, Echo lifted her goggles to her forehead and knelt at Sakiko's side. "I'm sorry... We'll help you bring him home so he can be laid to rest where he belongs."

Deeply appreciative of the offer, Sakiko turned to meet the same intensely green-brown eyes she had come to realize were the hallmark of the Sheridans she had once known, bestowed upon the Rys'tihns who now ruled Paneau. The genuine care and concern she had seen in Queen Imalari mere hours ago was mirrored by her daughter just as plainly and sincerely, briefly transporting her to memories of a chance encounter on Coruscant over a century old...

"More footprints continue ahead deeper into the cave," Volta so softly interrupted the silence. "But they grow fainter by the moment. We should keep moving."

Sakiko slowly rose and left the Loreean man's side with a final, delicate caress of his gaunt and frigid face, renewed in her desperate drive to find her son as Volta returned her saber to her. Just how dire was Hadrien's condition, then, if his companion had fared so poorly? Had her boy run out of time, as well? She could still feel the unmistakable draw of the Force, though, pulling her closer and closer to him...

Continuing forward with Volta again leading the way, their silent, tense trek became steeper and even less forgiving than it had previously been. The cave's path narrowed suddenly, only barely passable by their small frames, then turned sharply to the right before it opened to a wide, spacious, and rocky chamber diffusely lit from above. A ceiling of blue-green ice stretched across a jagged gap in the stone overhead, allowing them just enough visibility that Sakiko's saber was no longer needed for its light. She powered it down and returned it to her belt clip, looking up just in time to see faint movement in the distance. One lone humanoid form stumbled and collapsed to his hands and knees against the far wall, and the Force alone kept Sakiko's heart beating.

"Hadrien!"

Crossing the cavern with abandon, Sakiko was at his side within mere moments, kneeling before him as she cupped his face with her hands. His skin was just as pale and deathly cold as his companion's, and his lips were a deep purple, having suffered for so long in the dangerously frigid temperatures. His entire body trembled even as she lifted his head up to meet his unfocused gaze, searching his icy blue eyes with her own that matched.

"Hadrien? Hadrien, I am here with you," she earnestly reassured him, carefully brushing the Force through his sluggish mind to rouse him. The unrelenting cold had locked him in a state of shock that prevented him from responding to her, or even recognizing her, until...

"...Mom?"

Beyond elated to hear his weak voice when she had expected to find him near death or worse, she smiled broadly as she lightly traced her fingers along his strong jaw, looking him over for any serious injuries. Except for the extreme hypothermia she knew he had to be experiencing, she saw only minor scrapes and bruises, nothing anywhere near the trauma his friend had endured. More severe injuries could be hidden, she knew, so treating him quickly was of the utmost importance.

Volta and Echo stepped up just behind them, watching the two carefully as they wordlessly awaited their opportunity to help. Sakiko knew she couldn't handle Hadrien's larger, bulkier frame on her own; he was much taller than she, closer in size to his father than any of their children. The two Paneau women, though, were roughly the same height as each other and only half a head shorter than Hadrien. But could she ask such a strenuous task of them?

"We need to get him to the ship."

Without hesitation, they swept into place in tandem; Echo knelt and drew Hadrien's arm across her shoulders, and Volta lifted his other arm from behind him, ready to similarly take on his weight once Echo pulled him up and away from the rocky wall. They worked so efficiently and so quickly together, so well-practiced as experienced soldiers would be, Sakiko could only assist by leading the way back to her ship, her lightsaber once again held over her head for them to follow through the darkness.

The return to the blizzard outside the cave was just as brutal as she expected it to be, the storm seeming even more merciless for its furor that forced them to work even harder against it. They had Hadrien safely aboard Sakiko's ship within a few minutes, but it was precious time she wasn't sure the young man could afford. Volta and Echo took great care in settling him down on a padded bench in the rear hold as Sakiko raced up to the cockpit, lifting the ramp and powering up the engines. She was more than eager to leave the horrid moon far behind.

"Master," Volta's gentle voice reached up to her at the controls, breaking her concentration. "Allow me to return to the cave and retrieve your fallen friend while you and Echo take your son to Paneau."

Meeting an Arkanian's pure white gaze was something to which Sakiko felt she would never grow accustomed. If it hadn't been for the earnest tone in her words, Sakiko wouldn't have been able to read her at all. Still, she hesitated, reluctant to leave anyone alone in such an unforgiving environment for any reason, but Echo was quick to add her reassurance as she stepped up beside her wife.

"She's done more in worse conditions, Master, I promise you. She'll be fine, and I can fly us home while you stay with your son. Please...let us do this for you."

Echo had pulled her hood and goggles off, revealing for the first time her vibrant blue hair that was spiked and cropped on the right and closely shaved on the left. Volta, too, had shed hers, though her thick white hair was tightly bound in tiny braids that freely cascaded to her waist. The two women appeared to be complete opposites, different in almost every way except for their ongoing selflessness and assistance. Finding it hard to resist their offer once again, Sakiko finally nodded and stood from the controls.

"Be careful, Volta," she pleaded with concern. Volta agreed with a respectful nod, turning to give Echo a light, affectionate kiss before she donned her gear and made her way back out into the ferocious storm. Echo remained similarly focused, hardly letting the rear hatch seal completely before she lifted the ship from the ground to return to the calm of space. And as Sakiko sat beside Hadrien as he comfortably slept under a heavy blanket, she let go of a long, weary breath, her heart nearly complete once more.