Mand held her breath, waiting for him to elaborate, but he briefly retracted his words.

"I mean, I know how we can find him. Soran boasted that he had a number of bounty hunters permanently on his payroll, and I know one of their names. We should go to the Bounty Hunters' Guild and get information from them. They could tell us where he is."

She wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. Was he truly that delirious? She could hardly keep the incredulity out of her voice. "...you want us to walk into a den of hunters...intentionally...and just ask them to give up a high-profile client of theirs?"

"They're hunters, Kil. Their loyalties lie with credits, whoever pays them the most. They'll tell us whatever we want to know if we offer them the right amount."

As much as she could agree with his point, she sighed and shook her head. "It's too risky. We don't even know for sure if Soran was the one who had Jewel taken."

"And this is a way we can find out - "

"Horatio!" she interrupted him, desperate to get him to see reason. "We have to be smart about how we proceed. The two of us showing up out of nowhere and demanding information on a dangerous spice mogul, the very same man who left both of us to die in an empty asteroid mine twenty years ago, is not smart. We will only attract attention, the wrong kind, and we won't be any help to Jewel if we get ourselves caught in a situation we can't fix."

"Do you have any better ideas, then?" he charged angrily. "Should we just wait around for Wil to wake up, and maybe he'll remember what we need to know? Jewel doesn't have that kind of time. We have to find her, now. We have to go to the Guild."

She held his gaze defiantly, entirely certain that he couldn't have come up with a more ridiculous, foolhardy plan...but also afraid that, like he had said, they truly had no other choice. She was supposed to be his voice of reason, his mindful buffer to keep him from doing something completely inadvisable or dangerous, but she felt herself inexplicably siding with him, and it wearied her. If a hunter had indeed been contracted to kidnap Jewel on Soran's behalf, she and Horatio could potentially get information straight from the source. But what would that information cost? Nevermind the sheer amount of credits, the two of them would definitely have their work cut out for them. Neither had been involved in the criminal underworld for years; would they be able to navigate their way through the Bounty Hunters' Guild tactfully, blending in with some of the most ruthless hunters and mercenaries in the galaxy? Or would they be immediately exposed?

"Yes, Soran left us behind when he packed up his production line in the Paneau sector and disappeared," Horatio ceded, needlessly reminding her of the death sentence they'd narrowly escaped. "He was punishing two spicers he'd discovered were stealing from him, and yeah, we were damn lucky he was in a hurry and was distracted enough to not finish the job himself. He had hired, and killed, Tol and Pel A'Hearn, as far as he knows. Kasimir and Killian Vasch are still out there."

Taking in and releasing a slow breath, Mand closed her eyes briefly, hoping with every bit of sanity she had left that they weren't making a terrible mistake. If he was going to go anyway, with or without her approval, at least she could stay with him and manage his recklessness along the way.

"One condition," she answered with a weary voice. "You let me do the talking."

"But I'm - "

"You let me do the talking."

Horatio clenched his jaw, clearly unwilling to relinquish control. She refused to back down, as well, as she narrowed her eyes, daring him to challenge her, but finally he nodded. She hardly felt at ease with the decision, and neither spoke as she continued to dress his side before they left for the Mid Rim's Ottega System.


Registering a delicate touch lightly brushing circles against the back of his hand brought Wil slowly out of his slumber. It was a relaxing, calming feeling, and even without recognizing her familiar floral scent, he already knew who it was that sat beside him, and it brought a weak smile to his face before he'd even opened his eyes.

He took in a slow breath as he carefully turned his head toward her, afraid the movement would cause him pain. Without any noticeable discomfort, though, his smile broadened, and he looked up at her as she, too, met his gaze.

"Em..."

Embrey's golden amber eyes sparkled briefly with building tears she quickly tamed. "Hi, my handsome Ghost."

He gently gripped her hand in his, studying her weary features intently. It was the pain in her voice that worried him, though, leading his own expression to fall. "...are you okay?"

She furrowed her brows. "Wil...I'm not the one that had a hole in my heart." But he remained expectant, eager for her answer, and she rolled her eyes with a weak sigh. "Yes, I'm fine. Master Natiyr made me rest, and I got more than eight hours of sleep, so I'm perfectly good. But I don't want you to worry about me right now, Wil. Please."

He couldn't agree to her request, so he remained silent, and thankfully she continued after a brief moment. "What about you? How are you feeling?"

A faint smile returned to his face. "I'm alright. Not nearly as sore as I was earlier. I just still feel so...weak."

Embrey nodded, glancing at the lines of fluid hanging over his head. "You lost so much blood, but they're slowly getting it back into you. It'll take time, but you'll get your energy back."

"Have they found Jewel?"

She was so reluctant to answer, he briefly feared the worst. "We haven't heard back from your father yet. He and Mand left Paneau two days ago... They didn't tell us where they went."

His heart fell to his stomach as he looked away. It had already been three days since Jewel had been taken, he'd been told, so how much longer could a five-year-old survive in the custody of a bounty hunter, or worse? Would he get his memory back in time to be of any help to those who were out searching for her?

Sensing his distress, Embrey lightly ran her fingers down his cheek. "Wil..."

"I failed her on Dantooine," he breathed weakly, his eyes no longer focusing. "Just like I'm failing her now."

"Wil, stop. This was not your fault. You did not fail her...your father did. And he failed you, too."

He swallowed as he returned to her, regretting upsetting her. They'd already had this particular discussion about his father before, he remembered that much. "Em..."

But she continued, her words short and full of emotion. "You nearly gave your life for her. You almost died, twice, while they tried to repair your heart. You did everything you possibly could have done for your sister, even after your father cut you out of her life. It is not your fault that you had to try to defend her without knowing all the variables. For that, the blame rests entirely on him, not you."

He gently squeezed her hand. "He did what he thought was best for her. I know you don't agree - "

"You don't, either!"

"No, I don't," he ceded sadly, "but I do understand what he was trying to accomplish. He was trying to protect us both."

Tears had returned to her eyes, but they defiantly remained unshed. "Wil...he hurt you. I know what that did to you. I was right there with you, I felt your pain with you. I know you want to think the best of him, but...I can't forgive him. Not for this. Not after his...his arrogance almost got you killed."

He could appreciate her anger on his behalf, but it only wearied him. Intent on diffusing her frustration, he lifted her hand from his side up to his lips, gently kissing it. "He's not your dad, you don't have to forgive him. Just...don't hurt him when he comes back, okay? He does that enough to himself."

Only slightly amused by his gesture and his request, she sighed heavily to release her tension, tightening her fingers around his as she gazed at him. "...you deserve better."

He grinned. "That's why I have you."

The rest of her anger disappeared as she shook her head and gave a light, embarrassed laugh, a sound he savored knowing he'd almost heard it for the last time just a few days ago. He adored everything about her, as he'd told her frequently over the past months, and he wanted no one else at his side as he recovered. Once he could, he'd join the search for his sister, aided by Embrey's wisdom and guidance...

"...Thaylan's convinced you're going to kill him when he gets back."

Wil blinked, surprised by the divergent topic. "What? Why?"

"Because he allowed me to leave Paneau and come here," she returned with a playful eye roll. "I told him he had no business ordering me around, because I - "

"...I sent that call to you directly."

Immediately meeting his gaze, Embrey's eyes widened with realization as she held her breath. Her reaction confused him until he arrived at the same conclusion in a daze - he had finally remembered something important. He could hardly breathe.

"Wil, you remember!"

"I sent that call to you," he repeated as he nodded, desperately clinging to the fleeting flashes of that moment. "And to the Natiyrs."

He had her full attention. "What else?"

But it had all started to dissolve, despite his total focus. He closed his eyes, bringing a hand to his head as if he could hold his memories in and keep them from leaving him. "I...I don't know. It's so fuzzy... I was already sitting in my ship. The comm panel, it was the Shadow Nova's. But...I don't know why I sent those messages..."

"Did you get some kind of warning?"

He sighed. "I can't remember. Can you bring me the transmission log?"

"...your father took your ship."

Defeated, he closed his eyes again, wracking his brain for anything else he could cling to. He was so frustrated, so annoyed by his inoperable mind, it had finally begun to take a toll on him physically. Embrey gently ran her fingers through his hair in an effort to calm him.

"Easy, Wil," she soothed, worriedly glancing at the vitals monitors above his head. "Please relax. It'll come to you when you're not trying so hard..."

His chest began to deeply ache again, rapidly increasing his breathing rate and sending him into a brief panic - until he felt a heavy hand on his opposite shoulder. He looked up to see Master Natiyr wordlessly at his side once more, effortlessly healing and calming him with the Force. Wil was nothing but grateful for the wise Master's keen intuition that seemed to bring him to his side when he required attention, without any hesitation, and without any restraint.

In only a few short minutes, Wil was already feeling much less anxious, and his chest pain had all but dissipated. It allowed him to release slow breaths and calm himself the rest of the way, his racing mind more fully under his control once more. His vitals monitors had quieted, as well, much to Embrey's visible relief. Sensing his work was done, Master Natiyr lifted his hand from Wil's shoulder, slowly turning to leave without his sightless gaze meeting either of theirs.

"Thank you, Master," Wil offered sincerely, but he continued on out of the room as silent as he had entered, nodding to him with a faint smile as he turned down the hall.

"...can he be your dad instead?"

Wil rolled his eyes with a weak grin. "He has enough on his plate with Cordira's two kids. He doesn't need me to add to the pile."

"And yet, here he is, taking care of you like a dad should. Or at least...like a very close uncle would."

Drained by the brief healing session, Wil could only give a short, light laugh in response, enjoying the silence as she continued to run her fingers through his hair. It was one of his favorite sensations, and one of her favorite habits, he'd come to treasure in their brief intimate encounters. More often than not, the time they spent together was during training, or on an important intel op, and very rarely were they alone together. Depending on how the next few months went, hopefully that would change.

"I hate seeing you like this," she breathed, her voice suddenly weak with worry. "You shouldn't have gone alone..."

"Em..."

"I know you wouldn't have let me go with you, but...you could've pulled Thaylan, Nevo, or even your own brother, just somebody so you wouldn't have faced that hunter by yourself."

A second wave of memories suddenly cascaded through his thoughts, briefly drowning him in the rush of images. He saw himself in his ship, making swift hyperspace calculations, then arriving on Dantooine in the heavy storm, encountering the hunter inside, following him outside for a final clash, collapsing as his father slowed his fall... He couldn't get his words out fast enough.

"I didn't have time to wait. I couldn't wait. Em...the message I got...it...it was anonymous, but all it said was, 'Protect her, now', and it gave me the coordinates. Dantooine. And I was already nearby. I knew I couldn't wait for help. I sent that signal to you and to the Natiyrs, then I flew as fast as I could. I had to go, right then. I just knew."

Stunned by everything he had just unloaded on her, Embrey hardly breathed. "Someone did warn you..."

He nodded, still processing it all himself. "I was...I was already nearby, in the Ottega System. Why, why was I there... Who would have warned me?"

Unsure herself, Embrey shook her head. "We really need your ship's nav and transmission logs."

"I can track it. Dad wouldn't have known where I hid the transponder - "

"Wil - "

" - and he sure won't know how to disable it, at least, not the right way - "

"Wil!" she forcefully interrupted him. "You're not going anywhere!"

Brought back down from his frenzied state, he let go of a short breath, yielding to her once more in his weakened condition. Thankfully she didn't allow him to dwell on it long.

"Give me the transponder code," she offered gently. "I'll get Thaylan on it right away."

He held her gaze a long, silent moment, working up the courage to volley her own mandate back to her. "...you're not going anywhere, either."

Though it was plainly difficult for her to accept, as she'd repeatedly been ordered around by her friends and family already, she eventually nodded. He wasn't expecting, however, for her to carefully lean herself over him, meeting her lips to his in a sweet, effortless kiss. It left him breathless as she adjusted her body with slight discomfort and sat back down beside him, holding tightly to his hand.

"I'll stay here with you."

Her pledge both pleased him and worried him, knowing she wouldn't rest well with either option. She kept to her word, though, handing him a datapad from her pocket to send the information to her brother without leaving his side.