Elena knew that bringing the Paneau Consul and others present in her office up to date on Koril's condition was going to be difficult to endure, especially since she had to quickly think of some way to explain his current mental state...without actually telling them of the depths of his depression. She was still struggling to understand it herself, and she knew the Paneau were anxious to hear good news about their Head of Security who had been missing for months, so she instead focused on his physical recovery. Hopefully his mood would improve once he felt better.

Consul Neludu smiled kindly as Elena concluded, looking pleased to hear about Koril. "As you've said, my dear, he is in good hands here. He should be able to return home soon?"

Elena shrugged. "I'm not sure. I came here as soon as the medics took him into the med center, so I'll talk to the doctors again once I get back to them. I wanted to first make arrangements for a guard detail for him while we're here on Coruscant."

"Of course, Miss Lyran," the Consul answered, standing to step around her desk. The nine Royal Navy officers who had stood to the side and had remained quiet but attentive as Elena discussed Koril's condition all suddenly straightened their postures as Consul Neludu approached them. The petite old woman directed one of the men forward, gently tugging on his arm with a smile as he reluctantly stepped in front of the others.

"These are the men of Paneau's Edgepoint Squadron," Consul Neludu began. "They have volunteered to be the High Commander's personal guard."

Furrowing her brows, Elena looked at the others. "You're...pilots?"

The officer at Consul Neludu's side bowed slightly to her as he spoke. "Commander Cal Jax, m'lady. We're Paneau's best, and rest assured, we're well-trained guards, as well. We're at the High Commander's service, and yours."

Recalling their earlier conversation, Elena could hardly keep herself from rolling her eyes as she grinned up at her escort, Captain Aurin Jax, who still stood behind her. He smiled, too, shaking his head. She looked back to the other Jax, nodding as she accepted his assertion. Consul Neludu stepped away, allowing the Commander to introduce his men.

"Gray Flisteg, Edgepoint Two," Commander Jax began, patting the shoulder of a lanky older man who nodded. Jax turned slightly to the next man beside him. "And Saross Wip, Edgepoint Three."

The young pilot bowed politely, having to toss his medium length blond hair out of his face as he righted himself with a smile. "Swip, for short, m'lady."

"Malkrin Illio," Jax pointed to another older pilot who nearly immediately spoke over his Commander.

"Mal, please," he countered gruffly. The rest of the pilots gave short laughs, as his dislike for his full name was apparently common knowledge. Grinning, too, Jax continued and stepped up beside one of his youngest pilots who hadn't stopped smiling since Elena had arrived in the Consul's office.

"Edgepoint Five, Jod Brader."

Jod bowed, too, hardly containing his excitement. "A pleasure, m'lady. I've had a large boot to fill, taking the High Commander's spot in this squadron, and it's such an honor to meet you again."

Again? Elena wondered. The expression must've been evident on her face as Commander Jax explained. "High Commander Rys'tihn served four years as Edgepoint Five. We all met you once before at a Security meeting a few months ago, though we weren't formally introduced. We were the ones who made fun of his hair."

Once more the Edgepoints all laughed together, and Elena laughed, too, remembering their prank and how much it had lifted Koril's spirits. So that's where she recognized them from. They were his closest buddies in Paneau's Security Forces, and here they were offering to protect him as any good friends would.

Continuing on, Jax stepped up beside another pilot who easily stood a head taller than his squadmates. "And this is --"

"Tiny," Swip interjected, again garnering laughs from the others. Jax grinned again but quickly corrected his pilot.

"Mennil Leikam," he amended, stepping on to the others quickly. "Kress Tael, Edgepoint Seven, then our Salastryni exchange pilot Daslen, and --"

Again the others interrupted him, almost all of them speaking simultaneously and grinning broadly.

"The Emperor!"

A young, shy pilot on the end laughed and looked down, blushing as Kress shoved him teasingly. Curious, Elena waited for clarification. Though still blushing, the "Emperor" looked up and bowed slightly.

"Emmpallek Teann, m'lady," he said with an embarrassed smile. "My name is ancient Paneau for ruler, so..." he shrugged.

"So he's the Emperor," Jod continued joking, but getting a firm look from Commander Jax, he stopped, and the rest of the Edgepoints followed suit. Stepping in front of them again, Jax turned back to Elena, glancing at his relative standing behind her.

"Anyway, the Edgepoint Squadron, entirely at your service, m'lady. You may assign us however you decide is best for you and for the High Commander. We have several ships here at our disposal, ranging from fighters for escort to medium transport if the space is needed." Pausing briefly, he again looked behind her. "I see you've met my cousin Aurin, and are using him what for what he's best at - baby duty."

Aurin rolled his eyes with a grin as he shook his head, but before he could fight back, Consul Neludu returned to Cal's side, her expression suddenly grim.

"You boys had best save your joking for later and report to the High Commander," she addressed them somberly. Understanding Consul Neludu's tone, Elena felt her heart skip a beat, and as she stood from her seat, the old woman turned to her, looking worried.

"Dr. Onalo is requesting that you return to the med center immediately, Miss Lyran. It seems that they've encountered...trouble with the High Commander's treatment."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

Consul Neludu shook her head. "I'm afraid she did not specify."

Feeling her pulse quicken, Elena glanced about at the Edgepoints who were all looking at her with deep concern. Beside her, Captain Aurin Jax put a hand on her shoulder, and checking on the two caretakers who stood to the side cradling her son Derek as he slept, she swallowed hard, giving her first command to a full squadron and servants under her control.

"I want you all with me. I'll decide where to assign you later."

Commander Jax and his Edgepoints all nodded and filed out immediately, heading for their ships. Elena turned back to the Consul, nodding quickly.

"Thank you, Consul. I'll keep you informed."

The Consul bowed to her respectfully but remained quiet. As they swiftly left the office closely behind the Edgepoints, Elena looked back at Kollie and Raen with Derek, speaking pointedly. "Stay close to me," she ordered, and with Captain Jax at her side, she made her way back to their transport, hoping it would return them to the med center more quickly than they had left it.

If her previous bad luck hadn't proven to anyone that Coruscant itself did not want her there...surely being attacked by a seemingly imaginary beast would drive away any remaining doubt.

Sitting on a bed in the Jedi Temple's small med wing with her legs hanging off the side, Mand sighed dejectedly, watching a few Jedi Masters discussing her encounter out of earshot. After her quick healing and recovery, she had told them every detail of the attack, down to the calculating way the creature had stared her down, but their reactions had been less than sympathetic. Did they not believe her? They had never heard of such a beast before, either, so instead, they questioned the reality of her injuries. She had answered a dozen questions about whether she had fallen into a meditative state, whether she had dabbled in illicit drugs, addressing every other option besides an animal attack.

Apparently her skills were rustier than she originally thought. It was humiliating enough that she had so easily been bested by such a feral beast, but to have wise Jedi Masters believe her mentally unstable was far worse. If the creature was gone and hadn't been seen by anyone else on its way in and out of the Temple, how was she going to make them believe her? She knew she hadn't imagined it, but how could she prove it?

While desperately trying to formulate an answer, a strange series of images flashed in her mind. They were completely unrelated to the attack, and seemingly random, they caught her off guard. Blinking momentarily, she attempted to recall them to identify them, but they were gone. They left her with a faint foreboding feeling, but sure they were simply brought on by the stress she had just endured, she shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

Another image froze her breath in her chest, taking her back six years to the day she was kidnapped in the middle of a busy Coruscant market. She was already aboard her abductor's ship, lying limply on the floor under his control, when several men dressed in pristine white uniforms descended upon her, picking her up by the arms --

"Mand!"

Broken from her recollection, she looked up just in time to see her husband quickly step up to her and embrace her tightly. She hugged him back just as much, glad to be in his arms again.

"Rech," she breathed with relief, but she gasped as she realized where he should be. She pulled back from him, looking confused. "Rech! What are you doing here? Did you finish your test already?"

He searched her face with concern, assessing her condition as he gently brushed his hand over her cheek. "I had to make sure you were okay. What happened?"

"I'm fine," she deflected quickly. "Rech, your test!"

He casually shook his head, though, still looking her over. "They let me postpone it briefly." Seeing her alarm, he continued. "It's alright, I'm almost done, anyway. Mand, what happened to you?"

Satisfied for the time being, she sighed, looking down. "I was attacked by...a very quick, powerful beast. I was in the Training Center, but there was no one else around, except for this...thing." With his hand gently under her chin, he lifted her face up to look him in the eye, and she went on. "It had a nasty spiked tail, that's what injured me the worst. It seemed like it was...waiting, just for me."

Worried, Rech put a hand on her shoulder, presumably double checking her healing. "Do you know what it was?" She shook her head.

"I've never seen anything like it before, and apparently," she said with a dark edge to her voice, "no one else has, either."

Before Rech could counter with another question, one of the Jedi Healers who had worked on her earlier stepped back into the room, looking over her briefly. She was a kind, young Zabrak who hardly looked any older than Mand or Rech, but she was already an accomplished healer and one of the younger instructors at the Temple. She maintained a neutral expression as she addressed Mand, her hands folded in front of her.

"We'd like for you to stay here, Mrs. Natiyr, at least until tomorrow morning," she said quietly. "You're completely healed, but we want to monitor for any other conditions that may arise."

Mand only gave a short nod in response, her expression sour as the Healer left silently. She knew what they wanted to watch for... Though she looked to the floor, Rech again turned her face up.

"Mand?"

Not caring that the Zabrak was still within range of hearing her, Mand hardly contained her voice. "They think I'm crazy," she spat intensely. "They've never heard of such an animal, and no one else saw it, so therefore, I must have made it up and somehow injured myself. They're trying to find any way they can to pin the blame on me, so that it's all up in my head. I --" she stopped shortly, grimacing as her aching intensified the more heated she got. Releasing a slow breath to calm herself, she continued. "I don't know how to convince them, so now they're going to keep me here, I guess to make sure I go insane."

Lightly sweeping her hair back from her face, Rech held her gaze intently, compassion saturating his expression. His voice was soft but strong, easing her anger.

"I believe you."

Feeling her irritation fading, she sighed again, allowing a feeble grin to form. "I've been attacked by everything else, why not an imaginary beast..."

"Mand..."

Looking back up at him, her expression again became grim as she thought back to the encounter. "It was a terrible creature... It was so quick. I don't know how, but I think it was faster than I was. I tried outrunning it, outjumping it, even throwing it against a wall, nothing worked. Even though it had time, something scared it away before it dealt a final blow. I just..." Shaking her head, she brought a hand to her forehead, lowering her voice. "I never thought I'd be so alone in the Temple."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders to comfort her, Rech kissed her on the top of the head. "Well, we won't have to be here much longer. I'll finish my test, they'll let you go, then we don't have to come back here."

"...unless we have to again," she continued for him, "and I will. Coruscant is closer to Paneau than Yavin IV, and since I seem to attract weird animals and people that want to kill me, I need to complete my training sometime so I can carry a lightsaber again. I would've won that fight if I had been able to use a lightsaber, or any weapon, really, against that thing..."

Rech smiled supportively. "I don't doubt that. You've always been a better duelist than I."

Faintly smiling again, Mand leaned against him briefly, but eventually sat back from him with a resigned expression. "You need to get back to your test. I'm fine, and you shouldn't keep them waiting too long."

He turned to face her properly, gazing deeply into her eyes to make sure she was alright. She again smiled weakly, and even though he didn't look convinced, he slowly swept her up into a sweet kiss, then gently touched his forehead to hers.

"I love you," he breathed, broadening her smile.

"I love you, too. Now go, before I do go crazy."

He stepped back, smiling a little as he shook his head. She watched him leave silently, returning to his evaluation, and her smile faded immediately as he disappeared. An ominous feeling returned to her thoughts, and attempting to quell it for the time being, she swung her legs around up onto to bed and laid down on her side, grimacing briefly with lingering soreness as she drifted off to sleep.

Flanked by all nine Edgepoints, Capt. Jax, and Derek's caretakers, Elena and the twelve behind her filled the medical center's hallways as she made her way to Koril's room. Other visitors and medics were only barely able to step out of her way as she walked quickly, but she still feared she wasn't going to get to him in time. Ice-cold blood ran through her veins as an intense fear gripped her; she could feel Koril's life force fading with each passing second, and she knew he already had little drive to live left. She couldn't bear to think that they had fought so hard to get him back, yet he was still slipping away...

Rounding the last corner, Elena sped up her pace, nearly sprinting down the hall. She could hear the Edgepoints keeping up behind her, and she didn't have the heart to tell them to leave. They, too, would want to see Koril and help him, but amidst a flurry of nurses and medics quickly rushing inside with supplies and medications bundled in their arms, she wondered if even she would be granted access into the room. Regardless of whether they wanted her there or not, she forced her way past a few medics, and finally seeing Koril, she froze in terror.

At least seven of the medics were grasping his limbs tightly to immobilize them as his entire body shook with rough tremors. His eyes were rolled upward, and what she could see of his skin was almost bright red, a stark contrast from how she remembered leaving him. Several different critical alarms and beeps were sounding from the various machines he was hooked up to, creating a chaotic atmosphere that was supplemented by the concerned medics who called out a series of tense orders.

"Get more from the other rooms if you have to--"

"Where is that tropalanol?"

"Right here, doctor, but there's not eno--"

"Amti, more fluids, that second one's almost gone--"

"More ice packs, too, he's not cooling fast enough."

"We've got to break this fever, his heart can't take--"

As the seizure finally released its hold of him and he became still again, Elena somehow found herself at his side, shutting out all other sound and movement about her as she looked down on him. Shaking with anxiety, she already knew what she needed to do, and putting her freezing cold palms at his warm neck where she could feel his weak pulse, she concentrated, drawing on the Force to cool his blood as it passed though his vessels under her hands.

She had to think of her home on Hoth, of seeing her parents and her brother again... But her thoughts just as easily shifted to memories of nights with Koril, of the Rys'tihn Manor that had become her new home, to the new life they were preparing to build together with their son. Such emotional reflections chilled her entire body, as Koril had noted on several occasions, and she never thought she would be saving his life with it.

A soft hand on her shoulder brought her out of her concentration, but she didn't open her eyes until she heard the voice behind her. "M'lady," Capt. Jax said quietly, "it worked."

Looking up at the monitors arranged behind Koril, she eventually realized that they had all silenced, even the one that tracked his body temperature. His heart rate was still agonizingly slow, but seemingly stabilized, she lifted her hands from his neck, brushing back his hair from his forehead. She was familiar with the feeling, having been in the same place for most of the past few weeks after finally finding Koril, but as she released a shaky breath, she turned back to the medical team that had reconvened around him and continued his treatment.

"What happened?" she demanded. Dr. Onalo stepped forward, her expression somber.

"We're not sure how, or for how long, but Mr. Rys'tihn's IV fluids were somehow dislodged from his arm. He quickly became dehydrated, which caused a sudden, very high fever. We had trouble getting his temperature down before the seizure began, as you saw, but now that he's gotten fluids and the medications he declined, we can resume his treatment."

Elena blinked, swallowing dryly. "...he refused medication?" Dr. Onalo nodded, and another woman stepped up beside her, nodding, too.

"Adamantly, ma'am. I tried three times to change his mind."

Looking back down at Koril, she again ran her fingers through his hair, her tone hardening. "Then he was left alone."

"We were closely monitoring him, I assure you --"

"I told you specifically that he was in no state to be left by himself," she said as she leveled her pained anger at them. "Did you not understand what I told you about what had happened to him for four months?" Again Capt. Jax's hand on her shoulder changed her focus, and looking just behind the doctor, she saw the Edgepoints lined up along the back of the room, but each wore a troubled expression as they watched her with Koril intently. Their faces were so disheartened, seeing their High Commander and former squadmate so ill, and she knew her reaction wasn't helping them. Taking in a slow breath to calm herself, she returned to Dr. Onalo as the remorseful doctor continued.

"He will not be alone again, you have my word."

"You're right, he won't," Elena answered, feigning confidence as she glanced again at the Edgepoints. "Three of my guards will be stationed with him at all times, and another two will be posted outside his door. In addition, I will be responsible for his care from now on. If you need approval for any medication or treatment, you will get it from me. Am I understood?"

Dr. Onalo nodded sympathetically, looking to her team to get their agreement, as well. Elena glanced beside herself at Capt. Jax, wordlessly designating him to assign the Edgepoints to guard posts, and he accepted the task. As the medics continued their work on Koril, Elena remained beside him, holding his hand tightly and waiting worriedly once again for him to wake up.