Koril Rys'tihn never thought he'd feel out of place on a planet he lived on for a little over 12 standard years. Granted, he had never been where he was now; it actually didn't exist in its current capacity while he was there back in his late childhood and teenage years. The New Jedi Temple was only constructed a few years ago after the New Republic's desire to reestablish the Jedi Order on the city-planet was officially implemented by moving some of the Academy's students and instructors there. That had all happened after he had returned to his home planet, and he had rarely been back to Coruscant since.

He hardly knew anything about the mystical Jedi, yet he was surrounded by more than he had ever met in his entire life. Dozens if not hundreds of Jedi hopefuls and Masters were practicing just meters beneath him in the busy training center; he had watched them out the floor-to-ceiling window at the back of his room for hours. They couldn't see him up in the dark room, and only one petite Jedi Master knew of his presence there.

Actually, she was the only person in the galaxy who knew he was still alive; everyone else thought him dead, because that was what everyone was supposed to believe, even his friends. And that was an awkward feeling. He still wasn't sure about his decision, but there was no reversing it. Doing so would possibly jeopardize the lives of more Paneau, and he hoped his knowledge of his planet would shed some light on who was behind the murders.

He hadn't slept at all, and he had no concept of time since he was so far removed from any windows or natural light. For what seemed like days, he had sat in the small, dark room nestled deep within the Temple where Master Kanomin had stashed him away, secretly feeding her information as she brought questions to him. At first she brought him lists of the Scornes' previous victims, and only he was able to piece together that the victims had all once been employees under his late father, Merli'il Rys'tihn, and his Security Council. On a hunch, he had Master Kanomin search the ships that belonged to his father for any further clues, and in the nav computers they found out what Merli'il had been doing the week before his death in the Dalon Palace collapse: the victims' addresses followed Merli'il's ship's nav computer's records exactly. It seemed as if someone had tracked Merli'il, following in his footsteps to execute targets, or perhaps they somehow had access to his ship after his death. Koril hoped his father had just been followed, and that there wasn't even more treachery to be discovered.

Koril had also helped to keep Master Amina Kanomin alive after she had recently moved into the Scornes' crosshairs. Thanks to his identification of the two, Master Kanomin was able to research them and discover that one of Remo's favorite weapons used darts infused with a rare neurotoxin extracted from a vicious nocturnal rodent native to Hoth, the amateur bounty hunter's home planet. She inoculated herself against the destructive neural poison just in time; they attacked her outside the Paneau Consulate where people had gathered to pay their respects to the victims at a small memorial service.

The memorial service at which his dead body was supposed to be.

Once she recovered from the paralytic portion of the toxin, she returned to him, informing him of what had happened. Though she seemed to be unfazed, Koril felt a bit more apprehensive. The Scornes were stepping up their offenses. No longer were ordinary citizens at risk, but now powerful Jedi Masters, as well.

The petite Jedi Master had told him just moments ago that she was leaving the memorial service when the Scornes attacked. Following her quick recovery, she was introduced to a young woman named Tigren Callegari who brought them incredibly important information: an encrypted list of safe places for Veon Banarecc to live that the Rys'tihn protocol droid Kaydee was able to decode, and a similarly encrypted message intended for Koril, the transmission the Scornes were after when they confronted him in his father's apartment.

Though Kaydee had been effectively 'killed' by a blaster bolt to the head less than half a standard hour after his encounter with the Scornes, Master Noor had brought her memory chip to the Tech Center in the Jedi Temple to have its contents read. Their head tech was able to piece together the scrambled message she had received just moments before she was hit, but simply with her codes embedded in her programming, Master Kanomin brought the message to him from the copy Tigren Callegari had in her possession. He had listened to the message intently as Master Kanomin played it for him, but couldn't bring himself to look at the holoimage of his father; it would've been too much.

The sudden influx of revelations nearly overwhelmed him. Suddenly it was all coming together: the message the Scornes were after contained a confession from Merli'il, detailing the dethroned King Banarecc's innocence in the Governor removals he was exiled for; the Scornes were taking out allies of the Crown on the city-planet without mercy to keep them quiet; and Merli'il and possibly others planned for such a cascade of events, giving only a few of Veon's closest loyalists the list of safe houses and safeguarding the information with codes only his droid could decipher.

All this would have died with Koril, and with Master Kanomin, had Remo's bolt done the damage it was intended to have done. Now it was up to him to hopefully set things right and help reveal what all had transpired between the catastrophic Palace collapse and the tumultuous ascent of the power-hungry Governors. He just had to figure out how to do so as a dead man.

Koril sighed, sitting on the floor beside the window, his back resting on the cold stone wall behind him as he gazed out the enormous window onto the training center and reflected on his father's message. If Veon hadn't come up with the plan to remove the troublesome Governors, then why had he taken the blame in the aftermath of the Palace collapse? He confessed to Rech Natiyr that he had orchestrated it all, but now Merli'il was revealing that the fallen monarch had almost no part in it? If Tigren Callegari, the young woman who had brought the encrypted list and gave them valuable insight on what Merli'il's mission had been in the week prior to his death, was to be believed, Merli'il and those most involved with the Governor removals knew that someone had terrible plans for their king. Why hadn't they tried to stop the threats? Why hadn't they just backed down from their plans?

Too many questions, and no one left alive to answer them. One question that did need answering was who had hired the Scornes to execute so many innocent people. On her most recent visit, Master Kanomin informed him that while the total victim count had risen to almost 60, the two mercenaries had been detained – "by no less than your Elena, I'm sure you're glad to know" – and they were being held in New Republic custody. Koril wondered if he would be allowed to hear their interrogations. He most likely wouldn't, considering his status as a murdered victim, but he still wanted to ask. He nodded, standing as he decided that he would bring it up the next time Master Kanomin visited.

The Jedi in the training center below him were nearing the end of their session, but one student in the center strangely began to battle an invisible opponent. Crossing his arms over his chest, Koril watched the 'duel' intently, idly wondering if his mind had hit a breaking point and decided to play odd tricks on him. He concentrated harder, trying to see someone, or something, in the void, and finally he was able to make out a faint, blurring image of another Jedi, dodging and attacking the younger student. An instructor, perhaps? If the instructor intended to demonstrate a technique that allowed one to become invisible during a battle, he wondered if...

Another question for Master Kanomin. Could she make him invisible and get him somewhere else outside the restrictive Temple? Could she keep him invisible for an extended period of time and allow him to move about the planet?

Apparently the time for questions was now. He heard the door at the front of the room open behind him, and he turned to face...more than just Master Kanomin. He furrowed his brows and turned his body more towards the door when he realized that there were at least four people standing in the dimly lit entrance. He was almost afraid to approach them, but something seemed vaguely familiar about the three...

One of them stepped forward. "Koril!"

His heart caught in his throat as he smiled, hearing Elena's voice for the first time in over a month. He was finally close enough to see their faces: Elena, Rech and Mand. To his surprise, they all had the same happy, albeit shocked, expression. Didn't they know?

"You're alive!" Mand breathed. "But they said...the Scornes..."

Koril looked between the three, his own expression falling. "...they didn't tell you?" He watched each of them, but his eyes lingered on Elena, who seemed the least emotional. She, too, was looking at him, and suddenly he was extremely self-conscious; he probably looked awful, with messy hair and tired, red eyes, not to mention a new pink diagonal scar on his forehead.

"They who? Master Kanomin?" Rech looked behind himself back into the hallway where Koril saw Master Kanomin and Master Noor were quietly although animatedly arguing. "Noor's furious. Was she supposed to tell us?"

Koril nodded regretfully and cast his gaze downward. "That was the reason I agreed to it. She was supposed to have let you know so you wouldn't..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. "I'm sorry..."

Rech gripped Koril's shoulder, his expression brightening. "No, no, don't be. You're okay, and that's what matters." Koril looked up and nodded, glancing at Elena occasionally. Rech continued, "So what did happen?" He turned his head a little to inspect Koril's forehead. "Somebody got to you."

Again Koril nodded. "The Scornes did confront me at my father's apartment, just after I ended that transmission with you. They were interested in a message they thought I got from my father –"

"The one Kaydee got?" Mand interjected.

"Yeah, only I never got it. They shot me after I identified one of them by a tattoo."

"And they left you alive?"

"Master Kanomin was at my front door when one of them fired, and she came in to find them gone and me unconscious and not breathing. The bolt had just knocked me out, but apparently my fall knocked the wind out of me."

"Why let everyone think you're dead?" Mand's tone had migrated from elation to confusion. "We could have offered you protection if you thought the Scornes were going to return for you." Koril furrowed his brows. He wasn't sure how to answer that, because he, too, had wondered the same thing. He began to talk, but Master Noor came up behind them and hastily interrupted.

"One of the Scornes has given up the location of Lutin Callegari. Master Lithess and I are taking a rescue team to him."

Rech turned and responded almost immediately. "We're coming with you." Mand had turned as well and nodded in agreement with her husband Rech, but Koril noticed Elena was still looking at him, though she instantly glanced elsewhere. Koril, too, looked down, but Mand had turned back around to him, and with her hand under his chin, she lifted his face and smiled at him. Koril smiled back a little as she embraced him tightly and as Rech clapped him on the shoulder. The Jedi all looked at Elena expectantly.

Elena took a moment to realize the attention on her. She seemed to stumble over her words. "I'll catch up." Satisfied, the two Jedi Masters and two Jedi Knights left quickly, leaving only Elena standing in the doorway.

Koril swallowed. He had been waiting to see her, to talk to her for over a month, but none of his questions were coming to mind. She, too, seemed at a loss for words. He mustered a small, hesitant smile before turning away, stepping toward the back of his small room. The echo off the stone floor and walls told him she was keeping just a few feet behind him.

He stared down at the vacant training center but glanced at her reflection in the transparisteel window. For a brief instant, a look of pain flashed across her face before she suppressed it and spoke.

"Koril, I..."

He continued for her. "...never returned my messages." He looked at her over his shoulder, his expression not betraying his own pain. To his surprise she met and held his gaze as she answered shakily.

"I didn't."

Koril cast his gaze downward, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer to his next question.

"Why."

Long moments of silence passed. He brought a hand up to his forehead, subconsciously tracing his scar with a few fingers. Honestly, he half expected her not to answer, but she made a few small noises before she quietly spoke.

"I was...afraid."

Koril turned to her, looking into her deep eyes. They glistened around the emerald green, but she defiantly held back any tears. His gaze fell to her long, elegant neck, and just atop her bulky Jedi tunic rested his family crest pendant. So Master Kanomin had given it to her and had spoken to her after his attack. Elena realized what he was looking at and self-consciously adjusted her robes, effectively hiding the pendant under her tunic. Koril suddenly looked at her with compassion, removing any hint of harshness from his voice as he spoke.

"What are you afraid of?"

She again locked gazes with him, giving her first strong answer. "Of not being able to reciprocate."

It caught him off guard, but in the back of his mind he almost expected it. It wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Not being able to," he responded carefully, "...or not wanting to?" He watched her expression closely, hoping to catch some kind of bare reading of her true feelings. If she allowed them to surface, that is.

She didn't move, or even blink. Had he gone too far? He turned back to the window, hanging his head. Maybe he had made her decision easier; he only seemed to have made things worse. Sighing, he wondered why the Scornes had left him alive, why Master Kanomin had revived him...

"Elena..." he began, still staring out the window. He didn't want to see her face as he continued, nor did he want her to see his.

"Just say the word...and you'll never hear from me again."

For a second time, she surprised him with an instant answer. "That's not what I want."

He turned to her after a moment, desperately trying to quell his hopes. "What do you want, then?" he asked gently. Her expression struggled to remain neutral but it soon broke, giving way to a sad, scared look he had seen on her only once before, shortly following the Dalon Palace collapse more than a month ago. She stared straight at the floor and opened her mouth to speak a few times before finally saying something.

"I can't tell you."

Koril instantly looked at her with a confused, pained expression, but she wasn't finished.

"...because I don't know."

Though she had closed her eyes and looked down, even in the dim lighting from the training center below he could see the fresh tear stains on her cheeks. So he was hurting her either way. He turned back to the window, feeling his heart wrench into a searing knot. The last thing that had kept him hopeful, kept him from the brink of completely shutting down, wasn't fighting to keep him. Though the Scornes had failed at taking his life, he thought at least that wouldn't have been as painful.

But once again, she surprised him. Though he thought his body had ceased to register any feeling, he felt her cool hand slip into his and take hold. It took a moment for it to register; she had also stepped closer to him without him noticing. She was squeezing his hand, forming his fingers around hers, and she was looking directly at him, her eyes intense.

"I do know..." she breathed quietly, "that I don't want to lose you." Her eyes searched his face before she brought her hand up, gingerly touching his forehead, his scar, and tracing the contours of his face. She continued, even quieter than before. "I already lost you once."

Koril looked away, ashamed for his part in her grief. So she doesn't want him to leave, but she won't commit? He stood there for a moment, working through all she had said just moments ago, though he only became more confused.

Trying to fend off an impending headache, he turned and stepped back towards the darker half of the room, stooping to sit on the cot Master Kanomin had set up for him. He was suddenly feeling light headed, but he wasn't sure if it was stress, or a lasting effect of his wound. Surely the petite Jedi Master had healed it completely, hadn't she?

"Koril, you're pale."

Elena was kneeling directly in front of him, though he hadn't registered any movement in his field of vision after he had sat down. The lighting in the front of the room where they were was minimal, but he could see every detail of her face, at least now that he was looking at it. Her expression was no longer uncertain or pained, but was entirely overwritten with concern and genuine worry. He didn't feel all that bad, just fatigued.

She gently put a hand to his forehead anyway, applying slight pressure with her thumb to different points along his scar. "Is it hurting you?" He shook his head immediately. No, that wasn't the problem... Before he realized it or could protest, she was directing his shoulders down onto the cot, cradling his head as he moved. He settled onto the rough cloth but instantly felt tension throughout his entire body dissipate with the promise of sleep, since he hadn't slept in almost three days. Once again she put her hand on his forehead and an even stranger feeling flowed through his consciousness, much like that of what he had experienced when Master Noor had healed his concussion after the...

"Have you had anything to eat...or drink?"

He shook his head again but countered her before she had the chance to speak. "I'm alright, just...tired." She didn't seem too convinced by his words; she continued to search his face, her own still wrought with worry. Suddenly her expression softened as she ran a hand through his hair and leaned over him. He watched her carefully.

"Here," she said quietly. "Maybe this will help." She held his gaze for a few silent moments before placing a gentle but earnest kiss on his lips. Though briefly stunned, he gave back only a little, unsure of her intent. She had all but denied his feelings for months, but now wanted more?

She held his gaze as she sat back, and to his surprise, she began to smile. He couldn't help but smile, too, as she ran her fingers through his hair again. "Your color's back."

"I told you, I'm just tired."

"You should rest, then."

He started to nod, but for some reason, Master Noor's statement he had said before the others left earlier echoed in his mind. "One of the Scornes has given up the location of Lutin Callegari..." Zane.

"I want to talk to Zane."

Elena looked at him with a mix of surprise and confusion. "...you want to talk to the guys who tried to kill you-did kill you?"

Koril shook his head. "Zane didn't shoot me; I was looking right at him."

"Still, they both attacked you."

He agreed. "But I don't think their intent was to kill me. They just wanted information, that transmission." He thought for a moment. "I probably would've ended up like Lutin Callegari - kidnapped, but alive."

She didn't look too convinced. "I don't think you can leave here just yet. We still don't know if there are other hunters out there on the same trail as the Scornes."

"No one besides the Jedi and Coruscant Security knows that they were captured, right?"

"As far as I know. We didn't want the press to catch wind of it in case there are other hunters."

"Then let me talk to Zane." Still not convinced, Elena sat back as he propped himself up on his elbows and continued. "I don't think Zane is...anywhere near the monster that Remo is. I want to make a deal with him."

"What kind of deal?"

Koril watched her expression. "Give up their employer in exchange for a...lesser sentence."

She shook her head. "I don't think we can offer that... Koril, 61 innocent people...you, included."

"But I don't think Zane ever pulled the trigger. I think he was just the tactician, the extra presence."

"Even if that were true, there are too many victims left behind to let him off easy-"

"Then we get to their employer, anyway, who, to me, is much more at fault here!"

He must've gotten more heated than he thought; Elena was looking at him with an unsure expression, almost seeming uneasy. He sighed, sitting up completely and swinging his legs over to put his feet on the floor as he sat. His attempt at keeping his anger to a minimum was failing. He clenched his jaw before he continued, staring at the floor.

"Yeah, 61 people... 17 families I knew. 17 former government officials who worked under my father and served their planet flawlessly. I need to know...which one of those greedy Governors did this."

"...you think a Governor hired the Scornes?" Koril looked over at her and nodded.

"Think about it. Who else stands to lose power, lose ground, if the people of Paneau learned that their King was not behind the removals he was exiled for? Who else would do everything they could to make sure the power of the Crown would not return and reinstate the monarchy?"

She nodded after a long moment, but still had reservations. He scratched his forehead.

"I want to find out who did this. I want to use it against them, force them to forfeit their power...and return the Crown to a Banarecc."

Her expression hadn't changed.

"You'd be no better than they who took over power in the first place."

"But they took it illegally - there are official procedures outlined in our laws in the event of disasters like this! We'd only be returning power to the rightful ruler." She arched her eyebrows.

"...We?"

Koril nodded. "I'll need help." He added hesitantly after a long pause. "Jec...will need help."

She shook her head. "No, Koril... He's just a kid, he's been through so much already..."

"It's his right, he is Veon's heir! Regardless of what his father did, under Paneau law he is to take the Crown!"

"And how would he be able to run the planet? Most of Veon's officials and supporters, if there were any left in the first place, are in hiding or are dead, thanks to the Scornes."

"There are still considerable numbers on most of the continents, they're just not as outspoken as the opponents. And there are plenty of officials from the Dalon Governor's offices who would form a competent, workable advisory council and preliminary Board."

Koril watched her as she wrestled with her own thoughts, seemingly torn between agreeing with him and adhering to her status as a Jedi Knight, not allowed to get involved. He wondered if he needed to make a better case.

He spoke quietly, gently taking one of her hands into his. "Paneau's been a complete mess. The Governors haven't stopped squabbling over who among them should have the most power. They've disbanded most of the Royal Navy squadrons, scattered the Royal Guard, and they've left the people with little to no security. Our interplanetary relations are suffering, since most of our allies refuse to deal with anyone besides a representative of the monarchy. There's been no order, no stability... Paneau needs someone they can trust, someone as innocent as Jec, to give them hope...and a reason to move forward."

"Koril..." She tightened her hand around his as she struggled to answer. "As much as I agree with you, and as much as I want to, I don't think I can get involved." He looked down, but she hadn't finished. "I'd have to talk to Master Skywalker about it."

The door behind them quietly swept open, and a serene voice spoke from the doorway. "Why not talk to him right now?"

Koril looked up instantly to see none other than Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker standing in the doorway. Clad in his signature simple black suit, he clasped his hands behind his back as he looked at the two with a calm, almost curious expression. Koril quickly stood up, followed closely by Elena, who hastily bowed once she had let go of his hand.

"Master." Koril, too, bowed, but brought a hand up to his head, feeling lightheaded again from all the sudden movement. The Jedi Grand Master nodded to them and stepped inside, closing the door behind him without touching the control pad.

"Koril, good to see you again." As Elena swept a curious glance at Koril, Skywalker smiled sincerely and continued. "And I'm also glad to...see you in good health."

Koril nodded. "Thank you, Sir." He noticed Elena's glance, and decided he'd inform her of how he had worked with the Jedi Grand Master during the Huxnel Invasion on Paneau at a later time.

Skywalker's smile faded a little as he continued. "I apologize for eavesdropping, but I, too, want to know who's been behind these murders." He looked at Koril, furrowing his brows in concentration. "You think Zane will talk?"

Koril shrugged. "He already gave up a hostage they had, why not? He hasn't much left to lose." Skywalker nodded, bringing his hand up to his chin in thought. Elena, however, seemed somewhat alarmed.

"...Master?" She began another question, but a single glance from Skywalker quieted her. Maybe he had said something to her through the Force? Skywalker looked back at him, apparently mulling over what he had just proposed to Elena.

"Is the general populace familiar with Paneau's laws concerning heirs?" Again, Koril shrugged.

"In passing, maybe. They probably assumed the Governors had emergency powers, but the procedures are clearly outlined. The Governors most likely tried to suppress any information about those procedures."

The Jedi Grand Master concentrated for several silent moments before nodding again, seeming to have decided. "In the event that you cannot pinpoint the Scornes' actual employer and get them to cooperate, you can still get word out of the Governors' illegal assumption of power; that may be enough to dissipate their grip." Skywalker turned deliberately and looked at Elena. "But tread lightly, Elena. After the rightful king is installed, you may aid their reorganization, but before that, your unofficial involvement is to be minimal at best, understand?" She nodded strongly and looked at Koril with a neutral expression. Koril turned his attention back to Skywalker to find him visually scanning the length of his body. Though Koril was curious, Skywalker only smiled thinly.

"First, you'll need some...camouflage to leave the Temple. Tell me, do you wear much brown?"