Hoth
Lyran Residence

"He's dead? How? What happened!"

As Swip knelt in front of Elena and embraced her comfortingly, Deilia released her grip on Elena's shoulders and righted herself, closing her eyes briefly as she explained.

"A paralytic gas with a neurotoxin was released into the Banarecc Estate about four hours ago. The canisters containing the gas were attached to the upper levels' windows, and they released it through small holes drilled into the transparisteel. The concentration was greatest in Veon's room, but the survivors who have been interviewed have all said that Veon was able to alert them to the attack before he...succumbed..."

In horrified shock, neither of the Edgepoints could speak. Sirema and Jeric Lyran, standing behind Leikam in the turbolift foyer, became even more saddened as Elena's grief worsened while she heard the news a second time. Feeling his mother's distress, Derek began crying in Sirema's arms, forcing her to console him instead of her daughter. Though she was able to at least prevent her voice from shaking audibly, Deilia wasn't sure how much longer she could keep herself together, either.

"His brother Veron Banarecc is still alive, but he's been in a coma since he was found. He...may not recover."

Still holding Elena as she sobbed, Swip spoke up again, timid. "And the King?"

Deilia shook her head. "King Verojec was elsewhere, so he is safe and unharmed. Veon's sister Vianne and her sons were elsewhere, as well."

Leikam looked haunted. "...who did this?"

"We don't know yet. There is at least one suspect in custody, and they should be interrogating him once he recovers from a stun bolt."

Though still incredibly upset and weak, Elena somehow managed to stand again, stepping toward the turbolift as she had attempted earlier. "I need...I need to see Jec...be with him--he's alone now..."

Swip stood with her, as well, though, wrapping his arms around her once more to halt her progress. "M'lady..."

"Elena, you can't," Deilia repeated gently, stepping in front of her, as well. "Don't you see how dangerous it is right now?"

Becoming suddenly bitter, she forcefully tried to shake Swip's grip, leveling a harsh glare at Deilia. "I don't care!"

"Elena!" Sirema rebuked her with surprise at her reaction, still rocking Derek in her arms to calm him as his cries intensified.

Trying to diffuse Elena's rising anger, Deilia kept her expression and her voice as sympathetic as possible. "Yes, you do... Elena, King Verojec is not alone. The Natiyrs are there with him, as are his Scepter Guards and a few other Royals. He'll be okay, and he'll understand why you can't be there right now."

Even though Elena shook her head and continued refusing to accept Deilia's assurances, her anger dissipated into grief once more. Hoping to calm her, Swip slowly began to walk with her toward her bedroom for her to rest, and though Deilia expected Elena to protest, she went with him, followed closely by her brother Jeric. Leikam turned to Sirema with Derek and gently rubbed the boy's back to comfort him, but Derek only continued to cry, burying his face into Sirema's shoulder. Though reluctant to do so, Deilia had to give her orders quickly before any more precious time went by.

"Leikam, you and Swip are to do anything and everything in your power to keep her here, am I understood? She cannot leave."

Leikam nodded obediently without taking his eyes off Derek, but frustrated, Sirema finally spoke up. "What gives you the right?" she asked angrily, though it eventually faded into sorrow at her daughter's suffering. "She just wants to help..."

Deilia held Sirema's gaze for a long, tense moment, silently debating whether she should answer or not. She could tell Sirema that she was really only acting on her twin brother's overly protective orders, that she actually didn't have the right or even the desire to hold Elena there...but she didn't have the will to betray Koril's trust in her. Her primary duty remained elsewhere, so she hardened her expression before turning to take the turbolift to the topside hangar.

"I will return soon."

Paneau: capital city of Dalon
Dalon Detention Center

He couldn't remember when coming around from a stun bolt had hurt so much before, but every slight movement sent splintering pain up his left arm and down the left side of his back, momentarily preventing him from breathing. Once his muscles had ceased burning, he took in a deep breath -- and paid for it with even more pain. Gritting his teeth through the worst of it, he slowly raised his head and released short, shaky breaths through his nose as he looked around at his...predicament.

The Banarecc who had attacked him, whoever he was, had probably broken a few of his ribs with a powerful elbow jab, Horatio remembered, and the stun bolt to his face had probably sent him backward onto his back, worsening the injury that was apparently responsible for his intense discomfort.

Of course. Just what he needed as he sat alone in a cell that looked all too familiar.

His arms were bound behind him, keeping him in an even more painful position on his chair in the middle of the room, but oddly, his legs were free. If he knew it wasn't going to hurt even more, he'd stand and pace the room to work off his nervous energy that had rapidly built up, thanks to the various scenarios he had running through his head. He was in a detention cell in Dalon, presumably, judging by how similar in appearance it was to the one he had been kept in almost two years prior. It had the same six-pointed star symbol on the dark wall beside him, and the shield that enclosed the room on one side looked out into an empty, silent corridor. No one seemed immediately interested in him, but they were probably watching him closely. Was he being held because of his past crimes against the Natiyrs and the Rys'tihns? Had it been a trap set for him? He hadn't questioned the meeting location, too focused on getting the intel promised to him, but apparently he should have. Now he was at their mercy...and if Mand had anything to say about it, he wouldn't be getting any.

The last time he had seen her, she had promised to kill him on their next meeting, no matter what he was doing or why. He had found it hard to take her threat seriously, though, since she had been healing his pierced lung on the skywalks of Tzymo Labs at the time. But here on Paneau, he was alone, and he was trapped; he had nothing to barter for his life.

The more he thought about it, though, the more he realized that he no longer cared about his own life. He wanted nothing more than to ensure the safety of his sister and his two nephews, and if that meant having to take on a lowlife spice dealer while also dodging Tzymo's lookouts...he'd do it.

But the longer it took him to do so, the less time he feared his sister Recero had left to live. Her mysterious illness had rendered her so weak and helpless that she could hardly move, and he felt powerless to do something for her, save for this mission she had given him. He was only supposed to find her son Max just to tell her if he was alive, but even before Tzymo had sent him after the boy, as well, he had every intention of taking Max and leaving Soran, Max's abusive, spice dealer father, in an unbearable amount of pain.

But how was he supposed to get to Max if he was being detained, denied the chance to meet his contact? A painful sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach was telling him that time was running out on his window to find Max, and he had to before Tzymo did or before Soran and his group left the sector. Anxious, he watched the hallway outside his cell nervously, wishing his captors would deal with him quickly so he could figure out what to do next.

Paneau: capital city of Dalon
Dalon Detention Center

"High Commander," Major Jax addressed Koril as he returned to his side in the detention center's observation room, flanked by a few officers. Koril looked up from the screen showing Horatio's cell after a moment, both eager and dreading to hear what the major had to report.

"Security cams on the Banarecc Estate recorded the canisters being placed," Jax continued, and stepping up to another console, he cued up a recording showing one of the Estate's exterior walls. As Koril watched with his generals, three of the small, light-colored canisters began scaling the wall with thin, insect-like legs, and within a few seconds, they settled on the corners of the third floor windows, their legs retracting into themselves.

"They're droids," Koril observed grimly, looking to Jax with a confused expression as the major nodded. "But the Estate's perimeter sensors would've detected them and set off an alarm. We would've known sooner."

Jax released a hesitant breath. "Not if they were activated after they crossed the barrier."

In disbelief, Koril brought a hand to his face, covering his eyes for a moment as he realized what Jax was implying.

"Someone who had clearance into the Estate brought them inside the grounds," he observed aloud needlessly. Standing beside him, General Alec Kareu, head of the Elite Guard, gave a quiet order to his aide who quickly left, but none of the other eight officers in the room moved in their stunned silence. Again, it had been an attack from within, but this time, it had ended disastrously for more than twenty Paneau, royals and citizens alike. Veon's death had been hard enough for Koril to come to terms with, and not just because he was royalty...he had been a friend.

"I want the visitor logs and the rest of the security feeds --"

"Already on their way over, Sir," Jax answered, anticipating his order. "Major Tidesetter is reporting that the Manor's been scanned thoroughly, and they found no threats there or at any of the other Royal establishments." Pausing briefly, Jax glanced at the console behind Koril. "He woke up?"

Turning back toward it himself, Koril nodded, studying Horatio again. "A few minutes ago. What do we know about what he was doing here?"

General Erro spoke up, consulting a datapad in his hand. "Spaceport control logged him as Kasimir Vasch arriving around midday, and the Banarecc Estate's security cams recorded him landing there minutes later."

Furrowing his brows in surprise, Koril looked back at his officers. "...and no one bothered to run his name or the ship's broadcast codes?"

A blank, unsure expression on each of their faces worsened his frustration until Admiral Sokol finally answered, albeit reluctantly. "We didn't feel there was need to at the time, Sir. It's a nondescript craft, and we were informed this morning, well before he arrived, that it was cleared to land at the Estate."

Koril blinked. "By whom?"

"Specifically, we're not sure, but the authorization code is definitely Banarecc royalty."

Turning back toward the console, Koril crossed his arms over his chest as he again tried to decipher the look on Horatio's face. He hadn't been able to read it since Horatio had regained consciousness, and though he had seen it on him before, it didn't make sense in his present situation. Something was amiss...

"Major," Koril began as he returned to Jax at his side, "look at his expression. What do you see?"

Although somewhat confused by the request, Jax complied. "He seems...anxious, nervous."

Koril nodded. "Do any of you know who he is?" Hearing no responses behind him, he continued. "His name isn't Kasimir Vasch... It's Horatio Sheridan."

"That Huxnel agent who tried to kill you and your wife a few years back?"

"Then he should be nervous. We caught him in the act again."

Though nodding to General Erro's question, Koril looked to Jax once more. "No, he's not afraid of us...not after all he's done for the Huxnel for so long. He knows the worst we could do to him is incarceration; that means nothing to him."

Again, his officers remained silent, allowing him brief time to think. Why had a Banarecc given Horatio clearance to land at the Estate? The former Huxnel agent claimed to have worked with Veon's brother-in-law Joshua Redgrave in the past, but Joshua wouldn't have Banarecc codes. The New Republic squadron commander had even returned to duty in the Core, so he was no longer on Paneau to begin with. If Horatio had carried out such a deadly attack on the Banareccs, his expression would have been more...smug, proud of himself that he had been able to outsmart them. The worry on his face was uncharacteristic, leading Koril to believe that they didn't yet have the whole story...

Hearing another set of footsteps approaching them, Koril looked back to see Mand joining them silently. Her eyes were red and worn with grief, but her expression was hard, refusing to show just how much pain she was really in. She looked between the officers who had all turned to face her, as well, meeting their gazes as she spoke with little emotion.

"Ri is safe with her aunt Vianne," she reported, anticipating their questions about her apprentice. Koril wouldn't have expected anything differently, though, knowing how close Ri had been to her father in recent years. He knew Mand had to be devastated, as they all were, and after having sent her away earlier, his guilt nearly prevented him from even looking at her. He overcame it, though, stepping toward her and embracing his friend to comfort her.

Even in his hold, he could feel all her muscles taut and tense with stress, and she only returned the embrace briefly, instead focused on the console behind him.

"I want to question him."

As Koril stepped back from her, his hands gently resting on her shoulders, he studied her eyes with concern, unsure if she was stable enough to do so. "Mand..."

Her expression and her voice darkened suddenly. "You are not dismissing me again. I am going to get answers out of him. You know I'm the only one who can."

Worried for her, he shook his head carefully, keeping his tone sympathetic and quiet. "Mand, you're upset enough as it is right now, and he's only going to try to make it worse. Because you two have a history, you've got to expect that he'll use it against you to keep from giving anything up."

Though she continued to tremble from her distress as she held his gaze, Mand remained defiant, her eyes softening with pain. "I'm fine. I need to know why...why those two kids are now orphans."

Feeling the pain of their loss even more deeply, Koril closed his eyes briefly to keep himself composed. He, too, had lost his father traumatically, and though he had been almost ten years older than Jec when Merli'il died, Veon's death had to have devastated the young king just the same. To Koril, it felt like he had lost his father all over again.

He released a slow breath as he looked at Mand again, nodding after a moment. "Okay. But we'll be monitoring you closely. If he starts to--"

"I can handle him," she stated flatly as she turned, leaving the observation room for Horatio's cell. She was at its barrier in seconds, and while the guard stationed just beside the cell lowered the shield long enough for her to step inside, Koril watched Horatio's expression intently.

Expectedly, Horatio looked surprised as Mand approached him, but he also seemed...confused. Why wouldn't he be defensive already? After detaining him almost two years earlier when he and another Huxnel agent had tried to kill or at least kidnap Koril and Elena in their bedroom, Horatio had immediately tried to defend his actions before Koril had even said a word to him. He claimed he had only been involved in the attempt to warn them before the other got to them, and Koril had believed him then. But a few months later, when Horatio had left Koril for dead after disappearing with his lifesaving antidote to the Huxnel's cruel virus, Koril was only sure that he couldn't trust anything Horatio said anymore. Was he extending his dishonesty into playing the innocent, ignorant role this time?

Mand's voice was hardly audible from the monitor console. "It wasn't enough that you nearly ruined my friends' lives...you just had to take it a step further. You're enjoying it, aren't you?"

Horatio's confusion only deepened, but he remained silent, forcing Mand to continue.

"Is it worth the credits? Or are you just reveling in the chance to destroy the people I care about? You failed to kill Koril, so you had to move on to someone else."

Finally responsive, Horatio's expression darkened as his eyes narrowed, seemingly insulted by her accusation. "I never intended to hurt Koril. I got him away from Azira; you have no idea what I risked to do that."

Koril furrowed his brows. It was true that Horatio had gotten him off the Huxnel's flagship, but he never could figure out why just a short time later Horatio had essentially left him to die. What did Horatio have to gain by any of it?

Unimpressed, Mand scoffed. "Oh, but you just 'accidentally' left with his antidote?"

"No. I--"

"You took it!" Mand interrupted him angrily. "I watched you, and you lied to me about it!"

"Sir," Jax began worriedly beside him, becoming concerned as much as he was for Mand, but Koril shook his head, continuing to listen.

"Just wait..."

Horatio turned his head away from Mand, looking more annoyed and yet somewhat hesitant to say more. "You still have it all wrong, Kil..."

"Yeah, I was wrong to believe you were ever capable of telling the truth! Your lie nearly cost Koril his life! And now --"

Infuriated, Horatio stood, raising his voice as he met her gaze levelly. "I gave him the antidote before I left!!" He clenched his teeth with a grimace, suffering through some kind of physical pain before he released a quick breath and continued just as intensely. "How else do you think he got better so quickly?"

Stunned, Koril stared at the screen, unsure what to believe. Mand's anger at Horatio remained, though, refusing to accept his claim, until realization slowly softened her expression after a few moments. Grimacing again, Horatio looked to the floor as he reluctantly continued, his voice quiet and defeated once more.

"Yes...Tzymo hired me to bring him the virus and both sets of the antidote. But...I put one of the vials into a line in Koril's arm before I left Agamar... Tzymo could've killed me for it."

It still hadn't sunken in. Horatio had actually...saved his life, twice? Some time after returning home to Paneau, Elena had told him that they had attributed his spontaneous recovery before a replacement antidote could be manufactured to him somehow being aware of and strengthened by his son's birth, even in his deep coma. The thought had comforted him as he struggled to connect with the newborn in the long months he spent recuperating physically and psychologically, but with Horatio confessing that he had actually helped Koril without taking the credit until now, his recovery felt somewhat...sullied. Again, he was left in Horatio's debt, and he didn't know why.

"Sir?" Admiral Sokol asked carefully behind him. "...is that true?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Koril looked back to the Admiral, his expression blank with uncertainty. "I don't know. They told me the virus showed signs of decline before another antidote was made, so...it would fit."

Back inside Horatio's cell, Mand had seemingly recovered from the revelation, returning to the present as her voice wavered. "Even if I believed you...there's no way that would get you absolution for what you did today."

Horatio looked and sounded genuinely surprised. "What? ...I haven't done anything. I just got here."

Mand's expression hardened with anger. "You're going to make me say it. You want to see the look on my face when I do. But I'm not going to give you the satisfaction." She shook her head and crossed her arms as she paused briefly, studying his face. "Why did you do it?"

Again, Horatio looked confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Kil... What happened?"

If Horatio was putting on an act, Koril thought, he was nothing if not consistent. But after working closely with him for so long for the Huxnel, Mand had to know his tells, some small sign that gave away his lie...

Mand's eyes remained narrow and dark as she defiantly refused to accept Horatio's innocence. Koril was even beginning to see fiery rage building in her brown eyes, but within seconds, it was gone, leaving behind only pain that was evident in her voice, as well. "Veon Banarecc was murdered."

Surprised by Horatio's reaction once more, Koril watched with confusion as disbelief and fear quickly swept over Horatio's expression. "No," Horatio breathed as he searched the floor, shaking his head and gritting his teeth in disappointment. He looked lost, but as he met Mand's gaze again, he became alarmed as he understood the dark look that had returned to her eyes. "...I didn't do it, Kil," he buffered defensively. "I have no reason to want him dead."

Koril wasn't sure what to think, but Mand looked far from convinced. "Then what were you doing there!"

Looking somewhat defeated, Horatio struggled to answer, unwilling to explain. "He arranged for me to land there, and I was supposed to meet him. He had information I needed."

Mand's fury only escalated. "So you got it, and then you killed him!"

"No, Kil!" he continued to argue, almost desperate. "I hadn't even seen him yet! I was waiting for him when that other Banarecc attacked me. I needed that intel!"

"What kind of intel could he possibly have that you would need!"

Showing uncharacteristic vulnerability once more, Horatio released a shaky breath as he tightly closed his eyes for a moment, obviously reluctant to respond. Looking to the floor again, he finally found his voice. "The location of a spice dealer...named Soran."

Though still believing him a liar, Mand continued to challenge Horatio, but Koril stared blankly. He could hardly breathe as a sickening feeling overcame him, leaving him numb with shock. He should have known... Without a word to his officers, he left the observation room and made his way toward the cell, hearing the continuing conversation as he went.

"Looking to score a hit?"

"No," Horatio countered with a hint of indignation, seemingly offended. Another long silence hung between the two until... "Soran has my nephew, Max."

Koril sped up his pace--

"You lying, lowlife piece of--"

--and stepped around the corner just in time. "He's telling the truth, Mand."