Paneau: capital city of Dalon
Royal Security Forces Center
3.2 APC

As Koril continued studying the hundreds of security recordings for the umpteenth time, the commpanel on his desk beeped a signal from Major Jax. The noise startled him from his focus on the screens in front of him, and pausing them all, he answered as Jax's small holo materialized beside him.

"Rys'tihn."

"High Commander, news from the province of Ellomar: ...another spice death this morning, Sir."

Though furious, Koril closed his eyes and brought his hand to his face, covering his mouth as he clenched his jaw. That made forty-three on Paneau.

"But the...good news is we may have caught a break, Sir. The local security forces think they might have gotten a look at the suspect on a street security cam. They've confirmed that the victim visited a diner last night, meeting another person there, and they left together. The recording should be arriving at your desk soon."

Nothing had slowed the number of seemingly random deaths attributed to spice overdoses on Paneau since his own nearly fatal attack more than seven months prior, and they were only just beginning to link all the victims together. Each of the Paneau, men, women, young, old, was seen with a mysterious hooded figure the night before their deaths. None of the witnesses could identify the person, nor could they tell if it was a man or a woman under the cloak. Some couldn't even remember seeing the suspect, which was equally distressing. The suspect's face was always well-hidden in shadow by the surrounding night, and the security feeds that had recorded the suspect with the victims never captured a decent look, either, until now, he hoped.

Another beep from his console indicated that the recording had arrived as Major Jax had said, and feeding it into his main screen, he watched it carefully.

A similar scene had played out a dozen times before, Koril remembered, having watched the other recordings more than twenty times each: a busy but not crowded street surrounded a respectable diner in the evening, and happy couples and families came and went without incident. After watching for a few minutes, Major Jax filled him in.

"The victim was Mav Roddingir, a local gardener who tended the grounds of the Ellomar Governor Mansion. The Governor's Guard is looking into the possibility of a security breach because of the access Roddingir had onto the grounds, but so far, they haven't found anything."

As Jax finished, Koril saw the gardener leaving the diner...with the familiar hooded suspect on his arm. As the robe parted, he could see the petite frame of a woman just underneath it, and under the hood, catching the light from a nearby glowlamp, a brief flash of a smile he knew very well instantly froze him in place in disbelief.

Seeing the change in Koril's expression, Jax became concerned. "Sir? Sir? High Commander!"

Stunned and hardly able to speak, Koril looked over at Jax's holo with a haunted look on his face.

"...I know who it is."

"Sir?"

Quickly entering the information on his console, he sent Jax the same message he was sending the Governors and the Security Chiefs of each of the seventy-six other provinces, updating them all and sending hundreds of guards on the hunt for her.

"Sir," Jax began, doubting what he was reading, "are you certain--"

"Meet me back at the Manor immediately, Major," Koril demanded, grabbing his jacket from his chair behind him. "I will be leaving as soon as the Celestia is ready."

Paneau Sector
Leveyn Asteroid Field
3.2 APC

With only one guard left in the asteroid's rear access corridor, Horatio cautiously stepped toward him, turning his head only just beyond the edge of the curved hall to see. Mand was at his back, nearly breathing down his neck, but he kept her behind him with his arm reached back toward her. He was watching the guard for any sign he had been alerted to their presence, but the human guard easily looked more bored than anything, so hopefully their ruse would work.

"I could've already told you he was alone," Mand whispered heatedly into his ear, quickly earning his ire as he turned back and responded in kind.

"Well, now we know he's alone and bored enough to respond to even your advances."

"Dare me to blow your cover," she demanded darkly, her eyes intense even in the dark hall. "Do it. You'd enjoy the challenge."

Though he knew it would be a low blow, even for him, he had long since tired of her attitude and hoped it would diffuse her anger at him. "Watching you agonize over your infidelity is enjoyment enough for me."

Having struck a nerve in her, her eyes widened and her nostrils flared in fury, but she said nothing in return. If they didn't have a delicate operation ahead of them, she might have killed him on the spot; but dedicated to their mission, she withheld herself, demonstrating fierce discipline he had come to expect from her.

Actually, he had come to depend on it.

He knew she was risking a great deal working with him for so long, especially after what he had done to her in the past, and if he was honest with himself, he hated their plan as much as she did. Even though she somehow found a way to detach herself from her behavior, the way she was having to degrade herself to advance them both within the group was slowly demoralizing her, he feared, and he couldn't stand to watch as she seduced another unwilling participant in their operation. He couldn't let her know he regretted putting her in that position, but he wasn't jealous for her affections...was he?

She gave him a long hard glare before she stepped around him, approaching the guard with a vaguely flirtatious stride. She had shed her jacket a while back in the corridor, giving it to Horatio to use, so all she wore atop her heavy black cargo pants and rough work boots was a form-fitting gray tank, and she knew how to use it well.

Even just listening was difficult to stomach.

"Oh," she laughed sheepishly, "you're not Tol..."

The guard initially sounded gruff and uninterested. "You're not supposed to be down here. Get back up to the lines."

"I was following my brother," she continued casually, "and I thought he went this way." She laughed again, but after a moment, she continued softly, pouring on her charm as she undoubtedly closed in on the guard. "It's really quiet down here... The walls don't even echo."

But at least he was predictable. "Yeah," the guard answered distractedly, "...no echo."

"My brother can just...stay lost for a while...don't you think?"

Hearing no further protest from the guard, Horatio took the opportunity, crouching down to the floor where an ankle-high vent kept regulated air flowing through the asteroid base. He pulled the cover off easily enough and set it aside, moving quickly and quietly so he could disappear into the vent before someone else made their way toward them. Laying Mand's jacket on the vent's floor, he maneuvered himself onto his back and pulled himself inside, stealthily sliding into it with the jacket easing his movements against the vent's jagged floor. With just enough clearance for his chest but little more room to move, he had to catch the uneven floor with his boot to push himself onward, and finally reaching the target, he pulled a pouch from his belt to begin his work.

Nestled within the vents that had been quickly drilled through the rock also ran a network of cables supplying the asteroid with power and communications, hastily dispersed about the base with little planning. All Horatio had to do was pick through the messy bundle in the dimly lit shaft, cross the right cables and briefly short out the power to the main hangar, halting the movement of spice off the base while the source of the problem was investigated...

Pulling a short vibroknife from his pouch, he clenched it between his teeth as he picked through the cables, looking for the one that supplied the hangar just below him. He could hear the bustling activity as it echoed up to him through the main shaft, and having given Groller enough time to get into place, he continued weaving through the tangled mess. Finally separating it from the rest, he cut through its outer covering with the vibroknife, taking extra care to ensure he wouldn't touch the electrified wires with the blade. Grasping another exposed wire in his hand, he slowly brought the two together, turning his face away from the sparks that were about to fly.

With one loud crack, the power to the hangar cut out, briefly stalling the noise below until a heavy boom sounded up to him as the hangar's main door slammed shut. He had accomplished his part of the mission; as long as Mand kept the guard distracted enough, he could slide back out of the vent without drawing any attention, and they'd both be well clear of the hangar. Almost as soon as he began shifting himself toward the opening, though, his muscles became weak suddenly, and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. Surprised by the rapid onset, he took a deep breath, shaking his head to clear it, but the movement only deepened his vertigo. Something was quickly overpowering him, but he didn't know what, and he couldn't fight it. Reaching out the only way he knew how, he tried to direct his voice toward the hallway where Mand should still be...

"Kil..."

But too weak to say more, his head fell back and his heavy eyes closed, sealing him in unconsciousness.

Paneau: capital city of Dalon
Rys'tihn Manor
3.2 APC

"Sir, I strongly advise you to reconsider this!"

Major Jax could hardly keep up with Koril, having to jog up behind him as he made his way toward the Manor's hangar with a bag containing a few spare blasters in his hand. He wasn't sure if he'd need them, but at least they'd be available.

"We haven't heard anything from Mand, or from Horatio, for that matter, for quite some time," Jax continued pleadingly, trying to get through to him. "We have no way of knowing what kind of progress they've made with the spicers! Soran's group went after Veon for knowing too much about them; what's to stop them from following you?"

"They've taken their shot at me," Koril returned darkly, roughly stowing the bag in a compartment within the Celestia. "For all I know, they could be there already, waiting."

Jax had climbed into the ship with him, staying close on his heels as he followed him to the cockpit. "Sir, she's been safe there all this time. They haven't encountered any problems. If you leave now, it'll only get the spicers' attention."

Koril sat at the familiar controls without hesitation, powering up the Celestia's engines as he prepared her for flight. "I'm bringing them home, Major," he told Jax, guilt weighing heavily in his voice. "I should have a long time ago." Glancing back at him to dismiss him, he gave a quick, final order. "Keep me updated on the search. I want her found immediately, before she can kill anyone else."

Exasperated, Jax tried one last plea. "At least take an escort with you, some Eclipses, or Valors, someone..."

But again, Koril refused. "I'll earn their attention much faster if I have a squadron with me. I'm going alone."

Still frustrated but finally resigning, Jax sighed and sat at the controls, as well, helping him finish the Celestia's warm-up sequence. "Why the sudden change, Sir? Do you think your wife is the next target?"

Feeling his veins chill to ice with the thought, he nodded. "She tried to hurt Elena before. She'd do it again to hurt me."

Worried, too, Jax watched Koril for a moment before speaking again, his voice quieted. "We have teams looking for her in every province right now. We'll find her, Sir."

Koril nodded again to dismiss Jax from the cockpit, sending him back into the Manor as he directed his ship out of the hangar and into Paneau's midnight sky.

Hoth
Lyran Residence
3.2 APC

As Derek's continuous fits of laughter echoed about the main living room, Elena could only smile for a brief moment before a painful kick in the stomach stole her breath momentarily. Still groggy from her midday nap, she took a few slow breaths to wake completely, assessing the infant within her. She was surprised the girl still had enough room to move, let alone deliver such a forceful kick, since she had been running short on space for several weeks now. Laying on her side on the couch for a sleepy hour or two must have shifted things around just enough, giving the baby a window of opportunity she had taken enthusiastically. With the pain subsiding, Elena stretched a little, resituating herself and her large belly to get more comfortable, but Derek's laughter caught her attention again.

As she looked up, she saw Swip standing with Derek, though the boy was hanging upside-down behind him, easily held there by his feet over Swip's shoulder. The Edgepoint pilot laughed along with the two-year-old's infectious giggle, spinning in place a few times to give the boy a thrill. Ever vigilant, though, Kaydee protested as she approached the two.

"Oh, do be careful, Lieutenant Wip! Master Derek is just a small boy..."

Swip grinned. "It's alright, Kaydee. He likes it, right, Derek?"

Derek squealed as he laughed and clapped clumsily, his dark hair hanging straight down from his head. "Again, Sip!"

Not hearing Kaydee's further concerns, Swip spun around with him again a dizzying number of times, and disoriented himself, Swip laughed as he lifted Derek back up over his shoulder. He held tightly to Derek's hands as he put him down on his feet again, watching the boy as he struggled to stand, though both still grinning ear to ear. Regaining his balance, Derek saw Elena awake on the couch, and quickly shedding Swip's grasp, he ran over to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck.

"I fly, mommy!" he told her excitedly, making her laugh as she smoothed his disheveled hair with her hand.

"I know, I saw," she said as she gently kissed him at his temple. He didn't linger for long, though, releasing her as he ran across the room with his arms held out on each side, making whooshing sounds to imitate a starfighter.

"I fly like daddy!"

Having "flown" all around the room, Derek continued on and disappeared down an adjacent hallway, still making noises as he went. Kaydee quickly followed after him, and even though the droid probably couldn't keep up, Swip laughed and shook his head as he stepped over to Elena, looking a bit guilty through his grin.

"Sorry... We woke you up, didn't we?"

But she shook her head to dismiss his regret. "It's a good thing to wake up to." Taking another moment to stretch lightly, she held her hand out to him, needing a little help to sit up. He took it and supported her lower shoulder as she righted herself, having to shift and arch her back to keep her baby happy. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful, and she received another foot to the stomach. Grimacing as she rolled her head back, she sighed irritatedly.

"Oh, this one has a lot of attitude. I don't remember Derek being so..."

"Jealous?"

Elena furrowed her brows, unsure what he meant. Swip simply shrugged with another grin. "Seems like she's anxious to join her brother, to get in on all the fun he's having."

Nodding in agreement, she rolled her eyes. "Derek was certainly gentler about it, that's for sure." Looking at him for a long moment, she was suddenly curious. "What makes you so good with kids, Swip?"

Again he grinned. "Well, with five younger brothers, I kind of have to be."

Elena blinked. "Five?"

"And two older sisters. Joining the Royal Navy was like going on a permanent vacation."

Though she could hardly imagine having a family that large, she could appreciate the draw; a busy, chaotic home like that would never be boring, nor would it ever be lonely. But with so much else vying for her attention, like the Jedi Order or Paneau's fragile government, she knew she could never have it.

"I am not having that many children. These two will be enough for now." Promptly receiving a third ironic kick, she gasped and held her breath for a moment, drawing on the Force to calm her frustration. No class at the Jedi Academy could have prepared her for this portion of motherhood...

Seeing her discomfort again, Swip winced sympathetically, too, extending his hand to her. "Maybe you should stand up and stretch out a little."

She nodded as she grasped his hand once more and awkwardly pulled herself up onto her feet, having to hold onto his arm to steady herself as she put a hand on her back. "Derek was not this demanding. I would've...remembered..."

Falling deep into memories of the waning days she spent at Koril's side before Derek was born, she even felt the same raw emotions... Fear, worry, pain, and sadness over Koril's deteriorating condition because of the Huxnel virus, all of which would've held her attention longer than one fleeting instance of physical discomfort. She also hadn't carried Derek as long; she began premature labor with him before they had even found Koril, and the stress she endured for the following month forced her to deliver Derek several weeks early. Thankfully, he had been strong enough to survive, and he had finally caught up to his age in size and weight while spending his second birthday on Hoth with the Lyrans. Able to devote all of her time and attention to both Derek and her unborn daughter over the past eight months, she realized just how much she had missed and ignored in the final months of her pregnancy with Derek.

Bringing her back to the present, Swip stood in front of her, grasping her gently by her shoulders as he searched her face with concern. "M'lady?"

She nodded to dismiss his worry, even trying to smile a little for him. "I'm alright." Looking down at her stomach that had finally stilled, she gave a short laugh. "I guess she's got enough room now."

"You should be resting, Elena," Sirema told her softly as she stepped into the room with Derek on her hip. Elena rolled her eyes with her back to Sirema so only Swip could see it.

"I have been," she answered tiredly, turning back to see Deilia following Sirema, which surprised her. She would've expected the order to come from Deilia, whose only interest was in keeping the baby, another Rys'tihn heir, healthy, the whole reason Elena had been sequestered on Hoth. But her mother Sirema had taken the overprotective role from Deilia, albeit somewhat angrily, after Elena's serious depression had manifested as a potentially fatal fever several months back. She and her baby had emerged from the episode unscathed, but still, Deilia kept them all confined to the Lyran's underground complex, and though it frustrated her, Elena had come to terms with it over the months.

"You do look a bit run down," Deilia added carefully, her expression more sympathetic than anything.

"Well, carrying all this around," she sighed, indicating her stomach, "I think I have a right to be."

But Deilia persisted. "Please, you need to take care of yourself. Koril would never forgive me--"

Stopping suddenly, Deilia looked away from them all, shaking slightly though her muscles were tense with...fear? Confused by her reaction, Elena studied her guilty expression while she thought.

Of course, Koril would be upset with Deilia if she allowed Elena or the baby to get hurt or suffer ill health; any husband and father would, and it was her most important job as a Rys'tihn Ghost Heir to protect her Known Heirs. Why would Deilia suddenly regret saying so aloud? It wasn't a secret to those present in the Lyrans' living room, especially since they had all been there together for so long. The only reason Deilia would react that way...was if something else was a secret to Elena...

The realization hit her hard, stealing her breath as she struggled to comprehend it. Shaking, she could barely speak, let alone form words. "You...you mean, this...this wasn't your doing? This was...this was Koril's order? Keeping me here, trapping me here? All this time?"

"Elena," Deilia tried to defend, her voice equally as shaky. "He had real fears. And I agreed with him...you needed to be somewhere safe."

Stepping away from them, Elena shook her head, looking at Deilia with pained disbelief. "All this time...you knew. You knew, and you never told me?" Glancing at Swip, she did a double take when she saw a similar look of regret on his face. "You, too?" Guilty, too, he avoided her gaze for the first time since it had all begun, deepening her sorrow.

Almost to the point of tears as she reached her hand out to Elena, Sirema looked the most distressed. "Please, sweetheart, calm down..."

But Elena shook her head, stubbornly blinking away tears she refused to shed as she continued moving backward, still trying to process it. She shook with anger and disbelief, feeling betrayed and belittled like she had never been before. Her closest friends, even her family had all been in on it, deceiving her, misleading her...

In shock over it all, she began taking in short, shallow breaths, quickly hyperventilating herself to the point of becoming lightheaded. With her back against a wall, she brought a hand to her head to steady herself, though it did little good while she remained upset. Closest to her, Swip slowly stepped toward her, worried for her state, but she held up a warning hand to him, her expression darkening.

"Don't touch me," she ordered angrily, stopping him from moving any closer. Looking to the rest of them, her anger intensified. "I don't want to see you, any of you! Leave!!"

Before anyone moved or said another word, though, Kaydee casually strolled into the room from a nearby hallway, completely oblivious to the situation.

"Mistress Sirema, Mistress Elena, ther-- oh," Kaydee stopped mid-stride, seeing the tension and emotion in the room. "Oh, oh dear..."

A long, stressful silence hung among the six in the room as even Derek remained quiet in Sirema's arms, but it ended as footsteps sounded from the same hallway Kaydee had just left. Apparently, the droid had come to announce the arrival of a visitor; reaching the room within a few moments, Leikam stepped inside with Koril right behind him.