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

With their eighth intense, day-long training session over, Mand had finally granted her apprentice some much needed downtime, which Ri was very eager to share with her uncle and older brother. Though feeling a bit rundown herself, Mand was pleased with the girl's performance, having recently put her through more rigorous physical exercises that challenged her balance, focus, stamina, concentration...test that weren't that much unlike what Mand herself had endured throughout her own childhood. Overcoming her aversion to the memories of her training under a Dark Jedi had been difficult, but finally able to separate those lessons she had learned from the malicious intent behind them, she was slowly beginning to accept her dark past, and she was learning how to apply it to the bright future she had long since envisioned for Ri. Of course, it helped that she had such an excellent learner in the girl as she intently soaked up just about every word, whether it was supposed to be a lesson or not. As Mand continued Ri's training over the past two years, there was no denying that Paneau's Princess was talented; though she still didn't truly recognize her own power in the Force, she was getting small, brief glimpses of her potential in different facets of her exercises. It intensely fueled her desire to learn and push herself further, and Mand easily saw the same thirst that had driven her to her own personal best...

Ri wasn't fighting for her life, though. She was earning the right to honor her dead.

The death of her mother Tascit in the Dalon Palace collapse had an unexpected effect on the girl. Almost five years old at the time, she had definitely felt the pain of her mother's passing, but it hadn't totally destroyed her spirit as Mand had feared it would. Ri clung tightly to her brother Jec and her father Veon in the aftermath, yet as time passed, she didn't remain dependent on them, seeming to understand at such a young age what it would mean to take on the title of Jedi that her mother had proudly achieved. Even the loss of her father two years later as she turned seven hadn't stopped her. As her training continued at an increasing pace, Mand wasn't sure there was anything that could.

Returning to the Rys'tihn Manor's main dining hall for a light, albeit late, dinner, Mand wasn't surprised to hear few sounds coming from the grand room, sure that most of the staff had already left for other duties for the night. As she rounded the corner, though, she wasn't sure what she was walking in on, stopping her immediately. Five kitchen hands, each wearing the same haunted expression on their faces, were painstakingly cleaning up spilled food and dozens of broken dishes that were strewn about the floor. One woman's hands were shaking noticeably as she handled the shards of an expensive plate, and Mand had to speak before any of their gazes lifted from their chore.

"What happened here?"

A man standing closest to her, mopping up what looked like the remains of a light soup, was the only one to answer. "The High Commander, ma'am."

Mand arched her brows in disbelief. "He did this?"

The man nodded. "He was...angry... He overturned the table."

Looking to the other two men and two women still cleaning, Mand watched them all cringe almost simultaneously; the fear in their eyes was unmistakable, but...how could Koril have broken so...violently?

Still in shock, Mand focused on them instead, looking them over with concern. "Are any of you hurt?"

"No, ma'am," the man answered, shaking his head. "We were waiting to clear the table when he..."

She struggled to, no, she couldn't imagine her friend Koril reacting so disturbingly; though he hadn't been himself for months, he had been more reserved and distant than anything, never outwardly angry. "Did something...happen to him? Set him off?"

A woman spoke up as she stood from the floor, carefully balancing several cracked plates and a few glasses in her arms. "No, ma'am, at least, not while he was here. He never said a word, and he hardly even looked at his children as he ate."

"Where are they?"

"The nannies had already taken them back up to the playroom before this happened," the man continued. "He was mostly alone."

Baffled, Mand could hardly think. If he was so upset about something, he obviously needed some kind of release, but how could he have lashed out like this at his own home? Without Elena to comfort him, Mand would have to try to calm him, but she would have to find him first; she couldn't feel his presence in the Manor any longer.

"Do you know where he went?"

The four who had made eye contact with her all shook their heads, but finally, the other woman still kneeling beside the shattered dinnerware spoke up, her voice trembling as much as her hands.

"He headed toward the hangar, but I never heard any ship engines."

Though unsure where he would have gone from there, Mand nodded her thanks, looking to the five with a worried expression of her own. "I'll find him. You all be careful."

They nodded despite still being in a daze as she left, and pulling her comlink from her pocket to reach her husband, she knew the hangar would only be a starting point.

Paneau: remote Naeron Mountain range
Rys'tihn Retreat

As he walked the silent halls of the lavish Retreat, Cade Rys'tihn was suddenly sure he was no longer alone. He wasn't expecting anyone, though, not even any of his covert agents, so the strange feeling put him on edge. His blaster holstered at his side offered him little comfort; the last time he had met unexpected guests in the Retreat, it hadn't done him any good. His chest even still ached from the damage that encounter had done years ago, but as unsettled as he was, there was something about it that was...familiar? Anxious to meet his company, he continued to the small office he occasionally worked out of, hoping to catch a glimpse of the visitor on the security cams...but he was already standing there in the room, waiting.

His nephew Koril had a the same blank look on his face he had worn for weeks, and his eyes were unfocused, seeming to stare straight through him. Koril hadn't yet reacted as Cade stepped into the room, forcing him to cautiously approach the younger Rys'tihn as if he were afraid to startle him.

"Koril, I...I didn't know you were coming."

Koril blinked, almost flinching as he heard Cade's voice, but his distant look remained for several more strained seconds of silence. Then suddenly as though a switch had been flipped, Koril's eyes snapped to attention, meeting his uncle's gaze with a harsh glare.

"I thought it might be harder for you to ignore me if I was standing in front of you."

Apprehensive, Cade released a slow, tired sigh, wearied by the lengthy standoff the two had been engaged in since Deilia's departure. He had hoped to keep Koril satisfied enough to ward off a confrontation like this, but apparently he hadn't been successful. He wasn't too surprised, though, given Koril's recent instability; he just had thought that Koril's wife would've returned sooner...

Intent on keeping his tone careful, Cade tried to preemptively buffer the argument he knew was coming. "It was never my decision, Koril. It's just the way things are done."

But Koril wasn't placated in the slightest. "Where is she?"

Preparing himself for Koril's reaction, Cade hesitated as he stepped further into the office toward a console to the side. "I don't know."

Before he could react, though, Koril lunged at him, shoving his uncle hard against the wall behind him as he grabbed a fistful of Cade's shirt and twisted it in his grip. With only a moment's pause, Koril pressed his clenched hand against Cade's throat, keeping him pinned to the wall with a foreign rage in his eyes. "The hell you don't!"

Surprised by Koril's strength and fury, Cade offered no resistance, only hoping that the clash would speed the release of the deep emotions and turmoil that he had obviously been withholding. Cade had only seen Koril so physical, so desperate one time before, when the life of his unborn son had been threatened by a coma gas attack set off by an acquaintance. But without any of the High Commander's Royal Guard officers around to subdue him as they had before, Cade was on his own.

He had to make it worse before it got any better.

"This...has happened to other Ghost Heirs before, Koril," he continued gruffly, struggling to breathe with his constricted airway. "It's...it's accepted procedure."

Koril's voice became darker as he pressed harder, forcing Cade to cough. "It's not acceptable procedure to me!" The maniacal look left his eyes after a moment, though, replaced by intense emotional pain. "She nearly gave her life for me..."

"I know," Cade choked. "Believe me, I tried t-to get the other Heirs to see that -"

"Then you didn't do enough!" Again Koril tightened his grip, his volume increasing. "If anyone should be removed from their duties...it...it should be me!"

As the words left Koril's mouth, they seemed to suddenly negate his anger, weakening his hold. Cade couldn't help but cough as he resumed breathing again, and even as Koril returned to his lost, vacant gaze, Cade had to respond.

"Koril...you didn't do anything wrong."

Hardly a moment passed as Cade's words sunk in, instantly reverting Koril's expression to his earlier anger. "Neither did she!" He tightened his grip again, pressing his fist further into Cade's neck each second. "You're robbing a little boy of his mother! You couldn't stand that she had a son, not just someone else's child given to her to raise like she had been given to you!"

Though unable to breathe again, Cade forced air out in choked spurts. "I'm...not going...to f-ffight you, Koril..."

Color was beginning to drain from his vision as the tense seconds wore on, but two new familiar voices speaking simultaneously finally broke the silence.

"Koril!"

Alarmed, Rech and Mand Natiyr quickly stepped up beside them, but Koril maintained his grip, his expression unchanging as though he hadn't heard his friends at all. It wasn't until Mand tightly gripped Koril's free arm that he immediately closed his eyes and his face relaxed, letting go of a heavy breath that took all of his tension with it. He still kept his grip at Cade's throat, though, but once Koril opened his eyes and followed Mand's gaze to his uncle, he released immediately, allowing Cade to draw in choked but welcome breaths. Stepping back in shock, Koril looked genuinely surprised and appalled as he realized what he had been doing, concerning them all.

Rech moved closer to the elder Rys'tihn, wordlessly asking if Cade needed a healing hand. Though he was still massaging his bruised throat and coughing sporadically, Cade shook his head, more intent on watching Koril closely. Mand was still at Koril's side holding his arm, and worried for him as he remained anxious and confused, she gently led him to a bench to sit. She sat beside him and rested a hand on his back as he hunched over, holding his head in his hands. He was obviously distraught, but what could have brought on such a...strange episode?

Gently rubbing Koril's back, Mand kept her voice kind and soft as she spoke to him. "Koril... Please talk to us. We can help you."

But beginning to noticeably tremble, Koril shook his head after a few moments, still staring at the floor. "You can't help me."

Mand looked even more worried for him. "Koril..."

But he continued quietly after a moment, slowly sitting up as he looked at her. "...any more than you already have." His eyes were clear of their earlier rage, but Cade could see latent fear remaining, but fear of what? Calmed, at least, Koril nodded. "I'm okay now."

Mand stole a quick, concerned glance at Rech and Cade before she returned to her friend. "Koril, what's going on? We saw what you..." she trailed off, correcting herself, "...what happened in the Manor's dining hall."

As if unsure what she was talking about, Koril furrowed his brows in confusion, though he remained silent. After a few moments, though, realization quickly neutralized his expression, and again, he looked haunted. Unaware of the event, Cade could only assume Koril's attack on him had been a continuation of what had first started at the Manor, deepening his guilt for his nephew's turmoil.

Clearing his throat to test his rough voice, Cade spoke up in the silence, looking to Rech and Mand. "Could you...give us a few minutes?"

Caught off guard by the request, Mand looked up with uncertainty to Rech who was still standing beside Cade. Neither said a word to each other, but with brief hesitation, she eventually nodded and stood from Koril, squeezing his shoulder as she left with her husband.

Intent on fighting off a cough that would further aggravate his irritated airway, Cade took in careful, deliberate breaths, deciding how he would continue explaining himself. "Koril..."

"I'm sorry, Cade," Koril interrupted, his voice slow and quivering. "I, um...I haven't been myself for a while now." He swallowed hard as he ran a hand through his hair anxiously, looking anywhere but at his Ghost Heir as he explained instead. "Ever since I woke up in the med center after I tried to...save Deilia, I've had these...voices in my head. I don't know who they are, and I don't hear anything specific, but it's the only way I can describe it. Elena said it was like a...sensory overload with the Force, after becoming more open to it. She...subdued it the first time, and it seemed like...as long as I was around her, it stayed...quiet. But when she left..."

As he stopped, the same fear Cade had seen earlier returned to his eyes, but he quickly blinked it away, resuming. "I tried to block it out as much as possible, but I could only do so much. I...I've hardly been able to sleep. And when I'm awake, I...do hear everything that's said to me, but it's like it doesn't register right away, like I first think that I'm hallucinating, or in a dream of some kind. With so much...constant noise, I was getting to the point where I just...ignored everything. Until...until I heard her."

Looking vaguely troubled, as if he didn't entirely believe it himself, he stared hard at the floor. "I don't know how...but I've been hearing Deilia's voice for the past few days. It's fleeting, and it's hardly more than a whisper, but I know it's her. I'm sorry I snapped the way I did. I just feel like...like I need to find her. I think she's in trouble... Where is she, Cade?"

Though wary of another attack, he couldn't answer Koril any other way. "I told you, I don't know."

Koril was obviously frustrated by Cade's response, but seeming to still be thinking clearly, he remained calm, bringing his hand up to rub his forehead. Cade thought for a moment, too, feeling an icy pang of fear gripping him the longer he mulled over what Koril had said. Could he really sense that Deilia was in peril? Forbidden from communicating with her at all, Cade had no way of locating her, no way to contact her...unless...

He gave a heavy sigh, ignoring his better judgment to at least offer Koril some kind of direction. "What I didn't tell you, though...is that when she left, I sent her with a mission for me." Earning Koril's attention again, Cade continued reluctantly. "The other Heirs don't know about it. And since she can't come back for years, I thought she'd...lay low for a while, at least longer than this, anyway, before she started looking."

"...what was the mission?"

Despite being unwilling to continue, he could at least give Koril a portion of the truth that would be enough to satisfy his question. "You have another cousin. Younger...and completely unaware of his connection to us."

Not surprising Cade, Koril looked cautiously intrigued. "How old is he?"

Still innocent enough of a question... "Seventeen. Old enough to be informed."

With his gaze fixed on the floor in thought for a moment, Koril seemed to suddenly find inspiration, standing to face Cade more directly. "If I keep...listening for her, if I hear a clue about where she is... I want to send a team to her."

Though he hesitated, Cade nodded after a moment, hoping he wouldn't have to follow through with it. He didn't want to have to explain himself any further, and surely whatever Koril was hearing wouldn't be enough to give him a location or even a starting point. Eager to get Koril's mind off the subject, he studied his nephew for a moment, curious about his current state. "You look like you're feeling better than you did even just a few minutes ago."

Koril nodded. "The Natiyrs help me, too, but only when they physically touch me. I don't think they actually know that they're doing it, but they clear my mind like Elena did. It doesn't last as long, though."

"You should tell them about this."

But Koril immediately shook his head. "No, they don't need to know. I can handle it, now that I'll be focused on listening for Deilia." As if suddenly remembering something, Koril began looking about the room for a moment before returning to Cade. "Where's Malin?"

The young Rys'tihn Ghost Heir, Deilia's four-year-old son, had been so difficult for Cade to handle... "He's with his father. And don't ask me," Cade predicted Koril's next question. "You know I can't tell you where that is."

Koril nodded sadly, glancing down at the consoles he was standing near. "I promised Deilia I'd...check in on him."

Cade released a long, slow breath, moved by the emotion in Koril's voice. "I'll...talk to Jorro to see if I can arrange a visit here. I'm sure Malin would enjoy some playtime with his cousin Derek."

Nodding again, Koril glanced toward the door Rech and Mand had left through, looking pensive. He remained silent, though, and seemed somewhat reluctant to leave, making Cade sigh.

"Koril...let your friends help you."

But Koril set his jaw and shook his head, sporting a determined look Cade hadn't seen for months as he left the room.

"Not until Deilia tells me where she is."