Paneau: capital city of Dalon
Dalon Medical Center
5.7 APC

Weeks that had been simultaneously fast and painfully slow seemed impossible, but Rech couldn't have explained his stay at the med center any differently. Time came to a standstill every waking moment he spent at Mand's side, but when he left to sleep or eat, though only gone for an hour or two at most, he returned to find her belly just slightly larger, as if the twins had grown only when he wasn't present. It was a silly notion, he knew, but he couldn't shake the thought from his mind.

Despite the near disastrous altercation with Koril almost two months ago, Mand and the twin girls had somehow remained...stable. Mand's condition never seemed to improve, though, concerning Rech daily, but neither had it crashed as it had that day. Rech had taken Master Kanomin's advice and had allowed himself more time to recover between healing shifts, but he still worried constantly. He knew the only way he could completely relax was if Mand was able to leave the hibernation trance entirely and continue the pregnancy normally without any further aid. The more days that went by with no noticeable improvement only confirmed to Rech that the next few precious months would be just as tenuous and nerve-wracking as the last.

Only affording himself a brief break mid-morning, he stood in front of a refresher sink, staring blankly at his own weary features in the mirror. He had already changed into a new set of clothes for the day, but they were little removed from the uniform he would be wearing while on duty in the surgical wing. After a kidnapping attempt on the children, he had kept his lightsaber in his pocket, easily accessible but hidden, in the event that their attacker returned in search of them again. Though the children were safely sequestered at the Rys'tihn Retreat, that thought, too, weighed heavily on him every day. So tired and worn, he almost couldn't recognize the man gazing back at him, but he didn't much care. He'd recover later when he didn't have the lives of his wife and daughters hanging in the balance...

Heaving a stressed, worry-laden sigh, he scooped cold water into his hands and buried his face in it, vainly hoping it would rid his eyes of their fatigue and redness. He was alone, thankfully, though he might not have cared either way, as welcome as the coolness was on his tired features. He enjoyed it a moment longer before drying off, feeling slightly more awake than he had been just minutes earlier. Master Kanomin was likely to notice the difference, and though she would probably comment that he still needed more rest, he had already been away from Mand longer than he had intended.

The walk down the hall back to her room seemed much longer than he remembered, even despite his faster pace to counter it. A handful of med center nurses, most of whom he knew and had worked with in the past, greeted him politely as they passed him, but he could only respond with a curt nod. Even with his uncharacteristically disheveled appearance that made him self-conscious, they remained sympathetic and compassionate; they seemed to be aware of his situation, as some offered gentle words of encouragement. Their kindness was only briefly uplifting, for as soon as he returned to Mand's room, his heart wrenched into a searing knot once more as he stepped inside.

To ease the strain on her back as she lay in bed with an enlarging womb, the attending nurses had delicately turned Mand onto her side, apparently while Rech was away. He instantly regretted leaving, wishing he could have been there to tend to his wife while they moved her. Had she woken up in discomfort and noticed that he wasn't there beside her? Would she have become upset at his absence? Only focused on her, he returned to his seat next to her, gently brushing her hair back from her gaunt but placid face. Her arms were bent at her elbows, placing her hands just in front of her nose as if she were merely sleeping. Her trance was far deeper and more complex than sleep, but still he reached out in the Force to speak softly into her mind.

I'm here... Let me know you're okay.

He watched her vigilantly for any sign of a response, but save for her light, shallow breathing, she remained motionless. Afraid that she was in poorer shape than he had left her in, he tenderly grasped her hands in his, preparing to begin an intense healing session...when the monitor audibly announcing her heart beat fluttered a brief moment before returning to its normal slow rhythm. With relief, he released a breath he had been holding as a gentle laugh, allowing his fears to ease. As Master Kanomin had said some weeks ago, Mand would let him know if something was wrong.

Realizing that he hadn't noticed anyone else in the room since he had returned, not even Master Kanomin who should have been opposite him at Mand's side, he carefully placed Mand's hands down on the bed and sat back in his chair as he looked around behind him. Standing next to Master Kanomin near the room's entrance was someone he had not expected to see...someone he hadn't seen in years...

"Yhren."

His younger sister was opposite in appearance from him in nearly every way. Her long, golden blond hair, gracefully draped across her shoulders, couldn't have been straighter or finer, contrasting sharply with his thick, wavy rich brown locks. Her eyes, too, green with just the slightest tinge of brown, had always been much deeper and more expressive than his dark, monochromatic brown, winning her countless arguments and often liberating her from blame when they were much younger.

As she silently remained in place across the room from him, the sadness and concern in her eyes was hard to ignore, but he still hadn't even processed his own shock at her presence.

"What are you doing here?" he finally managed to ask, somewhat breathless with surprise. A swift shift in Master Kanomin's expression prompted him to quickly add another question before she rebuked him. "I thought you were still in school?"

Yhren shook her head coolly, but she, too, seemed to be processing something, as distant and weak as her voice sounded. "I have a...a break for a few months."

Thankfully Master Kanomin seemed satisfied with the change in his attitude, but anticipating a more private conversation between siblings, she silently excused herself, stepping outside as she gave Yhren's shoulder a gentle, supportive squeeze. They could only have talked for a few minutes at most, yet they seemed to be close already. Or was it simply sympathy Master Kanomin was conveying?

"Master Kanomin told me everything," Yhren continued timidly, leaving Rech's gaze only briefly to look over at her sister-in-law. He released a weary breath, somewhat relieved that he didn't have to go through the exhausting explanation himself, but his relief was short lived. "Everything except," she said with a suddenly sharper bite, "...why you never told any of us."

Reluctant to meet her gaze, Rech slowly looked up and watched a dozen emotions roll across her face at once, each more intense than the last. She finally let out a short breath of exasperation, seemingly deciding how to continue as he remained silent and offered no response.

"I mean, I guess I could understand not getting a message to me, since we don't talk much lately anyway, but Rech...Mom has no idea." She paused, her eyes earnestly searching his, pleading. "You have to tell her."

"No," Rech answered immediately, looking away from her so he wouldn't have to suffer her reaction. When nothing came, he shook his head decisively. "No. If I told her, she'd drop everything and leave immediately, getting here as quickly as she could. But there's nothing she can do to help, there's nothing any of us can do, more than what we've done already. She'd be useless, just sitting here worrying, and I don't want to put that burden on her. No," he repeated quietly, "...there's nothing she can do."

Though he was again afraid to, he stole a glance up at his sister and was surprised to see at least a small glimmer of sympathy in her eyes, regardless of its short duration. Yhren had always been a skilled debate opponent, calm and level-headed even in tense, emotional situations...

"She could take care of you," she offered gently after a moment, "since it doesn't look like you are."

Embarrassed by his poor appearance that even she had noticed, he stood from his seat and stepped over to the room's window, rubbing his face as he kept his back to her. Unwilling to answer her, he braced his palms on the sill and hunched over, absentmindedly looking out into the cityscape surrounding the medical center as he thought. His mother didn't need to be taking care of him, nor did anyone else as long as his focus was on Mand and the twins. Master Kanomin had on several occasions come close to looking after him as a mother would, often demanding that he rest, but that was as much as he would tolerate.

"Rech," Yhren spoke up softly after a lengthy silence, "...we've been through this before." The trepidation in her voice was the most telling; he knew exactly what she was remembering. He had been in a similar state while searching for Mand after she had been kidnapped in her teens: ragged, exhausted, and desperate, all of which he knew she could see in him once more, and it obviously worried her.

"Why do you have to be so damn proud?" she continued with new found fervor. "We're family. We're supposed to drop everything if we have to, without a second thought. So some of us aren't trained like you are, and maybe we can't help her like you can. But we can still just...be here, to support you, to bring you food or comforts, anything you need. You don't have to do this entirely on your own."

But he felt like he did, if only to spare his family the same turmoil he had to endure...

"This is Mand's fifth pregnancy," he explained quietly, hardly finding the strength to speak. "The first was Cordira, and then a year and a half later...her first miscarriage. Then another...and another..." He swallowed hard to stay his trembling, but it did little good, if any. "I didn't even know about this one, these twins...until she began having problems. She didn't tell me because...she wanted to protect me, in case she lost them, too.

"So I know exactly how you feel, finding out after being kept in the dark. I wanted to protect you, too, you and Mom and Dad...but especially Mom. She took them all pretty hard each time, so I decided that when I had good news to share, I would. But so far...there hasn't been any."

Her grip on his arm was so light and delicate, he could have easily dismissed it as an errant breeze in the room. Her voice was just as soft.

"Master Kanomin said that Mand's condition has been steady, and that the twins are developing well. That's not bad news."

"She hasn't improved."

"But she hasn't crashed, either, since..."

"Since Koril tried to kill her?"

He had no defense against the rage and disgust that suddenly came back and burned anew in his mind as he thought about that day for the first time in weeks. He had tried to forget it, to ignore how hurt and betrayed he felt so he could remain focused on Mand. It had been easy to do as neither Koril nor Elena had returned to visit since, either too busy or too afraid. Though Yhren had been intent on consoling him, she had reopened a wound that still pierced him to his core, and he knew his anger had to be freely radiating from him. Mand would notice.

"I don't have to be trained to feel how angry you are," Yhren said carefully as she stepped back from him, releasing her hold on his arm. "Master Kanomin told me about what happened, too. Rech, he's your friend - "

His shoulders tensed as he remained hunched over at the window. "He knew what he was doing; he ordered his guards to keep me from going into the room. He is not a friend, not anymore."

"You won't even give him the benefit of the doubt?" she asked, her voice small and scared. "What if his mind was...clouded, warped by some outside force, and it wasn't really him - "

"You didn't see the look in his eyes."

A long, anxious silence passed before she took in and released a shaky breath. "No, I didn't. But you can't see the look in yours."

What did she mean? She hadn't seen his face since he had stepped up to the window earlier in their discussion. He turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at her with a dark look...but it began to fade when he saw the disappointment in her expression. Unable to stand it for very long, he returned to the window, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

"When you have a family, when you have someone you'd die to protect...maybe then you'll understand."

His words were harsh, he knew, but she didn't seem to be grasping just how terrible Koril's betrayal was. Maybe Master Kanomin had watered it down so it hadn't sounded as devastating to her, but Rech knew. He had witnessed it all himself.

"My brother...my big brother I grew up with...always had the kindest, most generous heart. Let me know when you find him again."

Though her disappointment in him made him that much more frustrated, he calmed himself for her sake, hoping to at least placate her for the time being. "Yhren..." But as he turned around to face her, she had already left.

Paneau: remote Naeron Mountains
Rys'tihn Retreat

Still on high alert as the Royal Security Forces' two-month search hadn't yet tracked down their Kel Dor intruder, Elena met an unscheduled shuttle at the Retreat's hangar with caution. Her senses on edge, she kept her hands clasped tightly in front of her; though her muscles were tense and poised for action, she kept her movements smooth. Garran followed closely on her heels with innocent curiosity, and as observant as he was, he would surely pick up on her anxiety if she wasn't careful.

Thankfully, though, her worry was needless, and she found herself smiling as she hadn't in some time. Lieutenant Saross Wip stepped down the lowered rear ramp of his shuttle he had just landed, dressed in his formal uniform that suddenly seemed ill-fitting. It was the first time she had seen Swip in months; he had taken personal leave to be with his family following the death of one of his sisters, and his grief looked to have manifested as noticeable weight loss. Elena knew her smile had faltered somewhat as she approached him and looked him over, but he still bowed politely with a tired smile.

"M'lady," he greeted her softly as she pulled him out of his bow into a tight embrace.

"Swip... I didn't know you had returned to duty."

Stepping back from her, his shoulders sagged slightly. "I haven't yet, actually. I have to get Commander Jax's approval first, and he's...busy." Apparently eager to change the subject, he turned to the side, looking back into the shuttle's hold. "I brought you a visitor."

Following his line of sight, she hardly contained an excited gasp as Yhren Natiyr joined them, and she quickly hugged her old friend, too.

"Yhren! What a surprise to see you!"

Yhren returned the hug and smiled, too, albeit reservedly. "Yes, there are a lot of surprises going around..."

The sadness in her tone was all Elena needed to hear to infer her meaning. Instantly her expression fell, almost rendering her speechless. "Oh... I...I'm so sorry... I didn't..."

But Yhren shrugged and shook her head, dismissing her regret for Rech and Mand's withheld news. "It's alright. Master Kanomin filled me in, and...well, I should just be used to it by now." She broadened her smile, returning to her usual pleasant demeanor. "I came to see Cordira, if I could. It's been so long, she might not remember me, but...I wanted to see how she's doing."

Speaking up for the first time, Garran gently tugged at Elena's arm from behind her. "I'll take her up there, Elena."

Elena was quick to nod, appreciating Garran's enthusiasm. He was becoming more comfortable around them all recently, opening up in his new 'home'. "Yhren, this is Garran Bolc. He's staying here with us for a while. Garran, Yhren Natiyr. She's Rech's younger sister. We've been friends for a long time."

Yhren smiled politely. "Nice to meet you, Garran." An even more genuine smile spread across her face as she turned to Swip, her cheeks flushing the slightest bit. "Thank you, Lieutenant, for the lift. I appreciate it."

Somewhat oblivious, Swip nodded blankly. "Anytime, Miss Natiyr."

As Yhren began to leave with Garran, Elena hugged her again, squeezing her shoulders affectionately. "We'll catch up soon." As soon as Garran and Yhren had disappeared into the Retreat, she turned to Swip, and she wasn't surprised to find a distant, unfocused expression on his face. She watched him for a moment before she spoke, unsure if he would say something first. "How have you been, Swip?"

She knew it was an open question that he could answer with as much or as little as he was comfortable, but she hoped that since they were now alone in the hangar, he would confide in her what he might not share with others. They had become close friends over a previous painful death, and he had to know how sympathetic she would be to his suffering...

Finally gathering the strength to speak, he nodded a bit, his words as weak as he looked. "Alright. It's been...rough. My youngest brothers took it the hardest. Besides me, Cotaal was the only one they listened to. Not that Miina didn't care, but...Cotaal knew just the right thing to say to get through to them. Now they're just...lost."

Feeling his anguish as an icy pang in her own heart, she gently gripped his arm for support. "It can't be easy to be strong for all of them by yourself," she soothed quietly. "Who's helping you?"

"I was hoping it'd be my squadmates," he answered with a halfhearted shrug, "but they've been out on patrols for weeks. That's actually why I'm here. Major Jax should be able to reach my commander so I can try to get into the rotation."

Elena furrowed her brows. "Major Jax usually starts the day at the Manor, then the Security Center, then here later in the afternoon. He won't be here for a few more hours."

Swip looked just as confused. "I just talked to Major Tidesetter at the Manor, and she said he hadn't checked in there or the Security Center this morning. They assumed he was here."

A terrible, sinking fear took hold of her, turning her stomach into knots. Something wasn't right. "That's not like him. He would've told someone if his schedule had changed..." Fighting the urge to panic, she swallowed hard to steady her voice. "Do you know where he lives?"

"Yes, m'lady."

She wasted little time, climbing up into the shuttle behind them with urgency. "Let's go, now."