Though their short walk through the Rys'tihn Retreat had only just begun, Cordira Natiyr Redgrave stared blankly ahead, awash in a swarm of memories, both recent and ones she hadn't dared to consider for years. She hardly breathed, only sighing shakily as she felt her husband's hand gently grip hers at her side.
"Are you alright?"
His words were so full of care beside her, he had likely already predicted her answer. She still felt compelled to respond, though she could only manage faint strength behind her voice.
"...we haven't come back here since...since he passed."
Three children walked ahead of them through the Retreat halls: two ten-year-old girls were happily chatting with each other and with the orange-paneled astromech they were escorting, the older boy, just past his fourteenth birthday, only steps behind them. They seemed blissfully unaware of her distress, and she well preferred it that way.
"I know," Ethan returned softly, lightly squeezing her hand in sympathy. "It's why I asked."
Though he was no Jedi and had no discernable Force powers that she could tell, her husband of thirteen years read her moods and anxieties so easily even though she held so tightly to them. To anyone else, she appeared calm and contained, and she had done everything in her power to feed that façade, but it seemed only Ethan could sense her swirling emotions beneath her stony exterior. At times, he knew her better than she knew herself.
She struggled to speak her fear aloud. "I'm worried about Jake."
Her brown-haired boy remained completely oblivious to his parents' topic of conversation behind him, only interested in the astromech casually whistling and beeping his way through the halls.
Beside her, Ethan maintained his careful volume, reassuring her. "Cordira, he's told me, several times...he doesn't remember any of it."
"Being back here could trigger those memories to surface."
Another gentle squeeze of her hand. "Maybe. If he starts getting apprehensive or nervous, we'll leave. And we don't even have to be here for very long, anyway. We're just bringing them the droid."
She arched her brows with a sideways glance. "...and their daughter?"
Ethan laughed lightly, playfully rolling his eyes. "Oh, right. How could I possibly forget that Jewel doesn't actually live with us? She's only stayed with us for...how many days now? Twelve?"
"Eight," Cordira corrected with a wan grin. "Don't be so critical. They're good friends, and it's good for both of them."
"So are we going to leave Amalia with them for the next twelve days?"
"Ethan."
Still grinning, he shrugged. "Hey, fair is fair."
The twi'lek hybrid girl with pink- and blue-mottled skin giggled as she twirled and skipped down the hall, challenging her friend Amalia and the droid to do the same. Amalia's long, shimmering copper hair caught every ray of evening light from the windows as she spun, too, seemingly treating them all to an impromptu dance recital. The droid was less inclined to join in, only casting his silver dome back and forth briefly to humor his escort. His gears grinded and whined with protest through every move, leading Cordira to suspect the droid was in worse disrepair than he initially appeared.
"Go easy on the droid, girls," Cordira called ahead to them. "He's had a rough life."
Jewel and Amalia both slowed their strides in response, gently patting the astromech's dome as if to comfort him instead. They conversed with him softly as his happy chirps indicated his thanks, and Cordira had to smile at the girls' compassion. Their kindness was infectious.
Finally reaching the main dining hall, the Redgraves, Jewel, and the droid turned the corner to find the six Sheridans just leaving their seats. They hadn't immediately noticed their new company until Ethan addressed them all.
"Did somebody order a droid?"
Every gaze turned to them, but it was Horatio's instant outburst that startled them all.
"Bex!"
Wil struggled to keep up with his father as the elder Sheridan quickly closed the distance between them in the room, hardly even noticing his own daughter beside the droid. Jewel stepped out of his path with wide, bewildered eyes, briefly appearing hurt though Wil was quick to embrace her as a comforting greeting. Horatio reached out and gripped the droid's dome, desperately searching its optical sensor for answers.
"Bex, did Max send you here? Where is he? Is he okay? Why didn't he come with you?"
Bex began replying to Horatio with a flurry of beeps and whistles, but Wil looked to Ethan and Cordira with concern instead.
"How did he get here?"
"He arrived at the Dalon Spaceport this morning, on a civilian transport," Ethan answered with confusion. "Spaceport Control brought him to us only about an hour ago, and Bex just asked to come here sometime tonight. No...urgency, no worry. I'm...I'm sorry, we thought you all were expecting him."
Even though she could understand droid binary, Cordira couldn't quite decipher Horatio's intense distress against Bex's vague, benign answers. She exchanged an apprehensive glance with her husband, sharing the same sense of unease with him as Horatio continued to interrogate the droid while oblivious to the conversation around him.
"...is Max in trouble?"
"We're not sure," Wil answered Ethan weakly. "We haven't heard from him in a while."
Finally recognizing the others surrounding him, Horatio stepped back from Bex with anticipation. "Max sent a message with him."
No one dared to move or breathe in the dining hall, leaving the air completely silent as Bex eventually projected a small holo of his owner in the center of the group.
A series of bloodied bandages covered Max's left shoulder and arm, and a noticeable burn had left a sprawling scar up the left side of his face and neck. He appeared weak and tired, seated on a low cargo bin for the recording, but his eyes remained sharp.
"Horatio... I'm sorry I've left you in the dark these past few weeks. I've run into a particularly persistent hunter who hasn't let up the chase at all." He pointed to his bandages briefly, wincing as the movement caused him considerable pain before continuing. "I'm...protecting someone, and I can't tell you any more than that right now. Just...trust me when I tell you that I have to do this alone. I know you want to help, and I appreciate it, so this is the only thing I'll allow you to do: Bex...needs some upgrades. His starcharts are decades out of date, and he needs some gearwork done. But I can't take him to get it done myself. I can't leave where I'm at. Not right now. I need you to take him to Corellia, to the only droid repair tech I trust in Kor Vella. You'll have to find him in Coronet City first, though; he won't meet with you immediately. Bex'll have the rest of the details, and please, do exactly what he asks. I need Bex back with me as soon as you can get him fixed."
Max sighed, his shoulders sagging with the release of his tension. "Thank you. I promise...I'll make it worth your while. I'll tell you everything as soon as I can. This...person I'm protecting...you're going to want to meet them."
As the blue holo dissolved and Bex fell silent, an even heavier quiet hung between the two families. Cordira gripped Ethan's arm in a gesture of support; Max was Ethan's cousin through their fathers, though they'd only met just five years prior. Her gaze, though, met Wil's across the way with equal concern; they both knew they'd have their hands full reining in Horatio's impulsive nature when it came to his family. Alone and nearly outmatched, Max had clearly been through desperate battles that had gravely wounded him. What kind of reckless action would Horatio attempt first to find and help his nephew?
Surprisingly, it was Horatio's rutian twi'lek wife Wyliaa who was first to speak.
"You are not going alone."
Horatio's jaw clenched. "Liaa..."
"No," she answered firmly, her heavy accent emphasizing each word. "I will not allow it. Max is family. I'm going wizh you."
"I'm going with you, too," Wil asserted, casting a brief glance at his wife Embrey with their two girls. Embrey nodded faintly, gripping her twins' hands to indicate her decision to stay.
But Horatio shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, no one else is going. Corellia is -"
"- a good place to find a new ship!" Liaa interrupted brightly.
The sudden levity in her voice briefly halted conversation, but Ethan was quick to capitalize on the opportunity, winking at Liaa. "Only if you have a good eye and know what you're looking for."
"Yes, yes! You should come wizh us, Ezhan! You and Cordira! I would trust no one else to guide us to zhe right ship." She continued without pause, drowning out and eventually stopping Horatio's ongoing protests. "What better opportunity to take a family trip togezher! We 'elp Max, you 'elp us, it is perfect."
Speaking up for the first time, Jewel only pled to Liaa and Cordira. "Mom, Amalia and I were hoping to see Dirani's new baby tomorrow. Can we stay, please?"
Liaa easily agreed, a slight hint of relief briefly washing over her expression, but Cordira looked to Embrey for her input. "Would that be alright? I can have my parents help keep track of them, too."
"Of course," Embrey agreed, smiling kindly to the older girls as she swung her twins' hands at her side with enthusiasm. "We'll all go see the baby and visit with Aunt Elena."
Finding his voice as well, Jake looked to Ethan with a soft expression. "I've always wanted to learn more about ships, Dad. Can I go with you, too?"
Ethan clapped his son on the shoulder with a broad grin. "Perfect place to teach you everything I know."
With the traveling group all decided, gazes again looked to Horatio for his approval, though he hadn't spoken for some time. The elder Sheridan glared harshly across the way at his wife, releasing a shaky breath with a mix of anger and betrayal in his eyes. It slowly abated, but without a word, he turned and left the dining hall, blatantly ignoring Liaa's calls behind him. Wil hesitated a moment before he addressed them all on his way to follow his father.
"We'll leave from here first thing tomorrow morning. Please get some rest tonight."
Cordira gave Wil a supportive smile as he left, but it fell the moment Wil disappeared, too. With the image of Max's bandaged wounds still so fresh in her mind, she wasn't sure she'd get much sleep at all.