Chapter Text
Riyo shivered as she squinted through the snow. The temperatures were steadily dropping, and she was yet far from civilization. For the hundredth time, she doubted that undertaking this mission had been a very wise idea.
The goal was simple: Get to the capital, Coruscant, be present for an important, late Senate vote, and then get back to her home district of Pantora before the Inner and Outer Rim passes became impassable until spring. The plan was equally simple: she would make the journey without any entourage, except for a single companion, travel as quickly as possible, and arrive in Coruscant no more than a week after leaving her home.
The reality was anything but simple. Her companion had fallen ill several days ago, and Riyo left her with enough credits to provide for herself at a reputable inn. Since then, the crisp autumn weather had taken a decided turn toward frigid winter conditions, weeks earlier than anyone expected, which slowed Riyo down by several days. Now, she was alone, halfway down the Inner Rim pass, darkness was falling, and she was pretty sure the flurries of snow were becoming a blizzard.
Her horse slipped on an icy patch, and she grabbed onto the mane as the mare righted herself. “Easy, girl, you’re alright. Just take it slow.” And yet, even as she murmured the words, she had to resist the urge to push the mare to go faster, for she knew they wouldn’t make it long in the storm.
A couple hours later, Riyo shook herself awake for the third time. The temperatures were well below freezing by now, and she desperately wanted to stop and sleep, but she knew nothing could be more dangerous now. She had come prepared for winter weather. She was not prepared for a blizzard. Her best option was to keep moving.
By midnight, she gave up on steering her horse. She curled over its neck, with her hands buried underneath its mane, and hoped it could smell the pollution of Coruscant, for the trail was entirely obscured by snow. It was so cold, her arms and legs were numb. She drifted off again, and began to slide to the side. Her horse startled at something, and the rest of her grip failed. The short fall gave her just enough time to become fully alert, then she felt a sharp pain in her head and the world went black.
———
Fox groaned and stared at the young woman before him. “I’m sorry, you want me to do what?”
The woman huffed. “Commander, have you not been listening to me at all? The Senator of Pantora is over three days late, a blizzard has blown in, and I fear that she is in danger.”
“And you only thought to alert the Guard now?”
“I only just received news that she traveled on without her companion; previously I thought she had taken shelter.”
Fox rubbed his face. “What do you want me to do about it, ma’am? We are in one of the worst blizzards in recent history, and it’s only going to get worse. None of my men or horses are acclimated to the weather, and even if they were, it would be an incredibly dangerous mission.”
The woman laid a piece of fabric on his desk. “Please, Commander. A senator of the Republic—my cousin—is likely lost in the blizzard, freezing to death. Everyone knows you have the best kennel of trackers on the continent. Surely you can at least try?”
He sighed. “I’ll do what I can, but I can make no promises. I’ll take a couple men and a dog out there, but if we can’t find the senator without putting us all in mortal danger, further rescue efforts will have to wait until it clears up a bit.”
She curtsied. “Thank you, that’s all I can ask.” She strode out of his office, and he picked up the scrap of fabric.
“Chance!” The young squire darted into the room and saluted. “I need you to carry messages to Hound and Dag. Tell them both to meet me in the courtyard, prepared for a search and rescue. Then go find Stone and Thorn and tell them they’re in charge. After that, get some sleep.”
“Yessir, Commander.” The squire scurried away, and Fox downed the last of his evening coffee and grabbed his sword. Fortunately, as he was preparing for a patrol shift when the woman barged into his office, he was already dressed for the elements. He slung his cloak over his shoulders and headed to the courtyard to join his canine handler and senior medic.
Two hours later, they hadn’t made much progress. They’d made it to the senator’s estimated location thirty minutes ago, and the dog, Grizzer, had yet to catch a solid trail. They continued up the pass; Fox kept hoping the dog would catch a scent around the next bend, and his hopes kept being crushed. He held out for several more turns, but as they climbed in elevation, the storm got worse, until Fox could hardly see his horse’s head. They couldn’t keep on like this.
“Halt!” Fox yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping the others would hear him before the rope they’d strung between their horses jerked them to a stop. Based on the strong tug Fox felt, they hadn’t heard. “We can’t go any farther! We’re as likely to walk off a cliff as we are to find the senator now.”
As he turned around, Fox heard Grizzer howl, and Hound tugged at the rope. “He’s caught a scent! Turn left!”
Fox sighed, mostly in relief, but with a touch of resignation. It appeared they’d be trekking through the blizzard a while longer; now he only hoped the senator was still alive.
———
Loud noise drew Riyo away from the foggy sanctuary she’d found, and she groaned. She’d finally been warm. Something was going off right in her ear—one of her brothers must be ringing a bell to wake her up. Well, it wasn’t going to work this time. She tried to bat it away, but her arm was too numb with sleep to move. No matter. She’d just ignore it. Her brothers would get tired eventually, and then she could sleep in peace.
Then someone was prodding her, running their hands over her, and she tried to squirm away. They touched her head, and pain heated her skull. She felt something being wrapped around her head, then she was briefly lifted off the ground and laid back down. Warmth enveloped her, she was picked up again, and jostled. She opened her eyes just enough to see warm brown eyes staring down at her, then a gentle rocking transported her back to the foggy world of sleep.