The fact that he's still alive (well, relatively speaking) is going to be a pleasant surprise/horrific shock to Karintha when she learns of his survival...but with him as the thrall of an insane, omnicidal Dathomiri witch--whose magicks have enslaved him to her--is bound to come to a head once he is forced into confrontation between his former wife and his current domina. Excellent conflict: which will ultimately win out, Nature vs. Nurture vs. Anti-nurture? Normally, I'd put money on Aethan hormones, but with the Dathomir magicks reinforced by the planet/rituals/environment while simultaneously repressing all others--to say nothing of over 25 years of captivity!--Taran/the Varangian might become the worst failed rescue in an already long string of failures for the Aethans.
Karintha might well regret ever pursuing the role of Matriarch...
It was a pleasant surprise to see Jo'Set again! It was equally surprising to learn that he'd accepted his diminished role as a subservient male to the Dathomir witch (4th-class citizens in the best of times; chattel for the women in the worst). But it makes sense: Jo still retains some of the Mak'Tor honor and--more importantly--ALL of the Mak'Tor guilt/shame for his actions. And there is still some small, perhaps even infinitesimal chance that his child will know something of Jo's legacy. Speaking of...
But when these two threads collide, there WILL be the expected violence inherent of BOTH the Aethans and Jo'Set's actions. The question now becomes: what will become of these two? Can either find a modicum of happiness and/or peace OR are they already damned by their past/the Will of the Force/the judgment of the Maker/the plans of the Goddesses? Perhaps a combination of the above; perhaps none.
It certainly begs the question: will Jo'Set once again take up his vendetta despite his claims and realizations that his abilities were not sufficient to the task? After all, what he lacked in raw power, he made up for it with dogged determination. Personally, I think that fatherhood--regardless of how "involved" he's been allowed to be--has changed him, and for the better.
Of course, I've been wrong before
Regardless, whatever reckoning is coming for everyone involved, I think that it will be momentous.
...And it will hurt^^
