Following the Jedi Order's exile from Coruscant three months earlier, one of the few havens in the galaxy they had left was within the Hapes Consortium's vibrant Transitory Mists. The academy on Shedu Maad was now, for all intents and purposes, the Order's home base as its continued supplies and needs were funded by one of their former members and current Queen of the Consortium, Tenel Ka Djo. With the Galactic Alliance no longer officially affiliated with the Jedi Order, the Consortium was the only real ally that they had remaining; ironic, given how most of the inhabitants under Tenel Ka's rule had such an anti-Jedi prejudice.

Fortunately, such prejudice was virtually nonexistent on Shedu Maad, what with the planet being used only for the sole purpose of stationing the Jedi Order's primary academy. That little factoid, though, served only to lengthen the apparent mountain of data for Grand Master Luke Skywalker as he sifted through the reports like clockwork. With more and more Jedi coming and going on various missions and errands throughout the galaxy, reports were inevitable for the Grand Master as he riffled through them as best he could.

During his report-sifting, Luke's commlink beeped. He rested the datapad down on his desktop, took out the comm from his belt, and activated it. "Grand Master Skywalker here."

"Master Skywalker," his secretary's voice called back. She was a high-pitched female Ryn named Murma, who was still an apprentice for the past two years. "There is a representative of the Chiss Ascendancy here to see you. He is not scheduled for an appointment."

"Send him in, Murma," he said before signing off and replacing the commlink back into his belt.

A moment later, the door to Luke's office slid up, and a familiar blue face walked in, stern-faced.

"Ambassador Formbi," Luke said formally. "What a pleasant surprise. Have a seat, please. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Formbi smiled without mirth as he moved to take one of the guest seats in the room, opposite from Luke. "That is the second time within the past week that I have heard that, Master Skywalker," he said before he ultimately sat down. "And that is what I'm here to discuss with you."

"I'm sorry?" Luke asked, confused.

"But first, even though I am not prone to pleasantries, and neither are any of my people for that matter, I do want to express my condolences over the loss of your wife four years ago," Formbi said. "I am sorry to hear that Mara died the way she did."

Luke nodded solemnly. It meant as much to him as all the other times he heard it, which was close to nothing. But, ever the serene and polite Jedi Master that he was, he weathered the reminder of his wife's demise with a look that would put Han's sabacc face to shame.

"Anyway, down to business," Formbi said. "It is under my understanding that, during your private war against the Sith half a year ago, you had sent three of your Jedi Knights to the Reo system to receive information from the Killik nest of the Thuruht regarding the nature of this Abeloth, am I correct?"

"You are, Ambassador," Luke said.

"And it has also come to the understanding of the Chiss Ascendancy that one of those Knights had rejoined the Killik hive, is that also correct?" Formbi asked.

Luke sighed. "Again, yes."

"And finally, was it also not Raynar Thul, the very same Jedi who ruled all of the nests of the Killik species against the Ascendancy barely a decade ago?" Formbi asked, his tone becoming more pressing.

Luke sat back in his chair, his stare unwavering before Formbi. "You have yet to be misled with your information, Ambassador."

"Indeed," Formbi replied. "So, tell me, Master Skywalker, why, in the last six months since your defeat of Abeloth and the Sith, you have not sent any of your own Jedi to retrieve Raynar Thul from the Killiks?"

"As soon as I awoke from the injuries I received in my last battle against Abeloth, which was three months ago, I ordered one of my Masters, Saba Sebatyne, to dispatch a team to retrieve Jedi Thul," Luke stated. "However, we never heard from that team since."

"You didn't bother to look into it?" Formbi asked.

"The Jedi Order was preoccupied with other matters, among them battling the remnants of the Lost Tribe of the Sith remaining scattered throughout the galaxy," Luke said. "The retrieval of Jedi Thul wasn't on the top of our list of priorities, no offense." His tone didn't descend into anything scathing; it remained personable and genuine. "And besides, since we never heard of a new outbreak between the Killiks and the Ascendancy anyway, I actually forgot all about it, to be entirely honest."

"Hmm," Formbi said. "Well, the Ascendancy has been patient with the inactivity on the part of the Jedi Order in extracting Jedi Thul from the Killiks, Master Skywalker, for all these months. The head Phalanxes' collective patience has run thin, and as we speak, for the past seven standard days, a fleet of the Ascendancy's war vessels continue to remain in the Reo system waiting for my return. They expect for me to reappear within the next week with a Jedi intermediary to quell any new conflict between my people and the Killiks. So, Master Jedi, do you think you can spare anyone in the Order to act as a negotiator in this dispute, so I wouldn't have completely wasted what precious time I have left in my old age with two one-week flights?"

Luke leaned forward in his seat. "I'm sure I can spare someone, Ambassador."

.

Within the bowels of Shedu Maad's Jedi Temple, Han Solo fired upon his granddaughter Allana with low-powered stunbolts from his classic sidearm blaster as she blocked them and sent them careening away from her and down to the ground of the training room. The resultant scorch marks would be cleaned away by either the Temple's service droids or the Jedi apprentices who were accredited punishment for personal transgressions. Allana's grandmother and Han's wife of almost four decades, Leia Organa Solo, looked on with her arms crossed in judgment over Allana's abilities.

"You're doin' fairly well, kid," Han commented. "You'da smoked any o' the remotes that your grandma or Aunt Jaina had to go through in their heyday."

"Really?" Allana replied, her focus and skill against Han's well-aimed and well-blocked shots not diminishing an iota. "You think you're a better shot than any of those remote, Grandpa?"

"What do you think the answer is?" Han returned, not slouching on his shots either.

Leia smiled in amusement at the banter between her husband and granddaughter. But when she turned her head to find Luke walk into the training room with Ambassador Chaf'orm'bintrano from the Chiss Ascendancy, her face became stoic. She walked over to her brother and the Chiss.

Han broke up his string of shots to look over to his wife heading for Luke and Formbi. Allana looked, too, which allowed for her grandfather to aim a well-placed shot right in her weapon arm.

"Aah!" Allana yelped, turning back to her grandfather with a shocked and angered expression.

He smirked. "When are you ever not going to fall for that?"

"Training session's done then?" Allana asked, her expression of anger only slightly fading.

"For now," Han answered as he holstered his blaster and went to join his wife.

Allana deactivated her lightsaber, hooked it to her belt, and followed her grandfather.

"Leia, I'm sure you remember Ambassador Formbi from the Chiss Ascendancy," Luke said as his sister and the Chiss shook hands.

"Of course," Leia said before she stopped shaking hands with him. "The last time we met, it was over a comm channel eight years ago after the Swarm War ended. How have you been doing since that time, Ambassador?"

"Fairly well, all things considered," Formbi replied in a personable tone as Han and Allana finally joined them. "Speaking of the Swarm War though, Jedi Solo, would you mind aiding the Chiss Ascendancy to resolve a dispute."

Leia raised an eyebrow. "This is about the Killiks, isn't it?"

"It is," Formbi confirmed with a nod.

Leia sighed. "What do you need me to do, Ambassador?"