Cataan

"Isard's forces are claiming more territory," one master said from where they stood in the clearing in a valley not far from Mt. Adan's monastery. "With their push and takeover of the Chiss Ascendency as well as their other pushes outward from their old borders, we've lost our access to the crystal caverns not just at Ilum, but at Dantooine as well."

Steffan sat in the place on the rocks that he had selected when he chose this site. It was his idea, with the Jedi High Council approving, that it was time to call for a great convocation of all of the masters of the Order. Not only of the ones who had survived the Battle of Msst, but also those knights that had shown the council through their actions that there were ready to be receive the rank title. He had chosen this valley instead of the main hall of his praxeum because he knew that the number of masters there, still a smaller number than had been at the battle, would be a distraction to his students. Dilan, promoted to the rank of Master himself just within the last year, was one of only a few Masters not in attendance as he was seeing to the continuation of training at the monastery.

Now, the High Council was seated or standing along a wide ring of stones and rocks that Steffan had built a fair sized fire around while the other masters circled around them…some sitting, some standing or leaning against the trees close by…as the matters at hand were discussed by all of them. Throughout the entire time he had been setting up and working through teaching the students that arrived at the praxeum, Steffan continued to hold meetings with the High Council. Many times they met in his study here on Cataan or would meet in their chambers at the Jedi Temple. Many times they would discuss matters through the holonet. However, it was time to discuss matters in a way where all voices needed to be heard, not just those of the High Council.

But even as he thought that, Steffan winced inwardly. He knew that there were some…perhaps more than that…that did not know of the constant attention he was giving to matters. And he knew several were probably hurt by what looked like his lack of action or thought or direction. He shook his head as he continued to listen on to the different parts of the conversation.

"We still have sources for crystals on Adega," Relan Volkum offered quietly and calmly. "Not to mention other resources that we have that are not common knowledge."

"It could only be a matter of time," Waln Cartega told him from his place slightly behind Steffan, "before that could be found out, Master Volkum. As it stands now, they now hold the old Sith homeworld of Korriban now as well…and showing signs of expanding their trailward borders to link up with the space they control around there. Our facilities on Yavin IV are now threatened."

"Do not forget about our facilities on Ossus," Kai Qon Dei added. "They are threatened now not just from Imperial forces on Korriban. With the expansion that the Hutts have undertaken, their borders now are dangerously close to Ossus."

"What concerns me the most," Chris-tien Jinn now added from where she sat at the council ring, "is not the fact that our facilities are threatened or blocked from us, but another issue that stems from the Hutts new sphere of influence."

"I must agree with Chris-tien on this," Steffan finally said to everyone there, receiving nods from several masters that had remained silent and listened through most of this. "The fact that the majority of Force Wounds we have been feeling have come from that part of the galaxy is a serious concern for me on many factors."

"I must agree with Master Karrde," Streen said from where he sat on a limb overlooking the group. "We have not heard back from any of the Jedi Watchmen that we could afford to place in those areas and none of those that we have sent to investigate have returned or sent word to us. We have not felt their death, but we have lost all sense of them in the Force as well. Xan Qenadius has been taking this very hard, especially since these are people he had hand-selected for the task."

He looked around the group and then looked straight at Steffan. "I am surprised that he's not here."

Steffan stood there and sighed deeply as he lowered his head. "That is my fault, my friend. I had sent the message about this convocation to everyone, but never received a response. It could have been missed in all of the possible messages he has had to deal with and so he and Master Callista probably do not know of this going on. They are on their way here, but for my youngest son's birthday. I will take responsibility and will talk it out with them when they arrive."

He turned to look to his fellows there with him. "Streen is completely correct. While the Empire is a threat to us, I feel that our greatest threat is going to be this unknown element in Hutt space. Yes, we have Jedi missing…and there a great many wounds in the Force coming from there. I do not know who is behind it, but we have a resource there that is threatened unlike any of our resource for lightsaber crystals."

It was Jil-qun's turn to look toward him in recognition of what he referred to. "The Valley of the Jedi."

"Precisely," Steffan said as he turned to him and nodded. There were several nods and whispers as he pulled all his thoughts together. "To my knowledge, and Master Qenadius will have to correct me if I am mistaken, we have not attempted to send anyone to Ruusan to see about the Valley's condition. While we are seeing to that, there is a threat from the Imperials that must be addressed." He looked to Jil-qun again as he made this announcement. "Chandrila."

"The academy?" one of the masters yelled out.

"Chandrila is in the Core Worlds," another said. "What are the possibilities of the Empire stretching that far?"

"Do you have to seriously ask that question?" Chris-tien asked him in return as she turned to look at him. "If this truly Isard's descendant and is as capable as Yssane was, which she is proving correct so far, then there is no limit to how far the Empire will try to expand. If how they were able to defeat the Chiss is any indication, there is good reason to believe that they may push to Coruscant or farther. They have practically broken the treaty now, and we have no information on just what her plans truly are."

"As it stands right now, we only have three locations for training students," Steffan told them all. "The Academy on Chandrila, the Temple on Coruscant, and my praxeum here on Cataan…two of those three locations are possibly threatened. Perhaps not immediately, but possible enough that we need to consider some things very carefully."

"What are you proposing, Steffan?" Nalus asked from where he stood behind Chris-tien's seat.

"We need to consider relocating our students," Steffan told them. "I know we have not had many students at the Jedi Temple because of the events that led to Arie warning us to leave Coruscant, but we do have some there. The majority of our students are on Chandrila and the Empire will have to go past there to go to Coruscant. What I propose is that we begin quietly looking to establish not just one facility, but several, galactic southward of here towards the Outer Rim. My friends…the danger to us, I feel, is just as great if not greater than the danger to the New Republic. We cannot afford to be lax now, nor have the majority of our students in one place. That lesson we learned from the Sith shortly before our last battle should be well heeded now."

All nodded now at Steffan's assessment and he sighed and looked to the chrono on his wristcomm. "It is late. I propose that we return here in the morning. There is plenty of room at the praxeum for all here and I'm certain my students would be appreciative of the company. I will see you there in the morning."

And with that, they began to disperse for the night.

Catain – Fleet Facilities – Nighthawk Simulators

"Once more," Captain Wesley Dannic ordered, rubbing his eyes as he sat in the cockpit of the Number 1 simulator of the training room his Blackhawk Squadron was using. Second Battlegroup had returned home to the shipyards at Catain and its fighter and bomber squadrons were refitting and retraining while the ships were going through their routine checks.

Catain was where most of the Squadron training centers and bases were located, with auxiliary bases located on Cataan and in the other colony systems. Most of the fleet yards were in orbit around Catain and all of the battlegroups could link up there if the situation called for it.

And there were no longer just seven battlegroups now. After events that had occurred at the Battle of Endor and the following conflicts that had arisen with the Bothans, it was the growing events within the Empire that led to Jameson DeGarmo posing the idea of expanding the size and number of Cataan's battlegroups as well as Marine forces, to which the Clan Council unanimously agreed. Nine battlegroups were now in existence with a tenth being formed.

They would be sorely needed.

Word had spread throughout the entire fleet now of how the New Republic had requested that Cataan contribute a portion of their fleet to the group that was to attempt to halt the Empire's advance into the area of Ord Canfre. Admiral Hathaway and her Third Battlegroup had been tasked to this assignment. It had been a long, hard-fought battle that saw barely half of Third Battlegroup limping into the shipyards of Catain's lower hemisphere to commence repairs.

That had been several months ago…and Third Battlegroup's remaining ships were still in the last stages of repair and replenishment while replacement ships were being finished or reassigned to it.

I'm just glad that Ellia and Kam had made it out okay, Wesley thought as he kept rubbing his eyes. A while after the fights they had had with the Bothans, Ellia Garza had been offered command of FS-107…the Lone Knights Squadron that Wesley had been the executive officer of before taking command of the Blackhawks. She had been told that an exec spot was open and immediately accepted when his brother, Kamon Dannic, offered to apply to the position.

"Skip," his newer exec, Commander Nick Calpo, called over the comm from Blackhawk Five, "We've been through the simulation from what happened at Ord Canfre several times now. And we're way past the sack time order that Admiral Payne gave us."

"As much as I'm all for trying again," came the addition from Blackhawk Nine, "I have to agree with the XO here, Captain. We're all on the edge here."

"Since when have you opted to err on the side of caution?" Roselyn Stone asked from her place in the Number 6 simulator.

"Since I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open," Mark Stryker called back from Number 9.

"That's enough you two," Wesley said as he popped the canopy on his simulator. "Everyone out."

He turned and looked at his back seater and asked him. "We have pushed it today, haven't we?"

"It isn't my place to say it," Senior Chief Tarrant said as he undid the chinstrap of his helmet. "But, since you asked, yeah, we could've overdone the simulations today, Captain. I'm pretty sure the admiral would say twelve runs would be past the legal limit for one afternoon."

Wesley nodded and looked to his pilots starting to gather around his simulator cockpit. "Okay, I have pushed too hard today," he finally admitted as he set his feet down on the deck. "Lets take tomorrow to rest up. Day after, the Admiralty has talked about getting our Marine brethren in on our training sessions since they have expanded their flight groups with Nighthawk equipped squadrons to augment their bomber squadrons. Calpo will be in charge while I have to head to Fighter Command Headquarters to see about coordinating that. Yes, what is it now, Stryker?"

"How come he's in charge?" Stryker asked as he lowered his hand.

"One, he outranks you," Wesley started. "And two, you didn't want to be the exec. So there you have it. Oh, and one other thing, Mark…."

"Yes sir?"

"When I get back this time…don't let me see you with the pirate hat and eye patch on again."

"Even if it might help with crew morale?" Mark Stryker asked with a pained look on his face.

"I didn't say you couldn't do it, Mark," Wesley told him. "I just don't want to see you in it and try to explain it away like you did last time."

"Aye, aye, sir," Mark said in that pirate voice, which got the squadron, including Wesley to laughing.

"Alright, folks, dismissed."

Cataan

"There was something else on your mind," Chris-tien Jinn told him as they walked down the path with a few others of the High Council. "You wouldn't have asked us to walk with you otherwise."

"I could have," Steffan told them, "but you are correct, Chris. It is something that we need to discuss about Xan."

"Qenadius?" Relan asked. "I thought he had been doing remarkably well on Intelligence."

"He has," Steffan said to them. "He's been able to run it very well on his own, and I think that is a mistake that we've made. I've been meditating more and more on matters and I feel that he thinks there has been a lack of response and motion on our part."

"The High Council?" Deanne Kett asked.

"The Jedi as a whole, but yes, the council as well. And I think it is time we rectify that situation."

"You are saying that we need to make him a part of the council?" Chris-tien asked him.

"I am," Steffan told her. "I think it is something that is past overdue. He has been holding things together and he may feel that he's doing it alone. He's been out of the loop on the council meetings and we need to mend this and get more things in motion. We've been on the sidelines too long, letting ourselves getting caught up into all of this just as the Old Order was before. Events are troubling me and I feel that we do not need to be in a reactive role anymore."

"At least consider the ideas I've been talking about," He told them as they got to the fork that branched off to go to the Praxeum and the other to Steffan's home. "I'll see you at the praxeum in the morning."

They parted and Steffan did his best to clear his mind as he started down the short path to his family's home. It didn't come easy, and rarely did these past few years. Things had changed after Msst…for everyone…on a personal level, a family level, and on a galactic level.

Andrea was becoming more and more the diplomat with people who was seeking refuge after leaving systems that the Empire had begun taking over. Combined with the raising of Ian, who was now close to three years old now, and her responsibility as a teacher to the young Marin Durza in the Jedi arts, she was now beginning to understand the times that Steffan had to be away to the business he had to attend to and the missions he had to go on and understood just how it had been on him to leave his family here on Cataan.

Dilan, in his own way, understood it as well. He and Kara had made their home on Cataan now and welcomed their new daughter, Jenai, into the world. In the times where Steffan was absent from the praxeum, he acted as the headmaster of the praxeum to a degree. His growing abilities there as well as his actions during Rhen Var and Msst had brought the council into granting him the title of Master now.

Ryneas, almost to his eighteenth birthday now, had completed his Trials not long after the Battle of Msst and had already been through several missions as a Jedi Knight. His time with Ereena Cadre, Brink and Nib Cadre's daughter, had helped temper him, Steffan believed, and was with the blessings of both sides. Brink had had his misgivings about it, being a father, but he knew that if Ryneas was anything like his father that Ereena would be in good hands and he needn't be concerned.

The youngest of the Karrde's children, Catharine also had not displayed as strong an ability in the Force as their other two blood children, Andrea and Ryneas, had. She had grown up not being resentful of her siblings or her father's abilities as Jedi and took to learning other things from her mother and later enrolling in medical courses to further what she had been taught. She had told Steffan and Jade that she felt that was where her calling would lay, healing and tending to others in need. As she saw it, she could help them in this way as her father and siblings protected them from those that sought to harm them.

He still had not been completely successful in clearing his mind as he walked through the front door of their home. The lights were low in the living area of the house and there were no lights in the kitchen, music room, or his study - which told him that Catharine was already turned in for the night. She was the only child left at the house since Ryneas spent a majority of his time at the praxeum of his own decision. She was in Andrea's old room now and the other bedrooms had been kept for the grandchildren now.

"I was wondering how much longer you would be," Jade said as she looked up from the book she was reading on her side of their bed. "For a first meeting, you were gone for a long time."

"There's a lot to talk about," Steffan told her as he walked into their closet and began to remove his belt. "Catharine already asleep?"

"A few hours ago. There's something seriously troubling you, my love."

"I never could hide anything from you," he said as he finished changing into something to sleep in and climbed in next to her. "With all of this that has been happening with the Hutts and their expansion…I'm concerned about Ainar."

"He would be able to handle things," Jade told him. "You said he had grown in his abilities."

"I didn't only mention that," he reminded her. "He was also very reluctant to try to regain what his lost of himself…even now, three years later, I'm wondering if I should have let him go off again."

"You know what Arie would have said," Jade told him as she curled up against him. "You can't rush what he has to go through."

"I'm still concerned," he told her. "Barab I is on the other side of Nal Hutta from us…and is in the middle of their territory now. With the Force wounds we've been feeling, I don't know if it would have affect him there…if he'd see about who was responsible…or, worse, if he was caught up in it."