Myk was up and at the controls well before he needed to be. For myriad reasons he'd had trouble falling and then staying asleep. An hour before they would reach Cataan, he woke the others. Xan had grunted, but at least maintained the appearance of civility. Callista seemed positively frazzled. On the one hand, she was overtly nice to Arie and Myk, on the other, she seemed...hesitant and stand-offish.

Evelina was bouncing off the walls from the start. The excitement of visiting Cataan, and the ensuing birthday party was enough to set the toddler to fits of over-zealous joy. But, at least she was happy. Myk worried about how empathic she was, how easily she picked up on people's moods, and was then affected by them. Shaking his head, he pulled the levers and dropped the Firebird back into real-space.

Cataan hung beautiful just out the forward viewport. Evelina in the co-pilot's chair clapped her hands in excitement. "It's Cataan!" She cried, pointing.

"You got it, kiddo," Myk smiled as he commed up system control. "Cataan STC, this is freighter Firebird enroute to the Karrde residence. Requesting clearance to enter Cataani space."

"We copy your identification, Firebird and we were told to expect you," the controller acknowledged on the other end of the line. "You are cleared for approach. Request you set transponder frequency to 201.58."

"Acknowledged, Control," Myk replied. "Frequency set, awaiting course update and nav data."

"Why do you talk funny on the headset, Daddy?" Evelina looked up at the Rogue with icy blues that matched her mother's.

"It's to make sure everyone on the comm understands what is being said," Myk smiled back at her.

"Ohhhhhh," She nodded sagely, and turned her attention back to the forward viewport.

"Updates sent, Firebird. Use caution if you cross the terminator, we have a Nighthawk squadron on training maneuvers. STC out."

"Roger that," Myk commed as he laid in the course and pointed the Firebird towards the updated coordinates. "Firebird out."

"Here we go!" Evelina checked the straps on her harness. "I love flying in the air!"

"Me too, Princess," Myk smiled. "Me too."

xxxxxxx

Xan's demeanor had changed a bit as soon as the reversion was completed. If he was stiff but civil before hand, now he was stoic and pulsating with irritation. It was hard to keep from broadcasting it to Evelina. But thankfully the excitement of the visit and her father's talk with STC was keeping her attention on other things and off of him right then. Xan didn't say anything. Just made sure his helmet was clipped to his belt and re-adjusted his gloves a bit.

Callista looked up from checking the clips holding her plates in place. "Udesii, Xan'ika. If you don't tamp down, Myk'll probably be asking all sorts of questions." She sighed. While she didn't fully agree with the method, she did agree that something had to be done. What worried her more was how Xan's projection of his vision would affect those gathered. She shook her head. No use fretting over it now. With a deep breath, she felt her shoulders relax... at least a little as she clipped her sabers to her belt, followed by her helmet.

Within twenty minutes, Myk crested the first of the mountains that marked the range where Steffan's house was nestled. It was just after sunrise on this side of the planet and as the estate came into view, the lake shone in brilliant golden light. The grass and trees surrounding the estate were bathed in the warmth reflected from those crystalline waters, and the house at the foot of the hills glowed in the morning sun.

It was about as picturesque as a holovid, and Myk couldn't help but enjoy the site despite the fact that he could feel Xan tensing up in the back like a wild cat ready to pounce. Gently, and with a practiced hand, he brought the Firebird down on the landing pad just south of the house. As the engines cooled, he triggered the ramp, and scooped Evelina up in his arms. He made for the ramp, with Arie in tow, and found Steffan outside waiting for them.

"Hey, Steffan!" Myk called as he set Evelina down. The small girl ran to Karrde with her arms outstretched.

"Uncle Steffan!" She cried, leaping toward the Jedi.

Behind Myk and Arie, the Rogue could hear the beskar-laden footfalls of Xan and Calli exiting the Firebird.

Steffan laughed as he scooped up her into his arms and spun her around in a hug. Jade was there too and was grinning as Evelina stretched out to get a hug from her too.

Xan and Callista made their way down the ramp a short time after Arie, Evelina and Myk and while Callista made her way to Steffan. Xan hung back to keep his hands busy futzing with luggage.

"She's about Ian's size now," Steffan said as he greeted Myk with the warrior's shake and then hugged Arie. "Safe trip, I trust?" He didn't wait for the answer as he hugged Callista and looked at her. "You seem tense, daughter," he told her as he looked to Xan and then to Myk and Arie. "You all do..."

Myk caught the Jedi's eye. "Safe," He said. 'I don't know about uneventful', he sent and nodded over his shoulder to where Xan was pacing a track in the duracrete.

Callista deftly skirted around Myk and Arie, making her way over to hug Steffan and Jade briefly. It was hard to keep such a tight rein on her feelings. She shifted a little at Steffan's comment, unsure what to say.

Steffan arched and eyebrow and looked among them again. "Well, Andrea isn't here yet and Dilan is currently going through lessons with the students with Ryneas right now so its just us."

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Jade asked them as she set Evelina down on the landing pad.

Xan said nothing still as he made sure to keep himself away from the family reunion. He kept rubbing his gloved hands together and pacing.

"Evelina," Arie said. "Why don't you go ahead with your Aunt Jade and see if she needs help with breakfast?"

"Can I?" Evelina asked. "I don't have to help unpack?"

"If it's okay with your Aunt Jade," Myk said, looking to her for help, and hoping she'd understand.

"I don't see when it won't be okay," Jade said to him with a grin and offered her hand and let Evelina lead her down the path to the house. Steffan stayed on the pad and looked to all of them. He had felt it when they entered the system, but remained quiet about it for now.

As Jade and Evelina walked down the path to the house, Xan's pacing stopped but the tension, once palpable was now electric. He still remained quiet and held himself back, but now could broadcast without fear of Evelina's mistaking his anger.

Once they were well out of sight, Myk and Arie turned so everyone was facing each other.

Steffan kept looking at all of them, and noticed that no one was saying anything. He had a sense that Xan was the source of all of this and he knew that the best...if not only route...to a solution was at the source.

"Xan?" he asked him, concerned for all of his friends and family now.

Xan looked at Steffan and did nothing to keep the anger from his voice. "I'm calling in a favor, Karrde..." he growled and pointed. "Those two are done with their holofantasy. They may have resigned their ranks a long time ago, but the circumstances behind that no longer apply!"

Callista's gaze slid briefly in Xan's direction before she looked back to Steffan, wondering how he'd take all of this. She stood lightly on the balls of her feet, ready to move if needed.

"Again with the disrespect," Myk snapped. "You got some nerve, Kid. You should really try to think about what you say before you say it."

Steffan straightened slightly, catching Callista's eyes on him and nodded ever so slightly to her that he was fine for the moment. He looked to Myk and Arie and could tell from their reaction that this wasn't the first discussion they had had on this subject and he looked again to Xan for his response before he said anything.

"I don't know where you get your info, but it's pretty far off-course, Xan," Arie chimed in. "We may not be pulling the same strings, but that doesn't mean we've abandoned the galaxy...or you and Calli."

Callista's lips thinned to set line at that. "How do you expect us to react? Coruscant doesn't have many Jedi there. I realize we're loosing Jedi all the time... but we weren't given any guidance. And what the kriff is this about a Council meeting? We weren't informed.."

"Save it," Xan barked. "I've tried coming to you for advice, General," saying the word bitterly. "And every time I get blown off saying those days are behind you while you play chummy chummy with the NR in unofficial channels."

"Watch your tone," Myk's voice was a blast of icy water infused with the power of the Force as it began to course through him. The hairs on the backs of his arms began to stand on end, but he kept it in check.

Xan's eyes flashed dangerously as he walked towards them. "As for you Rouge, you can save your osik." And with that, he drilled Myk-Ron with a right hook, "There's your receipt for getting you hands on me before."

Myk rolled with the right-hook, and the Force rushed in on him at once. Coming around, he drove his right hand into Xan's stomach and pushed. The Force of the push dented beskar, and sent the Mando flying. "I said, watch your tone, boy!"

"Myk-Ron!" Arie forced herself in front of her husband, and put both hands on his shoulders. "Enough!"

Steffan stepped in between them before Xan had a chance to get back up. At this point, he didn't really know if he could stop the two right now. "Enough," he finally said, his voice stern and loud enough..he hoped..to get everyone's attention before it got out of hand.

Xan fell back stunned but rolled with the momentum rolling ass over teakettle but making it to his feet. He grinned "Wassamatter, Corellian? Need to rely on the Force all the time?" He then noticed Steffan and growled, "Fine, Steffan...I want their ranks reactivated now. And placed in Intelligence!"

"I fight like I was trained, boy," Myk said. "I was a lifer in the NR military. We fight to win. But, I don't need the Force to lay you out where you stand."

Myk's comment made Callista bristle slightly, and she moved to take a step towards the group, barely stopping herself from going for her saber.

Steffan shot a warning glance to Callista, his eyes ordering her to stay her hand.

Callista bit her lip, but nodded. Her hand didn't move any closer to her saber, but it didn't move away, either.

"I said enough!" Steffan yelled out. "Both of you!"

"Myk!" Arie tried again. "Please!"

The Rogue found her icy blues, and the air lost some of it's charge. He took a breath, and calmed himself, whispering to his wife, "I'm sorry."

Xan barked again, "No Steffan...if you don't do this then I will!" he growled. "You have no idea why I need this!"

"Do what?" Myk and Arie asked simultaneously.

"What are you so worked up about?" Arie asked. "It's not like you, Xan."

Steffan held out a hand to Myk and Arie as he slowly looked to Xan and walked to him, the question in his eyes but he moved close to ask it. "What is this about, Xan? I'm asking calmly..."

"I..." he faltered a bit before he looked at his hands. His Force presence now wasn't radiating anger, but sheer self-loathing. He looked up at the others before uncharacteristically falling to his knees.

Steffan knelt with him, his hand going to Xan's shoulder. "Deep breath, Xan. We're right here."

Myk's fire went out, and Arie nearly cried. Neither expected this. Their hearts broke at the sight.

Callista moved across the landing pad, her gaze finding Steffan's as she slid to her knees in front of Xan, her hands shaking slightly.

"You don't understand...everything I do isn't good enough...it's still there."

"What is still there, son?" Steffan asked him, concern in his eyes. He had a thought and held out his hand for the Mando to take hold of. "Show me..."

Cautiously, Myk and Arie stepped closer. "Show us," Arie said, extending a hand, her eyes soft and pleading.

Callista's hand found Xan's other hand, and she clung to it, biting her lip as she felt the swell of fear and grief from her husband.

Xan looked at his hands again before looking to Callista. It wasn't supposed to go this way but she just nodded so Xan probed the force. "This will feel weird..." And as he touched the Force the images haunting him were now displayed in full.

The vision began with the fight on Rhen Var. The Imperial squad there, and a ship of unknown design - but from the emotions swirling in Xan, they knew that whatever the ship was; it wasn't good. Then the scene shifted to Ossus and a macabre scene of Jedi standing as if statues. They looked like wax mannequins except for the gruesome fact that they were ashen grey, eyes staring into nothingness and the nothingness was that of sheer horror.

There was writing on walls done in blood of sentients, but in a script none but Jedi remembered. The script was from Ancient Tython, the birthplace of the Jedi. The messages said the same thing "One rises and the rest die..."

Next, the vision switched to the Imperials again, or what seemed like the imperials but the vision was like that of a broken kaleidoscope, pieces were cut out and distorted. But the menace hung in the air as it were and the sounds of braying laughter chilled the blood. The scene flashed again, this time to the Mandalorians and well known faces popped up but the scene was far from good. "How many have we lost now? General, two-thirds of the continent have fallen, it's like nothing we've seen before..."

"Keep putting men on the front lines, I don't care how sick we are. We're the holding point, the Jedi can't do everything..." The scene flashed once more to a non-descript building in what seemed like Nar Shaadaa. It was Xan, Myk and Brink. "If anyone knows this guy, I got a feeling it's in my old Masters' files..."

The scene flashed once more, but this time now the real panic set in for Xan. It was of a little Evelina in her mother's lap, dying. "Mommy, Why does it hurt so bad?"

There was a tremendous surge in the Force then. The vision skewed further, and nearly broke as the collective cries of the Phoenix and the Conduit nearly tore the thin veil between worlds.

Callista had to choke back a sob, but her hand that held Xan's shook as she saw that. It tore at her heart. She felt the surge, and felt it push at her... the anguish pulled at her soul.

Xan's emotions were starting to become unglued at that point but the vision kept going. Now the scene shifted to a view of the a mountainous planet and the bad kaleidoscope begun again, the voices now were just of two Jedi. "We've done everything we could...but there is no hope now, the galaxy is going to die. We can't stop the wounds." Then a sound of the planet's core cracking and breaking and then the vision faded to black.

Myk and Arie withdrew then, fire blazing in the Phoenix's eyes and lightning dancing in her husband's. "What," Myk said.

"Was that?" Arie finished.

Steffan's breath caught then at that last moment. Those mountains were as familiar to him like nothing else in the galaxy. It was these very same mountains that they were in now. The force of all of the visions made him stagger back from where he was kneeling and sat on the ground.

"You wanted to know why I feel horrible..." Xan said, now openly crying. "I saw the galaxy die. The way we are doing things now is only allowing the situation to get worse."

Callista's hand slipped from Xan's, and she slumped, gasping as her head swam. She tried to breath, but it was almost like she'd forgotten how.

Steffan's eyes were tightly closed; again and again he replayed what he had just learned in his mind.

"And you know that for sure?" Arie knelt beside Xan now, putting an arm around his shoulders. "The future is a tricky business. Even the great masters of old could not read them fully."

Myk-Ron went to Callista, and helped her to sit up. He sent cooling waves of reassurance through her, and whispered, "Breathe, sweetheart. Breathe. It's okay."

Xan sighed, no fight left in him. "Cause it's all I've kept seeing. Every development has only intensified this vision." Xan sounded broken. "I needed your help Arie, but I couldn't get this across without scaring you or worse, Strillbait."

"Xan," Arie continued. "I agree that something needs to be done, but we need to think this through. I knew a boy once who tried to change the future he saw in his visions..."

"The wounds have increased, my sister," Steffan said quietly as he stayed sitting there. There was a tear coming down his cheek now. "It was the main reason I called the convocation..."

Callista clung to Myk, her vision swimming slightly from the lack of oxygen. She sat there on the permacrete, leaning against him as she took slow breaths. She looked to Steffan. "It's strange that we didn't get the message..."

He looked to her, realizing now why there was a degree of the tension related to him. "It was sent to all masters, Callista..."

She shook her head. "We never got it... odd."

"I think I may know why..." Slowly, he started to get up now.

"I'm pretty sure the NR has a mole in it," Myk-Ron said. "But, we're getting ahead of ourselves." He helped Calli to her feet, then stretched out his hand to Steffan. "We aren't going to let this thing consume us, Cataan will be safe. Our families will be safe."

She shot Steffan a confused look as she made her way to Xan, nodding her thanks to Myk as she pulled him over, too.

Xan spoke up to Arie. "I tried. But you know you and Myk." he grinned a bit. "You're more stubborn then me." Xan looked at Steffan then to Myk. "It may be worse then that, Rogue...I think we don't know every mole that may exist..."

Myk turned to Xan then. "For what it's worth," He said as he held out his hand. "I'm sorry. You coulda just said, though, you know?"

Xan clasped Myk's forearm with his own hand in Mando fashion. "In my culture, Myk...the fight is the way to say something."

"Me too, Xan," Arie said, as she helped the Mando to his feet. "I didn't mean to ignore you."

Steffan looked to Myk and Xan, starting to piece together some other thoughts that he had picked up during the entire experience. "I think I may know how high up that mole is too, Myk. For the moment, though, I think we need to head inside before Jade and Evelina become more curious."

Xan rubbed his stomach as he walked. "Rogue, I'm sending you the bill for this I hope you know."

Callista grinned slightly, and shook her head at Xan's comment.

"Yeah," Myk nodded. "Um...for future reference. Maybe don't surprise me like that? You've got a great right hook, but the rest was kinda just reaction for me."

"Yeah," Arie smirked. "Thoughtless violence is kinda part and parcel with the Corellian/fighter-pilot ego."

Xan just laughed. "Well at least I know I'd rather have my blade beside yours then opposing. But next time I get moody, just crack me one in the jaw, ok?" he smirked before looking at Arie. "But that's the best kind of violence." he joked.

Callista snickered, and ducked her head slightly, casting a sideways glance to Arie as they made their way towards the house.

"You got it," Myk said, rubbing his jaw. "I do hope Jade has an ice pack handy though."

"I was wondering how long the five if you were going to stay out there," Jade said as they walked into the house. "I was..." She caught the look in Steffan's eyes. "What happened?"

"Want me to take a look, Myk...?" Callista asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'll tell you later on," Steffan answered. "Better pull an icepack out of the freeze for Myk if Callie said he needs it."

"He's just being a baby," Arie said, grinning at Calli.

"I am not!" Myk protested. "My jaw is clicking. Listen!" And, he made a chewing motion and leaned closer to Arie.

"I'd better go and kiss up to Strillbait. She's probably ready to send me into orbit, sans armor."

Arie shoved the Rogue away, playfully, and looked to Xan, "You be nice to her. She really looks up to you, ya know?"

Callista smirked a little and went to look him over, tsk'ing at the purpling bruise that was starting to blossom across Myk's jaw. "I can get it back into place." She looked sideways at Xan. "Hell of a right hook; you dislocated his jaw..."

Xan just shrugged. "I was hoping to knock him out." He then looked to Arie. "Really? She's got good taste." he joked before making his way to Evelina.

"My jaw is disloca-OW!" Myk yelped as Calli popped his jaw back into place. "Sweet mother of-!"

Callista grinned and shook her finger at him. "Ah ah! No complaining."

"I think she's in the kitchen, Xan," Jade called after the Mando. "We were making up some 'flap-jacks' for the Corellian...though whether or not he can eat them will be up to his physicians..."

"I take it all back," Myk said through gritted teeth. "I'm going to kill that beskar-plated bucket of Mando."

"He might have to settle for something softer right now, I think," Steffan said as he handed him a tumbler of whiskey. "This might help some."

Meanwhile, Xan found Evelina watching the goings on with relish. "You think that's good; you should try my cooking, kiddo." he grinned at the toddler.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you," Myk said to Steffan. "A man after my own heart."

Callista smirked and shrugged. "I'd not recommend any hard foods. It'll be tender for a few days."

Jade shot a look at Xan. "You know, I might just trust you in my kitchen."

"Xan'ika!" Evlina cried, then looked to the Mando for confirmation. "Did I say that right?"

Xan grinned at Evelina. "You sure did, Strillbait. Nice to know you've been paying attention." He scooped her up into his arms before giving a mock-offended look to Jade. "You might? Gee Jade, way to wound me. Here I was about to suggest running off with me but you went and did that. Now you got to suffer with Steffan."

She just grinned and turned back to what she was doing. "Oh, whatever will I do?"

"Eww," Evelina made a face. "Stop being all mushy!" She tapped Xan on the head with her little hand. "You don't feel angry any more, are you done being mad at Mommy and Daddy?"

Xan looked at Evelina and looked sad for a moment. "Elek, kiddo I'm done being angry. Are you angry with me 'cause of that?"

That had gotten Jade's attention and she looked over at her husband again. 'Later, I promise' he sent to her over their connection as he poured another tumbler for himself and Xan...they would need it right now.

Myk-Ron grinned from where he sat in the corner of the kitchen, sipping his whiskey and eying the flap-jacks mournfully. Arie sat next to him, playing with his hair.

"I wasn't angry, Xan'ika," Evelina said. "I was sad. I don't want you and Mommy and Daddy to fight. But," Evelina said with a mischievous look in her eye. "If you hurt my Mommy, I would have beaten you up."

Callista gently took Myk's jaw in her fingers and looked at him. "You'll be fine, it'll just be sore for a while." With a devilish grin, she swiped one of the flapjacks for herself, before going to look for something stronger than behot.

"Like I said," Arie grabbed some flap-jacks for herself. "He's just being a big baby. Aren't you sweety?" She gently patted Myk's cheek, to which the Rogue's eyes grew wide, and he bit back a groan of pain.

"I love you too, Princess," He ground out.

"I know," Arie smiled as she poured syrup onto the flap-jacks.

"Well, that'll keep him at least a little quieter for a while," Steffan said as he sipped at his tumbler.

Xan looked at Evelina and didn't doubt that one day that would be true. "Now I'm scared. I'll be good to mommy I swear. Even when daddy is being..." he stopped. "Well being like how daddy is."

Callista almost choked on her mug of behot at Steffan's comment. As it was, she dissolved into a coughing fit, waving off the looks of concern.

"He can be so unruly sometimes," Evelina sighed in a very good impression of her mother.

That comment from Evelina almost choked Steffan up and he got up from the table to stand with Jade and swipe a flapjack.

Xan laughed. "Yup, but your mom likes that. " he winked before adding "Umm...you understand when your older." Xan realized his faux-pas and turned a little red

"Okay, okay," Myk said, raising his hands in defeat. "I surrender. Eat all the flap-jacks, enjoy my misery. I'm going to sit here and drink my breakfast is silence."

"That'll be the day," Arie smirked.

"I see a YT-2000 parked outside," Andrea's voice sounded from around the corner. "I know my Aunt Arie would have let me know when she got here...no matter how much Myk distracts her."

"Andrea!" Cried Evelina, bouncing in Xan's arms.

"And what about me and Cal'ika?" Xan said "Or are we just bantha poodoo?"

"Sorry, dear," Arie said, waving. "I was kinda distracted..."

She came around the corner with Ian holding her hand and grinning to the crowd. "Well, Callista is my sister and she did quietly let me know, Xan...and you...you're just another brother."

Xan placed Evelina down so she could run to Andrea before walking back to his wife.

Andrea knelt down for her hug from Evelina and Ian's turn was next.

"I was hoping for 'you're just drop dead gorgeous' but that works." Xan joked.

Myk laughed through the pain. "And that's why people call you, Your Highness, Your Highness," He waved at Andrea from his corner of the kitchen."It's a good thing you have a big kitchen, Karrde. It just barely contains the Mando's ego."

Andrea giggled at that. "Can you top a prince, Xan?"

Callista looked up from her plate of flapjacks, and stood, pushing her chair away from the table as Xan came over. Her left arm settled around his waist as she watched Andrea with the little ones.

Xan counted on his fingers. "Ummm...let me get back to you on that."

Callista grinned at Andrea and winked before kissing Xan gently.

"Speaking of which," Steffan said as he picked up Ian. "I thought Edward was coming with you."

"He had a late meeting with some refugees. They're wanting to see about setting up on a few of our colonies."

Xan blinked and realized that he was badly out of the loop still. "I don't mean to be a huge downer...but apparently I've been less in the know then I thought."

"Evelina," Arie said over the bustle in the kitchen. "Why don't you and Ian go play in the den? The grownups are going to talk about boring grownup stuff."

"Okay, Mommy," she replied, grabbing her stuffed taun-taun. "C'mon, Ian!"

Andrea looked over at Xan after she nodded to Ian that it was okay. "We've been approached by a few groups of refugees from the systems that the Empire has been overrunning hoping to find sanctuary on a few of our colonies. We've been going over ideas and such the last week or so."

That caught Callista's attention. "Do they have any particular ones in mind...?"

Andrea nodded, "One group has...but we haven't given them an answer yet because I haven't discussed it with Marin yet."

"Wh...what?" Callista stuttered in surprise. "Do they know it's inhabited?"

"Does Cataan have the resources to support the numbers coming in?" Arie asked, her tone taking on a more serious note. "It's a big burden to carry, and you do so much for the galaxy already...spast, I wish we owned a planet. Myk-Ron, I want to buy a planet."

Andrea shook her head. "Only a handful knows of their home there. We're considering some other options." Then she looked over at Arie. "We're splitting the load, actually. Several other systems have offered to help in this."

"Sure, dear," Myk said. "Lemme just pull the coin outta the Firebird..."

"Only thing left right now is Outer Rim systems and even at that the Hutts are tightening controls in systems they do have."

"Not all of the Outer Rim," Steffan interjected. "We've been able to halt their influence trailward of the Corellian Run...at last that I had heard, at any rate...and that was several days ago. There's another meeting in the grotto I selected later on this evening," Steffan told them.

"We need to get a plan going," Arie said. "But the breakfast table is hardly a place to lay out a galaxy-saving strategy."

"Xan, I know you might not want to go through it again...but I think the High Council and the Masters here need to see what you have shown us," Steffan looked across the table at Xan.

Xan looked to Steffan and nodded. "I figured as much," before changing tack. "But come on, Arie's right. We should be eating here. Well in Myk's case drinking, but you get the idea."

"It's settled, then," Myk said as his finished his glass. "For now, I need to get the 'Bird unpacked. And, Steffan needs to show me where to put Ryneas' birthday present."