With breakfast finished, Jade shooed Arie, Xan, and Calli out of the kitchen. Myk and Steffan left to go unload the Firebird, and get things squared away in the guest house. Andrea stayed in the kitchen to help and catch up with her Mom, and Ian and Evelina were busy playing in the den. Arie, Xan, and Calli stepped out onto the porch in the late morning sun.
Xan blinked a little from the sun but smiled somewhat as he stepped onto the deck. "Arie." he said smiling. "You thinking of sending me to the morgue for the stunt?"
"I love this place in the Summer," Arie said as she breathed deep the pine-scented morning air. "Coruscant's my home. I thrive in the duracrete canyons and durasteel jungles, but this...this is just beautiful. Catch me after I've soaked this in for longer than a minute, Xan, and you'll get that fight you've been itching to have."
Xan readied himself but nodded. "This reminds me of the farm I tried to maintain on Manda'yaim. The mountains surrounding the fields of blue corn and the vines for the late summer wines the farmers in the area make. But I haven't had much time for peaceful vistas, not my call in life I suppose."
"You wouldn't like it for too long," Arie said with a knowing smile. "Just like I wouldn't, just like Myk wouldn't. Warriors aren't meant to be idle for long. But, it's good to take a step back and breathe it in once in a while. It let's you know what you're fighting for."
It was then that Callista came out onto the porch, cradling another mug of behot in her fingers as she wandered over to Xan and laid her head on his shoulder. She stood with them and watched the sun come up as she turned the vision over in her mind.
Xan looked at his wife. "I'm about to receive my receipt for the landing pad stuff," he said. "But your mom was reminding me about perspective."
She grinned for a moment and looked towards Arie. "Mom's good for that. Perspective is important, especially now."
Arie's grin turned wicked. "I know you've been aching for this," She said to Xan. "But, if it's me you're wanting to fight, we'll do it my way. Steffan has a Master's wheel under the house. No armor, no sidearms. Just you, me, our lightsabers, and our skills."
At that, Callista cast a speculative glance in Myk's direction. 'Could the Master's wheel handle all four of them?'
"Training sabers, of course," Arie amended as she watched Myk and Steffan out at the landing pad getting the 'Bird unloaded. "I don't want to send you back to Calli in pieces."
Xan sighed. "Itching for it is not the phrase I'd use. More like trying to shove a message into you. One that's 48 years overdue." he looked stiff again before responding. "You may be the Phoenix and Myk maybe the Conduit, Arie; but I'm not some pushover recruit straight out of the Coruscanti training pool. "
Callista nodded. "We realize that you want some time to yourselves, but your knowledge and experience is needed, especially now." She looked hard at Myk then, but it softened slightly.
"Nor I," Arie replied. "I was a fighter-pilot once upon a time too, Xan. And a commando. The ego thing gets drilled into you when you're in the military. Nobody is saying you're a pushover, but I'll warn you not to underestimate us either. Together and separately, we've fought and defeated Sith Lords, mad clones, and tyrannical dictators. We've seen a few lifetimes of galaxy-threatening chaos, and pulled through. I understand where you're coming from. It's the disrespect that sets Myk off."
"And I realize that, Callista," Arie nodded. "But, we weren't aware of the situation as Xan saw it. We were working toward fixing things. Now, with some more perspective, we know we have to step back into things more fully."
Xan grinned slightly. "This is why Mandos aren't diplomats. We tend to run our mouths too much." But he sighed, "The Order needs you two. Evelina needs you two. I just feel that what you both were doing was foolish. Not in the smuggling and trying to keep working with the NR but settling for less then what you both are."
"Mandos have something called briirud akaanire, or battle circles. I was hoping if I provoked you to a fight, I could explain this to you while awakening the warrior I saw that I assumed was dormant."
"I tell you what," Arie said. "I'll make you a deal, because a bit of my husband's Corellian has rubbed off on me, and that's how they work."
Xan raised an eyebrow. "Go on..."
"You promise that the next time you have something earth-shattering to tell us, you'll do it like you just did; calmly and with respect," She explained. "And, I will fight you in whatever way you wish."
Xan grinned lopsidedly but stuck his hand out. "Deal." And they shook. "But don't expect any of my vode to do the same."
"See," Arie said. "There's a difference. You, I care about. You're married to my daughter. Your Mando brethren? I don't have a problem bashing their skulls in until they learn respect."
"Let me rephrase that," Arie said.
Callista grinned slightly at Arie's comment.
Xan laughed. "No need, General."
"You understand?"
"They'd respect that."
"Ah," Arie smiled warmly. "You're family, Xan. You don't need to attack us to get our attention. Just talk to us. Even Myk will admit from time to time that he actually likes you. But, I didn't say that," She was quick to cover with a laugh.
Xan just chuckled. "I may say the same thing...if you catch me on the right day."
Arie wrapped Callista up in a hug. "And we all love this gorgeous girl here," She smiled. "So we'll always have that in common, at least."
Callista's cheeks flushed slightly, and she leaned her head on Arie's shoulder for a moment. "All of you mean the world to me..."
Xan smirked. "True...but as for the gorgeous part. You may want to clean out some of the young initiates mouths if you come by the Temple. Seems you're as popular for...other things as you were for your military brilliance." Xan smiled at his wife though.
Arie laughed, and even blushed a little. "It's good to know I've still got it," She said. "Though, I think it's about time we focused on what we actually came here for in the first place. We should get our stuff unloaded and unpacked, and see what we can do to get ready for Ryneas' birthday. In the chaos that is to follow, I think we'll all be thankful for the short time we have to celebrate."
Xan nodded. "I still say Jade's going to kill Myk and chase you up the mountains for that gift. I did something sensible and gave him a bankroll."
Callista raised an eyebrow at him. "How much...?"
Xan mumbled something and looked away.
Callista poked him and smiled. "How much, cyar'ika? I won't be mad."
Arie actually blushed more, and looked away for a moment. "I wanted to give him the money in the form of a trust fund or something," She explained. "Myk kinda...won the decision to give him the bike instead."
Callista chuckled. "While Ryneas is practical, and can certainly make good use of the trust fund, it's always good to have something for fun, too."
"Five-thousand." he answered Callista. "Yeah, yeah...the big, bad Mando'ad is an illusion only I have. Don't say it, Cal'ika." He looked at Arie and frowned drawing a conclusion already. "I'm not sure I want to know how he won, either." before laughing.
"Yeah," Arie said, glad to have breezed over having to explain how Myk 'won' the decision. "Besides, he'll have more birthdays."
Callista smiled, and then hid a grin behind her hand at the feeling she got from Arie. "Why don't we go get settled, and enjoy the time we have?"
It was then Xan heard Jade jabbering at Myk. "Looks like Jade saw the present. so Ryneas will have more birthdays, and Myk won't."
"Aw, shab..." Callista muttered.
"I'd better go try to smooth things over," Arie sighed. "I'll see you two later."
Myk-Ron and Steffan had just finished unpacking the Dinn family's luggage, and the two made their way to the cargo hold of the Firebird. Myk had covered the bike with a bit of tarp, and, as he and Steffan stood next to the strapped down speeder, Myk hit the controls to lower the hold onto the landing pad. In the lat morning sun, the tarp glinted, and Myk cast a wink to the Jedi before grabbing the tarp and uncovering the bike with a flourish. Steffan spent several moments looking at it before he started to walk around the bike, checking over every detail that he trained eye could see.
"While I personally don't have an issue here," he said as he looked over the rest of it. "At least you didn't get the fully-powered model. But…Myk, you know she's going to give you a look for this." By 'she', he had meant Jade. "And you know she might ask me to say something about it." He still shook his head and looked over the controls. "How many kilometers on her...or is she fresh from the showroom?"
"Fresh off the factory line, actually," Myk said, getting a surprised look from Steffan and a appreciative nod. "So, you'll have to tell your boy about the warm up period. But, yeah, it's been modified for private use. The gun's been removed to make room for the extra steering vanes, and the engines have a governor on them. You can turn it off, of course...if you're feeling adventurous."
"And, I'm hoping you'll try to get your wife to warm up to the idea," Myk continued as he began to unstrap the bike from the floor grating. "I mean, I had a swoop when I was sixteen, and I'm still alive."
"I was already flying in space by the time I was eighteen and so has he," Steffan told him with a grin. "Actually, Jade may give you some flack, but Andrea will probably get a little more than you will...though I don't know why she'd give either of you too much. There are several times when he's been behind the controls. Even as Msst, he was co-piloting White Squall."
Myk shrugged, "Well, at least there's that." Together the two finished un-strapping the bike, and they pushed it out onto the landing pad.
"Where should we put it? Arie's got a big bow she wants to tie on the front."
"Well..." Steffan thought about it for a moment. "Let put it on the pad elevator." He said as he tapped a control on his wristcomm to start bringing the elevator up. "It can sit on there right next to Andrea's present."
"Andrea's present?" Myk asked as he turned to where the pad had opened itself up.
It took a few minutes for the elevator to come up to the ground level, but Myk could see the top of Andrea's old black XJ-3 starting to show itself as the elevator came up. Steffan looked over to judge his reaction.
"Oh, you're kidding!" Myk exclaimed as he pushed the bike to rest next to the slick black XJ. He ran a hand under the fuselage, admiring the fighter from every angle, and feeling that sudden urge to be in the cockpit once more. "I've been so very outdone by your daughter."
"Only reason you got outdone is because she doesn't have time to fly it anymore," Steffan told him with a grin. "The Guard Unit would go ballistic if she tried to climb into the cockpit. She was complaining to me a few weeks ago about it just sitting there. So...I just dropped a subtle hint about what could be done with it." He slapped Myk's shoulder. "Now, aren't you glad you took the guns off the bike?"
Myk-Ron laughed. "Yeah," he shrugged. "He's got plenty on this baby. You've got one lucky kid, there, Karrde. But, then again, he deserves it. Kid's been through almost as much as we had at his age."
"Worse probably," he said as he ran a hand along the starboard S-foil. "When I was his age, I never would have dreamed going through something like Msst... although I remember Master Legato saying I had my head in the clouds quite a few times when I was his Padawan."
He shook his head as he thought about it. "And...I have the feeling that Msst isn't going to compare to what's awaiting us now."
"Yeah," Myk's hand dropped from the XJ. "What are we going to do, Steffan? What I mean is, we'll fight this thing obviously, but who do we fight, and how much of Xan's vision do we take verbatim? You know as well as I do that visions of the future are seldom what they seem. And, you know your history. You know what happened to the last person that tried to change his nightmares."
"Aye, I think we all do," Steffan said as he rested against the S-foil. "We still don't know who this new enemy is that is behind there wounds. The Empire is an obvious enough enemy. Cataan has been ramping up our ability to face them as well as producing extra ships for the Republic, but I don't really see how it will help them." He shook his head as he said that last statement. "There are so many problems on that front alone that would require so much attention. This is absolutely nothing like the two-sided fight we had at Endor and Rhen Var. We were, at least, a cohesive fighting force then. This time, the Republic is something completely different. We've gotten divided in more ways that one."
He sighed as he revealed this next tidbit of information. "A grand example...Cataan STC reported a 'sensor glitch' at the edge of their scanning range. The battlegroup that was here at the time couldn't pinpoint it until they called me in. Do you remember those recon mobile suits that Nib Cadre made for Republic Intelligence's Special Ops branch without my knowledge?"
"You mean officially?" Myk said with an arched eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Unofficially, yeah, I do. And, I remember you being a little hot about the whole situation. Why?"
"Well," Steffan told him. "That was what was at the edge of the system...using its recon package on our facilities on Catain. Took three of our H'kana-class ships to corner it and 'convince' it to decloak and surrender. And the only reason we hadn't unleashed hell on Maxell yet is because we don't know where the pilot's orders originated. His recon suit bore NR markings and I was able to determine Nib's signature work on the systems." Steffan was so frustrated by the memory that he almost wanted to slam his fist against the fuselage. "The Republic spying on us, of all people! We've been the strongest supporter in these last several years alongside the Mon Calamari and the Wookies and several other species."
"Wonderful," Myk-Ron sighed, still admiring the XJ. "Its times like this I almost wish I hadn't stopped smoking. Arie and I had planned on doing some investigating on our own," Myk-Ron continued. "But, now...You know, things were easier behind the stick in one of these. You put the enemy in your sights, and you pulled the trigger."
"I always thought the same thing," Steffan said as he looked over the mountains behind the X-wing. "When you're facing someone in the cockpit or face to face...you know exactly who you're dealing with. Now, we don't know who our real enemy is...well, one of them, at any rate. We have a whole selection to choose from this time, it seems."
"I imagine this will be discussed in the big council meeting tonight?" Myk asked as he went back to the Firebird to close her up.
Steffan nodded as he stepped away from the elevator and tapped the controls to start lowering it again. "Among other things, yes. We have most everyone here."
"Well," Myk paused over what he was about to say. "What's your stance on us rejoining the Order? You're not gonna make me swear on the Jedi Code, are you? And, I'm sure Arie's going to want in on this thing too."
"Personally, oaths and all aren't going to make much of a difference," Steffan finally said after he thought about it. "You two may have left the Order but in your hearts, you were still Jedi. Nothing changed in that regard. And I can speak for quite a few of the ones that will be there tonight when I say that you two will be welcomed." He traced the Firebird's fuselage and thought on a different subject. "Myk, you may have been in the loop on a few more things than I have been. Have...you heard anything from Barab I?"
Myk-Ron stopped, and faced Steffan. He'd nearly forgotten about Ainar.
"Steffan," He said. "We've been trying to push into that section of Hutt space for months now, and we haven't had any luck. The whole sector is locked down tighter than a Hutt's coinpurse, and our ships are already on the Hutts' most wanted list. I know we need him, but every mode of contact we've tried thus far has had no results. And, yes, we've tried contacting him through the Force."
He nodded softly at this and sighed. "I had thought as much, but I had to ask. I've tried to reach him myself and have gotten no word. I catch myself wondering if one of these wounds we've felt is there..."
"If it is, we'll be heading that way soon," Myk laid a hand on Karrde's shoulder. "We'll find him, Steffan."
"I know what Arie would say about it," he told him. "But I catch myself wondering if I should have let him leave the last time."
"Arie's had a lot of time to think," Myk said. "We all know that Ainar's got to make his own decisions. You couldn't have kept him here if you tried, Steffan."
"Aye," the Jedi said as he watched the elevator close up. "Come on, Xan and the ladies will think I've killed you for Ryneas's new bike or something."
"Wouldn't want that," Myk agreed, rubbing his jaw. "And, besides, we should be getting ready for the party. We can talk about galactic doom during the council meeting."
"True, true," Steffan said as they walked. "I have to get the fire going soon anyway to get enough coals."
"Oh," Myk said, turning back and running up the Firebird's ramp. "I nearly forgot!"
Steffan stared after him for a moment, wondering what had gotten into the Rogue. Then Myk came back down the ramp with a large crate in his arms. The markings on the box read: Whyren's Reserve 50-Year. "We brought you some libation," Myk smiled. "I remembered how hard it was to get good Corellian whiskey here."
Steffan looked at the markings and shook his head. "I'm not even going to ask where you found that...no, wait, let me guess...Talon?"
"Actually," Myk frowned. "I haven't heard from your cousin in some time. I'm starting to worry. Nik and Vince managed to find these on a run into Hutt space. Some crime lord's private stash or some such. Cost me a bundle," Myk sighed. "But what are friends for? I keep your liquor cabinet stocked, and you keep inviting me back for barbecues."
Steffan couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well, is there really any place on Coruscant that's going to cook your meal using a hardwood fire?"
Myk thought for a long time as the two walked back toward the house. "Um...no," He finally said. "It's kinda depressing, really."
They walked back inside with the case and Jade looked to see the case. She was shaking her head at it until she saw a keycard in Steffan's hand and took a moment to recognize it.
"Is that..." she started to say. "Steffan, is that a key for what I think it is?"
He moved his head over in Myk's direction.
"What?" Myk shifted the large crate in his arms. "I can't see."
"She saw the key," Steffan warned him.
"Cal'ika...you might want to ready your rippers on stun here..." Xan joked.
"Ah, well," Myk laughed. "Can you show me where to put this crate? Kinda heavy. Then your wife can kill us."
Jade looked at Myk and then over at Arie. "What did you two get him? A speeder bike?"
Arie laughed weakly, and cast Jade an apologetic look. "It wasn't my idea," She said. "I wanted to get him a trust fund..."
"Yeah," Myk said, still holding the crate. "'Cause those are real fun. I wasn't kidding about the crate by the way. It's not full of feathers."
"He's eighteen," Steffan told her. "And he's handled that X-wing before..."
"That's an X-wing...he's got room to fly," she started to protest.
"Its fine," Steffan told her as he kept himself between her and Myk. "I checked it out myself and he's a good pilot."
Xan looked at the case "Fifty year old water. Just when you think you understand Corellians..." He motioned to Myk that he would grab the case to set it down
"Water?" Myk looked shocked as Xan put the crate next to the kitchen counter. "I thought even Mandos knew how to read. That's Whyren's Reserve. Best whiskey this side of the galaxy."
Xan scoffed. "We can read just fine, Myk…just that we have better taste in things." He smirked and saw Arie roll her eyes at him. "What? When he actually tries narcoleth then let's see what he says."
"Narcoleth?" Myk arched an eyebrow. "Sounds like it's distilled from blue corn and dirt."
Steffan started heading towards the patio area off from the garden to start the fire. He could at least say he had enough wisdom to not get into an argument over liquor between a Corellian and a Mandalorian.
He walked out through the kitchen's back door and onto the backside of the deck that was on that side of the house. He looked over the mountains again, Xan's vision coming to mind once more as he walked down to the stone slabs that made the patio area of the family's garden.
In the center of the area was a sunken fire pit with a steel mesh plate two feet above the ground that was mounted to a pole so it could be swung out from over the fire. A stack of firewood was already in place in the pit with all the kindling and tinder needed to get it started and Steffan moved the grill plate away as he started to strike a match and laid it next to the tinder and saw the material start to catch flame immediately.
In a moment, the kindling would catch and before long, the longer pieces of fuel that were stacked in a box around the stand of kindling would also begin to burn. To the side were more trimmed pieces of fuel to add to it and get enough heat going to cook what meat and vegetables he and Jade had prepared and were waiting.
Steffan stood back as the fire picked up and began to burn well. He caught himself looking up again and could start to see a few stars beginning to appear in the afternoon sky. So many times, he looked up there with his children and with his grandchild now, telling them of all sorts of adventures that occurred out there. He didn't tell them much of the dangers that were out there, but they had seen them first hand these last several years and knew now how he had felt…wanting to keep those dangers away from their home.
Yet…there was a grand new danger lurking and making its self known now. And it was one that could possibly destroy all he and his friends and family held dear.
'Not while I am here to stop it,' he thought to himself…actually making himself an oath…'not while there is still a breath in my body.'
