The late morning sun fell in a dappled pattern on the front steps of the Charterhouse as Inspector Falkus and Agent MacBheatha walk up the stairs to meet Seneschal MacSheumais in the foyer. The building attested to age and subtle air of wealth.

"Good afternoon, Inspector Falkus, Agent MacBheatha," greeted the Seneschal.

"Seneschal MacSheumais," the Inspector nodded. "I thought I was meeting with Master Mac Dhomhnuil."

"Unfortunately the Meimeal has been called away to oversee another project, Inspector" replied the Seneschal smoothly as he walked them through the foyer and down a hall to his office. He offered the two men chairs and moved to seat himself behind a wide desk.

"May I offer you refreshments? Perhaps some coffee or tea?"

"Thank you Master MacSheumais. Coffee, please," answered Falkus.

"Tea for me, thanks," said MacBheatha.

MacSheumais's assistant arrived shortly with the refreshments, and after a few minutes of desultory small talk, the Seneschal set his cup down and gave the Inspector a speculative look.

"What can I do for you today, Inspector Falkus?"

"You can tell me where you've stashed Armitage Hux," demanded Falkus bluntly.

He looked back at the Inspector cooly. "I have no information I can give you on that individual."

"Why is the Grey Order protecting Armitage Hux? He is, after all, a war criminal and a mass murderer."

"Again, Inspector, I have no information I can give you regarding that individual."

Falkus looked over at MacBheatha. "Are you positive your government won't charge them with obstruction of justice?"

"Positive, Inspector. When I asked for clarification my superiors told me no."

"What if the First Speaker of the UNR tried to persuade the First Minister and the Councils?"

"Weeel, the First Speaker is lightyears away at the Core and the Grey Order is right here. No contest, really."

Inspector Falkus gave MacBheatha a brief dirty look before he turned his attention back to the Seneschal.

"I guess we have nothing else to discuss," concluded the Inspector as he and Agent MacBheatha rose from their seats.

The Seneschal stood as well. "I am sorry that we can't be more forthcoming."

As Falkus reached the office door he stopped and turned back to Master MacSheumais.

"I almost forgot. I had just one more thing to ask. Is Kylo Ren still a guest of the Grey Order?"

"He is, Inspector. May I ask why?"

"Oh, I'll probably be back in a few days with some questions for him and Rey Skywalker."

**TaBa**

Aurelia is in the middle of a mental shielding exercise with Hux when her comm beeps. She looks down at the sender information and frowns.

"I'm sorry Alasdair, I need to answer this. You can take a break if you wish."

"You're projecting your irritation, Aurelia," smirked Hux smugly. "I can pick it up without really trying."

She gave him a Look. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Aurelia stepped out on the deck and keyed the receiver. "Galen here."

"Hello Aurelia," responded the warm voice of the Seneschal.

"What can I do for you, Dòmhnall?"

"How's your apprentice coming along? I'd like to give Master Mac Dhomhnuill an update."

"Once he got over his dislike of the Force he's mastered several of the basics."

"Dislike for the Force is not uncommon for most Force nulls, Aurelia. And as far as he knew he wasn't a Force-sensitive."

"I know that, Dòmhnall. This was a particularly strong hatred. If he wasn't already gone I would gladly horsewhip Brendol Hux. My apprentice is a bit of a mess emotionally."

"How much more time do you need?"

"To teach him basic skills and control? Maybe another week or two. He's picking it up rather quickly. More advanced skills will take quite a bit longer. Do you know what Master Mac Dhomhnuill has planned for my apprentice?"

"Not really. He's playing his cards really close to the vest."

There is a pause in the conversation.

"Inspector Falkus contacted me earlier, Dòmhnall. He's suspicious."

"Aurelia, I'm not sure how much longer we can divert the Inspector."

"I may be able to wrap this up in a few more days. I'll let you know."

"Just be careful, Aurelia. "

"Always, Dòmhnall."

**TaBa**

Inspector Falkus looked up from his datapad to see Agent MacBheatha hustling across the lobby of the Travelers Rest. He stopped in front of the Inspector and puffed a bit, catching his breath.

"Inspector Falkus!" he puffed, "I have an update, sir." He puffed a little bit more, face red, attempting to catch his breath which had apparently run on ahead.

"Sit down before you fall down Mìcheal," ordered Falkus. MacBheatha collapsed in a comfortable chair next to the Inspector. He huffed quietly until he had his breathing under control.

"Now what's this about an update?" asked Falkus.

"Well sir," began MacBheatha, "It appears that the tap on Dr. Galen's comm has resulted in useable information."

"And?" encouraged the Inspector. MacBheatha had a flair for the dramatic and tended to draw things out. Too much, at times.

"Weel, we know where she is currently, how long she is going to be there, and that she's with someone."

"Am I going to have to drag the information out of you or are you going to get to it ?"

"I have a transcript of her latest call with the Seneschal of the Grey Order sir. Would you like to read it?"

Falkus restrained himself from violently rolling his eyes. "No. I'm going to attempt to pull the information straight from your mind."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Yes, Mìcheal, I would like to read the transcript."

Agent MacBheatha reached into a coat pocket, pulled out a wrinkled batch of paper, and handed it to the Inspector.

"Sorry about the condition, Inspector," he apologized as he watched Falkus smooth out the sheets. "I was in a bit of a rush to get this to you."

Falkus raised an eyebrow. but said nothing. He read through the transcript silently for a few minutes, then looked up at MacBheatha.

"Interesting. Good work Mìcheal. Do we know where Dr. Galen is currently located?"

"Yes sir, she was calling from a location near Both Chèi," affirmed MacBheatha.

"I've been informed that the Grey Order has a meditation center there," observed Falkus.

"Yes sir. I have directions if you want to check it out."

"Pass the directions on to Inspector Dameron. He and his husband were going over to Both Chèi today."

"Of course. Anything else Inspector?"

"Just tell him I'll comm later with more information."

"Very good sir."

As MacBheatha hustled across the lobby Falkus looked back down at the transcript. Aurelia and MacSheumais were talking around who her 'apprentice' was, but the reference to Brendol Hux pointed to the Starkiller. Gods of our Ancestors help us if Armitage Hux is Force-sensitive.

What have you gotten yourself into, Lia? he thought ruefully.

**TaBa**

"I'm impressed, Alasdair. This is a very strong mental barrier."

Hux's mental barrier was definitely stronger than the one he had before Threshold Sickness, and that one would have kept out everyone but the strongest and most experienced Force users.

Aurelia sat back and grabbed a bottle of water from the table on the back porch. It was late afternoon, and they had been doing barrier work since lunch.

"Strong enough to keep Ren out of my head?" Hux smirked at her as he took a swig from his own bottle.

"Most likely," she replied. "This barrier is much more intricate than the wall you had before. I particularly like the labyrinth you inserted after the initial layer."

Hux just smiled. No one was going to get into his mind palace if he had anything to say about it. "So what do we work on next?"

"It's getting a bit late in the day to start working on a new Force power," she said thoughtfully. "And you could use some additional practice with telepathy and mind shielding."

Hux sighed. "Right. Let's get to it then."

"Actually," she grinned, "I have the perfect exercise, Alasdair. We're going to go on a field trip."

Hux looked at her skeptically. "And where would this 'field trip' take place?"

"There is a lovely pub in Both Chèi I want to take you to. Good food, good music, and enough people to give your Force training a bit of a workout."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he challenged skeptically.

"All my ideas are good ideas," she countered.

"We'll see." Hux wasn't averse to going to a pub if for no other reason than to break the monotony of The Bungalow. Still, he had a feeling that everything could go pear-shaped rather quickly.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered to himself.

**TaBa**

"So this is the meditation center, huh?" questioned Finn.

"According to the directions Agent MacBheatha gave us," replied Poe.

They both sat in their transport in the gravel driveway and looked at the so-called meditation center.

"It looks like someone's little house to me," whinged Finn.

"Yeah, it does." agreed Poe. "Let's go knock on the door and see if anyone's home."

They got out of their vehicle and walked up to the front door. It was early evening and the last bit of light was rapidly fading with the setting of the sun.

As they reached the door it became evident that there was no one there. With the exception of a dim light over the front porch the little house was completely dark.

"You think they went to bed early?" asked Finn.

Poe reached up and knocked vigorously on the door. They waited a few minutes and then Poe knocked again.

"They either sleep like the dead or nobody's here," commented Finn. "Probably the latter."

"I think you're right sweetie," agreed Poe. "Nobody's here."

"So now what?" wondered Finn.

"Now we find our way back down that dirt road before it gets too dark and find a pub for dinner in Both Chèi."

"That's got my vote!" cheered Finn.

Author's Notes: Seneschal MacSheumais stonewalls Inspector Falkus. Aurelia and the Seneschal talk about Hux's progress in controlling his connection to the Force. Agent MacBheatha brings intel to the Inspector. Aurelia takes Hux on a field trip. Poe and Finn stop by The Bungalow before they head to a pub in Both Chèi.

Yep, we're going to end up at a pub again. No, I haven't forgotten about Kylo and Rey. Or Phasma and Kateria. They will be back soon.