Carth looked up and saw the Cathar moving towards him.

"All settled in I take it?" he inquired, a smile showing on his face.

"Yes, thank you. Are you in the middle of something?"

"Nope, nothing that the droids can't handle for now, Come on" he gestured. "Let's get something to drink. I feel like I've been stuck on Tatooine without a moisture vaporator for the past twelve years."

"I'm a bit parched also" she replied, following behind him.

After handing her a tumbler, Carth began, "So, from the look on your face earlier I assume you never received the message I left for you?"

"No" she shook her head. "I'm afraid I have not had a chance to check my personal messages for the past few days." She gave him a questioning look.

"Well" he took in a breath and then released it just as his hand ran through his hair. "I decided to take a different approach to keeping the Republic strong. That, and the fact that the opportunity presented itself at just the right time."

"So you have gone back to being a commander." It wasn't really a question, just a statement.

"Actually," he grinned mischievously, "I've been promoted to Commodore."

"Congratulations, that is a surprise" although she didn't seem very sincere.

She quickly continued, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that you have been…"

"It's okay, I know what you meant" he laughed. "I was surprised myself. So, anyway, um, how are you?" he asked, hoping she would understand what he was actually trying to ask.

"Oh Jedi business, you know. Always something to do." She avoided his question deliberately.

She changed the subject, "For a new Commodore and such a large vessel, there are sure a lot of empty crew quarters."

"Yeah, Republic business, you know." He replied, stepping around her question.

They both took another sip from their tumblers, each waiting for the other to continue.

Carth moved towards the large table, setting his tumbler down first, and then slowly resting his body into the seat in front of it. He placed his hands on the table and locked his fingers together, sending her the message that he was prepared to wait as long as necessary. He then looked up at her.

Juhani briefly called to the force and then began, "I have three passengers, it was a rescue mission. One is recovering in the med bay now. I request she not be disturbed."

He nodded in compliance.

Juhani breathed a silent sigh of relief that he did not question the matter. "We are to return to Coruscant as soon as your business is complete, which I am sure you are already aware."

"Yes, what I'm not aware of though is why you were on Malachor V."

"As I told you, it was a rescue mission."

"Some rescue mission, you didn't even have enough fuel to travel half a parsec away from the planet" he scoffed.

"That had already been taken into consideration. Little did I know I'd be meeting up with a pilot, excuse me, Commodore, who wouldn't even know where the hell his ship was located!" her voice rising as she finished her sentence. All the stress from the past few days came to a rolling boil within her and she tried to calm herself.

Setting the tumbler on the table, she turned to leave, pausing only to say, "I believe we are through here, if there is anything more that needs to be said you may contact me via the comm, I'm sure that way you won't get lost." With that she stormed from the room, upset with herself that she had let this simple exchange make her so angry.

Carth sighed as Juhani exited the galley. "Well, that went well" he expressed to the empty room. He finished the liquid from his tumbler and rinsed it out. Turning around he was about to grab hers and do the same before deciding that he had enough to do on this ship without taking care of his new crewmates too. They could clean up after their own mess.

He headed back towards the cockpit, pausing for a quick stop in his personal fresher, before continuing on to read over the logs.

-------------------------

Revan stirred, slowly taking in her surroundings. Feeling a bit unsettled, she reached into her mind to recall the events that might have brought her here. Slowly the events played through in her mind like an old holovid.

She sat upright, thinking of the children. Immediately she felt dizzy and relaxed her body back onto the slab. She reached out through the force searching for them. They were safe, they were here too. She was about to send them a message when she stopped, she concentrated, listening to them chatter back and forth.

"Something is wrong, can you not feel it Aaron? Concentrate."

"I don't think anything is wrong, it just feels … bigger. Like I have to concentrate harder to make it smaller, but then it's too much. And…"

"But it's never felt like that way before. Wait, someone else is here."

"It's Ma'ma, she's awake." Revan could feel the joy flowing from Aaron as she smiled to herself, to him.

They were coming to see her, she rose, slowly this time. She thought of their conversation, how they were feeling the growing power of the force now that the dark taint of Malachor V was gone.

She had known this day would come, when she could no longer train them personally. She wondered if she had succeeded in convincing herself that they held no hidden darkness within them. But that was not going to be available to her anymore, nor could it be her concern, it would be left to the Jedi Masters.

She had much to do to ready the children for their acceptance into the Jedi Order and not much time left to do it. Events, the Force, had determined it was time.

She felt an emptiness already growing in her heart. One that would take up residence next to the hole that had been left four years ago, when she left Carth, when she started on this journey. Would one replace the other? Would the hole just grow bigger, gaining momentum before it crushed her? Would the never ending waves that were her life, ever stop crashing in around her, or would they just swallow her whole, like a tsunami?

But she couldn't think of that now, there would be plenty of time later, when she was experiencing it. Right now though, her time with the children was almost over and she needed to maintain some semblance of sanity.

She rose from the cot, smoothing the tattered robes as best she could and opened the door. She moved to the floor, crossing her legs, preparing her body for their leap into her waiting arms.

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