The Cathar named Jodoc was gradually growing accustomed to this new life as a member of the Halcyon Clan. The group operated almost as a commune, members were entitled to whatever they needed that the clan could provide without any expectation of fair turn or currency. If your need could be met by the group, it was, without question. If it couldn't, then you were provided the means to meet the need yourself. Within a matter of days Jodoc had a new apartment on Nar Shaddaa, courtesy of the resident shipping queen Tal'aran. He was also provided a new wardrobe and a stipend to cover extraneous needs. It was all very convenient, to be certain, but Jodoc was wary. No group creates resources this large without stepping on the toes of various gangs and cartels, and Jodoc was very curious as to how the Halcyons had managed to fly under the radar for so long.

It was to that end that he had scheduled an appt with a man named Reeve, who lived at the Academy. Reeve was serving as an information broker for the Halcyons, monitoring their communications and maintaining ties with the various organizations they were tied to. Reeve, a handsome Miraluka man was all too happy to meet the latest inductee into the clan, and had prepared a light meal of pastries and caf for them to visit over.

"Welcome Jodoc. I am Reeve Halcyon, and it is an absolute pleasure to meet you." He smiled and extended a hand towards the visitor. Jodoc took it cautiously. He had read of the Miraluka's unique ability to sense the environment around them, despite their complete lack of traditional vision. It was strange speaking to a blind man and still feeling eyes staring through your soul.

"Hallo Reeve. See you got us all set up with a bite, yeah? Right fancy digs they got you in here." Jodoc looked around the information room, temple walls covered with monitor displays and readouts. It was a strange juxtaposition, seeing all this tech adorning the walls of stone. Ancient ruins meets cutting edge. Cables and wires mixed with moss in a strange dance of melding conceptualizations.

The Miraluka smiled warmly. "Yes, I am quite fond of it. My...unique nature allows me to draw information from a variety of sources, and having them all converge at this location is mutually beneficial for everyone." Reeve took a mug of caf and sipped it happily. "Shall we begin?" He gestured to the seat across the table from him.

"Right, yah." Jodoc sat, still a bit awe-struck by the room around him. So much information was scrolling by so quickly, it seemed impossible for any one person to be able to monitor it all. "Should we...eh...be keeping an eye on any of this?"

Reeve smiled again. "Not at all. There are precautions in place that alert me should anything important arise. You mentioned that you had some questions about the Halcyon's history?"

The Cathar nodded and took a pastry from the plate set before him. "Yeah, Lothärius gave me the broad strokes back when he told me he wanted me on board, but I kind of get the impression that there were some details glossed over. You ...ah...been with the group for long, yah?"

Reeve nodded. "A few years. I was brought on a while back to help Volaro, who held this position before me. He took a more...traditional view of record keeping. He preferred physical copies, books, scrolls, he had quite an impressive library when I signed on, and I spent quite some time organizing and maintaining it. When Volaro's duties called him back to Dromund Kaas, he placed me in charge of keeping the lore, and Ive taken the opportunity to upgrade our system considerably."

"Yeah, no question there, mate." He took a bite of the pastry. Sweet and flaky, he was momentarily distracted by the taste. "Wow."

Reeve smiled again. "I keep only the best. I firmly believe that in order to perform to one's highest potential, the body and mind together must be adequately satisfied." He took another sip of the caf and sighed in contentment. "Mmmmm. Perfection."

"...Right." Jodoc was suddenly uncomfortable. He set the pastry back on its plate. "Anyways. I had some questions about the clan as a whole. Now the Halcyons originated in, do I have this right, an alternate dimension?"

Reeve nodded. "Sort of. The first eight play that part pretty close to the chest. They try not to dwell too much on what happened before they arrived here."

Jodoc took out his notebook. "Now, the first eight, those are Asmodeus, Michael, Haborym, Rodeo, Barrow, Mitvekzuk, Elder and Oryon, yes?"

"Yes, the rest of us obviously originated in this galaxy, born and raised here, and were brought into the clan after."

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong," Jodoc flipped back a few pages. "The Halcyons used to exhibit some kind of extra-natural abilities, as a leftover from the passing into our galaxy?"

"Correct. As well as being unnaturally long-lived, most Halcyons were able to feel the Force in a way that few could, giving them a cleaner and more accessible approach to it."

"But not anymore?"

"Also correct." Reeve took another sip. "Several years ago, before I signed on, Michael and Pravitas attempted to establish a portal home. While the device did work momentarily, it caught the attention of some authoritative force on the other side."

Jodoc scribbled a few notes. "Yes, and Pravitas, he's Michael's...brother?"

"Eh, not exactly." Reeve pushed his temples. "Sometimes I forget how convoluted this can get. In a true sense, Pravitas is Michael. He's what Michael would have been had he turned to the dark side long ago."

"Right, sorry." Jodoc made a face at his notes. This is insane. He thought. "Please continue."

"Well, whatever was on the other side of the portal did not react favorably to the Halcyons attempted to break their exile. They were stripped of any last remnants of their abilities and the gates were sealed behind them. Or so the story goes. I was not present, and can rely only on what they choose to share about that event."

"But the end result being, the Halcyons are mortal now, yah? No more of this supernat'ral business?"

"Yes, that is correct." Reeve offered no more elaboration on this point.

"Right then." He folded his notebook and looked at Reeve directly. "Talk to me about Oryon."

Reeve noticeably grimaced, and quickly resumed his professional posture. The implication was not lost on Jodoc. "Oryon is...complicated."

"First eight, yah?"

"Yes, Oryon was one of the originals that passed through the Rift into our galaxy. He and the others have a very long history together. Particularly, he and Michael were very close, considering each other brothers, along with Rodeo." Reeve frowned. "His history was Asmodeus was very tumultuous. He served as advisor for Asmo for many years. From what I've read, he was incredibly objective and logical. He often served as a voice of reason to balance out some of the more emotional opinions that tended to flare within the group."

Jodoc shrugged and asked the loaded question. "So where is he? Sounds like the group could use him more than ever."

Reeve sighed and pulled out his datapad. "Six years ago, Oryon made an attempt on the life of Asmodeus. His motives and reasoning were known only to him. When the attempt failed, he was sentenced to life in prison."

"Sentenced...in a court of law?"

"Not hardly." Reeve took another sip. "No, Asmodeus felt particularly betrayed, as you can imagine. This combined with the...unfortunate circumstances surrounding the death of the young girl in Asmodeus' apartment on the same evening, well, it changed everything. Asmodeus saw to it that Oryon was blamed for the death of not only the girl, not only the attempt on his own life, but the assassination of several of Asmodeus' business partners as well. Oryon was quickly scuttled away and quietly dropped on the remote reaches of the prison planet Belsavis."

"Now hold on, I hadn't heard this part before. What business partners?" Jodoc flipped through his notebook.

"Five Sith Lords of some repute. Each held substantial holdings and investments in the Empire. They were all assassinated in the days leading up to the attempt on Asmodeus' life"

Jodoc grinned. "Uh huh. Let me guess. All their holdings...?"

Reeve nodded. "They had entered into an agreement where each Lord's holdings would be divided amongst the rest of the group in the event of their passing. With Asmodeus as the only surviving member..."

Jodoc sighed and sat back in his chair. "Well that explains the resources then. Asmodeus must be as loaded as the Emperor himself."

Reeve nodded. "Of course, shortly after, Asmodeus retired and took a position here at the Academy as gardener and professor. All of his assets are committed to the benefit of the Halcyon Clan."

Jodoc smiled. "Its good to be the king, yah?"

Reeve chuckled and smiled warmly. "It is indeed, my friend. I hope that answered some of your questions."

Jodoc thought for a moment, and let the smile linger on a moment longer. "Just quite. Let me ask you this. Off the record."

Reeve nodded and leaned forward.

Jodoc leaned in close and whispered. "You think there's any chance that crafty old bat orchestrated any of this?"

"Asmodeus?" Reeve shrugged. "From my records, there's no limit to the man's ambitions. That being said, I don't see the benefit. He seems perfectly content to have hung up his weapons and armor and tend to the plants and minds of the Academy. If he felt Oryon was rising up to oppose him, why not just step down? Oryon would have made an excellent leader, and it sounds like Asmodeus was ready to retire anyways."

"Yeah, and now Oryon rots on a prison planet, and Asmodeus is getting a tan. You don't see anything suspicious about that?"

A monitor turned red and began beeping. Reeve quickly rose to his feet. "I'm sorry, Jodoc, but I'm afraid I have to close our meeting a bit early."

Jodoc smiled and stood up. "Not a problem, Reeve. I appreciate the information."

Reeve extended his hand and smiled again. It was a pleasant smile, a trusting smile. "It was truly a pleasure to meet you, my friend."

Jodoc shook the man's hand and turned to leave. "Likewise. I'll be around."