Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

Zeno walked into the spaceport, observing what damage had been done, and seeing the crews already at work fixing things up. He moved to the bay that he had been told the Sunset Dawn was in.

Approaching casually, he rang the proverbial doorbell.

"We're not taking any solicitors," a garbled voice came over the intercom, followed by a brief pause as the person at the other end decided to peer at the camera view. "...okay. What are *you* doing here?"

Outside a parcel is is sitting next to the ship. It's about 1.5 meters by 1 meter and about 8 centimeters in thickness and wrapped in silken cloth.

"Hello to you too, Layne," he says. "You know you've got a box out here wrapped in silk? I can call security to remove it if you want, because I didn't bring it."

"...what? Uhm... okay fine I don't know what you want, but you can come in. Bring the box with you, would you?"

She wasn't sure what that parcel was about. Or for that matter what Zeno wanted. But she wanted to see if she could make him do the minor physical labor of bringing in the box, so... *good enough*.

The door would slide open; revealing an interior that was well, not very well maintained. It was spaceworthy enough, sure, but there was junk all over the place as Layne clearly wasn't the most organized person when it came to her personal space.

He does bring in the box as she requested, and sets it down on a pile of random things that seems to have a relatively flat top.

"Layne," he says with a nod when he sees her. "I had heard that old Bouris got you, and I wanted to see how you were doing. If you needed anything." There were no jabs or pokes, jokes or jibes. He wasn't warm about it, but it seemed he was at least serious.

She regarded the box with a skeptical eye for a brief moment, then regarded him for a longer while; eventually deciding she didn't actually care if he was here to mock her or anything along those lines. She didn't expect his offer to be one of genuine concern, but it didn't really matter.

There was a shrug. "He was highly skilled and got a lucky hit in. It happens. But I have been stabbed through with a sword before, as you well know. This wasn't the first time I should've been dead. And it probably won't be the last time."

"I'm familiar with the feeling," he says with a nod. "Thank you. For helping protect my home, for helping take down the madman that tried to have my children killed. I appreciate it more than you likely think I'm capable of."

"I don't do the things I do because I need people to thank me, Zeno," she said; a wary eye cast toward the box again. "I know this is impossible for you to understand so long as you keep clinging to the Dark Side, but we don't need a reason to do the right thing. We can just *do* them."

He smiles at her. "I am aware of that Layne. I didn't come here because you needed to be thanked, I came here because I needed to thank you. I was honestly hoping that you would have reached out more while here. Even Baesal did at least once. Though you should let her know jokes about child recruitment are in really bad taste. I imagine that's an image the Order probably doesn't like."

"I was rather busy," she said, "and once it became clear that you and the bunch of Vera Hawke antagonist rejects you train were just a convenient distraction for the real threat, I saw no reason to. And while I still don't know what possibly compelled you of all people to come here in the first place, I doubt its part of some grand plan. As for Baesal, I don't know what she said specifically, but I'm guessing it's something about your kids joining the Order if they should prove to be Force sensitives. Which *isn't* a bad plan."

"I don't know if you noticed, but I'm married. Going to the place where your spouse lives isn't uncommon in that situation," he says with a smirk. "There's really nothing more than the fact that it was a political marriage between two families, and I was fortunate enough to find love and acceptance in it. And I won't be turning my daughters over to anyone. They will grow up with their parents in a loving home and will be allowed to make their own choices without dogmatic indoctrination from anyone. And they are force-sensitive, I've already felt it from them. Which makes this Star Cabal a primary threat for me."

Layne sighed, shrugged, and then rolled her eyes. She didn't really know anything about the rules surrounding force sensitive children in the Republic other than that it was *customary* for them to be sent to the Jedi.

"A loving home where you teach them all the ways of the dark side surrounded by the people who dress, act, and talk like holocartoon villains that daddy instructs after brunch. Look I'm not going to tell you what to do. But the Jedi aren't what you think. I mean, they let *me* be a Jedi knight. Do you *really* think that'd happen if they were as dogmatic as you think they are? To me, it sounds like the dogmatic indoctrination of the *Empire* is still clouding your judgement."

Another shrug came. "If you *are* going to keep living in the Republic after all this, and be in such a high-profile place, you really *should* learn to work with the order. I'm sure we offer night-classes or something. No strings attached."

"I'm not teaching my daughters to use the dark side," he says quirking an eyebrow. "That's not my intention at all. And I've given up on the dogma of the empire as well. Peace is good, passion is good, calm is good, strength is good, all of it has it's place. I use the light when I need to, just as I'm sure when you find yourself in need you probably accept the whispers of the dark. Because the force is not a purpose, it is a path we follow to our purpose."

"I've been willing to work with the Jedi for a long time, I'm just not willing to join, which should not be an issue if your Order truly believes in freedom. Just remember that I came to you, twice during your visit to my home planet, and you likely did not spare me a thought that wasn't suspicious or accusatory."

"Katarzyna and I get along just fine and I've invited her to help set up a task force dedicated to hunt the Cunning Man. I welcome Jedi involvement."

"That's because Kat doesn't really know your history," she said with a casual shrug, before shaking her head. "Also why would you invite her, but not either of the Jedi who brought all this to people's attention in the first place? Is this one of those 'nobles first' type of thing? You realize Baesal's been working on this for years, right? And turns out I killed one of their operatives well before that even."

"No, I would not know anything about what you've been working on, because you are unwilling to work with me," he says with a shrug. "You tell me that I should learn to work with the Jedi, I tell you I have been trying, and then you immediately tell me those I do try to work with me don't know that I am a horrible person that is incapable of change."

"It does not matter if you have been working on it for years, it was not common knowledge here and now it is something I am aware of. So I am going to do what I can to fix the problem with the support of those willing to pool the resources. If you and Baesal want to pool such resources and knowledge then great. If you want to work separately because I'm a nefarious man that loves my family and wants to protect my home go right ahead. But the invite stands. You told me to learn to work with the Jedi. Well here is my hand, outstretched and ready. Do what you will with it, but you'll never actually see if I've changed or am changing if you don't even care enough to look."

She rolled her eyes again...

...then extended her hand.

"Just one thing Zeno, stop trying to act like a victim? That shit doesn't work on me."

"Just making observations," he says, shaking her hand. "I'm trying and hoping to be met part way. And I thank you for not dismissing me out of hand."

Another roll of the eyes. "Yeah, that's what I used to call it too. Anyway, you want to work on opposing the Cunning Man, that's fine by me. Though you should know he's probably just middle management."

"Things that are good to know," he said with a nod. "I will be having the meeting soon, i look forward to seeing you there. And again, I am glad you are still around."

He prepares to leave unless she has anything she wishes to say.