Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

(Closed)

Kat had hot kaf and tea ready as she waited for Brannis and Garth to arrive. She herself had already eaten a light breakfast and was dressed in her usual Jedi-garb, patiently waiting in a light meditation.

Garth arrives a little puffed and out of breath having jogged here from his last appointment, so as not to keep his cousins waiting.

"Well tha's a bracin' warmup fer tonight's games." He comments, offering Kat a smile as he drops into a chair with a thud, only belatedly noticing the tranquil state of his hostess.

She was alert quick enough as Garth joined her and she dipped her head in greeting. "Good morning, Garth. It seems the morning finds you in good spirits. Kaf or tea?"

"Errr, ah'm good thanks." He replies, waving off the warm drinks as he pulls some wrapped snacks out of a bag at his side.

"Y'already eaten this mornin'?" Garth asks as he offers some pre prepared fishy snacks

Bran arrives in plain but bulky clothes, looking probably much like he would in military fatigues though these are clearly generic civilian threads. He doesn't have Kaleena in tow, as she's working at the office.

As he lets himself in he raises an eyebrow at Garth's treats, but he doesn't comment. "Morning Kat, Garth."

Brannis was similarly greeted with a bow of her head, and an offer of tea or kaf, whichever he preferred. "Good morning, Brannis. I hope the past days have been kind to you."

Looking at her two cousins, Kat figured she might get the ball rolling. It was... unusual, to see that sense of trepidation in her rather than the calm and unflappable knight.

"Are you both familiar with this movement against the crown and the Republic, that is using the good name of House Ulgo and Duke Bouris Ulgo to garner attention and credibility?"

"Well Bran 'n ah ran into a mob th' other day. That Unther prince seem'd t' think it weren't an isolated incident." Garth replied as he nibbled away at his food.

"And Kaleena did some investigating and the mouth piece is a holonet loud mouth named Tuvi Kirns. Seems something of a 'true believer' in terms of Uncle Bouris's heroism and the Panthers being sellouts. Seemed to be excited about security forces trying to silence him," Bran recalled the high points.

"I see." She nodded, taking in the confirmation that they were at least aware. "I brought up the matter to Duke Bouris, partially because I wished to know how he would want to respond - or see us respond - to the matter as they are lumping in the Ulgo name with anti-Republic and anti-crown sentiments. And partially because I am concerned over those pointing fingers at Ulgo as being tyrants and bullies."

Which, well... Bouris wasn't being the most reasonable these days, she felt.

"When I brought up the matter he seemed... pleased, with the news. Not openly, but it was the small signs of it. The command center at the fortress, where I spoke with him, also seems to be at a high state of readiness, as he was reviewing the territory around the Spring Palace, including standard flight plans around the palace and the region. I am not a military commander, but from my experience it seemed more like... exercise plans for sieging and holding the Palace in case of occupation by Thul forces, going by the brief details I saw, showing positions for staging areas and estimated deployment times for soldiers and forces to hold the Palace. With similar markups for if the Panteer Palace is compromised."

Kat took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment to center herself, and continued with her calm voice. "I do not like to think the worst possible outcome, but... I do not feel like I can in good conscience leave out the possibility of it."

"It is possible that this group is acting independantly with their protests, but if it is as you say that they seem to want to draw security forces to silence them, then it does seem to fit the motive of playing up the insults endured by House Ulgo. Fanning the flames, so to speak."

Bran looked at Kat with great concern. "How to... hold the palace, if compromised. Not... how to storm the palace?" the war hero asked hopefully.

"Sieging and holding. At least that is what it looked like to me, but I fully acknowledge that my observation might be faulty, given that I wasn't spending a lot of time studying it and warfare on that level isn't something I have had experience with commanding or directing," she responded honestly.

"I sincerely hope that the plans I saw was merely in preparation to act in defense of Alderaan and the royal family, and that the reason the duke has been spending his time running over these battle plans is because he is dedicated to his duties in case of an attack. But... I cannot help but to be concerned, cousin. Perhaps you would know more or learn more if you visited, possibly? This is a bit more within your area of expertise, no?"

She sighed. "And then there's the matter of these protestors. Should we handle it, and how should we handle it?"

Garth was no great tactician, but he too was a little confused.

"Ah'm only new t' all this, but it wouldn' surprise me t' hear it. He's a great military leader right? He's gotta have contingencies, an' he sure ain't the only one t' have doubts about these Thul."

"Maybe he's plannin' how t' reclaim th' capital if they betray th' Panteer?"

Kat nodded to Garth.

"I sincerely hope that is the case, cousin, and not a contingency for a coup d'etat in the possibility of the outcome that the Panteer heir is not wed to his daughter, or possibly Brannis in the chance that the princess is chosen. Though I certainly hope princess Jameela is not the chosen heir - she is a sweet girl, but needs more time to grow and come into her own, and learn more about the galaxy."

Bran nods in serious agreement with all that Kat had said.

"It... It would seem appropriate for me to speak with our honored uncle. Perhaps he'll be straight with me, in light of... everything... But I'm not hopeful. And even if he is preparing for all eventualities, doesn't our most important goal remain making sure that we see King Joran and Queen Yula come to power? I am happy to be corrected, but what other outcome is better, setting aside the rage it might cause for uncle?"

"Even if I think that is an outcome most likely to bring peace and stability to Alderaan, I cannot stress enough that it's also important that we remember that Alderaan is a civilized democracy that has seen a lot of strife in recent times. He must be prepared to accept that the outcome he wants might not come to pass, and to accept it peacefully." She had seen too many worlds plagued by chaos in periods of transitions of power, and while this wasn't exactly the same, it felt close enough.

"He might trust you more, cousin. As a Jedi, I am... viewed as somewhat of an outsider sometimes, I think. My ultimate goal is peace, not the ambitions of Bouris Ulgo."

"A Yula/Joran pairing 'd certainly simplify thigns. Word on th' street though has Unther leading th' race t' be named heir, at least that's th' way it seemed last ah'd heard."

"Much like Uncle Bouris, we'd best be ready fer any 'ventuality."

(Kriff-biscuits, I thought I had replied here!)

"What the queen decides in the end is not up to us, but to her royal majesty and the dukes of the houses. I try not to concern myself with the line of succession too much, as long as the most suited person is chosen," Kat frowned. "Neither of the twins is impressing me much in that regard, but I admit I don't know them that well."

She sighed softly. "But yes, we must prefer for eventualities. Of all kinds. May the Force be with us in these trying times." Kat was certainly worried Bouris would do something stupid as to act with aggression if things didn't go exactly how he wanted.