Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

Tethys's feet make crunching sounds in the gravel paving of the footpath, falling in the rhythm of a brisk if not overly ambitious jog. She isn't a run-every-morning-rain-or-shine sort of person, but she needs to be especially alert and clear-headed for several engagements later today, and it can't hurt to be seek that state from the physical side as well as the mental one,

This area of the gardens is less formally landscaped than most; it's been laid out as a semi-natural arboretum with curved paths winding through stands of flowering trees and shrubs, rather than a grand geometrical arrangement of plantings. Of course, it was probably designed just as deliberately as the rest of the garden zones, but it's a pleasant illusion of (very tame) wilderness.

Jedi Knight Tethys Carrack was the very person Cynella wanted to happen upon. Well, there were others on that list, but she was enthused by the idea of having another opportunity to speak with the wise woman. "Hello!" she called out, perhaps interrupting any serenity to be found in a morning jog. However, she bumbled forward without any heed to join the other lady on the path. "I hope the festival has been treating you well so far!"

Cynella's voice, calling out directly at her, breaks through Tethys's reverie. Tethys gives her head a slight shake and slows her pace, glancing aside to see who's joining her.

"Ah, Lady Cynella. Good morning." A calm half-smile curves her lips. "How have you been?' The festival lives up to its reputation, I'd say. These mysterious security concerns behind the disruption today are troubling, though."

"Ah, I've been well, though now that you mention it, yes! I didn't think much on the security concerns, though with you and the other Jedi Knights present, I'm not too worried." She kept up her jog until Tethys was ready to proceed. "That being said, I am curious about what is happening. All I know is that some occasions have been postponed."

If Cynella seems to be up for continuing their conversation on the run, Tethys will fall into step readily.

"It sounds like you know as much as I do. We--Jedi, I mean--generally don't get involved with security matters on Republic worlds unless we're asked to."

Well, or unless there's a really good reason. Or at least a moderately good reason. Anyway!

"There was a report about an explosion at the spaceport, but it seems it's not clear yet whether that was accidental or foul play."

Cynella started her jog at a brisk pace. Whether Tethys found it comfortable, well, the Kuati lady didn't consider that part for the time being. "I see. Well, I assume our hosts have it handled."

She raised a brow. "I thought I heard that it was an accident. Sabotage, though... goodness! You don't seem that concerned then! Which means... maybe I shouldn't be?"

"I'm extrapolating somewhat about that," Tethys admits. "It's tempting to draw a connection between a mysterious explosion and a sudden security increase, that's all."

Wryly, she adds, "I've been in some places where accidents like that are commonplace--no one would take a second look. But Alderaan is a good deal lower-industry and has rather higher safety standards than those worlds."

"Extrapolating is part of the Jedi duties, isn't it? Maybe you could meditate on it?" She shook her head. "Ah, sorry, that's a very obvious choice of action, isn't it?"

She focused on the path ahead for a few moments. "But ah, yes. Kuat is the same, in a way. When there's a factory incident, we can usually assume that there was some foul play involved. Not even efficiency is sacred when it comes to politics."

"Does that happen often?" Tethys's brows arch. "I'd heard corporate competition on Kuat can be bloodthirsty, but I imagined the blood was metaphorical."

"Oh no, loss of life would be a major transgression. It's all about manipulating machinery, really, or blocking somebody's deals." Cynella frowned. "That being said, it still happens. Equipment failures can lead to the death of a worker if they're not following safety protocols, which people often don't."

"Where conspiracy stops short, complacency steps in?" Tethys huffs a sigh between steps. "That's a tricky problem, always. It's a good thing when people feel safe, but then... feeling safe creates dangers of its own."

"I wouldn't want to ever fall into the trap of complacency, master Jedi," Cynella said with a faint smile. "It's a common fault among the nobility, admittedly, so I've seen what carnage it wreaks."

"You're quite alert to the nature of your social position," she comments, one brow arching upward a bit. "That's not universal in Core Worlds aristocracies. Is it Kuat, or is it something about you?" The question is pitched in a warmish tone, for Tethys at least.

"Oh no, it's certainly not anything special about Kuat, though don't let any of my fellows hear that," Cynella said with a light smile. "I suppose I owe it to my parents and the tutors they hired. I had a wild imagination as a child, one of being glorious like a Jedi. But I'm sure you can confirm again to me that that isn't possible." Indeed, there wasn't any Force Sensitivity to be felt from her. "So I must contribute in other ways."

"That's right, we talked about service and purpose that first night," Tethys says, in as measured a tone as a Human person can have while jogging on a slightly uneven gravel path. "I can tell it's on your mind a lot." After a slight pause, punctuated by a couple more crunching footfalls on gravel, she adds, "You should really meet my friend Niall--ah, that is, Major Niall Organa. I imagine you'd have a lot to talk about."

Cynella, for her part, didn't seem too phased by the jogging. Indeed, the topic of Captain Alderaan only invigorated her further. "Oh we've met, and yes, I know him quite well! Well, not really that well. More like I know of him, yeah. He's cool."

"Oh. You work fast." Tethys's light alto voice carries a note of amusement here, though she also sounds pleased, or perhaps impressed. "Well, ask him about duty and making one's contribution to the galaxy some time. He's thought about it a lot. And he isn't a Jedi, either." Though he'd once implied to Tethys that he, too, had wanted to be one when he was younger.

"One can't survive on Kuat without getting to know people," Cynella said with a wink, however much that worked while jogging. "And we did have that conversation too! I'm a pretty big fan but, like, it's no big deal."

"A fan... of Niall?" Tethys chuckles. "Well, I suppose he's used to that."

She jogs a few more steps, reflecting, before adding, "He's certainly figured out how to have all that--heroism and glory--outside the Order. Earned it, too, for the most part." Being born into the storied House of Organa had doubtless given Niall a head start, but as far as Tethys can tell he isn't the sort to coast on his privilege.

Cynella blushed. "Hey, there're plenty of fans! I'm certainly not unique in that way." She'd know; she posted in online group chats and forums about him and other heroic personalities.

"For the most part?" she asked, curious what she'd meant by that. A noblewoman herself, it wasn't always easy for her to really conceptualize how much that privilege helped her caste.