Private Poor Country Knights

[Alicio Organa]

NEW ALDERA, ALDERAAN
ROYAL PALACE
​

Alicio didn't often make the trip from Sanctuary City to New Aldera.

It wasn't out of a lack of desire, he genuinely loved the atmosphere of the capital of Alderaan. There was no other place in the galaxy where a planet and it's people were in harmony like there, with verdant parks and impressive technology in equal parts stirred around the city. No, he didn't often go because he was needed back home.

As a steward of Sanctuary City, Alicio was constantly kept busy by decision-making and signing off on papers. If he left for even a week, the refugee city suffered from gridlock; having a representative from the royal family calling the shots did wonders to accelerate progress.

So he didn't have much time for vacations, or trips to visit his cousin Faith, or to even think about himself. But Alicio had questions from a recent encounter outside New Aldera. Questions that needed answering.

There was only one person he could think of to ask.

Alicio stepped into the Alderaanian Royal Palace. A nearby servant approached. "Count Alicio, welcome. Do you have a meeting with Her Majesty?"

"Ah, no." Alicio folded his hands behind his back. "I'm actually here to speak to the Knight Commander. Could you see if he's busy at the moment?"

The servant gave Alicio a strange look, not expecting that reply, before nodding and rushing off.

- Ikenna Tahj -

 

[Ikenna Tahj]

Alicio Organa

Raahil's maw opened wide to yawn, her hot breath filling the training room. It smelled like day-old fish, Ike realized with dismay as the smell rolled over him. Despite the sudden stench Ike kept his cool and kept the weight steady over his chest. He had to, or else he'd be making a trip to the infirmary and likey surgery and a bacta mask. Lifting weight this heavy was no joke and he was nearing his upper limits today. He closed his eyes and slowly pushed the breath he'd just taken out as the bar was pushed from his chest slowly and with control. He was about to start another rep when the door chimed and one of the squires entered alongside an anxious-looking servant.

"Uhm...Lord Gale, there is someone here to speak with you. I didn't know if you had an appointment or-" Gale waved her off.

"No worries," he said and caught the towel the squire had tossed to him. "I'll see to 'em." He'd wipe off but he wouldn't do more than that. The walk through the halls of the palace was refreshing. It was a beautiful day and the sun felt warm on his skin where it passed through intricately stained glass walls.

The boy was a few years younger than his daughter. Barely past his second summer if he had to guess. On Pamarthe that would make him a man and he'd likely earned his honor blade. Here on Alderaan though, twenty years was just another birthday. Ike towered over the boy, his muscles bulging beneath the sweat-stained white tanktop he had been wearing. Swollen from the workout, they twitched ever so slightly, especially in his forearms.

"You 'ave business with me lad?" He asked. Raahil padded up beside him. The beast's head was easily as big as Ike's torso.

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio had seen the Storm of Alderaan in passing.

A man of titanic proportions, who was constantly at Cousin Faith's side. A guardian for House Organa, the planet, and the galaxy at large, Alicio had heard that Knight Commander Gale was a staunch warrior of the Jedi before, and a staunch protector of Alderaan as he approached his twilight years.

But spying the man in passing was nothing like having his full attention.

Especially accompanied by an enormous furred creature. The young Alderaanian had never felt so small, staring up at the silver-haired man and his companion. He stood up just a bit taller, straightening his black coat and gloves.

"Knight Commander," he began, somehow managing to find his voice. "I'm Alicio. Organa. Count Organa." He closed his mouth, inwardly scolded himself, and continued. "I don't believe we've officially met yet, but I've been struggling with something, and I needed... advice, I guess."

Alicio once-overed the Ike's state of dress, and the predator at his side, and amended, "But if now isn't a good time, I can come back later."

- Ikenna Tahj -

 

[Ikenna Tahj]

Alicio Organa

A bushy, white eyebrow quirked in interest. The queen had placed such a young man as the steward of a city? Which one he wondered. Either way though, the lad was Organa and Ike was the Knight-Commander of the people watching over this family. Technically, if the boy wanted he could order him to stop what Ike had been doing and see to him now, but he was getting the sense that this young man wasn't the kind of noble to throw their weight and title around.

"No," Ike folded his arms across his barrel chest and nodded his head back the way he'd come. "Now's perfect Count. If you'd follow me back down the hall I'd be happy to give you any advice I can muster." Ike didn't wait for the youth to follow and turned back around. The Knight he'd walked down the hall with looked from Ike to the count and scrambled to fall in behind the Count.

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio nodded genuinely. "Thank you." He was half worried that the Alderaanian Knight would say no, despite the fact that Alicio was a member of the royal family.

Commander Gale turned quickly, and there was a brief moment where Alicio and the squire looked at each other awkwardly, before both floundered to catch up with the large man. The souls of his boots clicked on the manicured floors of the palace, as he quickly walked astride of the man.

Alicio didn't know how to begin to ask the questions he had, so he decided to just go for it, even before making it to the room. "Now, I'm going to be asking some... strange questions, so please bear with me."

"You're a knight, so you have the Force..." Alicio tried to give nothing away, but probably gave a lot away anyways.

"When did you first know?"

- Ikenna Tahj -

 

[Ikenna Tahj]

Alicio Organa

Ike grunted in response and paused, thinking that might not be the best way to answer a question from a member of the royal family. He tried to make the grunt seem like it had been him clearing his throat instead and turned to eye the younger man as they walked.

"Common misconception," he said. "Yes, the King is a powerful master of the Force, yes I the Knight Commander of the Royal Family's knights was once a Jedi Knight, but the Alderaanian Knights have never been a Force Order like those of the Ashlan Crusade or the Imperial Knights." He pointed a thumb at the knight following them. "Jaskeer over there couldn't lift a pebble if he tried, could ya Jasie?" The knight chuckled.

"Only if you let me use my hands, sir." Ike guffawed and rested his hands on his hips.

"To tell you the truth lad, I was raised in a different era. The plague had just begun to subside during my parent's generation and the Republic, well...The Jedi of that time were a different breed." His eyes became wistful and his tone nostalgic. The feeling quickly soured though as he remembered his youth with Darth Solipsis and a dark shadow began to cloud his gaze. "Long story short Alicio, I didn't know. The Jedi found me." Ike quirked a brow at the young man.

"Is that what you're here for? You want to know if you've got the bug?" He smirked as the door to the barrack quarter of the palace hissed open. The two guards at the doors saluted and beckoned the group inside. The barracks were located behind the royal suites and had direct access to the rooms via secret tunnels and hallways for emergencies. On the plans though it looked as if the barracks faced an entirely different direction, the front quadrant of the palace.

Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio walked beside the imposing knight silently, absorbing the knowledge on the knights without protest or embarassment. His family had left Alderaan before he was born, and he had only recently returned; he didn't expect himself to know everything, and he didn't hold umbrage with Ike with correcting him, even cracking a smile as he and Jaskeer joked around.

The trio, accompanied by the massive creature that Alicio couldn't help but be curious at, stopped along the majestic hallways of the palace at a door, which opened to reveal the barracks. Alicio didn't know the palace too well, but he swore there was something off about the placement of the room.

Alicio crossed his arms over himself, feeling a little self-conscious at Ike's correct guess. "In so many words... yes." The nobleman glanced at the face of the older man, curious at his wistful, then sour face. "I was tested when I was younger. No sign of it. But things have been strange recently."

"I caught a piece of shrapnel. From an explosion." Alicio looked down at his palm, sentences growing short as his own disbelief grew. "With my hand. Which is crazy."

- Ikenna Tahj -

 

[Ikenna Tahj]

Alicio Organa

"Hmmm," Ike rumbled, scratching his beard in thought. "Catching shrapnel is quite a feat, but its not unheard of..." They made their way through the barracks and to the Knight Commander's rooms. Once inside they were greeted with the sound of rolling waves, the entire back wall displaying the view from a bluff on Pamarhe. A roaring sea was off in the distance, storm clouds on the horizon.

"Have you told anyone else about this...feeling you have? Have you-" In a flash he turned on the lad, tossing a disk-like object from his pocket at the lad like a dart. He'd caught shrapnel from an explosion, Ike wanted to see if he could duplicate the feat.[/div]

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio followed Ike, the older man holding his full attention until they entered the knight's rooms. Alicio was distracted by the far wall, stepping up close to it to observe the faux scenery beyond. His stormy grey eyes followed the angry clouds beyond the sea, hands folded neatly behind his back.

Maybe Ike Gale was onto something. It could have been a lucky catch.

The noble didn't even register that there was a projectile flying towards him until he had already stepped calmly to the side, the thrown plate colliding with the wall. It was the clank of the disk hitting the floor that made Alicio flinch.

The nobleman turned, about to ask 'what was that for', before putting two and two together, his confusion turning to... slightly more mystified confusion. "Crazy," he repeated, suddenly raising a hand to the bridge of his nose, massaging away a sudden headache.

"I haven't even told Faith yet. I don't know what to do."

- Ikenna Tahj -

 

[Ikenna Tahj]

Alicio Organa

Ike whistled when the boy dodged the plate. Yes, there was no question about it, he'd felt something when the boy moved. Ike wasn't as strong as some of his peers when it came to sensing the Force in others, even less so now that he didn't use the Force so often. Had he stayed in the Order there is no doubt in his mind that he would have been a Master by now but his skills had only marginally grown since he left all those years ago. Still, it was more than enough of an edge being an ex-Jedi Knight.

"Well, you have your answer it seems." He shrugged. Being a Force user wasn't something one had to hide but he could understand not wanting those close to you know. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," he said as he walked over to a table with a few decanters filled with amber liquid. Ike poured himself a whiskey and proffered the glass bottle to the younger man as if asking if he wanted one before deciding to pour one for him anyway. Glasses in hand he walked back to the princeling and held out the glass before taking a sip himself.

"So," he started cautiously, "Now that you know, what would you do with this gift? And it is a gift. Never forget that."

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio rubbed at a sudden spike of pain behind his eyes, blinking hard as if he'd stared into the sun for too long. After a moment, he banished the headache, and looked on as Knight Commander Gale poured a couple of drinks, and passed one his way.

The noble took a sniff at the glass' rim, and felt his nose crinkle. He didn't usually enjoy whiskey, but he would make an exception today. Alicio took a small sip, and thought about the tall man's words.

What would he do with it?

"I... have no idea," he muttered, staring at the golden-brown liquid. "I haven't thought about it much, beyond... well, wondering if I had it or not. It's confusing, and terrifying. But a bit exciting too, don't you think?"

"I want to explore it, I think. But Faith entrusted me with Sanctuary City's growth. I don't want to waste her time." Alicio sipped from the glass again. Even on this short detour, traveling to New Aldera to speak with Ike, Alicio felt antsy, like he should be working instead.

- Ikenna Tahj -

 

[Ikenna Tahj]

Alicio Organa

Ike gave the boy a grandfatherly smile and calpped a hand on his shoulder.

"I think the Queen would understand Alicio. The Force is strong in her family after all. If you need to seek the Jedi I'm sure she could find someone to watch Sanctuary. Storms know we have enough Lords laying about like lazy ceirean to fill your boots. But if that isn't your path I would be happy to tutor you." He grunted and raised his hand from the youth's shoulder, rubbing his beard in thought.

"Well...I am gone to Coruscant quite often these days...And the Defense Force still needs some work...Hmmm..." He shrugged and downed the last of his drink.

"I should be able to fit you in somewhere!" he declared proudly before exploding into a bout of hefty laughing. "That is if you think the Jedi aren't the way to go."

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio's shoulders relaxed as Commander Gale laid a hand on one. He offered a smile to the man in return. For a moment, he could forget about his worries and stresses, and simply be, glad to have it all off his chest.

But the large warrior left Alicio with a heavy choice. Either he could go off to become a Jedi, or stay on Alderaan. Alicio stared at the image on the wall, narrowing his eyes, as if trying to look beyond the Pamarthan horizon, to what lies beyond. He folded his hands behind his back.

He thought this choice would be harder. But truly, there was only one option for him.

"I'm sure there are many that could take my place if I were to leave," he began, his voice growing steel for the first time since talking to the ex-Jedi. "But I came to Alderaan so I could help make a difference in the galaxy. Save as many people as I can. If I were to leave my duties now, put my city, my people behind me, I would never forgive myself."

"If you wouldn't mind mentoring me... I would like that immensely." He stood up taller, more confidently, speaking and acting not like a demure boy, but as a royal of Alderaan.

- Ikenna Tahj -