First Reply The Queen Will See You Now

[Amani Serys]

Times were tense on Alderaan. The Sith dogged their borders. The Republic agreed to their membership, but had yet to secure the territory. And politics were as two-faced as they ever were. Even on Alderaan, which shone as a beacon of righteousness to many, there were always those looking to advance their wealth, their position, their power. It was the nature of this system they chose to maintain. And as much as Queen Amani loathed playing it, neglecting her responsibilities was not in the cards.

If anything, today had been a day of pleasant distractions. The Queen was holding court, and a long line of petitioners awaited to request her for aide, advice, or approval. All the while courtiers shuffled about, putting actions to her words while they whispered about the latest noble hearsay. Amani did her best to keep focus. One would think a Jedi better at such tests of patience, but the life of royalty is not what this Jedi loved. She served well enough, and largely had the support of the people in spite of her non-native status, but she still struggled with feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction. She had to assume it would all be put to the test before long.

"Next, please?" Amani said as the latest petitioner was sent away. Her voice, though soft, carried through the acoustics of the great hall, to a guard by the main door. He opened it as prompted, revealing the next individual come to see the Queen of Alderaan. She wondered would seek audience this time. A member of a royal house, come to arrange a familial alliance? A businessman seeking to expand into protected lands? Or perhaps an off-worlder, who might seek her out for any number of reasons...

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Alderaan
Tags: Amani Serys

Lightsaber, Refuge, Respite, Jedi Outcasts, Grafted into Stone
​

"Hey. It's been a while."

Jasper entered with a far more casual air about him. He wasn't really one for the formalities of royalty, and he had worked with Amani in a time that felt like it had passed long ago. Now he was jumping back into the thick of it. The truth of the matter was that he was looking for folks who wanted to get stuff done.

He was maybe hoping some of Amani's student was reflected in her as well.

"Sorry 'bout the lack of formalities," Jasper remarked, his smile apologetic. "But I... suppose that's not out of character for me. I figured not many come by looking for the Jedi Master... but here I am anyways."

And maybe that Jedi Master could still do something. Something his young Jedi Outcasts could use, especially after they helped organize a raid on Tython. They needed to grow more. At this point, Jasper was looking for whoever he could scrounge up from that old Jedi Council. See if he couldn't make something new from the ashes.

"Are the kids well? They've gotta be much older now..."

 

[Amani Serys]

"Jasper Kai'el," Amani laughed fondly, "It has been awhile." She stood up from her throne, descending to meet him at eye level, "You look old." She smirked, then nodded towards an archway in a silent request to walk with her.

"Don't be. The noble formalities get wearisome after awhile. In some ways it is more rigid than being a Jedi." The Queen shook her head, "Or perhaps it is merely a different skillset." The archway led into a resplendent royal garden. Verdant leaves seemed to shine underneath the warm sunlight and crisp air. Many of the flowers were just beginning to bud this time of year, a rainbow of colors just faintly protruding from their roots and stems. In a few months, those colors would explode in bloom.

"They are teenagers now, if you can believe it. And doing quite well. August has been in and out. Not quite sure what to do with himself yet. Right now he's learning with Jedi on the Vonnuvi. Liana is in the High Republic, studying as a Junior Ambassador. She's good at it, and I think she likes it. I was nervous at first, but she's probably safer there than here." Her smile was forced to remain, but the troubles that weighed upon it weren't hard to infer. It had been the long running question to anyone familiar with Alderaan's politics. Would their treaty with the High Republic stand, or would the shadow of the Sith settle over them first?

"How about you? Any family?" Amani was aware he'd had close relationships in the past, but she wasn't sure what had come of his personal life since the two of them split from the Alliance and Jedi Council. Best to keep the question broad and unassuming, she figured.

Jasper Kai'el​

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Alderaan
Tags: Amani Serys

Lightsaber, Refuge, Respite, Jedi Outcasts, Grafted into Stone
​

"You look old."

"Heh," Jasper chuckled, rubbing at his chin. "Guess I feel old..."

Jasper was no stranger to stress. That probably accounted for a lot of the aging. He was in his 30s by now, he was pretty sure. At least if all the documentation on his and Jalen's creation was to be believed. Some days, though, he felt twenty years older than that. Amani and Alicio's children being in their teens was wild to think about. Then again, that was how time worked.

"Yeah, I do, actually," the Jedi Master remarked when Amani asked about having any family. "Marissa and I had our first, he's gotta be half a year now... Cole. Quiet little dude. Or, I guess he's just quiet with me is what M says. Then Braze isn't a kid anymore. I met his biological father recently... it was less strange than I thought it would be."

Well, less strange compared to everything else regarding the Sith spirit that had possessed his mother. Braze still didn't seem to want to do anything to do with her, even after knowing that thing had been in control. It was understandable... but he probably couldn't avoid it forever.

"Losing Sacorria was rough, though," he admitted. "That's where our home was. The one part of the Corellian Sector that the Sith still kept their fingers in when they scooped up the Core. It was the Empire that took it first though. Senator Lander Stalwart and I evacuated a lot of folks, but... well, vacating an entire planet isn't physically possible I think. I've been trying to make them all as comfortable as I can, though. Guess I learned all that from you and Alicio, huh? You guys were always doing something..."

Their humanitarian work had been a large inspiration for him after the Second Hyperspace War came to an end. For a time, at least. He knew he'd be on the battlefield again at some point.

He always did.