Private A Waltz for Three

[Alicio Organa]

SANCTUARY CITY, ALDERAAN
SUNSET
​

Alicio had more time on his hands these days, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that fact.

Thranta Park was beautiful in the early evening. In the full light of Alderaan's star, it didn't seem like much; a small open area in the city overlooking the bay. It's one feature was a stone fountain, depicting a trio of flying creatures spewing water from their mouths. But in the late hours of the day, amidst the calm, lapping waves from the sea, the subtle trickling of water from the fountain, and the distant calls of the park's namesake, Alicio had always found a measure of peace. Peace which managed to escape him this time, as he sat at the base of the fountain, datapad lying uselessly next to him.

When the Alderaanian nobleman had stepped into the role of Crown Liason for Sanctuary City, it had been but a small sapling, pocked with issues and in need of constant tending. Ever the diligent gardener, Alicio nurtured the city tirelessly. It wore him out, leaving him little room to do much else, but it was gratifying work. Now, the roots of the city were growing strong. It didn't need him to dote on it, didn't need him anymore.

But he didn't know if he was ready to leave his project behind. So he was equal parts horrified, and guiltily thankful, for the amount of refugees displaced from Tython. He reached out to his contacts in the Alliance, signaling that Alderaan was ready to help.

Surely, there was some way he could.

- Valery Noble - Iris Arani -

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Alderaan
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Lightsaber
Tag: Iris Arani Alicio Organa

"This should be an interesting meeting," Valery told Iris as their shuttle approached the landing pad on Alderaan. "I met him on Coruscant when those senators were attacked, and gave him a basic Shii-Cho lesson later as well. It's how I learned that he was working with this Sanctuary for refugees. Now that so many have lost their homes on Empress Teta and Tython, I hope we can work something out."

Luckily, with Alicio reaching out himself, it was more about discussing the logistics, and what exactly could be done. She had no doubt in her mind about his willingness to help the displaced, but it was still quite a challenge. Overall, the number of refugees were in the millions, if not more.

"I figured I'd bring you along to get experience with these types of meetings, and I believe you've met him before as well, right? So that will make it all go just a bit more smoothly, I hope."

She smiled warmly at Iris, and looked back out of the window as their pilot got clearance and brought down the shuttle on the landing pad. The ramp lowered and with a final signal, the two Jedi walked outside into the rather beautiful place that was Sanctuary city. Valery wasn't quite sure where to exactly go, but they'd likely be greeted any moment.

 

[Iris Arani]

"I think so. Eli and I were at the event. Heh, Eli was pretty quick to help him." She hummed, letting her mind drift to Lief just for a moment. Curious on where he was, what he might be doing. But, the thoughts quickly came back to the task at hand. The last more.. Political meeting she and Valery had been on was.. Violently interrupted. She glanced to Domxite, nodding once to the droid.

"Ready buddy?"

That was their last time, too. The droid nodded before hopping up onto Iris's back, curling up into a pack. Ready for travel.

"So.. What are we doing here anyway?"

Valery Noble | Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

Sanctuary City seemed like paradise.

It held all of the markings of Alderaanian culture: tall porcelain towers creating swooping skylines, every inch of available ground cultivated into luscious greenery and gardens, with peoples of all shapes and sizes, rich and poor, going about their daily lives. It was a living contradiction; shining industry and rustic nature, entrenched royalty with a history of being refugees themselves, a democracy run by noble houses.

The young man leaning against an airspeeder outside the docking bay found it all to be an amazing incongruity.

Alicio scanned the crowds, cape and vestments of black sticking out like a bit of a sore thumb against the cheery whites of the city. The Count's cane was under his arm, it's beating heart humming against his own, a constant, comforting pulse.

The Count's eyes caught Valery's form as she was walking, and he pushed off the airspeeder, cane tapping a rhythmic cadence on the path. He waved at her as he approached. "Valery! Good to see you!" He stopped short of them both, planting the cane in front of him, a moment of somber sincerity blotting out his cheery attitude. "I'm glad that you're safe."

Not all of his friends who had traveled to Tython returned.

He turned his steel eyes to Iris, flint seeming to strike them as recognition sparked in his face. "I'm Alicio... Haven't we met before?" Alicio took a moment to think on it, before nodding. "The Endless Stars Festival, if I'm not mistaken?"

- Valery Noble - Iris Arani -

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Alderaan
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Lightsaber
Tag: Iris Arani Alicio Organa

Valery smiled as the little droid hopped on Iris' back and turned to meet up with Alicio, who was likely making his way over already, "We're here mostly to secure a place for the refugees of the war. It shouldn't be too demanding, and this time I'm quite confident we'll not be shot at. But it's important that we work out any details, so people can stay here for a while if they lost their homes."

She turned away and looked into the crowd that wandered around Sanctuary city. But her attention was quickly drawn by a wave and the familiar voice of a young man she had offered some training not that long ago. With a smile and a respectful bow of her head, she greeted him the moment he stepped over, "It's good to see you again as well, and in good health, too."

Alicio had likely not been on Tython, but in these times of war, even those who stayed away from the frontlines weren't always safe either. The attack on Coruscant both Valery and Alicio had witnessed was clear evidence of that.

"Thank you for inviting us as well. We have quite the situation on our hands with refugees, so I appreciate it," she continued to smile but turned quiet for a moment when his attention shifted to Iris. Valery wasn't going to get in the way of them catching up a little.

 

[Iris Arani]

"Mmhmm. You had the really nervous speech." Well he'd done well about not showing his nerves, but Iris had always been good at seeing through that sort of thing. Especially when she could see through the colors. She turned her head to Valery, then back to Alicio. There was some reason for her to be here, yes. To learn more about the politics of relocating people and helping to bridge between different cultures where needed.

But that wasn't the only reason, was it?

"What's the other thing we're going to be doing?"

Alicio Organa | Valery Noble

 

[Alicio Organa]

The Alderaanian offered the shadow of a smile to Valery as she greeted him in return. "Anything that my city and I can do to help them, we will. You have my word."

When Iris confirmed that it had indeed been the Endless Stars Festival, and that she had indeed noticed his nerves, Alicio visibly grimaced. "Oh, you heard that," he muttered, grinning from embarrassment. "Public speaking is not my strong suit."

In all honesty, he wasn't hopeless at giving speeches. Just entirely, hilariously panicked at the notion of it.

"My speeder is this way. I know a quiet place we can hash out some details." He jabbed his head in the direction of his airspeeder, and led the two Jedi to his vehicle, which he jumped into with a practiced ease. "As for other items on the agenda..."

Alicio tempered his voice, trying not to sound too eager. "I was hoping I could continue my studies. If we got through everything we needed to, and you weren't too busy..." The Count tucked his cane next to him, and fought off the guilt of asking for something he wanted. He and Valery had already shared that talk.

- Valery Noble - Iris Arani -

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Alderaan
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Lightsaber
Tag: Iris Arani Alicio Organa

Valery couldn't help but chuckle softly when Iris called him out on his nervousness giving speeches. It wasn't too surprising with what she knew of the man, but being confronted about it so directly was never an easy thing for people. So she didn't comment on it further and just followed Alicio in the direction of the speeder he had gestured at.

"I appreciate it, Alicio — if we can relocate people here, it's really going to make a difference."

She then paused only to watch Alicio jump into the speeder, which she decided against mimicking. She opened the door, allowed Iris to get a seat first, and then lowered herself into one. While she got comfortable, her Padawan seemed curious about what else they had planned, and Valery just sat with a smirk as Alicio began to explain.

"You don't have to feel guilty, I did promise you a follow-up lesson," she chuckled and looked at Iris, "I brought her along not just to get more experience with these types of meetings, but to help with training as well."

 

[Iris Arani]

"Really?" Iris tilted her head to the side. "I think you spoke fine." She was absolutely contradicting the usual way people would notice someone was nervous during a speech, but that was just how Iris was. Worse, she wasn't even going to explain that she could just tell Alicio anything about it, just assuming he'd take her word for it and they'd move on to the next thing on the list.

Oh. Oh. So that's why Iris was there? Training for both of them? The Padawan gave Valery a knowing look. Her Master always did try to help others learn where she could.

"Does that mean we're going to spar?"

Valery Noble | Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Really?" Iris tilted her head to the side. "I think you spoke fine."

Alicio pondered the statement a moment, before nodding in quiet understanding. It must be a Jedi thing. Still, he was happy to let his memories of all the awful times he'd been forced to give a speech fade to the back of his mind.

As the two Jedi entered the speeder, Alicio eased up from the ground, joining the lazy airways of the refuge. Unlike the bustling rivers of vehicles that plagued large cities like Coruscant, Sanctuary City's sky was quiet, almost serene, with the sounds of industry, whipping wind, and life from below.

"I know, Valery," he responded, eyes softening as he stared straight ahead. "I'm still learning. But thank you, nonetheless." Perhaps what he really needed was a lesson on self-confidence. But for today, he would be content with lightsaber training.

Iris' comment about sparring was met by the Count's shoulders bunching a bit. How could he hope to be any kind of a match for a Jedi? "Don't expect incredible swordsmanship from me, I do only have one lesson under my belt," Alicio mentioned, feeling the weight of embarrassment coming on again. "But... I suppose we could do that. Might be fun."

- Valery Noble - Iris Arani -

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Alderaan
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Lightsaber
Tag: Iris Arani Alicio Organa

She just smirked at Iris' knowing look and turned her eyes to the beauty of Sanctuary City. Even though she had lived on a busy planet like Empress Teta, peacefulness like this is something she preferred. She definitely looked forward to it with the new home she was searching for with her family at the moment.

"Beautiful, hm?" she hummed to her Padawan before she focused again and looked at Alicio.

"It's my pleasure, and you're right, Iris. I was thinking about having you spar together, or maybe even work together to spar me." She flashed an excited grin, but that all depended on what they felt ready for. "Experience and how much training you've done doesn't matter much, we'll adjust and make sure we push you, but don't overwhelm."

"Training isn't about being amazing already or winning and losing. It's only about elevating yourself and those you train with."

 

[Iris Arani]

"One lesson with Valery is worth quite a bit, especially if you've at least kept up on your drills." Sparing. That was an easier than politics for Iris to at least focus on. Though, she did fall silent to listen to Valery. .. Oh, it wasn't about winning or loosing? She'd have to remember that for the next time she ended up sparring with Kai Bamarri . She should probably do that again soon, now that she thought about it.

"When should we start?"

Valery Noble | Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio shared a quiet smile with himself. He had been keeping up on his drills, after all. With the city's production nearly finished, he'd needed some way to keep his hands busy. He'd turned to Valery's teaching as a release, repeating the motions with a nigh-religious zeal.

"Well, before we do any kind of training," Alicio said, leaving the bounds of Sanctuary City, "we need to discuss the refugee crisis. And I have the perfect place for both activities."

After another few moments of zooming across the coastline, Alicio let up on the controls, and lowered his vehicle into a sheltered bay. Gently-lapping seawater climbed and pushed off from the beach in a lazy rhythm, and jagged rocks protected the area from prying eyes.

Despite only being a few minutes away from the refugee city, Alicio had only ever seen one other person find this place. It was perfect for talking and sparring, out of sight from the galaxy.

"Welcome to my own private corner of the world," the Alderaanian said, stepping out of the airspeeder, his black boots touching down on soft sand as he produced a datapad from his cloak. "Now, let's talk business."

"I've got considerable political sway in three refugee cities across the galaxy. Sanctuary City, Calabiyau on Chaldea, and... Hope City, on Lujo." The last one gave him pause, but he braved forward, despite a sudden shadow overcoming his face. "I was consulted on the construction of all three."

Of course, for each of Sanctuary's sisters, his point of contact was either dead or currently missing. He didn't offer that thought much time to ferment before moving on. "To figure out the best place for these people to go, I need to know more about them. Do you know much of Tython's culture?"

- Valery Noble - Iris Arani -

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Alderaan
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Lightsaber
Tag: Iris Arani Alicio Organa

"Well, before we do any kind of training," Alicio said, leaving the bounds of Sanctuary City, "we need to discuss the refugee crisis. And I have the perfect place for both activities."

Valery blinked and looked around as the speeder approached the coastline. She was used to business meetings in fancy offices, high up in gigantic skyscrapers, or even down below the surface. But it wasn't common to talk about these things somewhere as quiet and peaceful as a beach. Not that she was complaining though — this was a lot better than being stuck in a huge city.

"It's beautiful," she said as she stepped out and looked across the horizon from the waterline.

But when Alicio wanted to talk business, she did turn around and nodded, "Tython was never heavily populated, and much of its people lived there for reasons related to the Jedi and their past. So I don't think culture will be a huge issue, although their potential ties to the Jedi might make Chaldea a little more difficult."

She paused, "Chaldea is also awfully close to the Maw corridor, and I don't think refugees will feel at ease being there right now. Lujo and Alderaan are a bit safer, so I think one of those would work well."

"What do you think, Iris?"

 

[Iris Arani]

And Iris was already in a world of her own.

She reached to her pack, pulling it off to start rummaging through her paint supplies. Pulling out a canvas, some brushes. All to paint the view she'd been introduced to. Half listening to the conversation, mostly paying attention to her art, she glanced to her Master after a moment.

"Chaldea is a kind world. They don't like the Jedi, but they're not ones to turn away those who need help. They are pretty close to the Maw, though. So, yeah. Lujo and Alderaan are probably the better worlds for them to reside on until Tython is repaired."

Valery Noble | Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio nodded, already expecting Chaldea to be struck from their possible options. A hand fluttered over his datapad as he keyed in his thoughts. "Chaldea is lovely, and has good folks living there, but it's controlled by the Potentium. They are... a complex government, to say the least. An anti-Force theocracy that is mostly peaceful in it's ideals, but highly intolerant of any other views on the matter. At least, from my experience."

"I figured people from an ancient Jedi world would be uncomfortable there, but I wanted to be certain." He shrugged, finishing his typing. He hadn't considered that Chaldea was too close to the front lines. Had the Brotherhood truly closed in that quickly?

"I can begin the process of asking Lujo for aid. Hope and Sanctuary are sister cities, so the process should be smooth enough. Between the two settlements..." He was already drafting the letter, when he looked up, noticing that the younger Jedi had produced painting supplies. He frowned slightly, losing his train of thought, before snapping back to the moment. "Uh, apologies. Between them, we would likely be able to host at least a million people. Perhaps more, if there were no other choice. I'm almost certain that won't be enough for all of Tython's refugees, but it will be a sizeable chunk. Other refuges in Alliance space can likely pick up the slack."

A moment more of typing hid his continuous frown. "Do you think the refugees can ever go back to their homes? How bad was Tython?"

- Valery Noble - Iris Arani -

 

[Iris Arani]

"Tython's crust was ruptured in numerous places by the fall of it's moon. While it's still under the Alliance unlike worlds such as Teta, the people there aren't going to be going home any time soon. Repairing the damages will take at least a decade, if not longer with the war still going on." Despite her painting, Iris was still paying attention. A couple layers of oranges and reds had already covered a good portion of the canvas, clearly a replication of what might be a sunset on this beach. If.. Way more abstract.

No, completely abstract. Iris could paint what she saw with her eyes, but she always preferred to bring her world of colors to others through it. She dipped her brush into shades of blue and green, adding them to the mix of usually warm sunrise colors to really show just how different her world was from what people saw with their own eyes.

"All things considered, Alderaan is likely the best bet for them. Lujo has wonderful ocean views like this, but it does have far more ocean than land. Tython's environment was fairly chaotic in terms of weather, but Alderaan is the most similar of the two. For the comfort of those pushed from their homes, having a place to rest for the foreseeable future as similar as their own homes would be best."

Alicio Organa | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Alderaan
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Lightsaber
Tag: Iris Arani Alicio Organa

For a moment, Valery remained quiet and just watched — her focus was on Iris, who had grabbed a canvas to start painting. Normally, it wouldn't have been something Valery could appreciate during a business meeting, but she was still paying attention, and the thoughts she offered, Valery could stand behind.

"I agree with Iris," Valery said with a nod to Alicio.

"If possible, Alderaan would be the most suitable location, but Sanctuary City's capacity is important to consider too. Tython doesn't have a huge amount of refugees due to its relatively low population, but we're still busy with refugees from Empress Teta as well and... there are a lot of them. If we need to spread them out more, we'll have to consider Lujo as well, and maybe even more planets."

Empress Teta was a large city world, after all.

"As for Tython, it is badly damaged so it will take a lot of time. Maybe new settlements will have to be built so people can return. Empress Teta is a difficult case as well — we're still preparing to liberate it."

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I... That sounds awful." The nobleman would have to see aftermath for himself. Just to wrap his head around what the Tythonians endured.

As Iris mused on the planets' compatibilities, the Count's frown vanished, replaced by understanding. When he had seen the younger Jedi apparently losing focus in the refugees, in favor of art, he'd felt... strange. A bit offended, though he'd never admit it. But her thoughtful comments confirmed that she was paying attention. That she cared.

"Understood," Alicio chirped, adding more to his datapad as Master and Apprentice enlightened him. "I'll see what I can do. While I don't think many from Tython would be uncomfortable with Lujo, and many will still likely go there, Alderaan is probably a better fit. And, of course, we won't be the only refugee cities helping, I'm sure."

"Then again, relief efforts in the Alliance are stretched thin by the incursion." The dark Count frowned. "Too many people fall through the cracks." He'd seen refugees surviving day to day, forced to share small houses, denied basic tools and supplies. The war exacted it's toll on everyone, not just the ones fighting it.

"The Alliance is readying to retake Empress Teta?" It was the first he'd heard of it, although any emotions past the initial shock were hard to decipher, even for a Jedi. "So we're finally pushing back into the Maw's warpath."

That would likely mean even more refugees. The cycle would never end.

- Valery Noble - Iris Arani -

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Alderaan
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Factory Link
Weapon: Lightsaber
Tag: Iris Arani Alicio Organa

Valery noticed his frown, and nodded, "We're doing what we can, and your help is making a huge difference. It's impossible to help everybody, sadly, but I believe we've made a lot of progress compared to the wars of the past." Of course, she hadn't been part of all of them due to her time in stasis, but she had seen enough to know that refugee situations on a Galactic scale were typically messy.

"The Alliance is readying to retake Empress Teta?"

She remained quiet after the question and briefly looked at Iris. Then a sigh followed, "There isn't too much I can say right now, but we're first taking some steps to cripple their military strength and supplies within the Core. Once we made enough progress, a liberation front will start. Empress Teta is one of the planets we'll get free again, but not the only one, and I can't say where all of it will start." Both because it was somewhat confidential still, and because there was still ongoing debate about it.

Right now though, that didn't matter too much.

"It will mean a lot more people without homes, although hopefully their homeworlds will be secured, so they can live there once enough is rebuilt. Until then, we rely on places like Sanctuary city to help those people."