Nar Shaddaa

Aly sat in her room, and turned on the holo conference suite.... well, really, the amp to her communicator.

"House Cortess, greetings. Jedi Knight Alysele Cortess here."

Her mother appears and says, "Good evening, I did not expect to hear from you. Are you still flitting around with the Jedi?"

"It is my duty mother." Alysele frowned. "So where did you expect to hear about any potential betrothals?" Her tone was bitter.

“I thought Jedi could not marry, why would we expect any betrothals?” she says with mild confusion.

Now Alysele frowned. "I was asked to meet with the Thul boy. He told me we're to be betrothed, and he would marry in."

Wow, this was getting weirder by the minute.

Her mother tsks and says, "Yes we recall that but then heard nothing I just assumed you refused given you being a Jedi now. Are you saying you have accepted?"

"We agreed that I would try and retire... but then he was killed." She frowned. "Her family wasn't exactly broken up. Who did you talk to from House Thul?"

"A rather pleasant young lady, very proper, Ziandra Thul, now the heiress, I am told, poor girl," her mother responds.

"Pleasant... she is also a snob that doesn't want anything to do with House Cortess anymore." She sighed. Wonderful.

"This seems suspicious to me... did you contact her first?"

“Not at all, she reached out to us, it seems she wanted to say that her brother was killed and any plans of a wedding would have to be on hold until matters within her family were settled. A shame, but such things happen. Why is this suspicious?” her mother asks.

"That she reached out to us, then after her brother was killed, she claimed he was disgrace and that there were no further reason for House Cortess and Thul to be in touch." She sighed. House politics were a mess. "What is the situation on Alderaan at the moment?"

"House Pantoran maintains a tense alliance with House Ulgo and of course House Organa, but the Houses always feud... though politely. Come to think of it, there was a proposal put forth to reinstate Thul but Ulgo vehemently opposed it. A shame, House Thul has suffered enough I say and they would shake up the politics immensely if they returned. Perhaps knock some of the polish off House Organa," her mother replies.

Interesting...

"Who proposed that?" This was all getting a bit muddled. Stupid House politics. "So... House Thul was voted to be reinstated, but that got slapped down. Then you were contacted by Zeandra, for the proposal. I met with Basil, who was killed. Then... I talked with Zeandra who doesn't want House Cortess' help anymore."

"I am not sure who made the proposal, but I could ask your father when he returns from hunting." Her mother listens to the flow of events as Alysele lays it out, "That sounds plausible. It would have been good to get Thul on our side, even as exiles they have a great deal of sway."

"Yes, I am told they have quite some money...." She was still unsure about it all. "It is so strange though. I feel it doesn't add all up, still."

"Well what does not make sense," her mother asks. "Perhaps your Jedi insight may be of use in this situation."