Private First Steps in Sundari

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Sundari City
Mandalorian Empire
Aether Verd

The hum of the atmospheric shield parted as their diplomatic transport touched down with gentle finality in Sundari's main spaceport, its polished canopy casting long shadows over the durasteel landing pads. Outside, the city gleamed beneath Mandalore’s sun. Towers of beskar and glasssteel rose like blades of honor encased in the biodome that sheltered the Mandalorian capital from the harsh desert.

Sibylla took a steadying breath, yet it didn't steady her nerves as much as she'd hoped.

She had done her best to not only dress for the acrid weather but still maintain a semblance of civility. It was something, at least, she could control.

"Does it show?" she murmured to Corde Tsabin, her Deputy Ambassador and thankfully, a rather excellent keeper of secrets regarding her nervousness.

"Only if one knows you well, Lady Abrantes," came the low reply.

She offered her a side glance, but nodded nonetheless. This was her first official appointment, and she wasn't going to risk it.

They descended the ramp with dignified measure, her chin tilted upward, posture as straight as the pillars in Dee'ja Peak's Assembly Hall. House Abrantes did not slouch.

It was not lost on her that her father had walked countless corridors like these. Enarc. Karlinius. Even the cold halls of Rendali in its twilight years. He would know precisely what to say. She wished, in that moment, for one more line of advice. But she was here now, Naboo's new Ambassador to the Mandalorian Empire, and the only direction was forward.

Sibylla folded her hands gently before her as they were greeted by the escort detail, her voice calm and tempered with Nabooan melody when she spoke.

"I thank you for receiving us. I hope in the days to come, I may come to understand not only the Mandalorian people and their honored Clans, but the soul of this Empire as well. "

 

[Aether Verd]

Assets: Beskar'gam | Basilisk
Darksaber | Resolute Dawn​

MANDALORE - SUNDARI

Aether stood at the base of the ramp, the folds of his crimson cloak shifting slightly in the warm air of Sundari’s dome. His armor held the deep charcoal tone of the iron heart of Mandalore, shaped by the hands of his people and bearing the quiet authority of the mantle he carried. Upon his right pauldron rested the ram’s skull, stark against the black, marking him of House Verd. On either side, the Supercommandos stood vigilant in gold-plated beskar’gam, ceremonial spears in hand, ready should their readiness be needed.

His helm tilted as she stepped forward, her words carrying the lilt of Naboo’s hills and lakes, a melody that had long been absent from these plains. He allowed that sound to settle in the air before he spoke, his voice low yet carrying across the durasteel without strain.

“Lady Abrantes. I thank you for accepting my request to serve as your Republic’s ambassador here on Mandalore. In the brief moments we have spoken, you have proven yourself capable and clear-minded, and it is my hope that your time among us will not only allow you to understand the soul of the Empire but that we might come to know the soul of your Republic through you and your people.”

He turned then, his stride measured as he set forth toward the city, the Supercommandos adjusting without word to form an escort as solid as the walls around them. His pace allowed her to fall in beside him, the sounds of Sundari greeting them with the steady hum of transports and the low conversations of warriors moving about their day.

“As you begin your first day, you have some options before you. There are minor clan discussions today that you may sit in on if you wish to witness how we settle the matters of our people. There is a meeting of the War Council that will be convening shortly. Or, if you would rather take time to see your accommodations and allow yourself to breathe, there is no rush. Whichever you choose will serve well enough for a first step.”​

Sibylla Abrantes

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Aether Verd


Sibylla walked by Manda'alore's side with a grace that belied the racing of her thoughts. His words had been generous and respectful, full of diplomatic courtesy, but there was truth threaded within them. She could hear it in the cadence of his voice, in the way he did not overextend. That alone had earned her regard. Perhaps, things were different here than within the machinations of the Royal Houses? Or was that just another layer settled differently here?

The young Ambassador took a moment to weigh his offerings.

The War Council. The clans. Her quarters.

With each step, the world was sharpened at the edges; not only disciplined and forged by a realm of warriors and oaths. And if she was to walk among them with any measure of honor, she could not simply observe from a balcony.

"I am honored, Manda'alore," Sibylla said at last, her voice shaded with the calm resolve now that she had made up her mind. "And most grateful for the options afforded me."

She glanced toward Corde at her side, and when their eyes met, she saw only a subtle nod from the dusky skinned woman, a confirmation that she, too, would follow where she led. That steadied her.

"If I may," she continued, turning her hazel eyes back to Verd, "I would choose to attend both the clan discussions and the War Council. Though I recognize the risk of overwhelming my first day, I am keen to see how matters are truly settled, not merely summarized."

Her smile, though slight, was genuine.

"I have found, in the brief and sometimes disillusioning education of politics, that holobooks speak often in sweeping truths and rarely of the smaller, human moments that shape a people. I wish to learn not only your structure but your substance, that which is lived and spoken."