Private Keep in Touch

[Adelle Bastiel]

Following the Events of: How Do you Solve a Problem like the Jedi? and Maleficent
Tags: Sibylla Abrantes

Sibylla,

It happened.

I don’t know precisely why, or if there was a breakdown in communication, but three Jedi barged into Queen Varanin’s office with no record of an appointment made. I watched the security feed and their conversation seemed… well it sounded a lot like they weren’t there for their stated purpose. It distressed Varanin enough to push the panic button we installed after the first time she’d been approached.

I have to report this to Aether. And if my guess is right, he’ll call an advisory council. I don’t know how soon after this he’ll summon it. Where is the Republic on their investigation? Is there any way to expedite the process? And what can we do about this clusterkriff?

Hopefully we’ll be able to meet before I’m summoned and get some of this sorted.

Adelle

A few hours later...

Sibylla,

Kriff. Summoned.

Keep me informed. Any news. Any update.

Adelle

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

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:: ENCRYPTED BURST TRANSMISSION ::

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SECURITY: END-TO-END
ORIGIN: Sibylla Abrantes
RECIPIENTS: Adelle Bastiel

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Adelle,

Shiraya's sake, it feels as if things only seem to continue to escalate before I can even turn around to try and douse another fire. I have been chasing the threads of this madness, and while the picture is for the moment incomplete, I believe I can offer you a clearer outline than before. I know well how such summonses tend to unfold, and you have my support in the meantime as I continue to gather the remaining details.

You are right to bring this to Aether. From what I have been able to discern, while efforts were underway to arrange a meeting between the Jedi Council's Senate Liaison and the High Chancellor for our meeting, the Jedi Council had already made plans to reach out to Queen Quinn Varanin with a formal request sent to Eshan to meet with her Majesty. If there is any way on your end to verify that, it would go a long way in discovering where it went wrong.

If you are able, I would like to request a copy of the security feed. I should like to see precisely who was present and what passed between them. Failing that, a written transcript would suffice. The use of a panic measure is… not a small thing, and I would very much prefer to see how the situation unfolded to have some clarity and a reference when bringing it up with the Jedi Council.

I recognize this has escalated into a political incident, but I am trying to determine what safeguards might have prevented it -- or, at the very least, how it could have been routed earlier so it did not unfold in this manner. We cannot afford the appearance that the Republic is anything less than deliberate in the expectations it sets, nor lax in the protections it extends to diplomatic envoys within its own space.

As for the earlier incident outside the Embassy, I can confirm that the individual involved was not of the Jedi Order. What records we were able to recover suggest a young Padawan from the Core acting outside formal channels. I have tried to locate their whereabouts, but their trail has already gone cold beyond Naboo.

At present, I find no direct thread connecting that encounter to the recent one. Still, I would rather be accused of caution than overlook something that ought not be missed, so I will continue to press the matter, especially with the information you have given me.

I am moving to escalate this to the High Chancellor, Dominique Vexx , and would be willing to meet as needed, including with the Jedi Council's Senate Liaison. Tell me what would suit you best -- a holocall, or something conducted face-to-face?

And if Her Majesty requires anything of me, you need only say so. I am also happy to reach out directly if appropriate.

Sibylla

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Sibylla Abrantes
Mentioned: Aether Verd | Aurelian Veruna | Dominique Vexx | Quinn Varanin

Sibylla,

Now that I’m free.

We might as well have on fire emergency services uniforms on. Although you have more fires, I think. I might be facing the full might of a sun though, so we’ll see. Regardless, I think a day off where we’re not talking business is in order after this mess is cleaned up. Before we have to clean up the next one.

I won’t lie, seeing you say that the Jedi had sent a formal request made me confused. As I said, embassy records don’t show any such request. However. I got a call today from the administrative staff for the Echani side of things and it was… I don’t even have words for it. There was a clerical error. The Jedi did make a request to meet with Queen Varanin on Eshan, at first, but changed their minds when they learned that she was at the Embassy of the Mandalorian Empire. The clerk handling the request failed to notice they hadn’t switched over to the Embassy’s schedule and systems. Meaning that no one knew they were coming. I have informed Aether accordingly.

I’ll see about getting it cleared to share the security holotapes with you. I don’t expect there to be a problem with that, but I’m not going to make a promise I can’t keep. I appreciate you working with me on this.

Thank you for the update on the investigation. I’ll pass it along, but I doubt it will ease the mistrust of Jedi. Aurelian and Aether have that in common.

As far as escalation, that sounds reasonable. My preference is face-to-face. Diplomatic holocalls have been ruined for me. I suspect, however, that the Mand’alor will initiate a meeting with Chancellor Vexx sooner rather than later so this arrangement may not even be necessary. We’ll see.

I will pass on your offer and willingness to help to Her Majesty.

Adelle

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

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:: ENCRYPTED BURST TRANSMISSION ::

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SECURITY: END-TO-END
ORIGIN: Sibylla Abrantes
RECIPIENTS: Adelle Bastiel

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Adelle,

I swear if it is not one thing, it is the next. I am setting up that meeting as soon as possible. My goal is to get a meeting with Dominique and, at the very least, the Senate Jedi Council Liaison. Part of me wants to believe that we are all on the same side of matters, but even I have to be realistic that when it comes to religious organizations and political approaches, things do not typically see eye to eye.

Times are too chaotic now to watch each other with a narrowed gaze. All the more so considering the greater threats in the galaxy.

Which brings me to a new topic. We have some intelligence regarding a raid on Republic assets on Ryloth. The investigation took some time, but it appears to be Mandalorian in origin. I am sending over the transponder codes, holofilms, and ship designs that security picked up. My review of the details did not reveal any familiar clans within the Mandalorian Empire.

Are any of these familiar to you?

I have also received intelligence on fleet movements along the Corellian-Nubia border. I am concerned because the information brought back does not align with any known entities, yet the Mandalorian sigil is found among them.

Do you have any information regarding the matter?

Sibylla

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[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Sibylla Abrantes | Courtesy tag: Aether Verd

Sibylla,

I do believe a conversation between our respective leaders is long overdue. Please do set it up and whatever I can do to assist, let me know.

While I am new to the Mandalorians, everything I’ve pulled up so far has linked them to the greater diaspora. Aether had issued a call for all Mandalorians to return to Mandalore but there have been several groups that have chosen not to return. For what reason, I don’t know.

As far as I’m aware and am allowed to discuss, there have been no orders given, no missions sanctioned in that area. This is news to me. I will forward the information to Aether. Let us know if this group continues to cause trouble for you. I would hate for diplomatic relations to sour because some splinter group decided to wage their own private war.

Also let me know when you’re free for that day out. We need to make sure to squeeze it in before the next hammer strike.

Adelle

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

:: ENCRYPTED BURST TRANSMISSION ::

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SECURITY: END-TO-END
ORIGIN: Sibylla Abrantes
RECIPIENTS: Adelle Bastiel

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Adelle,

Thank you again for passing along the information regarding the Iron Covenant. I greatly appreciate you keeping me informed, and I will be bringing the matter to Dominique's attention so she is aware of the broader implications. With everything that has been unfolding, I suspect we are going to need every piece of reliable intelligence we can gather.

The situation along the Republic's northern and western borders only seems to be growing more turbulent by the day. It is hardly a state secret that the increasing skirmishes there are placing mounting pressure upon the Senate to respond, all while the uncertainty surrounding the Jedi Order continues to occupy so many conversations in the rotunda. It often feels as though every week introduces another question without a clear answer.

That brings me to something I have been reflecting on, and I was hoping to hear your thoughts.

Working alongside Force organizations is still relatively new territory for me. Diplomacy between governments is familiar enough, but navigating the various Force traditions and the unique philosophies they each hold is proving to be an entirely different challenge. Given your time in Corellia, did you have much interaction with the Green Jedi or any of the different iterations of the Jedi Order there? I would genuinely value your perspective on how best to approach these relationships moving forward. I suspect they will only become more important in the days ahead.

There is, however, a far more pressing matter that I only learned of recently, and one I would much rather discuss with you in person when circumstances allow.

Ace Moonbound has turned himself over to Republic custody.

There is a great deal of context surrounding the situation that I would rather explain face to face, but for now I want you to know that he is safe, he is being treated well, and I am doing everything I can to determine what our next steps should be.

To speak plainly, Ace killed Republic security personnel aboard the Trinity, a Republic vessel bound for Chandrila after it was overtaken by Sith Covenant boarders. On the surface, it appears that he had been working alongside the Sith Covenant for some time. The fuller truth is considerably more complicated. Throughout much of that time he had also been providing intelligence to the Republic regarding Covenant movements.

Somewhere along the way, however, he began to fall.

I tried more than once to convince him to step away before it consumed him. He believed he had to see it through, convinced that only he could bring justice and bring about the Covenant's downfall. I watched him become someone I scarcely recognized. Ace simply... was not the same Ace anymore. No matter what I said, he continued to descend further, until I witnessed him use the Force against those trying to detain him and bring him back safely.

I have spent more time than I care to admit wondering whether another choice, another conversation, or another path might have led us somewhere different. I honestly do not know.

What I do know is this -- He surrendered by his own choice.

No one forced him into custody. He walked there willingly. If he is seeking to answer for what he has done and genuinely wishes to make amends, then perhaps he is not beyond saving after all. I very much hope that is true.

I wondered whether you might be willing to speak with him when the time is right. I will also be reaching out to Aether, but I thought perhaps you might have insight into a better way to help him navigate what comes next. If there is anyone who may be able to reach him where others cannot, it may very well be someone he knows still believes there is a person worth reaching.

From my side, I intend to do everything within my authority to ensure the Republic fully considers the assistance he rendered against the Covenant alongside the crimes he has committed. That does not erase what happened, nor should it, but I believe the whole truth deserves to be weighed rather than only the worst parts of it.

I would also greatly value your thoughts from a diplomatic perspective. The last thing any of us needs is another international incident, especially when it concerns someone we all care for deeply while each of us is trying to balance our own political responsibilities.

I will be meeting with Ace shortly to better understand where his mind and heart truly are. Once I have spoken with him, I will send you another communication with whatever I learn.

Until then, please take care of yourself.

Sibylla

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Sibylla Abrantes | Courtesy tag: Aether Verd | Acier Moonbound

Sibylla,

I wish I could give you more practical advice but when I was working on Corellia, my work was primarily with CorSec and its TRT branch. I was a liasion agent, yes, but after an incident, my role was little more than a consultant or specialist, brought in only when absolutely necessary. Much of my time that I can remember was spent working with my own enclave that had been on the edges of the civilized galaxy. And the more time I spend interacting with the wider galaxy, the more I feel like my enclave held different values to many of the orders today. I’m honestly not sure how much help I can be.

I see. I must be honest, before your message I had no idea who he was but a bit of research cleared that up. Please contact Aether as soon as possible. This is a matter he will want to handle directly and Aether will be best case scenario to handle it. All of Clan Verd holds family in the highest regard and of the highest priority. If anything happens to Acier in custody, I’m not sure that anything will appease them. Certainly not their patriarch.

As for your request to speak with him, I don’t know that I’d be much help. If he’s truly repenting of the Dark side, if he’s actually seeking redemption, a stranger offering advice can go one of two ways. If the Jedi have already spoken with him, the odds of me being useful in his redemption decrease. He would see me as Mandalorian, not as a Jedi Master. And if he saw me as a Jedi Master, he would be on the defensive more likely than not. Better that someone who knows him speaks to him, guides him. They will know what can reach him. And whether or not it’s actually sinking in.

Please don’t follow the ash-rabbit hole of what-ifs. Don’t do that to yourself. People can influence others but ultimately, everyone makes their own decisions.

I don’t speak of it often—at all, really. But what little of his story you told me reminds me of a master from my old Order. And the reason I left. It’s… probably best told in person, but suffice to say, this story of self-assured righteousness leading to the Dark side is more familiar than I’d like. Again, I don’t think I’m the right person to talk to him.

But. The fact that he chose to surrender and face consequences for previous actions without advocating for himself is either self-defeating so to speak. Or he genuinely wants to change. For both your sakes, I hope he puts his creds where is mouth is.

My comm line is open.

Adelle

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

Encrypted Communication

Node 07 • Naboo

Urgent

Node 07 • Voice of Naboo • Active

To: Adelle Bastiel

Adelle,

Thank you for giving me a perspective on how I should move forward. You have given me far more practical advice than you realize and for that I am ever grateful.

And... You are right. I will try not to follow the ash-rabbit down its hole but no promises that I will not occasionally stare suspiciously into it. I already had a shard of an ancient Goddess Force entity attached to my psyche, and while it was temporary, the entire ordeal was more than I could withstand.

Yes you read that right. Remind me to relay to you the story at a later time.

I will make arrangements to speak with Aether in person. With everything happening, I think this deserves more than a message over comms. Not merely regarding Ace but because there has been so much movement across the galaxy lately, and I would like to know where Aether's thoughts fall on everything that has transpired.

As for Ace, I understand what you mean. Someone who knows him should be the one to reach him, if he can be reached. I will speak with him first and listen before deciding anything further. Whatever comes of it, this decision to surrender himself must mean something. I hope for all our sakes that it means what we want it to.

And Adelle... thank you. Truly. For the advice, the perspective, and simply being someone I can speak to without wondering whether every sentence will somehow find its way into tomorrow morning's political commentary.

Which actually brings me to a far more important matter. When was the last time either of us did something that did not involve governments, Force users, impending galactic catastrophe, or someone requiring us to be terribly responsible?

We certainly need to remedy that.

So, if you know somewhere where we can toss away politics and any curious holocameras, just name the time and place. I will certainly find my way there.

Sibylla

From the Office of the Voice of Naboo
Ambassador to the Mandalorian Empire