Faction Speak Softly (ME)

[Adelle Bastiel]

Sundari, Mandalore
Tags: Aether Verd | Mia Monroe | Sidonia | Renn Vizsla | Vytal Noctura | Jonah | Aselia Verd

The Mand’alor called.

Adelle walked briskly through the halls of the Sundari palace, her Mandalorian guide escorting her to the War Room. More fortress than palace, her bootsteps echoed in the stone corridors. Phantom lay draped around her shoulders, reveling the recent addition of the Iron Lord’s furred cloak. Adelle had cleaned and polished her own armor, the matte black gleaming dully. Less than a week had gone by after she sent her second report and the security holocam footage to Aether. The Mand’alor had summoned a council meeting in short order. As she lived outside of Mandalorian space, ambassador that she was, she was the last to arrive to the war council.

The stone doors swung open silently, the leaders and advisors of the Mandalorian Empire waiting inside. Around the table stood Warmaster Monroe, Warden Viszla, Warmaster Noctura, Warden Sidonia, Field Marshal Jonah Verd. At the Mand’alor’s side, Aselia’s familiar red armor eased some of the tension Adelle felt.

Adelle removed her buy’ce and gave a nod to the Mand’alor then took her place behind her seat as the doors were shut behind her. At his command, she settled into CorSec’s parade rest, fists resting at the small of her back with her feet shoulder-width apart, and began the briefing.

“Approximately two weeks ago, Warden Varanin was approached by an unidentified person claiming to be a Jedi outside the Embassy,” she said. “The conversation turned aggressive, with the alleged Jedi physically blocking Warden Varanin’s path before disappearing into the crowd. About one week ago, three Jedi entered the Embassy and marched into the Warden’s office without an appointment. The conversation became tense and relations strained to the point Warden Varanin felt it wise to press the panic button installed under her desk. Each of you has been provided with a copy of the security reports and the security holocam footage for both incidents.”

Adelle resisted the urge to stretch her neck and roll her shoulders, clenching her fists tighter instead. “Prior to the second incident, Ambassador Abrantes made assurances that the High Republic is conducting their own investigation into the first incident, as well as informing me that the Jedi had access to the Accords upon their ratification. And that they were well aware that Warden Varanin is a protected diplomatic entity. While the Order is a recognized, independent peacekeeping organization, they have no judicial authority within the High Republic and so are subject to following all laws and protocols regarding due process.

“In their… spontaneous meeting with Warden Varanin, the Jedi claimed to have wanted an open conversation and that they sought clarity as to the Warden’s purpose on Naboo.” As if it hadn’t been evident by Quinn’s publicly available status as Queen of Eshan and Mandalorian Warden, as well as the Accords. “Warden Varanin answered truthfully—that she was present as a protected diplomat of the Mandalorian Empire and fulfilling the responsibilities required of her.”

“The Jedi found the answer unsatisfactory, and continued to press until Warden Varanin became distressed and summoned security. They claimed they weren’t Republic representatives and broke etiquette, either accidentally or deliberately.”

That had left a sour taste in her mouth for the masked Jedi. Knowingly or not, she had found his farewell both condescending and disrespectful.

“As of yet, I haven’t heard from either Ambassador Abrantes or High Chancellor Vex on this matter or the Republic’s investigation,” she finished. “It is my recommendation that we at least escalate this to the High Chancellor with the appropriate sanctions.”

“What is the will of the War Council?”

 

[Jonah]

Jonah should have put money on it.

He recalled, many moons ago, a quiet conversation he had with his sibling. It was not one of the reports he formally made as Warmaster to the Mand'alor, but rather an elder brother giving his younger sibling some advice. When Aether had first considered working with the High Republic, Jonah had strongly opposed it. His reasoning? The Jedi were a wild card. No matter what agreements a so-called democracy made, so long as their "peacekeepers" were running rampant, there was no guarantee that their word would be bond.

And now, after the Second Treaty's ink had hardly dried, the Jedi were showing their asses. Jonah saw it for what it was: a test to see just how domesticated the Mandalorian Empire seemingly was. The Mand'alor had become known for his restraint. He had given the Diarchy many months of rope before the infamous crucifixion, in fact. So now? The Jedi wanted to see just how far they could toe the line.

After all, if they could harass a literal diplomat, what was next? How long until their very way of life was in the crosshairs?

After Lord Bastiel gave her report, Jonah's gaze moved from her countenance to those present.

"One would think that the Jedi, of all people, know better...given the High Republic's current predicament. Two Sith nations are on their borders, and yet their Jedi decide to slap our Warden in the face? Twice? Either their Jedi don't believe that we are a credible threat to the High Republic or they're itching for conflict with us for reasons beyond me." The Warmaster shook his head for a moment. "If nothing else, they need to be reminded that Mandalore is not to be trifled with."

Jonah's gaze then moved to the Mand'alor.

"I don't suppose you have any spare crosses lying around?"

Tag: Adelle Bastiel , Aselia Verd , Sidonia , Vytal Noctura , Renn Vizsla , Mia Monroe

 

[Aselia Verd]

Aselia watched Adelle with her blue eyes, attentive to both her and Phantom. Aselia had heard some of it from Adelle herself, but the footage had been all the more damning. She sat at Aether’s right, her crimson buy'ce sat on the table in front of her, her red hair pulled back and out of her face, her expression set in a way that did not conceal her anger, but she did mask how deep it went beneath the surface. She had listened to every word of the report without interruption; her siblings would know she was ready to draw blood over this.

Jonah’s reaction wasn’t unexpected. If anything, it mirrored what many in the room were already thinking. Aselia’s gaze shifted briefly in his direction as he spoke, acknowledging him without interrupting. She felt it partly, but she was not quite ready to write off the Republic just yet.

When he finished, she let out a breath, then brought her gauntlet up. The display flickered to life, projecting the holocam footage in a tight field between them. She scrubbed through it with practiced precision, isolating the moments that mattered rather than replaying the whole incident. The approach. The obstruction. The escalation inside the office. When Lorn Reingard and Zark San Tekka came fully into frame, she stopped it there.

Her finger hovered over the display for a fraction of a second before she lowered her hand slightly, leaving the image visible.

“Those two,” Aselia said, her voice even, controlled, but carrying an edge. Quinn was family, and she had been hurt. Not physically perhaps, but not all pain was visible, she knew that all too well. Her eyes looked around the table at them all.

“As typical, this is the Jetii acting out of place, we all know that,” she said. “These two have decided they are above their own laws, that they don’t have to follow the same rules as everyone else.” There was a quiet venom in her words, as if she was already signing the death warrant of those men, and truly she wished it so. “They knew who Quinn was, they knew what protections were in place, yet they chose to ignore it anyway.”

“We don’t answer that by burning the Republic, at least not at this stage, but I am not ready to rule it out.” Aselia continued, her tone firm now, grounded in both certainty and anger. “This was a humiliation not just of a warden, but of the Empire as a whole.” She paused briefly, allowing everyone to take her words to heart. “We cannot let this go unanswered. Jonah is correct.”

“I propose we deliver our terms to the Republic. They answer for it.” There was no embellishment, no attempt to dress it up. “The two Jetii, are punished by the High Republic. Publicly and loudly, our call for justice must be satisfied.”

“If they do that, this ends here,” she said. “If they don’t…” She let the sentence hang for a fraction of a second before finishing it without changing her tone. “Then we come for them ourselves, only this time we won't be asking. And we will not be as forgiving as the Republic either.”

“If the Republic decides to refuse,” Aselia added, quieter now but no less certain, “Then that means the Republic has decided to make us an enemy, and so be it. Either way, a price will be paid.”


TAG: Adelle Bastiel Aether Verd Jonah Sidonia Vytal Noctura Renn Vizsla Mia Monroe
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[Mia Monroe]

None of this was unexpected.

The Jedi had never been smart. It didn’t matter what nation they worked within or without, they were always too tempted by the idea of being the hero. Placing Quinn as Warden of Eshan and then allowing her to stay within the Embassy on Naboo was the equivalent of dangling a ysalamiri in front of a voxyn. The Jedi would tear their own limbs off to get at her if they could.

Mia sat back in her chair, eyes on the datapad scanning the footage as Adelle gave her report. The simplest solution would be to remove the problem, to have Quinn return to Eshan and limit her movement on Naboo to official events only, but that was the equivalent to surrender and that was never going to happen.

She let out a small breath of a laugh, the corner of her mouth rising at Jonah’s suggestion and shook her head. Aselia’s response was equally charged, if a little more controlled. For them this wasn’t just a diplomatic incident, this was personal. This was family. And that made everything all the more complicated.

“A price will be paid…” she echoed quietly sitting forward, finally setting down the datapad and looking up at Adelle, gesturing to the seat she was standing behind, inviting her to be at ease and to sit.

“The Jedi should never have been allowed entry to the Embassy without a prior appointment. First and foremost, we should review the Embassy’s security and then Warden Varanin’s.” Her finger trailed along the footage to freeze at her guard's rather dramatic entrance, her finger tapping once on the screen. “I notice that her chosen guardian was not present until it was too late. Quinn should have been under better protection after the first incident, never mind this one. So her security gets tightened until the Jedi learn their place.”

Her head titled slightly in thought. “It doesn’t matter what the Republic does, asking them to step in would be a waste of time. If they had any semblance of control over the Jedi; if the Jedi had any respect for the Accords, then this incident would not have happened.”

Sapphire eyes moved to Aselia. “We can ask, it would be the correct route where diplomacy is concerned, but I have very little faith that anything will come of it. Jedi have always seen themselves as above the law.”

Her gaze moved to Jonah, the shadow of a smile crossing her face. “Tempting as it might be to nail a zealot to a cross, I wouldn’t recommend it. We’d just be playing into their hands and giving them justification to act further.”

She sat back with a sigh, letting her gaze settle on Aether. “Summon the Jedi Council. We deal with them directly, see what they have to say for themselves and act accordingly. If they want to act as a separate body to the Republic, then we treat them as such. We can notify Ambassador Abrantes as a courtesy, but we take resolution of the matter into our own hands.”


Aether Verd Aselia Verd Jonah Adelle Bastiel Vytal Noctura Renn Vizsla Sidonia