Star Wars: The High Republic: The Acolyte: The Mandalore, the Naboo, and the Statue

IC: Queen Helena
Naboo

Court business wasn’t terribly interesting, in fact it was damned boring at times, but today was starting off slightly less dull than usual.

Helena sat in full regalia befitting the reigning Queen of Naboo, the only exception being the heavy makeup that her predecessors had worn. She felt that it was absurd and refused to wear anything so ridiculous.

With a bored expression she watched as the Palpatine girl was being escorted forward for presentation. Helena barely glanced over the girl, instead she studied her other brother. He was quite attractive.

Tag: @Sinrebirth @HanSolo29

 

IC: Willem Graul
Royal Palace, Naboo



When his father had offered him the Naboo assignment, Willem had envisioned an excursion rife with opportunity. It was a chance to network with those who wielded true power and establish himself as a key player on the galactic stage; he would no longer stand in his father’s shadow.

However, he did not find any of that—at least, not initially.

For the past hour, the Naboo Court had subjected him to the pompous solemnity of the cultural elite. They had adhered strictly to protocol, refusing to abbreviate the elaborate ritual to accommodate their guests. As a result, he was still waiting for his formal introduction and a chance to address the Queen.

It was frustrating, to say the least.

In fact, as Willem glanced down to discreetly check his chrono, he noticed the final member of the Court—House Palpatine—had finally entered the room. They were young; a brother and sister duo. He had only heard rumors and brief anecdotes from his father, and yet—

The young woman, Ederlathh, locked eyes with him. There was no shame or hesitation in her gesture, which prompted Willem to smile in return. He would’ve nodded or engaged with her further, but she quickly turned toward the Queen. Nevertheless, it was enough to bolster his confidence. He held his head a little higher; he stood a little straighter; he imagined holding her hand—

He considered her age.

Kriff.

Was she old enough?

It was always difficult to tell with these royals. They played a crude game sometimes.

Nonetheless, it probably wasn’t something he should be contemplating while awaiting his turn to meet the Queen.

TAG: @Sinrebirth; @Lady_Belligerent

 

IC: Wassok
Comms

Naboo had multiple cities, the largest of which was Theed, and the data suggested most of the more recent skirmishes had taken place in Gallo, the mountainous region, or a holy site of the Gungans, the site of their old capital city. Three directions, in essence, to pick from. North, west, south.

Of course, it was during a stealthy insertion that the comms would trigger.

It was the very head of the Bounty Hunters Guild, the wily Trandoshan Wassok.

The message was prefaced that he had Intel.



Wassok

TAG: @Kahn_Iceay
---
A turbolift

The Jedi Master glowered at the Senator, barely concealing his annoyance.

"We're not here to solve a heir dispute," his eyes narrowed. "We are here to bring to justice a galactic criminal. Surely you read the briefing?"

A slight note of exasperation entered his tone.

"Mandalore the Hammerborn, yes?"

TAG: @adaml83
---
The hangar bay

Neema could feel the anxiety brimming from the two latest arrivals. Pushing aside disdain, she turned.

"Let me introduce the rest of us. Master Hal is in meditation, and will be joining us shortly."

A gesture to the one in darker attire.

"This is Lana Thul, of Alderaan."



Lana Thul

House Thul had a historic enmity with House Organa, so the superior expression on Thul's face did not endear them to each other. Jedi usually didn't know their parents, but when influential families sent their children to the Order, everyone knew.

"The Coruscanti ones are Tor Valorum and Fost Bramsin. He has some kind of number," Neema said, drily. "Because every male in his family is called Fost, but we don't recognise that here."



Tor Valorum



Fost Bramsin

Tar held out a hand to Deptina. "We'll have a briefing, soon, you don't want your nose in a datapad now."

"You are both Knights, yes?" Fost said, drily. "We are dealing with Mandalorians, after all."

TAG: @Nehru_Amidala, @TheSilentInfluence

 

IC: Cosinga Palpatine

"Presenting Cosinga Palpatine, of House Palpatine, and introducing Ederlathh Palpatine, of House Palpatine, for her first season at Court."

The Herald managed to sound professional even as he repeated the word 'Palpatine.' But the Palpatine's had kept their name pure. They rarely married their women off, so for Ederlathh to be at court at all betrayed a rather curious intention.

His eyes met the Queens almost by accident before he bowed, but Cosigna hesitated. He was seventeen, surely the Queen hadn't notice him like that -

But then Ederlathh was perfectly curtsied, and Cosigna knew he had to ensure she didn't stay down like that for too long, and smoothly deepened his other hand bow -

"Your Majesty," Ederlathh said. "It is an honour to attend your Court."

For his part, Baron Veruna sneered under his breath to Willem. "A play is afoot. House Palpatine never sends its women to Court. Be careful, Willem, should you find yourself ensnared."



Veruna

Ederlatth noticed Veruna lean over, and her gaze flitted over, almost furtively, to him -

TAG: @HanSolo29, @Lady_Belligerent

 

IC: General Tarpals
The Cove



Tarpals

The Gungan himself oft considered mountains to be like asteroids, if only because he didn't understand space travel. Did any Gungan? Well, yes, General Tarpals knew of Gungans who had left Naboo, with the humans, the Outlanders, and yes, he disapproved.

But mountains were as foreign to General Tarpals as asteroids, so the metaphor worked for him.

However, it didn't do much else.

He did know coves, and strategical use of the waterways that criss-crossed Naboo's under-surface.

And he knew this would surprise the Naboo.

So when Tacca Nass grumbled, Tarpals shot him a glare. "Insa warsa, it not alwaysa neat and tidy!"

But at least the crew were pushing the catapult through the mud, and another crew was gingerly following with the over-sized plasma ball.

The moment it was placed, Tarpals heard the whine of approaching metal craft, judged the noise, and, though they were technically blind from this spot -

"Fire!"

The catapult twanged loudly, and recoiled, the mud doing it bit but still the catapult flipped, clipping Crepaud and landing on Tarpals -

CRUSH!

TAG: @Jabba-wocky, @Mitth_Fisto
---
Calamity

One moment they were on patrol, the next, a giant ball of plasma shot out from the mountains and slammed into Four - into Fen Aneleh.

He cried out, and then the shiny modern Headhunter detonated, showering the other Headhunters with debris -

Three was on the comms, Panaka, calling out. "Your Highness!"

"What?" Magenta snapped out, his heart rising in his throat. He turned his Z-95, realizing that was the wrong thing to do, and his wing snagged on Ryan's -

They were under fire, and he had completely overreacted -

But had Fen been a Prince all along?

TAG: @Jedi Bluth

 

IC: Queen Helena
Queen’s Palace, Naboo

“Arise, child,” Helena said with a stiff tone. “Enjoy your first season in my court,” she added as an afterthought, “the first season is always the best.”

Her eyes drifted over to Varuna.

“Isn’t that so, dear Baron?” Helena asked in a louder voice. “Unless of course what you are sharing with Mister Graul is more important than the business I am conducting currently?”

Helena stood and faced the two men with a sweet smile.

Tag: @Sinrebirth @HanSolo29

 

IC: Willem Graul
Royal Palace, Naboo



Be careful, Willem.

The warning came from an unlikely source—Baron Veruna, an influential figure in Naboo’s political system. The Baron had quickly climbed the ranks to establish himself within the Court’s power base, relying heavily on his charismatic appeal and cunning intelligence. That’s why Willem doubted his sincerity; he wasn’t looking out for his well being at all. The man likely saw the Palpatines as a threat to his success. They were political rivals, and in order to fulfill his agenda, Veruna had set out to cause trouble.

Incidentally, trouble soon found him.

Before Willem could react to the Baron’s advice, the Queen noticed the brief exchange and berated the man for talking out of turn. It was taboo to speak without being called upon first. Veruna had broken a sacred rule, something the Naboo considered a grave offense. As such, Willem wanted to distance himself from the exchange.

With a slow nod to acknowledge the Queen, he kept his eyes downcast to show respect as he stepped back and placed the Baron ahead of him.

TAG: @Lady_Belligerent; @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Heor Chall
Aboard the Mas Ramdar, now the hangar

The Jedi Master sniffed. "It is a matter of Senate record that several Jedi went rogue and refused to obey the Republic. Do you intend to make reference to every mistake of the Jedi? Revan? Perhaps the First Great Schism?"

He didn't like this Senator, and now he didn't see any need to keep it so.

The turbolift opened, mercifully, and Heor stepped out, regarding the six Knights he had placed under his command. Three of them were often in his company, so he was grateful to their presence. Three he didn't know well, and in the case of the two who had just joined them aboard the Mas Ramdar, he hadn't ever met them. They just happened to be nearby, and so were called in.

It was typical for a Master and six Knights to be assigned to missions, give or take a Padawan. But he would much rather not have a youngster along for delicate matters. Looking down his nose, he regarded Rowan and Deptina. As he arrived, the latter was speaking, asking about the Gungan Grand Army.

"The Grand Army is not our concern," he pronounced. "We shall not be intervening in the war, merely arresting Mandalore the Hammerborn. He is known to keep in his company several Mandalorians at a time, but we do not know if the Gungans have hired him, or the Queen. We would expect the Queen, or someone in her Court."

He cleared his throat. Less thinking from the Knights the better; the more doing, he thought.

"Allow me to introduce Senator Bairre O’ Loingsigh, who is supervising this mission." A gesture to the man, and then back to business. "Rowan, Deptina, I do not know the combat level of you two. Please spar, Form I."

Distracted Knights were always better; let him be sharp for them. The other Knights, including Neema smiled slightly.

For his part, Heor opened his comlink and hailed the planet, turning to face it through the hangar view.

"This is Jedi Master Heor Chall of the Galactic Senate. I am here to arrest Mandalore the Hammerborn. Any interference in our mission will be considered evidence of collaboration with a war criminal. Anything less than full cooperation will be construed as a decision to resist Galactic Law."

He wasn't one for wasting time. He waited for the Senator to criticize his technique while they waited.

TAG: @Nehru_Amidala, @adaml83, @TheSilentInfluence
---
Atmosphere

Goya inserted as if freefall, the ship adjusting only slightly to keep the impression they made on the air minimal - and relatively impossible to detect.

Wassok sniffed, as he was want to. "Have sought to contact the primary contract, and they aren't replying. Caught up in some business involving missing Jedi or dead Jedi or something." A shrug. "Secondary contractor is still paying, but its less. Will confirm with primary contractor when able to do so. Still agreeable to taking this contract forward?"

Personally, he thought going after a Mandalore was a death wish, but Goya struck him as the kind of human that would do it out of principle. Or Echani. Or whatever he was.

As a Trandoshan, he barely noticed the differing skin hues of humans, near-humans, and so forth. A Pantoran and a Zeltron and Mirialan a Zelosian were as annoying as each other.

Otherwise, the ship confirmed the Dreadnaught had just hailed the planet.

TAG: @Kahn_Iceay

 

IC: Baron Veruna

A supercilious smile. "Not at all, your Majesty."

Getting her attention was never a bad idea, to him.

He swanned into the center of the room, and Ederlathh, looking annoyed, looked back to Cosinga, who gestured for her to follow. It was the best they could expect. The Queen was an important woman. Cosinga didn't let Ederlathh step into the crowd entirely, as technically they hadn't been dismissed as of yet.

Veruna ignored them. "Allow me to introduce Willem Graul, associated with the illustrious Nubia StarDrive."

The Bith snorted, and not quietly.

"He is here to provide you with an excellent yacht design."

There were two aides rushing forward, suddenly. One a handmaiden, which told Helena it was family business, and one, a Minister, telling her he spoke of government business.

This particular handmaiden was responsible for her secret...

They bowed, and the woman spoke first. "Your Majesty, your ear, if I may?" She looked pensive.

The Minister glowered, and cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, the planet is being hailed, on the formal frequencies."

TAG: @Lady_Belligerent, @HanSolo29

 

IC: Tarpals

The catapult was flipped, prepared, and additional weight applied as it was reloaded.

The General's eyes stared into nothingness.

He was dead.

No, wait.

A cough from Tarpals, suddenly, and he grabbed at Crepaud's leg, in a manner which would remind him of... another time.

"Yousa... can do this."

Did Tarpals even know who he was?

His eyes rolled, and he died.

A scout shouted out. "Naboo ships have landed! In the forest nearby!"

The Gallo mountains had many of these little nooks and crannies, and in them, life found a way.

The natural trees would provide some protection from bombardment. There was the crew, a dozen Gungans working it, but they were also the same warriors who would be expected to mount their six kaadu.



Everyone looked to Tacca Nass for instructions.

TAG: @Jabba-wocky, @Mitth_Fisto
---
Not far away at all

Panaka was already on a personal comm, staying inside his cockpit for the moment.

"Good call, Ryan," said Magenta, as he popped the canopy, checked his blaster, and looked over the ship. "The trees should protect us from the Gungans, or at least give us plenty of notice they're coming."

He looked dourly at the distant flaming wreck of a Headhunter. "There is nothing left of him."

His gaze turned to Ryan. "Did you know he was royalty? Because if you did, and didn't tell me, I am going to bust you down to bathroom cleaner." He growled, then placed a palm on his face. "That's unfair. But... if that really was the Queen's only son?"

Of course, Ryan knew as little as Magenta. Panaka's panicked comm call was all they had to work on, and they were a pilot down and the enemy wasn't far.

TAG: @Jedi Bluth