At Vadir One Starport, Vissa Lista and his crew had completed the manifest after several days of preparation.
Omen stood at the starport, waving goodbye to Vissa, telling them to prioritize safety and to contact them if anything went wrong.
Inside the capital city of Ta'a Chume'da, on the Hapes star, within the Hapes system, in the Hapes Cluster located in the Inner Rim, lay the Hapes Alliance.
Inside the Ta'a Chume'da Royal Palace, a beautiful woman, dressed in Hapan royal attire, was meeting with her Queen Mother.
"Queen Mother, I have completed the manifest required by the Palace, and within a few days, the high-end droids we need will arrive. Only those are fitting for our current status."
The beautiful woman knelt inside the Palace to pay respects to her Queen Mother and report on her progress.
Upon the high platform, Queen Mother Nikkri'sh nodded slightly, her gaze passing over the two kneeling heirs to rest on her youngest daughter.
"Well done, Synthia. Your elder sister also undertook this task, but it seems she hasn't completed it as well as you have."
Nikkri'sh narrowed her eyes slightly.
Ta'a Chume, who was also kneeling nearby, raised her head and said, "Queen Mother! I have also contacted an outside planet to complete our manifest, and they will be arriving soon!"
Nikkri'sh glanced back and forth between the two of them.
"Perhaps we can determine who will be the first heir to the throne from a small matter. Let the selection be based on these initial diplomatic contacts with the outside world."
"Yes, Queen Mother, your daughter understands!" Synthia concealed the turmoil in her heart. She desperately craved power but knew well that both her mother and sister were extremely shrewd; everything she did had to be hidden.
Ta'a Chume also bowed her head in agreement, believing that she was definitely stronger than her younger sister. After all, she had chosen one of the most powerful organizations in the entire Galaxy to carry out this mission.
That night, Synthia, Nikkri'sh's second daughter and the second heir to the throne, stood on the balcony of her private chambers, looking down at Ta'a Chume'da City.
The city was orderly, but to Synthia, this order felt like shackles. Her beauty was considered unmatched, even on this planet full of beautiful women; her elder sister was completely inferior to her.
Yet, her Queen Mother always favored her elder sister. On this planet of matriarchal succession, she would always be inferior to her sister, and schemes and betrayals constantly existed within the Palace.
She could only rely on taking things step by step to move forward.
"My sister always gets the most important tasks, and this time, I finally get to fight alongside her!" Synthia muttered softly, pressing hard against the cold railing.
This opening was her chance, her most crucial opportunity.
She needed external variables, and she sensed the changing political landscape in the outside Galaxy. This was the Hapes Alliance's best opportunity!
Within the Hapes Alliance, she could not fully oppose her Queen Mother and sister alone, but during an opportunity to view the external HoloNet, she saw the man who would capture her heart for life, and who would also be her best tool—or perhaps, she could become his best tool.
"Kurt Vizsla, the Mandalorian. I can sense that they, like me, want to escape their cages and carve out a place for themselves in this Galaxy."
That is why Vissa Lista was the perfect person. This was her only chance to contact Kurt Vizsla, otherwise, mysterious death awaited her in the Palace.
The moment she saw him on the HoloNet, she recognized Kote. It wasn't just his stunning appearance, but also his unparalleled courage and ability—these were all points that attracted her.
The herculean-class freighter carrying the cargo had arrived at the edge of the misty Hapes Cluster.
Vissa Lista stood by the viewport, his beskar steel helmet gleaming, while his first mate checked the last of the cargo behind him.
"Hmm, sparkling luxury goods, sufficient."
"bd-3000 deluxe droid, sufficient."
"Weapons, sufficient."
The first mate finished checking all the items and reported to Captain Vissa.
"This place is truly mysterious. It's not even on the star charts, and we can't find a path to enter it." Vissa remarked curiously, looking at the fog before them.
"Perhaps it's some lost race."
Just then, a message arrived from a Hapes Alliance ship.
"Mandalore merchants, please allow us to board for inspection."
A crew member then came to report the message.
"Should we let them board, Captain?" the first mate asked.
"Just do as they say," Vissa replied, turning toward the airlock. "Remember, we are here to conduct business."
The two ships connected, and the Hapes Alliance inspection personnel boarded and began their checks.
The chief inspector, who led the group, held a datapad and let her gaze linger on the armor of Vissa and everyone else for a moment.
"Please remove your helmets. We need to confirm the appearance of the visitors."
The men all removed their helmets, revealing their original faces.
"Do you believe men and women are equal?" she suddenly asked.
Vissa was startled. Why was she suddenly asking this question?
"Does this have anything to do with the inspection?" Vissa asked.
"Nothing, but I was just curious to know." The chief inspector smiled kindly, as she truly did not understand the situation of outsiders.
The first mate stepped forward and answered her calmly.
"On Mandalore, men and women share equal honor, and regardless of race, it is the same for us. If you wish to know, then yes, men and women are equal."
"Interesting. You actually grant men the same status as yourselves. The cargo is fine, you may proceed now. Follow behind us." The chief inspector did not stop her work while speaking.
The inspectors then left the herculean and returned to their own ship, acting as guides to help Vissa and his crew enter the mist.
However, not long after, a ship bearing the insignia of the Trade Federation dropped out of hyperspace, arriving at the mist outside the cluster.
Aboard the ship was our old acquaintance, General Dourde.
"General, we have arrived at the coordinates as ordered, but no one has arrived yet." A B1 Commander reported the current situation.
"Are the specialized droids ready?" Dourde asked.
"Preparation is complete. All bd-3000 deluxe droids have been loaded with combat and assassination programming and are ready to carry out our commands and attack at any time."
"Hapans, you too will fall under the control of the Trade Federation. Since you chose isolation, and the Grand Princess even invited us in like a wolf to seize power, then don't blame us." Dourde had clearly received orders from Governor Gunray.
But who had issued Governor Gunray's orders?
Dourde did not know that in this mission, he would once again encounter the Mandalorians, and perhaps even meet Kote himself.
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