ILLUMINATE • din djarin

PART ELEVEN

Venelia looked up from the worn book in her lap to watch the Mandalorian pull the ship from hyperspace, the clear blue and green of Olis coming into view. Venelia couldn't believe they were finally here after all this time. It had only been a couple of days, yet it seemed so long ago that she first made a deal with the Mandalorian to bring her to Olis.

Nerves of anticipation bubbled at the pit of her stomach. She'd been on the run for weeks, relying on only herself before the Mandalorian, and now she was going to set foot in the closest place there was to home – asking for their help and support to reclaim Fidelis.

She took a deep breath; she could do this – for her father. For her mother. For her people.

The Mandalorian guided the ship into the atmosphere, and Venelia watched from her seat as they flew over the oceans of Olis.

Whilst Olis was similar to Fidelis in its ideals and political structure, the planet's environment was drastically different. The sun shone brightly and reflected in the crystal blue oceans. They had many islands scattered off the mainland coast, housing villages that used ferries so they could move between them. On the mainland, was the capital Kardia, and beyond the capital were farmlands and mainland villages, and beyond those were mountains. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Venelia pulled her gaze away from the window when she heard the sound of an incoming transmission. The Mandalorian flicked it through with one of the switches.

"Unidentified ship, please identify yourself and state your business." A voice crackled through.

The Mandalorian turned his head to look at her for guidance since he was unfamiliar with royal protocols. She nodded in encouragement. "This is the Razor Crest, um, escorting Venelia Orestilla for an audience with uh..."

"King Atlas and Queen Gaia," Venelia whispered.

"...with King Atlas and Queen Gaia," he repeated, and Venelia smiled and nodded again.

There was silence and Venelia held her breath.

"Sorry, did you say you were escorting Duchess Venelia Orestilla of Fidelis?"

"Uh...yes?"

Another silence stretched and Venelia looked at the Mandalorian, the helmet's gaze on her.

"Please land in Bay 2."

Venelia relaxed as the Mandalorian thanked them and followed a beacon that would take them to Bay 2. He landed the ship carefully, and Venelia felt her heart in her throat now that she was so close to speaking with her allies.

She followed the Mandalorian out of the cockpit and stood next to him as he opened the side hatch of the Crest. As it slowly descended, Venelia saw a large gathering of kidemonas – guardians. They stood with their staffs in their blue uniform and helmets. She felt the Mandalorian shift next to her.

"It's okay," she reassured him. "It's just an escort."

Venelia started down the ramp first, the Mandalorian close behind her, and they walked up to the guardians. One of them stepped forward, bowing when she approached him. His insignia revealed him to be the Commanding Officer.

"Duchess Venelia Orestilla of Fidelis, we apologise for the large greeting party. We weren't sure if you were really onboard."

Venelia looked to her left at the Mandalorian, who was stoic and gave nothing away with his stance. "I understand," she turned back. "Will you be taking us to the King and Queen?"

The officer looked between Venelia and the Mandalorian. "Both of you?" He said dubiously.

Venelia looked over the Mandalorian who said, "I can stay with the ship."