The Mandalorian Stage
Shepard's eyes swept across the Council chamber. Mandalore had grown stronger, richer, more united than it had been in centuries. But strength wasn't only forged in armor and steel sometimes, it wore silk and spoke in soft tones.
That was why his gaze fell on Satine Kryze.
From a young age, she had shown a sharp wit and a natural gift for diplomacy. Shepard had watched her rise through the academies, excelling in politics and debate, her voice already carrying weight among the younger generation of Mandalorians who dreamed of something more than endless war.
Shepard called her before the Council after her graduation."You have a gift," he told her, his voice even, his gaze unreadable. "One that cannot be wasted here. Mandalore needs a voice in the galaxy, not just a sword. You will be that voice."
Satine bowed her head, fire in her eyes. "For Mandalore, I'll do what's needed."
Thus she was dispatched as Mandalore's Ambassador to the Republic, her mission clear: weave the threads of neutrality into a cloak strong enough to shield her people from the Republic's pull.
The Neutral Systems
In the months that followed, Satine's voice carried far beyond Coruscant's Senate floor. She became a leader among the rising coalition of Neutral Systems worlds weary of war, unwilling to bow to Republic or Separatist banners.
Her speeches were hailed as bold yet tempered. She spoke of peace, of sovereignty, of trade without chains. Her influence grew, admired by senators who doubted the Republic's corruption but feared open rebellion.
Behind her, Mandalore's shadow loomed. Her confidence came not from naivety, but from knowing her world was already secured by Shepard's unseen hand.
Far from the Senate, in a lavish apartment on Coruscant, two figures stood cloaked in secrecy.
Darth Plagueis the Wise watched the holofeed of Satine's address, his long Muun face unreadable."She is clever, this girl. Clever and dangerous. A neutral Mandalore, united and prosperous, could sway countless systems away from the Republic and from our designs."
Beside him, his apprentice Darth Sidious, still publicly the ambitious Senator Palpatine of Naboo folded his hands within his robe."Then we use her, Master. A banner of peace now, and later, a weakness to exploit. Mandalore has always been fractured. If they rise too high, we will ensure they fall harder."
On Mandalore, Shepard paid little attention to Senate applause . His concerns remained grounded planetary shield generators humming at full capacity, new education academies raising a generation that valued both culture and discipline, the Infinity carriers growing ever closer to completion in the hidden moon dock.
Satine was the face the galaxy saw. Shepard was the hand no one knew existed.
At night, he stood on the balcony of Sundari's palace, the stars stretching endless above. He thought of Jango training clones across the galaxy, of Satine's words echoing in Senate halls, of Mandalore's quiet ascent.