Descending from the gunships, the Republic delegation spotted the Duchess of Mandalore and Prime Minister Almec waiting with a dozen guards positioned at the entrance to the domed city.
The arriving group approached the Mandalorians awaiting their arrival. Satine stepped forward with a cautiously amused smile.
Matt moved ahead as he'd been asked to speak for the group initially.
"Duchess Satine. Prime Minister Almec," he greeted cordially, his head tilting slightly forward.
"Mr. Murdock. Good to see you again," the Prime Minister replied.
"Likewise. I hope circumstances improve."
"The galaxy rarely operates according to our preferences and desires, Matt," Satine responded with a strained smile.
"It's how we remain resilient that allows us overcoming these difficulties," Matt said politely.
"Well stated," Almec said approvingly, studying the other team members behind Matt, particularly four individuals. "Ah, so these are the famous Avengers. Pleasure to meet you all. Though somewhat belated, I want to thank you for keeping the Duchess safe during her time on Coruscant."
"Just doing our job," Peter said, offering a thumbs up.
"Though it does come with a price," Scott added seriously, laughing when Hope elbowed his arm.
"He's joking," Hope said quickly. "Hi, nice meeting you, Prime Minister. I'm Hope van Dyne. You can call me Hope or Wasp, whichever you prefer."
"The pleasure's mine."
"Peter Parker, Prime Minister. Or Spider-Man."
"Sam Wilson. Sam."
"T'Challa. I am Crown Prince of Wakanda and currently Black Panther."
At this, Almec's brow furrowed.
"A prince? Traveling the galaxy as a hero?"
"Where are your people?" Satine asked, regarding the prince curiously.
"As long as my father remains king, I have nothing to fear," T'Challa stated.
Satine nodded, then turned her attention to the Jedi contingent, focusing on one particular individual.
"You arrive with quite the entourage, Master Kenobi," she observed.
Obi-Wan stepped forward, offering the Duchess a small smile. "Given the circumstances of the upcoming summit, we needed to assemble as many representatives as possible."
"Once again, my Jedi Knights come to my aid," Satine said with an affectionate smile.
Kenobi cleared his throat softly, lowering his head to avoid her gaze. "I live to serve however I can."
He heard some stifled snickering, recognizing the Avengers' voices. The Jedi Master genuinely wanted to Force-push them off the landing platform.
"I'll admit, this is a rather substantial group," Almec said thoughtfully. "Why bring such a large force when Mandalore's already occupied?"
"Ultron," Sam, Matt, and Hope responded simultaneously and bluntly.
"That metal bastard's rampaging across the galaxy, infiltrating systems without anyone detecting him," Sam explained seriously now.
"We're here ensuring he can't reach Mandalore through cyber warfare," Hope added.
"We have our own AIs to create a defensive firewall making sure Ultron doesn't catch you unprepared," Peter said confidently. "You know, unless he commits everything. Stuff like that."
Satine simply shook her head in bemusement, studying the stammering teenager before turning to the remaining Jedi.
"Skywalker, I'm pleased to see you well," Satine greeted. "And this is?"
"Luminara Unduli," the Mirialan Jedi Master introduced herself. "And my Padawan, Barriss Offee."
"This is my Padawan," Anakin said, placing a proud hand on his student's shoulder. "Ahsoka Tano."
"Pleasure to meet you, Duchess," Ahsoka said warmly.
"The sentiment's mutual," Satine nodded. "I know the last time I spoke with the Jedi and clone forces, tensions ran high. Things weren't ideal. But now? I genuinely appreciate all of you being here."
"The Republic won't abandon a world like Mandalore," Obi-Wan declared.
Satine simply smiled at her former Jedi companion, someone she still held dear, then turned away from them.
"Come," she said, beginning to walk toward the domed city. "Our transport awaits."
Once inside the dome's boundary, the group spotted two large open-air transports that would ferry them to their destination: the capital's central palace.
"Whoa," Peter muttered, joining the others aboard the vessel, which lifted off moments later.
They flew with their Mandalorian hosts over numerous buildings, bridges, pathways, and the clone troopers stationed visibly throughout for all to observe.
"I have to ask, Duchess, how are things currently?"
"It's complicated, Mr. Parker," Satine replied. "Security regulations have always been strictly maintained, but after Ultron attacked the galaxy twice, people are uneasy. Sentiment and resentment toward the Republic have reached unprecedented levels."
"Many of our people departed Mandalore together before Ultron's attacks," Almec revealed grimly. "From what I've gathered, some actually chose joining Death Watch, while most flocked to the Old Mandalorians."
"Old Mandalorians?" Anakin repeated questioningly.
"We call them Protectors," Almec clarified. "The Protectors follow the ancient codes, the old ways of our people."
"I've heard reports they outnumber both your New Mandalorians and Death Watch by considerable margins," T'Challa said, having researched the galactic situation before their arrival.
Satine sighed, lowering her head slightly. "Yes, it's true."
"Is this why you summoned them here?" Anakin asked.
She didn't respond immediately, silently raising her head to stare ahead with grave expression.
"We can only hope and observe what transpires during the summit."
As they continued flying toward the capital's central structure, the Avengers noticed some rather distinctive common traits many Mandalorian citizens possessed.
"Uh, I can't help noticing all the blonde hair here," Hope pointed out.
"Very Aryan," Sam commented.
"Aryan?" several in the group repeated in confusion.
"It's a reference from an extremely dark period in our planet's history," Matt replied cryptically. "It would require considerable time and context to explain properly."
"Attention, we've arrived."
The group soon reached the central palace, transports parking on multiple landing platforms.
Waiting for them was another contingent of guards and several young teenagers.
"Korkie," Satine greeted warmly, approaching the leading teen, a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Auntie," he replied, smiling at the Duchess as they embraced.
"Korkie?" Peter whispered. "What kind of nickname is that?"
Ahsoka's shoulder nudged him warningly.
Satine turned back to the group, placing an arm around her nephew.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my nephew, Korkie Kryze," she announced. "He's a student at the Royal Academy of Government here on Mandalore."
"Greetings, everyone," Korkie bowed respectfully. "It's wonderful meeting you all. Thank you for being here during this crisis facing Mandalore."
The young teen then spotted Kenobi and his eyes widened slightly.
"You're Obi-Wan Kenobi," Korkie said with genuine surprise.
The Jedi studied the teenager curiously.
"Do I know you?"
Korkie shook his head. "No, but I know of you. Aunt Satine owes you her life. Thank you for saving her so many times."
Satine's cheeks colored slightly, though she maintained composure and patted the young man's back.
"I took Korkie in after the Civil War, following his parents'..." She struggled past the painful memory flooding her mind before composing herself. "He's essentially my son."
"Aww," Peter said with a distant look in his eyes and slight smile on his face.
"Come," Satine motioned for the large group to follow. "We've prepared dinner for your arrival."
The group saw no reason refusing and followed Satine, while the clone officers chose separating to learn about the occupation's status over recent months.
They all gathered in the palace's main hall, eating exotic-looking food that seemed somewhat familiar to the Avengers by now.
"Hey," Peter said, "I didn't realize pizza made it to Mandalore."
"Oh?" Korkie, seated beside Peter, perked up. "You eat that too?"
"Eat it?" Peter hummed enthusiastically. "Korkie, my planet's where this slice of heaven was invented."
"Really?!" the young Mandalorian asked in amazement.
"Nice seeing some hometown food making its way here," Sam said, holding up something resembling chicken alfredo pasta.
"Excuse me," Almec spoke up. "Are you telling me this entire selection of new dishes appearing on Coruscant originated with the Avengers?"
"Well, not exactly," Peter said.
"More like we took what we knew from our home world and introduced it to the galaxy," Hope explained. "Music, food, some customs, games, and so forth."
"Oh!" Korkie brightened and pulled out a datapad. "Music like this?"
He activated a loaded song. A familiar guitar riff from an Earth band began playing.
"AC/DC," Matt nodded approvingly. "Excellent choice."
Korkie then launched into a nearly endless stream of questions about everything the Avengers had introduced from Earth, which the heroes answered with their knowledge.
Overall, despite the circumstances at hand, dinner proved a pleasant and peaceful affair.