Private Sugar And Spice, All For The Right Price

[Pyrrah Tae]

Teth | Undisclosed Building

Cessair Ideon
​

The Underworld has been in an imbalance for quite some time.

No central position of power had been held by any faction for quite some time now. Pyrrah bounced around wherever ventures had been profitable, but nothing was making a large enough impact. Well, at least that he was interested in. Those Imperialist fools were only going to cause themselves more trouble if they keep poking the bear that is the Alliance. Political views were one thing, but when you started hitting highly restricted deconstruction zones, then you could just say goodbye to your life. Sure, criminals were ambitious, but we were also smart. Businesses that were no longer profitable got left in the dust. Certain few stuck ahead of the pack.

And for that exact reason, the pirate captain found himself on the planet Teth.

Spice was now the new currency in this galaxy. Whether medicinal or recreational, everyone seemed to need it. This is why people would go to extremes to obtain it. Extremes meant profit. This piqued Pyrrah's interest greatly. His control of the Black Market allowed him to ship spice to each corner of the galaxy. The only problem was that he lacked the product. Sith expansion in the Outer Rim meant that The Exchange lost its most valuable facility for generating this good. Market demand was high, and the man was starting to get desperate. When word got out that a new Hutt on the block was getting involved with spice trade, he knew that he had to be the first to strike up a partnership. One that would be valuable to the both of them.

Reaching the unmarked facility, Pyrrah and his two enforcers entered. They were greeted by a small group of guards who, once confirming that they were who we said we were, led us towards the office of this Hutt. Opening the door for the pirate, the guards allowed him to enter.

"Mr. Grangga the Hutt, truly an honor to make your acquittance."

 

[Cessair Ideon]

T A G S | Pyrrah Tae
O B J E C T I V E | Spice Trading with Tae
T H E M E | Kayfoundo Naweea (Hungry Eyes)​

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​

The Facility Office was quiet save for the tapping on a holodisk as the doors would open up to reveal the Hutt Ruling Councilor, Grangga Jiramma Juuru who was hard at work receiving the communication from his network of spies across the former dominion of Hutt Space. The Alliance-Enclave War was showing no signs of stopping now that Senator Organa was deep within the clutches of the Mandalorian Enclave, having been taken in exchange for Senator Fortan..,.the former imperialist leader of the First Order and a monster within her own right. It was a god send for the Criminal Underworld as the flow of illegal goods could be exported to both sides while they were distracted during the conflict.

Glancing from behind the screen towards the visitor, who was none other than the Infamous Pyrrah Tae of the Exchange and profiteer of the Black Market which sold goods and services across the galaxy. He was no doubt here to acquire as to the nature of the Spice Trade which the Jiramma Clan was starting to muggle in on despite it being the traditional territory of the Pyke Syndicate and the Spice Cartel on Coruscant. Hooking chubby bejeweled fingers around a hookah pipe cigar, as its toxic smoke filled the atmosphere and choked the air.

<<The Scourge of Hyperspace..Pyrrah Tae. I would say that I am glad to see you but given the current state of the Criminal Underworld, enemies are many and friend's are few.>> The Hutt Lorda said in Huttese; moving from behind the desk area towards an open window to glance down at the surface below the Monastery Facility, puffing out rings of smoke.

<<You are no doubt here to muggle in on the Spice Trade while the Underworld is in disarray, and I couldn't blame you given its profitability in the Black Market.>> He further added after some time, wanting to gouge the interest of the man before him on the matter of the Spice Trade.

 

[Pyrrah Tae]

Teth | Undisclosed Building

Cessair Ideon
​

A pleasant smile decorated the man’s face. Not one that was insincere or fake, but one that was true calmness.

The man was not here to forcefully take the spice operation over. If he wanted to do that, an Underworld War would have started ages ago. While yes, the pirate was quite greedy when it came to these types of goods, he knew when it was time to strike deals in order to become profitable. That was their business after all.

While Pyrrah had a full understanding of Huttese, his spoken skills were still being improved. So he elected to speak in Basic for ease of dealing.

“Ah yes, and that is why I come as the latter.”

It was true. The Underworld was in an interesting and dire situation right now. Power grabs were imminent. You don’t move swiftly enough, and everything you worked so hardly for is now turned to shambles.

“To put it simply Mr. Grangga the Hutt, we are at an interesting point in time right now when it comes to our operations. Power vacuums are apparent. There is a unique opportunity for both you and I to profit on. The Exchange needs spice to sell, and you need a way to distribute it all across the galaxy.”

Pyrrah neglected to tell the Hutt that his own spice farms were in various stages of trouble, whether it be from the tyrannical Sith, the stuck up Trade League, or the over controlling Galactic Alliance. He needed spice to sell if he still wanted to see profit from the Black Market.

 

[Cessair Ideon]

T A G S | Pyrrah Tae
O B J E C T I V E | Spice Trading with Tae
T H E M E | Kayfoundo Naweea (Hungry Eyes)​

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​

The answer came as quickly as expected for someone of Pyrrah's nature, wanting to portray himself as a rare friend within the Criminal Underworld instead of one of the many enemies that often hid within plain sight, in hopes of striking dead their rival without suspicions. He would play the game for now as there was sufficient evidence that the man was speaking the truth albeit truth in the sense that the words uttered from his lips could be a positive assessment of the situation. The Underworld was a place of treachery around every corner now that the main syndicates had been brought low either by infighting or outside interference from the Galactic Alliance and the premature demise of the Hutt Space Consortium.

<<I seee...>> a short reply in Huttese as the Hutt Ruling Councilor received a typical sales pitch from Pyrrah, one known to every smuggler this side of the kessel run whenever they encountered trouble or wanted to appear harmless. It started out by telling the person you are speaking with, that they both could profit but never revealing all the information incase you decided to double cross them later down the line. That way you made a profit but they ended up on the short end of the stick; either stuck in prison or executed.

<<You are right on one point...dear friend. The Exchange does need spice to sell but you are overreaching in saying that I would need your organization to distribute it from. My outside contacts include the Mighty Trade Federation of Planets which can easily place my shipments to the desired locations...so what exactly can the Exchange offer that the Federation wouldn't?>> A rebuttal to the sales pitch given by the Scourge of Hyperspace, in meetings such a these it was always a good idea to mention that you had other contacts that could easily do what the man said he could. Outsmarting a hutt was a dangerous undertaking.

Bringing the hookah pipe towards his head, as the smoke puff blew out the window of the sanctuary.

 

[Pyrrah Tae]

Teth | Undisclosed Building

Cessair Ideon
​

The pirate lord held his tongue with much patience.

From what his many sources had told him, the Trade Federation was too public when it came to this line of work. Once funded profusely by the New Imperial Order, the group has lost a large amount of its power, thus forcing the company to go partially public. This meant tax forms and balance sheets were accessible to various governing bodies. It would not be long before their backdoor operations were discovered. But this all rode on if Pyrrah's data was correct. Still keeping his cards fairly close to his chest, the man continued on and replied.

"Why the Exchange has one thing that the Trade Federation does not: secrecy. While yes, my organization does appear on quite a few watchlist, we are still a private operation. We do not deal with civil and political matters like them. This means all of the spice will travel without a single trace back to you."

Taking another step towards the Hutt, Pyrrah continued on with his dealing.

"The last thing you would want is for powers like the Alliance to find out who is pumping spice into their systems. Now this is not meant to be a threat, but merely a warning. Would you not want to distribute with a group that has no such connection to public matters? Both you and I are protected from these so-called "peacekeepers," allowing our businesses to continue to thrive."

Again, the words he was saying were true. The Galactic Alliance grew in power each day. New systems were being adopted into their government. It would not be long before they set their sights on Hutt Space. Both men needed security in a time like this, and secrecy provided that.

 

[Cessair Ideon]

T A G S | Pyrrah Tae
O B J E C T I V E | Spice Trading with Tae
T H E M E | Kayfoundo Naweea (Hungry Eyes)​

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​

The conversation went back and forth at a steady pace almost like chess, each side preparing their defenses and offensive words to be used in an attempt to gain the most favor out of the arrangement presented to them. The Exchange was certainly an ancient organization which had rivaled the Hutt Cartel in the Old Republic Era before being crushed by them most swiftly then regaining prominence stretching until 900 ABY, the current iteration of the era. The rebuttal from the Hutt Lorda was rebuked most expertly by Pyrrah, who explained that the Trade Federation of Planets was far too public for the spice trade to carry on at its present rate, and that the Exchange had secrecy which was true to some extent. Secrecy was important within the Criminal Underworld so it was a decent proposal after all.

<<You are a master at negotiations it seems, expertly moving the conversation towards a desired path. Well done, Pyrrah Tae.>> A small compliment but it was a rare for hutts to give one after all, he had the knowledge to say that the Galactic Alliance would no doubt swallow up Hutt Space given enough time and that they could both thrive without the interference of the peacekeepers that the New Jedi Order presented themselves.

<<Since I am convinced enough to my liking, lets say we do sign a contract agreeing to certain materials being transferred. I want to know how you will get it from Point A to Point B without suspicions.>> The Hutt Lorda said; taking another puff of smoke and blowing it out of the window. Any smuggling operation needed a plan, contingencies in case they were boarded by the Alliance or other planetary governments. Moving spice was a class A offensive, more than enough to land you in prison or worse.

 

[Pyrrah Tae]

Teth | Undisclosed Building

Cessair Ideon
​

Offering a polite smile and nod of his head, the pirate thanked the fellow crime lord for his compliment.

His many years spent traveling in this galaxy had allowed him to become quite the skillful negotiator. Whether it be for small trades, such as a crate of blaster rifles, or larger ones, like when he came into possession of a Starhawk. But that was a tale for another time. For now, it was time to work out the details of this arrangement. The Hutt brought up a good point about avoid suspicion.

"That, my friend, is the genius part of this plan. For this to work, we would need to sneak it right underneath their noses. Let's say, for example, that you wanted your spice shipped directly to Coruscant itself. Seems like quite a task, hm? That is why we do not paint a giant target on ourselves. We simply hide with the mediocrity."

Now beginning to pace back and forth in this meeting room, the pirate laid out his plan. There had been variations of this idea in the past that he had, but now he could truly see it working perfectly.

"Each week, hundreds of bulk freighters ship goods on and off the planet. The shipping division does not care what each of these carries. Inspections are few and far between. My sources say that with the Empire and Maw practically gone, there is no longer a new to mass-inspect cargo shipments. I happen to be in possession of a fair amount of these freighters. We simply load up some of these ships and transport the goods."

Allow for this information to sit in the air for a few seconds, Pyrrah then continued on with his plan.

"And you may be asking 'what about the Outer Rim systems?' Well do not fret, because I have that solved as well. The Galactic Alliance has been sending a plethora of aid ships out to all corners of the galaxy. Mainly to help worn-torn worlds. This is where my Venators come in. No one would be able to tell the difference between the aid ships and my vessels. These would be able to ship out as many containers as you want. And instead of them landing planetside, we would simply load up smaller transports that would fly from a planet's outer atmosphere to the surface."

Turning back to face the Hutt, the man waited to see how he would respond. It was a pretty good plan if he did say so himself. Other parts were constructed as well in the event of emergencies, but he figured he would get into that when the time came. For now, Pyrrah waited.

 

[Cessair Ideon]

T A G S | Pyrrah Tae
O B J E C T I V E | Spice Trading with Tae
T H E M E | Kayfoundo Naweea (Hungry Eyes)​

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​

It did not take long for the inquiry to be answered by the Scourge of Hyperspace who descended into a rather detailed and lengthy plan for transporting the spice to the desired locations all across the galaxy, while also periodically moving around the room from time to time as if not to forget a single detail or leave anything left to misinterpretation by the Kajidii of the Jiramma Clan. The plan was fairly flawless for the most part since the Galactic Alliance was not doing routine inspections of cargo containers and bulk freighters as often given the collapse of the Brotherhood of the Maw and the New Imperial Order, allowing spice to be massed in with the other ships coming and going through the galactic capital without drawing the eye of the local shipping authorities.

But that plan was only for transporting spice through the Galactic Capital, with another contingency being the transportation of spice throughout the Outer Rim Territories which was generally considered the rightful domain of the criminal syndicates such as the Pyke Syndicate, Hutt Cartel and even the crimson dawn when they were a force to be reckoned with. Using venator-class transports under the guise of aide ships was an excellent idea, as that would allow them to blend in with the mass medical ships moving to different war torn worlds. Once the venator arrived in orbit the transports would be free to send spice and other illegal substances down with no one the wiser.

<<A quite lengthy and detailed plan you have concocted there, Pyrrah Tae and to which I believe would work smoothly without incident. However we must be cautious when choosing who we send on these spice delivering missions, the criminal underworld is filled with turncoats and loose tongued individuals. A small bribe from an official could easily expose our entire operation.>> The Hutt Lorda explained, agreeing with the plan for the most part but having some reservations. They needed to be sure that those picked for the assignments were trustworthy and would not accept bribes from government officials.

<<In order to solve this problem before it becomes an issue, we need to tell the transport crews about only their shipment. So if captured or bribed they have no information about the other shipments across the galaxy." A simple countermeasure would be more than enough to handle this supposed problem before it even occurred.

 

[Pyrrah Tae]

Teth | Undisclosed Building

Cessair Ideon
​

Pyrrah listened in with interest to what the Hutt had to say.

While he would never publicly admit it, the pirate was not always flawless when it came to his plans. Variables were ever-changing, and this is why it was such a difficult, yet fascinating job he had. It provided challenge, which eventually led to profit. Grangga brought up a good point about who should be knowledgeable within the operation. Credits could buy anyone's loyalty.

"Mr. Grangga the Hutt, I do believe that is a needed caution. We cannot let the loss of one ship jeopardize the rest of the fleet. We could base the operations at different locations across the galaxy as well to further prevent information being leaked that destroys the whole trade."

Stroking his chin, the pirate turned to look at the fellow crime boss.

"Which leads me into my next question. For this to be successful, we should operate out of multiple facilities that spread across the galaxy. Not to spread our resources thin, but to protect them as a whole. I have a few places in mind that I could start sending shipments from within the Outer Rim. Are there any places in particular in this region of space that would best benefit us?"

 

[Cessair Ideon]

T A G S | Pyrrah Tae
O B J E C T I V E | Spice Trading with Tae
T H E M E | Kayfoundo Naweea (Hungry Eyes)​

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​

The hookah cigar had been burnt clean as the bud was thrown out of the window down onto the surface below as the Hutt Lorda engaged in thought about the Spice Trade for a moment, this business could be both profitable and not-profitable depending on if they planned the entire operation thoroughly, making sure that every contingency was covered and loyalty secured. Though it would seem that the cautionary advice given by the Kajidii was accepted by Pyrrah who found no fault in it and even recommended that they spread out the operation across a dozen different worlds to prevent information from leaking that would cause a serious downturn in the Spice Trade.

<<There are many potential worlds, such as Kessel, Oba Diah, Nar Kreeta, Sriluur. Each of these locations are far away from each other that there would be no way that information could leak out to any of our competitors. Though we would have to contend with the Pyke Syndicate and the Spice Cartel on Kessel and Oba Diah respectfully. They value credits just the same as us, so a little bribe to their leaders and a small cut should be sufficient to insure their cooperation.>> The Supreme Despot of Kaddak explained in a few gestures, each of these worlds would be suitable for the expansion of the Spice Trade and far enough away from the prying eyes of Law Enforcement and the Galactic Alliance. If the Hutt Cartel could gain by this expansion then it was well worth the risks.

 

[Pyrrah Tae]

Teth | Undisclosed Building

Cessair Ideon
​

Each of the worlds mentioned by the Hutt were deemed satisfactory.

"The worlds that my operations could set up on include Manas, Crait, Ryloth, and Zaddjsa, just to name a few. Each offer their own unique aspects that will benefit us both."

A small, almost unnoticeable shiver of disgust was given at the mention of the Pykes. It had been many years since he had last conducted business with them. A spice trade opportunity had presented itself, before the Hutt Space Consortium. The dealings had only made it to the talking stages before some trouble arose with the Imperials, then with the Enclave as well. He would not be a good crime lord if he did not recognize when to leave a bad situation. Pyrrah packed up his things and moved his operations elsewhere. No conversations have been had with them since.

"Bribing the Pykes would be...acceptable. We must be weary of their true allegiance though. That is all I warn."

Business was business, no matter what was being dealt. But it was still in his nature to be somewhat cautious. One must be ambitious, but not overconfident.

 

[Cessair Ideon]

T A G S | Pyrrah Tae
O B J E C T I V E | Spice Trading with Tae
T H E M E | Kayfoundo Naweea (Hungry Eyes)​

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​

The worlds offered by the Scourge of Hyperspace was equally acceptable to the Kajidii of the Jiramma Clan.

Working with the Pyke Syndicate was dangerous in and off itself as they had more than enough manpower and resources to pose a problem if they believed the pair was trying to muggle into their monopolized market. And it seems those views were shared by Pyrrah who showed visible disgust at the mere mention of their name, though the suggestion of bribing them was considered acceptable enough not to voice serious complaints with the decision.

<<A fair warning given the circumstances, as the underworld has no allegiances....merely partnerships and joint ventures.>> He would take that advice into account for the most part as loyalty within the Criminal Underworld was to whomever had the biggest pocket. The Spice Operations would proceed smoothly enough if all went according to plan but given the unpredictability of the Enclave-Alliance War it could very well mean that the operation would be considered an astute failure. Better to have his contacts within the Sith-Imperial Shadow Syndicate deliver new spice shipments behind the arriving ones just to be safe and avoid being double crossed.

<<It seems our business has concluded, Lord Pyrrah. Make sure you don't disturb the guardsman..for they have an itchy trigger finger.>> Business meetings such as this didn't need to last long in order to achieve the desired results.