A Common Contract

[Kay-Larr]

The leader of Commenor's armed forces, General Omar Santiago, was known for hus impatience when it came to certain things. One of them was the shipyards. Although they were now operational, the time that it took to build larger vessels was far too long than he was comfortable with. News about Voss and other most recent attacks on planets had him feeling a bit vulnerable. And he hated that. So reached out to his Queen and gave her his orders.

Kay saw the message as it came through via holovid. It was just as uncomfortable too see him this way, than it was to be around him in person. But at least she wasn't having to face his penetrating gaze. Thank goodness he wasn't a Force user.

She went through a list of contacts and came across [member="John Ash"] 's name. Given the alphabet of Basic, it was at the top of the list. So she quickly typed up a message on her datapad and sent it through.

~Mr. Ash,

This is Lady Kay, Queen of Commenor. I am interested in having a meeting with you in regards to buying some of the ships that you have up for sale.

You are welcome to come to my Palace in Chasin City.

Thank you and I hope to hear back from you soon.

Regards,
Lady Kay.~

 

[John Ash]

There was some major power shifts going on across the galaxy at large recently. The Mandalorians had restarted reforming themselves following the now well known events that left their home world devastated. New Sith factions had arisen and become more openly active. And there was even this new group running around conquering systems that seemed to have space wizards as core to their identity but didn't care about if they were like the Jedi or the Sith. Those were the most well known shifts as of late, but there were even more happening on a smaller or less known scale. One of those happened the be John taking over the Pii system. It was as he was building it up that he got a request from another one of these lesser known players, Commenor.

John had received their request about ships and was reading it over. It had been sent directly to him by the Queen of Commenor, [member="Lady Kay"] , herself. This got a slightly raised eyebrow from him. A request like this could be profitable for his company, and therefor his system, but it still was a bit unexpected that a new player to the bigger galactic game knew enough of his company to want to buy their products. He knew this was the kind of event he shouldn't pass up, so he immediately began to get things shifted around in his schedule so that he could meet with this new client on Commenor.

After finally finalizing things, John sent a message back to the Queen personally. In the message he stated"

< I will arrive on Commenor in three cycles to meet with you. The time we can meet is whenever works best for your schedule. -John Ash>

He knew it wasn't the most formal or polite message in the galaxy, but it was direct and to the point. He nodded at it and sent it out. Now he just needed to finish up the last of his business so he could be on Commenor early enough to meet up with her at any time she suggested.

 

[Kay-Larr]

The response arrived quicker than she had anticipated. That was either a good thing, or a bad. But was there ever really a middle? How long was one expected to wait before they responded to a message? Either way, [member="John Ash"] got back to her and that was good enough.

~John Ash,

Midmorning would suffice. The co-ordinates are attached. Clearance will be granted upon your arrival.

Thank you.

Lady Kay~

She dispatched her message. That should satisfy General Santiago for a while. Kay half wondered if the General would have just gone ahead and bought ships on his own. More than likely not. Even he was restricted to the order of rank that he held others to account for. He was a man to lead by example. That was one of the things that she respected about him.

 

[John Ash]

The confirmation for John that [member="Lady Kay"] had received his message came in with the time for the meeting. Midmorning was early and meant he wouldn't be spending most of his time waiting around. This was all good news for him. He hated having to wait around when there was other things to do and get done. He had all the information now on where he needed to be and at what time. All he needed to do now was get everything else done so he could head out for the meeting without having any loose ends left dangling on Pii 3. The amount of work it took to build up a system from nearly nothing was nearly overwhelming even with help.

John had gotten what he needed done by the time the third cycle was spinning 'round. He decided to head out towards Commenor as soon as he had and so was the planet by the time morning was starting on the third cycle. Upon arrival he was met with some ships demanding clearance and identification and all of the usual security measures. He began to take note of what they had as he offered them what they needed. Nothing over a frigate was present except for a single cruiser that must have been acting as their flagship. They had plenty of corvettes and smaller ships, but there was only 6 frigates to speak of. The smaller ships were interceptors as well and not full on fighters. Not the worst balance in the galaxy as far as a fleet went for a single system.

Clearance to land was eventually granted and so John began to head down towards the planet. Along the way, he noticed some issues with their fleet he hadn't noticed before. They had more corvettes than interceptors and not a single ship was able to act as a carrier. The earlier okay balance was completely gone for him now. This fleet could use some work, and that put John into a good position owning a company that could do just that. He eventually got landed in the port for the palace. As he got out of his ship he realized he had no actual meeting point to go to outside of the palace and midmorning was approaching. He needed to find someone who could take him where he was going, so that is what he went about doing.

 

[Kay-Larr]

An older woman, looking to be in her early sixties, soon approached [member="John Ash"], having met him outside. Her footsteps were quick, as though she was running late. "Mr. Ash! I'm Olivia, Lady Kay's assistant. If you will follow me, please, I will take you to her." She didn't apologize for her slight tardiness. Sometimes things were better left unsaid and it didn't appear as though he was waiting long.

Olivia led him across the grounds and into the Palace. Once at the entrance, security personnel checked his ID and asked that all weapons remain with them. It was standard procedure of course.

Once that was finished, John was brought inside, moving to the east wing to Kay's office. Palace guards and security stood sentry and made their rounds. That was normal these days. Olivia knocked on the door to Kay's office twice before opening it and stepping inside. "Mr. Ash is here for you, M'Lady."

Kay nodded, getting up from her desk as Olivia gestured for John to go inside. Her eyes bore contacts that hid the remnants of corruption in them. And as always, her Force signature was shrunken down to the size of a small tree nut. "Thank you for coming. I hope that we aren't too out of the way for you. I can only imagine that you'd be quite busy." Wars had a way of doing that for certain industries. Peace throughout the Galaxy would never be achieved without certain industries dying out as a byproduct. "Can I offer you some tea? Something to eat?"

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere didn't have any specific reason for being there this time other than to stop in and check up on [member="Lady Kay"]. Most times he waited for her to call him to the Palace before entering, as it wasn't exactly his cup of tea so to speak yet now with everything moving forward and his transition from a citizen of Commenor to the soon to be wedding between them and his eventual coronation as King of Commenor, he really felt he ought to get used to the place. Politics bored him, you couldn't trust anyone among that bunch as far as he were concerned and forever skeptical of the men around Kay Larr, those most especially in politics were often met with a scrutinizing first impression.

By this point everyone within the Palace knew his name. There once was a time where the guards all reached for their fire-arms on the sight of him due to the former Dark-Sided influence she had returned with, yet over time he had earned their trust due to his consistently proven loyalty to Kay and to the people that beyond this, they had come to respect and some even admired him, it was a corner that back then, he had doubted he could turn.

Moving down the corridor leading towards Kay's office, Veiere almost bumped into Olivia. She of whom was a newer addition to Kay's staff from what he guessed, looked a little surprised to see him though smiled and asked if there were anyway that she could help him. Veiere soon asked her to inform Kay of his arrival and would wait outside until otherwise told she was free to see him. The last thing he wanted was intruding on a meeting politics and then being forced to sit down, hold Kay's hand and smile through his teeth at these democrats he had no desire to speak with...

[member="John Ash"]

 

[John Ash]

John hadn't gotten far before he was greeted by a woman who identified herself as Olivia. He just raised a brow at her slightly before she told him what was going on. With that whole matter of who she was and why he should care out of the way, he followed along behind her towards the meeting room for this contract. He was dressed up in a suit for once and had left his pistols in his ship. The only thing he had was a dart shooter with three darts as a hidden attachment to his wrist unit. He doubted he would need it, but it always helped to be prepared. He had learned that after a long life as a mercenary and bounty hunter on Nar Shaddaa. He had to admit though that Nar Shaddaa was never a good example for what the rest of the galaxy was like. Still, he was just glad this wasn't Coruscant or Naboo.

They eventually came to [member="Lady Kay"] office and he was introduced by Olivia to the Queen. He offered Kay a nod as he came in. The first thing he did was he immediately began to study it over as quickly yet thoroughly as possible. He always liked knowing his options for if things went south on him. Things had a bad habit of trying to do that to him too. Everything looked rather normal for an office, but he figured there was a hidden passage way tucked away somewhere. He wouldn't need it though so he dismissed the idea of trying to find it from his head then focused his attention back onto Kay fully again. He came to just outside of arm's length from her and stopped. Another old habit that refused to die out it seemed.

" As she said, I'm John Ash. What can Ashhearth Industries do for you today Lady Kay, Queen of Commenor?" John said with another nod. He was trying to be polite here and even used her title. Those in high positions sure did love their titles he had noticed. He could use the contract so it was in his best interest not to completely ruin the moment like he normally would have. He just didn't have the patience for long chats and skipping around the point of the conversation.

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Her questions regarding refreshments were ignored. That in itself let her know that [member="John Ash"] was quite busy. He skipped straight to the point as well, which was something that she didn't mind at all. Although she did find it funny that he used her full title. Was there a mockery in his voice? Disdain perhaps? Whatever it was, she just ignored it. This wasn't a political meeting at all, but one of business. So there was no backstabbing to worry about. Only bad deals.

"Just Lady Kay is fine, Mr. Ash. Now as I said in my message, I was interested in some of the ships that you have up for sale. Commenor is expanding it's protection to the other neutral worlds in our system and we can't very well aid them in case of attack if we don't have the ships to spare."

Two knocks on her door were heard, a mere moment before Olivia opened it. "Sorry for the interruption, but Veiere is here. Did you want him to wait?"

"No, no, he can come in. He's got an interest in this too." Having formerly run a Star Destroyer, [member="Veiere Arenais"] had much more knowledge than she did in this regard.

"Yes, M'Lady." The door was shut, however her muffled voice could be heard on the other side of it as she let Veiere know that his presence was requested.

Kay gave John an apologetic smile while they waited.

 

[WolfMortum]

Alas, he had indeed interrupted something though too had been informed that his presence was required, as he closed the door behind him, his head tilted some as he glanced between [member="Lady Kay"] and [member="John Ash"], wondering what this meeting held in store for him. This newcomer didn't at all look like one of the many other diplomats or officials of which held such high opinions of themselves and such blunt critiques of others before them, that alone was enough to encourage Veiere to introduce himself.

"Greetings..." He entered the room, dipping his head first to Kay in formal demeanor before stepping closer to John and extending a hand in proper welcome "Veiere Arenais". Upon shaking hands, he'd return to find himself a comfortable seat within the room, not waiting to be given approval, he took it and crossed one leg atop the other looking between the pair, "What might I have just walked in on then, Olivia said you were hoping I'd join you both?" He looked to Kay as he spoke, searching for a larger hint in order to catch up with whatever had already been said thus far.

 

[John Ash]

From what this [member="Lady Kay"] was telling John, she was after war ships rather than the labor ships his company currently made. There was ways to use his salvage frigate for combat, but it was not exactly a strategy anyone wanted to bank on. Only fools and madmen would rush the enemy to get into range for towing cables and then jerk them around in the middle of a space battle. He had been thinking about expanding into the area of combat ships and maybe even vehicles however, so this would present a good reason to do so. Those types of ships were expensive to make but even more expensive to buy after all. He didn't have much time to think about it though before a newcomer was allowed in.

John turned his attention to [member="Veiere Arenais"] after the man had entered. He seemed to be less of the diplomatic type, which was good, but he also was a tad too friendly for John's taste. He raised a brow slightly as the man introduced himself and offered him a hand. He just looked for a moment before slowly offering his own hand and shaking it. The need to be polite was still present sadly. He gave the man and woman some time to sort things out on their end while he went back to thinking over what he could do for fulfilling a contract for a combat ship. Whatever he did do it would likely need to be custom as it was not for a random company or organization but for a full fledged government spanning multiple worlds.

After enough time had past, John cleared his throat a bit. He said, " You are needing ships for combat. My company does not have any we are offering yet but we are branching into that area soon. What we can do is make you a custom series for your private use. All I would need to know is what type you are needing and what sort of roles they would fulfill in your fleet." He left it off there as he waited for them to think it over. Would they even know what types of ships they needed? He doubted the Queen would, but he didn't know much about the man. This Veiere carried himself in a way that suggested he knew how to defend himself well, but that didn't mean he knew anything about space warfare. Only their responses could tell him now.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled and bowed her head as [member="Veiere Arenais"] walked in and introduced himself to her guest. She always felt better when he was around. He had knowledge in areas where she didn't, and vice versa. His point of view was well respected as well.

She looked to [member="John Ash"] as the man went straight to the point. "Well we could use some supply ships for transporting goods and crews to our orbital defensive systems. And given our expansion, other worlds under our care would need them as well. And as for a personal vessel, I think that a young man I know could use one. He's a bit reckless and spirited as most young men are. It would need to have a strong hull in case he gets too close to the canyon walls. And fast. Just in case he's hunted." Brad could use his own ship. Kay wanted to keep it as a surprise for him, however.

 

[WolfMortum]

"Honestly, anything ranging from Heavy Assault Frigates to full on Flagships..." Veiere raised his left leg atop his right, his hands falling to his lap and lacing together, he sat there looking to [member="John Ash"] knowing quite well the extent of Commenor's Naval Forces by that stage. "We currently have two ships both three Kay in length, a Battle-Cruiser and a super-Carrier of which I commissioned Gyndine Shipyards to make for us, we do not have anything larger as of yet and compared to some, their armaments are sub-par given we are not an overly aggressive nation, only wishing to have these vessels for the protection of our worlds in this Sector" he was growing used to explaining the nature of their government in contrast to the commissioning of such a fleet, the two often contradicting the other in the minds of those outside of their industry.

"We have a couple frigates though they are of foreign make, well used and out-dated since the Republic's collapse. We have one Assault Cruiser though that too is wearing thin compared to many of the newer vessels being developed and while we're slowly picking things up, yes we could do with a company rather more active and how do I say it..." He paused a moment to consider his words, "Enthusiastic in supporting Commenor and her peoples defensive capabilities".

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[John Ash]

The meeting was progressing and it was going in a direction that John didn't expect yet again. This [member="Lady Kay"] was asking for some general use ships to act as supply vessels for their outposts and inquiring about the creation of a custom ship for a young man. He figured they were a relative of her's or someone she was responsible for, although it didn't matter so much on the details as far as his end of that deal would go. The man who called himself [member="Veiere Arenais"] was asking for some combat oriented ships to supplement their fleet. He mentioned they had some shipyards of their own but it seemed they were still running into problems. The man tried to make it sound like the issue was production but John got the feeling the biggest issue was in the designs. If he considered both sides of the contract then things might just get complicated but also highly profitable. It was a good sign for Ashhearth Industries.

John was considering what he was being told for a bit as he thought over how best to provide what they wanted that he could afford to make. As this happened he got a message on his holopad. He read it over for a moment then smiled slightly before it vanished as he turned his attention back to the potential clients. He said to them as he pulled up some files on the holopad, " Currently Ashhearth Industries can handle up to frigate sized ships being created. We have the land already for our next expansion of factory that will be able to handle larger ship sizes, but are currently waiting on the appropriate funds to afford it. I believe two types of frigates would serve you best in your current situation: an escort frigate and an assault frigate. The escort will be designed to handle smaller crafts such as fighters and gunships. The assault will be able to handle other medium sized crafts such as frigates and cruisers. Will that work for a contracted ship that only your company can use?"

Before they had much time to answer his question, John finished what he was doing with the holopad and set it down on the table in front of him. He slide it over towards the Queen so that she could take a look at what he had pulled up. He said as he let her do what she would with it, " For ships Ashhearth Industries has already available, there is two frigates that could work for your supply needs. We offer the Hauler class frigate and the Scrapper class frigate. The hauler is a dedicated cargo vessel and the scrapper is a dedicated salvage vessel. If it can fit inside of the cargo hold there is nothing the hauler can't handle, even volatile and sensitive materials that require specialized storage. The scrapper has some cargo space but its real advantage is that it is able to tow downed ships with its cables. Both I imagine would be very useful to your needs." He paused there. He was trying to sell his ships, but they were good enough to sell themselves in his opinion. The real sell was about to come up. After a moment he went on, " I was also just informed by my design team that they just completed the final tests on our newest product: the Lark class fighter. It is fairly standard for the most part but it has a retractable gunner turret on the dorsal side. That is something no other fighter of its size will offer you. If you are interested then I am willing to dedicate our first round of production of the craft to you if you would like to include it with our contract."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked to [member="Veiere Arenais"] as he relayed what their fleet already had. He knew more than she did on that front as he was overseeing some of the projects himself. And now that they were expanding, they had to be able to fully support the additional worlds under their banner.

Her attention was returned to [member="John Ash"] as he flipped through his datapad. He seemed to like something that he had read, for he smiled to himself. He then laid out the two different types of frigates that would be made available to them. Kay took the datapad in hand as it was offered and looked over the schematics. Most of it might as well of been in another language besides basic. She understood some of yet, yet could hardly tell what would be deemed good and what would be deemed bad.

Kay handed the datapad to Veiere so that he could look it over. "The frigates look like they'd fit in well for our needs, as well as the new fighters. If Veiere agrees, I think that we should add them to the contract, Mr. Ash."

 

[WolfMortum]

Reaching for [member="John Ash"]'s Holopad soon after [member="Lady Kay"] had had her time to browse the Ship manifest detailing all the vessels that John's company was capable of providing Commenor, he soon began reading it over himself while listening to he and Kay talk back and fourth. Kay soon suggested that Veiere share in the approval or otherwise disapproval of the decision to which he smiled briefly though warily knowing that any such vessels could impact the lives of thousands in the days to come what with some being of military nature. It was however in the best interests of the world of trade that they had a fitting Navy able to protect their investments and allies as they sought to reach out to the rest of the Galaxy at large.

The Commenori had many friends in high places being a nuetral state as they'd designed, planning to be the centerpiece to what might stop the fighting and encourage rational relations between governments of varying differences and backgrounds, there was a need to be able to back up their word, their intent and provide such meetings of political import the protective overwatch that they might require. After all, who was going to look to them with any confidence if they couldn't stand their own ground.

Inputting his signature upon the hand-held device, Veiere signed his full name before placing the Datapad back to the table in-front of Kay and looking to her with a simple nod. He didn't have much to say on the matter; she would understand his choice for silence as a gesture of reluctant acceptance.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked to [member="Veiere Arenais"] as he signed the contract and then gave her a nod. She knew how he felt about war, as just like her, he worked to prevent it. But he had gone off to battle many times, so he saw how devastating it was for a world that couldn't protect himself. That's what these vessels were for. For protection.

She picked up the datapad and signed her name at the bottom of the contract, holding it out for [member="John Ash"] to take. "Here you are. When can we expect them to arrive?" Of course she didn't need them right away. But sooner was better than years down the road.

 

[John Ash]

There was not much for John to say as he waited for the couple to make their decision. It seemed that [member="Lady Kay"] was certainly interested in the frigates, which was no surprising considering they were solid ships if not so fancy, and seemed to be interested in the fighters. He did notice though that she left the decision on them though up to [member="Veiere Arenais"] . It was subtle how she did it, just like you would expect from an experienced politician. He never said a word but gave her a nod. Excellent. It seemed the deal was made because the two signed the contract on the holopad that he had prepared ahead of time. He had included a section for the fighters too in case they were ready in time, but he hadn't honestly expected them to be. He put his own name on the contract and then made sure the two had a copy for themselves. Scumbag companies would avoid doing that but John wasn't trying to be one of those companies.

As John stood up, Kay had asked him a question. He looked to her and said, " I will send the message to begin production immediately as soon as I am out of your office. It should take about a month to get enough to justify the first payment and then after that just delivery time. We will be able to produce more of them for the following shipments and have them to you faster as well after the first one. That first batch is always the slowest due to all of the extra steps that come with new products. If you would like them sooner we can rush them but I can't guarantee quality on all of them. Mistake happen when orders are rushed." He would wait for her answer and after nod to the both of them. He followed the nod up with, " Pleasure doing business with you. If you need more ships in the future then Ashhearth Industries would be happy to provide them." With the contract newly signed in his holopad, he left out of the office and straight to his ship. True to his word as well the moment he was out of the office and before the doors were fully closed he had sent a message to begin producing the ships.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay shook her head a bit as [member="John Ash"] explained the consequences of rushing. "There's no need to hurry on our account. We'd rather everything be done correctly. As you said, mistakes happen when things are rushed."

She bowed her head to him as he soon took his leave, turning her attention then to her husband-to-be with a small smile. Things were looking up for their little world.