An Accord

[Coratanni Cartel]

Ylesia
[member="Nadir"] | Kara Thawne

The Underworld was a wonderful little place, full of opportunities and profits.

Everyone was out for themselves, but most people were pragmatic, smart enough to see a good move when it was in front of them. That was why the Cabal had been formed, why their little organizations had all done so well for themselves. Nadir had expanded, Helix had ballooned, Bareesh's slug had crawled it's way up on high, everyone had benefited from the Cabal in some way.

Yet it was still a loose organization.

They did not rule one another, they did not attempt to control what anyone else did. They were a collective of defense, and nothing else. It had worked so far and given them room to grow, but in order to surpass what they had now more cooperation was required.

Kara had seen this, studying how Coratanni had chosen to expand and move. There was only so much that they could do on their own, and while their reach was already great Kara knew that eventually they would plateau. So she would move to form alliances, actual alliances, not just defensive treaties. The move was no throw against the Cabal, it was just...security in case something else happened.

So she had called Nadir, whom she considered the most stable of the other three Members of the Cabal. Gorba was too unpredictable and Helix was...enigmatic, Nadir was simply the most well proven option. That and their territories being on the opposite side of the galaxy helped them a great deal.

This was why she had invited Nadir's representative to her summer home here on Ylesia, a calm neutral environment near Hutt Space. They would talk, they would discuss, and hopefully they would reach an agreement.

 

[Nadir]

​

Erida stepped out of her sleek transport surrounded by those royal airs she’d so expertly cultivated through her years in employ of the Galaxy’s bloodiest credits. The three-digit pricetag on her perfume helped, of course.

Flanked on her left and right by her bodyguards, the pale woman moved like a ghost through the tropical paradise. She knew of the planet – or, more accurately, of its reputable climate – but she’d never set foot here before.

The invitation had been surprising, if not completely unexpected. This day would’ve come sooner or later. Whether it was [member="Coratanni Cartel"] or one of the others; if there were deals to be made, then by all that was unholy, they would make them.

The click of her heels stopped short of the entrance to the palace. Opulent, but tasteful. Her black eyes narrowed in faint approval as the security scanned them for weapons – present, obviously, if only on her detail.

Miss Teheron swept inside, manners and wit at the ready for what would surely be a productive session.

Such were the pragmatic ways of the Underworld.

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Nadir"]

Kara was lounging on one of the patios at the back of the Palace, relaxing until her guest arrived.

To her left was a table, set up with a large umbrella above it and chilled drinks already in place. To her there was no reason that this business had to be done in dank basements and underground bunkers. They were criminals, yes, but they weren't filthy street dealers. Occasions like this called for more than just the usual fare. At least that was what she thought of the whole thing. She was sure that some of her siblings would tell her differently.

Though they had a habit of being boring.

"Ma'am, your guest has arrived."​

The Twi'lek turned her head up, smiling slightly and readjusting her lekku. Business was going to go well today, she had a sense of it already. Though she hated to be away from her home on Ylen, she knew that this took priority. The Cartel had to prosper. "Excellent, show her here."

She wouldn't want Nadir's representative getting lost in the Palace.

 

[Nadir]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

Her thin lips became even thinner as Erida realized they were to take this meeting outside. Unlike some, the umbaran had readily chosen to spend her life in the dark confines of a space station. Her mouth curled in distaste as she reached into her terentatek leather purse and put on her Ry-Lan sunglasses.

And they say crime doesn’t pay.

As she stepped onto the patio, Teheron bid her guards to stay out of earshot with a dismissive hand. She joined the twi’lek with a few brisk strides and sat down into the other chair. Her black gaze slid from the setup to the woman.

Very good.

She offered a bejeweled hand the Coratanni representative. They didn’t have to abandon all cordiality just because they killed and enslaved thousands in the name of profit.

“Well met. Erida Teheron.”

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Nadir"]

Kara's handshake was dainty at best, her grip nearly non-existent. It was what one might have expected out of a Princess or another step of royalty. Still, there was no insult in how she greeted the other woman. There was a bright smile on her face and it was clear that Kara meant nothing but the best. "Kara Thawne."

She replied, seating herself and motioning to one of the nearby servants.

The man wore a collar around his neck, though oddly enough just above it Erida would be able to spot a Tattoo that branded the man as part of a Slaver gang that operated within the outer rim. The man came up to the table, pouring two cooled drinks for the two women before adjusting the umbrella at the center of the table so that the shade would cover more of the Umbaran than Kara herself. Being a Twi'lek meant she was used to the heat, Ryloth being almost as scorching as Tatooine.

"I'm glad you could come out to meet me." Kara continued with a smile.

"I believe Nadir and Coratanni's relationship should be..." She mused for a second. "Closer."

There was no use beating around the bush. They could spend an hour talking about the sun and how nice her palace was, but in the end they were both here to do business.

 

[Nadir]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

“We’re in the business of growth, are we not? It’s only proper that I at the very least hear out your proposition.” Erida twirled a brilliant candy cherry through her viscous drink. As Kara continued to talk, the umbaran slowly tilted her head.

Interesting.

Her face betrayed nothing as she spoke again. “Closer? Well, you’ve got our attention, Miss Thawne.” She urged her on with the wave of a hand. “Please – regale me.”

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Nadir"]

"I will be frank." She said as he fingers delicately laced around the glass that had been poured for her. "The Cabal has been a success, but it hasn't lead to surge of growth either of my parents would like."

Kara was fairly sure that the woman would know the Coratanni Cartel was controlled by Slevin and Natalia Thawne. It was no secret among the underworld that the Cartel was mainly run by the Thawne family in it's entirety. If Nadir didn't inform it's employees of that then it would be their own oversight.

"We have had some successful ventures. Kwenn, the broader galactic strike, but in reality The Cabal is little more than a defensive pact." It was a good thing to have, but none of the syndicates really supported one another, didn't help. Kara didn't expect that to change with this deal, not really, but there was more to be had.

She mused for a second, sipping her drink.

"I want more." The Twi'lek went on. "An alliance, cooperation."

Before Erida could ask, Kara began to explain herself. "The Hutt is too unpredictable, and I question Helix's motives in most things. That leaves Nadir and Coratanni."

 

[Nadir]

If Teheron had learned anything at all from her boss after all these years, it was the value of keeping quiet. It didn’t come naturally to her – she much preferred to cut in and cut down, and, indeed, often still did – but in important moments such as these, Erida could control her urge to sharpen her tongue.

So she nodded. And twirled the cherry. And nodded again.

Smiled. (Faint, practically nonexistent; but it was there.)

“Forgive me, Miss Thawne, but— our defensive pact, as you put it, exists for a reason. Cooperation is hardly a hallmark of our… type of organisation.” She gave another thoughtful twirl to her drink. “We do, however, exist on the opposite sides of the galaxy, do we not?”

The fact surely played a large role in the choice Coratanni had made.

Erida ran her finger along the edge of her glass. “How do you envision this alliance?”

The devil was in the details, after all.

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Nadir"]

Kara nodded. "We do."

That was really the biggest reason that Kara had picked Nadir out of the other three. Though their interests and operations aligned in some places, the truth of the matter was that the location of those interests differed so greatly that it didn't matter. The Galaxy was a big place, and there was no need to compete for territory with Nadir.

Not when there was easier money to be made elsewhere.

"A pact that supersedes that of The Cabal." That was dangerous to talk about if it ever got back to the other two, but Kara didn't really care. She doubted that they would ever turn against The Cabal itself, unless the other organizations did something stupid. "Greater sharing of technology and intelligence, various strains of drugs that our organizations produce."

She was aware that already occurred, but Kara wanted to push it to a new level. "Support in our mutual endeavors."

All of this required a great amount of trust, she realized that, but it could also lead to far more profit than either organization was currently receiving. She wasn't suggesting a merger or anything silly like that, simply an accord that would allow the two organizations to mutually benefit from their own specialties.

"We would create a point of contact between our organizations." She continued. "Run things simply and smoothly, ensure that both Nadir and Coratanni make the maximum profit in whatever operation we see fit to dive into."

 

[Nadir]

Those black eyes zeroed on the girl behind the glasses. Her finger stilled on the tumbler.

Not just interesting – bold. Audacious, someone else might say. But no gains were ever made without risking one’s hide. Certainly there was danger involved here. Not only in respect of their cabalistic arrangement; there was a good, history-honored reason why criminals failed to work together time and again.

The adage ‘For greater profit’ eventually superseded any pact made. What’s a broken word in the face of murder?

Erida pinched the candied cherry from her drink and brought it up for inspection. Alcohol dripped down the side and onto the table – alcohol she was sure cost some poor sod’s yearly salary per bottle.

“We’ll have to enforce the territorial separation, of course,” she spoke after a spell as he gaze slid back to the Thawne. The umbaran took the cherry with her teeth and savored the sweet taste that spilled across her tongue. As she set her drink back down, Erida subtly exercised her innate skill in reading and influencing minds.

“What does Coratanni hope to gain from this development?”

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Nadir"]

Kara gave the woman a funny look. "Profit."

What the hell else was there.

The Coratanni Cartel didn't exist because Natalia and Slevin had designs on taking over the galaxy. It didn't exist so the Thawne's could rule over everything. They had no interest in that sort of thing. If they did they would be out there conquering planets. No, all the Cartel wanted to do was make money, and this deal with Nadir was an excellent way of doing that. Two powerful criminal organizations working in tandem, supporting one another and assuring everything went smoothly?

It made for a very healthy profit margin.

"We're not interested in double crossing you if that's what concerns you." Kara would be blunt. "If that was our intent we'd hardly be talking, I'd have put a collar around your neck the moment you entered my Palace."

Simple as that. "I want profit, and I want to show my parents that I'm better than my siblings."

Which of course she would, if Nadir agreed to this proposal.

 

[Nadir]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

Erida pushed the glasses back up her bridge. She couldn’t wait to get out of this heat and back into her chilly yacht. Measuring the ambitious Thawne spawn before her, the representative slowly took another sip of the drink.

It made sense – siblings competing for attention, for praise. She barely remembered her own two brothers, but the feeling stayed. Criminals or not, families retained that particular dynamic, it seemed.

Miss Teheron replaced her glass on the table with a precise motion.

“I’ll have to make a few calls, you understand. I assume you have a sterilized communications chamber somewhere in this fine edifice?” She gestured to the palace behind them. The thing probably had enough rooms to accommodate the Republican senate in its heyday.

“I’d like to resolve this matter presently. The sooner we reach an agreement, the sooner we can start making more credits.”

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Nadir"]

"Bernard will show you the way." She gestured towards the man that had poured their drinks.

A smile touched her lips as she did so, mostly because of the pleasure she got out of making the man be her servant. He had once been a slaver in the outer rim until Matt had captured him and his crew. The man had been fierce once, but now he was little more than a meek little mouse.

"I'll wait out here." The Twi'lek said as she picked up her drink. "No need to rush."

Though like Erida herself Kara was rather anxious to get all of this done with. If they could come to an accord and make this proposal happen today she would be able to tell her parents tomorrow. Nadir's ultimate support, as well as the ability to more closely deal with the company would be practically invaluable to expanding to other regions in the galactic south. It would be immensely pleasing to her to be able to sow more Spice Plantations than just Ylen.

Especially in the near future.

 

[Nadir]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

Without missing a beat the guards rejoined her once she left Kara’s vicinity. In a rhythm of one and three they disappeared into the maze of corridors and tasteful architecture. Erida noted her surroundings with the absent eye of the rich, taking stock of the fine names boasting from the furniture and décor.

The Thawne kids certainly got a nice stipend, that was for sure.

She swept past the servant’s quiet disgrace and into the room. Kojak joined her; Massim stayed outside with Bernard. At her prompting, Veslan swept the room for bugs again – no chances taken here – then nodded his affirmative.

Erida pulled out her second communicator, this one dedicated solely to the nNet network. Several keys and identifications later, the call finally connected. Teheron took a seat and began talking.

A short while later, the umbaran appeared at the door to the patio once more. She wasn’t wearing a smile, exactly; but then again, she never did.

“We are in business, Miss Thawne. Though of course we’ll need to delineate the exact terms of this agreement. We oughtn’t let such an opportunity go to waste because of careless wording.”

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Nadir"]

Kara remained on her patio, gently sipping her drink and leaning back in her chair. For a time she closed her eyes, feeling the sun on her skin and simply enjoying the peace and quiet that her summer home offered. Ylen was different, sure she lived in the lap of luxury within her tower, but the industrial world rarely ever saw sunlight, much less heat. This was nice, and she decided that she would have to visit more often.

The Hutt might find issue with it, but that could be dealt with.

By the time Erida returned she would find Kara sitting in her chair with a pair of sunglasses on her face. Another servant was fanning her with a large, almost comically oversized, leaf. When she heard the Umbaran speak a broad smile touched her face. Her face lit up, and slowly she reached to take off her glasses. It was a sign of respect, a small one, but she had always been taught it was a sign of trust to show ones full face when doing business.

"I'm sure we can come to exact terms quite easily." She told the other woman.

"I suggest we let the lawyers and accountants handle it." Verin would go nuts for all the little details. "That sort of thing is generally...boring."

 

[Nadir]

“Really?” Teheron arched a sharp brow as she reclaimed her seat like a throne. It wasn’t her office chair, but it would have to do. “I’ve always found it quite exhilarating myself. Well. I don’t suppose the numbers and legalese should be to everyone’s tastes.”

She finished off her drink with a few last sips – no use letting good alcohol go to waste – then addressed the twi’lek again. “If you would,” she slid a datapad across the table, “provide me with the necessary contact information of the personnel that will be handling the matter on your end.”

There was much to do still to put this plan into fruition, but it was a start.

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Nadir"]

She smiled, reaching over and grabbing the datapad. "My sister Verin."

Kara had always been a more...hands on kind of leader. She preferred to be in control and in charge, but when it came to numbers and all that...the Twi'lek knew better than to interfere. Verin would take care of everything that was necessary, and perhaps Nayella would be involved somehow, though she doubted it. With a quick few flicks of her wrist she entered Verin's contact information, knowing that her sister would be rather excited about all of this.

She always had been a bit of a nerd.

"She'll handle all of those aspects." An amused smile touched the Twi'leks face. "Perhaps you'll like her more than you do me."

Kara was well aware that she wasn't exactly the most...fun personality to be around. The fact didn't bother her in the least of course, she was too self assured for that.

 

[Nadir]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

Her face remained as flat as ever. “Perhaps. But I’m not in this business because I like people, Miss Thawne. Hardly anyone is, don’t you think?”

She accepted the datapad as Kara returned it. Briefly, Erida looked away from her host to consider the information on the screen before stowing the device away.

“It’s been a pleasure. Truly.” And she meant it, too. Though she had no parent to prove her worth to, Teheron enjoyed bringing home a valuable deal as much as anyone. “I expect the legal negotiations will take a while longer. Barring any unforeseeable changes, however, I believe we can consider this a successful venture.”

Erida stood and offered her hand to the girl again. What was that – an hour? Sweet, sweet efficiency. If she hadn’t grown up with it, she would’ve gone into illegal business to avoid the red tape alone.

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Nadir"]

"Indeed we can." Kara said with a smile, nodding her head and once again gently grasping Erida's hand.

There wasn't much else to talk about at this point.

Both Nadir and Coratanni would come out on top of all of this. They were out to make money, and working together meant they would likely make more money than they could ever dream of before. It helped of course that they would be cutting out the rest of the Cabal in this little venture. The Hutt would have intervened and Helix would take it's own cut, but now things would be more streamlined, better. She rather liked the idea of that.

Not that they would ever turn on the Cabal.

"Feel free to visit any time." Kara offered. "My doors are always open."

Though she doubted the Umbaran would ever return of her own free will.

 

[Nadir]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

Her lips twitched into an almost-smile. It was the best Kara could ever hope to get.

“That’s very kind of you,” Erida intoned, not unkindly. “Unfortunately these climes aren’t amongst my favorite. I’m sure we can expect to meet again if this collaboration works out.”

Ever the hedging umbaran – if, and not when. They were criminals, after all. The only reason her bosses were considering the deal was because of the Cabal failsafe. Crossing each other on this would mean breaking the defense pact as well, and none of them were so powerful to be able to afford it.

(Nor led by inane schuttas, for that matter.)

“Have a good day, Miss Thawne.”

The Underworld sold and supped on the futures of thousands in this innocuous pocket of paradise, and they were none the wiser.

A good day, indeed.