An Offer You Can't Refuse

[Popo]

​

Nickel One
Roche Asteroids
10:00


The current events of the day had set many, many wheels turning. Bridges were burned and storm clouds loomed over the Republic as it spiraled out of control, changing from a bastion of democracy to a fascist government seemingly overnight. Entire corporations were to be nationalized, their assets taken to be used by this new Socialist form of the Republic. Many had lost millions of credits of materials, but some companies had decided to fight back.

For Popo, the decision had been easy. Tenloss had produced weapons of war for generations, specializing in some of the most lethal firepower in the galaxy. The corporation sported entire units of private troops, organized into units and supplied with some of the best weapons and material that Tenloss could afford. Anyone attempting to mess with or force back Tenloss would pay a high price even trying to succeed. The problem was, Tenloss was only a corporation and as much as any Tenloss Corporate Soldier could and would outclass the best soldiers of any major faction in the galaxy, there were only so many he could spare. Popo had quality, but the major factions had quantity and quantity had a quality all of its own.

Fortunately, Tenloss' current plight was shared with many other organizations, other corporations with operations inside of Republic territory equally as targeted as Tenloss. Tenloss couldn't hold it's own against the Republic war machine forever, but banding together and standing with other corporations could mean the difference between losing assets and forcing the Republic to come to the table.

Popo had called a few individuals, ones he knew supported the corporate side of things; specifically ones with a stake in the Roche asteroids.

[member="Darell Irani"] and his assistant, [member="Leena Mai"], of Saiba and [member="Captain Larraq"] of Mandal Hypernautics. Individually, none truly had the power to withstand a dedicated Republic assault, even Mandal Hypernautics would eventually fall despite their complete and total superiority over most anything the Republic could field. But together, banding as one and allying with the Verpine that lived in the asteroid belts, they could feasibly hold out and possibly even emerge victorious against any enemy incursion.

As the shuttle carrying Popo docked with Nickel One, the main Verpine base in the Roche asteroid fields, he double checked his chronometer. It was almost time to meet with the Verpine heads of government here in the fields. He hoped the others would be able to make the appointment.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

Shard Forty-Two
Eridium Industrial HQ
05:00

Darell Irani had not been joking around when he wrote about paperwork to [member="Danger Arceneau"]. His first act as the CEO of the Saiba Group was to move his current operations to the headquarters of Eridium in the Roche Sector. To get closer to the action, to make sure his actions were in sync with what was happening inside the Republic at this exact moment. Patrol fleets and private security forces were diverted from other, less pressing, sources and converged around his assets in Roche - in a lot of ways this was not about profit anymore. He always had been a big supporter of the idiom: "Profit All, The Rest Ashes.", an ancient Tionese saying coming from the old merchant families in the Tion Cluster, but the facts spoke against his actions.

The smart move would have been to disassemble his assets in Roche. Move his employees away and then sell the property at an insulting price to some Hedge Fund and let them do their bets. But the truth was... Irani didn't care all that much about profits, not any longer at least. No, this was about making a statement and the Sith Lord in him saw opportunity in the chaos.

Blessed opportunity.

Ash handed him the last datapad in a very long line. He gave it a scrutinizing glance, before signing off on it - yet another decision that would consolidate his assets around the Saiba-banner. It was time to pull together all the various subsidiaries he owned, wrap it around the Saiba noun and then call it a day. This way all his works would be protected by that name.

"Sir, don't forget you have an appointment with the Tenloss CEO and the Verpine government at 10#." Ash supplied while taking back the datapad.

"How could I forget? See if you can track down Mai for me. If I recall correctly I sent her to do... something, it was important, that's all I remember."

Ash raised one of her thin, finely shaped eyebrows; as a biochemical, cyborg hybrid that was her way of being entirely stumped and not being sure what to say. Emotions weren't exactly her forte.

"Yes, sir." she replied a moment after, before turning around and leaving.

Now alone in his office Irani looked around a bit. How did he get here? It almost felt like yesterday that he was making tanks explode with a shotgun-canon alongside a Sith Lord during the Nether Crisis. And most importantly... where the feth were his pants.

[member="Popo"] | [member="Leena Mai"]

 

[Popo]

Popo was politely escorted onto the asteroid base by an attendant aide, one of the many Verpine that inhabited this asteroid and many others like it in the system. As they moved to what Popo assumed was where the conference would be held, he couldn't help but notice the unique architecture of the place.

It was a strange blend of the familiar and the alien. Tunnels were carved into the rock to make room for corridors and habitation, but unlike the circular shapes of boring devices or the squared off look of finished human and near-human tunnels, these were oddly hexagonal in shape as if the asteroid itself was a great hive, reminding the Hutt of honey bees in a way. Homes and structures dotted the tunnels all around and hatches and doors set into the walls at various levels spoke of rooms and buildings dug into the rock itself. All around he could spot the familiar shapes and signs of standard galactic technology and even some that he outright recognized on occasion. It was a unique, intriguing blend of insectoid design and standard galactic planning.

Soon enough, Popo was ushered into one of many buildings and found himself inside of a conference room. On the floor was a massive, velvet pillow and Popo immediately took his place upon the extremely large Hutt-style seat. Around the table were a series of odd styled chairs, presumably for the Verpine that would arrive shortly, as well as a few human style chairs and a few holodisplays set into the walls and tables.

With luck, the meeting would start soon.

[member="Darell Irani"] [member="Captain Larraq"] [member="Leena Mai"]

 

[Beatrice Govan]

Who knew there were so many varieties of trousers out there in the galaxy?

No, not like, varieties between species, although a Toydarian three-piece suit would be hilarious to look at. No, no, varieties of trousers for human males. There were so many! What was the difference between a suit trouser, pants or slacks? Were they the same? Were they different? Who cared? Maybe Darell cared. Maybe he was like, a slack fascist!

This was not a task made for Leena Mai, I mean, by Palpatine's pecker, she didn't even like shopping for herself, never mind somebody else!

That wasn't even mentioning the pant budget, the credits that could be allocated to pants alone was wild, more than what she used to make in four months slogging away on the checkouts of Tesda. Although, with that train of thought steaming onwards, shopping for overpriced trousers was way better than customer assistance.

Clasping both hands upon her cup of tea, Leena let the beverage sit under her nose, relaxing wisps of steam whirling up her nostrils as her eyes glanced over pairs of near identical slacks in a variety of charcoal.

Then came the sweet relief, a polite chap at her office door. A break from the world of trouser legs perhaps? Ah, Ash, one of the many slightly different colour varieties of trousers availa….

I need to get away from this two-legged hell.

“What up, gurl?” Leena said, casual thrusters fully engaged before taking a minute sip of her builder's tea. Blue milk, two sugars, simple.

“Yes, the um, big kahuna requires your presence, girl.”

By the Force, it was so awkward. Like watching a bantha try to climb a tree, Ash had not mastered the art of casual slang-peppered syntax and hearing her ever-so-awkwardly say 'big kahuna' almost made tea come out of both nostrils.

“Oh thank feth for that! I've had enough of pants for a lifetime. Thanks, beebs,” Mai replied, practically rocketing out of her office chair, making sure to take her tea with her.

“Any time…..bae...”

Still learning, still learning.

With that awkward interaction done and dusted the personal assistant clicked her heels (having finally mastered heels only a few months prior) along to Darell Inari's office, letting herself in with reckless abandon. Being renowned for scalding people had at least given Leena a hint of confidence in life.

“Yes, sir? How may I assist you?"

---

[member="Darell Irani"] [member="Popo"] [member="Captain Larraq"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Leena Mai"] | [member="Popo"]

"What do you mean the assault is over?" Irani was speaking to one of the Commanders of Saiba Security Solutions - a subsidiary of Saiba that, obviously, dealt with the security of its parents company. It was a long-standing organization filled with paramilitary forces, special forces and general infantry - shock troopers, really. A blunt hammer or a heavily fortified wall, but less suitable for more subtle matters; that was being worked on though.

"I see." a wave would usher Leena into the room, followed by a gesture that told her to sit down in one of the seats in front of his own desk.

"Regroup with the Tenloss forces then and take the opportunity to fortify our position more. Also touch base with the Verpine Technocracy, offer them our aid to ensure security and protection across the system."

The commander saluted and the hologram flicked out. This did not immediately mean that Darell's attention went to Leena though, instead the CEO leaned back in his seat. He seemed tired, weary, but there was a certain gleam in his eyes that told the real tale behind the fatigue.

Irani was enjoying himself.

Eventually his gaze returned to the lithe assistant.

"Ah... yes, Mai." for a moment he was silent, before a grin broke through the thin veneer of business. "How goes the hunt for the elusive pants?"

 

[Beatrice Govan]

She sat there, like a useless clerical potato waiting for Inari to be done with his business. Not that she minded, it was nice to get a moment to sit and think about things that weren't pants, or domes for that matter.

That being said, what was there to think about other than that?

Her old friends were a distant memory of a time far more pedestrian. When worries involved paying the bills, a forever broken dishwasher and finishing the blue milk before it went out of date (which more often than not involved panic eating copious amounts of cereal the day before). Going out last minute to terrible clubs that were Gamorrean restaurants by day. Getting drunk on drinks bought by men getting lead on. Giggling on the stumble home, finding a suitable street corner to pop a squat and pee.

Seemed like a different life, different person.

Second thought, perhaps it was better to just sit there like a clerical potato and not think at all.

“Oh, just grand,” she replied, the look upon her face deliberately screaming quite the opposite sentiment, “did you know how many varieties of suit pants there were out there in the galaxy? For that matter, did you know how many shades of black and grey are out there? It is definitely more than fifty.”

---

[member="Darell Irani"], [member="Popo"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Leena Mai"] | [member="Popo"]
---

"Nope." Darell replied with a catchy grin. "That's what I got you for, m'dear."

And that was the truth of it. She might consider her current job pedestrian or useless, but in the grand scheme of things what she did was absolutely vital and crucial for Irani's well-being. He was a man whose decisions could topple empires and forge business enterprises that would span galaxies, but at the end of the day... he was still but a man. Things like these pulled heavy on his shoulders (even if they were very broad and manly shoulders.)

He needed someone to look after him. Someone who poked him about the more simple matters like finding a good pair of trousers or reminded him to take a break and drink some quality coffee. Someone who could anchor him to simple reality.

"We have a meeting with the Verpine and Tenloss, I'd like for you to join me. The pants can wait for now, I think."