Baby Steps

[Darth Empyrean]

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Bastion was a fortress world of indescribable proportion; with towers riddled with Sith Empire propaganda and untold amounts people ready to lay their life down in the name of their Dark Lord. From the young to the old, they each had seen much; from the Primeval’s torrential flux of religious extremists and Sith factions over and over. Now, they have semblance of peace and stability without the grip of the Balagoth Worshipers nor the age old Sith who couldn’t stand for themselves.

With this stability comes a boom in their economy, especially being declared the capital of an entire empire. Factories found themselves opened and filled overnight while warehouses, mining companies, and various other employment related industries rose. Now, a bubble had formed filling the void was the only option left for the economy; and that's where The Slave and [member="Arken Lussk"] came in.

Each held an up and coming company named Jaeger Solutions & Aegis Systems destined for greatness. More importantly, they needed something more important than just ‘employees’ or standard operational resources, but contacts. Today, they were doing just that.

A meeting had been set up with a local tycoon who not only rented out his various factories, but knew that supporting the companies that bought him out were especially useful the more capital they had. Cybele had actively made sure he was not only trustworthy, but industrious in every sense they needed; especially now in the fledgling stages of their empire.

Side by side, The Slave walked into a high class restaurant with Arken. High pillars and gold trimmed velvet draped from the ceiling greeted them, faintly familiar to much of The Technicolor Beat’s more private rooms and holdings.

The Slave spoke first as a host approached them;

“Hey, we’re here to meet a certain “Nu Geld”. Any idea where he might be?”

The host glanced to the holobook next to them, before nodding and offering a quaint ‘follow me’. Readjusting his own suit’s tie, the two moved to the table and sat. It was Nu who took the initiative and spoke first, wiping steak sauce from his mouth with an expensive looking handkerchief;

“Ah! A pleasure, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you two boys. Come, take a seat. Lets drink and be merry!”, he chortled.

[member="Arken Lussk"]

---

 

[Arken Lussk]

It took quite a lot of willpower and fortitude to take destiny's reins. An emerging empire was growing in the shadows through mechanized assets and the wild dreams of two young men bent on watching their power grow with every passing second. It had been a glorious and profound journey thus far, and Arken didn't expect anything less of a man whose goals aligned perfectly with his own. Aegis Systems and Jaeger Solutions stood at the forefront of their respective industries.

But they needed more, far more than what assets they already possessed.

Frowning, he glanced down at his attire. Black tie, white shirt, black suit. It was stiff, hot, and undoubtedly the most uncomfortable thing he'd ever worn.

"I hate this," the boy groaned low enough for only the Slave to hear, "We should've just brought him to the strip on the Technicolor Beat."

Not to mention the fact that Victor had to wait outside for them. A strict No Droid policy had seen his companion swiftly turned around.

However, they had business to tend to. Arken trailed their server, coming upon Nu Geld. He was a rather stout looking human; handlebar mustache, pudgy, rosy cheeks, but that glint in his eyes bore far more cunning than Arken liked.

"Mr. Geld, this pleasure is ours." The slicer replied with a broad smile before he turned to their server. "Let's have a bottle of Domaine de la Maison sur le Lac, please."

And with that, he took a seat.

[member="The Slave"]​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Oooh, good choice lad, damn good choice!”, the jubilent middle aged man spouted.

Sitting back down, he once against began to fill his face with steak of some unknown creature likely imported from the more uninhabited planets around Bastion. Likely one that cost a fair bit too much as well, considering how well his suit appeared to be tailored, leave alone the gilded buttons and collars.

The Slave moved to seat with a smile, quietly sipping on the water that was already poured and waiting for them. After setting it down, he glanced to Arken and began to speak;

“It is our pleasure, Nu. I understand you’ve been in contact with my assistant?”, he said idly.

“Oh, yes yes I have. Cybele was her name, and oh how cute she sounds!”, the overly excited pudge of a man continued. Little did he know, she was as thick as they come.

“Something like that.”, The Slave chuckled at the thought, “So you understand what Jaeger Solutions, and Aegis Systems respectively, do?”

[member="Arken Lussk"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

So far, the conversation had been light and jovial. Nu Geld seemed quite happy for them to be here, to be in his presence was just another gift this businessman had bestowed upon them. Well fed, well pampered, and well endowed by monetary means.

"Just the basics," Geld chewed thoughtfully, "Though an explanation would be right fine!"

Arken smiled, clasping his hands together.

"Aegis Systems is the newest player in the security solutions industry. Cloud computing services, network security centers, private networks, waystations, and physical security assets for the cautious." He produced his datapad promptly, fishing it out of his pocket. He swiped across it a few times to reveal the company logo along with a few of their latest and greatest products. "Have a look, sir."

Arken spun the pad around and presented it to the man.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Geld took the datapad from Arken, steak still in his mouth. Scrolling through the list, he began to cough and set it down, quickly lighting up with a newfound excitement;

“Human replica droids? I’ll have to order one for myself!”, he chimed in graciously.

Eventually, his laugh subsided and the reality of the meeting came back to the forefront of the conversation. His gaze moved to The Slave and cocked his own brow, letting a small amount of curiosity build between them as The Slave returned the expression. Then, he spoke, questioning his purposes;

“And what of Jaeger Solutions? What is it they do?”

The Slave glanced to Arken once more, obviously out of his element here. It was momentary, but looking back he pulled a small datapad from his coat pocket as well and opened it before saying a word;

“In a word, Nu? War. Give it a gander.”, he said as he tossed over the datapad, filled to the brim with their products and profit margins.

[member="Arken Lussk"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

Arken beamed. He loved praise, especially from other esteemed businessbeings. Running a corporation at seventeen years old was a tough position, and there was absolutely no way he couldn't possibly back out. A massive amount of the fortune his father had left him had went into this project, so paying his personnel and keeping all of their tech up to date wasn't exactly easy or cheap. At least his market wasn't saturated whatsoever, so they had that little niche.

While the boy metaphorically rolled with content, Nu Geld was busying himself with the Slave's own datapad.

He glanced over. His master didn't seem to comfortable, or used to these sorts of conversations or circumstances. Granted, he wasn't either, but Arken also didn't live on a battlecruiser in a perpetual state of spice-laden orgy.

"Remarkable!" Geld swiped downwards with a greasy finger. "Looks like you can probably wage a war on your own. Strategic bombers, exoskeletons, disruptors..."

His voice trailed off, quickly replaced with a curt smile. He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin before handing the datapad back.

"So," he cleared his throat, "What exactly can I do for the both of you? Creating war machines and the like isn't exactly in my ballpark."

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The Slave offered a faint smile at the compliment he received. It was true he could wage a war on his own, and has previously. Even winning against the likes of an entire federation; though that was something Nu didn’t need to know as of right now. For now, they were just business partners, looking to share in each other's profits.

“In fact, we’re looking to not only rent your factories and workers, but offer you a small portion of our companies in exchange for assistance on establishing ourselves in Bastion’s active market.”

He repeated the lines just as Cybele taught him. Unlike Arken, he didn’t run Jaeger by himself, in fact he had very little to do with it besides designs and ideas, but Nu was a man who needed a face; and The Slave’s it would be.

“You know people, and we need those people. More factories, more management, a greater worldwide presence at the heart of the empire.”

“We’re looking to make a deal, Nu.”, he said, flashing a faint grin as the waitress finally brought their wine and complimentary cheesecake.

[member="Arken Lussk"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

Arken couldn't help but get even more giddy than he already was. He'd made Cybele go over the lines he was say before this but the Slave was doing far better than he'd hoped. Excitement and joy; they were about to get exactly what they wanted!

"Of course, Mr. Geld," Arken followed up immediately, "We're quickly spanning across the galaxy. Wouldn't you like to be a part of that?"

Nu held his tongue for the moment, processing the offer. "What sort of capital do you need here on Bastion? Why Bastion?"

More questions. The boy nearly rolled his eyes. He didn't want to play his trump card this soon.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“The thing is, we don’t need capital.”, The Slave said, breaking from the script for a few moments.

“What we want is your factories, and your ability to expand our presence on the planet.”

That’s all he had in the moment, so quickly reverting back to his previous strategy of reading from what Cybele taught him, he transitioned with a deft silver tongue and kept the momentum of the conversation going;

“The reason for Bastion? That’s because it's a developing market, a booming one at that. I think that much is obvious in your own business, and profit margins. What we’re offering is a dedicated, intergalactic clientele that’ll keep your factories busy, and your pockets full; in exchange for your connection to further investors on the planet.”

The Slave took a moment to sip the wine before moving back to speak;

“Suffice to say, we’re cashing in on the boom before it plateaus. You get constant profit from companies with excellent histories, and everyone leaves this happy.”

At last he stopped, leaning over and crossing his arms with the same predator like grin he held often enough to become apart of his personality.

“Help our companies become rich, and you become rich.”

[member="Arken Lussk"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

They flowed off of one another. The second the Slave stopped speaking, Arken picked up the pace with his own little spiel.

"Of course, Mister Geld," the boy smiled, "We want your support before we begin to ascend this mountain of success. We'll be with you every step along the way."

He paused for a moment to cut into his cheesecake with his fork, plopping it into his mouth without a drop of hesitation. "We want to give you an opportunity, to be a part of something great, of something that doesn't just affect the Empire but the entire galaxy. Aegis and Jaeger are not youthful little start-ups, we're slowly turning dying practices into a booming industry. I've got the numbers to prove it."

Nu's smile had all but faded, being replaced by a furrowed brow. He was no longer that jubilant people-person, rather a vigilant and cunning businessman that knew when to strike.

"No capital? Just factories and a presence? That's it?" He scoffed, biting into his own cake. "That sounds a little too good to be true."

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Perhaps, but it doesn’t come without cost.”, The Slave said idly.

Leaning back in his chair, he rested a hand on his cheek as golden eyes watched Nu, ensuring he never moved too quickly or showed signs of distress. The Slave wasn’t comfortable here, with his peripherals always keeping track of everyone who glanced towards them. He was paranoid, but he was confident in his ability to not appear so.

Mostly.

“You’ll work to ensure our companies success on the planet to ensure yours. This will be a synergized effort, not a one sided trade deal.”

[member="Arken Lussk"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

Arken happily swallowed the last bit of his cake, pushing the plate away from himself. It was damn good stuff. Great flavor and it was a wonderful complement to their wine. The young businessman figured he could eat like this everyday and never get tired of it. Oh, the good times would surely come to him eventually.

And Nu Geld as well.

"You scratch our back, we scratch yours." Lussk chortled, grinning. "Let's do this, Nu - together."

Mister Geld had finally finished his meal as well, relaxing further into his seat as he processed it all. It honestly had to be a lot for a businessman, especially hearing that two up-and-coming corporations were wanting his assets specifically. There was lots of money to be made, but a lot of risks came along with those opportunities.

"I see..." his voice trailed off, "Where do I sign?"

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“My assistant, Cybele will work out the details, Nu.”, The Slave offered.

A grin swept across his face just as it had Arken, the two finally seeing a chance to further themselves on the planet. They had already been working together for months, but their continued efforts together tied them far closer together business wise than many other may care to admit; however just as the Jedi and his lightsaber are hand in hand, so too was Jaeger and Aegis.

Today however, they both became one with Nu Geld’s manufacturing facilities. It was only a matter of time now before they saw a massive increase in productivity, and profits. For now however, The Slave moved to stand and rest his napkin on the table, speaking once more to Nu;

“If there is nothing else for us, Nu, I think we must depart. There's plenty more we must do tonight.”, he said with a smile.

[member="Arken Lussk"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

It had been settled. A threeway between Geld's warehouse and manufacturing assets, Jaeger's war materials, and Aegis Systems' technological ingenuity. A triumvirate of trade was on the rise, and it had started this very moment. Arken beamed broadly, matching his partner's movements as he too rose from his seat.

He extended a hand out to Geld. "It's gonna be a pleasure working with you, sir," he pumped his hand, "Let's make some money."

Geld returned the smile. "Let's do it."

[member="The Slave"]

[ Thread End. ]​