Black & White

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Port Thesh[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] - Nearby Rekali Space[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Alec Rekali"] / [member="Ember Rekali"][/SIZE]​

[SIZE=10.6667px]It gleamed in the dark void of the Galaxy. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Port Thesh used to go under a [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]different[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] name, it had a different function, but those times were long since gone. Merrill stole it once, from the One Sith, and then when the Underground saw that the Republic wasn’t doing anything with it… they decided to reclaim it for their own goals -- after sacrificing so much to save it the first time, kinda infuriating to see the Republic go full Republic once again. A bunch of spacers moved the Center again, this time to a more neutral place and there the Underground worked on improving the station. Khal commanded one of the biggest sources of personnel, revenue and assets, so he had taken point on the restoration effort. Together with Kaia - Starchaser’s sister, they revamped the whole thing.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]And now Thesh was a shadowport: a space station in a remote corner of the Galaxy, used for clandestine meetings, downtime and other shady business. The biggest presence on the station came from the Underground and the Exchange, two entities that had a fair amount of overlap in these days.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Alec was one of the oldest members of the Exchange. She was pretty busy these days with Rekali business, but still, that kind of connection meant something. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Khal- or rather his organization was working on a lot of things. Apparently Clan Rekali was doing the same thing, so they decided to meet up again, see if there was more overlap possible, do some more business together.[/SIZE]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

Alec was one thing; the old man was another.

For all the Clan's structural resemblance to organized crime, it was still run by a retired Jedi Council member. Alec's grandfather frowned on spice and slaves and piracy, though he'd done his share of privateer work against the right targets. And it was Ember Rekali that set the agenda. His opinion of the Exchange, though tempered by Alec's long history with them and their leader, couldn't be described as complimentary.

As the Role Model slipped into Port Thesh, Alec forced herself to relax. Though he appeared to be nose-deep in a spreadsheet of synthetic tibanna variants -- the Hard Roil wouldn't mine itself -- her grandfather could read her better than most. He looked up as the heavily modded, temporally skewed mining barge docked with the shadowport. "This has been nice," he said apropos of nothing.

Nice was one word for it. Interminable was another. The Role Model's temporal shielding had been sketchy at the best of times. Since those days, it had spent around a decade in the Chiloon Rift and a year in the Maw, parked beside Akala's footprints at the Font of Power. What should have been a two-day trip had probably taken two days. Objectively. Subjectively, they'd been stuck in the mining barge for a week.

"We'll have to do it again sometime." Alec started the powerdown sequence, then shrugged and left it hanging. The reactor could stay warm. She unbuckled and rose, stretching, to slip on her buy'ce. "Come on. My gut says Khal's waiting anxiously."

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Moment the ship entered the system it was on the port’s sensors. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]One of the first things they had invested in were long-range scanners, scattered all around the system and throughout the nearby sectors were early-warning systems; much akin to the way Rekali’s territory was protected in fact, sometimes you needed to take inspiration from others. Khal decided to step by the private hangar bay himself - ‘least he owed to Alec for all the years of service.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]So that’s how they would find him, sitting nearby on a durasteel crate, a datapad in his hand. With the amount of business the Exchange was doing these days… there was almost no time to take it easy and just [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]relax[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]There was always something yammering in his ear for attention.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Part of him wondered if he should start to decentralize things more. Maybe give more responsibilities to his lieutenants, but that would have to be a discussion for a different day. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Looking up from the pad he saw the Rekalis step out of the ship. Both armored, helmets on, weren’t taking any changes away from their hometurf; smart.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Rekali.” Khal greeted the first person coming out of the ship. Alec was known to him, were no need for formalities there.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Field Marshal Rekali.” the other greeting came a second later, as his armored appearance came into view behind Alec.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Alec Rekali"][/SIZE]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

Ember grunted eloquently.

As men went, Khal Malvern didn't look like much. Hadn't shaved, probably hadn't bathed, constant smell of high-end cigarras. Just sitting on a crate in a shadowport like his business wasn't a couple orders of magnitude bigger than the Clan. They said Malvern's people had absorbed Black Sun and the Red Ravens, and those were non-negligible outfits that'd gone to war with interstellar governments. They'd even had pretensions in those directions themselves. Not the Exchange, though. The Exchange just made money.

"Mister Malvern," he said belatedly, with a nod. "Thanks for the welcome." Alec nudged him. "My granddaughter speaks well of you," he added dutifully. "Nice place you've got here."

And it was, frankly. Saelari Medical Centre had been -- still was -- one of the largest space stations in the galaxy, bigger than anything anyone was making these days. That the Underground had stolen it twice spoke volumes about their ingenuity and resources, at least in their heyday. With the Galactic Alliance and the SSC at work, the Underground was quiescent, just running guns and propagating by cells.

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“De nada.” he didn’t miss the prod delivered by Alec nor the belated reply. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]There isn’t much you could gleen with armored personnel, but Ember did not seem to be wholly appreciative of him and his operations. Though with him being a former Jedi it wasn’t all that surprising, but then again. Fact that he was a former Jedi and wasn’t trying to shut him down at every corner might say even more.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Alec has been with us from the beginning, it’s the least I can do.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It was a short trip back to the office with a single ride in a turbolift - wasn’t too awkward, only a little bit. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Sitting down himself, he waited for them to settle themselves down and then went straight to the point.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“I am guessing Alec has told you why we are meeting?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Ember Rekali"][/SIZE]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

In answer, Ember removed his masked helmet and took down his beskar-cloth hood. The helmet clanked on the desk. "You're hoping to contract the Clan for the same kinds of work that Alec does. Greased wheels, armed backup and extraction, high-value raids and heists against targets of mutual interest. I'm sure she's told ya that's a service we've provided to others. We've got some decent working relationships. Now in principle, I'm fine with this, 'part from a couple sticking points that you'll see coming."

"The Clan can't back the Exchange against other Mandalorian clans without good cause," Alec explained, shooting her grandfather a glance. She slipped off her duraplast helm and rested it on her knee. "Or against legitimate law enforcement from governments like the Sanctum and the Galactic Alliance -- the good'uns. We've got your back against anything Sith, Hutts, Technos. Republic...that's hit or miss. Depends how much fault's where. The Pubs got my aunt and uncle killed. We've got no love for'em, but some sympathy. Abandoned an' forgotten assets like this place was? Fair game. We've got no problem sweeping these up for ya and finding'em too. Anyways, those're our terms, Khal. Thoughts?"

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Definitely not unexpected. He didn’t have a lot of operations running in the Mando Space, mostly because to get integrated you needed people on the inside; Mandalorians. And most Mandalorians who would be willing to cooperate with the Exchange… well they weren’t in Mando Space, sadly, even Alec wasn’t supremely active within their territories. But they had some operations on Mandalore itself, integrated while the Sith were running havok up and down the streets - stuff was so chaotic that they were able to get in some active elements.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Point was. He wasn’t expecting a lot of issues with the Clans, so he wouldn’t need the Rekalis for that portion of the Galaxy. Sanctum and Alliance. Complicated.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Been a member of the Underground from the beginning.” he shrugged. Then pulled out some glasses, offered them some corellian whiskey, rare stuff since the breaking, but he had bought it before then so not that expensive.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Come a long way since trying to be a Jedi and the beginnings of the Underground, but trust me. I ain’t got any love for the Sith. Point is, I wouldn’t be asking y’all to hit targets that belong to people who fight those fethers.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Which was the truth. Reality was this. Drugs trade, slavery, pirating, extortions and smuggling… it was all gonna happen either way, so why not make it organized? Efficient? As clean as possible? That was Khal’s thought on the matter.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]But he had never forgotten his reasons for joining the Underground in the first place.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]No matter who he was these days, Khal wasn’t planning on supporting the Sith anytime soon.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Hope you guys don’t mind hitting the Primeval, though. Alec knows I managed to get in pretty close within their ranks, so I got some inside information on where to best strike ‘em.” the last part was said from over the glass, almost as an afterthought.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Almost.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Ember Rekali"][/SIZE]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

Ember and Alec exchanged a glance that could have meant anything. Privately, of course, it was Ember reminding Alec that he knew what she'd pledged on the Clan's behalf, and Alec apologizing. Again. But she'd spoken for the Clan, and the Clan would abide by it. "Publicly," said Ember, refocusing on Khal, "the Rekalis and most of the other clans have withdrawn troops from the Rimward front. We've got no problem supporting you against'em if necessary, and we've got decent force projection toward their territory. Alec's got the inside line on the Chiloon Rift, and nobody can control that place a hundred percent anyway, and that's just one place. I know the Sith worlds well enough, too. Torched enough of'em.

"Short answer: against the Primeval, we'll back ya privately, and we'll raid the feth out of'em if we can keep it quiet or deniable. Public stuff?" Ember shrugged and, to his own surprise, grinned. "Public stuff, we don't mind a bit of escalation if it comes to that. That work for you?"

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Yes, yes it does.” He answered with a short smile of his own. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]But now there was a different matter that needed to be discussed. The matter of payment, he had no doubts in his mind that Alec had briefed Ember exactly on what the Exchange could and could not do for the Rekalis. Money wasn’t an issue, if the Clan needed that, it could get that. But something told him that they would be more interested in the other things his organization could supply, things that Alec would know perfectly well.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“The question is what you wish to get from this [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]treaty[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px].”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Because at the end of the day this wasn’t exactly a contract. Clan Rekali controlled enough territory right now to be considered an entity of quite some note, independently from the Mandalorians. And the Exchange?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Well, they didn’t control any land perse. History showed how well that went for the Black Sun, the Ravens and now the Cartel- but wherever the criminal underworld thrived, one could find at least a hint of the Exchange.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]If not more.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Ember Rekali"][/SIZE]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

With Ember's assent, Alec took the question. She knew the Exchange's assets and capabilities better than some. "Gas money and salvage rights, for starters. We hit something, we keep it and sell it as we see fit. But that's a sideline. For the main score...access to your smuggling routes, secret markets, fences, ports. We take more ships and stations than we can use, and a good fence goes a long way. Shadowports, for going to ground after things heat up. Assurances that we could call on you if our core territory -- the Yavin system, Dathomir, the Hard Roil -- was threatened."

It was all, she knew, within Khaleel's ability to grant. Whether he'd consider such comprehensive access to be worth it; that was something else. She glanced at Ember again and got a fractional nod from her grandfather. That about summed up the points she'd discussed with him.

"Oh," she added, "and first dibs on any tech you find that'll make nebular mining and processing more efficient. We've got plenty, but our investment in the Roil is long-term. Every little bit helps."

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In close to a decade Khaleel Malvern had built up a syndicate that rivaled the old Black Sun in terms of power projection and credit flow. From a single bar called Jimmy’s on Nar Shaddaa to the infiltration of the galactic underworld in almost every corner of the market. Any other organization; criminal or otherwise would be having troubles right now. Problems of overexpansion, internal pressure and dissatisfied cogs in the machine. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]But not the Exchange, why was that?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Alec would know. At the end of the day most great or simply big entities fall because of a simple flaw in sentient nature. Greed. Other criminal entities schemed, pushed and prodded or hit problems with a huge hammer when projection of soft power would be far more effective.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In a lot of ways this had been the main cause of the Black Suns and the Red Ravens’ downfall. They overestimated themselves and their organizations. Because of this the [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]actual[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] power players of the Galaxy were unable to take them seriously.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Or even considered their behavior a threat to stability.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The rest was history. The Black Suns were destroyed by the Red Ravens, who had been supported by the One Sith, and the Ravens were annihilated by internal pressure and discord. When your old president returns from the death to assassinate you… you knew shet went into the opposite direction. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]But the Exchange thrived. It was stable, silent even, and had little to no internal conflicts after usurping much and many of the Sun/Raven infrastructure. Why?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Because Khaleel Malvern was inherently not a greedy person.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]This had been shown in the past when a certain false Zambrano had tried to cut a deal with Khal and found his offer accepted immediately. It had been shown over Halm when the Underground had received a sizeable portion of the cut for the operations established there.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Both Zambrano and Rekali had wondered… was Khal bad at business? A fool perhaps. But the truth was different from that. The truth was that while the premier concern of the Exchange revolved around money, Khal had different goals in mind. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The building of connections.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The Underground and the Exchange were heavily affiliated now. Allowing, for example, the later to establish themselves in this very shadowport. Whilst other criminal entities were repulsed and held at bay from the old Saelari Medical Center.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]exchange[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] for a bigger cut on a single world’s diamond export… worth it, no?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The same was happening right here and now. Khal was looking to make the gap between the Rekalis and the Exchange smaller than it was. Of course, he was going to negotiate a little bit for form, propriety and the sort. But at the end of the day this treaty was worth more than access to their smuggling routes and everything else Alec just described.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It meant closer contact to one of the more powerful clans of the Mandalorians. It meant an opening to expand within Mandalorian Space and every advantage that came with it. It meant a new source of subtle recruitment of battle-hardened soldiers, experienced pilots, Vahla Witches and more. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]"First you get the money, then you get the power."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Khal did not believe in holding territory like a government. But he [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]did[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] believe in wielding as much power as any government, to receive all the benefits that came with that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]"Don’t see why not." the Underlord replied after some pondering. "The Exchange gets a cut for taking the heat off of you when we fence things or hide your people after an independent operation. Call it taxes and rent." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]"We see a lot." Especially with the dealings he did with the Vahla. "But we ain’t all seeing, whenever your people find something interesting, you share it with us and cut us in. Fair trade, in exchange we will cut you in on especially valuable enterprises."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]He paused.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]"We all in agreement so far?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Ember Rekali"] / [member="Alec Rekali"][/SIZE]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

Alec almost nodded and said yes, she really did. But her mistake at the clan gathering was still uppermost on her mind, and she shut her mouth and looked at Ember.

Who looked back at his granddaughter and nodded fractionally. Take the lead, that nod said. I trust you.

She coughed and shoved her feelings aside. "Yeah, Khal, that's fine by us. The usual courtesies an' considerations'll do fine." She scratched her neck. There'd been something else... "Oh, and we've got something we think you can fence. You're the only one we'd come to for something like this."

Her grandfather unshouldered the bag he wore in place of a jetpack. It rattled heavily as he set it down on the desk.

"Ten Roonstones," said Alec. "We've had'em authenticated. Every one of'em's worth a small fleet, but everyone knows the last Roonstones were Fed property, and we don't want any more trouble with the Techno Union than strictly necessary. At least not on any terms but ours. Think you can front'em? Fifteen percent cut."

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Alec Rekali"]

To his credit Khaleel didn't react noticeably to the fortune put down on his desk without much ceremony. A kingdom could be bought with it. An empire's worth of soldiers. ...Revan's lightsaber, apparently, but that was just a rumor not worth pursuing.

He reached out after exchanging a look with both Ember and Alec. One of the Roonstones was now in his hand - didn't feel as heavy as he expected it to be.

"Can do." Khal put the stone back with the rest. Fifteen percent... he didn't even consider trying to negotiate that: 15% would finance his entire Shadowport project with enough change to spare.

"It will take a while though."

When most things packed heat when fenced, this one was red-hot and about to burn through everything it touched. Had to be careful about it.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

"Taking a while is fine. All that matters is that we all get our money in the end, and none of this comes back to bite us. But you know your business, Khal." Fifteen percent of infinity tended to guarantee good performance; Khal's innate practicality made sure of it. And his lack of avarice (relatively speaking) likewise made sure that he wouldn't get grabby without good reason.

Fifteen percent for the fence, one percent for Alec personally -- it'd been her outlay that snared it, and her effort -- one percent for the Underground, and eighty-three percent for the expansion of Clan Rekali. Ramscoops, waystations, gas mining and processing, Hard Roil redoubts, Corusca gem miners, mass relocation of new recruits... They were taking in refugees that didn't mind the same dangerous jobs that the rest of the Clan worked. The Roonstone fortune padded the overhead costs of creating those jobs: ships, safety gear, fuel, training.

Alec glanced at Ember again - anything else? - and he shrugged fractionally, chin shifting to the side by a hair. "Think that about settles it at our end," Alec said, turning back to Khal. "Anything you need to add before we shake on it?"

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Alec Rekali"]

There was. The Techno Union was rumbling around. He wasn't sure what they were exactly planning, but he didn't think it would be anything good for his business, not that it really mattered at this point.

The Exchange's operations had expanded so much over the years that even if they would lose all access on 'Shadda, it would only be a little bump in their growth.

Plans were in motion regardless.

"A couple, yes." Khal replied. "I used to head an enclave for the Jedi Academy on Nar Shaddaa. Grey Paladins. With my focus on other things the Enclave has been inactive."

"I figure with your wallets flushed, y'all would be interested in the training material and the sort. Ain't being used now anyway."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Samael Rekali"] (but rly [member="Khaleel Malvern"])

This time she didn't need to look to Ember for his assent; they'd had a relevant discussion two weeks ago. Asli Krimsan's holocron was a boon when it came to standardizing Force instruction between young Vahla, Witches, and Mandalorians, but one holocron couldn't handle the entire training program. And a program was what it was turning into, albeit one that struggled to keep up with the blending of Vahla theology and Witch superstition that propagated in the Roil. And, indeed, in Port Shardrock. Vahl as one of the Spirits that burned down souls to the mingled ash that was the manda -- well, those conflations of ideas kept growing. Every little bit helped.

"The Clan would be more than happy to reimburse ya for those," she said. "We've got a need for training materials, training tools -- whole lotta kids to reeducate before they start doing dangerous things. Dathomir plus Vahl can add up to a whole lot of nope. Anything else you get along those lines, we'd appreciate a look."

Ember stood; an instant later, almost simultaneously, Alec joined him on her feet.

"Think we're in a place we can shake on it," said the Clan Father, extending the hand that had punched through the wall of the Sith Council's holocron vault.

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In exchange Khal extended the hand that had broken apart reinforced bulkhead doors made of turadium - with some help from his mind, no doubt. But that was just a minor detail in an otherwise fun one-up story for the sake of preserving integrity in the face of superiority. They shook upon it, sealing the deal and creating a treaty between Clan Rekali and the Exchange, something that would be [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]very[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] beneficial for the future.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]"Got a feeling y'all got other businesses to attend to, otherwise I'd invite ya to join in for dinner and the sort, but ‘fore ya go, Alec. We should discuss some important Underground business."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Underground was pretty silent these days. Running guns, propagating by cells, a few rare hits here and there, but there was a pretty big elephant in the room. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Rebellion Actual.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]"Certain assets gotta be moved, I think. Safer with the Sith's approach and all."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Alec Rekali"][/SIZE]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

"Ain't that the truth. General Merrill's signed off on it -- whatever the two of us decide. I don't want to do this off the cuff, but there's some options. For remoteness but accessibility, I'm leaning towards the Denarii Nebula. Real easy to get to, real hard to get into, close to enough routes that tracking's not an option, and it's a quick jump from a few Rekali holdings. Convenient to the Perlemian and the Mara for raiding support purposes - repair, mostly.

"There's also out by Alliance territory. Anoat, maybe. Kira, even - you wouldn't believe the maps of that region. Little closer to home, maybe the Sisar Run." She pulled out a small imagecaster and brought up a handful of maps to match the mentions. "That's just what I worked up on the way over. Haven't gone into it in much depth, apart form looking at travel time and boltholes for each of those. That's the sort of thing I'm looking at, though: Rim, but not too far out to be useful; lots of finicky little lanes that the astrogators among us can shortcut around." She flicked through a few more maps and folded her arms, ignoring her grandfather for the moment. He seemed content to listen.