Colors On The Wall

[Kalak the Raykkan]

M A E N A​

L E V E L - 450​

"They will test you. Show them your resolve. Rip and tear, until there is nothing left."​

​

The Raykkans weren't much to look at.

Uglier than the backside of their Hutt cousins, eyes feverish amber burning, a cigar of necrotic decay stuck between their teeth to simulate the smog of their homeworld. Weak and fragile, even a stiff wind was enough to simply blow them away... or at least that was often said about them. Hence it was strange how they often found their way in positions and places of relative influence.

Power flowed easily into their waiting embrace and was not often released.

It was understandable that they had substantial influence in the Lower 50. Blue collar, industry, the non-sexy profits of water, air, food, more often than not there was a Raykkan at the other side of the overseer table. Their presence in the lower levels was less obvious, but the gangs and thugs that tried to root them out... often found themselves in an unpleasant position of debt and servitude. A small industrial zone on level 450 used to be the home of squatters after the factory had closed during a particularly heavy depression. Only a few months ago the Raykkans (or Raykkan anyway) moved in, pushing them out and renovating it for their own goals.

As often was the case when a business was foolish enough to decide to operate on the lower-lower levels gangs decided to make their presence known.

Pay the money or be harassed, until you are wiped out.

Kalak was less than amused.

A meeting was convened to resolve their differences. Few expected that the attendants would be slaughtered to the sentient, before the chance of surprise was used to root out the offending gangs from root to stem. Only a few weeks later new venison and meat products were put on the Maena market catered towards specific clientele. The other gangs decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Not with the level of insanity going on there.

But the demands were far outstripping the moderate supply they were providing and new sources were necessary, especially when it came to the more exotic desires. Hence a meeting was set up with someone. The Raykkan was made to understand that there was a figure, the Doctor, they called her, had deep-running connections and a reach that could be a lucrative source for import.

The meeting was set in one of the meat processing facilities.

Restricted to employees-only meant that few people ever saw the insides of the industrial park. [member="Irajah Ven"] would be one of the first, in fact. She would be escorted by two sentients, large, hulking beasts that seemed to have replaced half their bodies with cybernetics. They would guide her past the assembly lines, the automated ones and those guided by the slaves and their overseers.

Until they finally arrived at the offices.

The stark change from bloody, dirty and corrupt to relatively tasteful wroshyr wood and comfortable chairs would be jarring.

Doors opened and at the other side of the office stood the Raykkan, Kalak. He seemed to be busy watching the security feeds that were dominating the entirety of the wall.

 

[Kuzo]

After the last push into the lower levels of Maena, this trip down was entirely mundane. She had watched as the levels had slipped away above, gazing out thoughtfully as the city rose around her. The Sith that ruled here, nominally, did very little ruling this far down. Only when things of interest floated up from the depths did she reach deeper, drawing them up and out to inspect and perhaps set on a shelf for the sake of curiosity.

Irajah was had slightly more interest. It was pragmatic, mostly. Sometimes subjects, sometimes other things (Shrike, the voice whispered and she frowned, setting it aside for now), but the lower levels interested her more and more these days. Here and Coruscant, they both appealed to her and her work on an intrinsic level. But Maena?

Maena was special.

The trip was an easy one, for someone with the clearances Doctor Ven carried with her. There were few places on Maena she could not simply walk into, and those she did not out of respect rather than anything else.

The proposal that had come across her desk from this Raykkan (such strange creatures and she wondered, briefly, if she would be able to procure a subject for her work), was unorthodox. And yet, it coincided with a certain need that had been building up over the last month or so. A certain limit of casual and quiet disposal. Her goal was never to send her subjects on. But sometimes it simply could not be helped, to push the information she needed beyond a point. She considered their deaths a side effect, rather than the goal. Trial and error. There was no gain without risk, without using up certain resources.

Discovery, after all, required experimentation.

But it would be convenient to have something to do with the bodies once she was finished.

She wrinkled her nose, only ever so slightly, while moving through the facility. She preferred the cleanliness of her lab. This was distasteful in a vague, uninteresting sort of way- it reminded her of times and things past that she would rather not think about. She found the office they went to more to her liking.

"Mister Kalak," Irajah stepped into the office, her gaze moving from the Raykkan to the feeds behind him.

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Little protruding ears swiveled as they caught the sound of doors hissing open and the soft, diminutive tap of feet on the carpet.

"Doctor. Join me, please." With a strangely comedic waggle the Raykkan made some room for Raj to stand next to him. "I hope your journey through the under-levels of Maena were pleasant enough." A quick side-glance of calculation and sizing up occurred, before those amber eyes returned to the feeds once more.

Now that she stood right beside him she would see what he was studying.

Dozens of screens spread across the wall, each had a different scene. Some of them were simple and innocent enough: those same guardian beasts that had escorted her patrolling the corridors, the assembly line of crates being constructed, strange tree-like sentients scrubbing floors, before the feeds became less and less innocent.

Ending with a relatively long line of sentients being lead into a literal slaughterhouse.

Their deaths were painless enough, no bullets or blaster-fire (that ruined the taste) or anything more expensive. Just the quick and painless (somewhat) death by... it was really unpleasant and not something anyone wanted to describe.

Efficient though.

"Ash-Ham, Chipotle Swine... Blue Milk Mozzarella. The people are hungry, Doctor, and I need a steady supply. I am told that you deliver quality and deliver it without questions."

 

[Kuzo]

"Maena is like a second home to me, Mister Kalak," she said, inclining her head as she stepped up beside him. "It is always informative to delve into the deeper levels and see what there is to find."

Raj felt a vague wave of nausea. It was fine just watching the screen, there she'd felt a touch of distaste for the methods, but nothing deeper. But the mention of specific foods sent her stomach churning. But she'd woken up vaguely queasy anyway, probably something she'd eaten the day before that simply wasn't sitting right.

Shaking her head slightly, taking a deep breath to settle the feeling, she glanced down at the Raykkan.

"Quality and without question," she mulled the choice of wording, wondering just who had promised him such a thing. Both were true, however....

"You could say that. A variety, as well. Far greater than is available on Maena. As long as you understand they come piecemeal. I rarely have whole specimens to send, you understand. I am not a wholesaler, I do not take orders. Consider it more..... artisan meats. Call them weekly specials, if you like. Charge double. People will love it." She shrugged.

She needed to find something to do with what was left over from her experiments.

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Kalak's appetite ran greater than that, this was true, but the Raykkan was a patient fellow and in this regard less was certainly more.

At some point in the near future Kalak imagined a host of meat processing facilities slaughtering thousands if not more sentients, meat for the slaughter, until they were processed into rich, tasteful and pleasant meals for the crowds to consume. But right now he had to satisfy himself with the lesser production, until people's desire boiled over and Ugg's Deli could be launched into a more... galactic presence.

"Ah, if only I had a dozen of you." Kalak commented lightly, while wondering just how far he would be able to go with a dozen of these Doctors by his personal side.

"Currently my supply is taken directly from the lower levels... diversity runs rampant, but the quality could be better." Which... didn't say much, admittedly, Raykkans were infamously picky when it came to their food source. "But I like the way you think- make it novel, make it fresh and extraordinary... and the people will come."

A soft nod followed soon after.

"What kind of treatment does your meat go through? Chemicals, conservatives, things like that."

 

[Kuzo]

"A dozen of me?" She smirked slightly, glancing over. "The galaxy would run out of caf...."

She trailed off, not finishing her thought.

And we would conquer death.

But this being beside her required that death. And while she continued in her experiments to push the boundaries, this was not the place for it. This was business, to help deal with the excesses, the unfortunate left overs in her operations. While there were certainly buyers on Coruscant for certain black market organs, there was still more that was undesirable from that angle. Of course, it would perfectly suit his needs.

Waste not, want not.

"The parts I would be sending you, minimal processing," she allowed. "However, if you do not object to organs and meats that have had work done on them, I would be happy to include them. I would never send product that was unfit for consumption, you understand, but the nature of my work means an ever shifting potential for changes in the process."

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Kalak listened and nodded appreciative.

It was rare that a human understood the small, but important details of preparing a proper meal or rather, one that had no difficulty in pretending like it was business as usual. It seemed that calling upon the Doctor for this had been the right decision after all. This was good, even if she did look rather ugly from this angle.

Her ears were weird.

And that... nose.

Ah, to be back with Ao and enjoy a fine meal together, shared and in the comfort of Raykka.

"I understand completely." He finally said, before nodding once more. "I trust your judgement in this, Doctor, your credentials are backed by very appreciate and big names on Maena."

"As long as you consider them well for consumption, I will take it all."

All that was important was that the consumers didn't immediately get poisoned. That would be bad for business and if there was one thing Kalak disliked it was that.

"I will have my people send in the data necessary to set up a chain of supply."

 

[Kuzo]

A month later

Irajah leaned her elbow on the desk, chin cupped in her hand as she scrolled through the most recent manifests. Her work required a certain influx of materials, equipment and.... subjects. One thing caught her eye, and she blinked in surprise. She wasn't at the lab, instead at the office in her and Jai's apartment, so she couldn't check in person.

Quickly, she sent a pulse to the administrator there, and then pulled up the contact information for a certain Raykkan.

Settling back in her chair, trying to keep the bemusement from her face, she waiting until Kalak picked up on the other end of the holocom.

"Hello Kalak," she said. While there wasn't warmth there perse, there was a certain friendliness. After all, their business deal had been gratifying for both of them so far.

"I got your gift. I won't pretend it doesn't surprise me, but I appreciate it. Where ever did you get them?"

In the background, she also wondered just what the mercenary little alien actually wanted in return.

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

The first thing Irajah would see was the burning tip of a thick cigarro.

Smoke curled upwards and obfuscated much of Kalak's face... except for the burning eyes. They pierced that cloud of smoke, unblinking, passively observing and staring into the screen, until the uplink between their two HoloNet nodes synchronized. Then the smoke cleared and sharp, predatory teeth revealed itself in a big, big grin that held little mirth and plenty of hunger.

"Hello, Irajah." A beat of silence as he tried to think of a compliment to give. Her ears weren't as malnourished as they had been last time, but for some reason the Raykkan assumed that it would not be a good compliment.

Hmm.

Oh, well, it would probably be best to simply not give any compliment at all. Already Kalak was starting to feel nauseous, so he did not think he would have been able to make it sound genuine anyway. "I did assume you might be interested in them, yes. I recently acquired some... real-estate in the lower levels of Maena. There was a whole nest of them."

Head tilted.

"We had to put down the nest-mother sadly, she was quite disagreeable, but if there was someone who would have use for the hatchlings? It would be the Doctor." A coarse chuckle at the end of that.

"How is business on busy busy Coruscant?"

 

[Kuzo]

Honestly, Irajah wasn't entirely certain what she'd do with a bunch of Kilik larva. Oh, ideas were already starting to form. Creativity had never been a particular stretch for the dark haired woman, and the longer she thought about it, the more she'd find that the had more ideas than actual larva to work with.

Funny how that usually worked out.

"Business is good," she conceded, "But we may have different definitions of that." She smiled.

"And you? I assume the last few shipments made it through without issue."

She hadn't heard complaints, and her invoices had been paid promptly. Honestly, the money didn't matter at all to her. They barely went through a fraction of what was available to them, month to month, but it would be nice if this project were self sustaining. It was more than a hobby to Raj, this was a drive. A mission. But that didn't mean she wouldn't appreciate if she didn't have to worry about certain little details.

[member="Kalak the Raykkan"]

 

[Kalak the Raykkan]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Kalak believed firmly in having no loose ends left.

When possible it was better to have friends than enemies, unless you were particularly hungry and assured of yourself. It was for this reason that Kalak had no plans to betray the Doctor or even skim her on the bills he paid for the wealth of meat she provided. Besides, the human did not truly look very tasty in his eyes and so there was no advantage whatsoever. "Oh, yes, business is booming on Maena." Kalak cheerfully informed her while taking another long drag from his cigar.

"The amphibian supply of last month was quite a treat, fans are already campaigning for its reintroduction on the menu." Sharp teeth grinned and Kalak inclined his head in thanks. It was odd how much these sentients enjoyed... sentients, compared to the overal taboo of the practice.

The Raykkan was almost certain that if they ever found out-

Well, some of Maena would presumably not care. The Hawkins were a steady competitor, after all, and they were quite transparent about their business practices.

"In fact, I have been planning on introducing a franchise on Coruscant. The demand is slowly rising, the hype-" Such a strange word, but their PR department loved it for some reason. "-is all consuming." Kalak thought about it for a moment, before making a decision. It was not one that he made lightly. After all, business was only profitable when you made sure you went for it a hundred percent. Even little signs in different directions could jeopardize it.

But he liked this human.

She had spunk and was not afraid of getting her ears dirty when necessary... even if they were severely misshapen.

"The Doctor would always have a discount at my franchises, of course." Part of him already regretted it, but sometimes a Raykkan needed to show some forward-thinking. Some... creativity. Even if it had blown-up in his face all those years ago.