Dominoes: The Fine Print

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Enter Geneviève Lasedri.

There was nothing abundantly eye-catching about the woman--not originally, anyway. From childhood to her early twenties, the Chandrilan heiress had been aesthetically mediocre by most standards. Of course, people used to tell her she was pretty, because of Daddy.

She was only here now because of Daddy, in a way. Without her father, there would be no rich brat child; no apparently endless supply of an allowance; no ECHO Esprit Industries; no business deals to be made. Perhaps the absence of all of the above would equal a stress-free formula. Perhaps she would never have organized a faction based on rebellion. Perhaps she would never have been scarred and lost the function of her eye. Perhaps she would never have been born. It was all conjecture at this point.

What mattered was that the mysterious Lasedri child was a big girl now and was looking to change the galaxy. In the process of doing that, she needed to seek out resources. And to transport such resources, she needed cargo containers the likes of what Subach-Innes produced. Why no one else was promoting gigantic hauling containers was beyond her reasoning.

Clad in her usual black outfit, including combat boots and an ankle-reaching trenchcoat, Geneviève tracked into the halls of the revitalized company. She was indifferent towards any of the banners, historical displays, or trophies she passed, callously expressionless as she neared the secretary's desk. "Gen," she announced carelessly, "Here to see the boss, or you can see me leave."

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

The secretary motioned the woman towards a room in the back, one somewhat concealed with shadow. There, Circe was busy looking through reports of how her business was working out. Knowing that she was expecting business, she had 'put on' her Vinithi face, eager to see how this woman would respond. For now, most of her was obscured in shadow. Once Gen had finally stepped in and taken a seat, Circe's smile would become visible - and would grow.

"So... Miss Genevieve Lasedri. I've heard you haven't been doing too good recently - what's brought me the pleasure of your arrival?"

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

The Black Coat swept into the office, her single brown eye flashing about as she searched for any cameras undoubtedly affixed throughout the corridors and rooms of this headquarters. She absolutely hated cameras, regarding them only as a necessary evil in the most discrete of circumstances.

The 'alien' composition of the apparent company head mattered little to Geneviève. Her personal 'hobbies' frequently involved mingling with peoples of all kinds--though she had never encountered this species before. She simply notched it to her mental list and dwelt no further on the matter. What concerned her most was what intel Subach-Innes' leader seemed to have acquired on her. It was disturbing, considering the fact that no one outside her most inner circle of comrades could be privy to such knowledge of her physical ailments. She narrowed her eyes and brought her hands to rest on the top of the owner's desk. "I'm sorry? I'm just here for elaboration."

Gen was never one to allow the other party to feel empowered.

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"Well you've been staying out of the limelight, and the corporate rumor mill, as usual, seems to think that you're rather impaired. Judging from your eye..." She raised her own brow, not in imitation, but in curiosity. "But then again, your personal health is your own business, and I'm not one to try and pry further into your capability to continue leading your company in the state you're in. Anyways, I assume you came here to discuss business? Contractual obligations always send a nice chill down my spine."

Playtime was over, and she supposed it was time to get to work doing deals.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Of course. My eye. Not many people knew about it, but her right eye had had a little encounter with the unfriendly end of a knife a few years back. She had never had it fixed with surgical implants and the like as she enjoyed the effect it could provide. She was tough and liked to prove it. Besides, she had learned of the ability to see through the Force in an adaptive way, and oftentimes, it seemed as if it were for the better.

Unfortunately, Force sight does not aid one in seeing through lies. Lasedri always had to be on her game for these sorts of occasions. "Straight to the point? I'm looking into your heavy haul containers for deep space shipment." She paused, reviewing each of her words carefully in order to not present a weakness that could be exploited in this negotiation. "I'll have to see if you're capable of delivering on these, naturally."

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"Indeed I am. Tryton-class containers are usable for practically anything, after all - but unless you have a ship big enough to handle a load the size of a corvette, you're going to need a Tryton-class cargo hauler as well. Properly nippy, and relatively well-armed yo get the point across to any bastards that try to steal whatever you haul around. I still recommend fighter escort, though." She smiled. "How many of these containers do you want? I suppose I'm willing to give you a five percent discount, as this will be your first purchase with Subach... Or are you looking for a longer-term contract?"

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

It would have been nice to hear about a try-before-you-buy option, but that was too much to expect, of course. "We'll start out small and see where it goes--if your product meets expectations." She stood back up straight, bringing herself to full height and making her presence more imposing to the sitting owner.

"Assuming it's worth the shot, we can work out a short-term deal," she continued, shifting her eye's gaze towards whatever paperwork the other woman was sorting out. "A trial run would involve two of your tugs and four of your containers. And what can I expect of delivery?" Barraging demands was one of the most aggressive strategies she employed, hoping to overwhelm and confuse the other parties while also projecting an image of herself and her company in an effort to appear more powerful than she actually was. Gen often got her way.

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"This trial run assumes you purchase the four containers and two freighters for your own use." She smirked. "Delivery will be quick, I assure you. Though if you insist on writing the contract out, it's best you keep things open-ended so we can perform longer-term business. Actually, as a matter of fact..."

Circe stood up, stepping into the light so she could be seen. "I'm willing to do something nice for you personally as well. That is, if you have some sort of interest in what I'm about to suggest."

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Open-ended contracts were rather preferred, and Gen was on board with Miss Subach up until she removed herself from the chair. That was when she mentioned a 'personal' favor of some sort. This was the point when things get fishy.

When does anyone in business provide personal favors unless there are strings attached? Still, she might as well entertain herself and hear the woman out. Raising and eyebrow, ECHO Esprit's owner bade Subach-Innes' owner continue. "I don't claim to be prescient," she sassed. "Tell me already."

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"I have the technology to repair what you've lost. I can heal your scars, increase your durability, and best of all, give you sight in your damaged eye. However, it will take a bit of recuperating for you to recover. During that time, I would like to suggest that I take over for you, clandestinely, as a part of your company. And if you think I can't pull it off..."

Circe stepped into the shadow for a moment before reappearing. Her illusory skills had disguised her as Gen's exact duplicate, right down to what she was wearing. Tapping her throat with her finger, she gave a wide grin.

"You're sorely mistaken."

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

It was a nice idea: eliminating all traces of the wounds she had suffered on the disastrous slave-release mission. Repairing her eye was not something she was necessarily in favor of, however, as she feared losing her Miralukan-like sight. But a little fixing-up would be optimal. She just had not been the same since the unfortunate event.

The proposal of an interim headship of ECHO Esprit while Gen recuperated, followed by the subsequent transformation of the other woman into a mirror of herself was what shook her. That was not disturbing at all. Lasedri conveyed this disturbance with a bit of an incredulous stare, then a distrusting glare. Having a 'twin' was not something she liked the idea of. She could see this going badly in so many ways. "Not so fast, there. I have a bad feeling about this."

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"A bad feeling about what?" Circe raised an eyebrow in curiosity, a bit surprised at her response - surprised enough to return to her previous appearance. "A deal is a deal is a deal, Miss Lasedri. I have nothing to gain from performing malicious activities towards you, your company, or anything of the sort under your guise."

Smiling, Circe showcased the contact once more. "Anything else to discuss?"

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

"That's exactly what bothers me: the fact that you have nothing to gain." Geneviève wished she had been trained in... whatever it is Jedi are trained in. They can read minds or something like that, right? Miss Subach was obviously a Force-user herself, and a more experienced one at that. Gen was starting to feel at quite the disadvantage. Concentrate.

"How long is this... event you're proposing going to take?" she asked. "And what does this procedure entail?" I've got people counting on me. It was the first time Gen had felt the weight of responsibility since the Incident.

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

"A couple days at maximum. The healing process may take several days, even a couple of weeks, but should only be the length of roughly a month at the absolute maximum. The basis of the procedure entails using experimental medical technology to repair your skin, and biofiber implants to replace what you have that is damaged or non-functional. However, there is a chance we may not have to do too much to your eye..."

She smiled. "Shall we deal, Madame?"

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Damaged or non-functional... "I don't want you messing with my eye," Gen insisted. But she had to admit, everything else about the process sounded reasonable. She would never allow it to happen without reading the literature--fine print and all--or having her say in the general location of this operation. Nevertheless, the heiress was marginally interested in this plan. But you know what they say about things that seem too good to be true...

"And I'm still waiting to hear the catch. I'm certain you're not offering this for free, no matter what you'd like me to believe." Nothing is free, especially in business. The Black Coat folded her arms across her chest in anticipation of some load of bantha crap.

[member=Enigma]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"The only 'catch' here is you letting me take your place while you are in dispose. I'll keep everything the way it was previously so you won my have to worry. Promise. Though I don't understand why you want nothing to do with your eye... If you think that what you do to compensate is going to disappear, I assure you it will not."

Circe truthfully did not know what Gen used to compensate for her damaged eye with. It could've been the Force - she sensed the woman's aura from when she entered the room - but it was as equally plausible that she had become more dependent on her other eye, so much so that even with both eyes fixed, her left would still be stronger.

"Come now... Take this opportunity."

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

That's what I'm so worried about, banshee--you in charge. Are you looking for plans? "Are you expecting compensation for your term? Is that what you want?" If that was indeed what she wanted, then there was nothing too frightening about giving this woman a chance for a couple days. Gen had checks and balances in place, as well as the usual patents. She could trust her administrators. What could Miss Subach do in two days' time?

"There are a few stipulations I'm going to mandate," she stated, deciding that, for once in her life, maybe she should actually do what was best for her health. "I get to pick where you do this, for one." And I'm going to make sure my people never let you out of their sight while you're managing things.

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"No compensation. It wouldn't be free if I asked for such, would it?" She frowned. "As for 'where I do this:' what exactly do you mean by that? You want the procedure to be performed in a specific locale?" Her eyebrow was raised in curiosity, not quite understanding what was best meant by Gen's statement. "I can accommodate only to a point... The technology to do this is fragile and I'd prefer not to take it halfway across the galaxy."

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Gen had hardly been in her most rational condition lately. She should have stuck to her guns and refused the whole arrangement. But she did not. "Right. That's exactly what I mean," she confirmed. "I'm going to choose where I am when this goes down." The Benefactor peered into Miss Subach's eyes for a moment, trying to convince herself that disaster was not on the horizon.

"And..." she added, flexing her fingers a bit, "None of this gets recorded."

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

"Where you are, or where you're supposed to be?" She raised an eyebrow. "I have no qualms with you choosing the location that this medical procedure occurs at, or where you are laid up for the couple of weeks you recuperate. I assure you there will be no records regarding your medical procedure being performed by myself."

This was an intriguing opportunity, after all.