Dream and Make Those Dreams Come Alive

[Aneya Maev]

ELROOD
SCNN Southern Region Headquarters
Conference Centre

---

NPC: Xander Brand

Xander's two-day business visit to Elrood to check the work of the company's southern region's office was nearing its end, but there was just one more thing to do before he could get to leave the planet and forget business matters for a while. And that something was a meeting. Well, actually, two meetings. One with the heads of the regional office and one with another corporation's founder.

And that is exactly why there was a conference centre in the headquarters. One room would have been too little for all the meetings that the company had and they just couldn't afford fancy business meetings to be held at restaurants, so that had to do.

What he had to admit, though, was that most companies didn't even have their own conference centres. That gave the SCNN a huge boost in performance, as well as a look of a rich corporation. It was a small company, actually, and hadn't managed to make a lot of income. However, news business was essential and would provide the company a great future. Right now, they just had to fight for it and not give up.

Xander was often seen as the role model of dreaming and making these dreams come alive. That's probably why he was the CEO of the network as well.

Before he could meet up with the regional headquarters' executives, he had to meet one of the owners of the Lochlan Apparel, which was a new promising clothing business despite its small size. The man believed if these two companies worked together, both of them would benefit and start doing great in the future.

Sitting in one of the centre's white rooms, he finished his coffee while waiting for the representative to arrive

[ [member="Aedan Lochlan"] ]

 

[Dayn Wren]

NPC: Ailish Lochlan

Ailish was on a business trip. That felt good to say. Business, or at least the potential for it, had taken her to the very southern tip of the Galactic Alliance's sphere of influence. She had never been to Elrood before, but she find the environment highly agreeable. She didn't want to judge, but certain planets simply reeked of corruption. A nice vista had absolutely nothing to do with any lack of corruption, she knew, but even so she had a good feeling about this.

This was a huge opportunity. Ailish saw it for what it was and was keen on capitalising on it. A trip like this didn't come for free, but if she wanted Lochlan Apparel to thrive she had to be aggressive and seize opportunities where they arose. Right now that was here, with the Sullust Central News Network. The company might gain a dependable customer to sell their products to, and considering the nature of the SCNN they might even get some publicity.

Ailish wore a grey elegant dress, with ruffled sleeves and a knee length pencil skirt. Around her neck she had a silver necklace, with a blue stone at the end. Her hair was folded neatly together and held upwards. The air around her got a taste of her mild, flowery perfume. The blonde had taken great care to ensure that its effect was subtle, not drowning. She felt professional and ready to land this deal.

Lady Lochlan had arrived early for her appointment. She had waited patiently and without fuzz. She wasn't one to cause a scene unless the situation truly called for it. When it finally was her time, she got up and walked in towards the conference centre, aiming for one of the white rooms which currently contained Mr Brand. Thankfully someone had pointed her in the right direction.

The sound of her heels announced her arrival before she came within view. When she finally did, she put on her best smile and said. "Mr Brand. A pleasure" at least she hoped this was Mr. Brand. That was the one she had been told she was meeting with. If not they were off to an awkward start. She walked over towards him to greet him. Being a foreigner and unaware of their traditions, she'd wait until the last moment to see if he went in for a special kind of greeting. If not she would extend her hand to shake his.

[member="Aneya Maev"]

 

[Aneya Maev]

While every other important leader in the business world seemed to like wearing suits and expensive outfits, Xander stayed true to his own style, wearing only a black T-shirt and nearly as dark jeans. Yes, it may have been a little bit odd to some, but he didn't care much about it. After all, what really mattered was not the way he looked like, but the way the company worked. It wasn't the best strategy because the CEO was pretty much the public image portraying the corporation, but he thought it would work.

The representative, most likely one of the three founders of Lochlan Apparel, stepped into the room and Xander could smell the floral perfume she had on her. Only later could he notice the gray dress she was wearing. Well, that was definitely something.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Lochlan," he said as he stood up from his seat while putting the coffee cup down on a shelf located below the table. He would want the table to look as clean as possible. On the table were only some bottles of Siechel MineralWater, bowls with different snacks - berries, biscuits, fruit - and some papers. That was pretty much all they would need, he guessed. His business meeting manager had thought the same.

He smiled, looked into the eyes of the woman's, stepped out behind the table and stretched his hand out to shake hands with the woman. He didn't really know what traditions the woman was used to, so he thought it would be the best not to risk with such an essential part of a meeting. After all, the first impression was most of the times the most influential thing at making a contract.

"Please, take a seat," he said, gesturing at the chair after the handshake. He would follow the woman to the chair and pull it out of the table for her. Manners were important, even if he wasn't wearing the most formal outfit himself.

Just to make the conversation flow better, he thought he would not jump into business talks right away but start off with some casual small talk instead. "So how was the trip here? Enjoyed the view of Elrood?"

[ [member="Aedan Lochlan"] ]

 

[Dayn Wren]

Ailish had actually expected to see a man in a suit. When she did not, she was kind of relieved. Ailish was young and new to this world of business. Walking into a room of powerful men and women in suits while simultaneously trying to persuade them that what you're doing is especially nice could be intimidating. This felt a little more casual, which took some of the pressure off. Provided he took the meeting seriously, things ought to go well.

She smiled a thank you to the pleasantries exchange. They shook hands. So far so good. "Thank you" she said with a smile as she walked over to the table and took her seat. "That's very kind" she added. She hadn't expected him to pull out the chair for her. Such manners! She was impressed.

Ailish was glad he started with a casual small-talk question, she had no idea how to initiate this otherwise. "Oh, it went smoothly. Very comfortable. And I did! I hope I get to enjoy it more before I go home. You live on a lovely planet." Oh yeah, totally nailing this whole being nice thing! She thought to herself, giving herself a figurative pat on the shoulder. Things seemed to be going well so far.

"You should visit Naboo sometime. I am sure you would like it" she followed up with. Perhaps he already had. Both planets seemed to have great scenery and nature locations, something she was personally very fond of.

[member="Aneya Maev"]

 

[Aneya Maev]

"Oh yes, Naboo is fantastic," Xander noted. He'd not visited it many times; the Republic didn't hold control over the planet, meaning he wouldn't have the chance to get there because of work. Now that he was the leader of a company in the Galactic Alliance, having Naboo in their territory, he'd had a lot of reasons to go there. Three times with three different reasons, to be precise. Once for vacation, once for meeting an influential company owner there, and the third time was when he went to watch a match of smashball.

He took a deep breath after that, trying to focus on the business talks. He would have to show incredible attitude and desire to work with Lochlan Apparel, otherwise this meeting wouldn't work out.

"Talking about Naboo, how has your company been doing?" he asked, both to avoid an awkward silence and to get to the business talks. He wasn't the one to worry too much about silence during conversations, but there certainly were many people who felt odd and uncomfortable when such moments took place. He had grown used to preventing such situations.

It was a rather small company, he'd heard. His own corporation was not much larger either, meaning both of them could possibly leave the meeting as winners. And the thought of that was definitely pleasing.

He had many dreams of what the SCNN could do and what help they would need from other organisations. Having the employees of the company wear uniforms while on duty was a definite plan he had. If they could have additional functions that could make the lives of reporters even easier, it would have been even better. But that was not the main goal at that moment.

[ [member="Aedan Lochlan"] ]

 

[Dayn Wren]

"It's been doing well, thank you!" they were smoothly transitioning from regular small talk to more business-relevant topics. Smooth indeed. Ailish knew she ought to sell herself and her company as best as she could, but at the same time she couldn't make up lies either. It was frankly a little disrespectful towards the other party in the coming discussions. They deserved to know what kind of company they would be working with. She also did not want to insult his intelligence by covering up things he easily could have researched before the meeting. She came into this meeting with the intent of being open and honest. Thankfully with a company as young as hers, they really hadn't had that much time to mess up too much.

"We recently launched a new line of sunglasses that seems to be doing quite well." she was of course referring to the Rogue Sunglasses, although the civilian edition. "We even have Rogue Squadron wearing them" she was quite proud of that. Ailish really didn't want to come off as bragging, but it was simply true. Hopefully Mr. Brand could appreciate the accomplishment, considering their humble resources. Though she brought up the sunglasses, she left out the extra tweaks the Rogues had received. Although it would probably make him more intrigued, even surprised to see they could add a technological twist to their clothing and accessories, it was kept a military secret.

"It's not all a cake walk though, as I'm sure you can imagine. Having just started up, I feel like we always have just enough of what we need but never comfortably so. We spent quite a lot of money on that last project. Thankfully it's paying off." she ended with a smile. Maybe she was saying too much, but it had made sense to her in the moment and so she had rolled with it without looking back. They were small, their resources limited, but so far it had been a successful endeavour.

"I understand you are a pretty young company as well?" she started turning the focus over onto the SCNN. She didn't want to appear self-absorbed after all, she was interested in their company as well. "I read your news issue. Excellent coverage! Though of course disturbing times, what with Dulvoyinn and Ruusan." it was hard to compliment something and seem enthusiastic about it when it dealt with something as grim as war, but she hoped she got her point across. It was a job and they did it well. While the news may be sad or even upsetting, the presentation was praiseworthy.

[member="Aneya Maev"]

 

[Aneya Maev]

"Yes, there seems no way out of war," Xander commented, turning a little bit thoughtful for a moment. "But the news must reach everybody in the galaxy, whether they're good or bad."

Ever since his time as the top news anchor at the Galactic Republic, Xander had been molded in the sadness of war. All these reports that came in from battlefields all around the galaxy, some more lethal than the other, had dug a deep hole inside the man. Remembering his very first news about wars, remembering how chaotic he had been and ho much he had struggled with telling people of the Republic about them... it was unbearable.

"It is difficult for young companies in this world, but we do our best, just like you, and that way we can all rise up above the stars."

He took one of the bottles from the table, as well as a glass, and then looked at the woman, "Would you like some?" The water was flavoured with grava berry, which was definitely a risky taste. Not all people preferred it, but the man believed those who did had very good taste.

Depending on whether the woman wanted water or not, he either poured or didn't pour some to her.

"But i do believe it is time to talk about why we really are here today," the man continued after taking a sip of his water. "Like you may know, a good employee needs a good uniform. We are talking about reporters here, who must either blend into the crowd or stand out of everybody else, depending on the situation. Unfortunately, we currently lack such uniforms."

[ [member="Aedan Lochlan"] ]

 

[Dayn Wren]

Ailish nodded slowly in agreement at Xander. Neither disputed that war was horrible, but sticking ones heads in the sand helped no one nor did it make it go away. As he said, whether good or bad, the news must reach everybody in the galaxy. The lengths SCNN were going to see to it that that happened were admirable.

"Oh, yes please" Ailish said with a polite smile when offered the water. She smiled another thank you as he poured her a drink. "And I'll drink to that. Rise above the stars" she said a little jokingly and taking a sip. The taste was new, slightly bizarre. At first it had seemed a bit tame, but the strong aftertaste corrected her first impression. It might take some getting used to, but she kind of wanted to get used to it. She liked it.

"Indeed! Let's" Ailish said in agreement, eager to move on to business. So far this meeting had gone pretty well, and she hoped they both would transition into the business aspects of it with a positive outlook.

And now they were getting to the heart of it. Uniforms! Yes, she could do something with that. "Well it's a good thing then you're making friends on Naboo" she said with a little wink. Of course she was referring to the Lochlans. "We can make uniforms for you. Would you be wanting different sets? For blending in and standing out?" she wasn't entirely sure if he wanted two different sets or one that embodied both.

"If you want, we can even throw on some relevant equipment on them. Cameras, microphones. Concealed or obvious, all depending on your needs." if they could put night vision and cameras on sunglasses, surely they could work similar magic on a reporter's uniform.

[member="Aneya Maev"]

 

[Aneya Maev]

"Is colour-changing material a thing?" Xander asked with a slight tone of fun to his voice. He was serious about not knowing whether making clothes that could change their appearance was possible or not, though. If it was, then he would love if his employees could change the uniform's properties on the field. If not, then he would do with two separate ones.

And then the woman mentioned the additional equipment which they could incorporate into the uniforms.

"What a pleasing surprise. I mean, it is definitely not the easiest thing to do, but if you are able to put cameras and little microphones and equipment along these lines into clothing, then it would be fantastic."

He knew Aneya would love these things. She was the one who had bothered the man with a suggestion to get uniforms for the reporters of the company. In no way would she have expected to hear anything about some equipment being concealed into the clothing.

"I mean, it would be an interesting touch. If they can be concealed, it is like a dream come true. We have an entertainment newspaper editorial in our company, so they would greatly benefit from having little spy-like technology with them."

[ [member="Aedan Lochlan"] ]

 

[Dayn Wren]

Is colour changing material a thing? Honestly, Ailish didn't really know. She had never made anything of that kind, nor had she seen it. But if it was a thing, then by the Force, she would find out and make it happen!

"We don't currently make clothing out of colour-changing material." she admitted, but the way she said it made it sound like it wasn't final. "But I'll investigate it and see if it can be done. If it's possible, we can make it happen." She felt pretty confident about that. She was good at what she did. If she could craft the all-seeing pair of dark eyes for the Rogues, surely she could make a dress that made up its own mind whether it felt like being pink or white. Her answer was something of a 'would if I could', without knowing yet if she truly could.

"We should be able to add cameras and microphones into the clothing without having it be obvious. Of course, if someone were to scan it for electronics or put the area under a lens, they might see it. But we'll do our best" she said with a smile, taking another sip from that fascinating flavoured water he had offered her before.

"Lochlan Apparel will make spy reporters out of you yet!" she joked, and laughed a little light-heatedly.

"Do you have any preference for the way these uniforms would look?" she asked, starting to get down to the fine details. If she delivered a product she wanted it to be well-received, and tailored to her customer's desires. "Long pencil skirt and a suit jacket for women? A dress? Or perhaps something with pants?" She found that the female wardrobe offered more variation, so she started there. Men were so predictable.

"If we make no progress with the colour changing material, are there any colours representative of the SCNN you would want the uniforms to be in? Orange and black? Pink?" she threw out a few suggestions. After showering him with a rain of questions, she lifted her glass, swirled the contents before taking another sip. She hoped he didn't mind. At least it showed she took it seriously. If he had no specific wishes, she would just have to get creative.

[member="Aneya Maev"]

 

[Aneya Maev]

"Hmm, that is a good question," Xander responded to the question about what the outfits would look like. "A lot of the time, reporters have to be outside and in not the most comfortable places. So maybe some kind of a more casual jacket and trousers?"

He took a sip of his drink while trying to think a little bit about this. Yes, Sullust Daily reporters would do fine with such uniforms, but Sullust Entertainment folks often had to go to huge events like parties, galas and balls and so on, meaning a casual clothing wouldn't suit their needs. Maybe having a dress for them wasn't a bad idea?

"I don't know, maybe a dress would be very good for Sullust Entertainment folks? So that they wouldn't have to go to parties in a completely out of place clothing." He smirked at that. "But then it should be a simpler dress that would suit most kinds of parties. I mean, sure, we have money to order several different kinds of uniforms, but it would get too tedious to have different ones for every event in life," he laughed.

The woman had started with the female outfits, which was a good idea, seeing how they were often more complicated than men when it came to clothing. Well yeah, men would also need separate uniforms, but they could just wear a beautiful suit and look just fine doing that.

"I am thinking more along the lines of orange and yellow and brown. Maybe golden," Xander said. "Yellow should be a colour that is easily noticeable, I believe. So maybe you could incorporate a text in yellow, saying 'PRESS' or 'MEDIA', to the more casual uniforms?"

[ [member="Aedan Lochlan"] ]