Getting tired of this business

[Arage Bao]

A message had been sent to the former Lord of the Fringe, about certain shares in a certain company. It seemed Arceneau was working fast, but moments after her deal had closed the same holder had contacted him. Jared wasn’t sure what game the man was playing, but neither did he really care.

As long as he got the shares it would be fine with him.

Sometimes you just gotta zone out and accept things as they are, if you want to enjoy life as it was.

Two hours later a meeting commenced between Ovmar and [member="Valik"]’s representative. Of course, he didn’t know Valik was involved.

 

[Valik]

After meeting with Ms. Arceneau one of Valik's many dummy holomail accounts would receive a message of importance, another person asking for shares of Mohc Extratives. This time asking for all he had. The Neurosaav company Exec, an old acquaintance as it happened, would receive a swift reply. After all, Valik knew that Ovmar had to have something that was worth his attention.

Valik would be escorted by Neurosaav employees to meet "The Big Man", each giving off their own propoganda and sales pitches as to why he should sell his Mohc Stock, invest in Neurosaav, cybernetically enhance himself, and all those spiels. He nodded, smiled, conversed, and played the part of what they expected to him to be, until he finally reached Ovmar. His face and presence in the Force still disguised by Sith Mask and Art of the Small he greeted the fellow Tion.

"Murder anyone other corporate executives while I wasn't looking Ovmar, or was Je'gan enough?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

There were only a handful of people who knew the name, the situation and my involvement in it. The majority were Tion, trusted, then there was Solo who somehow meta’d her way into knowing it too. This wasn’t Solo and his records were clean, Kitt thought 150.000 credits was a lot of money - so Jared doubted she’d be able to get enough cash together to hire a professional.

From all the Tions there were only two people who could appear as someone else at will.

Both of them were currently in this room, if Ovmar was correct about this.

‘Valik, old bastard. I am trying to avoid such extreme measures these days, something about mellowing with age. You doing good, I hope?’

 

[Valik]

"Well as can be. Garnering all sorts of research and readying for a company move." Valik replied, his eye's still wondering about the room, surveying the NeuroSaav man's defenses and surveillance. An old habit of his to find all possible points of danger in a room that never died.

"Speaking of company moves, stock in Mohc seems to be consolidating to two entities. Yourself and Ms. Arceneau. A few short hours ago I sold six percent. What are you offering for the next ten?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

‘Money.’ the Sith Lord waved away the protests. ‘A token amount for appearance-sake.’

‘Now onto the interesting things. I am not sure how I am going to top a Murakami orchid.’ he stated and it was hard to disconcern if there was sarcasm in that statement.

‘But I know you are pretty keen on experimenting on people these days. I could get you… samples of some force sensitive-beings.’

The room was clean, no bugs, all security had been put on a loop for this conversation.

 

[Valik]

"Well of course." Valik said in reply to the credit offering. It wasn't his first day laying paper trails. The business man went on to somehow know the contents of his private meeting with Danger Arceneau. Perhaps he bugged her . . . no, he wouldn't have gotten that close, at least not without reprogramming her mind first.

"Between my Spaarti Cylinders and current supply of samples I have enough to study Force Sensitivity in general, as well as the Clone Madness it causes." Valik replied, a little disappointed in truth. "What do you have more specifically? I can easily acquire the general supplies of study myself,, what takes more time, and thus more value, are the niche cases."

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

Ovmar nodded, he was simply leading into the conversation. One does not open the negotiations with a bomb and yet… and yet time was money. Both of them probably had better things to do in the grand scheme of things.

‘Have you ever heard of one Darth Plagueis?’ the Sith Lord asked with his characteristic smile.

 

[Valik]

Plagueis. He knew that name. And that smile, Ovmar knew something about him.

"Top alchemist before the Gulag Plague broke out. Drear, Maladi and Isen were hacks." Valik said as he watched the NeuroSaav's face. "Perfecrted some techniques that haven't been replicated before or since. Yet at least."

"What do you know about him?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

‘Enough to know an understatement when I hear one.’ Ovmar replied smoothly. ‘I have recently come across certain research records that belonged to this illustrious Alchemist.’

Before any skepticism came forth the Sith Lord added.

‘Beyond a doubt, mister Valik. It has been verified.’

 

[Valik]

An eyebrow piqued at Ovmar's mention of "research records" Could he mean? His next words did. The Muun's research on alchemy, midi-manipulation, perhaps answers to the final steps of Valik's last alchemical conquest. He gave a moment to think. Valik was normally quick of mind and opinion to give a response, but this warrented thought. Noticeable time elapsed as his mind darted. Plagueis's research would be invaluable, but Valik had already recreated most of it independently. He had revived a dead, albeit soulless body. He had bolstered Ashin Varanin's connectivity to the Force after she had been severed from it by the 'Jedi' Council. He had obtained samples of bodies infected with a midi-chlorian based virus and discovered it's secrets, learned to replicate it not through a lab, but with the Force. If Alchemy was a race Valik was on the final lap, and accepting this information? It would be cheating. Valik didn't need Plagueis's work. Valik was better than Plagueis.


"My price is it's ensured destruction, as well as it's copies, to be overseen by myself. You may take as many mental notes as you require, but no physical notes of his work are to survive."

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

Jared Ovmar was a man of business, at least that’s how he had always cultivated and projected himself to the outside world. But what he really was, was a collector of ancient knowledge. Many things could be asked of him, and he’d probably be entertained enough to consider them.

Destroying ancient knowledge for some ten percent of a company he’d probably never look at anyway? And for what? The underlining of some hubris? Out of the question.

‘Some prices are not worth the acquisition, mister Valik.’ the Sith Lord finally answered to that.

 

[Valik]

Valik's counter was quick and to the point.

"And what acquisition would match the price?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

The Sith Lord stood up and walked over to the window, staring out of it in a gesture of contemplation and perhaps just a little bit of frustration at the situation. As a matter of principle Jared didn’t have many principles, it bogged people down in his opinion, made them less viable to take deals that were profitable.

This was a profitable deal. He wouldn’t be using that information anyway, besides. Ovmar tilted his head slightly, as if he was listening to something amusing.

He didn’t really need those records to know everything there was to know about Plagueis and his studies. But this… this was a principle, one of the few he had. Knowledge and the preservation of it.

Jared sighed. ‘You don’t want anyone else to have access to it, but destroying the records… won’t solve that particular problem, I am afraid. You weren’t the first one who this has been told to.’

 

[Valik]

If Ovmar shared the information with anyone, who knew who he would have shared it with. There was only one other who could use the information properly, and he knew who it was.

"Intriguing." He said, pondering what Rave could do with that sort of information. Or, more efficiently, what she couldn't. "What can I get you to do, in anycase?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

‘Restricting the knowledge, make sure nobody else gets their hands on it. That’s my limit.’ the Sith Lord answered after some pondering.

 

[Valik]

Valik thought for a moment.

"If it wasn't you Ovmar, I'd have killed you, destroyed the knowledge, and put a puppet up to rule the company. But a part of me, minute though it is, respects and appreciates your talents. The shares are yours."


[member="Jared Ovmar"]