Had To Go One Day (Open To All)

[Darben Skirae]

I'm a little rusty on the post. Haven't roleplayed in quite some time. My first thread in...I want to say two years.

Finally, the transport touched down. Darben Skirae had grown tired of sitting on the trip to Commenor from his home planet, Corellia as he knew it. He had been forced to leave. Not by eviction. Not by some military force. Not by some invasion that threatened his living style on the planet. No, it was all because of her. A young Twi'Lek girl that he just had to save, because his conscience told him to. Why did that gang chase her? Darben didn't know. Because she did not utter a single word. Now he was without a job, without a home. He had nothing but everything he had on him, as well as the pack of personal belongings he carried over his back.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he muttered to himself as he stood up. The girl next to him followed silently. When he looked back, she only looked down from under her cloak. His jacket was creased so much it appeared like it was thrown on the ground and trampled on by a herd of bagaraset. His black hair was swept back as best he could get it, but there still remained a fringe, and bits stuck up here and there. The belt at his waist was the only thing on his attire that felt right.

Darben stepped off the transport, getting his first look at Commenor from surface. He took in the sights around, looking at other passer by's. He really hoped no trouble would come his and his 'companions' way.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay sat at her desk in her office inside the Presidential Palace. She was in the second week of her Presidency. An acquaintance gave her a datacard that revealed a large amount of corruption among the Ministers and Councillors. It was rather disgusting, yet showed her how the state of Commenor's economy and safety began to fall. And now she had to fix it. By going through them all one by one, Kay was firing those that were beyond redemption and keeping those that could be saved. One of them was the Minister of Trade and Finance. Finding a replacement was not going to be an easy task.

She sipped her Sapir tea. Today was the day of interviews, and it had been a long one. Kay had sent invites to various people across friendly territories in the Galaxy. She was looking for the underdogs, ones that knew the value of hard work and used that to succeed.

One name that she came across in her research was [member="Darben Skirae"] . He had a talent for trade and so she had invited him in for an interview. Her security team and bodyguards were informed of his details and were expecting his arrival. Commenor was very close to hostile territory and trouble seemed to be attracted to Kay like a magnet, so there was always someone keeping watch outside her door.

Now she just waited for Darben to arrive to her office.

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben Skirae could not feel more hopeful about the message he had received. That was another thing the girl had ruined, or so he thought. That's the reason he chose Commenor, on the edge of both borders in the ongoing war between Republic and the One Sith. For a better job opportunity, since it seemed to be all he had. But when he noticed the girl following him everywhere, that made things hard.

The trader followed directions to the address given. And was surprised to find it was a palace. He gulped. Glancing back at the Twi'Lek girl, he knew things wouldn't be easy. Giving his head a quick scratch, a nervous act, he went to the doors. Even more surprising, they let him through. One of them even directed him to the office, his destination. "Uh, thanks" he said in return. He could feel them staring at him and his little follower. He came to the specified door, where someone waited. Most likely a guard. Obviously. Who else would be standing by a door?

"Excuse me, but is this the office of a..." He looked at his datapad he brought with him to double check the name. "Kay?" The next second, he was being eased into the room, the door closed behind him. As was the girl. He was about to go back and say she wasn't with him. But seeing the girl's face, he couldn't just leave her somewhere. Sometimes he hated his own conscience.

Now he took time to glance around the room. His eyes lit up with wonder. The most expensive he'd ever seen was that of a rich trader who lent him some tips when he was a young boy. A double-globed chandelier, wooden furniture. Even a fireplace. Darben couldn't help but feel a little jealous. And worried, as well as nervous. And then he looked at the desk to see a woman there. "Um..Miss Lady Kay?" He stood there with a glum look, not sure how to feel in such a place and in the presence of someone he assumed was powerful here.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Darben Skirae"] was nervous. That much was clear. It was a strange thing as normally she was the one that lacked confidence. Maybe it was the room? And he had someone with him that was timid, so much so that the person hid themselves beneath a cloak. An assistant maybe? His child?

Regardless, it did her only a disservice to have them uncomfortable. So she got up from her desk and smiled warmly, walking over to Darben and reaching out to shake his hand. "Just Kay is fine. No need to be formal in my office. Thank you for coming. I hope that you had a safe journey. Would either of you like some Sapir tea?" She had her kettle and tea cups already on the coffee table, her own cup was still at her desk. Having chats over tea was her trademark. She's stopped plenty of Sith from wanting to kill her by sharing cups of tea, though there was nothing in the tea that was untoward. People just found the warmth and taste of it to be soothing.

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben Skirae scratched at his head again as she stood up. The girl hid behind him, still glancing around. All he could think was 'No way I'm protecting you'. At least, that's what he wanted to think. But he couldn't. His eyes were on the woman before him, the one that wanted to shake his hand. He paused for a half-second of hesitation before accepting the handshake. Using his other hand to quickly make adjustments to his creased jacket. He felt himself relax at the warm, welcoming smile.

"Darben Skirae. Which I'm sure you already know." He took his hand back to his side before continuing. "And the ride was quite smooth, to my surprise." it was the first time he'd flown. But was the first time he ever went off planet. Darben gave a curt nod to her offer. For himself, the child just stayed behind him while peeking around, eyes now on the cup of tea. He looked down, noticing a familiar look.

"One for her too, please." He didn't bother looking again, as he could guess there was a small smile. In the short time since she literally ran into him, they were already warming up together. But it wasn't there yet. Darben still felt annoyed by the nameless Twi'Lek's presence.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled again and poured them both some tea. She held out the cup for the little girl, crouching down so that she didn't tower over the timid thing. "Here you go. It's sweet, but not too sweet."

First thing was first. There was no need for fear in her office. There's plenty of that elsewhere in the Galaxy. She had dealt with shy people before, both young and old. She hoped that [member="Darben Skirae"] didn't mind while she set aside the interview for a moment. Afterall, he seemed a bit nervous himself.

Kay looked over by the spiral stairwell just in time to see her green Gwaii Cat (( http://starwarsrp.net/topic/80594-gwaii-cat/ )) coming down. She looked to the little girl. "Do you like animals? I have a Gwaii Cat companion. He isn't my pet, he's my friend, free to leave me at any time. Did you want to pet him?"

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben watched as Kay handed a cup of tea down to the little girl. She seemed so kind, and that relaxed him even more seeing the girl release him from her steel grip to accept the beverage. Maybe securing a job here wouldn't be so difficult after all. Seeing that the girl was handled and not clinging to his jacket, he went over and picked up his own cup before taking a sip. Just as she said, sweet. But not too sweet. Like many fruits he had tried before. Though he rathered sour tastes, he enjoyed it while he could.

Then something came down the stairwell. He had never seen a Gwaii cat before. To him, it looked like some science created hybrid, a cat with scales and horns. [member="Lady Kay"] said something about petting it. An instinct of protectiveness came over him as the girl approached it. He took an alarmingly fast step forward, only to see her pet it without harm to either. Darben hadn't even realised he had reached a hand over in their direction, and pulled it back under his chin, clenched into a fist. he had no idea why he had done that. And he had other things to focus on. Like this interview he was invited to. Looking over to Kay, he addressed the matter.

"Miss La- I mean Kay. Can we move on a bit?" He didn't mean to sound rushed, but having been in the business trade he had come across many folk who wanted to rush things. Kind of rubbed off on him.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay stood back up once the little girl left to go pet her Gwaii Cat. Yup. That never fails. She raised a brow as [member="Darben Skirae"] stepped over in a rush and then stop himself, hiding his intentions by placing his hand under his chin. Well that was interesting. They must have an interesting story to tell.

But now was not the time for that. It seemed as though Darben was in a bit of a hurry. Most would probably put him in his place with his impatience, yet Kay wasn't quite the sort to do that. She nodded a little and sat down on one of the chairs, folding her hands on her lap. "Alright. It seems that the former Minister of Trade and Finance here was quite corrupt. He put in a system that was much like trickle-down economics. It didn't work to help boost anything but his credit purse and the purses of those like him, at the expense of our working class. So, I need it reversed. Commenor is a heavy trade world and my plans to solve our problems takes credits. To gain those credits we need to do things properly and work with the Intergalactic Financial Markets. Our biggest exports are our Commenori Brandy, as well as chrysopaz gemstones which so far has a value of anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 credits a carat. What experiences do you have to help boost our economy in a reasonable amount of time? And legally of course."

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben took a chair across from her and adjusted himself in a comfortable manner. Even took out his datapad to take notes, which had a little pen for the touch screen. A rule he learned, a businessman never leaves anywhere without a trusty datapad. He began taking notes on everything [member="Lady Kay"] said. A corrupt Minister made him a bit anxious. Usually, anyone who was corrupt in business had powerful friends. That made him anxious, and it showed as his fingers grew tense around the pen.

Then she said that she needed it reversed. And it occurred to him. She wanted him to fix it. Almost a whole planet's trade would be on him, if he took this job. No pressure. Darben tugged at his collar, nearly dropping his pen from the other hand. 'Stay calm. Keep your nerves together.' He repeated that phrase in his head.

After a short moment, he pieced everything together before answering his question. he made his posture rigid and as composed as possible. "On Corellia, I managed my own trading. I worked alone, mostly. Started with a distant relative from the age of 15, learning ins and outs of the trade industry." He took a glance at his datapad, overlooking the notes he had taken down quickly. "If we want this fixed, I say what could be done is that we reduce taxes a bit, let the poorer folk gain some money lost in this 'plan-gone-wrong' made by the former Minister of Trade. Then perhaps increase product making by... I'd say about 3% at first. If that doesn't work, increase it a little more. Get the products in a little faster, but not too fast. The brandy should be easy. The gemstones, maybe increase work on that by 3% and keep it at that. But before we do anything with the trade area itself, we might have to look into any off-world traders selling these products for us. The Minister may not have been the only corrupt one. Unless you've already dealt with that?" He mostly knew about the ins and outs of small trade groups. Being asked how to fix a whole planet's trade. That would take a lot.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded a little as she listened. Once [member="Darben Skirae"] spoke more on his ideas for a solution to Commenor's economic problems, the more confident he sounded. It showed his passion for his work and that was never a bad thing. Unless of course it was misguided. But Darben seemed to have a level head on his shoulders.

"I'm working on rooting out the bad apples. Lowering the taxes for our workers is a good idea. It may slow down our growth for the short term, but we should be able to regsin those losses and then some in the long term. The increase in productivity should be encouraged with the addition of more jobs, as opposed to making everyone work overtime. If everyone had good paying employment, then there would be less need for them to be manipulated by the easy credits that the Crime Lords could offer them."

Yes, his ideas were solid and well grounded. "I think that you would make a fine Minister. That is, if you are interested in taking the job."

 

[Darben Skirae]

She agreed with his ideas. That brought Darben a smile, and an understanding that the meeting was going very well in his favor. Or perhaps, both their favor. She needed a Minister, he needed a job. Still, a Minister? It was a high call for him, and he would most likely need time to think on it. As well as a place to stay during said time. He rubbed the back of his neck while hesitantly thinking on the proposition.

"Give me...a week to settle in and think about it. Plus, I need a place to stay. Any place in mind? A simple apartment will suffice... And maybe a place to use some credits." He assumed one of the perks of being in charge of a place was knowing the good places to stay, long-term. And by the last statement, he meant his favorite past time. Gambling. But he didn't say that out loud, and only hinted. Darben glanced back at the mute girl. She also needed a place to stay. He had some thoughts of dropping her off at an orphanage. Might be better off for her. Though how she was acting around him, he doubted she would go freely. His smile swept away as he drifted on those thoughts, replaced by a rather conflicted look. One of his hands opened and closed, tensing over and over.

But he was soon on his feet, putting out a hand to [member="Lady Kay"] to shake. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Kay."

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Darben Skirae"] needed time to think it over? Well...that was probably a good idea. Kay should have guessed that he needed a place to stay, as well as the little girl, especially given that they had travelled so far. She shook the man's hand, her grip firm, yet soft. "The Barrens is a good place to spend some credits. There are plenty of shops around there too. And our guest suites are located in the hotel across the street. I can have a driver take you there."

Kay watched the two of them. She couldn't quite tell what their connection to eachother were, but perhaps that would be revealed in time. But that is only if they stayed.

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben nodded. It was a good thing it was right across the street. And the offer from [member="Lady Kay"] for a driver was very gracious. All he had to do was go across to give his answer personally, and it would be done. But he wouldn't give one yet. He still had to think of things. Like what to do with the mute Twi'Lek. He started for the door. And of course, the Twi'Lek followed. "I will contact you when I am ready to answer" he called to her from the door before leaving. He planned on his next destination being the hotel to see it. Then check out this place called the Barrens.

He exited the building, and found his ride waiting. One trip and some stairs later, he found himself in a suite. It had all he needed for a week, even longer if he decided to stay. Yes, he could get used to this. In his hand, he held his lucky coin.

Can you give a quick description of what the Barrens is? Like, is it a bar? It's gonna be the place of his next thread, is all.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded to [member="Darben Skirae"] before he left, her eyes lingering on the silent girl. Then she went back to her desk and to the work that awaited her. There was plenty for her to go through to prepare for a new Financial Minister, no matter who he or she may be.

The Barrens was one of those upscale joints, a sort of bar/restaurant/casino/concert hall combos. It was the sort of place where most of the elites could be found, as well as plenty of honeymooners. It had been there for decades, but only recently due to economic policies brought in by the previous administration, did their profits go up through the roof. Plenty of desperate people would hope that their last credit could win them enough to retire on.