I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks. Let’s make lots of money

[Tmoxin Temi]

"Thank you, Gerion," Tmoxin said, handing him her suitcase. Not only was he a perfect gentlemen, this situation felt distinctly more Hapan for her and immediately at put her more at ease upon boarding the ship of an Umbaran for which she had only known for a day. Powerful figure or not, it wasn't something she normally did on a whim. But these were special circumstances indeed.

The shuttle interior left a lot to be desired and seemed quite unlike something the businessman would have traveled about in. Even the Sovereign Butterfly II, which wasn't a completely state-of-the-art yacht, had luxury furnishings, comfortable seating and a selection of wine and appetizers at hand. But at least it wasn't the cramped and odious interior of the public shuttle she had taken from Anaxes to Lok where she was squeezed the entire journey between a snoring Rodian and an handsy Ultaarian Greenback. Perspective, Tmoxin, she told herself. But it still didn't control the somewhat disdainful look her face had taken on.

As Gerion spoke about options for the now doomed Morpho, the Hapan officer curled up on the cushioned sofa and slipped her heels off. This didn't leave the Umbaran much room but she tried to tuck her legs up so that he had enough room to sit without them touching. Her legs, sheathed in a sheer black stocking, were quite within his reach though.

She toyed with her datapad and then finally answered, "No, the Morpho as it stands must be destroyed. The Sgt. Major is evacuating the most loyal and cunning of the Blood Monarchs and they work for us. They will arrive on Kamino before the bombing."

She yawned and stretched, as much as she could given her restricted movement on the sofa, but a little more invigorated by the thought of new plans asked, "What are you interesting in having the Morpho produce? Besides anti-aging treatments?" Tmoxin smirked, knowing as well as he did that skin care products would not be as profitable as psychochemical drugs that could be sold to unscrupulous governments.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

Gerion quite nearly balked when she informed him the defecting Blood Monarchs would be joining them on Kamino. How many were there? How much did they eat? Where were they going to stay? Was he going to be paying for their accommodations as well? But Gerion Ardik was not a man who broke composure. Not obnoxiously, anyway. His right eye twitched as his back was briefly turned to her. He seated himself in an adjacent sofa chair- far enough off to be polite and close enough to maintain conversation. Tmoxin didn't seem to have any qualm with making herself comfortable, sliding off her heels and reclining. Tucking her shapely legs underneath her...

Tempting as it was to sit as close as possible, Gerion wouldn't consider it becoming of him. Professionalism. Yes. He remained where he was.

"Very well, then." Was all he had to say for the fully sealed fate of the Morpho's loyalist personnel. His finances gave a loud sigh of relief, of course.

Though that was nothing compared to the howling screams of pain if she did really intend to drop the safety of the defecting personnel onto him as well. He could handle it, no doubt, but it was going to be costly. Even the amount of bribery necessary to calmly sweep them into some upstart military division or into a colonist program for safekeeping would be asinine. Kaminoan apartments, likewise, were not at all cheap. Revealing himself as stingy or greedy would not help very much in further endearing the lovely Hapan woman to him, so he kept these qualms to himself.

"The Morpho strikes me as more than suited to become a pharmaceutical company. Drugs, medicine, and so forth. Ultimately what you resolve to do with your corporation will be left up to you. I will only advise and help as you see fit."

There was a loud mechanical sound as the cargo bay doors began to close with the ARTC kept inside. Once the pilot droid finished its inspecting the cargo to ensure it was secured properly, they would depart.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

“Hmm,” was all she replied as she considered his advice. Tmoxin supposed that it did make sense to supplement the ARTC with medical products. At least to start. “Yet I’m not beyond rewarding an entrepreneurial researcher from coming up with a type of unique product which could be sold to more public entities.” She definitely did not mean health products but for now kept it all vague. The Hapan officer had witnessed very good results in supplementing her training with various mind conditioning drugs that were used by the Imperial military. She was also aware of how much they cost the organization and the high profits they could potentially yield.

Tmoxin briefly acknowledged the closing of the cargo doors with a slight turn towards the sound. Then she sank deeper into the cushions and rested her head on the arm of the sofa, still facing Gerion Ardik. “How did you start up Hegemonic Automaton? Was it a family company or…?” she asked.

He has a lovely deep voice, she thought, with a pronounced Umbaran accent. While he wasn’t a gregarious man by far, she hoped if he just talked for a little while and she closed her eyes, she may drift off to sleep, which by now, she sorely needed.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

Gerion raised an eyebrow. Not that she would see, as it looked like she was already nodding off. It was going to take a couple hours to reach the Mara Corridor. From there, it would be another hour to reach Kamino once they were traveling along the corridor. Gerion trusted himself as a conversationalist, but there was only so much that could be said between the two. Gerion was about to pass the time with a datapad when she asked him about Hegemonic Automaton. It seemed that a common galactic misconception was that Gerion owned the corporation. It was bound to happen with the responsibilities he had taken on, but it hardly interfered with anything.

"Hegemonic Automaton was founded as a joint venture between a Fondorian droid engineer and a X'Ting aristocrat on Ord Cestus. At that time, it went by Cestus Cybernetics. The X'Ting came from the Quill family, who owned an incarnation of the company several centuries ago. They hired me as a consultant, but eventually I took on more responsibilities. Particularly now, as Mr. Quill has taken ill."

"I motioned for some changes. Namely a closer association with some Tionese merchants. The company moved its headquarters to Lianna and re-branded itself as Hegemonic Automaton." He explained, leaving out the parts where he extorted custody of the shares from both the X'Ting and the Fondorian with intricate Space Magic. And that those Tionese Merchants also utilized intricate Space Magic. "I suppose it was a family company at one point. Its predecessor was originally jointly owned by five Cestian royal families. Now, however, I think it'll be something far more."

He glanced up from his datapad, if only to see if that long-winded explanation had knocked her unconscious. Perhaps if he trained enough, his explanations could be weaponized.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Good, that was exactly the type of droning description that Tmoxin was hoping from Gerion Ardik so she could fall asleep. With unwavering brown eyes, she watched his handsome, pale face, his mouth moving, trying hard to absorb his words, and then her eyelids fluttered closed and she fell asleep.

After an hour of slumber and quiet, which presumably the Umbaran businessman could also use, the Hapan officer woke up and then composed herself, combing her fingers through her hair and sitting up. She straightened her dress which had become wrinkled and slightly askew from how she lay on the sofa.

"I'm sorry, Gerion," she said. "I only arrived on Lok last night from Annaxes and I haven't gotten much sleep lately. I hope you understand." She was a slightly embarrassed that he had witnessed such a vulnerable moment.

But the part about Mr. Ardik being a consultant and rising through the ranks of Hegemonic Automaton had sunk into the part of her active brain that wasn't longing to drift off into unconsciousness. That type of ambition, the ability to climb the ladder, grab the gold ring and take the helm of a giant corporation, greatly appealed to Tmoxin and solidified her decision to partner with the Umbaran.

"How much longer to Kamino?" she asked.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

The shuttle rumbled as it entered Kamino's atmosphere, soaring downward on a course for Tipoca City. But ultimately what got Gerion to look up from his datapad was the sound of a recently-awoken Tmoxin. She looked small and vulnerable, scrunched up on that couch like she was. A symptom of being chased out of the core worlds by Carach. Gerion could envision it now- the sharp Hapan sprinting for an escape shuttle while Carach lunged after her, pants probably still around his ankles. There was really no reasonable way for Gerion to assume it was Carach, but his colleague's tendency to do idiotic things usually made him a prime suspect. Gerion was more than willing to look over such idiocy now that it brought him a newer and hopefully invaluable ally.

"Think nothing of it." He replied, idly scrolling through the datapad. He booked the necessary living arrangements during their flight. Now he was just reading another editorial on the merits (or lack thereof) of Selectivism. "We've just entered the atmosphere. We should be landing at Tipoca City within the next few minutes."

He glanced over to the chronometer mounted on the wall. Surprisingly enough, they were right on schedule. It was amazing how much more fine-tuned his schedule could become when he wasn't trapeezing across the galaxy every other week to masquerade as a brooding Sithling.

"Would you like something to drink?" He offered.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

When Gerion said they were entering the atmosphere, Tmoxin rose from the sofa and stretched. While it was impossible to see the intricacies of the landscape from their shuttle position, she still looked at a view screen at Kamino. The planet was a deep cerulean with fairly thick cloud cover over large swatches of the planet. No visible land masses could be seen.

The Hapan officer’s mouth tensed into a frown, but when the Umbaran offered her a drink she said, “Why yes, that sounds lovely. I’ll take some wine if you have it.”

She made no move to get it herself and continued gazing out of the view screen. She was still a little groggy and probably shouldn’t be drinking wine again but sticaf nor anything else sounded quite as appealing.

She turned her head at him, her brown eyes flashing curiously. “There’s no land at all on Kamino?” This was asked with a sliver of hope that he would most likely extinguish.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

Gerion wanted to mention that it was approximately 9:47 AM on the part of Kamino they were presently going to. Not exactly prime drinking time, but both of their internal clocks were relatively unadjusted to Kaminoan time. Gerion traveled with frightening frequency, usually handling all of his official duties on the move. His internal clock hadn't adjusted to anything regular in the past half of a decade. Such was the life when juggling some ridiculous number of high-profile positions (and side projects, like this) at once. He rose from his seat, placing his datapad on the central table without properly closing it.

Against one wall of the lounge area was a wine cabinet, but since Gerion himself was no drinking enthusiast, it was very sparsely stocked. There were two bottles contained in the spacious thing, neither of which had been opened. He also had to discretely clean the dust off of one of the glasses therein, opting to explain the geography of Kamino while he did so.

"Aside from the elevated platform the Kaminoans live on, no, there isn't." He said, now uncorking a bottle and pouring a respectable amount into the glass. "The result of rapidly melting glaciers and ice caps some tens of thousands of years ago. The planet has also been locked in a perpetual thunderstorm since."

To Gerion, this all sounded rather appealing. Perpetual thunder storms? Elevated city platforms were also far more difficult to assault, attack, or infiltrate. At no point during the last few hours did it occur to him that Tmoxin very likely did not share these views.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin chuckled and shook her head as Gerion described the dreary sounding landscape… or seascape as it were on Kamimo. First the blazing desert of Lok and now a place with perpetual thunderstorms was where she was choosing to make her home. She had long since sold her apartment in Coruscant and for obvious reasons couldn’t return to the Sith-controlled world. She couldn’t return to Hapes either, especially if her brother had somehow linked her to the theft of the ARTC, which was likely given the time that they were still estranged and he hadn't made any attempt to contact her. At this point, she could only laugh at the irony of being stuck on a platform on metal stilts in the middle of a stormy sea and sky. For days on end apparently.

She took the wine glass from Mr. Ardik and it was her turn to take a large swallow of it to ease her mind of this unappealing news. As they grew close to landing on Kamino, the reality of her new situation was sinking in. The humor she had found in it had already fled, and she was trying very hard to keep the disappointment from showing on her face.

As she continued to watch out of the view screen, her thumb traced the lip of the glass she held. She felt certain he had mentioned his residence was on Lianna, but she hoped he had some kind of base of operations on the all-water planet.

“Gerion, do you have a residence on Kamino?” Tmoxin asked.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

"I keep several residences throughout the galaxy." He said, sounding somewhat reluctant before then adding, "Kamino is host to one of them, yes."

A younger version of Gerion, one that went by Tyrin, had learned that it frequently paid to have any number of assorted rabbit holes scattered across the galaxy. At one point he had been a very powerful man in a very prominent position. But he got chased out of power and subsequently had nowhere to go. Nowhere except home, of course. Returning home as a dethroned Emperor and begging one's adopted father for assistance in relocating was not exactly a high point in Gerion's life. As a matter of fact, there were relatively few high points in Gerion's life that he could care to name.

Now that he had both the money and foresight, Gerion went on a rather clandestine real-estate purchasing spree. Thirteen apartments and two mansions. The mansions had been purchased as conspicuously as possible, obviously, so if at any point a bounty hunter decided to come looking for him, they would end up ransacking empty buildings. Meanwhile, the real Gerion would be living off of Imperial rations in his hidden apartments on Kamino, Kubindi, Cyborrea, Borosk, Zeltron, or any assortment of others until the heat blew over.

But hopefully nothing would ever devolve to that level again. Gerion moved across the cabin again, retrieving an umbrella from a closet. They could both feel the ship descending at this point.

"I find the weather to be quite relaxing. Keeps people focused."

Gerion had never read the reports regarding Kamino's weather and off-worlder alcoholism rates, apparently.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

It was somewhat of a relief to know that Gerion Ardik owned a home base on Kamino because the worst thing he could do right now would be to drop Tmoxin off in the middle of Tipoca City, alone and living in a studio apartment with no network of friends or associates. While she had taken the initiative to approach him for his credits primarily, but also for his business acumen, she wasn’t about to enter into some arrangement where she would be isolated from her newfound partner, his assets or his connections.

Overall, Tmoxin didn’t relish the idea of having to keep tabs on the Umbaran and she imagined that once the Morpho was re-established in inside its snug and waterproof stilt structure, she wouldn’t need to keep such a watchful eye over Gerion. Once she was settled, they could both go about their matters without even needing to be on the same planet. But right now, she was still extremely wary of her fugitive situation, and even though she felt the trust building between them both, Tmoxin was not foolish. Deception could take many forms and Umbarans were particularly good at it. If he was poised to take advantage of her, she wanted to witness it from a head-on vantage point and be able to effectively counter any duplicity.

And of course, Gerion found the rain relaxing. Why did this not surprise her?!? Ardik was reserved, pale and a bit taciturn. Bright sunlight would merely harm his skin and would bother his eyes. But Tmoxin grew up with the seven moons of Hapes a constant companion. While a long time ago she had surgery to correct her poor night vision, she was more psychologically adaptable to a planet with a temperate clime.

Upon their descent, Tmoxin took another lusty swallow of wine, then tipped her glass up to him as he withdrew an umbrella and said, “At least we’ll never have to check the HNN weather report.”

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

"Oh, I would recommend you do. Many people have been blown off external walkways during hurricanes they were not aware of." Gerion replied, the quip being lost on him. Hegemonic Automaton operated a distribution center on the planet. Three X'Ting working there perished shortly before the Netherworld Crisis, having drunken themselves into a stupor and tried to cross one of the walkways to Tipoca City proper. Perhaps if they had been sober enough to heed the wind speed warnings... Well, it was all water under the Kaminoan bridge now. Water and drowned X'Ting corpses. The only reason Hegemonic Automaton managed to get out of paying reparations to the family was because the family vanished during the Netherworld Crisis and were in no mood to press charges when they got back.

Luck was a fickle mistress.

They would both feel the ship lean forward for its final descent, then straightening out as it landed nimbly on the platform. Gerion held the umbrella in one hand and gripped a support railing with the other so he wouldn't be sent flying. After a few moments, the boarding ramp opened. Although not visible from where they sat, they could already hear the torrential downpour of rain. It seemingly fell in sheets, and Gerion frowned slightly. Not at the sound, but the inconvenience it represented. The rain was fine to listen to, but this? And walking through it? This was going to be absolutely murderous for his hair, umbrella or not. There was only one on-board, unfortunately, being that he usually didn't ferry people around.

Gerion walked forward, undoing the strap and preparing to thumb the thing open. "I only have one umbrella. You may wish to stay close."

Fickle, fickle mistress.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

If torrential rain wasn’t bad enough, apparently on Kamino there were hurricane force winds to content with. This unwelcome news was enough for Tmoxin to want to reach for the entire bottle of wine. She wouldn’t be surprised if once they exited, Gerion Ardik would tell her to “mind the swarms of locusts in Tipoca City.”

But she finished her glass and set it down in a place where it wouldn’t be tipped over by the motion of the ship landing. As the boarding ramp opened, right on cue, the Hapan officer would hear the rain drumming on the metal of the ramp and hull. And even though Tmoxin was extremely vexed at the weather conditions, a part of her sparked with excitement to begin their venture.

She watched Gerion fumble with the umbrella as she retrieved her suitcase. Tmoxin avoided the temptation to thrust her case into one of the droid’s hands, not sure that the Umbaran would appreciate her using his security aide as an attendant. She kept the luggage close to her, and when Gerion beckoned her close, she slipped an arm gingerly around his waist to share his umbrella. She had no coat after all and her black dress, while not too thin of a material, wouldn’t protect her at all from the downpour. Her head tilted towards his shoulder, and she was so close that again he would able to smell the Nova Starlight perfume, along with her shampoo. And to her surprise – or perhaps it was how quickly she had drunk the wine – the feel of Gerion's body next to her, warm, solid and sheltering was more welcome than she anticipated.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

The locust swarms of Tipoca City were far too terrifying to mention in open conversation. They also did not exist, so they had that going for them as well. Although it was very much within Gerion's wants and desires at present that Tmoxin be as physically close to him as possible, he wasn't quite prepared for that level of closeness. There was an arm around him suddenly, her head perilously close to his shoulder. Again, there was that perfume. He hadn't smelled it prior to meeting Tmoxin, so now it was more than likely he was going to associate the smell of it with her going forward. Gerion forbade himself from thinking too deeply of it. It would probably cause him to stumble, stutter, or sweat. Like an imbecile, but Gerion Ardik was no imbecile.

He was an Umbaran.

So they exited the vessel, both of them well sheltered from the rain. The walkway was not perilously long and only took a few minutes to cross, sleek transparisteel doors parting before them to allow them inside. It was often difficult to distinguish which part of Kamino was which, but this was the principle spaceport of the city. The landing pad they had just utilized was private- reserved only for officials of the Techno Union. Inside was nothing but a bland, bright white hallway that connected to the spaceport proper. Once they were inside, Gerion lowered the umbrella, closed it, and wound the cord around it again. Tipoca City, unsurprisingly, was almost entirely indoors with the exception of the external walkways that connected platforms. It had always struck Gerion as more of a glorified mall than a proper city, but a rainy world was a rainy world. He hardly cared either way.

"I've arranged for you to stay in a hotel until I can find you a more permanent residence." He said, leaving the umbrella in a small receptacle intended for such things. "Until we figure out what else your budding company will require, I'll also see about storing the age renewal chamber in a warehouse. There's also the matter of registering your company with the local and federal governments here on Kamino..."

Paperwork, Paperwork as far as the eye could see.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

When Tmoxin had her slender arm around Gerion's waist, she noticed something peculiar. His torso was muscular and sturdy - not the kind of body she would have suspected of a close-to middle age businessman. There was no fleshy paunch, no extra bulk, and it wasn't as if she got a really good feel, but enough that she wondered why he was in such robust shape. Perhaps he was just dedicated in his fitness workouts or perhaps there was something more to Gerion Ardik than met the eye.

As they walked through the spaceport, the Hapan ex-officer noted how protected from the elements they were. So far it wasn't as miserable as she had pictured in her head, but how long before she would go stir-crazy, not being able to go out in the fresh sunlight? Her mind began to rebel once more against the situation she was in. Why hadn't she asked Mr. Ardik to fund something on Lianna instead? Instead of pharmaceuticals, maybe Tmoxin could establish a Keffi farm and give riding lessons to wealthy Liannans? Or a spa with manufactured hot springs? Or a Keffi farm and spa? And winery?

Once they were inside the spaceport, she nearly opened her mouth to suggest something more quaint and whimsical, but the Umbaran set his umbrella down and spoke instead, explaining the living situation.

"I suppose first things are first," she said, turning to him, her luggage still in her hand. "This is what I will need sent to the hotel: a fully stocked wine refrigerator with both Corellian red and white wine, an indoor tanning bed, not necessarily to tan but for seasonal affective disorder. My windows must have a wall-to-wall holo display of Hapes, Naboo, Kashyyyk, oh I don't care... just not that awful Kamino seascape!"

She continued, ignoring any type of protest from the Umbaran: "My suite will need a kitchen, an office and a private suite with a relaxa-bed. The refresher will need a vortex pool. My Mirari bodyguards droids will obviously need to be transported from Lok..." She touched her chin with a finger. "Hmm, am I forgetting anything? Ah yes, maybe a servant droid or two. And I assume the hotel will have a fitness center and all of those other amenities?"

Tmoxin searched Gerion's features for a reaction, but however he looked at her back - either not affected or possibly astonished - she continued:

"That can all be arranged, I hope," she said in a voice that outright dared Mr. Ardik to deny her these luxuries. It was as if she were completely unaware that she was a penniless, disgraced stormtrooper commander...

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

There was already a tremendous amount of paperwork to be filed. Absolutely tremendous. Now he had to factor in tanning beds, wine selections, extensive holo-displays, vortex pools, a delivery from Lok, and a servant droid. Or two. Gerion appeared to be listening attentively to everything she was saying. Like a doting servant, he just opted to play along for as long as it took for her to rattle off her desires. Her whimsical, irrational desires. A tanning bed? Seriously? Why would anyone care to expose their skin to harmful ultraviolet rays for fun? It escaped the pasty white Umbaran's comprehension. When she finally finished, Gerion looked like he was about to say something. His brow furrowed- almost a sure sign that vitriol was about to be spat right back in her face.

But it never came. Gerion's brow relaxed, he breathed in through the nose to remember himself, and the continued on as usual. Keeping composure was important. As tempting as it was to fly off the handle and chastise Tmoxin loudly and at length for ignoring her financial status (not to mention what lengths of charity Gerion was willing to go through, even if it was for a beautiful Hapan lady), there were better things for him to expend energy on.

"It will take time to acquire such luxuries, but I'll see about it." Gerion replied. "If I have time, of course. You may write these things down and send me a holomail with the full details once you've been situated."

She did not have his holomail. She probably never would. Not with that line of requests still rattling inside of his brain.

"Are there any more bare necessities you would like to request, or shall we continue on to your lodgings?"

Oh, and he had almost done such a good job of repressing his annoyance.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Well that was easy enough, thought Tmoxin, expecting more resistance to her list of amenities. Now if only instead of a hololist, I could have a line of credit from Gerion Ardik... that would be much more satisfactory, she thought. Then she could make arrangements directly and not have to bother the busy Umbaran. As she read his features, she noticed a microscopic amount of annoyance at her list and detected a little sarcasm... well, a lot of sarcasm actually. But settling into a new place was never easy, was it? All the more reason to bypass this silly hololist. Why yes, a line of credit is perfectly reasonable request, decided Tmoxin.

She opened her mouth and began to ask him but stopped and gave it a second thought. No need to test the boundaries of Gerion's charity right now, she thought. There was plenty of time to see how far his generosity would stretch in the coming days.

"No more," she said smiling, her mood much lighter at the prospect of luxury accommodations. "To the lodgings."

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

Tipoca City's spaceport was tremendous. It was a product of a bygone age when hundreds of millions of clone troopers were being produced and shipped off-world. It was a tremendous, empty spaceport. There were only a few dozen people visible at any given point as Gerion led Tmoxin through the building. As mentioned before, it certainly felt more like a large indoor mall than anything else. It was all too white, too sleek, too polished to be anything else. But that was how the Kaminoans handled their business. There were various inlets throughout their walk, mostly light restaurants, government functions, and a few that appeared to function as motels. Gerion was certainly not low-brow enough to book her in one of those, at least.

The majority of the inlets, however, were boarded up. Kamino was not exactly a major trade hub, after all. Or perhaps it once was during the rediscovery of the galaxy. The details eluded Gerion.

Eventually they crossed out of the spaceport section. At least, they probably did. It was difficult to tell. Kamino's premier hotel appeared small, but the moment they entered the inlet it was apparent it was larger than it appeared. The lobby was expansive and decorated with strange Kaminoan furniture and adorned with equally peculiar paintings. There were no windows. There were a few people of various species with the air of visiting dignitaries milling about listlessly. "Wait here." Gerion said, approaching the front desk. The Kaminoan manning it stared the Umbaran down as he walked over. They exchanged words and eventually Gerion was handed a keycard. It was with this and a hotel brochure in hand that he returned to Tmoxin, presenting them to her to take.

"Your suite is on the tenth floor. This is the key to your room and the other hotel amenities. There's also this brochure for local attractions."

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

The hotel wasn't the kind of luxury that Tmoxin was used to in lodgings, but it will do for now, she thought. The architecture was typical Kaminoan as was the decor. She hoped the suite itself was a little less stark and slightly more... well, palatial was what she was hoping for, but she would find out soon enough.

She waited while Gerion checked in and retrieved the keycard. As he handed the brochure, she gave it a cursory glance and tucked it under her arm. Quite honestly Tmoxin wasn't very interested in wandering around the "local attractions" which appeared to be no more than a giant space mall. She had more important things to take care of and was eager to contact Sgt. Major Ulysses and see how he was faring.

While tempted to invite him the generous Umbaran for lunch and more business talks, the Hapan ex-officer decided that she wanted to set up camp and relax for a bit in solitude.

"You are presumably located close-by?" she asked. "If so, why don't we meet tomorrow for lunch and begin to work on the Morpho company proposal? I've also thought more about Lok and have some ideas I'd like to run by you."

[member="Gerion Ardik"]