In The Interests Of Security (Janus)

[Bhaltair Dhimani]

As Adam Pasiano:

{1:21 PM // Room 200 (Security Office) // 2nd Floor // Crescentia Industries // Phindar}​

Adam was sitting behind his office desk, sipping a drink and reading a report. Darn kids kept graffitying the east wall by the fence, even after CI would get the cleaners to get it all off. Something would have to be done about it, but there were more pressing matters to attend to than protecting a wall from urban art.

*bleep* "Your appointment is here, Mr. Pasiano."

"Send him in, Loralye," replied Adam.

[member="Janus"]

 

[Rhodes]

[member="Bhaltair Dhimani"]​

​

A young man would step into the room adorned in an expensive-looking suit. He was of medium build with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He carried himself like a professional, his posture strikingly picture-perfect. He carried a black leather briefcase which looked like it had costed just as much as his cloths. He strode over to Adam's desk, extending his arm for a firm handshake.​

​

"Hello, Mr. Pasiano. My name is Jordan Moran. Mind if I take a seat?"​

 

[Bhaltair Dhimani]

Adam sniffed in annoyance at the pleasantries. Adam wasn't the kind to say hello, goodbye, how are you doing, etc. It was a frivolous social task, in his opinion. However, he reached out with a cybernetic hand and finished his half of the handshake out of professionalism.

"Yes, please have a seat."

His shades weren't activated, so his semi-intense gaze was fully visible. The kid looked expensive, so that made him expensive. Was he trying to show off and be a symbol to represent the Consortium's success or was he just obsessed with his self image? Adam shook the thought from his mind and focused on the meeting.

"Mr. Moran, I take it that you work for the Paladin Consortium, correct? If so, thank you for coming..."

He shifted in his seat and leaned back, alert nonetheless, as he stared down the kid before him.

"...I'm going to be real with you, kid. Our company has started from the ground and is on the rise, but we already seem to have enemies aiming to take us down. We've been attacked twice this year and we need good, professional, trained people to refill our Security ranks. If that little factoid is too much for you and your insurance to handle, then you might as well save yourself some time and walk out now..."

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and waited for the young buck's response.

[member="Janus"]

 

[Rhodes]

[member="Bhaltair Dhimani"]​

​

The well-dressed lawyer took a seat, his eyes intently locked with the other man as he spoke. He silently absorbed every work Pasiano put out there, his mind calculating every phrase and sentence that was spoken. The other man didn't exactly seem all too professional from the first impression. He was someone seemingly unaccustomed to doing business, something that could work to the liaison's advantage. Once the up-and-coming businessman was done talking, the lawyer would proceed with cautiously-crafted words.​

​

"Indeed, Mr. Pasiano. I represent the Paladin Consortium, one of the galaxy's premier paramilitary and security contractors. And the threat of danger is no deterrent for us at all, sir. Otherwise, what kind of company would we be? You may rest assured our operatives are both extremely professional and capable at the highest possible level. You may select droids, human security, or a mixture of both for the job. Which would you prefer?"​

 

[Bhaltair Dhimani]

[member="Janus"]

Adam grunted in satisfaction. That's what he liked: straight talk without the fluff required to invent a loophole in your previous conversation at a later date.

"All men. I trust people over droids, any day. 10 here on Phindar, 10 there on Mandalore. Now, what are we looking at here, cost-wise? You and I both know that I'm willing to look for and pay for the best, but the one thing I'm not down with is getting price gouged and extorted."

He stopped speaking to lift his coffee mug up to his lips and take a long, silent sip. His harsh eyes never once stopped staring at Jordan Moran, though. His coffee mug came down and he cleared his throat before continuing.

"So, just give it to me straight, Mr. Moran."

Adam's time playing the "bad cop" in SpecForce was proving to be a double-edged sword today.

 

[Rhodes]

Jordan mentally calculated prices as Adam told him what he needed. Twenty men wasn't all too much, but that alone wouldn't determine the pricing of the unit. The lawyer had a few questions of his own before they settled on a price.​

​

"Well, Mr. Pasiano, there are a few things we need to cover before settling on a price. How long would you like these guards to be stationed at your locations for? And how heavily do you want them armed? They be equipped with anything from light armor vests and sidearms to full body armor and squad-mounted machine guns. As for payment, it can be rendered in sheer credits or items of value. We've had clients pay in weapons, ships, and even products their companies manufacture. We're flexible."​

 

[Bhaltair Dhimani]

[member="Janus"]

"I'm seeing a long term stay for your boys that come over to work. Practically a relocation, so I can understand that it would be hard on those with a family to attend to. They'd have to move into a whole other planet, but we can offer reduced rates on select nearby apartment complexes that we've made deals with. Logically, they would shift from your payroll to ours, once our payment to commence this initiative goes through and your men are here to stay."

"Don't worry about armament. We have an armory of our own. But, just so you can make them aware, we will be equipping your men with light armor and assault rifles. Oh, and handcuffs, stun guns, etc."

In Adam's opinion, Moran was attempting to steer the conversation to try and get a peek at all that was on the table so he could angle for those juicy bits first. However, Adam's job was to try and settle for a flat credit amount. If, and only if, the credit amount was too high for their budget, Adam was authorized to deal out product and special offers to lower the credit cost.

"Let's hear what kind of sheer credit total you had in mind. Also, how much do you pay your security guards hourly?"

 

[Rhodes]

[member="Bhaltair Dhimani"]​

​

Jordan raised an eyebrow. It was unusual indeed for a client to request to arm the guards himself. However, if that is what he wished for, the Consortium could accommodate.​

​

"Very well. We don't have a flat rate we pay our guards, as it entirely depends on the situation at hand. Anyways, I can give you a rough price estimate based on what you've put on the table. I'd say it'd be around (insert decently high but affordable number), give or take. Like I said, the overall price can be reduced if you have any items of value or supplies/services you think the Consortium might find valuable."​

 

[Bhaltair Dhimani]

[member="Janus"]

Damn, he was good. Moran had hit that tender spot that gave Adam a difficult choice. The given price was just high enough to be a bit over his budget, but not enough that he would get in trouble for going over. Now came the dilemma: Pay the entire sum outright or cheapen the financial blow by offering a discount. Credits were credits and favors were favors. Which was worth more in this given point? Well, at this point, for their company, conserving funds was more important.

"Oof. That's high. How about you take 20% off that asking price and we give your company a 10% discount off our products? You'll find that such an offer like that pays for itself pretty quickly."

 

[Rhodes]

[member="Bhaltair Dhimani"]​

​

Pasiano drove a hard bargain, that much was for certain. As far as Jordan knew, his company was mainly a producer of cybernetic implants. It was a good business, but Jordan just couldn't see the Consortium having a need of the other company's products at the time. Supplying the entire Paladin military with implants would cost massive amounts of credits, not something they were ready to invest into in the current state of things.​

​

"You drive a compelling offer, but my company simply has no interest in cybernetic implants at the time. The ten percent would only pay for itself if we ordered your product in bulk, which I just simply don't see happening right now. However, there are other avenues you can take to reduce price. Stock options, a small percent of commission, or even a payment plan. You would overall pay more credits, but you could send in the funds over an extended period of time of your choice. It's a customer-favored option."​

 

[Bhaltair Dhimani]

[member="Janus"]

Adam's eyes narrowed, if only for a moment. Rats. His gut started to twist as the weight of responsibility settled on his mind, an easy option having been shoved off the table. A message popped up on the computer screen facing him. He covertly checked it, since the screen was facing opposite of Moran. It was a quick message from Frank, saying,

Just pay in full, Jensen. No sense tying ourselves when we're on the up and up. Talk with boss will be interesting...

"Son of a..." whispered Adam to himself. He picked a remote off of his desk and aimed it at the security camera in his office. The green light turned red. That should keep Frank's nose out of this...His nervousness settled when he finally convinced himself that it wouldn't be the end of the world. He said to Moran,

"Don't mind that. A certain IT Lead is trying to give me a hard time...at the wrong time...Anyway, we'll pay it all up front. If you can fill this out," Adam handed him a datapad that would be necessary to wire funds to the Consortium. "That would be wonderful."

 

[Rhodes]

[member="Bhaltair Dhimani"]​

​

Moran frowned as Pasiano shut off the security camera. It put him a bit on edge, considering shutting off security feed might lead to some nastier business behind closed doors. He relaxed a slight bit when the businessman told him an IT guy was bothering him. However, it didn't really sway him from his state of discomfort.​

​

He reached out and signed the datapad. It was a decent sum of money, something Janus was sure to be happy about.​

​

"Right. I'll have a team of our lawyers draft up a contract and send it to you via the Holonet. Once everything's been taken care of on the legal side, your guards will be sent over here ASAP. Is there anything else you'd like to cover before I make my departure?"​