Private Interest Rate Futures

[Darth Empyrean]

​

The meeting room was as it always was - with a large pseudo sun burning in the distance, and the visual effect of their being no floor, no ceiling, and no walls. It made for an interesting meeting place for the IGBC, and in Maliphant’s own eyes - a beautiful piece of art he could watch while Cybele did all the actual work. Today, however, he had a meeting with his Deputy Director to help decide the future of their endeavors.​

​

“Is ‘Dune’ here yet, Cybele?”, Maliphant said lazily as he watched a flare escape the surface of the pseudo sun before him.​

​

“He is coming in now.”​

​

Good, Maliphant thought to himself. The man was always on time, while Maliphant was often not. Cybele stood in for him whenever he was away, and lately it had been more than before as he had become once again engrossed by the Telos Holocron and his ever present desire to expand sith knowledge. His own apprentices, however, were not nearly what he had hoped, and that burned at him even as his mind transitioned back to that of a banker.​

​

The doors opened, revealing a crack in the space like art project of the room. Adekos entered, and just as quickly the door shut behind him. Maliphant spun in his chair and gave the Deputy Director a wide grin before motioning him to sit - not that he needed Maliphant’s command to do so, but Maliphant enjoyed offering it regardless.​

​

“Tyrin, we need to discuss the future of the IGBC. A business plan in lieu of Gat Tambor’s ambitious plans to establish a Trade Federation, and the equally vexing problem of galactic politics. Any questions before we begin?”​

​

Caulder Dune​

 

[Caulder Dune]

Darth Empyrean

Caulder entered the decadent and esoteric meeting room, face worked into its usual resting expression of a frown. A sinister droid entered alongside him, though it remained posted by the door rather than follow the Deputy Director further in.​

​

His cane clicked against the smooth glass floor, mirroring a precise and methodical gait.​

​

What a dramatic room this was. It gave the impression that they were conducting this meeting afloat in the void. So impressive and stylish that it might as well have been an art installation. Caulder suspected Dorian had stolen this little concept from someplace else. No one was this original.​

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As soon as he entered earshot, Harper was talking away. Caulder sat himself down slowly and delicately. Age made him fragile, but at least he had his wits. Most of them. Or enough of them to get by.​

​

“Just one,” Caulder said, raising a hand to visor his eyes against the burning sun, “Can you turn that thing down?”​

​

Umbarans. Sensitive eyes.​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“As requested, Mr. Ardik.”, Cybele chimed readily.​

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Maliphant, combative as ever, quickly interjected despite the sun already dimming behind him;​

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“Don’t cater to him. You’re supposed to be my AI.”, though his tone wasn’t entirely serious.​

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Cybele offered a slight chirp, as though laughing at Maliphant’s expense. Maliphant, however, strode by it as he pressed a few buttons on the holopad before him, sending a large set of spreadsheets on economic trends, perceived and recommended interest rates to curb the potential economic downturn to soon come, among other things. He cleared his throat after they were projected between the two, and leaned back -​

​

“Alright, so as you know, Gat Tambor and Aerarii Tithe have left the IGBC to serve as a national banking organization for the likes of the NIO. With them, they took the NIO contract we had to support our currency - and while they are bound to become little more than interstellar drug dealers with a fancy name, they have started a bad trend in undermining our authority on fiscal matters.”, Maliphant offered as he flicked his finger across the pad before him.​

​

Before Adekos, a series of reports and foreclosures appeared - many with unpaid warnings on them. It seemed the departure of Tambor and Tithe, and their subsequent efforts to undermine the IGBC hadn’t gone unnoticed - and numerous clients from smaller planets and companies had begun to default on their loans willingly, under the false assumption they could simply get out of paying.​

​

Maliphant cleared his throat once more;​

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“I’ve already deployed a number of repossession officers from Blackwell to collect on lost payments, but the damage has been done. Worse more, the Confederacy is now threatening to create their own currency - despite the relative stability and acceptance of our own. Losing them would put a serious damper on our market share; suffice to say, it is unacceptable.”​

​

A larger popup appeared from the depths, tinged in a harsh purple that had become synonymous with Darth Metus ’s ‘vice royalty’. A summary of JR 860AU1-1, the planetary fortress bill pushed forward by the Confederacy, was presented - though highlighted by Maliphant was the rider addendum towards the bottom declaring a need for their own currency.​

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“Many of the vicelords were against the alteration, but it seems to have passed. We will need to deal with this before it is fully enacted. Ideas for this are welcome.”​

​

Caulder Dune​

 

[Caulder Dune]

Darth Empyrean

​

Ah, the Confederacy. Seldom was that government mentioned without a headache following shortly after. Already Caulder could feel it, a dull throbbing beneath his forehead. He rubbed his temple in anticipation. "It's Mr. Dune while we're on Banking Clan business," he said, grimly, before looking over his shoulder to the protocol droid. "Fix that in post."​

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A short, deep binary tone was the only response of acknowledgement.​

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"Let's talk about the Confederate issue before moving on to our wayward accomplices," Caulder continued right along, "There is, in the immediate term, nothing to be done. The Viceroyalty is staffed predominantly by trained pinnipeds, who bark and clap at the sole direction of Darth Metus. Talking to them is pointless."​

​

He could envision him now: Darth Metus at the heart of the circus rink, beckoning his little Viceroys forward to jump through a hoop. "Vote yay, vote yay, vote yay..." Credit where credit was due, to exert that level of control over a semi-democratic assembly was not something any Sith had managed to do since Palpatine.​

​

Caulder shook his head and continued, "The normal solution would be to talk to Darth Metus himself, but that's not an option. His push for isolationism and autarky is driven by personal fear and insecurity. This is not something that can be reasoned away. He perceives our standardized credit as something that puts him and his country at the mercy of foreign powers he cannot directly control. If he will not budge on this issue, then there is no point. And I'm sure your various outbursts have done nothing to help."​

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"We need," Caulder droned, leaning forward now, arms resting against the table, "To stop pushing for governments to adopt the standard credit for their official currency. Very few people will be interested in ceding that kind of control over their internal affairs, especially now that the Confederacy is out of the picture. What we should be doing is convincing them to adopt it as their standard for international trade - for the commerce that flows across borders. Save them the hassle of converting to a myriad of currencies when they can use just one."​

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Caulder angled his head so that he was looking down his nose at his compatriot. "When you come tiptoeing into offices asking for massive governments to revolve their internal economies around you... Most people can correctly divine this as a shallow, obtuse grab for power."​

​

Cupidity so often ruled out any hope of subtlety.​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Apologies, Mr. Dune.”, Cybele offered back, her hologram doing the smallest of bows in his direction. Maliphant, eyeing this, quickly chimed in -​

​

“Tyrik -”, he emphasized;​

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“On the contrary, the Galactic Alliance has solidified our relationship - and I have a meeting with the Chancellor soon to establish further deals. If all goes well, we could find ourselves their neutral national bank. Totally eclipsing their fiscal policy is far more profitable than simply being the international standard for trade.”, countering Adeko’s point about shameless power grabs.​

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“However…”, he followed up, “I will admit, most people are not educated enough on the issues of fiscal policy and macroeconomics to understand the benefits of a nuetral national bank. So, i will acquiesce to your point. Once the Starbird hyperlane is finished between the Galactic Alliance and the Confederacy, the standard trade between the two should be in the GSC, so we will still have a foothold in the Confederacy, for what its worth.”​

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“Though, the Confederacy First nonsense still causes intergalactic damage to trade. Its far reaching consequences have yet to subside, so I propose undermining their efforts to influence statistical data; inevitably turning favor against their protectionism. If we hire smugglers, pirates, and bounty hunters to sneak goods through their trade lanes, we could cause the protectionism to backfire substantially - and it would hardly be traced back to us through enough shell companies.”​

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“Additionally, forming a galactic Trade Pact using the GSC as the standard trade currency can help us stay relevent on the galactic field - and with the right operating rules, we could help alleviate the economic damage Metus has done, or at the very least leverage pressure on them through the trade bloc for them to lighten up on their autarky fantasy.”​

​

Caulder Dune​

 

[Caulder Dune]

Darth Empyrean

​

Caulder was, of course, already aware of the matter of the Galactic Alliance. Hence why he had said most. It was an important gain, to be sure, but it would not decide the rest of the game. He listened to the rest of Dorian's speech in silence, gradually coming to lean back into his chair.​

​

He watched his compatriot with a condescending sort of patience.​

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And then, after a lengthy pause, he droned on, "That phrase you used: 'more profitable.' You run one of the wealthiest corporations in the galaxy. What exactly do you need to be concerned about profits for? The fortune we stand to make as an intermediary for trade is already considerable. Don't let crude ego get in the way of conducting a realistic operation."​

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He cracked his wrist, and it made a sound like metal grinding against metal. This ordeal with the Confederacy looked like a lost cause. And every time Harper prodded them, things only got worse.​

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"Your obsession with the Confederacy is becoming unhealthy, Dorian. I am not signing off on criminal activity. The Confederates can be brought to the table, like everyone else, by offering them a reliable standard with which to conduct trade. We do not need to be their national currency. It is irrelevant."​

​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Cybele gave Maliphant a sideways glance, as though seeing how he would react. Maliphant didn’t return the gaze to her, instead letting his head remain oriented down to the holopad infront of him, while his eyes trailed up to meet Dune’s. His voice was quick, sharp as ever -​

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“Staying on top is the concern, Adekos. If your ambition dulls, you’ll only end up thrown into the throne you once sat in - and we don’t all intend to die in a deep freezer in the outer rim. Consider what else is at stake than ‘profits’.”, he said before glancing back down to the holopad.​

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“The Confederacy is the largest economic body in the galaxy, and despite Confederacy First - also the most stable. Would you have us, what, invest in the civil war ridden Corporate Sector of the Sith Empire? Become a puppet of the Eternal Empire or First Order? Of course not.”, he chided.​

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“But -”, Maliphant finally offered as he sat back and crossed his hands on his lap.​

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“If you think they can be diplomatically dealt with, I am more than willing to take your approach. Confederacy First was originally founded on the misconception of their import to export ratio - ignoring their development rate, of course. If the IGBC can establish good trading terms in its Trade Bloc, they might cease their autarky nonsense.”​

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“And if they don’t, I still think pirates could be fun.”​

​

Caulder Dune​

 

[Caulder Dune]

Darth Empyrean

Caulder visibly soured at mentions of the Eternal and Sith empires. “That is not at all what I’m suggesting. Don’t be absurd.”​

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He would sooner saw his own legs off than do favorable business with either of those tin pot dictatorships. Obviously he would have to give some leeway if progress was to be made in democratizing - civilizing - the galaxy at large. But that didn’t mean he’d like it.​

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“Whether the Confederacy pivots from their current doctrine is immaterial. Getting them to use the standard credit for whatever international trade they still conduct is the only victory we need.”​

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The Concord would be easier to persuade from there. And that would create a unified trade bloc that the rest of the galaxy would bend towards by necessity.​

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Caulder meshed his hands together, resting them on the table. “Whatever approach you decide to take, make sure it’s less argumentative than your current one. Stop trying to prove them wrong. No more talk of replacing their currency; don’t even bring up Confederacy First. Bring them to the table for trade and forget them for the time being.”​

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Fools are more hard to conquer than persuade, as the saying goes. Unless, of course, Maliphant had already done too much damage to their standing. Then it would not particularly matter what he said. The Banking Clan would be shut from the Confederacy forever.​

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Which would apparently mean, among other things, an initiative involving privateers.​

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“And to disclose,” Caulder said, after a long and weary sigh, “If you start deploying pirates for a dirty war, you’ll be doing so with a different Deputy Director.”​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Keep your pants on, Adekos - the pirate presence is minimal.”, he said with a dismissive wave.​

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“They work better for smaller planets trying to hire us for hyperlane security anyway.”​

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Maliphant offered a quiet smile to him - playing on his ultimatum. A challenge, a joke, it didn’t really matter; Maliphant enjoyed the jest, even if Adekos didn’t. Cybele however, cleared her robotic throat and moved onto the next subject -​

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“I will set up a meeting with the Confederates soon. I assume you are okay with the Deputy Director’s proposal, Dorian?”, she said with a glance to him.​

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He nodded, and glanced back to the holopad before him.​

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“Understood. I’ll get ahold of Alessandra Creed at the earliest convenience. Onto the subject of the Trade Federation - did you have an answer for this as well, Mr. Dune?”​

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Maliphant glanced up once more, cocking a brow.​

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“Do you? You probably don’t want my answer, Dune. It’ll involve pirates.”​

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Caulder Dune​

 

[Caulder Dune]

Darth Empyrean

Caulder Dune bristled to hear himself referred to by that name. The accusation that his pants would be removed from his person during a meeting sat equally unwell. "Minimal? Did you already...?"​

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Cursed. He was cursed. Why did every cause turn into a racketeering operation halfway through? It was disgusting and undignified. Caulder was prevented from commenting further by the timely intervention of Cybele. There was still the matter of the Trade Federation to discuss.​

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"Ah, right. Them." Caulder sniffed disdainfully. "I met with Tambor and Tithe quite recently. I am not convinced they are capable of projecting influence beyond the New Imperial Order. They are tied to an unpopular government and are therefore diplomatically isolated. Perhaps they will make inroads with the First Order, but nothing that cannot be eclipsed in time by the Banking Clan."​

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He shrugged. "I sense no great threat from them. Direct action won't be necessary. If we are successful in bringing the galaxy to a single trade standard, the New Imperial Order will follow as well. And then our wayward associates will smell where the money is and return promptly. If you'll let them."​

​

Personally, Caulder wouldn't have. But noteworthy tycoons were so few and far between these days, he had to excuse Harper if he was quick to forgive them.​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“We’ll see.”, he mused.​

​

“Speaking of unpopular, isolated nations - the Eternal Empire’s Empress Regent has reached out to Cybele in the hopes of purchasing shares in the IGBC. Through the HPI Consortium -”​

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Maliphant flicked a data article from his holopad to the projection screen before them. His eyes took a moment to adjust, then motioned them to face Adekos;​

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“I have no qualms about them, it may give us an in route to the otherwise cut off Eternal Empire. With this being brought to light, I also intend to reach out to AMCO to help bring the Sith into this trade bloc.”, though Maliphant stopped at the mention and cocked his brow once more.​

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“Do you have qualms about this approach?”​

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Caulder Dune​

 

[Caulder Dune]

Darth Empyrean

The Empress Regent? That was a surprise. And here he thought the Banking Clan would have to take the initiative themselves. A welcome change, and one that could not be passed up, despite Caulder's reservations. "The Empress Regent will need to give some assurances that there will be no repeats of Bakura, and that Darth Tacitus will never return to the throne. If such promises are broken, then those shares need to be seized. We cannot be seen to be owned by habitual war criminals, directly or indirectly, partial or not. Otherwise I am amenable."​

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"As for the Sith," Caulder frowned, "They must remain economically isolated from the galaxy at large if their destruction is to be hastened. I will not permit them to have any part in the trade bloc."​

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A delight to hear that AMCO was involved. Such a sporting fellow. Shame about his political allegiance.​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Dune, we are both habitual war criminals to someone. The IGBC was founded by war criminals, for war criminals, all hid behind the pretty faces and personas we like to pretend to be.”, Maliphant said with a wry twist of his smile.​

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“But fine. If you’re stuck on moral hypocrisy as a character trait, then I will not stand in your way. We can discuss those conditions with the Empress Regent when we have a chance.”​

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With that, he made an audible sigh - long and prolonged as though Adekos did little more than stress him out. In truth, that’s what the two did to eachother often, Adekos with his grounded approach to numbers, business, and finance as a whole - and Maliphant with his ambition and love of theatrics. While both may not want to admit it - it was obvious they were both needed to bring the IGBC this far.​

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“I will shelf the Sith for the time being - but when we approach Adrian, we will discuss it again then. The Sith are waning, and with or without our economic support they will likely continue - so if that means poising ourselves to dominate the Corporate Sector before it falls to anarchy, then it is better for not only us, but subsiding the impacts of yet another government falling.”​

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“Last, there are a number of projects we should cover. First, a number of companies have reached out of the IGBC for funding, or to sell their assets. Most notable among them is iBorg - have you heard of it?”​

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Caulder Dune​

 

[Caulder Dune]

Darth Empyrean

Moral hypocrisy. An uncharacteristic smile split Caulder’s face like a gash. He did not deign to comment directly, though it was clear the remark amused him for whatever reason.​

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“Let the Corporate Sector fall to anarchy, Harper. It will be easier to collect the scraps that way - those planets will be desperate for something else to cling to and far easier to corral to the trade bloc,” Caulder mused, “I’m sure you can use Vandiir to move some covert assets into position the meantime. Put some understanding individuals in the halls of all those boardrooms and governments.”​

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This should have been a job for Aerarii Tithe . But Tithe was gone from the Sith, fleeing elegantly to the comforts of the Core. One could always trust the instincts of rats to know when a ship was sinking. The Empire was on its last legs.​

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There was little need to sign a formal accord with the walking dead.​

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“The Corporate Sector will inevitably fall into our sphere. There’s no reason to prop up an antithetical government just because you lack patience.”​

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He gave a dismissive wave of the hand. “iBorg is a prestigious company. Their proprietary cybernetics are noteworthy, even if they could stand to use some modernization. Buy them out for whatever they’re asking for.”​

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No one ever had to ask Caulder Dune to invest in cybernetics firms twice.​

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“As it happens, I have access to a large pool of experts who would be happy to assist in an iBorg renaissance.”​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Its not patience, Dune, its the economic ramifica-”, but as Maliphant started on another tangent about why Adekos was wrong, and he was most certainly correct, Cybele expertly interjected.​

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“Understood, Mr. Dune!”, she said, with an amost actor like quality. This did little more than force a grunt from Maliphant as he turned back to his notepad.​

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“I’ll get ahold of Shira Varanin and see what can be figured out. I believe there is the final matter of infrastructure development - something Dorian had made a plan for. Dorian?”, Cybele said with a glance to her historic creator.​

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“Yes, well…”, he said as he cleared his throat and glanced back to Adekos -​

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“I’ve drawn up plans with Jaeger’s R&D to make a ship that can assist us in rebuilding damaged planets - be it from war, genocide, orbital bombardment, or the Bryn’adul. In addition, it will theoretically capable of processing enough mass from stellar objects that we may even be able to create hyperlanes despite mass shadows - if only temporarily. Besides the more functional elements, it can also serve as a status symbol for the IGBC, and encouragement from smaller governments to have us engrained in their systems to better compensate for the damages wrought on their planets. For instance, Mandalore could be partially reconstituted for what minor gain there is helping Mandalorians.”​

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Though the thought of fixing their planet just for them to nuke it again felt pointless.​

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“Scratch that - someone who matters instead. Any of those planets.”​

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Caulder Dune​

 

[Caulder Dune]

Darth Empyrean

Infrastructure development? Planetary revitalization? Harper hardly even had to ask.​

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"Do it," he said, without any reasonable hesitation. "You may wish to consider releasing smaller, more numerous models alongside the flagship. When the Bryn'adul threat finally collapses, there will be hundreds of planets in dire need of reconstruction."​

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Letting demand outweigh the supply was all well and good, but the ability to claim a larger portion of that demand would be better for their margins.​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“I’ll take that into consideration.”, he said with a glance to Cybele.​

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“I believe our meeting is done for now - I will send you a holomail when we need to meet next. Likely after my meeting with the Chancellor of the Galactic Alliance, I imagine.”​

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With a glance back to Cybele, he made a last command -​

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“Turn the sun back up.”​

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She smiled, and so she did.​

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Caulder Dune​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Mr. Dune;​

​

After further investigation of the Bryn’adul Threat, I have come to a conclusion you may both like to hear, and detest me for my approach. I believe it is an opportunity to break new ground and set relationships with nations we have yet to make an impression on - while also helping to cease the incoming threat.​

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My proposal is simple; a large monetary fund that takes a percentage of annual gross income, and sets it aside for ‘Galactic Threats’. What is voted on by the board can be considered a Galactic Threat, and nations or companies willing to produce equipment to fight said threat, or even fight the threat themselves will be treated to large monetary sums of money at very low interest rates. Just enough to keep up with inflation.​

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While we will have to investigate the usage of the fund, it should be relatively simple with on site bookkeepers and auditors. I believe this can fill both our need to be ‘morally superior’ as you so like to be, and my incessant greed.​

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Let me know what you think;​

​

Dorian Harper​

Director of the IGBC​

​

Caulder Dune ​