Let's try developing something new

[Coren Starchaser]

Coren Starchaser knew a few things about starships. That was one of the reasons he agreed to do this job. He was a man of many coats, but one thing he consistently did was fly. The other? Consult for companies who were working on getting into the game. Or who were already in the game and just needed another set of eyes on things. One thing he had been working on lately was designing a few extra systems for a ship he had in mind.

Something to replace the Tiburon and give him a ship to assist the Underground and Omega Pyre (once he started actually pulling missions for them) to the best of his ability. Sure, he had the Rising, but she was a freighter and exploration vessel. What he was working on in the background, and what was going to serve as a strike craft was something new. And part of this thread would probably have random Coren Starchaser musings about it.

But the man was meeting with a representative of Mara TibX and Fuels, the leader in TibannaX in the galaxy. He had a concept for a new engine to be used in a variety of sizes and shapes, but mainly as fusial style engines. Between the Underground and Sanctum ships, he’d had enough time watching the StealthX offered by Incom to give him some base line to run off of.

And that was why he was at the Tatooine office of Haven Shipyards. Starchaser wasn’t a fool, he did his research and as hard as it was to step back from Silk, he knew Haven was linked to Mara TibX, and that they’d probably have the best chance of getting this engine off the ground. Something he’d hope to be able to use for his next vessel.

He was coming for you, Jorus Merrill.

He knew he'd have to wait in the line for a meeting time, but the pilot was patient, he had some designs to fine tune on the ship he was starting to call ShortFin.

[member="Alisha'ven"]

 

[Alisha'ven]

[member="Coren Starchaser"] wouldn't have to wait too long.

That cerulean sashay from the Rutian known as Alisha'ven would come cruising down the corridor with a wide and friendly smile. There was a knowing glint in her gaze. Was that a blatent appraisal? One could even say that she drank the sight of the man with the swarthy jaw and that winning smile.

"Well well well... my look what the Nexu dragged in," she'd coo in that Outer Rim twang that spoke of years in the Southern Systems. Almond lavender eyes would trail from the top of that dark mop of hair, down his well toned physique, and finally to those dusty boots.

Oh, Alisha was the sort of cat to make her interest very clear. This was no different. A life spent on Nar Shaddaa in Club Ufora certainly made her appreciate and enjoy what manner of pleasures she could find. This was a Twi'lek who didn't discriminate on a mutually enjoyed connect disconnect.

"Mistah Starchaser is it?" she'd ask, wondering if there was a familial connection there.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

See? That was the trick with actually dealing with people in the business world. Coren kept a bit of trail on Marek. He knew the other Starchaser, the failed Starchaser, was involved in the capitalist world. And Tatooine was one of those planets, in the Techno Union, not necessarily the best place for him to be, as he had taken time to strike at Hypori once. And planned to again... He wasn't sure who he'd be greeted by, but the Twi'lek didn't seem so out of place.

What the nexu dragged in? That was a familiar term. It warranted a raised eyebrow from Coren as he look in the cerulean skinned alien.

"Thank you for seeing me. And yes, Coren Starchaser." He smiled, getting to his feet. "And you are..." He didn't know who he was meeting with, just some representative from Haven for him to pitch the engine to use the TibannaX fuel. Something to help fighters, Underground, Omega, Sanctum, whoever, keep their profile low and get around the galaxy without being seen.

[member="Alisha'ven"]

 

[Alisha'ven]

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

"Alisha'ven," she'd coo, extending her hand with a winning smile. Pointed teeth shown through, but that beguile of hers did not drop. "Arceneau Trade Company, but I'm here to deal with Haven Shipyards." her head would cock to the side, taking him in closer observation.

Nope, not disappointed by the looks of things at all, she'd muse with mild amusement.

"So what can I help you with, Mistah Starchaser?"

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Yeah, maybe Coren was trained by an Empire, and maybe that Empire had a few choice phrases for some species in the galaxy, but before that? His father was part of the Jedi ExplorCorps. He taught him the value of the galaxy and its multitude of species. No, his father wasn’t Gilbert, he who writes Aliens, but his father did know that the diversity was what made the galaxy exciting. And as much as Coren wouldn’t take a non-near human looking species to bed, well, there were parts that were attractive.

He’d be a fool to deny that.

Unless, of course, [member="Alisha'ven"] was going to inseminate him with worms

But we digress.

“I’m coming on behalf of… well, I suppose myself. I’m an employee of Silk Holdings.” (a truth, the former smuggler wasn’t lying nowadays) “And I feel I’ve got an idea, some designs, and potentially a money maker for Haven Shipyards. Or Arceneau, or Mara TibX. However it works.” Starships needed engines. And sneaky starships needed sneaky engines.

 

[Alisha'ven]

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

"That so?" Alisha's eyebrow would perk up in piqued interest. Now what sort of ace did the human have up his sleeve? she'd wonder, shining an inviting smile at him a second later.

"Well now, how about we get a bit more comfortable and I reckon you can give me all them juicy tidbits about his money maker." she'd suggest, beckoning him to follow her to her office. She didn't wait for an answer. Oh no, she had already spun on the balls of her feet to sashay her way down the corridor in that slow hip swaying style she was sure was bound to get attention. One man's bait is another man's folly.

And Alisha was a heck of a folly.

"I assume since you mention Mara TibX you are keen on Tibanna, Mistah Starchaser." her lekku would give a subtle quiver in response to her heightened rush of excitement. It just what she was. Couldn't help it.

A glance over her shoulder made her appear coy, " No?"

 

[Coren Starchaser]

He had a few things up his sleeve, but most weren’t going to go to the masses. A TibannaX engine, though? That was something worth getting out there, even if to just cause chaos for his enemies. The rest, that was going to be a bit more controlled chaos, sent out to teams he trusted, but that wasn’t the point here.

Right, the office. Better than chatting up in the lobby, where any sort of agent from some company or another could hear. Yeah, Coren might be a bit paranoid, or he just watched a lot of noir holovids. Sometimes he wasn’t always needed on the bridge, and well, it added depth. He was doing his best to keep from coming off like that guy, but when the Twi’lek swayed her hips? Even he couldn’t say no to that.

When she started speaking, that brought him out of the observation of the pendulum that were her hips. He smiled at her when she looked over her shoulder. Right, Coren was wound tight, former military, survival, and trying to prevent the galaxy from falling into the wrong sort of chaos. “I’m familiar with it. Worked with an R&D company a few years back.” Ok, that was a fib. It was military R&D. Semantics. “And we were noticing that TibannaX was being used almost exclusively by Incom on their StealthX fighters. I had a chance to work on some of them…”

[member="Alisha'ven"]

 

[Alisha'ven]

"Is that so?" she'd say, interest still dripping from her voice as she would amble along. Small smiles and a nod would linger at the few Haven Shipyard employees they would walk past. Haven certainly wasn't as well known as the larger shipyards like Kuat, Santhe, Silk, or even Corellian Engineering.

However, they did cater towards those who were out on the rim. A few of their ships already made use of the TibannaX, but not in the manner Incom's StealthX fighters did at all. Burning lines in the sky was the sort of thing some of the wahoos out here enjoyed; using Haven shipyards as blockade runners that were fully customizable.

So having Starchaser mention something about the StealthX's...

A turn of the corner would lead the duo towards twin doors. They would open with a small hiss, revealing a large and comfortable office, if a little rugged. Posh decorations were not Haven's style, instead it would focus on comfort and use.

There was no need for things that were there only to look pretty.

"Please take a seat," Alisha would offer, gesturing to a large black chair in front of a body wood desk. "Pick your poison, Mistah Starchaser?" she'd ask, walking towards a small bar to pour herself something to wet her whistle.

"So you mentioned the StealthX fighters... just what do you have in mind with the tibanna and Haven then?"

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Sure, Coren knew of Silk, he worked for them, he bought almost exclusively from Corellian Engineering and when he was in combat? He was flying Santhe vessels. But there was the need to help the other folk. A bit of holonet searching found him Mara TibX and Fuels, and from there, it was under the umbrella of ATC. That meant their shipwright partner had to be none other than Haven. And linked with Mara Fuel? That had to do with the Corridor, which had to do with Jorus Merrill, which had to do with Coren Starchaser’s unhealthy fanboy situation with the other pilot.

Sure, once Merrill had come back to known space from whatever he was doing, Starchaser was going to give him a run for his money, but that was how Coren found this company.

Rugged wasn’t bad for an office. Coren enjoyed it. He was part of the Frontiers Corps and lived in a very utilitarian fashion, only needing the bare necessities. And no that was not a Jungle Book reference. But having only things that were useful? Well, that made things infinitely more clean cut. Taking the seat indicated, he nodded, putting his datapad on the desk.

“Tequila?” He wasn’t rich enough to be begging for Whyren’s actual Corellian reserve on trips like this. He did have a few bottles, but they were special occasions. “Rocks.” Granted this was the desert world, but who knew?

“Well, I’m not much for making the paint, I’m testing something to give a fighter a bit of a low-profile in space. But the StealthX run off a modified fusial engine. It burns the Tib-Ecks so that it doesn’t leave a long ion trail. I’ve spent time around the StealthX, I have made a few adjustments, and figure that you’ve got the market on TibannaX.” He activated the datapad, and a few holograms showed up of the engine in question, and the parts and style of construction. It could be shaped to fit a variety of space frames.

[member="Alisha'ven"]

 

[Alisha'ven]

Rocks it was.

Being the subsidiary of the top trading company in the 'verse had a few perks. Of the like which were ice. The moisture farmers were heavily regulated, but the nearby asteroid and ice moon provided another method of mining water as well as the frozen treats.

The clink of a medium ball of ice in a low ball came a few seconds later, as did the whisper of the pour of fine Corellian Tequilla. Alisha would come sauntering over to Coren, extending the glass over to him while she hung onto her own.

"We do." she said plainly. MaraTibX was the largest distributor of Tibanna, spun Tibanna, and TibX. "Having a modified fusial engine that we can offer would be something that Haven would be keen in." she brought the glass to her lips, taking a sip of the fiery liquid.

"Just what you looking for in return? If you are itching to design it for us, I'm sure we'd make it worth your while... not to mention offer in trade some of Haven's products for you to use. If we can update all of our ships to utilize both Tib Ecks as well as normal fuel...we could see mutual profitability."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

He had some different tastes. But a man from the Fringe and the Rim couldn’t be a chooser and making alcohol from a plant that could exist in nearly every condition? Not that was something to say about the ingenuity of people who needed a buzz. He smiled when the Twi’lek approached. “Thanks.” Was what he offered when he grabbed the low ball.

Working with the company that had the market that was the best move he could make. Sure, he might not make the profit off of it, but making a point of sale wouldn’t be bad. Enough credits to help with the finalization of his new vessel, so long as he had the engines for the new ship. “The engine should be able to be reconstructed to fit a variety of shapes and vessels. So it won’t be a one off, once its in production. Interchangeable parts and the like.”

What was he looking for though? Taking a sip of the drink, he nodded. “I’m looking to get it into production. Provide something new for a variety of ships. I’m sure it can be used to burn both, so a jack of all trades engine. I’d like a few for a ship I’m putting together, and if possible, a no-questions asked clause when I come calling on orders for retrofit. And extra discretion on who can purchase the engines.” Underground and hell, maybe the Omegas could use this. Possibly even the Treehouse Club known as the Covenant. "Discounts on the mass purchase, but not more than an employee discount. I'm not in the business of highway robbery."

[member="Alisha'ven"]

 

[Alisha'ven]

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

Alisha would round the front of the desk, leaning the firm curve of particular assets against it as she would consider Starchaser's offer. The plan had merit, and frankly, having the design of a TibannaX engine was something that would be mutually beneficial to all parties.

Especially if the engines were to the capabilities of what Incom's StealthX's were.

The corner of her mouth perked, and she would extend her hand. "Well then, reckon you got yourself a deal, Mistah Starchaser. You'll be able to use Haven Shipyard's facilities and research and design for your troubles."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Well, that was simple enough. His data must've been good. Now if he could keep working here, it was getting Coren into a position where his skills as a starship expert were glowing. Part pilot, part pseudo-engineer, all spacer. Or something. He was just glad that it was happening. And the perks of the job? Well, if [member="Alisha'ven"] was going to be his contact within Haven, he could see that being a good deal. Something easy on the eyes and a familiar face.

"That's perfect. I spend a lot of time between worlds and when the concepts strike, I'll be tossing new ideas down and I'll make sure they come your way." The last bit was to get some engines, but that could totes happen off screen. Yeah, no one reads, so he can say totes. Taking her hand, he winked. "A pleasure, miss Ven."