Procuring the Fractured [Tyrin]

[Lief]

[Kära Vi'dreya]

A summons had been made from one of the few names she recognised in this Universe. Ardik had been her Master, during her years as a Soldier, and she respected him above all else. As a result, there was no hesitation behind her actions when the Sith Lord left her quarters upon Umbara in favour of a couple of days journey through space toward Lianna. She didn't really know what to expect, as Tyrin hadn't exactly divulged much information over holo-call, but she was willing to hear him out at any rate.

When the vessel landed upon the corporate world, Kära had exited in civilian attire, not wishing to draw any attention to herself, the ship or any operations her Master had ongoing. Her lightsaber was hidden on the back of her belt beneath a loosely hanging tunic, in reach should she require its assistance, and a more commonly carried blaster was holstered at her waist. She was proficient with both weapons, but she doubted either would be required. At least, not in this Sector of space.

Walking along the plaza she directed herself toward the meeting point provided. He had been precise and efficient in his instructions as always, something she had always found agreeable about his personality. She was a woman of few words herself for the most part. When she reached the Tower she entered the foyer and waited, several minutes early judging by her own calculations. It would never do to be late; Kära did not find such fashionable at all. It was a tedious waste of everybody's time.

[member='Gerion Ardik']

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Snowflake"]

Not everyone he called to Hegemon Towers did Gerion personally meet in the foyer. Usually he made them ride the elevator up to the fifty-seventh floor, whereupon they were greeted by the human replica droid disguised as a perpetually exhausted man discreetly scanned again, and brought into his office. For the closest thing he had to a successful (or still living and not a member of a barbarian tribe) quasi-apprentice, however, exceptions could be made. Ever since running the One Sith's colonization initiative, wherein the dregs of society were forcibly rehabilitated and turned into productive colonists, Gerion fancied himself as a provider of second chances.

Given that Kära's attempt to create a Force User utopia on some uncharted world had not gone as well as it ought to have, it was time for a second chance.

Several minutes ahead of the appointed meeting time, Gerion stepped out of the floor's main elevator, strangely sans retinue for once. Yet given the circumstances that had recently transpired in the building, more bodyguards would have been redundant. A few weeks ago someone had smuggled a vile Dark Side artifact into the building, which drove a mail room attendant insane. Several droids were destroyed, three people were injured, and two were dead- including the mail room attendant, who had jumped out of a window. Kära would likely notice that the security checkpoints she had not yet passed through were overstocked with personnel. Beyond them, in the main lobby, a number of battle droids were present at various just beyond on the main floor. Peace of mind was important here at Hegemonic Automaton.

Gerion flashed an identity card to one of the droids as he strode past the security checkpoint. Kära was already there, surprisingly enough. Or perhaps not. She was the only one of his disciples who seemed to take his reverence of punctuality to heart. "Lady Kyros." He said by way of greeting as he approached. "I see you've been keeping well."

 

[Lief]

As she stood there her gaze scanned the foyer; mental notes were made of the security protocols in place, it seemed as though there was tension among the guards. Her attention was diverted, however, when one of the turbolift doors opened to the visage of a familiar Umbaran. She was not the only one to make note of his appearance; some of the droids on his side of the checkpoints made as if to fall into step behind him, before apparently thinking better of it. As Tyrin made his way to the checkpoint he fell to the same security measures as everyone else Kära had seen so far.

She stepped forward to meet him as he approached, tipping her head in respect. "Greetings, Ma--" No, Master would not do in such an establishment as this. In fact, Kära doubted that anyone here knew of his true identity at all. People didn't take too kindly to the products sold by Sith... And she doubted they'd want anything to do with a former Emperor. Instead she gracefully switched her statement without any hesitation. "My Lord; You've been doing well for yourself, too, it seems." The Tower was formidable indeed, and she could not help but admire it. Still, she was curious as to what exactly she was doing here.

"Shall we talk business?" Best not to waste any time drawling over social protocol. She couldn't abide small talk.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Snowflake"]

A brow lofted when she nearly called him master, but descended just the same when she opted for something less strange. Technically speaking he wasn't a Lord of anything. Not when he wasn't wearing some Sithly costume with red eyes and a scary face. "We shall. Come along, we'll walk the grounds" He could see she brought a blaster along for the event. Gerion couldn't really imagine why. This was Lianna- the heart of cultured civilization in this sector of space. There were no shootouts here. Rather than waste time having her go through security and disarm herself, they could just tour the plaza outside. Besides, he could have used the fresh air. His office was starting to get... Stifling.

"I believe you were once interested in the Outer Rim." Gerion began, as they exited. "Particularly Makeb, if I recall. Have you been keeping up with events in that sector?"

 

[Lief]

Paying close attention to his facial expressions as per usual, she saw the roller-coaster that was his eyebrows for a moment and mentally bit back a laugh. She too had not really meant for either of the terms to come out, but she was so used to addressing him by something that it was more borne of habit than anything else. Still, it wasn't as if anyone had really paid any attention. Falling into step alongside the Umbaran she glanced around the establishment and closed her eyes briefly as the sunlight took over. Adjusting as swiftly as she could she took in a good look of the grounds, as they spoke.

"My interests will always lie in the Outer Rim; although I'm afraid I'm not caught up presently." After all, things within her own Universe were frightfully different to here! And even if she had been from this Universe, Kära had been dead for some time. Not even reclaiming the woman's memories would help as far as Makeb and its Sector was concerned! Hopefully Tyrin could shine a light on the situation.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

The outside area was little more than a decorated plaza. It was paved, littered with dozens of branches and the occasional piece of shrubbery and other planted floral displays. It was by no means a garden, but it did look nice enough for employees to congregate and relax in their off hours. Gerion usually only came through here when walking to and from his office, which was usually done at a brisk pace, and so he had never really paused to give the plaza any consideration.

"The Techno Union has taken over the reigns of the former Abrion Systems Authority previously centered in that region. The government has once again been reformed, though now it is what was always intended- a powerful alliance of corporate interests capable of dominating entire star systems." The exact history of that nation was as long as it was scandalous, but the details wer unnecessary. Kära would do fine with the abridged version. "The Techno Union will need increasingly competent corporations to form its Executive Council if it is to function properly. I intended to bring Outer Rim Oreworks to the fold but, unfortunately, their CEO fell in with the Retail Caucus."

Gerion sniffed, still disappointed. "Obviously we couldn't leave him in charge, not after he sided with our enemies, and now we are in possession of a corporation's assets and name. We could sell them to Miss Arceneau or someone else of substantial power, but I believe in diversification. You are still familiar with the mechanics of running a corporation. Outer Rim Oreworks is a powerful name in the Rim and it would do little good as a subsidiary of one of our existing members."

"I thought carefully on who would be suitable to assume ownership of the company, and have decided to offer the position of CEO and a majority of the company's shares to you."

 

[Lief]

She could appreciate the well tended to plaza, although secretly she preferred the greenery of a garden - or even the wild. While it was untamed and chaotic, there was something oddly refreshing about it compared to the concrete jungles she was used to. Perhaps this was why she had drifted to Teth and Aurum...

Kära listened in silence as she was brought up to date with some Galactic affairs, especially those situated around the Outer Rim. She was not familiar with the Techno Union, however they sounded appealing. It sounded as though they lacked the typical strife between Force Sects that other powers in the Galaxy struggled with, business was business at the end of the day.

The woman tilted her head to one side at the mention of the company. She had done her fair share of work with regards to mining, both as a personal project and through her company. It was one of the few things she had a genuine interest in, although perhaps that went hand in hand with her alchemy.

"It's a name I've heard of, though not in any great detail." She pondered the proposal for a moment; she knew that the Kära of this Universe had owned a company, grown it from a simple idea, no doubt this was his reasoning for bringing it to her. It was definitely worth considering. With a nod of her head Kära agreed. "Certainly, I'll look into its current board. But I foresee no issues."

"Do you think that you could tell me more about the Techno Union?" If she was going to put her all into this company, it was probably best that she learned more about its surrounding affiliates.

[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

"Certainly. It is hopefully the final successor state to the now defunct Confederacy of Independent Systems." Gerion explained as they continued to tour the grounds. "It is a loose alliance of corporations on the federal level. Each member-corporation appoints one representative to the Executive Council. This Council elects a Foreman. The Executive Council and the Foreman are both the determiners of the Techno Union's policies on a galactic scale with a number of smaller departments overseeing specific things such as the treasury, the security forces, and so forth."

The exact mechanics of the Techno Union's government were rather complex. Some would even say long-winded, but it was preferable to the disorganized chaos of the Rebel Alliance and the unspecified hogwash of the Silver Jedi. Kära could, again, be fine with an abridged version until she could read up on it herself. If she even wanted to. Really, the Techno Union's government probably wouldn't even concern her too greatly in the long run.

"Planets are left to govern themselves, though the Techno Union does necessitate that its worlds establish a Committee for Planetary Development. These are composed of scientists, engineers, and other experts. They determine what needs to be done to improve a planet's infrastructure, economic integrity, literacy rate, and standard of living. These committees answer to a Viceroy appointed by the Techno Union, who then carries out what needs to be done irrespective of the planet's government."

He would go on to clarify. "Progress and development are often bogged down and delayed by the self-serving desires of politicians or the fact that the general public is an uneducated mess. So we designed a system intended to bypass them both in order to accomplish what needs to be accomplished in a timely manner. No voting. No long-winded public debate. No distortions of the relevant data. Just the facts and swift, decisive action."

 

[Lief]

Kära tapped her chin.

Oh, this sounded most agreeable. No petty power squabbles of the Force, no in-your-face flamboyant shows to decide whose lightsaber was best, just cold hard facts and tangible progression. So many believed that to be a Sith was to be cruel and domineering, but that was false. The truth of the matter was that it all boiled down to ascertaining your personal strengths in order to develop and become the very best that you could, and not in a cliche everybody matters sense. There was nothing written down which states that your victory had to be over flesh, it was metaphysical. Some people took things far to literally.

"I must say," she began, with a slight shrug, "that this is something I could back."

Order was not established through brute force, but instead social and economic stability. Now, these systems could be cheated, they could be corrupt, but so long as the general population had no cause for concern in their every day simple minded lives it made no difference. Their votes, if they even chose to make them, would be blase, as they would be requiring very little in the way of change. A corporate state had goals and were more likely to meet them than a solely political regime, because businesses had to make money to keep afloat. They required content individuals who had decent jobs and socio-economic standing because who else was supposed to buy their products? Well, not counting other major powers in the Galaxy who were part of an arms race, at least.

"I shall begin with the Oreworks, however I do believe that the Union may see more of me in the coming months, if they'll have me." She knew better than to stick her nose in where it wasn't wanted.

[member='Gerion Ardik']