So You're Back in Business

[Zion Krayt]

It seemed as if Rendili Stardrive was back in business. A shipyard that had created quite a few ships for the Galactic Republic over the centuries and millennia. The Hammerhead-Class had been a favourite of his, and when he had heard that they had started a Mark II variant, he was already fuelling his ship and was on the way.

Right after scheduling an appointment of course.

He triple checked that on the way to Rendili.

His simple shuttle dropping out of hyperspace, it was heading towards Rendili's Shipyards. Once he had been contacted by the officials and they had cross-referenced his schedule and told him where to land, he was heading there with with good speed.

Once his ship landed in the hangar bay, his ship's ramp descended, and then he walked down, clad only in his phrik armour and his Jedi cloak that happened to be black. His helmet wasn't on his head, instead it was resting in it's position between his shoulder blades. He didn't wear his gauntlets of course, there was no reason to.

In his robes was the datapad he was going to use to show the schematics for what he had been planning.

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

Yes a certain someone had indeed ensured they had filled out for an appointment, and Camellia was glad to meet with them. . . .despite the number of pings to some of the shipyard's staff members taking calls. When the individual who had scheduled for the meeting finally arrived Camellia made sure she was prepared to meet them, Rendili Stardrive officials guiding him in and giving him the appropriate hanger location to land in as she left as soon as she was informed he was making his approach.

Clad in her Rendili Home Defense Fleet uniform, Camellia entered the hanger that Zaren's shuttle arrived in just as the man was exiting his craft and walking down the ramp. What it was specifically that he had in mind for Rendili Stardrive in terms of business she wasn't yet sure, but she would find out soon enough she supposed. "Welcome to Rendili Mr. Bishop, I am Captain Camellia Swift of the Home Defense Fleet and current CEO of Rendili Stardrive. What may we help you with today."

 

[Zion Krayt]

When he had laid eyes upon the Captain, he inclined the upper half of his body to her before straightening out silently. "It is a pleasure to be here. I have come to admire the ships that Rendili manufactures." A compliment, mostly to smooth over their initial meeting. Some would say, something for them to have in common.

"I am in need of a new ship, one that hasn't been constructed before. I hope it's not too much to ask of Rendili Stardrive?" There was a tilt to his head as he asked the question. He knew of the ships of the past that they had made. The Republic-class Star Destroyer, the Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruiser, and several other ships that had happened to slip his mind at that point. Of course they could help him.

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

Flattery would get one everywhere in the business world they said. Of course nonetheless Camellia felt a swell of pride upon hearing the words praise Rendili and its shipbuilding quality and capabilities. Still, she wasn't about to let him get too far ahead into thinking that just because he was on the right track in how to think of Rendili Stardrive that he was going to get a discount for free. "Well we're very happy that you've considered to conduct your business here. We can certainly construct a new ship for you within reason, though it may take a little longer than working off an existing blueprint to ensure that the engineers and dockworkers do everything according to your preferences. We can work many features in you have in mind or that you might find additionally useful if you weren't aware of them before."

 

[Zion Krayt]

She was certainly more helpful than the CEO at Kuat Drive Yards, that was for sure. She gave him information on things that he already knew, but it was still kind of her to do so. It was probably because her business had only just returned, and they had to keep up their image.

"Tell me of some of the features that could be considered new, at Rendili." There was curiosity on his face, but he truly doubted there was 'innovation' at Rendili. Sure their ships were well built, but what did they do differently here? "Would it not be better to speak in an office?" There was a polite smile on his face, after all they were still in his docking bay. "It is a... Transport of sorts, but with a gunship's capabilities." He described.

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

To be fair she had to be helpful and informative she felt because otherwise a client might not feel inclined to do business with a company that felt the need to hide details that would be easily discovered or obvious anyway. Being upfront and honest and working to the best of one's abilities was always the better route to take she believed. Besides, with Rendili Stardrive trying to make it big once again it certainly wouldn't hurt to have more of an open and visible face on the company.

"Yes speaking in the office would be better, though if you wish later on we could drop by the docks and construction berths themselves so you can have a look at where the work will be done on your vessel. For now if you'll follow me I'll show you to my office then." Turning about and motioning for Bishop to follow her, Camellia would continue to speak as she led him out of the hanger and through several of the station's hallways until they reached a closed office space belonging to her. A similar office was had by the station supervisor and dock chief, but if one looked at theirs and Camellia's one might wonder if Captain Swift had more models decorating her desk and shelves. All of course displaying Rendili designed ships, both civilian and military make. "Now it can be easily be done to do just as you mentioned and construct a vessel with adequate space to carry small amounts of cargo and freight while maintaining a tough and formidable exterior to ward off enemies. However, what we can do past that is look into features. Depending on the size of the vessel we can format the accommodations and space to fit your specific needs depending on the situations you expect to take your ship into and the cargo or belongings you'll be storing as well. In addition we can arm your ship in a variety of ways to make you feel the most secure and comfortable, again based on your needs and how much security you feel you require. Lastly we can go into detail on specific systems. Is there anything you wish to be modifiable or upgraded beyond a normal system such as sensors, communication, life support, and the like. Other features we can include would be a Rendili specific made Hyperdrive unit of class 1.5 which is usually more than civilian makes use but somewhat less than we offer on military products. We could also include our famous Ion Engines which have always been on par with those of Corellian or Kuati make. We also have impressive reactors, though I'm assuming your vessel won't be a Capital ship so anything above and beyond there would be too big and hefty to squeeze in Mr. Bishop."

 

[Zion Krayt]

What she spoke of was fascinating. It seemed Rendili truly was about innovation.

It was always about the simple things for Zaren. "The hyperdrive and engine units sound good. The only advancement my ship would require would be within sensors. If it is possible, thrust dampers would be amazing." Yes, those would be quite useful in the sort of situations that he found himself in sometimes. Or would in the future.

"Several space suits would be stored in the cargo space, yes? Or will they have to be placed somewhere else?" While they walked, Zaren looked around the hallways, to the other workers who were present, even the rare visitor who was also hoping to perform business most likely. At one point earlier on she had mentioned visiting the construction berths, surely that could be arranged after their business was conducted and completed.

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

Most of what she was saying wasn't specifically innovation so much as it was actual customer service and looking to present the most efficient means to meet those needs along with actually giving the client what they wanted and more. His requests were quite modest though once she had her say, it almost made Camellia want to go into a long speech about what sort of additions she would put on if it were her ship and what not. However, she did have truly considerate input on the matter of the cargo space and suits. "Thrust dampeners are a little pricey but we can indeed install them on your ship as an extra feature certainly. Engines and hyperdrive are no problem either. As for the space suits its honestly very simple, its up to you. However, if you're asking for my personal and professional recommendation I would tell you to keep one suit within the cargo hold and then install lockers in both the private quarters and near the bridge station in case of emergencies. Adding in that storage space wouldn't cost much extra but if you end up in a tight spot and can't make it to the cargo hold in time from your room or the pilot's seat then you ought to have those close at hand."

 

[Zion Krayt]

"The suits will be staying in the cargo hold. I am capable of travelling larger distances than the interior of a ship within the space of a few moments." It wasn't said arrogantly, he had said it softly as if to put more emphasis on the fact that he could move faster than she thought. The Force was a beautiful thing and it gifted those that actually put in the work to train their ability. Zaren was one of those people.

"Besides that, my current suit is most likely heavier than a space suit, but it is still capable of lasting in space I'm certain for a while." He made sure to leave out the part that he hadn't tested that. Better if he didn't lest he simply freeze in his armour and die in a dire situation.

"Will it be possible to have a bulkhead door descend from the ceiling and seal rooms off? Removing oxygen and the like?" Sometimes you didn't know who was getting on your ship, it'd be especially easier to tell people's alignment with the force with thaissen crystals now that he thought of it. He'd make sure to have them placed in hidden compartments.

"Do you have any other ideas?"

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

To be frank Camellia couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at the individual in front of her as he made his remarks and requests next for his ship. Only certain species with vastly superior physical traits or people with the force supplementing their abilities and prowess had the speed necessary to run from the cockpit to the cargo hold of a ship if the ship were to be torn in half or have several human sized holes in the hull in a matter of seconds. Nonetheless she wouldn't argue the point on him, well in regards to him. "Well that may be well and true, but there is always the consideration of your passengers if you ever have any. I won't debate your own abilities as I don't know you and you likely know yourself best, but considering the average individual's capabilities you may want to think over these additions for their sake if any companions you consider to have tag along might not be quite up to par on your level."

The bit about wanting control over areas oxygen supply and bulkheads was another eyebrow raiser. This person was very security oriented, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, after all it could likely be profitable for the company. "As for the bulkheads we can easily do that. We'll just add an extra layer or two to your doors for the cargo hold, cockpit, personal cabins, and the few rooms of free space. That's actually the more expensive bit with the added material, upgrading the life support systems to be modified to have that control is simple, just adding a few diverting systems and valves to control airflow and dispersion. Its an effective security feature if you figure to have an assassin on board, usually see them on large freighters. As for other systems, if security is an issue we could add in stunlocks on the doors too so that anyone attempting to break through them gets a shock when they're locked if you ever feel like having the option of apprehending an intruder rather than suffocating them. Other features we can add in would be to possibly give you a deployable light laser cannon to extend and retract from under the cockpit to clear a landing zone or in the area of the exit ramp's blind spot. I say these because security sounds very important to you and you appear to be someone who intends to get in trouble, or at least frequent the combat zone Mr. Bishop. More along the ship itself though, we can also think about adding in a work station in one of the free spaces if your the tinkering sort or someone who keeps track of their own equipment and gear. How are these sounding to you?"

 

[Zion Krayt]

"Only those who are capable of matching my speeds will be my passengers." The ship was meant for his personal usage as a Jedi, and for missions that he'll be embarking upon with his multiple Jedi Padawans. Although he didn't plan on taking them off of Tython for quite some time on a mission. None of them were ready for it.

Corvus was fresh from Corellia. She claimed to know the academic part of being a Jedi, and that was true in his opinion. She couldn't find however she would have him believe. She had never held a training lightsaber or an actual lightsaber. Hatake was the most duty bound of them all, but he wouldn't make a good Master, let alone Knight without any ingenuity in him. Tugoro was simply annoying, probably a more uncivilized Lupe Baracka which had aggravated him beyond reason until the end of his Padawanhood.

"It sounds perfectly fine to me." The prospect of having a laser underneath his cockpit that fired on a landing zone was a good idea. He nodded to her as if to further approve of her ideas.

"Shall we go to the construction yards, or to your office?"

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

Well it went without saying Camellia was a little disappointed in failing to convince Bishop to take the extra suits and locker space. It wasn't that much more of a profit, but still it would have been more and that was what mattered in business. Still, pushing the subject more would be poor customer service and probably cause the client to look poorly on the company for being pushy against his wishes. Thus the Rendili woman opted to drop the topic and focused on the rest of the deal. Besides since she didn't know if he was lying or not she wasn't even sure anyway if her suggestion had been necessary. Personally Camellia knew she was a skilled swordswoman, maybe not as accomplished as others more dedicated among the Rendili Blademasters, but still she was no slouch. For the man to boast about physical prowess to make trained soldiers wince was a little unnerving, especially when he insinuated there was a number of such people.

Rendili Stardrive's CEO could only imagine they were all force users of at least Knight class or higher then for such claims. That likely meant the transaction here might be more influential than she thought as well. Camellia smiled as Bishop said the rest was fine then, though she was unsure whether to actually take him to her office or to the yards berths themselves when he asked. "Either would work fine. In my office we can finalize the deal and decide on a fitting price and completion date for you, but perhaps you'd like to see where the work will be done first to give yourself a better idea of what you can expect if that will help in matters. I'll lead you either way just let me know how you're feeling."

 

[Zion Krayt]

"I am only a guest here. This is your Yard, take me where you will." He said, but his gaze flickered over the hallway briefly. In truth he wanted to go everywhere on this shipyard, but that was most likely not going to happen unless he stayed throughout the whole construction process of his ship, and even then he wouldn't have access to everywhere upon the shipyard.

Most likely being a Jedi General wouldn't help his case, but that last time he lead an army was well... In the future, and what had occurred on Ossus hadn't quite renewed his hope upon retaking his title as a Jedi General. He shrugged at his thoughts, he was indifferent to his title as long as he wasn't wasting the lives of innocents for victory.

Throughout history the outcomes of battles had required great sacrifices. Several of them unnecessary, something he never hoped to be apart of.

"Do what you'd with me."

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

"Then let's just look around the construction berths quick and then finalize the details and keep it simple." Turning to leave and signaling for Bishop to follow, Camellia headed down the corridors leading to where the nearest dock work was being down with a large enough ship to get a better sense of the majority of the work going on all at once. Along the way she made sure to keep up a generally polite and informative conversation while they passed viewports where outside approaching and leaving ships could be seen along with several shuttles ferrying crews and equipment to various hangers and sections of the station where skeletal hulls were being welded and organized together.

"Many of the parts are put together by robotics for unstable pieces such as reactors. We do have engineers and mechanics who put some of the parts together by hand, but the truly simple tasks that don't require human touch often like putting together the outer shell of a part are done by assembly lines. The actual task of rewiring, programming, major welding, and assembly of delicate interior pieces of a part, are done by hand by our yard crews. By which I mean you won't see them cut a square from a large durasteel slab which would take longer and waste their time, but they will be and are the ones who put it in place and ensure that what lies beneath it is fully secured. As you can see outside, what will be done with your ship is that a frame will be laid out piece by piece by the team until the outer hull is shaped, once it is they will get to work creating the outer layer until they've made a shell. After which they will go in and put in the systems that will lie between the hull and ceiling/floors/walls of the ship and work their way through the ship's layout to your specifications. Then they'll work to create the interior to match everything exactly as it is designed. They'll lastly then augment the systems and put in the weaponry and vital components. The final pieces will be the installation of the engine block and several tests to ensure the vessel is sealed against vacuum and all systems such as life support, communications, hyperdrive, and weaponry work as they should."

 

[Zion Krayt]

"I see."

How else was he supposed to respond while she spoke about ship parts? It was interesting to say the least, but he didn't know a lot about that stuff to even actually have a conversation. He knew enough about ships to pilot them, but to actually say what went into building them? No.

Ask him how to build a lightsaber and what parts are in that, and you'll get a detailed explanation. If you wanted the crystal code, Zaren could say that as well. Although he did use to tinker with speeders a long time ago on Nar Shaddaa.

"How long have you been the owner, quite recently yes?" It was the only thing that he could think to talk about. He waited until she answered before he asked another question. "And how long have you been a Captain? Or have you always been apart of the military?"

Now he was genuinely interested. She wasn't bad to look at, but she seemed quite dead set about her company.

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

Honestly Camellia wasn't expecting much conversation on this end of things. She was merely attempting to do her very best to lay out every angle to both awe and overwhelm the client into making the deal. Nothing she said was a lie, but much of it was rather pointless unless the person listening was someone well versed in construction of starships or engineering at all. Not even that really as they would get much more technical about things than she had. So in the end she wasn't much surprised by the change in topic, although she did raise an eyebrow he wouldn't see at the subject he had chosen. She supposed she could answer while he watched out over the construction going on outside the viewport, though she figured perhaps he'd just want to finalize their transaction soon. "I've been the owner for only a little while yes. I received a high recommendation from the previouis CEO and was left his assets, a majority of them at least, upon his death. I've served in the military much longer. I graudated from the academy three years ago and was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain a year ago. I now command a portion of the Defense Fleet and have a fledgling membership in the Blademasters society. I aim to bring Rendili Stardrive products back in line in the galaxy to hopefully see them among prominent galactic navies again."

 

[Zion Krayt]

I've fought longer than her.

The first battle I had been in was twelve, and she only graduated three years ago? Well...

"Your ascension to Captain must've been well deserved to be have occurred so fast." He said with a soft smile. It was certainly interesting, but he wasn't about to start questioning her about the rest of her military career. Many people's paled in comparison to the amount of battles and run-ins he's had with Sith over his lifetime. In a decade, he had seen three Jedi Purges, nothing to be ecstatic about, but instead of having Sith killing innocents, they instead captured Jedi, baited them out that way, and then killed them.

It was almost a slaughter every time.

"What is a blademaster? Are you skilled with a blade?"

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

"To be frank this side of the galaxy tends to be much quieter, and there are fewer qualified officers watching the system. Anyone showing competent thinking and a talent for command with enough faith from those in charge typically will rise up. It's about the best we can do to keep our defenses in these systems readied for emergencies since we're not exactly a danger zone clambering for war heroes and experienced veterans of many trials to save us from constant battle. At most I've served on three ships and been in combat with several pirate parties, nothing like the fights with the Sith I know, but I won't complain that the Omega Protectorate is at peace with us right now." Yes, she knew others had certainly done more than she had at this point, but she wasn't going to feel bad about having her world be safe. Keeping it that way was exactly why she had entered the military to begin with, and she had no doubts she would have many chances to actually merit her worth before the end. Still, she was a little less apprehensive answering his question about the Blademasters, it was a much easier thing to remark upon. "The Blademasters are a recent addition to the Defense Force, an attempt to train highly talented soldiers with a bit of a gimmick. Specifically intensive skill in armed melee combat for close quarters. They act as a elite squads working as bodyguards for important officials and installations as well as troops meant to clear out enclosed hostile locations. They've done very well boarding pirate ships or enclaves and clearing them out with minimal casualties. I myself joined them to learn to be a more effective soldier, so I imagine I am decent with a blade, though I'm not one of the top tier by far. I like to think I could hold my own better than most though."

 

[Zion Krayt]

"Huh," he replied with a curious sound to his voice. Well that was... Interesting. "Perhaps one day you can show me how well you handle a blade."

He chuckled.

"So tell me, did you always want to be a soldier, or was it only something that surfaced a few years ago? I'm certain there are other things that you could've done." He shrugged his shoulders once he had said that.

"Shall we go to your office now to finish that deal?"

He was done looking at the shipyards at work, he could be doing other things, but he wasn't against staying a little longer at the shipyard. Or at least until his duty as a Jedi called him away.

[member="Camellia Swift"]

 

[Camellia Swift]

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

"Perhaps someday I shall. Although if you were to be my opponent or any of the friends you were speaking of before then I believe it would be a pathetically sad display of skill compared to the abilities you claim you have." About to respond to his questions about her decision to enter the military field, Camellia held on answering as he also asked if they could head toward to her office and finalize the paperwork for the ship's construction. So she motioned to him instead as she made an abrupt turn down a different hallway, one that would start leading them back to her office.

"My father and mother actually wanted me to enter the medical field like they had, but I always had a fascination with starships. My grandparents often brought me model toys as a child which encouraged me, and for a while everyone thought I would be a mechanic or engineer. Especially since I started working on a few personal projects as a teenager. However, I've always been full of pride for Rendili, and honestly wished to contribute to its prosperity and safety. So I began to consider the academy and entering the navy, I also took a base membership in the Blademasters as a way to become a better soldier while I studied fleet tactics to become an officer. My parents were less pleased than my grandparents in the end over the outcome, but they're proud of the lengths I've gone and the heights I've reached." Her office up ahead, Cam paused in her talking as she stepped up to the keypad and entered her code with practiced speed and precision. Wasting no time as she went inside, the Rendili Stardrive CEO moved to her desk, past several shelves of Rendili models, and pulled out the forms and a datapad as she ran over several calculations. "Now then though, I'll give you a number based on the parts on and the added features but it shouldn't come out to too much than the average private project, unless you have anything else you wish to add?"