Strengthening the Fringe: In Mind Edition

[Valik]

Valik had found that he was doing a lot of business with [member="Jared Ovmar"] lately, what with the whole Tionese Angle. Though today he'd conduct more business with the smoking CEO not around the New Order or Levantine Territory, but on his office at Annaj. Valik was making rounds to each of the Fringe High Councillors, bolstering their strength in hopes of achieving multiple goals. Namely self advancement, open access to more classified Fringe Equipment, as well as making the Fringe stronger as a whole. The place was a sanctuary for now, and while business with the One Sith could be profitable for the Alchemist he had no intention of being a One Sith citizen. And if the Republic lost but a few more of their precious masters to death or the darkside, well? The beast would hunger for a new foe.

"Can I help you sir?" A secretary droid asked as Valik walked into the office complex.

"Yes, could you tell High Councillor Ovmar that Warren Valik is here to see him?" Valik asked, and the droid almost looked confused in it's metal shell.

"I have no appointments for a 'Warren Valik' today, but I'll send him a message. You might have to wait a few months before an appointment can be scheduled however." The droid replied, and Valik merely sat down.

"I can wait."

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

Truth to be told I didn’t really have much to do on that fateful day, so it seemed that Valik had picked out a good day to come over for… something. Didn’t really know what he wanted, but with one of the best Alchemists in the Galaxy? You don’t keep ‘im waiting, he might just decide your competitor is more pleasant and that would not do. So a message would come to the droid receptionist, telling her to wave Valik to the elevator and up to the top floor of the Homeland Security Headquarters. A secretary sat close by the office door, but she had already been notified of Valik’s sudden appointment, as such she just gave him a pleasant nod and continued on with her work.

In the meanwhile I finished up the latest paperwork, ever since Andra and Rave both dropped out of the Military… well I had a lot of fekking papers to sign. There wasn’t anyone else, woe is me and all that. Power seemed to come at a price. Once the Alchemist entered the office a few things would stand out for him, one was a cigar perching between my lips, another thing was the almost sterile environment of the office. White, clean and pristine, it seemed awfully… empty, except for a single bookcase to my right and his left.

“Mister Valik, pleased to see you yet again. How can I be of service?”

Pleasantries might be exchanged after the actual meeting, I preferred to deal with business first. Things seemed to go alot smoother and quicker that way.

 

[Valik]

Valik was quickly waved up the elevator by the droid receptionist, Valik only having had to wait for a few minutes time. The elevator ride was ear-poppingly swift, and once leaving it for the Home Security Headquarters a rather shapely twi'lek secretary waved him to proceed into Ovmar's office. Seemed the sprawling cities of Annaj's capital wasn't the only view Ovmar attempted to enjoy at work. In any case Valik headed into the office, greeted by a overly clean office filled with an organized stack of papers to be signed, across from signed papers, and a simple bookcase to the Alchemist's left. If this were an old cheesy holovid perhaps there'd be a secret lair behind it in which laid all of the High Councillor's deepest secrets and illustrious projects. Or perhaps there were simply books. A simply use of Psychometry would tell, but Valik wasn't curious enough to head over and find out.

"Well, I have had an experiment lately I've been wishing to conduct." Valik said, following the path Ovmar lead. Straight to business. "And I was hoping you might oblige my interests. You see, I believe that with a few modifications and implementations I could allow someone to use illusions and mind tricks on droids, perhaps even terminals or ships. I myself am not particularly gifted in such a skillset, but I figured you might be able to utilize such a device well."

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Thankfully, this wasn’t a cheesy holovid movie, and the bookcase was simply that. A bookcase, not a placeholder for some kind of elaborate passage way to a secret underground establishment filled to the brink with secrets, archives and a plethora of other less… savoury pursuits of interests. I kept all those things in different locations which were just a tad less obvious, I ain’t no Verd in that regard.

Listening to Valik, I poured myself and him a drink. He was free to pick it up, or leave it at the table, mattered little to me. But the action was there, and to show him that I didn’t pour him from a poisoned bottle, I took a sip from my own drink. Which perhaps wouldn’t ease his mind entirely, not with him having the ability to change air into poison on the fly.

One of my eyebrows was firmly rooted at the top of my forehead, and if the laws of physics would have allowed for it, it probably would have tried to launch itself into space because of the proposition. White Current allowed for a limited illusionisque appliance against droids, and yet I wasn’t firmly in control over such powers. Not yet anyway, maybe in a few years time that would change. But having such powers now… it could change things, could practically feel the gears in my brain rolling around like crazy.

“And with that you have my full attention, mister Valik. What do you need, when do you need it and how am I going to regret this?”

[member="Valik"]

 

[Valik]

The Seinar Executive poured Valik and himself a drink, taking a sip from his own glass. To most men that would be a sign that something wasn't poisoned, but most men would be wrong. A clever assassin wouldn't offer a poisoned drink, but instead have two separate cups, one normal, one lined with a digestible poison on the edges. That way one could drink from his cup freely, even handle his mark's glass, but not be poisoned. Did Valik think Ovmar was that clever? Not particularly, but he was working for Rave now, and Valik didn't forge his life based on expectations. So, as always when taking a drink, he lightly grabbed it applying Psychometry to discover it's past, see if the High Councillor had poisoned it or not. After a brief moment he took the drink, certain of it's poisonless origins.

"Honestly I don't need much aside from some powerful anesthetic, basic electronic equipment, a medical lab and some time. The majority of the work in this specific procedure isn't about the resources, but implantation. Less about hardware and more about software, to make a datapad analogy. We could do it today if you can provide me a discreet lab."

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

Didn’t miss the the fact that he seemed to brush off the part where I would regret this procedure, honestly I ain’t overly concerned. Fact of the matter is that this guy could probably kill me in a variety of ways, most of ‘em without me even realizing he was trying to kill me. Ain’t even talking about all the methods he probably had to get me under control without going through the hassle to get to an operating table, didn’t mean I trusted him. Just thought he would have better things to do then plot my untimely demise slash domination in the bad sense of the word.

So he got a short nod from me, followed by my own persona standing up. As a matter of fact we had a lab, several of ‘em here. Not in the office, of course, as I said. Bookcase was just a bookcase, though it would have been cool to just wave my hand right about now and reveal a lab coming out of my wall… I’d have to get Matsu on this, she would probably enjoy it.

“Well, ain’t no time like the present, mister Valik. Follow me.”

We walked out of the office, before stepping into the elevator I called out to my secretary who suddenly… woah, I gotta thank technology for that one or creative freedom. After recovering from that pleasant surprise, I coughed and yelled at her from a distance. “Cancel all my appointments, Barbara. Science calls!”

Eventually we reached one of the lower levels of Santhe Tower, underground where a variety of scientists were bustling about working on new projects and all that stuff. Guarded, of course, by Santhe Security and I even think Sasha was somewhere around here working on some stuff. Might be wrong about that though, girl really got out a lot.

“Connor, this is… Professor Archibald.” Calling over one of the leading scientists of Sienar Fleet Systems, while waving a hand at Valik. “He is going to do… some work on me, get ‘im everything he needs. Nope. No questions, just do it. Don’t give me that damn look, I pay your salary.”

 

[Valik]

Valik looked over at this 'Connor'. A rather ugly fellow, but seemed confident enough. Hopefully that implied competence and not foolishness. Valik typed furiously on his datapad before handing it to the man.

"I'll need a surgery wing prepared with these supplies." Valik said and the man, though skeptical, went to prepare what he required.

"So, what is like in Seinar now that the Machinist is back in town? Think you have under control? Or is she controlling you?"

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

I beckoned him to follow me to one of the adjacent laboratories where we would wait for Connor to come back again with everything that was necessary for the operation. When he asked me something… well it was a fair question, which probably deserved a suitable answer.

“If you would ask her, you would probably get a different answer. But yes, I retain most of the control for now. Truth to be told, and I hope you will keep this information to yourself… Santhe Corporation is starting to become a bore. I am currently in the progress of finding… other occupations to fill my schedule and pockets. How is your own.. hmm company going?”

Looked around for a bit and finally noticed the operating table, didn’t look to welcoming. But a man in my position.. you gotta take every advantage you could get, so I sat down on it and started stripping.

 

[Valik]

Running on of the most powerful corporation in the galaxy a bore? Perhaps this man had promise after all. "PharmaTech? Rather well. I have a few ideas kicking around that should garner some profits and put out some chaos. The chemical business though isn't really my largest venture. If you have grander desires? Well, I always have a project or four that could use another set of legs pushing it." He said as they reached the operation table. Jared promptly began disrobing, and Valik motioned over to a medical gown Connor had put out for him. Valik began moving around the room, testing equipment after equipment, looking around for this and that and making sure if functioned to his specifications. Oddly enough? Everything worked. It seemed Seinar hired good people to back them. A surprise considering how scant of a resource good people were.

"This is quite a powerful anesthetic." Valik said as he motioned to a pill. "Once you're ready lay across here and take it. It'll knock you out for a few hours, and by the time you wake up I'll be done with procedure."

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Valik"]

When Valik proposed a few other opportunities my interest found itself tickled yet again, but the last thing I wanted to do was get ahead of myself before we finished this surgery first, which I said frankly. No point in hiding my desire for more… interesting experiments though, guy had me with ‘Want to be able to control droids with your mind’?

“Let’s get this surgery done first, if I ain’t reduced to even more of an idiot or end up dead? We will discuss further… business arrangements.”

Which was closely followed by me lying down, taking the pill and falling into a deep slumber. Fingers crossed there won’t be probing involved. >.>