[Summit] Dangerous Jade [Archangel]

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi was getting used to the look, feel, and smell of this conference room. Was it her imagination, or were the seats and carpet beginning to smell of the subtle notes of her perfume? Perhaps she was imagining it, but then again, perhaps not. Sioux Chambers entered the room bearing a bottle of pain reliever, which she offered to Natasi. "Thank you," replied the Moff, twisting the cap off. "I swear, if I have to hear one more excuse out of the Director of the Industrial Safety and Health Administration, I'm going to fire him on the spot. I don't think he's been truthful about the inspections, but that will all come out in the wash."

"Yes ma'am," said Sioux. "I'll go ahead and screen him out, shall I?"

"You're an angel," Natasi replied. "Actually -- can you go ahead and go back to Dosuun tomorrow? You don't mind missing the gala, do you?"

"Not at all, ma'am. I think you know how I feel about swing." The women shared an amiable chuckle and then Sioux glanced towards the door. "I think that's your 1400 with Archangel. Shall I send them in?" Natasi assented and tucked the pill bottle into her bag before rising and crossing the room to offer her hand to [member="Maelion Liates"] and [member="Callisto Scarlett"]. "Ladies -- very pleased you could make the time. Ms. Comena. Ms. Scarlett. Help yourself to refreshments if you like."

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Natasi Fortan"], [member="Maelion Liates"], [member="Valiens Nantaris"]


As usual, HRDs were the very model of punctuality and precision. Bit like clockwork, one might say. Callisto accepted the outstretched and shook it firmly, but carefully as well. The HRD had a grip that could crush bone and flesh, so it was important to do things delicately, displaying neither weakness nor superhuman strength.


"Likewise, Moff Fortan. Thank you for receiving us. I understand you have manifold duties," Callisto said cordially. She stepped into the room and took a seat at the conference table after choosing a glass of water. Obviously she did not need refreshments, but it was part of the act. Like the venerable Guri, her model of HRD was able to eat and drink. This was quite convenient for infiltration operations, though this meeting did not qualify as one.


"As we said at the soiree, we would be interested in a close business relationship with the First Order. It should be beneficial to both parties. We had some time to familiarise ourselves more with the First Order's government and ideology, and I must say we've been impressed. It is good to see a nation that values law, order and civility," she began. Obviously it would be up to 'Anna Comnena' to make the main sales pitch. If all went well, then Archangel would be able to put down roots in First Order space and might even manufacture weapons and droids specifically tailored to its use.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Callisto Scarlett"] [member="Natasi Fortan"]

Anna Comnena shook Moff Fortan’s hand with the same controlled precision. She had helped herself to some expensive alcohol. She didn’t need it, but she’d found that people responded better when they saw you take their hospitality, especially if they thought you were slightly drunk!

“Yes indeed, the First Order’s values are very much in line with our own. After studying what is available, we feel we are able to better tailor our needs to yours. We can provide droids for military, security or covert uses. We can also provide droid fighters and warships to supplement your existing forces. Whilst many consider droids to be not worth as much as an organic soldier they do have considerable advantages.”

“Droids will obey orders, they will perform tasks which the less astute might regard as distasteful, they do not need provisions and they can guard locations without being bribed or lose focus. We would be happy to provide a demonstration of any of our models you wish.”

“Are there any questions or comments you have at this point, Moff Fortan?”

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi smiled pleasantly. "Certainly, droids have some significant advantages over standard military forces," Natasi allowed, moving around to take her seat at the table as she gestured for the women to take the opposite seats. "But they also have some disadvantages. For instance, they can be sliced, and some might say that they lack the kind of critical thinking skills that make hum -- that make sentient beings, that is, more versatile. I know strides have been made in both of these departments -- there are certainly some... mitigating factors, these days, but still."

The Moff rested her elbows on the arm-rests and crossed her legs. "I'm not in a position to negotiate military contracts. That's something that General Vaas and the Supreme Commander will need to be involved in, and unfortunately they're both indisposed for now, so I'm afraid you're stuck with me. But I'm certainly interested in exploring it. Perhaps we can discuss a pilot program for non-military applications. For instance, some sort of complex cargo-handling droids for our spaceport on Dosuun. Also, we'll be starting some space-based construction projects shortly, so is there anything of that sort that you can speak about?"

[member="Maelion Liates"] | [member="Callisto Scarlett"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Natasi Fortan"], [member="Maelion Liates"]


Callisto took Natasi's points in good stride. "As far as droids are concerned, Archangel's flagship product are Humanoid Replica Droids. They transcend the usual disadvantages of droids you mentioned. They're designed to blend in among organic sentients and simulate their behaviour virtually flawlessly. They have the criticial thinking skills to act independently, instead of needing micromanagement. But they will obey every order and have superior strength and combat ability. We have the technology to design them in whatever gender or race that's desired, and tailor them to our clients' specifications, beyond mere military applications."


They could be elite shock troops, infiltrators, bodyguards, secretaries and many other things. The Moff asked about Archangel's ability to provide non-military applications such as cargo-handling droids, so Callisto did not elaborate further on HRDs. Taking care of infrastructure and commerce was vital for any government. Space construction was also something Archangel could expand into, since they'd acquired their own yards recently.


"We would be very interested in exploring a non-military project as the start of our relationship and designing appropriate machines," she glanced towards 'Anna Comnena'. It would be left to her to define details. Partly because this writer is sleep-deprived.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="Callisto Scarlett"]

Maelion did not miss a beat when it came to dramatic irony.
“Indeed, most droids lack the ability to act as unpredictably and creatively as organics, but as Miss Scarlett says our models get as close as possible.”

“Regarding construction gear we have not got anything on the open market, but this could be a good exercise for us to trial our new prototypes. Droids are exceptionally suited for working in space as they do not require air or other supplies. We have in mind two devices; one is a large magnetised sled where materials and tools are kept, the second is a construction device which can use multiple arms to hold itself in place, but which also have the tools required for construction.”

“For cargo handling it would be very easy for us to create a hauler droid with the intelligence to follow complex orders but also be reliable. All of this is possible.”

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi nodded thoughtfully, her dark eyes taking on a faraway look. "Those both sound promising," she said after a moment's consideration of the two prototypes described by [member="Maelion Liates"] / Ms. Comnena. "I rather doubt you'll be able to provide anything extremely concrete, but I wonder if you might provide a ballpark estimate for what a program like this would cost?" She began to scribble some notes on her pad, her eyes flashing over the page as she wrote before she finally looked up to the two representatives again. "Also, what kind of assurances can we expect to have from your organization as to the safety and soundness of these droids? It's not that we don't trust your methods, but we have heard stories of droids that have malfunctioned and caused significant damage."

The Moff paused with her pen over her notepad, looking up at the women opposite her. "What kind of security of the droid control system is there? Is there any danger of an unauthorized access via outside actors? Hacking, or slicing, that is," she added with a slight arch of her eyebrow.

[member="Callisto Scarlett"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Natasi Fortan"], [member="Maelion Liates"], [member="Valiens Nantaris"]


"Archangel prizes quality control very highly. We provide a ten year warranty for our clients. And naturally we provide maintenance manuals and our technicians can train your people so that they can repair the bots themselves." Callisto could make all the financial calculations in her head, but organics liked having something firm and concrete, so she jotted down the sums on a datapad, which she then passed over to the Moff. Suffice to say it would be a substantial amount, but not excessive.



"We cannot give anything extremely precise yet, but this is a rough estimate of the costs. As you see, a longer-term contract for the programme will lead to a significant discount. Ideally, we'd like to establish facilities in First Order space." She would leave the question of how to ensure security and prevent other parties from tampering with the droids to Anna Comnena.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="Callisto Scarlett"]

“The droids are individually locked so that contrary commands cannot be given to them without the correct access code. Said access code uses 512 bit quantum encryption and is essentially impossible to crack. Our calculations indicated it would take a period of several thousand years to break. However, control of the access code controls is a matter for your security; like any key it is only as secure as where you put it.”

“The droids will respond to commands in person from authorised individuals or via command consoles where orders can be given. The units specified are not top of the line mentally as they have no need for interpretation routines, so you will need to be direct and fairly literal. That is no different from many people in my experience however.”

“As my associate says, we stand behind our product completely. For the task you wish them to be used for they will prove perfectly capable.”

 

[Natasi Fortan]

"That is no different from many people in my experience however."

Natasi stared across the table at [member="Maelion Liates"] / Ms. Comnena for several long moments, her cheek twitching, and then after a few moments of awkward silence she began to laugh. It was a belly laugh that quite overwhelmed her, taking her by surprise. She laughed until tears ran down her face, having the good grace to look apologetic as she struggled to regain control of her emotions. She held up a hand in silent apology as she dabbed her eyes primly with her sleeve. "Ms. Comnena," she said. "Ms. Scarlett. I do apologize. It is just -- I have never heard the sentiment expressed just that way. Although I have thought of ways to say it succinctly, I have never been able to do it quite that succinctly.

Pause to reflect on the irony, as yet unknown to Natasi, that only a robot has ever made her cry from laughter. Paging Dr. Freud.

"Perhaps you would be good enough to visit us on Dosuun with a formal proposal on this project? I will need figures before we agree. And I could introduce you to General [member="Ludolf Vaas"] and Supreme Commander [member="Aram Kalast"]," she added with a smile. "So you can discuss potential military applications of your hardware."

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Natasi Fortan"], [member="Maelion Liates"]


This was probably the first time either of the two homicidal droids had made an organic, let alone a Moff of the Empire, laugh. Truly a small miracle. Since she was faking being an organic, Callisto adopted an expression of wry amusement.


Of course, it was modulated to convey that she was laughing with Natasi. "Oh, it's perfectly fine. Nothing to apologise for, " she chuckled slightly. "I believe a visit to Dosuun can be arranged. It would be a pleasure to visit Avalonia. And we'd be glad to discuss a military applications with your High Command. I believe Director Alderana already met General Vaas before the First Order rose to a galactic power." Back when it had been an Imperial splinter group based on Eriadu, before certain unfortunate events drove it away.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Callisto Scarlett"] [member="Natasi Fortan"]

Maelion smiled and chuckled too, all the programmed reaction to human mirth.
“No apology needed, I’m glad you appreciated my candour. As for your offer, we’d be happy to visit. I think there are a great deal of things we could work together on. I am heartened by your positive reception too.”

“Our people shall contact you and organise a time suitable for us all. Was there anything further you wished to discuss here, Lady Fortan?”

 

[Natasi Fortan]

"Delightful," Natasi said. She produced a pair of business cards and slid one across the table to both [member="Callisto Scarlett"] and [member="Maelion Liates"] / Ms. Comnena. "I think we've just about covered it, but please take my card and we can work on scheduling a meeting. Unless there's anything else?" she asked, looking across the table at the two women curiously. Her dark eyes searched them for a few moments before everything was settled. "I hope you'll stay for the remainder of the summit. We have some exciting speakers and panels planned. You may find something interesting information that you never knew before."

She stood and exchanged handshakes with the women, smiling fondly at the memory of how hard she laughed. "I am so pleased we had the opportunity to meet. Thank you so much for taking the time."

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Natasi Fortan"] [member="Callisto Scarlett"]
Maelion shook hands and passed over her own card.
“We shall indeed, Moff Fortan. It should be most interesting to see what the First Order has to show.”

With a nod to Moira she turned and left the room, walking right out of the thread as she did.

-FIN-