The Price of Business

[Daxton Bane]

If the Red Ravens were concerned regarding the occupation of Commenor, they made very little press of it. Save for the fact that at the time of the invasion and the aftermath, Red Ravens patrolled the perimeter of the hospital, the temple, the great library, even the massive farming facility had alert and armed Red Raven specialists lurking about.

While they did not actively engage the occupiers, it was quite clear that they were going to fight tooth and nail to defend their investments on the beleaguered world. Further given Daxton’s reputation and vast resources, and the fact he did not oppose the change in government, no one saw the need to borrow trouble.

So when a letter arrived bearing Daxton’s personal seal, not a few eyebrows were raised in speculation. Like all things related to Daxton, short and rather cryptic, asking an audience with the government of Commenor to discuss the relationship with Red Ravens at their earliest convinience at a place of their choosing.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Draxan Vazda"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was of course, questioned about [member="Daxton Bane"] , in regards to who he was and what his business was. So it was quite easy for her to answer, given that she was the one that had allowed the Red Ravens there to operate on Commenor. Her planet was neutral. And though it wasn't anymore, she had made it clear that they didn't discriminate when it came to who was allowed to operate their businesses on the planet. Just as long as it wasn't illegal, it was fine.

[member="Draxan Vazda"] was good enough to give her a bit of leeway when it came to handling her old contracts. Just so long as no one tried to rescue her or rebel against the Sith, it was all fine. She was heavily watched anyways, as were all of her meetings. So in response, she penned a letter to him, informing him to arrive at the Palace the following afternoon.

 

[Daxton Bane]

Daxton’s arrival at the palace was marked by its lack of pomp and ceremony, the terms commonly attributed to the flamboyant Sith. His aircar was one of newer exotic top of the line concept models being developed off world, a clear indication of his wealth and status as a galactic provider of goods and services.

His dark blue suit was bespoke, well cut spidersilk as were the platinum studs that kept his cuffs neat and tidy, giving the impression of a man of power used to getting what he wanted. In his arm he carried some small tokens for his hosts, a box of black tea that [member="Lady Kay"] had expressed liking and a hand crafted alchemical obsidian blade ornately decorated with rubies and fire opals on the hilt for [member="Draxan Vazda"]. The blade held its edge extremely well, was well balanced and was highly valuable due to the rare stones and rarity of quality alchemical goods.

Daxton patiently waited for the items to be scanned and for him to processed through security before being lead to the meeting....

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Draxan Vazda"] had seemed to be running behind, or at the very least, he didn't appear to be here yet. Kay was never aware of when her Overseers were around, either on planet or off. It was better left that way to keep her on her toes.

Once [member="Daxton Bane"] was thoroughly checked, he was escorted by guards to Kay's office. As usual she had tea and refreshments on hand. This was, afterall, a man that she had trusted.

A brow was raised when she saw his tailored suit. He was certainly dressed quite well.

Kay bowed her head in greeting. "Welcome. It's good to see you again. Did you have any issues in getting through?" Not everyone was allowed entry, of course. But given the reputation of the Red Ravens, it was no real surprise that access was granted to him.

 

[Daxton Bane]

“It is good to see you again, my [member="Lady Kay"]. I am pleased to see you appear in good health and spirit despite the changes in circumstances since our last meeting. I came with a small gift since I remember quite well how you enjoyed it last time. Will it be just us? I was under the impression that another party has yet to arrive.”

It would not take it too long for one to discern that Daxton was well aware of the situation and the players on the board. “There were some slight misunderstandings on some of the properties but nothing my people could not sort out with a little talk and some wine. I apologize in advance that he temporarily suspended shipping into the sector until we could secure terms in regards to the situation. Suffice to say the board wasn’t too keen on losing the traffic but in the end they listened to reason.”

“What can you tell me of our hosts? I must confess I have never personally dealt with him in the past so it would be a refreshing insight to hear your thoughts.”

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay caught the whiff of tea. After so many years of drinking it, it was easy for her to pick up on it. "Thank you. And yes, it may be just us. My Overseers tend to be a bit...busy." She never knew what they were up to. But they never afforded her that luxury anyways.

She sat herself down on one of the chairs, folding her hands onto her lap. Even in this meeting, she was being monitored, so she had to be careful in what she would say.

"I'm sorry that this situation has caused such trouble for you and you board members. Our hosts are...very political in their...restraint. Were we any other world, we'd probably of been deatroyed. But our economy adds to their coffers now. If anything, it just pays for the forces that they have brought here. I suppose that you could say that the Occupation pays for itself."

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

“Actually had they destroyed your world, we would gravely inconvinienced. We have invested large amounts of resources and time for us to risk it in political action. This system is an important hub for the Red Ravens and we would loathe to lose such a valuable asset. We had come in the hopes to discuss terms with them, [member="Lady Kay"]. The Ravens remain apolitical we can not who is in charge as long as the credits and goods continue to flow. We have no objection to who is charge, as long as quotas and maintained and the special arrangements regarding goods in transit remain in place. In fact we are looking to make further investments in the local infrastructure and hire more people if we can reach some agreement for more holding storage. Do you think they would object to more business I am sure would benefit from a continued working relationship, wouldn’t you agree?”

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded as she listened to [member="Daxton Bane"] . "The Red Ravens have helped us greatly with their ingenuity in regards to healthcare.
Working with our own physicians from the Universities and our other hospitals on the planet, we've kept any horrible viruses from affecting the people of Commenor. I would hate for such services to be limited or come to an end. I did what I could to protect the buildings..." At least the shields had worked. They saved many buildings within them from damage and destruction. It was a miracle. And pure luck.

"I don't believe that they would object to more credits coming into the coffers. You and I could work out an agreement and I shall send it to my Overseer for ratification. With the reputation that the Red Ravens have, it shouldn't be a problem. I can't really see them putting obstacles in your way."

 

[Daxton Bane]

“We consider your people a treasure, my [member="Lady Kay"], so much that not a few Ravens have chosen to start their families here. So I hope you will consider us to a have common interest in our continued good relationship. Worry not about the infrastructure, those are easily replaced at no trouble, My primary concern was those lives who were placed in danger, which were not something as easily replaced. Should you or people need medicine or food supplies brought in, please fill free to advise us so we can divert stock if need be.”

“We were hoping to acquire permits to build some large scale storage depots, somewhere not currently being used that we could develop at our expense. The property would belong to the government and we would lease the space as well as provide employment for the local populance. To this end we want to also develop a maglev line which will allow us to move goods back and forth between the space port and the new facilities. Furthermore we wish to secure the same arrangement as before in regards to security and sovereignity of space. I am sure you understand the Ravens have a very specific needs in terms of security and autonomy. Should they be amendable, we are more than happy to discuss terms on which we can bring fruitation to our plans.”

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay bowed her head at the compliments that [member="Daxton Bane"] had given her people. He was eloquent in his speech sometimes, having a bit of a silver tongue. All the sign of a good businessman.

"Some extra food and supplies would be great. As it is, some of our regular supplies have been redirected to the Sith Occupiers and their homelands." Kay hated that. Her people deserved to have no less than what they had before. but if the Sith controlled the food supply, then they had a better chance of controlling the populace as well.

"Yes, I understand. I shall put forth your proposal to my Overseers. I don't see a problem with it, but they will no doubt inspect it all closely, looking for any means by which I could use it to escape or gain some kind of advantage over them." So far she hadn't made any attempts to escape. She had only spoken with some that would help when the time came for liberation. Hopefully that time wouldn't be too far away.

 

[Daxton Bane]

“Please convey to them should they agree to my very humble request, the Ravens would be more than happy to consider commercial ties their government. It is important that the flow of our commerce not be disrupted by trivial political changes as we seek a continuace of business be uninterrupted.” Daxton hoped that his message, oblique as it was would be understood. “We have several freighters on standby orbit pending a resolution regarding your world as transport hub. Should they agree to business as usual, I am sure we could cone to some agreement to the benefit of their coffers as well as ours. The credits must flow regardless of who is in charge.”

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay simply nodded. She knew of the importance of [member="Daxton Bane"] 's proposal. As far as she was aware, he was always up front with her. Although this time he was being cryptic. However it wasn't to her disadvantage.

"I will do what I can to ensure that your business and movement of goods will not suffer.
But I can make no guarantees on what my Overseers will decide. Yet given the reputation of the Red Ravens, that could tip the scales in your favour." Or so she had hoped. Daxton's alignment was a dark one, and the Red Ravens weren't known as a goodie-goodie organization. One could only expect that those two factors would be enough.

"Is there anything else that you need?"

 

[Daxton Bane]

“Actually My [member="Lady Kay"], I have a request. One of a more personal nature, I want to seek permission to do a mural of the city. I cannot claim to be a master of the medium but I wish to capture the essence of Commenor for my personal collection so that no matter how far I may be, your world, your people will still be in my mind. Tell your masters I can offer my personal gratitude if they would allow me this small favor.”

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow as [member="Daxton Bane"] had a personal request. And the request in and of itself was an odd one indeed. So simple in nature, she wasn't quite certain if there was something more to it that she just couldn't quite figure out.

"I don't see why you'd need permission for that. It is art, afterall. So by all means, capture the heart of the city while it still holds it's charm."

 

[Daxton Bane]

“[member="Lady Kay"], you honor me greatly. My art would require me access to the highest building in the city, preferably one with a view of the cityscape that I intend to capture. For the duration of the creation of the said piece, I would require some observers from the local population, a selection so to speak of the people to make sure they watch my art and correct any mistakes that may occur. I would also need their permission to bring roughly 50 feet of spidersilk canvas on which I will render my muse and my material to render it, would this pose a problem?”

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay furrowed her brows. Some of his request was all normal; a tall viewpoint of the city for example. The request for observers was a little out there though. But [member="Daxton Bane"] gave his reasons for it. Who else could know the city better than some of it's own citizens?

"Well you'd only need permission from the owner of the building that you'd use for those things. I suppose that you'd need a cover in case the weather goes sour?" Kay wondered what the wind would be like up there on the tallest building. But surely Daxton will have thought of such things.

 

[Daxton Bane]

“Would it too much to ask [member="Lady Kay"] if I were to request an introduction to whoever owns the property? I trust your recommendations on this as my knowledge of local architecture isnt up to date.” So the dance had begun, after all Daxton was not absolutely certain that no one, whether friend or foe was listening in to the conversation. He did trust that his companion would actually be reading in between the lines and seeing the potential in what he was suggesting.

While pretty mundane on the surface, this would mean Daxton would be regularly present in the capital, working on his masterpiece, whole conversing the locals had a potential as means of sharing information in a way the overseers would not be expecting at all. After all who would question the eccentricities of artist, especially one as rich as Daxton was.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay chewed the inside of her cheek a little and then pulled out her datapad, going through a list of contacts. Sith Intelligence were already viewing everything on her screen and she knew that, so it wasn't as though she was trying to hide anything when she brought up a name and face for [member="Daxton Bane"] to view. "The owner's name is Schmendrick Swa'ami. Let him know that I sent you and he'll give you complete access. Maybe bring him a bittle of brandy as well to butter him up with." She showed him the datapad so that he could get the information that he needed.

Once that was finished, she put the datapad away. Hopefully the bottle of brandy would be enough of a clue for Schmendrick to understand that Daxton could be trusted and had Kay's trust as well. Then whatever plan Daxton was working on could go ahead. She had a feeling that she needed it to.

 

[Daxton Bane]

Bowing low, as a measure of respect, Daxton sought permission to leave and plan. The pieces on the board moved and new pawns came into play. Shipments of food and raw materials would be quite easy to fix, less volatile materials would be housed through third party associates until a more discrete manner was reached to ship them to their intended users. After all the movement of black market weapons was nebulous at best, a few might reach those interested insecuring Commenor’s future without a direct finger pointing in the Red Ravens direction could be arranged for the price of good bottle of brandy, something Daxton had in great reserves just waiting to be used,

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay bowed her head, letting [member="Daxton Bane"] depart as he needed to. As time was passing during the occupation, she was finding more and more people that were willing to risk their lives to help her in any form.

She hoped that she was worthy of that. Commenor was, at the very least. Her feelings of self worth had dwindled, but there were moments when it would resurface.

Hopefully the occupation wouldn't last long.