The Titan and The Birds

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Cryax Bane"]

Alric stood in the center of a small skyhook orbiting Makeb. The space station was not huge, but it was large enough to hold a considerable amount of ships in its hangars. It was a trade station, large enough to be of note but not owned by any private company, no this station was owned by the new liberators of Makeb, the ones that no one really knew about.

The Red Ravens.

The Criminal organization that now ran a patch of the outer rim, the one that was quickly growing.

The One Sith were allied to them, Alric had been informed of that nearly instantly as soon as he had taken over Titan Industries. There weren't many secrets between Titan and the One Sith, though only because the two were so closely involved with one another. It stood to reason however that with Red Ravens allied to the One Sith, that TItan too was allied to the Red Ravens.

As such, it made business sense that Titan open its stock up to the Red Ravens, at least a bit.

Though most of what they created was exclusively for the One Sith, like the Immortals and the Wyyrlok class ships, there were specific products that were open market, specifically their vong armor and weapons. It would be amusing to see Criminals with Vong weaponry.

He smiled.

Of course the person he was meeting here today was a representative of the Red Ravens, a man that would know Alric as Heinrich Serin. The CEO of Titan Industries waited patiently, his hands placed firmly in his pocket.

 

[Cryax Bane]

Makeb brought back good memories for the Chiss President of the Red Ravens, Cryax Bane. He was last here when the Ravens conquered the planet, installing their own puppet government and seizing almost all of its assets not held by Danger Arcaneau. In fact, the Chiss slicer himself led the entire operation, to the surprise of many naysayers in the criminal underworld. Cryax paid them no mind. The ability to be woefully underestimated had always been the Chiss’s secret weapon.

Wearing an expensively-tailored suit and flanked by a security detail made up of a few bodyguard droids and a couple of new guards, two pink-skinned Chagrian identical twin bodybuilders whose names he always mixed up, Cryax walked through the space station with a volt in his step, looking for his contact, Heinrich Serin CEO of Titan Industries. Cryax usually tasked his second or third-in-command with business meetings such as this, but Titan had such an impressive inventory that the President decided to make an exception.

He spotted the other man on waiting with hands in pocket and approached him with a grin, offering a blue-skinned hand to shake. “Mr. Serin I presume?”

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Cryax Bane"]

Alric was pleasantly surprised to find a Chiss standing before him, glowing red eyes and bright blue skin.

He liked the Chiss.

They played the game well. Cold, cunning, intelligent and most of all ruthless. The Chiss were a people that he knew well, both form his dealings in Titan Industries and the One Sith's own ventures out in Ascendancy space. Many of their largest production facilities were located directly on Coper and Csilla. Their largest shipyard sitting in place over Copero.

That was where the Immortal and the Dark Blades were produced.

“Mr. Bane.” Alric said mimicking the mans grin. “A pleasure to make you acquaintance.”

He was eager to get this done, there was a pressing need to hand the Red Ravens his business.

A pressing that was being applied by the leaders of the One Sith.

 

[Cryax Bane]

His guards standing at attention a few feet away wearing bored expressions, Cryax leveled his eyes at the the business man. The guy seemed like a real slick character, although he could use a nice, clean shave, the Chiss thought. The newly-minted President was becoming accustomed to meetings like this, flying all over the galaxy in his Gaillard Galaxy One luxury transport ship, a gift from their enigmatic CEO. The bigger the Ravens influence in the Outer Rim and what used to be Hutt Space, the more corporations tried to woo the criminal syndicate, and Cryax wasn't immune to all manner of favors and bribes. It was one of the perks of being the boss. With a slightly aloof demeanor, the Chiss readied himself for Serin's spiel, absently checking his Datapad for messages as he talked.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Serin? Or should I say what can Titan Industries do for the Red Ravens?

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Cryax Bane"]

If he was annoyed by the mans behaviors, Alric didn't show it.

“Simple. Titan Industries wishes to open its stock to your client.” That should have caught interest, Titan Industries did not sell to the public, ever. “Some of it at least.”

Yuuzhan Vong technology, advanced ships, hypermatter reactors, everything. Of course certain designs would stick to the One Sith, like the Dark Blade, the Immortal, and other capital ships, but everything else would be purchasable and useable by the Red Ravens.

A simple contract that would allow them to begin the use of Titan Industries more common place weapons and designs.

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax handed his Datapad to one of the muscular Chagrian, who wordlessly tucked it away. The businessman had finally gotten his attention. The Chiss rubbed his chin with a blue-skinned hand, slowly blinking his glowing alien orbs as he considered what the CEO had proposed.

"I got a sneak peek at some of your inventory when we set up the meeting, but I have to admit, before I agree to anything, I'd like to hear more about what kinds of items you're selling. And what kind of technology they utilize." Then the young crime boss narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Also what's the catch? No businessman would make an offer like this without wanting something in return. There's always a back to scratch. So, Mr. Serin, what's your itch?"

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Cryax Bane"]

“My itch is simple. Titan Industries is confined to One Sith Space. In the future, after trust is built and we establish a relationship I would like the opportunity to expand.” He left it at that. He trusted that Cryax was smart enough to realize the implication of what he had said.

The truth was that though Titan Industries was already massive, it wasn't galaxy spanning. The goal of any corporation should be expansion, and that was Alrics goal for Titan.

Part of the game.

“Titan Industries has a hand in everything Mr. Bane, and I do mean everything.” He smiled slightly, taking off his sunglasses. “Weapons, armor, Ships, vehicles, biomedical research, and of course, we are the only corporation in the galaxy who employs the use of Yuuzhan Vong shapers.”

Bio-technology was unique to Titan, and they made certain to advertise that. “Many of our products are exclusive to the One Sith Military, weapons that are both deadly and feared. The Hydra Staff, The Tsaisi Magnus, weapons that invoke fear and distrust. Not to mention our armors and their unique function. Though if you're put off by the more living aspects, I should also remind you we produced the famed Power Armor worn by the Royal Guard of the One Sith.”

 

[Cryax Bane]

Nodding his head and pursing his lips as Serin talked, Cryax seemed fairly impressed by the arrangement. He was of course, pretty interested in the opportunity from the get-go, but couldn't seem too eager, as disinterest was all part of the underworld business game. The only time when anything other than enthusiasm showed on his face happened when Serin mentioned the Yuuzhan Vong. At the mention of the creatures, the skin underneath one of the Chiss's red eyes twitched noticeably, and his hands trembled so badly he placed them behind his back. Hopefully the gesture wasn't too noticeable.

Cryax had recently undergone grievous torture at the hands of a Yuuzhan Vong overlord, and as a result had the best new cybernetic legs that credits would buy, among other more hidden scars. The fact that the man's company dealt with the Vong gave him pause. But so did the One Sith, the Red Ravens new allies. It was a bitter pill he'd had to swallow in the interest of the consolidation of power. He supposed he could swallow another one for the benefit of the Ravens and another corporate partnership.

After losing his composure for a moment, the Chiss cleared his throat and forced out a smile. "Consider me interested Mr. Serin," he said. "You would like to move freely in our space I take it, and take advantage of our influence cloud? Is there anything else that you expect from the Ravens in exchange for access to your exclusive stock?" The paranoid Chiss raised an eyebrow, hoping the man wasn't trying to hide anything from him.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Nothing at all.” Alric said shrugging. “Contracts will see that everything is sold at a proper rate, delivery and everything else will be handled by my company and the One Sith. Routes to your space will not be a problem and once our ships enter your territory i suspect we will encounter no issues.”

“As for your influence cloud, that can be discussed at a later date, when my company and your organization have grown closer. I imagine eventually it will be beneficial to directly manufacture within your territories...but that requires trust.” Alric had noted the mans break in demeanor, but he didn't bring it up. Such a thing would have been unwise. Instead he had simply continued on.

Eventually he did want Titan Industries to expand into Red Ravens sphere of influence, but first he wanted them to trust him, and he wanted to trust them.

That was important.

A major corporation couldn't just set up shop anywhere, they had to ensure that everything was perfect. The Red Ravens would likely be receptive, but it was important to make sure that everything was in the green first. Doing business with them on a large scale like what Cryax had just agreed to would be a great first step.

 

[Cryax Bane]

Still expecting another shoe to drop as Cryax always did, he nonetheless shook his head in agreement. The businessman had a professional attitude and a good poker face, and both were qualities that the Chiss respected, especially since he himself wasn't always the best at saving face. "Well, Mr. Serin. It looks like he have ourselves an arrangement then. I will add you to our list of sub-contractors and see about placing some orders posthaste." he stuck out his hand, his palm still sweaty, for the other man to shake. To seal the deal.

"If you'd ever like to come by the casino for drinks and a little fun. The kind of fun that only a place like Antecedent, the city of sin, can offer," Here Cryax Bane winked knowingly. "Reach out to my people. We'll comp you a room in one of the penthouses." The crime boss flashed Serin a wide grin, one that the young Chiss had practiced many times while wheeling and dealing with other crime lords. "It's been an ultimate pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Serin."

[member="Alric Kuhn"]