Visitation

[Ballen-Ist]

Planet: Hok​

Location: Above planet orbit​

[member="Nawago"] [member="Kelan The Hutt"]​

​

Hok was as desolate and unwelcoming as ever. After sometime hanging over the planet's atmosphere speaking with 'government officials', the Arquitens-class command cruiser finally gave the green light to its shuttle, allowing it to depart and descend towards the surface of the planet. Since the Mandalorians had fallen, Hok had seen an increase in gang activity and conflicts between left over remnant groups. While control still remained mostly within official rings, there was no doubt that crime organizations and lords alike had taken the opportunity to expand their influence across the regions.

After a few minutes the Lambda shuttle passed through the atmosphere, travelling towards the last known residence of Kelan the Hutt. What had it been, years? The cloaked Pureblood could not help but shake his head back and forth beneath his hood, remembering the... Trouble he had gotten into alongside the Hutt. While they were not on good enough terms to be considered friends, Ballen-Ist thought of the Hutt has a reliable acquaintance, one that he was more than willing to open up communications with again.

He had been so busy with his own endeavors, he had almost forgotten about the crime-lord. Surely, Kelan had been able to spread his influence since their last meeting, especially after Ballen-Ist and his forces drove Thetan and his band of traitors off-planet. Standing in the shuttle cockpit behind the two seated officers, the Sith waited patiently as the surface became more defined, recognizable cities, villages and other landmarks refreshing his memory.

Surely, Kelan was still in this area. The sensor officer began to scan the region, eventually locating and identifying the Hutt's palace. Then, the communications officer opened a channel, transmitting to whoever was to receive them and grant permission to land. Marken, if Ballen-Ist was not mistaken. The man was very good at his job, for an alien. Looking down at the computer console, the communications officer turned to face the Pureblood.

"Link established, sir. Proceed with your transmission." Without being acknowledged in the slightest, the officer turned away, continuing to monitor their station as Ballen-Ist cleared his throat. "This is shuttle-craft Holowon, requesting permission to dock on behalf of Holowan Laboratories. Are you there, Marken?" The Sith could not help but include his informal question, never being one to adhere to the norm. It would be a hassle to deal with anyone else other than Mr. Fasco, for he wanted to touch down as soon as possible.

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

Ever since a civil war within his own turf had broken out, Kelan slowed down operations outside of Hok and remained more secluded within the galaxy. For the years following the incident, he hadn't even left the planet and focused all attention on what he had. Everything only went wrong because of a lack of loyalty within his gang. The padawan Thetan was able to manipulate that and gain his own following for more power. Kelan knew that something like that couldn't have ever happened again, lest everything that he has worked on growing be destroyed.

After the Sith known as [member="Ballen-Ist"] erased Thetan's presence from the planet, the forces that once followed the Hutt soon scattered into different groups with a lack of leadership. From there, it wasn't hard to track them all down and capture those that were smart enough to not fight back. One by one, they were all forced onto their knees in front of Kelan and executed. The pleads from them were amusing to him, as filthy traitors like them deserved no place in the galaxy. In addition to having those individuals dealt with, fear spread like wildfire throughout the gang. Even years leader, loyalty was still demanded by him and anything else wasn't tolerated.

In addition to that, the gang was more organized than ever before. Before the civil war started, all of Kelan's main forces were usually just cluttered soldiers who simply rallied in times that were needed. Now, different veterans of the gang were assigned to train gangsters using blasters and discipline. While it wasn't as militaristic as an actual army would be, a good number of them were prepared in case of unexpected circumstance. With the new set of orders in place, even more turf was claimed by Kelan and the gang had more power than ever before, even with the lesser amount of outer-planetary operations.

On a day like any other, Kelan lay in his palace with his adviser Marken Fasco by his side. While the Siniteen had disgust in learning that much of his work went undone, Kelan knew that Marken would understand the purpose of the big changes going on. In the end, they were better off than before for the most part. When Marken received a call, the Hutt paid close attention, as not many calls came directly to the man himself. Upon accepting it, he immediately recognized the voice of his ally from years back. Kelan nodded to the request from the Sith, and Marken quickly replied to the request.

"This is Marken, and permission to land is granted. Leave your weaponry in your ship. It's nothing against you, but we have to be cautious about your purpose after being not being in contact for a few years."

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Even though he had not given his true identity, it appeared as if [member="Kelan The Hutt"] and company were as sharp as ever. Nodding slowly in approval, the Pureblood clipped his weapons from his belt, carrying the saber and sheathed blade over to a storage compartment in the vessel. While the idea of being unarmed was not one Ballen-Ist liked, the force was still his weapon, something he assumed the Hutt understood. Regardless, the Knight too understood that he was in the Hutt's territory, and wouldn't get away with anything unscathed for the most part.

"Very well, Marken. We will arrive shortly," Ballen-Ist replied, having made his way back into the cockpit, watching through the viewport as they approached Kelan's palace. The shuttle began to slow as it docked in the hangar, the roar of its engine quieting as it touched down on metallic surface. Mist poured from the hull, the airtight seal on the loading ramp disengaging as it lowered to the floor. "Return to the cruiser. I will contact you later," Ballen-Ist spoke to the humanoid pilots of his shuttle, employees of the company he had taken over and revived.

Stepping down the ramp, the black silken cloak the Sith wore flowed in his wake, hovering just a few centimeters off the ground while he looked around. Surely someone had come to meet him, and the single droid that was apparently accompanying the Knight. Though it was minimally armed, Ballen-Ist had left his weapons on the shuttle, that was now taking off and heading back towards orbit. "It has been too long, hasn't it?" The Sith spoke, obviously just trying to make idle conversation for the time being.

He expected Kelan was waiting, and that Marken would take him there. Lifting an arm and motioning towards the droid, Ballen-Ist assured the man, "This is one of my company's new products, the IG-RM. Chances are you've seen an older model around here somewhere, actually. Anyway, it randomly attacking is against its programming, so you've nothing to fear from me."

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

Kelan had a few raised concerns regarding the purpose of the Sith returning, with the large gap in which they last spoke. Regardless, he anticipated the arrival with the idea of opportunity. Upon the ending of the call, Kelan allowed Marken to make his way towards the hangar bay to welcome [member="Ballen-Ist"] and escort him to Kelan. The Sith barely knew the interior of the palace a few years ago, and all the memories of it were likely gone by then.

Marken waited by the entrance, not necessarily aware of what the ship's appearance was. Only a short time later he saw the cloaked figure exit from one of the many ships along with what looked like a droid. It was certainly something that looked familiar, but had a few differences to it. "After that whole incident with your padawan and you never returned, we presumed you to be dead. I don't expect you to explain in much detail before you speak before the great Kelan, but what are you doing here after all this time absent?" Marken gestured for the two to follow him as he began walking outside of the hangar bay.

While the Sith had an apparent reason for being there, it also provided opportunity to learn a bit more about the events of the past that they didn't know themselves. This mostly involved the fate of Thetan and anything else of importance. Even with another civil war on their hands being significantly lower than it used to be, having a Sith with a grudge against the gang was one of the things that both Marken and Kelan never wanted to happen.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

A generous half-smile was offered to Marken, considering he was an alien who had proved himself to be useful years ago. With the shiny new droid at his side, the trio departed from the palace's hangar bay, heading through many expansive corridors and even up some staircases. The place was fit for a Hutt, that was sure. Ballen-Ist was going to attempt to gain some information of his own through conversation, though found himself speechless as Fasco began to talk. Padawan?

The smile died almost immediately, and the Pureblood paused with the intent of making one thing very clear. "As troublesome as he was, Thetan was no Padawan," the Sith hissed, nearly spitting in disgust as he continued. He supposed the alien was to be blamed for his ignorance, but what would he gain by doing so? Many outer-rim and criminal folk did their best to avoid force-users and their Orders, it was only natural that they knew little of the specifics. That didn't mean the Pureblood could not be absolutely insulted. "That term is used to label fledgling Jedi," Ballen-Ist continued, a gloved finger unconsciously running along the thin scar that stretched across his face.

"You wouldn't know though, would you. Not to worry," pausing, the Knight appeared to dismissed the altercation altogether, continuing to walk along the path Marken had set him down. "Your suspicions are justified, though unnecessary," eventually, the three would stop outside of the main throne room's entrance, still discussing the issue at hand. "Thetan will not be bothering anyone, and I felt it necessary to drop by and see how things were," Obviously, the Pureblood was holding back more than he let on. "Shall we?"

[member="Nawago"] [member="Kelan The Hutt"]

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

Although Marken had an interest in learning new knowledge, he never really gave much research into what was known as the Force. The idea of it was always frightening, as it seemed to bare a close resemblance to magic. While he knew basic philosophies, how the different traditions of Force-users was a mystery to him. From the Sith's response to the word "padawan," it was apparent that Marken unknowingly insulted whom was there for a good reason. He could easily understand the opposing point of view, as one would hate to be called what they wish to destroy, even if it was accidental. Upon approaching the door, he made sure to mention his thoughts.

"Apologies for my misuse of the word, the amount of Jedi or Sith within the palace has been limited. In a place prided for its lack of manners, I've tried my best to remain some." Although not much of [member='Ballen-Ist']'s purpose was revealed during the trek to the throne room, it was confirmed that Thetan was either dead or dealt with in some matter, which was a rather pleasant piece of news. Opening the door, he motioned for the Sith to enter first, following behind and eventually to the side of Kelan.

Anticipating the arrival, he kept his eye on the central door and remained patient for the small time that it took for Marken to return. At that point, he was fairly certain that something of importance had to be going on. No matter what it was, he was certainly curious in whatever it could have been. "It seems that our old ally returns. I can't wait to hear all of your galactic stories one day, but I'm sure that that isn't your purpose here.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"Of course," Ballen-Ist muttered in response to Marken, a slight smirk crossing his face as he thought about the alien's last remark. He was surprised that no ignorant thugs had attempted to attack him, unaware of what he was capable of. Perhaps he would even find a challenge, depending on the situation. He welcomed the thought, though had no intention of starting a fight now. Marken was a smart man, and the Pureblood had plans for him.

The large door opened up, allowing the two plus one droid to walk towards [member="Kelan The Hutt"]'s throne, where they stood to make an audience. "Come now, Mighty Kelan," the Sith spoke in a tone of mock plead. "Surely, I will tell you what I've been up to. Last we met, I was in your debt. I have come to rectify this, with an offer you may find difficult to refuse," while minimal, his sales pitch was quite confident. Lifting an arm once more, the Pureblood motioned for the droid by his side to advance, taking center stage as the Sith now stepped to the side. "This is one of my team's latest products, a hunter-surveillance droid.

An update of an old Holowan Laboratories model, it is outfitted with a built in blaster, personal shield, and a lightweight but powerful plating of agrinium," Ballen-Ist then pointed to Kelan, wagging his finger as if the Hutt was the luckiest slug on the planet. "I will give you a number of these droids, to replace those who died in battle. You may recognize the company name, having produced legendary models such as the IG-100 Magnaguard." The Sith was just getting started, regardless whether or not the Hutt was interested.

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

Upon first witnessing the droid as it entered the room, he was immediately drawn into the idea of obtaining some of the droids. Although casualties weren't too high during the civil war, having a good amount of those droids around would be beneficial. Although his "soldiers" were more well trained than ever, droids were already programmed to be efficient at a certain task. The company name of Holowan Laboratories seemed familiar to Kelan, although he couldn't necessarily pinpoint where he may have heard it before. It was Marken who stood up and made a comment.

"The Magnaguards were a truly intriguing development, used during a war that was nearly a thousand years ago and were capable of standing up to even Jedi and Sith. Very impressive; acquiring a company of that status." Kelan listened carefully to the words of his adviser. He was glad to have his own database by his sides at most times of the day if assistance was ever required. If the Magnaguards were as legendary as [member="Ballen-Ist"] claimed, then the other products of the company were bound to be exemplary as well. The description of the droid besides him made it seem like the droids were able to take shots and continue fighting on. After thinking about all of the Sith's advertisements and Marken's comments for a few moments, he finally replied. "I'm sure the boys will appreciate these new droids within them. Even if it's a droid, they could always use a quick slap in what competence is."

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"These droids are not merely soldiers, though they can be if that is what you want," the Sith quickly retorted, sensing a wavering interest in the product he had to offer. The Hutts were not easy to please, anyone that was smart knew this. At least Marken was able to appreciate what he had attained, for what little it was worth to the Sith. "They are equipped with many sensory packages, able to detect toxicity levels in the air, if anyone were ever so foolish to try and poison you," the Sith paused, letting that sink in.

[member="Kelan The Hutt"] had done well over the years, and surely made a few enemies in the process. "They are efficient in every way meant, able to defuse such situations with quick expertise. Capable combat and security units, and I will even throw in something extra for your own... Soldiers," the Sith halfheartedly smiled, though it was clear there was no heart there. "A scatter gun designed by my company. Yours, for a price of course." The droids would be a gift, but there was something Ballen-Ist wanted out of this.

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

While he first believed the droids to be merely soldiers, he was now seeing that they had more purposes than that. The droids could've had a greater purpose as security units, whether it was for the Hutt himself or for others in some circumstances. Kelan had a good amount of paranoia and for good reason regarding past events, and those droids could help him sleep better. He even had security measures at every hangar bay and entrance to the palace, ensuring that no one had weaponry in the presence of Kelan; one of his loyal thugs or not. His security was evidenced by the request for [member="Ballen-Ist"] to leave any weapons within the ship when entering.

His attention was slightly dividing upon the mention of new weapons before returning with renewed interest. They had basic weaponry in order to get the job done, but they weren't exactly of the best quality. For awhile now he had actually been meaning to have Marken contact someone to deal with that issue, but he simply never got around to it. Having someone come to him was of convenience and allowed less work to need to be done. Considering what he's seen of the company so far, these were likely the quality of the droids. "I'm a sensible person, of course I'll pay fully for these scatter guns of yours."

 

[Ballen-Ist]

It was difficult to sense how [member="Kelan The Hutt"] was responding to his offer, but the look of renewed interest on his face said it all. The droids his company had produced were indeed more than soldiers, and could even be utilized to guard certain locations of interest. Their sensors not only picked up chemicals and other similar anomalies, capable of detecting suspicious activity and intruders within certain parameters. There was no doubt in the Sith's mind that Kelan would appreciate these droids, and so he motioned forward to the one before him.

"Feel free to take this unit and conduct whatever security measures necessary. There is no foul play here, I assure you," he said, before moving on to the matter of the weaponry. "Of course you are sensible, Mighty Kelan. However, I do not desire a payment for this shipment. Instead, I offer opportunity." Ballen-Ist knew that Kelan would be interested, though the idea he had in mind was quite the risky one.

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

Kelan continued to listen, hearing the permission given to him to check out the droid that was brought. He motioned to Marken to take the droid into a side room. It wasn't that he doubted the product, but you could never be too sure about anything in the galaxy. This was especially true in Kelan's turf, as he loved using deception whenever it would be a help to him.

Once Marken was out of the throne room, he heard the mentioning of opportunity over payment. He remembered the few times where the two of them worked together. Well, most of them involved him sending one of his officers with a group of subordinates. Still, he remembered when [member="Ballen-Ist"] received a holocron regarding an ancient Sith Lord or something involving that. In return, he was able to learn a few pieces of information that came from the holocron and use it for his own benefit.

It didn't take long for the Hutt to respond to the offer made by the Sith. "New weaponry and opportunity for more? We've only done however many jobs and you already know me so well." Kelan called out to the bar, and a waitress came over with a tray of drinks. He took one and waited for more information.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

The droid was marched out of the room, and into a separate one altogether. Ballen-Ist knew that [member="Kelan The Hutt"] could appreciate the droids, despite still having many other resources at his disposal. The shuttle that had brought the Sith here earlier had returned to orbit, loading up with more cargo to be ferried back to the surface. It would not hurt for the Hutt to have some extra equipment, especially at such a low cost. The Pureblood had never worked alongside the Hutts before, and so he was fortunate to have made a decent impression on this one. Hopefully, their business partnership would take them far. "To, as they say, cut straight to the chase," the Sith began, looking at Kelan before glancing in Marken's direction.

"Holowan Mechanicals is an old subsidiary of my own company. I believe this would be the perfect opportunity to raise it from the dead," Ballen-Ist explained, having done some research on Holowon itself. "I'm sure you could take this business in many directions, and you would have as much control as you see fit. Lastly, for reasons you can surely understand, I would like to make Marken proxy CEO of Holowan Laboratories." Reaffirming his attention upon the Hutt, Ballen-Ist waited to gauge the slug's response. It was quite the decision after all, one that would have to have the details hammered out of.

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

When the Sith first called and requested access to the palace, Kelan never expected an opportunity such as the obtainment of an old company. It was true that his gang was in possession of a large number of businesses within his turf, but they were usually on the smaller time. He would hand out loans; with interest of course. He spent so much time over the years strengthening the businesses. The idea of being in possession of a legitimate company was welcoming. There was still nothing better than making money "illegally," but he could not only generate soldiers for his own use whenever it would be necessary, but he could now make some more money on the side. "Besides for my own use, I know a whole dictionary of people who would find interest in this."

Marken being suggested to be the CEO of the new company wasn't anything that he had trouble with. In the end, Kelan still would have trusted the Siniteen to perform most of the work with the company. Now, he would just have some more power to make more decisions, with Kelan acting more as an overseer to him than a boss. The man had been around longer than Kelan cared to remember, and he knew that he would care for it greatly. Everything seemed to be going for him at the moment, which prompted a question from him. "There surely has to be more to this. Besides gaining reputation with your favorite Hutt, what are you hoping to gain from this?" Although he could've come up with a few possible reasons, he just wished to learn the answer from [member="Ballen-Ist"] himself.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Ballen-Ist usually based his decisions on personal interest, and what could be gained by them. This situation with [member="Kelan The Hutt"] was no different, for it would grant the Sith greater freedom while increasing his own business profits. Even if Kelan did not want the company to be a subsidiary, they could still work together and benefit from it nicely.

"Anything to expand my foothold in the galaxy, friend," the Sith stated bluntly, before continuing, "With your company under mine, I could begin to develop and distribute products at a much larger scale. That means more profit for both of us," the Pureblood paused, not sure that Kelan had entirely understood what he was proposing in regards to Marken. "Just so we're clear, I want Marken to be the figurehead CEO of Holowan Laboratories.

My company, which would have some degree of control over Holowan Mechanicals, your company." Hopefully that cleared things up, for in reality it would appear that the Hutt would have greater influence among the two businesses.

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

Kelan needed to make an appointment to ensure that his hearing wasn't leaving him, as the mix-up was a fault of his own. Hopefully, he wasn't losing his senses hundreds of years before he should have. "Of course, Marken has always proven an intelligent figure and would make a perfect face." If there was one thing that Kelan hated to do, it was admit when he had committed a mistake. It was especially bad to do so in front of [member='Ballen-Ist'], who was currently negotiating a deal with him. He tended to find a way to twist it around, even if it didn't necessarily look the best.

Almost as if on cue, the droid entered back into the main throne room along with Marken. He gave a quick head nod to Kelan, showing that everything was in order. Despite being in a separate room, he appeared to hear bits and pieces of the conversation, as proven by a new light in his face than before,

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Ballen-Ist wasn't bothered by the Hutt's slip up, neither did he care to acknowledge it entirely. [member="Kelan The Hutt"] recovered quite casually too, something that impressed the Pureblood. Many wouldn't be so calm in a situation like this, and so it was evident that the Hutt was somewhat cautious. Understandable, especially when dealing with Sith, though some would argue that the Hutts had an equally terrible reputation. "I agree, Mr. Fasco would make a fine replacement, one that would be able to be far more public than myself," the Pureblood pointed out, considering he had kept his true identity hidden among his cohorts in the company.

Though they were almost just as greedy and corrupt as he, it was unlikely that they would stand for a Sith at the head of their conference table. "While regulating my company for me, he could also run Holowan Mechanicals, unless that is something you'd be interested in," the Sith continued, pulling out a datapad before tapping his fingers along its screen. "If you were to take me up on my offer, you would obtain the legal rights to the products listed, along with anything else we decide to create in our spare time. Well, what do you think?" Ballen-Ist finally asked, a wide and devious smile upon his face.

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

Kelan made sure to answer the first question provided by the Sith with haste, wanting to make sure that his viewpoints weren't jumbled. "I will be taking the mantle of Holowan Mechanicals myself. I cannot allow Marken to have all of the fun and power for himself." As loyal as Marken was to Kelan and his gang, he didn't wish to hand out too much power around the gangs. Sure, he had officers who would handle different elements of the gang, but he watched over all of them. With Marken being a member of the gang since his father's time, he trusted him enough with more privileges than all others.

Taking a look at [member='Ballen-Ist']'s datapad, he sent Marken over to retrieve it and show him the products listed on it. He noticed the Magnaguards being on the list that Marken gave a brief explanation on earlier. Having access to droids of that specialty would be of help for the future. Despite being simple-minded droids, they were capable of fending of a Jedi or Sith for a small amount of time single-handed. Those of lower ability could potentially even be struck down. Although he's only had a direct encounter with an opposing Jedi or Sith so many times in his life, an average thug couldn't take them down and his security would enhance much more. With ideas flowing through his mind, he responded to the Sith. "These droid of yours are natural born killers. With them and our own deadly creations, we will go on to accomplish great things."

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Ballen-Ist knew [member="Kelan The Hutt"] would want full control over Holowan Mechanicals, which was good for a few reasons. While the company was not exactly reputable, it would be a good front for whatever he desired to conduct under the table, so to speak. As for the Pureblood himself, Marken was simply a figurehead that was sure to do his job diligently, and also take the blame for anything that might go wrong in the future. If there was going to be another Holowan Massacre, no fingers would be pointed at the Sith.

There were many experiments he wished to begin, and there was always the possibility that things could go wrong. Though if they went right, the duo was guaranteed to benefit from the results. "I also plan on constructing a new MagnaGuard, one capable of standing up to the force-users of this era. I believe it will be easy, once we combine our resources," Ballen-Ist offered, knowing the Hutt would be interested to hear more. "Of course, we can hammer out the finer details at a later date. What ever happened to that Tusken mercenary of yours?" the Sith asked, eager to meet... Ugoro, or something along those lines, again.

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

Smirking upon the mention of a new model of Magnaguard, the good news just seemed to keep coming in. While he wasn't sure what was so different about force-users from the ones of hundreds of years ago, he could presume they were more menacing due to the passing of time and knowledge. The idea of most Jedi and Sith knowing how to defeat the old Magnaguards made sense, hence the model by [member='Ballen-Ist']. While discussing business, Kelan hadn't expected the Sith to bring up the Tusken Raider that helped out his gang all of those years ago.

"Our Tusken Raider friend is certainly still around. Albeit, he hasn't come around as often as time has passed. He has taken up a role as a somewhat professional bounty hunter, and I usually have a person of interest for him. Why do you ask?" Although initially sticking closely by Kelan, Ugoroo became more integrated within society and gained more independence. Despite this, the Tusken Raider still showed appreciation towards Kelan and would visit for both visitation and to accept a target. While Kelan didn't have a proper way to contact him, there were always contacts that he could use.