Visitation

[Ballen-Ist]

"Perfect," the Sith mused, walking slowly alongside Marken and the droid escorts that led them towards the nearby turbolift. The doors opened, allowing the duo to step inside, leaving the droids behind as the elevator began to ascend. "I have just the man to help you with such an endeavor. He is an expert in droid mechanics, and knows something about cybernetics himself," Ballen-Ist continued, staring forward blankly before the doors opened once more. Another corridor stretched out before them, the grey metallic halls ending with a set of larger doors, the entrance to the bridge of the assault frigate.

The Pureblood's cloak dragged lightly against the shining floor as he walked, two station pits full of personnel on either side , that were diligently doing their duty. None of the officers even glanced towards the Sith, leaving that pleasantry to Commodore Khorolous. The older, grey uniformed human averted his gaze from the viewport, his attention having previously been occupied by the vortex of hyperspace that was beyond. "Welcome back, my Lord," he spoke, his accent Imperial in origin, a tone of respect to it as he faced the Sith before him. "We will arrive in the Halowan system in approximately five hours."

"Your orders?" He questioned, eager to please his dark master. "Proceed," was all that Ballen-Ist responded with, receiving a curt nod from the Commodore as he walked off. The Sith then proceeded to take his cliche spot on the bridge, standing in front of the transparisteel windows, gazing out into what would be the endless vacuum of space. He had brought Marken here for a specific reason, to show him the loyalty he demanded from those under him.

The fleet commanders were those most dedicated to the Sith, as they themselves had once served in The One Sith, or The New Order. "You may do as you please, Marken. Report to Kelan, conduct your research. I will inform you when we have arrived." Ballen-Ist then waved the alien away, expecting him to find his own way around the ship. Of course, a droid escort would probably find its way to him sooner or later. Once the five hours were up, Marken would be summoned back to the bridge.

[member="Kelan The Hutt"]

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

Entering the bridge of the ship brought amusement to Marken as he gazed around at all of the components and those whom worked on their task. Kelan may have had higher-ups of his own, but they usually had just as much savagery as any other grunt in the gang, except for a select few. The individuals around him held a more sophisticated and professional presence than what he was used to, and it was pleasant change of atmosphere although he had gotten used to Kelan. As [member="Ballen-Ist"] and the officer engaged in a short conversation, he waited nonchalantly for a guide on what to do next. After being dismissed by the Sith, Marken swiftly nodded and headed back towards the lift towards which they first used to enter.

With Ugoroo somewhere on the ship, the Siniteen decided to take a tour around the ship while searching for his only other "ally" there. He didn't like the idea of leaving the Tusken alone on the ship to potentially cause trouble. Marken himself felt a bit odd on this new uncharted territory, and even felt a tad bit uneasy with the small clumps of droid security everywhere that kept beading eyes on him. It was just paranoia getting to him, and once his mind was calmed he went towards the direction where Ugoroo was leaded to hopefully find him. Once again, he pulled his holocomm out of his pocket and dialed for Kelan to pick up, making sure that the Hutt was aware of his every action and new advancements. After a few seconds, Kelan came through.

"Marken, I hope you've woken me with good news."

"I've come with another status report, mighty Kelan. The Tusken and I are currently on the Halowan fleet and the Sith approximates our arrival on Halowan within the next five hours."

"Excellent. As great as this Holowan Mechanicals is, try to negotiate for more."

"I can't make any guarantees but I will try, surely handing away a whole company is a bid to make."

After a few minutes talking with Kelan, Marken hung up the holocomm and continued his search for the Tusken. The Hutt loved being bold and relied on Marken for the more diplomatic aspects of the gang, although he preferred using power over diplomacy. Unless a chance would arise, Marken would stay with the current arrangements. After a quick inquiry of one of the droids, he discovered the Tuskens location and headed towards the simulation room. A larger window allowed him to take a look inside, and Ugoroo was testing out his abilities inside. Marken leaned against the wall and watched the performance which still seemed sloppy but was overall adequate. He patiently watched the simulation and awaited when he would be called upon again.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

The hours would soon pass, the Pureblood having left the bridge in order to rest in his meditation chambers. It was a circular room, dimly lit with crimson lights that ran along the ceiling. The brightest light of all however was the ancient holocron that floated above Ballen-Ist, casting an even more ominous glow about the chamber. Instead of manifesting visible as a gatekeeper usually did, the Sith had learned to connect telepathically with the memories of Tulak Hord, browsing through the vast library of dark knowledge and secrets in a far more detailed manner. By summoning the anger and hatred deep within his heart, the Pureblood was easily capable of unlocking the holocron, but finding information of great value was the most difficult part. Slowly but surely, the holocron that had been separated like a puzzle began to piece itself back together, lowering down into the gloved hands of Ballen-Ist.

Ugoroo had been supplied with many melee focused droids to practice on, mostly old MagnaGuards that were programmed not to kill. Such a rigorous training regime would prove beneficial to the Tusken, if he were to stay consistent with the exercises. Marken had been allowed to do as he saw fit, making his reports under the watch of many photoreceptors, and security camera feeds within the starship. Regardless of how watched they were, nothing wrong had been done, and so Ballen-Ist was pleased to hear that there had been no complications during the trip. They had finally arrived. The Siniteen would once more be called to the bridge, as the Pureblood himself made his way there. Outside the large viewport was the industrial planet, gray, barren, and most unpleasing to the eye.

"Our base of operations," the Sith muttered, turning to glance towards Marken once he had arrived. "Both Hok and Halowan are in the colonies region, not very far apart. It's almost a shame that Hok is on the war front." Ballen-Ist mused, knowing it would be good for business, if Hok wasn't destroyed in the process at least. "The shuttle is ready, we leave at once to the headquarters, a skyscraper in the industrial sector. There we will meet with... The board of directors," the Sith said, a hint of disgust in his tone, "to break the bad news to them. Lead the way." Marken knew the way back to the airlock, and so the group would soon be soaring over the polluted skies of Halowan.

[member="Kelan The Hutt"]

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

The simulation presented to him was amusing as the Tusken fought off the droids as a practice for what was to come. Despite that, Marken was glad to make his way back to the bridge of the ship as the droids approached him. Now standing with his eyes placed on the planet, it was a distasteful sight to stay the least. It certainly didn't look like it would act as a good place for tourists, or for any being to live there in the first place. He now understood why Halowan was known for its industries, as nothing else about it seemed unique. It was just dead. It was actually smart business, with the planet having no purpose beforehand. An entire planet was now known for the company that decided to begin there, and it was essentially the face of the planet. That was evidenced by its whole fleet being in the name of Holowan Laboratories.

Turning to [member="Ballen-Ist"], his mood lowered a bit upon hearing the mention of Hok's impending conquering. It had remain untouched by a major galactic power for a long time now, and he couldn't imagine what consequences would arise for a new government to instill order. Kelan had always been efficient at bribing officials to stay away from his illicit habits, and the ones who weren't swayed by money never provided much of a threat. As he was sure the Sith was thinking, an impending war would indeed be an opportunity to sell weaponry, droids, and other technology to both sides for an abundance of profit and even be in the good graces of a new possible government. "This is certainly a new type of challenge, but we'll manage. We always have."

With the word from Ballen-Ist, Marken began leading back to the airlock where a ship would await them. He was interested to get a glance at how the company functioned and meet the board, although the Sith didn't seem too pleased to be mentioning them. He remembered that Ugoroo was still likely in the simulation room and made sure to send over a message to meet them over at the airlock.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Before leaving, Ballen-Ist made sure to change out of his attire, donning a more business appropriate suit, along with a wide-visor helmet that fit snugly over his red-skinned head. Only a select few knew of the executive's origins, the fact that he was indeed a Pureblooded Sith from the planet of Korriban. Luckily the board of directors was fairly small, a group made up of six individuals, who had invested much time and resources into the rise of Holowan Laboratories. Confronting these business-men was always an irritating bore, having to suffer through their notions of self-importance half of the time they met.

Glancing to Marken and Ugoroo who sat with him in the shuttle's cabin, the Pureblood could not help but look forward to putting the rabble in their place. The small private shuttle would descend upon the roof of Holowan headquarters, powering down on the single landing pad that was reserved for the Sith's use only. Entering the building, the trio would proceed through the corridors and down a few levels, eventually coming upon a turbolift that would take them to the level of the conference room. The board members had already gathered, the only familiar face for Marken to recognize being that of Commodore Khorolous, who had departed earlier to listen to the others squabble.

Being the only board member who knew of Ballen-Ist's true identity, the Imperial human would most likely prove to be a valuable ally for Marken. The others were major shareholders, or influential representatives of Halowan and other organizations who had contributed to the company's growth. Their salaries and benefits were more than satisfactory, which kept them from speaking out most of the time. The Pureblood had managed to keep a hold on his position of chairman, thanks to the greedy nature of those he manipulated. The six that sat at the table however could not contain their looks of confusion and anger, as they watched Ballen-Ist enter with the Siniteen and Tusken in tow.

"Ah, chairman," one of them started, a human male much younger than the Commodore across the table. "We were just about to discuss Doneer'so, and how to appease the populace around the shipyard." Ballen-Ist remained silent for a moment, taking a seat at the head of the table, the seventh chair that overlooked the rest. "Unfortunately, that is not why I have called this meeting. As I have alluded to recently, I am here to introduce the new executive director who is to take my place as chairman. He has invested much in the corporation, and will even be personally overseeing the startup of a new subsidiary, Holowan Mechanicals, which will surely benefit us all. You have the floor, Mr. Fasco." The Pureblood motioned towards the Siniteen, as all heads turned to face him. Some wore expressions of complacency, while others clearly had difficulty hiding their outrage. Now was the time for Marken to introduce himself and prove exactly why he was the man for the job.

[member="Kelan The Hutt"]

 

[Kelan The Hutt]

It had to be admitted that Marken felt a tad intimidated by the new professional atmosphere. He had always considered himself sophisticated in comparison to others that he typically had the "pleasure" to encounter, but now there were others around him who had the courtesy of a higher standard of life. As a means of impressing the upcoming board members, Marken found more proper clothing to fit the occasion. Although his previous clothing could be considered more fancy than rags, he stuck out like a sore thumb in the company that he was the supposed chairman to. Despite requests, Ugoroo aggressively refused to swap his appearance, looking as if he came to Halowan straight from a Tusken tribe.

They entered the room where six people sat around a table and he was certain that they were the members of the board. Immediately, he remembered one of the members as being the Commodore back on the fleet ship. Judging by their encounter there, he seemed to be well acquainted with [member="Ballen-Ist"] and would make his transition fairly easier. The other five members gave Marken a bad taste, as they seemed to hold a high opinion of themselves, but that was to be expected of people with their influence. Surely he would have learned to work alongside them with time, but a good number of them would have required more time than others. Scanning the room of the faces as the Sith explained the situation, he saw faces full with a variety of emotion. Although Ballen-Ist would still technically be pulling many of the strings regarding Holowan Laboratories, he needed to connect himself to the people within the room if their confidence within the company were to build even higher than before.

With the Sith shifting the conversation over to Marken, he began to speak to the board members. Even before they came into contact with the board, he had been thinking of lines that would ease the members and also bolster his own attributes. "Thank you. I understand that many of you may be feeling hints of anger and confusion at this sudden change, as many of you have invested years of hard work into keeping Holowan Laboratories afloat and prosperous. I ask of you to hold faith in my ability to head this board into a bright future, just as my predecessor had. In my past, I had worked as a high tier member within an organization based in the Colonies. During my time, I had gained friends and clients all over the galaxy from Mustafar to Ord Mantell. While following our current proceedings, I know of many who will find interest within Holowan Laboratories." Marken awaited a response from any of the board members, satisfied with his spiel. He had hoped to avoid going into detail involving his gang activity, keeping his past sound as reliable as possible.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Even more glances were exchanged across the table, though they were just as brief as before. After Marken had finished his pitch to the other board members, the conference room went silent, soon only a single voice speaking up in response. The figure shimmered a transparent blue, their holographic projected arm lifting to catch the Siniteen's attention.

"We are quite aware of who you are, Mr. Fasco, and confident that you will help expand the reach of Holowan Laboratories beyond the Fakir sector." The looks traded this time were devilish grins, between only a few members at the table, others remaining as stoic and composed as ever. The one that had spoke was humanoid in nature, with characteristics that were distinctly Falleen. If Zixor's decorative robes were not clue enough, he was most definitely a self-absorbed criminal in one way or the other.

Beneath the reflective visor helmet he wore, Ballen-Ist's own expression was one of mild boredom. The Pureblood could not help but slowly gaze back and forth with drooped eyes, listening to what had been said. The Sith was pleased by Marken's first impression, for this meeting had not at all been about the board's reception of him, rather how he received all around him.

He was calm under pressure, and a good speaker to top it off. They all knew that Fasco would be great with the public, along with his connections to various business opportunities, whether they were legitimate or not. The vote had already undergone approval some time prior, all that was required of Marken was to accept it. Everything had gone according to plan, and Ballen-Ist did find some solice in that.

This time it was another human who spoke up, one that was physically present at the table. Perhaps he would not have been, if he had known a Tusken would be present. He was a young man in a dark, sleek business suit, his angered blue eyes standing out against his top of golden hair. "You misunderstand our initial reaction, Mr. Fasco. We're simply confused as to why that thing is in this room. Are we dealing with Tusken clans now?" The last statement sounded genuine, but there was clearly some disdain present.

[member="Kelan The Hutt"]