Ways To Go

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Tash-Taral[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.6667px]Former Sanctum Space[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Tash-Taral was a planet of wonders. New Korriban, in a lot of ways. A world that [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]hadn’t[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] been scavenged by hundreds of thousands across the same amount of time - no, the natural formation of asteroids had prevented a wider exposure into the world. The people that [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]did[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] come through found that the locals were less than enthusiastic about newcomers to their homeworld. Didn’t stop Cerita from coming on by every now and again anyway, though. She was tenacious like that, but this time around it wasn’t about excavating some new temple or anything like that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]A message passed onto her by [member="Dissero"] was today’s reason. A man called [member="Vitor Imperieuse"] was looking for traces of the [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]Vinithi.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Now that was a name she hadn’t heard in awhile. They had deliberated. Pondered. Exchanged a lot of discussion for the pros and cons of this entire ordeal, until finally Cerita contacted Rave to see what she thought of it all.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]In the end a neutral place was decided for the meeting. Tash-Taral, a little bar in one of the shanty towns erected around a larger-than-usual tomb for some old Sith King, long since dead. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Cerita had two [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]Qo'saarai tuk'ata[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] with her as standing bodyguards. Zibiti - nicknamed Zibzy and a second one whose name Cerita had already forgotten.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Now to wait for Vitor’s arrival.[/SIZE]

 

[Onrai]

The fact that the woman in question had gone out of her way to determine a neutral meeting point meant one thing - that she was legitimate. He doubted that anything less than a true Vinithi would go to such lengths of self-preservation to help ensure it was protected from the possibility of betrayal. The files that had once belonged to the nefarious Sith Lord known as Circe Savan contained a plethora of information on the species - yet it was not enough to truly understand them.

His craft would soar overhead, landing at the local spaceport as he quickly emerged, hastily entering into the bar and scanning quickly for the green-skinned woman, whom he would soon sit across from. "Hello there... I assume you are Miss Sarova?"

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

"You may assume, yes." it wasn't a direct confirmation, but paranoia being what it was Cerita wasn't willing to give much more than that to a man she had only met for a few moments. The Vinithi... it was a question that suggested certain things. Few people were intimately aware of their existence - most assumed she was Falleen or Zelosian, which worked perfectly for her. But no, only a few knew of the Vinithi these days. The Vinithi themselves, of course, Rave, Dissero, Velok - any form of him, at least. Considering that neither Rave or Dissero had any important connections with this Vitor, besides the one meeting Rave had with him... this made Cerita think that Vitor had access to other sources of informations.

Circe herself, perhaps. Regardless of her reputation or the hatred she had inspired in the past, she was still a Sith Lord. Dangerous. So for the time being she would consider Vitor just as dangerous as if she would be meeting Savan herself.

"What brings you here, mister Imperieuse?"

It was obvious that he had come for this meeting. But why was he so interested in the Vinithi, now that was the real question here.

Behind her Zibiti scowled just a little bit. He, too, eyed Vitor suspiciously. The Qo'saarai Tu'kata were not a trusting species, relatively new to the Galaxy they had every reason to distrust strangers.

[member="Vitor Imperieuse"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

"Information." He responded. "I, like many others, have heard of the Vinithi. But only recently have I come into contact with significant levels of information regarding them as a species overall. This wealth of information should tell me a great deal about the genetics of the species, including the processes by which they can be made - along with other intel. However, the information is of little use to me considering that some of it appears to be gene-locked in a form or fashion. As well, were my company to do any experimentation with floral bioforms, it would be beneficial to have the assistance of someone whom the creations could be tested against, to determine whether or not a match was made. You of course will be given whatever it is you need."

He smiled, relaxed as best he could be, attempting to remain the jovial individual. In the back of his mind, though, he wondered whether this had been an elaborate form of setup.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Vitor Imperieuse"]

"Interesting." the green-skinned woman replied after a moment. She took her time with this, pondering, wondering - she wasn't rushing this meeting. Wouldn't have been right, not the smart move. But there were plans moving around her head. Vitor's company was respectable of size, many operations and locations spread through the Galaxy. She could use that. Sadly, Cerita didn't control as large as corporation as Rave.

The things she could have done with that capital.

"I have answers, but information is worth quite a lot these days. What do you have to offer in return?"

 

[Onrai]

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

"If you're anything like the woman you were based off of, I assume you appreciate creating what people have never artificed before. For your experiments, my company's resources are open. I will gladly provide you with whatever it is you need for your experiments - I may even need your direct assistance with one of my own." Were genes a factor in behavioral traits, it was likely that sh was an intelligent and creative individual who would be exceptionally useful.

"What do you think?"

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Vitor Imperieuse"]

Cerita leaned back against her seat, somewhere behind Vitor one of the Tuk'ata exchanged a look with her. A slow shake of the head, representing his distaste with the offer handed to her - Sarova wasn't entirely sure why he was against it, perhaps he didn't like the look of Vitor, maybe he even knew him, but at the end of the day... she didn't particularly care what Scar thought. He was always a bit over-protective and frankly overbearing when it came to simple business transactions.

"You understand that I am wary of associating myself with remnants of my... progenitor's legacy. What else can you offer to sweeten the deal, mister Imperieuse?"

She could get assets and help for her experiments, though his offer would make it easier, she supposed. Still. He could do better than that, and she knew it.

 

[Onrai]

Vitor nodded, raising his hand and activating a holographic projector, showcasing two images of different robes. One was somewhat fuzzy. Apparently, this robe was something included in what Vanessa had given him - and being a man, he had no need for it. The other was a bit plainer, a bit darker in overall coloration. He had purchased it in an auction, knew what it was - and knew Cerita might find it intriguing, despite it being for a man instead of a woman. "I've got these two robes here. Both are - well, they're worth a lot. I'll let you have one of them, your choice."

It seemed fair enough, certainly.

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Vitor Imperieuse"]

If it weren't for the second holograph Cerita would have stood up and walked out of that room right there and then. It was merely a coincidence that she knew that that robe was once owned by Darth Bane - witnessing the auction through a private feed had given her all the information she needed. Though Cerita hadn't actually bid on it, because... she didn't really care about these kind of things. Why people were constantly fascinated by some grimy robes or other historical artifacts of long-dead Sith were beyond her, but she wasn't part of that interest group.

"Sadly, I am not interested in artifacts made by ancient Sith, mister Imperieuse." I got enough time to make my own, thank you very much. "I am interested in capital, shares, companies, anything and everything that will give me an edge in the corporate world."

A frown came and went.

Rave had build everything on her own, as far as she knew. But she wasn't Rave, she would do things her own way and if it meant working for someone else while building her holdings up? Price of doing business, she guessed.

 

[Onrai]

"I have a pair of companies. Hand me downs I can do nothing with, thanks to their economic situation." Such a situation of course being that they were in Sith territory. The sooner he could dispose of them, the better. "The Zel Medical Clinic, as well as the Korribean coffee beans, are yours for the taking if you accept this deal."

He paused for a moment, pondering over the future ramifications of this deal. He knew so little about her - yet he had to dispose of this. "Both are valued locations and brands. It's the best I can offer."

He smiled, attempting to showcase his sincerity.

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Vitor Imperieuse"]

Now there was intrigue in those emerald eyes.

She held up her hand. "Stand-by, please." It was a very formal way of saying it, but that was just how Cerita operated once she got moderately excited. Her datapad went up and she started researching those two companies. There wasn't much in the way of in-depth information, many and much was classified and kept in the dark - as per usual when it came to companies operating within Sith space or had some kind of Sith-affiliation.

Korribean Caf... well, obviously it operated out of Korriban. Main factories that produced the brew were located also on Korriban, but had side-branches on Ziost and Dromund Kaas. And yet, the most interesting part was that the company had a wide assortment of restaurants throughout Sith Space and former CIS / current Techno Union space.

It was obviously running low on profit, its margins were barely enough to win back the costs, but there was some potential there.

Zel Medical Clinic located on Coruscant. Single location... nothing particularly interesting, but it would probably house good enough equipment to expand her research into new grounds.

"You have my interest now, mister Imperieuse." Cerita finally said, looking up from her datapad. "How do you see this partnership going forward? Independent contractor, in-house consultant, or something entirely else?"

 

[Onrai]

"Personal consultant and assistant." He responded. "I prefer handling these particular projects personally - if only due to my past experience with such projects." A sigh came from him as he pondered over whether or not such would be a good option. "I... Haven't exactly had success with my last several assistants. One attempted to seduce me, one was murderered, and another... I prefer not to talk about what ended up happening to her."

He continued, grasping a datapad and motioning to hand it to Cerita. "If you sign here - the two companies will be yours. You may do as you wish with them, and we can begin working with one another on these projects."

Finally, things were going to go right.

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Vitor Imperieuse"]

Cerita raised one eyebrow.

That was quite the curse on the job it seemed. Nothing that would really deter her, it was more amusing than anything else.

"I am sure fourth time is the charm in this situation." tongue-in-cheek reply delivered she shifted her attention to the datapad handed to her. Whilst most would simply sign the deal and be done with it... Cerita was a different kind of beast. She took a good look at the terms of the job, the benefits - dental, holidays and the thirteenth month, of course - followed by what her responsibilities were going to be. There wasn't much of a problem.

Just a standard job description, it seemed.

She made some edits here and there, upping the holidays just by a few more days, upgrading her dental care. Made sure the NDA demands weren't completely unreasonable, and then finally signed the edited contract.

"And there we go." The datapad was handed back and Cerita nodded towards Scar. The uplifted tuk'ata nodded back, before going for the door to hold it open for her.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

"Very well." He smiled. "Welcome to the team, Miss Sarova. I look forward to working with you on future projects." With that, he outstretched a hand, looking to commiserate his new partnership with the Vinithi through the usage of a handshake. Considering this was a business deal, it seemed... appropriate, certainly.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Vitor Imperieuse"]

Cerita looked at the offered hand, before exchanging another look with Skaara - one of her Qo'saarai Tuk'ata escorts, the beast scowled silently, but didn't offer anything else to her. She wasn't extremely good at 'social skills', it was a logical consequence of being educated by Masters like Rave, Valik and Dissero: they were all powerful Sith Lords, yes, but they were also paranoid to the extreme. This paranoia was embedded in her as well... trust did not come lightly indeed.

"Forgive me if I don't shake hands, mister Imperieuse." she offered a polite smile and a nod. Just to acknowledge that she did appreciate the sentiment displayed.

"In my line of work we are fairly careful when it comes to things like that."

Valik was capable enough in Art of the Small to create clouds of poison from regular air. Literally shifting the oxygen molecules into new positions that were acidic in nature... after that particular lesson? Yeah, nobody could blame the girl for being a little bit more careful around people.

She stood up next. "I think we can conclude the meeting with this. Let's schedule another appointment somewhere... next week, perhaps, to go over the projects you were talking about, yes?"

There would be a long day filled with analyzing and figuring out what Korribean and Zel had to offer to her. Now that she owned both of them in earnest the real work would begin. Not a thing she was especially looking forward to, note. It would pull her away from her own research and Cerita always hated that.

But sometimes a woman needed to extend her horizon.

 

[Onrai]

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

"Fair enough." Internally, Vitor was a tad hurt - that said, he knew practically nothing about Cerita aside from her being a Vinithi. He had no knowledge of the tribulations she had previously been through during the tenure of her life. "Another appointment sounds like a good idea. Same time, same place?" He raised a pondering eyebrow, curious as to whether or not Cerita was still as solidly trustworthy as he expected.

Paranoia was a funny thing.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Vitor Imperieuse"]

Sadly Cerita was not a mind-reader and did not possess the extensive social skills to pierce through the poker face Vitor was wearing. Neither was she very inclined to learn them either... humans and other sentients' feelings weren't all that interesting to her. It was messy and counter-productive, better to let that sort of stuff be handled by more accomplished people. She was more concerned with the technical aspects of things: dissecting something to figure out how it worked, rather than talk to someone to figure out how they ticked, really.

"Oh, no. Not necessary." the Knight responded frankly. "I will have my assistant make an appointment with your people, and I figure we can set it at one of your research facilities."

Talking was 'fun', but at the end of the day breakthroughs in research came from doing, not talking.

So with Vitor being put in the 'relatively harmless' box, Cerita decided that there would be little issue in starting to work immediately.

 

[Onrai]

"Alright, sure thing." He smiled,glad that progress had been achieved with Cerita. "Hopefully this will turn into a fruitful partnership. Who knows." A bit of wavering was in his tone as he concluded his sentence, a tired sensation running through his body. When Vanessa had originally given him this company, he had never expected that the level of stress he now felt would continually press on him non-stop.

Maybe she can handle this better than me.

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Vitor Imperieuse"]

“I am sure it will, mister Imperieuse.” Sarova replied before standing up. Once again she didn’t extend her hand for a shake, instead opting to give him a courteous nod before gesturing towards her bodyguards in the corners of the room that it was time to go.

She wasn’t entirely too sure what to think of him. Clearly a Force Master, running a fairly large company in the Galaxy and it still hadn’t broken down underneath him.

So at least moderately competent.

But there was some kind of sadness behind him. It wasn’t often that CEOs of big corporations were as easily read as this one.

Maybe a facade? Trying to put her at ease by acting weaker than he actually was.

Plausible, yes.

“Until next time, then.” She said after her party had gathered itself.

With that she turned and exited the room. Their next meeting would be in a very different place.

 

[Onrai]

Vitor would eventually go back to his office and do more work. But he found himself intrigued by the strength he felt in Cerita. A strength that was... a competence, perhaps, was the better way to put it. She had a sense about her that she was more than capable of handling sticky situations, as well as the stress of a company atop her shoulders.

She would assumedly do great things with the companies he had given her.

FIN