Wheel in the sky keeps on turning....

[Damian Starchaser]

When dealing with Hutts there were certain expectations. [member="Popo"] shattered those expectations. Damian had previously dealt with Hutts in his youth, going with his smuggler grandfather to a Hutt Palace to arrange some sort of skullduggery. Then again Popo had transcended the traditional Hutt role of gangster and had branched off into a more traditional role of businessman. Damian was sure that had to be some sort of scam or else legal but unethical. It was Hutt nature and it would take the young man a lot of convincing to believe otherwise. Besides it was the Hutts who held his grandfather's ship in hock.

There was a deal to be done however. [member="Popo"] owned the Wheel, a large station sitting on important trade routes. For Damian this could be the first step into a lucrative market. A shop on the Wheel could mean more sales and a lot more exposure for his company. Distribution to shops on the wheel could mean the same. It all depended on what he could work out with the Hutt.

Damian straightened out his suit as he took a deep breath and headed for what he assumed was an audience chamber but was probably a simple office. The Wheel was a wondrous place filled many different species and people. Among its notable assets were a hotel and casino which Damian intended to visit.

But for now Damian ascended the Wheels main spire escorted by a number of security agents. You’d think they didn’t trust him. Then again there was that whole incident with the prison not too long ago…..

 

[Popo]

The Wheel was, by any stretch of the term, massive. It was a floating carrousel of lights and signs inhabited by all walks of life. Depending on the sector you could meet and greet with the well-to-do of society or rub elbows with the very dregs. It was a space-borne city where the credit ruled supreme and the sentients of the galaxy bowed before it in worship. The Wheel was an opportunity for a few, a paradise to many, and a prison to some.

To Popo, it was his lifeblood.

When the Wheel prospered, Popo prospered. When the Wheel saw losses, Popo felt and saw them keenly himself. The Wheel was as much Popo as Popo was the Wheel.

Which is why when potential revenue sources laid themselves in his lap, the Hutt took the chance to review them before making an impulse decision one way or the other.

The entrepreneur in question was... Unique. This was no weapon dealer or shipbuilder seeking a kiosk or some such on his station. Neither was he some dealer of narcotics or intended to put up storefronts selling droids while blasting annoying jingles and sales pitches. This was something far different that catered to a unique section of society and, potentially, a lucrative one.

As security escorted the man in question to his suite, Popo took the time to inform his secretary, a young human woman, to wave the being in question straight through.

Wheel security deposited the man at the massive and intricately carved wroshyr wood door that led to Popo's office. Behind a gargantuan desk of the same material, inside a richly adorned - but not ostentatiously so - office, Popo waited patiently for his guest...

[member="Damian Starchaser"]

 

[Damian Starchaser]

Damian didn't like not having the home field advantage and so kept his eyes opening examined every detail as security moved him across the station. Upon reaching the periphery of the great Hutts office a secretary quickly showed him in. The office was more what Damian had expected. Though not a great audience chamber like many Hutts there was advantages to offices. These advantages included privacy. Many Hutts did their business within full view of a court of thugs meaning nearly all of their day to day affairs were out in the relative open.

[member="Popo"] cut an impressive figure, but the truth was the first thing Damian wondered when stepping into the massive office the Hutt maintained was to wonder if his desk could protect from ballistics, or even blasters. A thought suddenly emerged in his head, Brylark wood furniture resistant to both blasters and bullets. The perfect accessory for a security conscious businessman's office. Given the amount of trouble Damian often found himself in it was a consideration. He had heard Sasha Santhe had an artificial gravity generator installed under the floor of her office capable of crushing a mans bones. Security Chic. That's what he could call it. Oh well, a project for another time perhaps.

"Good day Mr. Popo," Damian said with a little nod. He really wished he was Chuck Finley right now, his favored cover ID. "My name is Damian Starchaser and it is a pleasure to meet you."

Damian stepped forward towards the desk unsure of what to do. Popo was trying not to be like other Hutts and Damian respected that. Yet if he weren't a Hutt Damian would offer his hand, but he was a hutt and with those stubby arms Damian doubted he could even reach across the desk to take his hand. Instead he opted to let the giant slug make the first move.

 

[Popo]

"Likewise, Mr. Starchaser," came Popo's reply, his deep voice booming in the room despite his conversational tone. He gestured at the chair across the desk for his guest to take a seat. "If you'd like, so we can get started."

The massive shell Hutt waited for his guest to get comfortable before proceeding. Once Damian was seated, Popo picked up a file from the carved wroshyr wood desk before him, the papers neatly held inside the manilla folder. Popo held the sheaf of paperwork up and tapped it once. On the front it held Starchaser's name and the word 'Known Assets' in bold.

"I took the liberty of pulling together some information on you and your holdings," he said politely. Generally, it wasn't unusual for business owners to pull up background information on clients or other business owners. The fact that Popo still held a great deal of contacts in the republic and in the underworld simply meant that dossiers he set up were a bit more... thorough. "Just to get myself familiar on who you are and what you do, is all. I'm assuming this visit is for your company?"

[member="Damian Starchaser"]

 

[Damian Starchaser]

Damian cocked his head a bit and considered the Hutt's question. "It is about my company." He wondered how much of him was really in that file. His history as a clone? Maybe, maybe not. His work as a smuggler? Well [member="Popo"] was a Hutt and assuming he had connection with other less reputable Hutts throughout the galaxy then yes he probably knew that much. What about Damians larcenies? Probably not. His grandfather had been a good thief and was never caught to Damians knowledge. And Damian didn't deal with Hutts or have much of a reputation in those matters. Small jobs. "I'd like to open up a shop here on the Wheel."

That of course was true. It was why he was here. "Not just a retail location though, but rather a full service location. A testbed if you will for further development. Imagine a store where you can walk in and get your measurements taken in a booth. Then you can leave said booth for all the latest fashions to be auto tailored for you on the spot. I mean obviously some things won't be able to be produced right there but you can order or buy off the rack as well. Full service Mr. Popo. And it isn't harmful or dangerous to your station." Of course if the man did his research he might be a tad suspicious of Damian himself if not the company.

 

[Popo]

The Hutt gave the human a long look before flipping open the file and take a minute to glance through the pages within. For all intents and purposes, it looked as if he was trying to find something specific, something to easily tell the human 'no' over his business. In reality, he was thinking.

The Wheel was to some a den of vice and immorality, somewhere an individual went to fulfill their desires to the fullest whether they be gambling, drinking, or pleasurable company. Popo knew it was far more than that, though such was par for the course on the Wheel. It was a place of opportunity and glamour, a place of splendor and glory just as much as it was a hive in inequity. Here a poor man could grow rich and a rich man could lose everything to their name. For Popo, it was the gem of his little corporate empire and one he took care to keep polished and shined when and where he could to the public eye.

A store or shop like this could indeed bring a great amount of profit, but only if it were placed properly. Without that proper placement, the clientele would not arrive which meant the money would not flow. No one wanted to go to a five star clothing emporium in the middle of the slums.

The Hutt set the file down and hit a button on the side of the desk. A hologram of the Wheel appeared, divided into sections. Each section featured a small data box showing average income and rent costs. Crime rates were featured as well, but all were exceedingly low. Criminal activity had an easy solution on the Wheel. Criminals caught were forced to leave the Wheel, with or without a starship.

"And where would you place this storefront of yours, Mr. Starchaser?"

[member="Damian Starchaser"]

 

[Damian Starchaser]

[member="Popo"] had a reputation for dealing fairly with people, but he was still a Hutt. That meant when he started looking through all of Damians documents the young man was instantly suspicious. Was he looking to weasel his way in? Looking for an easy excuse to deny him access? Damians history with Hutts taught him to be suspicious of his motivations. Thoughts roamed around in his head up until the point the large Hutt asked him which space he thought he wanted.

That was a good question. Damian paused and looked over the holographic display. The map was comprehensive for the locations. "Looks like a lot of the prime real estate is already taken," he said. "We need to be somewhere upscale. We sell high end fashion, but we can't compete with the rest of some of your larger and more, diverse, locations." Damian looked at the map again. "For instance a single location will never be able to pull in the profits of a casino. That would be a poor investment at the rates they pay to operate. We do however need a lot of space to warehouse goods and a small onsite tailoring area for higher end clientele. Being near one of those locations would be optimal."

Looking at the map he saw a Casino labeled the 'Dark Star' and smiled at the irony of the name. "There is an open lot there, do you think it would suit my needs?"

Now it was time to see how the Hutt felt about his business on The Wheel.