You Always Did Say You Liked a Product Tested

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Danger Arceneau, the Trade Queen, had always said she liked it when a product was tested in the field before she was truly interested in it. That was something Taeli had taken to heart when she wanted to showcase her company's newest droid model to the woman who, some quietly said, could influence the entire galactic economy if she so desired. Spectacle and surprise were what she was shooting for this time in her dealings with Danger, and she was going to relish every second of it.

Taeli had scheduled a meeting with Danger to discuss a deal about expanding Aurora-ATC joint operations, specifically in Otherspace. The meeting, while certainly important, was more of a ruse than anything else. It was a final field test, as it were, for Taeli and her design team.

Stepping out of the Tatooine sun, Taeli gave a relieved smile as she entered the ATC lobby and took her seat in the waiting area, addressing the deep green dress she wore. Maybe dark green was not a good choice for a desert planet, but that had been what she felt like that day. She hoped the Trade Queen wasn't running too late for the meeting, timing was everything for her showcase.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

Throughout the past year, Danger had begun to take a step back from dealing business face to face. She would normally leave it under the capable hands of Aeri Vyn or Saffron. Both women had become pivotal in running the conglomerate that was Arceneau Trade.

However, there were a few instances that she would see to things personally. Typically, most business demands were don’t via holo due to the recent adoption of Myra. This time around, the youngling was spending time with her husband. Slowly but surely they were adapting the little girl with being around a larger population. The trauma of Dromund Kaas was still an issue for the little girl, but both Danger and Alric were working patiently with her.

Master Raaf would be met by a young woman by the same of Sarrai. She was a Devonronian female, the fine red fur on her body a warm hue. She gave a toothy smile meant in welcome, offering to shake her hand.

“Ms. Raaf.” she began, “Welcome to Arceneau Trade.” a small gesture would allow for the brunette to follow to take her to Danger’s office.
“Please, come this way.”

 

[Taeli Raaf]

“Thank you,” Taeli said, getting up to shake the Devaronian female’s hand. “And I must thank for taking this meeting on such short notice. I’ve heard she has been rather busy of late, or at least I assume she has been because she hasn’t been seen in public as much as she used to be.”

It was an odd thing, but maybe the Trade Queen was just enjoying time with her equally successful husband. Taeli could understand that all too well… even if she didn’t have any family right now that hadn’t vanished into the ether of the galaxy. She wished she could find them, but her heart said that it was going to be an impossible task at the current time. For now, she would focus her energies and time into her projects, her expeditions, and helping the Alliance in their fight against the Sith. Following the Devaronian, she allowed herself to take in the decor of the place.

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


“Things have been rather busy for Mrs. Arceneau.” Saari would agree, keeping cordial much like the Queen of Trade herself. “But she does what she can considering she has little Miss Myra with her now.” They would amble across the office, towards the back where they would pass the massive warehouses connected to the space port.

“I hope your trip went well?” small talk, but nothing too prying. Beyond this they would need to get onto the lift. Tatooine wasn’t known for particularly tall buildings; most were crafted of pourstone. However, in the years that Arceneau Trade had become a bustling center for trade in the Outer Rim, Danger made sure that improvements would strengthen the defenses as well as improve quality of life.

However, a dry arid world, was still a dry arid world. Complete with sand. Lots, and lots of sand.

They would reach the turbolift and Saari set her hand upon the console. There were Darkwater Security guards everywhere, among Hegemonic Droids. Danger had a knack of contracting several smaller mercenary companies along with droids. Kept the locals happy to get a paycheck. The green beep allowed them in, and Saari gestured for Taeli to follow her inside the lift. Third floor would be their destination.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

“About as well as trip from Erilnar in the Centrality can be,” Taeli answered easily, moving past the Darkwater and Hegemonic security and stepping onto the lift to the third floor. “While it is nice for security reasons, only having one viable hyperpsace route, it does make it a long trip to other parts of the galaxy. It's quiet out there though, so we can develop our prototypes and such in peace.”

Taeli gave a small grimace as the lift started and she saw the sand. She really wasn’t the biggest fan of those tiny, annoying, grating little pieces of sediment. It got everywhere, eventually.
“How is little Myra doing?” Taeli asked while the lift passed the second floor. “Adjusting well to everything that her parents do?”

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


“Miss Myra is doing just fine.” as fine as any little girl who had her parents eaten alive while they protected her with their bodies. Post traumatic stress was a certainty.

“We rarely see her, on account of her spending time with Mrs. Arceneau and Mr. Kuhn.” Little tidbits of information on the most recent activities for the trio. The door to the lift would hiss shut. After a moment, it gave a slight shudder, ascending towards the third level.

“Things been rather busy as of late all round the Sector.” The fall of the Techno Union. The rumors of a rise of another entity. Most recently the successful attack against the One Sith by the Alliance.
“Gets one wondering just what might happen next.” she admitted.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

“Understandable,” Taeli said, nodding her head in thought. The girl, from what she could tell, was quite shy. Taeli didn’t know why that was, considering Danger and Alric were not shy people. Private, yes, but not shy. Her cynical mind said that something had happened before the two business beings adopted her.

“Indeed,” Taeli said, giving a sly smile. She knew what was next, and it was going to be a monumental shift in the power dynamics of the galaxy if it was successful. “One would think that the Alliance is just getting started in this campaign. I was actually at Dulvoyinn with the task force.”
She didn’t know why she was sharing this information, but she felt it was appropriate at the moment to share.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

“You were at Dulvoyinn?” interest piqued the woman’s eyes. Arms went crossing over her chest, and she took on the posture of a casual air. The lift to the third floor wasn’t long, but enough to warrant the back and forth conversation of an item or two.

“How was it?” she asked. News would be good. Rumor was always running rampant, but having the first hand disclosure from a first eye observer would give more credibility.

“Rumor has it that it very well could have been a close call.” she gave a slow blink.”That one of the One Sith’s mighty Immortals had been disabled.”

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

“It got dodgy there for awhile,” Taeli admitted. “I had to help repel Sith boarders on the Fondor’s Aegis, so I didn’t hear much about what was going on outside until later. But, thanks to Rogue Squadron and others, the Sith lost their carrier and the Immortal flagship they deployed against us was severely damaged. I wouldn’t say it was as close as some pundits have reported.”

Taeli did not go into detail about how she eliminated one of the Sith boarders herself. She didn’t need to explain or reveal that particular information. Dulvoyinn truly was, she felt, a shift in the current balance of power. The first major defeat for the One Sith… it gave people hope where none had existed that the ominous forces that controlled the Core Worlds could be finally driven back.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


“Well I’ll be…” there was a bit of shocked awe in the woman’s voice. Understandable to say the least. Considering that the One Sith had been such a powerhouse for years, very well a decade. That they had been struck such a blow by the Galactic Alliance was telling.

Perhaps, it was the winds of change. A change for the better. Or at the very least, for profit.

The turbo lift slowed, then came to a halt. With a small smile, the young woman gestured for Taeli to exit with her as soon as the doors slid open. More Darkwater guards. The halls were wide and tall enough for the Herglics to move easily. A turadium double door at the far end of the corridor.

“This way please.” she would add, ambling over towards the office. Before long, the two double doors were slid open. There on the far end of the room sat the Queen of Trade herself. Her attention was upon the holographic screen in front of her. When Taeli entered, she swiveled her attention to her.

“Miz Raaf.” the familiar throaty drawl droned in greeting. She rose from her seat to come to Taeli.

“A pleasure.”

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

If there was one thing that was always impressive, it was seeing an armored Herglic standing guard in a hallway big enough that they didn't need to bend down or crouch. She also could appreciate the fact the doors to Danger's office were made of turadium. That spoke of a protective paranoia and caution that Taeli definitely proscribed to as well, considering the amount of security Aurora Industries had at their headquarters on Erilnar. Stepping into the office, she was greeted a voice that was familiar to many in the galaxy.

"Miss Arceneau, it has been quite some time," Taeli said, coming over to where danger was standing and shook her hand. "Apologies for the coldness, I've been using the Force to keep myself comfortable from this heat. Growing up on Lorrd, I'm far more used to cooler environments."

Taeli let go of her hand and settled herself into the seat across from Danger, fluffing her dress so it didn't bunch up underneath her.

"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice, I do appreciate that," Taeli continued saying. "I can understand you have been quite busy, with both business and your personal life. Plus, our galaxy seems to be heading towards a new balance of power. Exciting prospects eh?"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

"My pleasure." Taeli Raaf was a woman who despite her dabble in that hoodoo, was a respected woman in business. Not everyone could be helped on that curse that was the Force. At least, Danger's prejudices were well hidden. It wouldn't do for the 'Verse to realise that Danger held no love for female Jedi. Then again, her prejudices were coloured from experience.

"Please have a seat." Danger would gesture for the woman to sit after shaking her hand. A nod and a warm smile, then an incline of her head. "I've not enough hours in the day anymore... seems that havin' a family takes up more time than that of a business." she'd chuckle, rounding back to her chair.

[SIZE=inherit]"Exciting prospects indeed." [/SIZE] she'd add, in reference to the last bit the CEO of Aurora Industries mentioned. With everything with the One Sith and the Galactic Alliance, as well as if the rumors were true, with the Sanctum and that government implementing itself on Rusaan, things were certainly going to be interesting.

[SIZE=inherit]"Who knows where they will go,[/SIZE]" she said, turning those green eyes upon Taeli[SIZE=inherit]. "Care for a drink?"[/SIZE]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"Bastion Black tea, iced, if you have it," Taeli said, giving a small smile. "It's still a little hard getting a stable supply of the stuff, but it's better than when those Primeval zealots had control of Bastion. The new Mandalorian Empire in the area seems to have some grasp of working an economy."

She wasn't sure about these new Mandalorians yet, but she had purchased a visa to do business there if she felt the inclination. There had been some disturbing rumors of what these Mandos had been up to, but she wanted to establish whether they were true or not before she wrote them off as an entity she couldn't do business with. Regardless, that would be for the future to decide. Once she got her tea, she gave a smile of thanks to the person who brought it over.

"So to business hmm?"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

“Bastion Black tea it is,” she’d coo, reaching down to press at the comm to buzz the secretary.

“Yes Mrs. Arceneau.” chirped the woman.

“Please get us to cups of Bastion Black tea,” Danger would state, giving a small wink at Taeli in good humor.

“Of course, Mrs. Arceneau.”

“Thank you Sieki,” she shut off the transmission, before gesturing Taeli to sit. “Please, make yourself comfortable.” taking her own advice, she sat down, crossing her left leg over her right.

“Well you know me… I do enjoy gettin’ to the meat of things.” she agreed. “To what may I be of service, Ms Raaf?”

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"I was wondering what take you might have on possibly expanding operations in Otherspace, jointly of course," Taeli explained. "Aurora Industries has become more interested in using that other... dimension I guess is a good word for it, to expand facilities for prototype development and more... volatile experiments. I know you and ATC have been providing some materials for our use there, per our agreement, and we have a more secure method of sending ships into Otherspace with our Samhein freighters. We also have been developing a new cloaking device to use Adegan crystals to make sure the Charon don't spot the increased activity."

She gave a small sigh at the mention of the rather nasty species that inhabited the otherwise very useful dimension. She was inclined to say that they needed dealing with in some way. the Charon were far too dangerous a threat to just be left alone or hidden from. Eventually, they would succeed in developing the technologies they needed and their Cult of Death would decide their dimension was next to be wiped clean of life.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

"I'm always interested in expanding." This was true. It was why she held a major contract with Iron Crown for their Otherspace technology. Rave Merrill, may she rest in peace, had been one of the few Hoodoo inclined individuals Danger respected. Continuing on with her product when it had been enhanced was only natural.

Otherspace was a new frontier, and ATC was among only a handful of companies who are able to properly travel to it and bring back its resources. If Aurora had advanced her technology and created new products, she was all ears.

"The Charon are nasty critters; smart, but vicious just the same." With tea served, Danger gave an incline of her head. "Tell me more about the cloaking device. "

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"I was going through some very old records, from my ummm darker days," Taeli said, explaining, "when I happened across the mention of a three-way battle fought at Ilum between the Sith Empire under Vitiate, the Republic, and a breakaway faction of the Sith under a Lord known as Malgus. Not to bore you with details, the special part of it was that Malgus's forces utilized cloaking devices using the Adegan crystals that could be found on Ilum instead of rarer crystals like stygium. Unfortunately, the actual schematics for those devices didn't survive the ages, but..."

She trailed off, reaching into her dress's pocket to pull out a small holo-transmitter. Placing it on the desk, she activated it and the image of the device appeared.

"We call it the Morne Cloaking Device, in honor of an older Jedi Shadow," Taeli said. "It took some figuring by my scientists, but I've recently begun employing some Anomids and they figured out the puzzle to adapt a cloak to accept an Adegan. It uses a slightly different wavelength to produce the cloaking field, but it produces the same result as a stygium field and it is cheaper. Only downside is a slightly larger power draw when in use and weapons can't be fired unless you decloak first."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

Danger gave a nod. She knew how Stygium fields worked, and even had a small mining facility on Maramere for the rare crystals. They were a valuable commodity, and certainly high in demand. If Taeli had found a cheaper alternative...

The CEO of Aurora Industries knew how to catch Danger's attention. The Queen of Trade preferred to have presentations and demonstrations of the technology. Filmsi and schematics were all fine and dandy, but Danger would place more weight upon the final project. That just dealt with wanting a company to put forth the effort for their final product and stand by it.

A hand came up, fingers curling to rest against her chin. A thought came, "Where would you gather the Adegan crystals?" she asked in query. While Adgean was more common that Stygium, there were various types and certainly not so common that any planet would have them.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"As I would prefer to avoid Ilum, for reasons, my company is currently gathering crystals out of the Cularin system," Taeli responded. "More specifically the asteroid belt in the system as one can find many types of the various Adegan crystals there. We also have plans to establish a new mining operation on Mygeeto, once relations are finalized with the new Mandalorian Empire. I might not agree with their mission, but they do control some of the more lucrative areas of the galaxy in resources and finance."

At this point, she could tell that Danger was at least intrigued by the notion of the new device and the expansion of operations. Precisely what had been required for the true demonstration for today's meeting. Discreetly, Taeli pinged her comlink to signal to begin the true reason for her meeting with Danger. On the other side of the ping, the person listening gave a smile and got up. Time to blow a few minds and cause some confusion... and most importantly... move from curiosity to attention.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


Indeed, Danger gave a small arch of her brow.

"Ilum." another nod. She knew of the planet and the resources it had on Adgean crystals. That Raaf had another mining operations planned elsewhere gave another measure of stability.

"Well," She began, bringing her glass up to take a sip. "With the state of the galaxy, we all must find a measure of working and maintaining neutrality in order to ensure commerce continues. I myself also ventured with business with the Mandalorian Empire recently." She was even expanding Havan's shipyards on Dantooine for that specific cause.

A small glance up met green with violet. "What do you make of the Mandalorian Empire, Ms. Raaf?"