Private A Notable Arrangement

[Dystraay Bovark II]

// LOCATION //: Glavis Ringworld
// OBJECTIVE //: Speak with House Marr
// TAGS //: Darth Malum of House Marr
// THEME //: Do the Holos Show Up on the Bill?

M A G I S T R A T E

The knocking back and forth of boots could be heard as they moved from corridor to corridor on the Glavis Ringworld which was a space station that encircled a small star, and far enough away from the spying eyes of the Galactic Alliance which had become the dominant superpower within the galaxy although tested by the likes of the Mandalorian Enclave and the Sith Order ever since the fall of the Brotherhood of the Maw over Exegol.

The Alliance-Enclave War had presented opportunities for corporations and guilds alike, as they could establish connections with different individuals without interference of the Strategic Intelligence Agency whose agents were posted on every shadowport from Port Nowhere to Point Nadir according to rumors and speculations.

The current iteration of the Galactic Mining Guild was one such faction that needed to establish connections with the rich and wealthy in order to stay profitable despite having a warm relationship with the InterGalactic Banking Clan, Commerce Guild, and Trade Federation of Planets. As such the Magistrate of the Mining Guild, Baron Dystraay Bovark the II would invite a prominent member of the Sith Order in the form of Darth Marr of House Marr to the Ringworld in order to enter negotiations regarding the securement of support and resources productions.

Entering into a small board room reserved on the station, followed by yellow painted IG-RM Bodyguard and Enforcer Droid for personal protection as dealing with sith was a risky business.

"Lord Marr, It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I trust that you had no issues making it on board the station." The Nimbanel Magistrate asked once the guest had arrived and was seated across from him.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"None at all, your staff seemed almost deathly intent on making me comfortable and welcome," Malum responded, his eyes glimmering their crimson gleam, offering a dark chuckle, seeming to be enjoying a private joke.

It was not every day that Malum was seated across a man of such... different sort of power. Where Malum if he desired could, even from this distance, will the man opposite him dead, it was more than simply the social contract, diplomatic etiquette, and the laws of hospitality that stopped from him doing so.

It was the fact that he was a representative of a power much larger than himself, that saved him. Where the Force's will flowed through every living entity in existence, it was a subtle power, slowly and slightly moving the board about to ordain what it desired, those of its creed, dark or light, its pieces to move about in such a way to make sure they never realised truly, that they were puppets to something greater.

It was men like those opposite him that represented a material power that backed every political action they needed to gain their desired metaphysical victory.

Sith could not combat the Jedi without soldiers.

Soldiers could not fight without food, weapons, and other material.

Such could not be found without agriculture and industry that capital was so intertwined with.

And so here he was, meeting with a representative of a power that would never be a public co-conspirator in the horrors that the Sith unleashed across the galaxy but would certainly be complicit in them.

And if they had it their way, would certainly profit off of them.

But none of this was new to him, after all, it had been his father who had broken ranks from his ancestors, who had seen the depths that the House of Marr had fallen to in their attempts to retain their relevance through pure prestige and physical power, and gone into the depths of burgher trade, which many of their caste and creed turned their nose up at.

Yet, considering where the Marrs now were, at the foremost of the Sith Empire, draped in fineries, coffers overflowing with gold. His father had been proven right, hadn't he? It required lowering themselves in the realms of less than obvious power, for true power to be available to them. Or more accurately, it had taken the various modes of power walking hand in hand for the Marrs to be empowered.

He had taken the lesson hat in hand, which is why there was none of the noble arrogance, the sneering, the general belief that they were too good for this, flowing through them. No, he was simply one, ready to conduct business.

"So tell me Baron Bovark, and forgive my youth, for any indiscretions I may make, but where shall we begin?"

Dystraay Bovark II

 

[Dystraay Bovark II]

// LOCATION //: Glavis Ringworld
// OBJECTIVE //: Speak with House Marr
// TAGS //: Darth Malum of House Marr
// THEME //: Do the Holos Show Up on the Bill?

M A G I S T R A T E

There was a small hint of stratification on the Nimbanel's face as the Sith Lord explained that there was no issue with boarding the station, even taking the time to make a small private joke to himself. They both represented different sides of the power spectrum, with one having immense physical power and the other material power, each having its advantages and disadvantages on the galactic stage but both equally able to change its fate for the better or worse. Lord Marr could certainly kill him with a simple swipe of his hand but that would accomplish very little overall and result in more enemies than allies for the Sith Order whose growing power was not unnoticed by the Galactic Alliance despite being tied down by the Enclave War.

"You would have to take a thousand years to learn every bit of business code and operational techniques that is available, Lord Marr. So I do not blame you for lack of experience." A short reply but one made from a friendly gesture, even the most expert Chief Operating Officers and Chief Executives had never fully grasped the complex legal codes and regulations required in order to stay profitable in an ever changing galaxy.

"Let us start our discussion by focusing on what, House Marr needs in terms of resources and equipment. Is there anything of note that the Galactic Mining Guild can provide?" It was always a good idea to start the discussion from a place of client applicational needs, as the client dictates what they want and how they should receive their order. There was little doubt that House Marr would become a potent force in the politics that was the Sith Order, but they did not have the immense wealth of the Eternals or Kainite factions which dominated the sith currently from an outsiders perspective.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"I thank you then for your easy willingness to contend with my inexperience then," So the Dejarik match began, from the outside it would look only as if two men conversing amiably, technical matters or even unrelated matters entirely. Yet it was calculated, all a show, for the slightest change in circumstance could change the entire agreement reached at the end of the discourse.

Or have the agreement go up in flames entirely.

It had been a purposeful strategy to portray himself as inexperienced in this, First of all, it was not a full lie, which made it far easier to put on that show, second of all, having the opposition underestimate you, only made doing business so much easier.

In addition, a third reason if one was needed, it would be oh so satisfying to turn it around on them.

"But I will have to ask for more understanding... you see, Lord Marr is my father, and while one day it shall be my title, not yet, please, call me Malum," There was a glimmer in his eye at his words, he held titles far superior than lord, even if he had done his best to keep it under wraps, and the fact was that he was a lord, so it was not as if it was wrong.

Still, highlighted his youth, and established feigned amiability, all this set up in the opening moves, to define the mid-game.

"It is less what my family requires, and more what my planet does, have you heard of Alvaria?" Malum enjoyed playing games, but at the end of the day, it would be good to get to the point of this meeting eventually, "It has only recently been brought into galactic affairs, after going through something of a nuclear apocalyptic event. It has been in something of a technological dark age ever since, though since being taken into the Sith Empire, it is quickly being brought into parity... still, there are quite a few structural problems to be dealt with," Far too many for the resources of one noble house, and the planet itself to deal with. The issue at the end of the day had never been a lack of resources, but entirely an issue of exploiting them to drive the planet forward, to bring industry to the world, with all the economic surplus in manpower and economic dividend, that was of course where the Galactic Mining Guild came in, "The planet is rich in lumber, the land is fertile, and the reason I have come to you, has rich veins of minerals, metals, precious ores, natural gas, oil," He leaned in further, "and Kyber Crystals."

"You ask what the Guild can provide, well... Alvaria is a rich world, yet I do not have the resources to use that richness. As you can imagine the population has remained low, after their doomsday, with far more available housing than inhabitants of the world, and with that lack of population, even if it is technologically brought to pare with the rest of the galaxy, the manpower to begin exploiting the resources of the world simply is not there." He leaned back on the seat, "What I need are settlers, though I imagine the Mining Guild does not exactly have expertise when it comes to colonial management, well failing that, setting up an industrial mining enterprise on the world would do nicely, do you not agree, Baron?"

Dystraay Bovark II

 

[Dystraay Bovark II]

// LOCATION //: Glavis Ringworld
// OBJECTIVE //: Speak with House Marr
// TAGS //: Darth Malum of House Marr
// THEME //: Do the Holos Show Up on the Bill?

M A G I S T R A T E

The conversation was going smoothly, well as smoothly as one could be given the nature of the Sith Order. Each side wanted something from each other and so they were content to play the game to defend and rebuke, to launch attacks and be aggressive to get the desired results. Although the Magistrate was less inclined to be entirely manipulative during the exchange, as while Lord Malum might be insecure enough to use such tactics during the conversation, it was beneath the dignity of the Galactic Mining Guild. So the Nimbanel was content to let the Sith Lord engage in such displays of intelligence for a little while longer as the conversation gradually moved back to the starting point.

"It seems that House Marr has been blessed with a truly rich resource world to call home, even with the structural problems. With proper care and extraction methods, those could fetch a nice price on the open market." There was no reason to convey eagerness at the prospects of the Mining Guild gaining access to those resources, you never wanted to portray a weakness in negotiations as they could be exploited in a single masterstroke. Though, House Marr was lucky to have settled upon such a pristine world even with the problems mentioned surface side.

The mention of colonial settlers was a bit of a surprise since the Mining Guild had no experience in such matters, though the mining enterprise on the world was an interesting proposal. "There should be no problem shifting some of our workers around that have administration expertise to manage the colonial aspects, although we would have to get the colonial population from a third party such as the Trade Federation, who have more planets under their control. As to the Mining Enterprise, that should be little issue as well provided they are treated fairly." While some companies such as the mentioned Trade Federation lacked morality when it came to their employees, the Mining Guild was about safety and fair treatment in order to secure loyalty among the workers and administrators that made the ship run smoothly.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"That is certainly the goal, a planet is certainly a good thing to own in most circumstances, yet it can also become something of a white elephant if investment is endlessly poured into it for such things as defence, and redevelopment, without revenue to recoup some of the principle of the investment. I am sure though that you understand, do not let me bore you with my thoughts on the matter," It was not that Alvaria did not produce any revenue, taxation was coming in, but he had declared for it to be limited, after all with the population so small, and still a technological backwater, there was little point in starving them out of what little capital they did have, such was necessary instead to drive the local economy, otherwise anything he attempted on the world was going to disastrously fail in the face of insurrection, revolt, and rebellion.

And putting that down was going to be both expensive and rebuilding it... oh, Bogan.

Of course that was all unlikely, considering his status on the world, revolt was rather unlikely, still, the history of the world did let him know that fanaticism certainly did not guarantee loyalty.

Other than taxation, the world did have some mining enterprises, it did have some agricultural production, yet such was not on an interplanetary scale, and even with the construction of a spaceport for export, it did not bring nearly enough to justify it, with methods that had not been brought to the galactic standard, nor a populace that could properly work in such enterprises to properly be able to exploit the vast resources.

"You can be rest assured that they will be treated with the utmost cordiality and respect, which is afforded by the hospitality of the House of Marr," Good, that was at least the mining aspect secured, now for the population, "Would the Mining Guild be able to negotiate with the Trade Federation for such a contract? Or would it be better for I to contact them directly? The planet mostly consists of Humans, but there is a sizeable minority of Sephi, Ugnaught, and Elfish, which have been accepted after a long process, it would likely be best to not introduce another group wholesale... even in these enlightened times, xenophobia is rather rampant," The ball was in the Baron's court, it would likely provide them with a greater reward to offer such a service as negotiating with another company, on the other hand, representing a client to another company might have been an effort too annoying to conclude. He did hope for the former, that it would be best to speak with the Trade Federation with the best foot forward, and being accompanied by the Mining Guild would certainly accomplish that.

Dystraay Bovark II

 

[Dystraay Bovark II]

// LOCATION //: Glavis Ringworld
// OBJECTIVE //: Speak with House Marr
// TAGS //: Darth Malum of House Marr
// THEME //: Do the Holos Show Up on the Bill?

M A G I S T R A T E

It was unfortunate that House Marr could not exploit the resources rich world to its fullest potential but it was a blessing in disguise for the Galactic Mining Guild. If the planetary government was unable to do something they often outsourced it to someone else that had the expertise, and that brought with it considerable opportunities for further contracts down the line with the Sith Order if they did a sufficient job here. The Nimbanel did some quick mathematical calculations while they were engaged in further conversation, wanting to know exactly how much the mining enterprise set up on the world would cost them in the long run and how much staff they would need to make sure it functioned properly without interference from the New Jedi Order or a rival lord within the Sith Order. It did carry some risks but they were minor compared to the profits gainable if they stuck through the project.

"Excellent, Lord Malum." a simple response to the Sith Lord's promise to treat the workers fairly and provide them with adequate protection. It was not difficult to imagine any other sith breaking such an agreement given their nature but he doubted the world under his control could afford to drive them off. "There should be little difficulty in negotiating a fair and free contract with the Trade Federation of Planets. And I will make sure to mention that importing other species should be the last option considered. Would droid workers be sufficient for the time being?" He wanted to assure that the Mining Guild could negotiate on behalf of House Marr with the Trade Federation regarding the colonial aspects of the request. Importing droid workers would solve much of the population problem as the citizens could focus on having more children instead of hard labor if the Sith Lord accepted.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

"Droid... workers?" He brought a hand to his clean-shaved chin, seeming to muse the thought, he had certainly not considered it before. Malum admittedly was quite old-fashioned when it came to such things, long ago had the Droid revolution come and gone, though perhaps not the droid revolution which some radical droids envisioned, of equality and freedom for their mechanical kind, no, more the use of droids for labour.

Droids had long ago ceased being a simple novelty for the rich to aid them in whatever secretarial, clerical, or informational, long ago ceased to simply be tools that allowed one to better pilot a starcraft, long ago ceased to be the soldiers on the battlefield that could make the galaxy crumble beneath their weight.

Now, they were all that and more, to be used in fact to replace man entirely.

He had always been somewhat uncomfortable with the idea, where they were supplements for labour, he could see their benefit, but where they replaced life itself... well, he could see it as an easy source of societal unrest, an easy source for them to find themselves in a position superior to the life that they allowed to fatten off their greed, as they did nothing to achieve their wealth.

Malum was a noble, for certain, but it had long been drilled into him, that though his excellence was driven by the blood that flowed through his veins, it would be up to him, to not rest upon his laurels, to prove his majesty through actions in life.

"I would not be opposed to such a thing, certainly a way to avoid unrest, and have extremely cheap labour in place for what will be an enterprise that will be rather labour intensive I imagine," Cheap labour he called it, if it was life he was discussing, that might have been called slavery, yet droids were not sentiment, no matter how much it appeared so at times, and though he held firm bonds to Motus and Sibby, these faceless droids, continually reset, they were not them.

Or so he told himself.

"Still, even if not for this enterprise, I do desire Alvaria to one day be filled with life, at the very least to rebuild and reoccupy the cities that now remain only husks to the greatness that they once were, colonists and settlers shall be the only way to do that quickly, it will take time for them to recuperate themselves. Would there be some other company that you might help me negotiate with, for that?" The Mining Guild, the Trade Federation of Planets, and now some third company as well, this promised to be expensive indeed.

Yet all worthwhile by the end.

Dystraay Bovark II

 

[Dystraay Bovark II]

// LOCATION //: Glavis Ringworld
// OBJECTIVE //: Speak with House Marr
// TAGS //: Darth Malum of House Marr
// THEME //: Do the Holos Show Up on the Bill?

M A G I S T R A T E

It was fortunate that Lord Malum did not seem oppose the importation of droid laborers to take the labor intensive burden off the low population of Alvaria. Establishing a mining enterprise required a skilled workforce to deal with the complex machinery as breakdowns and repairs were common on the various planets that the Mining Guild had influence over. The mining equipment would also need to be stored in a warehouse and inventory taken each day to make sure that it was making a profit and not being a drain on company resources better used elsewhere.

The Nimbanel brushed the long stringy beard protruding from his features in a thoughtful motion; taking in each and every word as the Sith Lord spoke about rebuilding and reoccupying the cities and major towns on the planet, wanting to know if there was another company that the Mining Guild could negotiate with regarding this problem.

"I believe you can look inhouse for that matter of business, the Sith-Imperial Banking Clan can provide a quite generous loan to begin reconstructing housing and refurbishing industrial areas." He did not want to outright reject another negotiation with a third party for House Marr but dealing with the Trade Federation of Planets was enough for one contract. And so there was a suggestion of looking inhouse of the Sith Order in the form of the Sith-Imperial Banking Clan, they had the resources currently available to assist in such project at a decent discount. "You can speak with Lord Blepharon, a member of the SIBC Directorship Board." the Nimbanel then added sometime later after letting the suggestion sink in to his client.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Lord Blepharon, he had never heard the name, but he noted it down regardless, certainly a man to know if his position in the Sith-Imperial Banking Clan was anything to go off. It was little surprise that he did not know him, Malum had chased his entire life for those with hardpower, and though he had found them in this near half-decade, it had only granted him an appreciation of what softpower could grant someone. It was a lesson that he should have taken from his father long ago, and now that he had, he could only see the merits of it. It was good that such a lesson did not come at the end of a lightsabre like it usually did.

Speaking of the Sith-Imperial Banking Clan, didn't Darth Xyrah have something to do with that?

Perhaps it was time to use their shared connection as best as he could.

"Thank you for the advice, I will certainly do so," He scratched his mind for what else there was to discuss and it came up empty, "Well, thank you for discussing all of this, may we have future discourse, and this specific venture be profitable for both of us," He stood, offering a nod, before his cloak billowed in the wind and he turned and walked out of the room.