Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Balmorra Butterfly

After some preliminary arrangements Tmoxin decided to visit the enigmatic CEO, Aleksandyr Gaillard, at his headquarters on Balmorra. She traveled there via her private yacht, The Sovereign Butterfly. She wore a white short dress which wasn't quite her normal business attire but the last time she had encountered Mr.Gaillard they were on Makeb sweating it up in the desert in armor fighting Subteroths in a cave. She wanted to show the businessman that she could clean up pretty well.

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She had her Captain dock at a spaceport close to where Gaillard's headquarters were located. In her hands she held a bottle of Breath of Heaven, an expensive and difficult to find alcoholic beverage. The bottle was neatly wrapped in silver and gold, a present for Alex since he had asked her out for drinks the last time they had been together during the mining operation. On this day they would discuss ships for the Red Ravens fleet to supplement what Stargo Enterprises already provided them.

With the same bodyguard she had on Makeb, she exited the Butterfly and awaited transport to the Gaillard Corporation or wherever Alex was going to bring her.

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]
 
Unfortunately due to unfortunate events that unfortunately left Balmorra in an unfortunate state of misfortune, the CEO's headquarters were a mess! When the Hapan arrived she would notice several personnel rushing back and forth trying to figure out the logistics after several of their key officers had never returned with the rest of the missing. Of course, it wasn't all that bad; a single protocol droid would approach the woman and her bodyguard.

"Greetings, I am ---", the droid started to twitch violently whilst making a whirring noise, "Please follow me.", it then requested in a much more unbefitting masculine voice as if someone had taken over remotely.

The droid would guide her through a doorway and into a far more quiet and elegant corridor that winded throughout the headquarters until they approached a large room that split off into three new directions. To the left and right were two corridors much like the one they came from and directly ahead was a doorway with a crescent-shaped desk in front of it. No one was at the desk when the droid turned to them.

"Your bodyguard stays. Go through that doorway, past the table, and through the second door on the far side. Inside is Mr. Gaillard's office.", the droid stated.

With that it stepped out of the way as a single keycard printed from a small dispenser on the desk; obviously it was for going through the door.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]
 
The Gaillard Corporation Headquarters were as nice to be expected with half of the galaxy missing. There was an air of disarray around the building interior until she went deeper into the CEO's office space. Then the surroundings became predictably befitting for a Luxury Ship Mogul decorated in greel wood, leather and steel.

Her face remained calm but her hackles rose when the droid instructed her bodyguard to stay outside. She nodded to him. "It's okay," she said and he stopped there in the hallway. Having spent five years protecting the Queen of Hapes as a Secret Commando would ensure a modicum of self-defense should the need arise. She clutched tightly to Mr. Galliard's gift and took the keycard.

She walked down the hallway confidently knowing it was likely she was being watched by security cameras. Or maybe not. She didn't really know Aleksandyr Gaillard very well and wasn't sure if he was as paranoid as Cryax Bane when it came to protection. The galaxy event had made everything so hectic lately and she wondered if she should have read more about this man before waltzing right into his office unprotected. Unfortunately hindsight wouldn't help her right now.

Tmoxin put the keycard into the slot and the door opened.

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]
 
As [member="Tmoxin Temi"] entered the room she would see a rather minimalist scenery; a desk, three chairs, a small table on the right side of the room and few artifacts worth noting. The enigmatic CEO was sitting in his chair his desk.

"A pleasure to see you again.", he said. The last time the two of them met was in a far less professional setting on Makeb; things were dire then. Unlike [member="Cryax Bane"] , Aleksandyr wasn't too paranoid with his security. In fact he had a habit of going into situations without enough protection from time to time.

The CEO's face reflected some interest in meeting with the Hapan woman.

"I expect you're here on business.", he added.
 
"Mr. Gaillard, it's good to see you again." She walked over and placed the gift-wrapped bottle on the desk. "I brought you a present. And if I remember correctly you asked me out for a drink the last time we met. I thought I would save you the trouble and bring the drinks to you."

She stepped back, allowing him room to open the bottle if he wanted to. "It's Breath of Heaven," she added.

"And yes I'm here to talk to you about ships for the Ravens. The problem is the advice I'm getting from Cryax's inner circle. No one can agree on the approach." She sighed and continued. "Every time we have a meeting about it, there are so many arguments against more ships." She ticked them off with her slender fingers:

"One, we already have a contract with Stargo Enterprises. Two, we now have a contract with Krayt Industries to build ships on Makeb using Isotope-5. Three, we don't want to get ourselves overextended and into debt. Ha! Our main source of revenue is a Casino for the maker's sake." She looked out of his office window for a moment.

"What I'm looking for is council," she said meeting his gaze. "And of course at least one ship even if it's just for myself. More if we can agree on what the Ravens need."

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]
 
Aleksandyr looked over the gift, Breath of Heaven, taking out two glasses from under his desk and placing them on the table. He then proceeded to pour some of the alcohol into each one, before slowly pushing one of the two glasses in her direction as she spoke. "Let me tell you something... You want to know the problem with every company you just listed? Mass-production! They just care about getting ships out fast and not doing a very good job. Sure, some are 'brilliant' and even strategically valuable, but you're a crime syndicate not the Grand Navy. You need quality and I'll give your Ravens a ship so powerful, so fearsome, yet so.. Elegant.", he said.

"What kind of ship do you want? A frigate, a cruiser?", he then asked before going to toast his glass with the esteemed guest.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]
 
Tmoxin took the glass that was reserved for her. Then she sat in a chair opposite the CEO and crossed her long legs. She sipped the rice-base alcohol. It tasted strong and the liquid warmed her throat as it went down.

"I agree with you Mr. Gaillard. Bigger isn't always necessarily better." Her hands tinkered with the glass as she spoke. "And the fact of the matter is that we don't have pilots right now and I'll have to contract them out as well."

She looked back up at Alex. "A light cruiser. Maybe a few. We can at least go after the Rebels with a small and nimble fleet. For other opposition we'll need a bigger warship, but that can come later after I get some structure around our Navy." Tmoxin's face momentarily darkened at the thought that Cryax Bane didn't seem to appreciate her ambition to build a true Raven Navy. His focus was still on trade routes and eliminating rival spice cartels. But it was clear that the Red Ravens needed more offensive strength, especially with One Sith as an ally. Mr. Gaillard also seemed to think they didn't need a Grand Navy and while that was true in the moment, the Hapan officer had bigger plans which included just that. All in time, she told herself.

She sat forward, clutching her glass in both hands. "I'd also like to contract out a new yacht for myself. The Soverign Butterfly is dear to my heart but the design is outdated. I have some great ideas for it that I can't wait to share with you. But I've talked so much already today." She paused.

"What do you want from me in return, Alex?"

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]
 
Aleksandyr knew well what it was like within the Ravens. Everyone had their own idea; it's how a Crime Syndicate tended to work. The leader saw things one way but his second saw things another and sometimes that lead to a hostile take over. The only surprising thing to come out of the Ravens is that Cryax remained in-charge but then again I suppose that might've been out of respect or what has been built and the leadership around him. Of course that wasn't necessarily the CEO's business.

He smiled to the Hapan, "I'll build you a light cruiser... It'll be the most advanced ship of its class to ever grace this galaxy, I have a few ideas in mind.", he said whilst looking into the glass before taking another sip where his eyes met hers.

He sort of skipped the Yacht part for now but didn't forget it, "What do I want?", he wondered aloud. "This is going to be a project rewarding to the both of us... I want your Isotope-5, I'll use it in my design but as for payment I want a 17% stake in the Ravens profit.", he then added. It was a pretty bold decision.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]
 
Alex's proposal threw her for a loop but then again he was a shrewd businessman and didn't build an empire on tentative decisions. She thought about what he wanted. There was the Isotope-5 which of course Krayt Industries also had a stake in. But that was less of a problem unless Makeb suddenly ran out of the valuable ore.

But 17%! She grimaced to herself but didn't outwardly let it show. She thought of messaging Cryax but a couple of things prevented her: he had been overextended lately which is why she had been dispatched to Balmorra in the first place and then there was that idiot from Wookiee Leaks out there spreading negative rumors about her and damaging her reputation. She needed to make this decision alone and not further show weakness to her boss or even compromise the deal by sending a transmission that could be intercepted.

She gave Alex a thin smile and rose from her chair, drink still in hand. "I look forward to seeing the early designs of the cruiser. And the Isotope-5 is fine." She waved her hand, signaling that it was no big deal. She came closer and she sat on the table, just her hip leaning against it really, but more in Mr. Gaillard's proximity.

"But I can't give you 17%. That's too much. Not when there are other contracts I could easily tap into."

She met his direct gaze with her brown eyes. "10% sounds reasonable."

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]
 
Aleksandyr thought about it for a moment. That was a substantial cut from what he originally asked.

The CEO looked the Hapan over as she came closer. "That's barely above half of what I asked. 10%... It'll take more than charms to persuade me to drop that much.", he replied. Perhaps there were other contracts out there for them but for a ship like this? Who had the time to do such a feat when half the galaxy was at war with itself. The Ravens would have to provide more promise, even with 10% of the profit; it didn't guarantee anything. Then he remembered, "As you said. Your main stream of revenue is gambling, no? Even if you saved credits, it doesn't guarantee expansion. What a syndicate needs is quality. Minimal crew needs, maximum efficiency. But most of all a reputation, everything is built off of a reputation... As I've told Cryax once before, Image is everything.", he retorted.

Taking a sip, "Let's negotiate."

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]
 
"Perhaps you're right," Tmoxin said thoughtfully. "About expansion."

Rising from the desk she took her place near the tall office window and looked out at the Gaillard factories below. For a moment the Hapan female inspected the industrial complex and all of the energy and invention going on below. It was as much an ecosystem as any capital city and she longed to have a part in it. To be a part of those new engineering developments and to have her stamp on them.

Tmoxin let out an amused laugh and said, "I'm not completely sold on your elevator pitch, Alex. But I do respect your ideas." She smirked. "Very well. 14%." She knew inside she could go no lower. This wasn't a game of Sabaac after all. Her fingers nervously traced the rim of the glass but that was the only sign that she was experiencing tension. Otherwise she remained poised, her face impassive.

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]
 
"Done.", he said.


"It's less of an elevator pitch. I may have a reputation for luxury, but I've noticed even Cryax -- who has mixed feelings for me -- still uses my ship despite ... Reservations. If an irrational Chiss like him can use the ship of a man he dislikes very much, then what does that say about my ships?", that all came out way better in his head but the CEO felt the point was made.

It's important to sell a product on promise but it's also important to make sure they know you can deliver.

He finished his glass, "I could show you an example of a living quarter that would be on board such a vessel, when I make it. Perhaps give you some thoughts for our Yacht as well.", he mentioned.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]
 
Tmoxin broke out into a wide smile. The CEO had come through for her and it wasn't necessarily about the specific business deal, although she was pleased with that. It was ultimately his advice she was looking for to break through the clutter of Raven opinions about what to do with their small but growing fleet.

She tossed the rest of her drink back as well. "I would love to see the living quarters of what you understand to be the galaxy's most well-built yacht." She set her glass down on the table and picked up her datapad. Presumably they were going to leave the office and travel to a showroom.

"You have a point about Cryax," she added. "I certainly noticed the tension between you two on Makeb. Why do you think your relationship with him so chilly?"

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]
 

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