Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Business Opportunity (Popo the Hutt)

Karsh Lithern

The Living Mutation
-A few months ago-

Karsh was a very dark man, but he was never dumb. He actually had a thing for creating things. Call him an engineer, but he had designs stacking up in his personal work space aboard his ship. There was a certain pile though. This pile consisted of 3 different aircraft, one speeder, and one advanced killer drone. He wanted to make a cheap, effective fleet with devastating power and capabilities. He chose these 5 designs based on their abilities to effectively work with each other. Not only that, but they are able to be mass produced to an extent in which very few craft with the power these hold have ever been able to be produced.

Though Karsh was never a "people" person, he had a burning desire to get what he considered these magnificent pieces of art produced. As a Sith, there was little that Karsh was scared of, little to fear. But now he was going to have to take risks. He knew of a certain group that would have the funds and probably the same mutual desires as himself for a project of this scale. That group though, would be one that might put him in a certain degree of danger. But determination is a powerful force.

To: ??? (encrypted information)
From: ??? (encrypted information)
Subject: Business Opportunity

Message:
P,

I have a certain set of plans that I would like to put into action. These plans involve money and profit on both our parts. I have come up with a line of extremely powerful weapons and ships. I don't want to disclose too many details in this comm due to unwanted attention. I have sent a messenger to tell you the time and location of our meeting. Be prepared for that to arrive.

K

His messenger out, Karsh starts his journey to The Wheel. Hutt cartel territory. @[member=Popo] the Hutt would be the manufacturer for Karsh's project.
 

Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
The datapad pinged as it received a message. Popo slowly turned to look at the object from his cushy seat in the his office. Very, very few had the ability to message him personally and he did not recognize the sender. Sipping his wine, freshly imported from Naboo, he picked up the datapad and skimmed through the message.

What he read gave him a mixed feeling on the matter. Tenloss, and Popo, could always use more ships and vehicles to produce to generate revenue, but he wasn't sure on the sender. Nothing besides 'K' denoted who had sent the message, though apparently whoever it was had sent a messenger of some sort. Popo thought silently a moment or two, a low rumble coming from his chest as he sat, his mind working as he read and reread the message.

After a minute, the Shell Hutt hit the intercom on his desk.

"Yes, my Lord?" came the voice of Soric, his chief of staff. The title was mostly empty. Really, all the man did was act as a messenger between the Hutt and the various groups and individuals that resided on the wheel. Essentially, Soric was Popo's personal go-fer.

"There will be someone, I know not who or what, arriving shortly," Popo stated evenly. "If they bear a message, take it from them and send them away. If they demand to speak with me personally, have security escort them here to my office. Either way, make sure the Facial Recognition System scans them."

"It will be done, my Lord," Soric replied nervously.

Closing the connection, Popo returned his attention to his paperwork and his wine. Until this mystery individual arrived, he has more important things to do. Namely, upgrading the Wheel yet again.

@[member="Karsh Lithern"]
 

Karsh Lithern

The Living Mutation
-About to jump to The Wheel-


A series of beeps and whirs let Karsh know that his messenger drone sent ahead had gone MIA. This didn't matter. It was designed to blowup immediately if captured. Karsh's secrecy is still that. Silently he sits and ponders. R9-63 asked what he wanted. After more silence the droid left the room.

Karsh had two options. Go there and risk being destroyed because he had no foreword of his arrival, or don't go. Pondering the delicate situation, Karsh opened his message log again to view what he had sent. The Hutt would have no idea when he was arriving. He could be a threat.

'No matter' he thinks.

Getting up slowly, Karsh walks past his various assassin droids. "Get yourselves snapped up," he tells them, "I want you looking presentable." A pause for a moment of deliberation. "Bring no weapons."

He sits in his seat at the helm of the ship. "R9, prep the ship for a hyperspace jump." While his Vigo's systems got going, Karsh did some more research. His brain worked fast. But there was a lot to process. He has to be careful about everything in this situation. At least until he earns favor of the Hutt.

-25 minutes later-

The ship had jumped, staying well outside the full extent of the territory. He sent a comm to the Hutt again. He didn't want to annoy him. But he didn't want to die. The message held one word: Here.

He approached The Wheel and docked. He made is way to the Hutt's office and entered the lobby. He looked at the receptionist there and sent telepathically. "I am K." His hood was drawn, his face, or lack thereof was hidden from view.
 

Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
Popo hadn't received any messages on time frames or arrival dates, but he knew the mystery stranger would show up relatively soon. Security had stopped a messenger droid earlier and, unsurprisingly, it had thought it was being captured and had self detonated. Popo really could have cared less, but the Hutt had also really not wanted to pay the medical bills for the two guards injured. No matter, the potential profit for whatever this stranger wanted could possibly outweigh any losses incurred in the procurement of the deal itself.

A fair time later, the Hutt's intercom chirped. It was his secretary a level or so below the penthouse, near the penthouse turbo lift.

"Send him in," was all Popo stated when informed of who had arrived. A pair of Wheel Security personnel escorted the mystery man into his office. The Hutt waved them away. He wouldn't need them for this and they knew he preferred to do business with as few ears as possible. That said, they would remain close enough to intervene should the mysterious stranger prove hostile.

"Who are you?" Popo asked bluntly. In his business, unknown variables were risks. Popo hated risks.

@[member="Karsh Lithern"]
 

Karsh Lithern

The Living Mutation
Watching for the initial shock when someone receives telepathy as a response, the black hooded man sends, "Karsh. My name is Karsh. I work under the Sith Empire. I am here for a considerable bit of business that should bring both of us some very nice profits. Being that you allowed me up here. I am going to go out on limb and say that you have some initial interest?" With a grunt in return Karsh continues. "I have designed three ships. One cruiser, and two starfighters. They are mostly cheap to make, but they also have the ability to bring in considerable sums of money due to the carefully planned features." With a slight pause, he goes on, "I also have designed a drone and a speeder. The drone is cheap but the speeder has some requirements for top-of-the-line specs. But the profit will make up for it, because it will be one of the fastest mass produced speeders out there."

With that, Karsh stops, to allow for Popo to have his two cents about what has been said so far. Before hand though, he looked around with the force. He could feel guards standing nearby, out of sight, and everything was posh and extravagant. With some of the most luxurious items of greed anyone could possibly want.
 

Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
The Hutt took the telepathy in stride and ignored the fancy show of the Force. He'd seen stranger things and to do his job required nerves of steel in the board rooms. It would take more than simple telepathy to unnerve the Hutt.

"I'll cut to the chase," Popo stated blandly. He was interested, but marginally so. He would need to see the specifications, qualifications, and performance statistics of the schematics and data at hand. Once that was situated, it was a question of estimating production costs, material budgets, and eventual sale prices. Then, of course, there was the question of what exactly the man wanted. "You have plans for these designs. I want to see them before we do business. I can't sell something that won't work and I karking well won't produce something that I'll only sell a few hundred of instead of the thousands that truly bring in profits."

@[member="Karsh Lithern"]
 

Karsh Lithern

The Living Mutation
The Hutt was punctual. Perfect. Karsh loved his inventions and wanted them to get in the making as soon as possible. Quickly thinking, Karsh chose the order in which he would present them. He knew they were all profitable and all had good designs, but there was a certain amount of tact to be used.

"The speeder," he starts out and at the same time reaches into his tight robe and brings out a datapad. "It uses three huge engines for extreme propulsion. It tops out at over 650 km/h. Faster then most speeders which tend to go about 300-400ish km/h. Mainly, the entire thing is a couple of engines and a bulb to hold a person in the middle. Here is the sketch." He says while handing him the datapad with the drawing brought up.

jbnxpdzYUAh1Y2.jpg


@[member="Popo"]
 

Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
Popo looked over the sketch and crunched the numbers in his head, his face immobile.

"Problem," he said after a moment. "At those speeds and that structural design any collision would be immediately fatal. The only market I could see significant sales in would be speeder racing or adrenaline junkies. That limits clientele and lowers potential sales."

@[member="Karsh Lithern"]
 

Karsh Lithern

The Living Mutation
"The limbs are made to handle high forces. I understand your concern, but I did factor in the amount of force resistance that the speeder would require. Though not yet factory tested, my calculations should be highly accurate." He switches to another screen with calculations and allows the Hutt to examine it. "This was done by me, and all 8 of my droids to ensure accuracy." he takes a pause, "Also, the ball is made to be durable, and in the event of forces acting beyond the extent of the safety rating, the ball is immediately ejected from the crushing engine components."

@[member="Popo"]
 

Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
Popo understood the calculations and understood that the man had taken into account the safety ratings and strength of the thing in crash scenarios, but there were still problems.

"Even if what you say is true," Popo stated blandly. "I still have a limited sale group. Racers and adrenaline enthusiasts. The design is too fast and, even if the safety ratings and calculations are correct, the speeder looks very dangerous. All of those together means that I won't sell very many of them, regardless of any safety features."

The Shell Hutt thought a moment about the design when an idea hit him. He might just have a way to get the designs that Karsh had and potentially remove the man entirely. Possibly permanently.

"If you're so sure that the vehicle is as safe as you say it is, then you won't mind racing it," Popo stated, his tone and face neutral. "If it wins, I'll produce it, though only in small amounts at first. If you can agree to that, then we can move on to the other designs you wish for me to see."
 

Karsh Lithern

The Living Mutation
"Very well. We will schedule that later." Karsh was thinking rapidly about that. He was not happy, not by a long shot, but he knew that it would win and it would only go to produce even larger sales. "The next plan I have for you is a high power swarm drone. It is made for deployment from ships. There are two models, one of which acts as a reinforcer for signal strength to the others. It is loaded with the high power of a sniper rifle and has recoil compensatory features so the power of the gun doesn't wreck the accuracy." The design was simple and effective. Not much to it. "Here is the sketch plan."

jbmHXiGE8rGYSh.jpg


@[member="Popo"]
 

Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
Popo looked skeptical as he looked the weapon over.

"A sniper rifle drone in space?" Popo asked incredulously. "The only use I can see is to target enemy starfighters. In such a case, flak or point defense works far better in that role. A simple sniper rifle, no matter how powerful, will not punch the armor of anything larger than a starfighter."

Popo looked the sketch over once more, his mind ticking away.

"The design isn't without merit, however," he continued after a moment. "Swap the rifle out for a turbo laser, perhaps two, and it could do more. Such a weapon could easily increase a ship's armament by 50% or so. Depending on what weapons the parasite drone utilizes, it could do more or less. Perhaps a cheap drone carrying concussion missiles or proton torpedoes. It would be discarded after firing, of course, but..."

Popo droned off, his mind deep in thought.
 

Karsh Lithern

The Living Mutation
"This could work. But the fact of the matter is it's not for space. The drone is designed to swarm on a planets surface. They are not meant to take out ships." Karsh pauses, thinking quickly. "But they could also be expanded beyond just that. There could be an extensive line of differentiating types for the Foreburst. Able to carry out different tasks. That would significantly expand the market in which we could sell to." Karsh never thought of this before, though that frustrated him, this new idea put an entirely new perspective on the potential power of these things.

This one had thankfully turned out better than the last. But there were still three more things to talk about. And they only got more complex.

@[member="Popo"]
 

Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
Popo scratched his'neck' as he thought.

"Even for just regular use planet-side, there could be issues," the Hutt said. "Weaponry for one. Manufacture cost for another. Probably drone control as well."

The Shell Hutt looked the sketch and data over once more before speaking further.

"I will require a working prototype before any full scale production begins," he stated in a tone that would allow no argument.
 

Karsh Lithern

The Living Mutation
This was acceptable. Karsh had faith in the design. Now he would be moving into more dangerous territory. Starships. First He would go for the cruiser. "The first of my three starships is a cruiser. It combines large firepower of larger ships with the compact effectiveness of a standard cruiser. It will also be able to hold an AI which I am working on getting produced. When it comes to installing that, I will endure that it's as cheap as possible, and I will have all the parts shipped, ready to be put together like a puzzle with directions." Analogies were always something that helped explain a situation, he thought this one was warranted. "Aside from it's massive fire power, the ship has a dedicated hangar for 300 of the aforementioned drones. As well as a hangar able to hold a handful of craft. The hangar can be expanded, but in the standard model, it's best to have a large pack of these ships traveling." As he finished the last sentence, he showed the Hutt the sketch for the cruiser.

jqItx4rMrRcEL.jpg


@[member="Popo"]
 

Popo

I'm Sexy and I Know It
The Hutt simply shook his head and held up a hand.

"I have many problems with this design, and this is before the actual data," Popo stated bluntly. "You say it carried hundreds of the aforementioned drones, but not two minutes ago you stated the drones were for atmospheric uses. Also, increased firepower, a compact design, and ease of construction is highly difficult to mass produce cheaply. Increased weapons require a larger power source for the ship as a whole, which drives up the cost. You could lower propulsion requirements or lower shield levels to compensate while keeping the costs lower, but you still would lack in those areas. Ship design and construction is a game of give and take that relies on balance and engineering. This design is ambitious, yes, but I cannot mass produce it cheaply and easily, despite a puzzle piece construction method. It would actually cost more to make this design capable of assembly line construction."

Popo skimmed through the data as he spoke, his mind still working.

"Now, as for the AI," he stated, his tone still blunt. "I see no need for an AI on the vessel, at least not for a mass produced version. Such a program would raise the cost of the vessel and require more sophisticated computer systems to be installed on the ship. Again, that would raise costs. Also, prefabricated AI systems tend to put off most customer groups. Not everyone wants an off the shelf Artificial Intelligence system and, those who would, are prone to tinkering. Generally, those prone to tinkering are usually able to create their own. Not to mention the legalities of AI regulation and tampering. I'd have to hire a whole team of lawyers just to make sure we aren't breaking galactic laws on the program's construction, installation, and running parameters. An individual ship, I can install the AI into, but not the mass produced version. If I can even strip down the ship to mass produce, that is."

@[member="Karsh Lithern"]
 

Karsh Lithern

The Living Mutation
(OOC: This ship design was actually denied. I am going to recreate a new on and submit it in the forums before we return to this. But the drone and speeder both have the approved stamp.)

@[member="Popo"]
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom