Checks-And-Balances: The Corporate Downfall

[Castiel Darkstar]

Cybot Galactica Main Headquarters, Mondder City, Planet Etti IV, Etti System, Corporate Sector, Outer Rim Territories​

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Monolithic. That was the only way to describe it. An immense pyramid-shaped building that towered over the vast city-scape of Mondder City, the Galactic Headquarters of Cybot Galactica stood as one of the most (if not the most) impressive buildings on the planet. Having weathered the storm for hundreds of years, the once-proud and powerful Cybot Galactica company had dominated the industry as the galaxies leading manufacturer of droids (both military and non-military) since the days of the Old Republic. Following the death of the company's CEO, Setis Setag and the political instability of the now-crumbling Corporate Sector Authority, the company had all-but-floundered in recent years. After closing the majority of it's once vast corporate empire, the board of directors named Castiel Darkstar, the companies primary shareholder, as it's President and Chief Executive Officer in an effort to turn around.

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At the top of the pyramid-like structure, Castiel stood in silence with his hands neatly tucked into the pockets of his black pin-striped suit. Behind him, a near-human looking protocol droid dubbed TR-1S (or as Castiel liked to call her, Tris) made her way across the office in silence. Approaching his desk, she folded her hands behind her back and awaited her makers instructions.

"How many have responded?" he asked, already knowing that the outlook was grim.

"Not as many as expected, sir. Less than a quarter of what we had originally anticipated. But we do not have an exact count as of yet. " Tris responded matter-of-factly in her usual soft tone. Her voice had been programmed with a soothing feminine tone designed to relax and reassure, yet Castiel wasn't convinced. He nodded his head twice and continued to stare into the dense traffic of Mondder City's business district.

Since the fall of the Direx Board of the Corporate Sector Authority most of the Corporate Sector had been plunged into chaos and anarchy. Presidents and CEO's of many of the largest businesses in the sector had lunged at the opportunity to capitalize on the situation and without the supervision of the Authority, all-out Corporate warfare had ensued. Stock markets crashed, businesses faltered while others boomed, and recently with the absence of the Espos, small battles had erupted in the streets of most of the densely populated planets.

It was then that the Levatine Sanctum had swooped in, taking advantage of the upheaval and expanding their influence under the guise of a peacekeeping, freedom-loving alliance of hippies. Castiel cringed at the thought, taking a small crystal glass of whiskey from the table in front of the window he stood at and raising it o his lips, downing it in one swig.

Without a system of checks-and-balances, laws, governance, loop-holes, profit monitoring and the corporate politics of business growth and development the Corporate Sector could no longer function as a safe-haven for the largest and most powerful corporations in the galaxy. That, Castiel thought, was what they had failed to understand. The Corporate Sector didn't need freedom. Freedom for a company to monopolize and go unchecked would create chaos galaxy-wide. Already the ripple-effect of the financial crisis was being felt. Prices were skyrocketing on the most basic necessities because competition no longer existed. The larger companies had all-but-eaten up the smaller ones, creating monsterous umbrella corporations to dominate an industry. With no competition, they had become monopolies and without the direct supervision of the Authority to provide a checks-and-balances system to dissuade inflation, they could charge hundreds of thousands of credits more than the value of a product simply because it could not be acquired any other way.

"Now," Castiel started as he poured a second glass of whiskey and raised it to his lips, finishing his sentence before downing it again "we wait for the arrival of our guests."

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[Lysle of the Hydian Way]

[ THEME ]

Lysle Rigger was an enigma among the wealthiest of the galaxy. Renown for his exploits in the criminal underworld, and his ventures in casino management. He had dabbled here and there in droids and firearms, but largely his income had come from the renown Dragon Palace Casino, and the many profits he made from the Red Ravens as their founder and president. He was an enigma for the fact that while he was a trillionaire, he lived like any other. He flew a Tachyon, a cheap and unreliable freighter, and kept in apartments that were often poorly managed and ill-kept.

While Lysle was determinedly unwilling to spend money on what was deemed unnecessary luxury, he would fork out thousands of credits to maintain a fashionable appearance. He was trendy, handsome and impeccable. But his good looks never did distract his past. He was well wanted in most regions of space, and his affiliation to the One Sith had only strengthened the warrants for his arrest. Surprisingly, few had come after him for his near-attempt assassination on Chiasa. He had decided last-second, quite literally, to not murder the poor wench and spare her life.

Lysle kept his appearances few and far in-between. He lived outside of the reach of galactic authorities, and made sure that his network of slicers kept the bounty hunters off his trial. This journey to Etti IV was a relatively dangerous task. If anyone had whispered into the wrong ear, or someone caught whiff of his presence, he was doomed. He was human, and he was mortal. No amount of Force could stop a slug from making beef mince of his brain. He kept his twin Herglic guards close to him, and a flock of guns-for-hire trailed behind.

Arriving at the headquarters of Cybot Galactica, his entourage of personal security was left in the main lobby. Lysle made the ascent alone to the pinnacle of this great pyramid. Lysle suspected why he was contacted; for his wealth. Lysle was a shrewd businessman, but not a legitimate one. He specialized in smuggling every illegal possession you could imagine, and selling whatever he could get his hands on. He could make a profit of anything illegal. That was about as far as his expertise went. Now he stood outside the office of [member="Castiel Darkstar"], raising his knuckles and slapping them gently against the door.