Consolidating Consolidated: Ceto

[Ashin Varanin]

What was it with these little backwater planets and kolto? First Iferetes, and now this? And apparently there was another one out there. Silk was working on that one.

Consolidated Bacta Ltd. was the brand name that distributed kolto across the galaxy. 67% owned by Silk, 33% owned by Santhe/Sienar, it operated out of a few bacta and kolto worlds, then distributed errything errywhere. A recent mission of economic mercy to Iferetes had established the lengths to which Silk and Santhe would go to monopolize the kolto trade.

Ceto. Eighteen billion people, valuing neutrality and pacifism. Many Selkath, many Mon Cala. Nice place, very remote. Close to Horde territory, sadly. That could get...awkward.

Preemptively, Silk was installing HALCYON space trains and prepping Connestogas and Tempus Ardets for evac. Not that anyone could evacuate eighteen billion people. But Manaan was safe enough, Dac was recently liberated -- and Levantine space had many Mon Cala, a nice safe remote refuge.

This kolto deal was only part of a much bigger picture.

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Like Selka Ventus, he was really curious on -why- all these planets suddenly had Kolto. It was a hype, or something like that. Only a few years ago Kolto was one of the most rare resource in the Galaxy.
Now.. now every man and his mother seemed to have access to it, and that ain't good for business.

And if there was something Jared did not like to see, it is bad business. So when Selka contacted him with all these recent developments, Jared dropped in as if he was Iron Man himself and accompanied her to all the different planets.

Like this one.

“I miss the time when Kolto was still a rare commodity.”​

​

@[member="Selka Ventus"]​

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

They stood on the command deck of a HALCYON skyhook. Behind them a hyperspace cannon shot trains past lightspeed. Incoming trains from the Death Wind Corridor and the Corellian Run docked via tractor beams. Six rails ran down the tens of thousands of klicks between here and the surface. Bulk freighters of all descriptions were insystem -- Ceto was, in a sense, becoming something of a trade hub.

They would meet the Cetan leaders on an Ackbar-class starliner in one hour.

"Any time someone buys a pack of it at a gas station, it's a decicred in your pocket, Lord Ovmar. Proliferation is good. Especially when it saves lives -- and when we control all of it. Nobody else has our distribution framework."

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

Silk wasn't his baby anymore. Matter of fact, far as he knew, Selka Ventus didn't even know he was in-system. But @[member="Judah Dashiell"] was an old friend, Jorus had done plenty of business here at Ceto, and it was next-door to the very secret, very safe Q-27 system.

Or, as Alna and Mara called it, home.

The Horde was a worry, a big one. It seemed Silk had kolto interests here, but was also prepping for what looked like the kind of mass evac Jorus had staged on several Tion Cluster worlds after the Empire crashed, to re-relocate the inhabitants of Dac.

There wasn't much Jorus could do at that scale. But at other scales...

 

[Arage Bao]

How would Jared feel if he knew that Jorus was hanging around this system? He wasn't really sure about it, the man had fought them every inch of the way and then some. Such blood did not go away in a day or so, then again.. he did seem to legitimately care about people and his help had been appreciated when they were fighting those cannibals. Still, Jared would have been a bit skeptical, that was for sure.

At any rate, he did not know that he was here, so why dwell on such things?

“Got a point there, Selka. Let's hope we won't run into any Kings this time. I have had my share of those. So where do we stand at the moment?”

@[member="Jorus Merrill"] @[member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

She passed him a datapad linked to ongoing status reports and executive summaries. "Here's what we have in-system, here's the prognosis. Bottom line, if the Horde comes here, we can't evacuate eighteen billion people. But we can evacuate...their children.

"The Horde will be here. It's only a matter of time. We've got deals in the works for the kolto -- the elders and leaders know that even if an evac of the children is successful, they need kolto wealth to keep them secure after the fact.

"It's not a situation I've faced in a long, long time. Apart from the HALCYON, the Connestogas, the Tempus Ardets, I'm not sure how to handle it."

 

[Jorus Merrill]

A medical facility clung to the side of a densely settled oceanic trench, surrounded by habitation bubbles. Selkath and Mon Cala swam outside the transparisteel that held back unholy PSI.

The recovery room was supposed to make him calm. That was sort of the point of recovery rooms.

"I'm tellin' you, doc, I'm fine. I need to get out there."

"Captain Merrill," said the Selkath, "you should spend at least one day resting. Your eyes will take some time to adjust."

"I don't need my eyes. Not for this." He'd lost his eyes to Parker, years ago, and Chloe had picked out his prosthetics. But repeated exposure to Force lightning and electromagnetic pulse had demonstrated the limitations of that technology, and of all technology. There was one teeny bit of silver lining to being so close to Vong space, and in having a sister who ruled Zonama Sekot, among other things.

He blinked in the mirror, very deliberately, very carefully. Plaeryin bol implants. Vong biots.

"Naw, doc. This is a day for bailin'."

 

[Arage Bao]

The Lord of the Fringe was not sure what else they -could- do, the planet was located to far away from the Fringe's area of influence. They would not be able to provide much assistance, if the Horde decided to come knocking. Of course... they could make a preemptive strike, begin the evacuation procedure right now. It would safe time, and in the end more people would be able to leave.

Because this was one thing Jared knew for certain, the Horde was coming. Might not be today, tomorrow, or a week from now. But eventually they would be here, and people would die then. A lot of them, and the rest would be taken away as slaves. Jared was not the same man as he once was, there was a time he would have tried to save them. All of them. That man no longer existed, or at least he was buried so far away.. that it mattered not.

Instead he just nodded.

“Not much we can do, besides what we already have done. Might be we could try and encourage Moross to get in here before the Horde does. I'd wager a life underneath an... interesting religion is preferred over a life of slavery or even death.”

He sighed softly.

“Ain't our responsibility, Selka. We are people of business, can't afford to mix ourselves up in these kind of things too much. Bad for business when it looks like we give out preferential treatment.”

Almost sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.

“Numbers look good, gotta consider something else. If the Horde comes knocking, they won't stop at genocide and slavery. They will try to destroy the whole planet, won't try to pretend like I am an expert. But the Kolto will be gone, I wager.”

Jared quickly looked at his wage, still got thirty-two minutes left it seemed.

@[member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Ceto - Sea Floor, Location Undisclosed

Work had ground to a halt at the mining facility that sprawled on the sea floor. This deep it was dark, cold and nearly devoid of life. The facility was built to with stand the pressures and danger of building and working so deep. Yet the pay off was worth it. Minerals that couldn't previously be harvested were now making their way to the surface, drawing in both money for Salacia and putting Ceto on the map.

Yet it was putting Ceto on the map that was causing the trouble. Looking out at the employees crowded in the main shipping and loading dock, it was time for a bit of action. Or at least time to put a plan into place.

"With the Horde knocking on our doorstep, Salacia has put a plan into place. All non-essential personnel will be leaving first. After the first wave, we shall be cutting production from one hundred percent down to thirty percent. This is the second wave of evacuations. Myself and a small core crew will remain until the very end."

Judah hoped the end wouldn't come but such was unrealistic to assume. Logic was needed in order to preserve life and property at this point.

"We've acquired a Tempus Ardet class freighter. Its not meant for sentient transport but we're going to have to make it work. Everyone has been assigned to different mining facilities within Salacia -- most of you will be headed to Kesh or Karideph. A few others will be moved around and will be set to work on our space station project. Now isn't the time for long winded speeches. Gather up your spouse and children and prepare to leave. The first wave is leaving tonight."

Murmuring ran through the crowd of Mon Cal, Selkath and the few humans assembled. Most had heard of the Horde but not of their liking to slavery and genocide.

"This is your only chance. If you choose to stay, Salacia can no longer help you or be responsible for what happens. Everyone please check in with your shift supervisors to find your new assignments or give your notice."

Dismissing the meeting, Judah was flanked by his site managers for the facility. Both were sending their families out but staying behind with himself. They'd all be putting in long hours to prepare.

"Tell me Chalu, can we partially flood this facility? I'll be damned if the Horde gets a hold of it."

Chalu the Mon Cal tilted his head in thought, as if bringing up schematics in his mind.

"It may be possible. I would be concerned about the pressure on the non-flooded areas. It is something I must research."

"Then lets get to it."