Coruscant: Please Take My Money [Galactic Alliance, corporations, interested organizations]

[Seydon of Arda]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

The missive got lost in the tumult of rapid-fire data exchanges. Silk Holdings was under virtual siege by the weight of incoming holo-net 'mail bags'; reply chains stretching into 10k word counts, redistributed to various departments in an attempt to network resources. A small note attempted to reach Ms. Merrill's personal messaging account but was waylaid, paused by security gatekeepers and reviewed by a small army of secretaries battling to ensure only the most pertinent letters reached the board director. On the twenty-second attempt, a bedraggled and nap starved secretary blithely punched the h-mail through. It read very simply:

"Do you need us?

-S"

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Seydon of Arda"]

In her office -- a joyless crypt adorned with data displays, stimcaf bulbs, unbunched wires and Force chandeliers -- Mara sat bolt upright. She read the message two, three, four times, licking her lips, then began typing.

Seventy-two hours ago, Darron Wraith and I fought a terentatek, as well as a small horde of prisoners who'd been mutilated and forced into a semi-sentient hive mind. Ankarres wood partially reverted them and they're under care. Nearby, at the edge of the Valley of the Dark Lords, Galactic Alliance forces captured a pit of Sith-corrupted kolto that had been used for sacrificial immortality rituals. I suspect a variety of Sithspawn remain active in the Undercity. Some food distribution crews have gone missing, more than random looting can explain.

Be wary: most Galactic Alliance Jedi won't care that you're Sith Poisoned away from the Light Side. They won't give you a chance to explain.

Up to you. Hazard pay if you do.

Mara

 

[Seydon of Arda]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

It was a quarter of an hour later, between the drama of arguing with an ACT financial officer and struggling to keep the accent of an especially slithering Gungan out of her head, that another missive managed to pop up across her Inbox:

We just need an 'in'. Coruscant's like a dark grail. Impossible to exorcise before now. Going to be decades before all the dross looks close to 'manageable'. Just need work, travel visa's and we'll take things from there. Not looking to deal with anything planetary. Local scenes need attention. Got a feeling some cases are already slipping through the cracks. Forwarded your name to a few associates. We'll be in touch.

-S.

P.S. Need to speak to your father. Ship got tanked. Gotta know where my credit stands with SH. Having a few bad days. We'll have caff and eggs later, Mara. Promise. A word once given.

 

[Eralam]

Eralam did not have an appointment. He did, however, have 300,000+ refugees that needed to be returned to their homes.

The campaign to rescue civilians caught in the crossfire between the One Sith and the Galactic Alliance had been a success, but that success had come at a price. The Network had been prepared to guide the refugees to safehouses and provide food, clothing, water, and shelter, and to keep them there as long as necessary. But now that the shooting was over, they had no way to get the refugees back home. Or, if not home, then at least to government sanctioned facilities, where they would be cared for.

See, the Shard had sort of expected them to funnel out on their own once it was safe. It's what a Shard would have done, at any rate. Shelter was nice and all, but emergency bomb shelters don't make for the best refugee camps. The safehouses weren't exactly overcrowded, but there wasn't an abundant amount of personal space either, and they were running through their supplies at an alarming rate. Instead of heading back to the surface on their own, however, most of the refugees expected some sort of official transportation. The fact that they had made the journey down into the lower levels on their own, sometimes through a hail of blasterfire, was irrelevant. The battle was over, and they weren't about to trudge through miles of debris and destruction if they could help it.

Goran had suggested shutting off the water and burning the food stocks, but Eralam had enough sense to know that would just make things worse. The Network was already having a hard time keeping a low profile as it was, and if the refugees decided they wanted to get hostile, there wasn't a damn thing the Shards could do without blowing their cover. The thing was, they couldn't arrange transportation for that many people by themselves without drawing attention.

And so, that's why the Shard found himself waiting in the foyer of some bigwig's office. Word on the street was that she was doing a lot to coordinate recovery and rebuilding efforts. Rusty had mentioned something about her being an occasional client of his, so that was some small comfort. He'd sell guns to just about anyone, but the weaponsmith had a nose for choosing buyers of custom weapons that were, if not exactly good people, at least potentially useful, whatever the hell that meant.

If that was truly the case, then problem solved. If not, it was time for the Network to draw attention to itself, one way or another.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Simone]

Simone did not own a company. In fact the biggest asset she had to her name was the server and its correspondent that she used to siphon information of interest from the holonet. She stared at the message for a long time weighing up her options, before typing up a response.

Dear Ms. Merrill,

I have no assets, but my mind. I have no money, and I certainly don't have anything substantial I can offer you. I offer simply all I can, and that is myself. I can help rebuild defense systems, reprogramme pretty much anything you want me to. I am a tool to be used at your disposal should you wish it.

Simone.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Bryce Bantam]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Glad you are eager to help as I am, Bittu is currently location Cassander sector (Tadrin subsector) we are a small, operation and being so near to One Sith space you can understand why we are not flaunting out abilities to the galaxy beyond. We also have no real space station for heavy transports, most of our good are loaded on to light and medium freighters at the capital city of Tagata'0'osofa. As such our yearly production has far exceeded our export capabilities and this is why in only a year period we have such a surplus. If it can be put to better use than just cold storage at the poles and instead into the hands and stomachs of those who need it we are glad to be of service and only break even with the sale.

I also know the planet has only started to scratch the surface of it's production capabilities. Modern farming practices have only been introduced a short time ago. If you are also interested I feel with help production capabilities of the planet as a whole can be increased by a factor of ten or more and would love the input to see if this is something you may be interested in investing in.

Sincerely,
Bryce Bantam

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Miss [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] ,


Its a pleasure to see you picking up at the helm where your father left off. I suppose one can always count on the Merrills to organize something such as this. Salacia Consolidated would be happy to offer green energy and our salvaging services to the area. I'm sure infrastructure is a mess and there is wreckage everywhere. I am not sure if this is what you need assistance with, but please me know if there is any way I can help in this endeavor.


Secondary, on a personal level, I desire to donate a freighter full of medical supplies and foodstuffs. Please point me in the proper direction and I'll have it contracted out shortly and on the ground as quickly as the company is able.


-Judah Dashiell

 

[Aleidis Zrgaat]

In the end, the good work that [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] was doing would likely be very important for decades to come. Coordination on a scale as large as she was attempting was the sort of thing that typically resulted in wars, but she'd managed to pull together disparate souls of varying walks of life in on a humanitarian effort to restore a planet that'd been ravaged by wars for far too long. Corsucant might never recover from it's repeated occupation and various conflicts, but even a scarred body was better than one wholly broken. Aleidis could not have been more proud of her.

Even though she was not from Coruscant, the better part of Aleidis' life and legacy had been spent there, and her surreptitious ties to Silk Holdings allowed her to leave the coordination and public work to Mara while she provided a very different vital service; boots on the ground. Aldiel D'Lessio was, of course, more than avaliable to aid Mara in selling whatever she needed to the board - the controlling interest that the two of them held in Silk Holdings was hard to argue with, as was a corporate culture of humanitarianism and outreach. It had been a busy few weeks.

With Silk Holding's ground forces at her back, Aleidis had occupied herself in directing the work that needed to be done on the surface, primarily the construction of shelters and maintenance of the peace. Hospitals were among the more important resources in any city torn by war, just behind clean water and food, and this just so happened to be one of Aleidis' areas of expertise. Ever since Boolon Murr had taken Aleidis to Trevel'Ka, a planet riddled with disease and overpopulation, Aleidis had been participating and passionate about causes much like this one, though she'd have been lying if she thought that the war-torn neighborhoods she'd be rebuilding would ever be on Coruscant.

With money and supplies flooding in from all over the Galaxy, Aleidis was better able to direct the reconstruction efforts. Housing, schools, and public utilities would spring back up like weeds. Life and the light of civilization would always find a way.

 

[Anna Sachae]

Anna had been gone from the galaxy for a very long time. When she was last alive, the Sith held Coruscant. If she'd had any real chance to check history books, she'd know that that hadn't always been the case, but considering that the planet was only recently scrubbed of Sith presence, it might have been understandable how she could be confused about that. Even as the shuttle broke atmo, it didn't look like there was much in the way of damage. The basic infrastructure and most visible buildings weren't even touched...but then, that was to be expected. It was a planet. Chances were, any problems were localized. The news did like to sensationalize, after all...

But that didn't matter. Coruscant was both the center of the galaxy and in a post-war fit. There was always something to be done to help. Anna stepped off of her shuttle, hefting a small rucksack over her shoulder that held within it everything she owned, one change of clothes and some spare tools. That was fine. She'd worked with less before, and in worse conditions. At the moment, she was a specialized laborer, and there was a simple satisfaction in that. She would almost certainly be able to find a job repairing something in one of the more war-scarred areas of the city.

With a smile, Anna turned back to the shuttle that had dropped her off and gave a wave. The pilot hadn't been terribly interested in her, but she had left that poor engineer flabbergasted when she brought the ship's ion engines up to a standard they wouldn't have been able to claim even after rolling fresh off the assembly line. She regretted that she wouldn't be able to remember their names a week from now...or, more realistically, in two or three days. Coruscant was huge and had a greater population than many species did across the entire galaxy. They weren't going to be showing her where to work here, either. She'd made their lives a bit easier, and now she was moving on.

And "moving on" now meant "finding something to stick her nose into."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Bryce Bantam"]

Mr. Bantam,

I would be interested to pursue this venture for modern farming practices on Coruscant. It is all dependent on the allowance of the Alliance but I'm sure we can come to an agreement that would benefit all. We can discuss the minutia of it at a later time.

I'll be sending my convoy's that are the closest to your location.

Best Regards,

Danger Arceneau

 

[Alkor Centaris]

Madam Merrill, I hope this letter finds you well.

You may have heard of me through the grapevine with regard to high grade weapons technology and droid production. If not, I sincerely hope that the name Balmorran Arms still holds half the notoriety it once did in our vast galaxy, and that my efforts in writing this might help to rekindle the flames of that glory. My name is Illyns Phaygus, and I have been a proud citizen of Balmorra since my childhood. I remember the freedom that came before the tyranny of the Sith, but in more recent years, it is the Sith I remember most of all. Their despicable taint lingers on every breath spoken in our factories, it permeates every household, and children still fear to stray far from home even in the wake of a heartwarming victory for the forces of good.

It is my hope that Balmorran Arms can utilize the strength of its technology to abolish some of the lingering darkness that looms over Courscant, and that those efforts in turn bring hope to nearby systems and eventually to the galaxy. I came to know your name through one Alkor Centaris, who is a shareholder of no small proportion in my company. While he remains ever the enigma and rarely visits the colonies, I have known him for a good long while and some time ago learned to read between the lines of his less than sociable exterior.

Alkor is a man of great complication. His words are brief, his blades sharp, and his will like iron. While these things are all true, he is also a soul without a guiding star in a galaxy where it is easy to get lost. His tale is a long one that he prefers not to tell, but to put it succinctly, he was indoctrinated into the darkness young and has spent all of his time dwelling in a brooding worldview since. I like to think that Master Centaris is a pragmatic man with hope that lays dormant somewhere far beneath the horrors that shaped him. I would never tell him so, of course- the man is distant, even from those closest to him.

I am telling you this because I am making this sizable donation on his behalf. He may never go close enough to Coruscant to hear of what was done in his name, and he may never again visit the Corellia he believes tossed him aside all those years ago, but I find happiness in knowing that he might be remembered as a man who helped to rebuild rather than a man who tore things apart.

Enclosed is a credit chip with authorization for the amount of [redacted], please feel free to put these funds to work in creating a healthier, happier, and freer life for future generations.

Regards,

Illyns Phaygus, Technarch, Balmorran Arms

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]​

 

[Krayn]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

Mara,

The future of Coruscant is at the present time the most important project possibly within our lifetime. As such Cerberus will be establishing the Cerberus Trade Building which will act as our headquarters but also an open trading hub for all other interested businesses. Real Estate and offices will be up for selection as soon as construction is complete and hopefully we can bring open and unbiased business practices back to Coruscant.

I shall network with those suggested in order to make sure that any efforts we do in residential rebuilding is done as effective and technologically advanced as we can possibly muster in the immediate future. Long term we will look to more substantial construction and hopefully the turnover of profit into the infrastructure of Coruscants trade and pleasure districts.

As always Cerberus stands ready.
If any contract of yours is in need of immediate office space once the Cerberus Trade Building is constructed I will be happy to allocate established and specialised offices free of charge.

Fortis.

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum was late to find the offer, probably a side effect of being so far away from the Core Worlds. The droid hoped that it was not too late to offer his own help. He did not have large sums of money or armies to give, but he had expertise and he had resources that his company could use to rebuild and construct buildings and droids. Of course, based on the time since the initial release of this information, it was likely that there had already been a large number of responses, it would not be a surprise if he was too late to add his assistance.

However it was worth trying. He sent a message to the more than likely overworked sender,

Greetings,

On behalf of the Legacy Of Organics Manufacturer I, Ultimatum, would like to offer the services of business in order to reconstruct and reconfigure the internal mechanisms of Coruscant. The efficiency of the machines would be increased by approximately a third, given the calculations done at this time. Such things as central computers, reactors, power grids, waste disposal, et cetera will all be made more effective and the number of organics required to maintain or oversee the devices will be reduced dramatically, allowing the workforce to be focused as needed. The reconstruction would further decrease the overall space used the machines would be decreased, allowing for the space to be used for other needs and desires.

The exact information can be sent to you if you would prefer, however note that it is an extensive document. As there is likely a large number of propositions at the moment, we will attempt to make the offer competitive, as I have been led to believe is expected within the work environment, if I am incorrect please forgive the misunderstanding. All we ask in return for the work completed is payment to cover the cost of transporting materials.

Respectfully,
Ultimatum

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

To: [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]
From: [member="Kaili Talith"]
Subject: DRoid SCemacs
Attachment: adonis_scm

Hi Mare i ame done now. Tokl ike five days, but you would avet o agree. Good wok.

im goin collaps bed no.

ur a but.

 

[50H31]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]




First and foremost, I sincerely hope this letter finds you well. As one of our larger donors here at the temple, your message left us both elated and deeply concerned. Some of our own denizens are refugees from Coruscant, including a few escaped slaves of the One Sith Empire. Suffice it to say their tears of joy as I related this letter to them were truly something to behold, and a sign of Heaven's will in this matter--we intend to aid you to the best of our ability. As we here at the Temple are quite busy administering to local needs and my humble home does not have a navy of note, I'm afraid I can only spare two ships, and the people to fill them.


The first ship will be filled with about four dozen refugees, all Coruscanti sentients who wish to return to their homeworld, each given enough provisions for four months and eager to work as able-bodied volunteers in the restoration of their home. In a few months, other refugees who are less able to assist, including the infirm and those with children, will return when the load is less to bear. They were saddened to wait, but I told them that they are welcome to remain in Freehold until we can better guarantee their placement here will not strain your resources further. In addition, we can place refugees waiting to re-settle for a few months or so within the city confines, with a limit of about 4,000 people. It's not much, but it's something.


The second ship will be filled with temporary volunteers. Among them are 47 medical droids, 36 doctors, 10 Docent Droids who specialize in emergency resource allocation and aid disbursement (one of them is more of an accountant by trade, but he's happy to help keep track of things), 476 general volunteers ( 394 droid and 82 organic) to work in handling food, supplies, and other safety issues, 19 trained school-teachers able to help supplement education, 3 social workers who specialize in helping orphans, two priests with an uncanny knack for general building repair and construction, three droids who are experts in plumbing work, and Myself, as I will accompany and personally be assisting and providing security. We here at the temple expect to be able to make it in three days. As you are a donor to our organization, I will not request assistance with fueling, however, among the slightly over two-hundred organic volunteers coming along, and the several hundred droids, I shall need some assistance with temporary lodging and charging stations we will also be bringing food and clothing for ourselves for up to three months in addition to extra food and clothing for disbursement among the refugees. If you could provide a recommendation as to which refuge camps on the planet can best accommodate our work, I would appreciate any information available.



Our travel itinerary and IFF information have been attached to this message, so that they may be forwarded to the appropriate naval or space-borne forces for security purposes. I look forward to your reply, as we are eager to help as much as we can in this difficult time. It is both good for heaven and earth that return Coruscant into a shining example of justice and glory. And also, I am eager to help prove the good will of our Temple to member of the Galactic Alliance, even if only through what small aid we can muster. Every volunteer was able and willing, but there were others out on assignment who could not make it. Should they wish to arrive later, I will do my best to make provisions for their efforts and contact you accordingly. I would also like to note that we are not sending any combat-trained personnel to the planet, and only I should be sent to any areas without some level of security, as our volunteers are not trained for combat.



I am glad you offered us the opportunity to assist in this matter. While we may not be as renown or large as some other organizations, every load we bear will help lighten the sheer burden of this work. When things are a bit less chaotic, my invitation to meet with us and visit the Temple and Hospital in Freehold still extends. That will likely have to wait a few months, thought. Between this and the Mandalorian Clan's annexation of Ord Cestus, I've been a bit too busy for my own good.



Regards and Sympathies,
50H31, High Priest and Director of the Temple of the Route to M4-78
G03-M0N, Priest and chief advisor on charitable affairs
IN-M8, Bartender and part-time financier of foreign aid.





The droid Monk sent the message. Mara, to her credit, was one of the first philanthropists to take the droid monk seriously. He wanted to make the galaxy a better place, and frankly, why not start at it's core? For, if the elevation of others through good works could spread, then any seeds of kindness planted here would blossom elsewhere in the galaxy. Besides, even a small charity could grow in influence by working alongside such people as these. And if a few folks heard the doctrines of the Route while their needs were met, all the better.

 

[Ugohr Poof]

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

Mesa became a realtor as a side profession so to go beyond a Jedi Brute skillset: for half a million credits yousa will get a prototype of a housing allocation system for da refugees. Of course Star Tours will take some refugees off-world, JanFathal, Ringo Vinda mostly. Nevertheless, yousa correct: most of them-sa will stay on Coruscant. In fact, mesa believe dat there-sa some computer programmers in da refugees; theysa need to take some responsibility for theirsa reconstruction.

Gen. Ugohr Poof
Army of Malastare
Owner, IGR Brokerage

 

[Titan]

[member="Danger Arceneau"], thank you for the permission to dock, hopefully the relief supplies will help.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

The AT-AT barge she called the Bowser was to be repositioned to Lipsec without further delay. Often repositioning flights were necessary in the business of space travel, where seats were usually sold at a discount so that it could make at least some revenue. A shipment of bacta in the lower deck, and, in the upper deck, as many passengers as they could, but no more than 166 because the Verkuyl-Lipsec flight was usually serviced with a Neimoidian Yacht and that service would be replaced by the Bowser. In the mean time, the Rasta Sub, one of the two Rasta Sub-class ships delivered to Star Tours, out of the six that were ordered, was finishing final systems check for its first shipment of duracrete and bacta all the way to Coruscant, where Star Tours just landed one of the big contracts for reconstruction of the Financial District. Dunames couldn't be more excited to fly the ship and also the Exodus once the latter arrives on Coruscant to Of course, Star Tours is taking a big risk by helping out its enemies rebuild Coruscant, after having deployed a on Hoth and sponsored a podrace on Lanteeb, as well as opening a route to Lipsec, but the First Order would probably let that slide if Star Tours could prove that no military aim was pursued.

"Docking sequence initiated" Merrily told Dunames at that point.

"Steady, Merrily, we will soon board the ship and take off for Coruscant"

"Docking port latched. Dunames, the pilot of the Rasta Sub is boarding the Bowser at this time"

 

[Cathul Thuku]

Now that Cathul actually had a chance to use her pooled money from her previous investment strategies, mostly under the form of Imperial Mandalorian bonds as well as Mandalorian Clans bonds, she had some money to invest in various enterprises, to the tune of 10 million credits. Gouging patients for anywhere up to 500 credits for each therapy session and working, on average, 12 hours a day, gave her loads of money to make investments with it. But, with what limited Force-vision she had outside of emotions, she sensed that IGR was an opportunity. After all, if both Jedi and Sith could own corporations (cf. Corellia Digital, IGR on the Jedi side, Xi Char Cathedral on the Sith side) then why wouldn't a Witch? Plus she sought to emulate Darth Scabious, that is, that she would become a corporate raider much like he was, especially since she has better knowledge of economics than most Witches or Sith would ever claim to have. Ugohr was a realtor all right, but to him, location is everything as far as supply and demand is concerned.

-------------------------------------------

ATTN: [member="Ugohr Poof"]

It has come to my attention that you're about to close a deal with Cerberus and Silk Holdings for selling 10 million square meters of space in exclusivity, as well as implementing a housing allocation system for the Coruscant refugees. In addition, rumors are running about IGR selling 100,000 properties on Elrood on behalf of Salacia Incorporated. On behalf of Clan Lok, I would like to purchase a 15% stake in IGR for 5 million credits. I might be the only reputable shrink on either Mandalorian capital, but rest assured that I haven't gone crazy in the meantime.

Dr. Cathul Thuku, PsyD
Clinical psychologist
Mandalore Psychology Clinic

-------------------------------------------

 

[Republic Engineering]

To: [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]
From: Nemo Ven, GADF Supreme Commander
Cc: Omai Rhen, New Jedi Order Grand Marshall; Caita Xan, Chief of State;
Subject: Coruscant

Madam Merrill,

It has come to my attention, through clandestine channels, that there are those that seek to abuse your recent philanthropic endeavors, by supplying War Material(s) to Coruscant without the approval from the Triumvirate. We are more than grateful for your efforts in organizing additional Humanitarian aid, along with the Re-construction labors, however we would like to stress that none shall tackle the myriad of issues we are presented with in making Coruscant great again, without garnering the High Command's approval first.

Please convey this message to your Corporate Benefector's, to ensure that our stance of protection and security is known by all.

With the utmost respect,
Nemo Ven
GADF Supreme Commander