Private Credits go where the corpos tell them to go

[Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory]

TAG: Siv Kryze | Onrai | Aether Verd​

The diplomatic talks between the Imperial Confederation and the Mandalorian Empire had proven to be disastrous, not only did the two factions not come to any sort of agreement, but the actions of the ICD had more or less tanked any and all proper discourse and had without question damaged the Confederation's reputation in the eyes and minds of the Mandalorians. To make matters worse, despite her best efforts, Amalia was unable to hold the line and be properly heard by the mandalorians, even when her proposal was without question the most sane and least damaging solution to the whole issue the Imperial Confederation was standing on.

She was essentially not in the capacity to toe them all into a single line, not because she did not have the power to do so, but because politically, she was but a governor...still, she was also the Chief Executive Officer of the Nargath and Zanareth Umbrella Corporation and as such had ample leverage to hold on the Confederation, its political, and even it's military proponents. While she refrained from utilizing this strength in the earlier holo-meeting, this time she decided it was best to meet up face to face with the one who had brokered their original deal on the mandalorians' side.

Siv Kryze was already listed as someone of special interest by the N&Z, this was done on order of the one who stood behind the curtains, the one who held the keys to the Imperial Confederation in their hands. As such, Amalia proposed a formal meeting with the man and any associates of his choosing, while she sent a missive to Onrai , knowing fully well that they had also supported her proposal, making them one of the few levelheaded members during the meeting.

The place was to be neutral, thus Trasse was chosen, a more or less generic world in almost all aspects. Though once an imperial industrial planet, it now hardly managed to maintain its own industry, its production almost solely focused on the internal market. The chosen place was the backroom of the Coldsteel Cupboard, a small, but somewhat exclusive bar which boasted it had imported liquor from all over the galaxy.

Pulling her gloves tight, Amalia leaned back into one of the plush sofas the backroom had, staring at the glass of Corellian Whiskey in front of her, this was probably the most informal and closest she had probably been with the mandalorians at this point, but she had to take the risk. If she could convince Sir Kryze, the N&Z and by extension the Imperial Confederation could still manage to mitigate the damage the earlier meeting had caused. With a glance to the side, she looked at the masked man with the tophat standing on the side, not saying a word, not making any sound, simply remaining close and observant.

"So...would this be enough to turn the issue around?" the woman asked the masked man, reaching for the glass of liquor and letting the liquid swirl in the glass as she gently tilted it from side to side.

"It better be enough, Mira," Cold, and deep, the voice of the masked man was completely different compared to the way he usually spoke when in that guise. Still, it was no insurance for Amalia to have THAT man in her presence, He'd protect her, but only as long as she'd remain an asset and not a liability.

 

[Siv Kryze]

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Siv entered with Adelle Bastiel at his side, the two of them taking their seats without drawing attention to themselves. No theatrics, no raised voices — just a quiet acknowledgment of everyone present. He waited a beat before speaking, letting the room settle.

"Thank you for meeting with us," Siv said calmly. "I think everyone here can agree the last attempt at dialogue was… disappointing. Not because of bad intent, but because it simply didn't work the way it needed to."

He kept his tone even, diplomatic.

"Too many people, too many assumptions, and not enough focus," he continued. "That frustration wasn't one-sided."

Siv folded his hands, gaze steady but non-confrontational.

"So I want to narrow this down to something practical," he said. "Right now, the priority is securing the stations. Ours and yours."

He let that land clearly.

"This isn't about favors or cleaning up someone else's mess. It's a mutual problem, and a mutual solution. If we move together, we both get our stations back and prevent anyone else from exploiting the situation further."

A slight pause, then:

"We don't need to solve every political disagreement today. We just need to stop the bleeding. Cooperation here doesn't require trust — only alignment of interests."

Siv leaned back slightly, leaving the door open rather than pushing through it.

"If we can agree on that first step," he finished, "then this meeting actually accomplishes something."

TAG: Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Onrai | Adelle Bastiel | Aether Verd​

 

[Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory]

TAG: Siv Kryze | Onrai | Aether Verd​

As soon as Siv Kryze and Adelle Bastiel walked into the backroom, Amalia tilted her head a bit, her face bearing a neutral, blank expression. Yet, even so the air around her felt nervous, prickly, as if she was both frustrated and fearful at the same time. She calmly nodded towards the mandalorians, raising her glass as if to indicate they were free to order whatever they liked, though considering their nature and their practices, they could very well refrain from taking any advantage of this. Some mandalorians after all held true to the old custom of remaining a mystery to all.

The masked man with the top hat gave a nod towards the guests, his golden and crimson eyes shining vibrantly within the dimly lit room. Besides that though, he made no move, remaining in the background.

"The stations, yes," A sigh escaped the lips of the Imperial Governor, clearly she was somewhat tired, deflated even, as if she had been running on fumes after that disastrous talk. "We were really taken by surprise...this can not, no...this MUST not be repeated at any point in time. However, I believe there is a solution in this case. Droids, we install a detachment of droids in every station which can be remotely activated by either of the parties with an interest in the continued operations of the stations."

Reaching into the breastpocket of her jacket, the woman pulled out a small holotransmitter, which as she placed it on the low table in front of her, activated and showed an image of the NZ ZMDIII-C1 'Arabesk' possibly one of the most competent droid-models on the market at the moment, with already quite a few succesful operations in both stealth infiltration, asset extraction and military missions. They were designed to be the peak of mass-produced droids' capabilities and competencies. the holographic image even showed the specifics, the additional weaponry and defensive meassures these droids had in their arsenal.

"This would at the very least make it possible to hold the line on any station in an event of another insurgency," The woman nodded calmly towards the mandalorians. "We agreed the stations would be a safe space for both our people, now they have shown that we have not taken into account the possibility of rogue elements and overambitious people."

It was Amalia's first show of attempting to allign their interests, trust wasn't needed when both sides held the activation codes for these droids. A fair and equal division of power and control, no strings, no hidden agenda. This was strictly business and a good busineswoman would hold her trump cards hidden, but would also ensure the happiness of her clients.

 

[Siv Kryze]

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Siv remained quiet as the hologram rotated between them, its specifications crisp, impressive. He let it finish before speaking, eyes never leaving the projection.

"Conceptually," he said at last, voice even, "I understand what you're aiming for. Shared control, equal stake, no single hand on the switch."

He shifted his gaze to Amalia then, not accusatory, just direct.

"But I need to be honest about how this reads from our side."

A brief pause.

"These droids are IC-manufactured. That alone introduces an imbalance, even if the activation authority is shared. Control isn't just about the button — it's about who built the system, who understands its limits, and who can change it without the other knowing."

He leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the table.

"And then there's the timing problem," Siv continued. "What happens if they're activated without Mandalorian approval? Or if we activate them first and it's interpreted as escalation rather than defense?"

His tone stayed calm, analytical.

"From a game-theory standpoint, this creates a classic first-move problem. Each side is incentivized to act preemptively, not out of hostility, but out of fear of being caught flat-footed."

He gestured subtly to the hologram.

"An activation isn't neutral. It's a signal. Especially after the last summit, signals will be read in the worst possible light."

Siv leaned back again, hands folding.

"I'm not dismissing the idea," he said. "But safeguards built by one side, even with shared access, don't feel neutral to the other. Without a clear, mutually enforced framework — audit access, real-time notification, agreed conditions for activation — this doesn't reduce risk."

A slight pause, then:

"It compresses it."

His gaze steadied on Amalia.

"If the goal is to keep the stations safe for both our people, we need to address that imbalance first — before we put something like this in place."

TAG: Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Onrai | Adelle Bastiel | Aether Verd​

 

[Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory]

TAG: Siv Kryze | Onrai | Aether Verd​

"Hmm...I see," It must've been strange, to suddenly see the woman snicker, giggle and then practically let loose with a loud laughter, before composing herself again. " I understand your reluctance, but let me make one thing clear before we continue. Do not conflate the N&Z Umbrella Corporation with the Imperial Confederation. While we do have business with both them and the Diarchy, one could also quickly see that our main offices are located within Sith space of all places... with the family effectively owning the company hailing from Eriadu."

It was a sort of appeasement, granting Siv Kryze a better image of the company behind the droids, the stations, the deals. despite being part of many wars, despite having a reputation of being domineering and dangerous, it has managed to navigate the incredulity of politics with remarkable efficiency. Yet at the same time, the fact it managed to outright own planets within both factions should've also made it clear that the N&Z wasn't without its own power, its own leverage and more importantly, its influence.

"There is after all no such thing as a perfect solution for everything, which is why you and I sit here face to face, in order to seek a compromise," Amalia nodded towards the holographic image again. "Why do you think I show you not just some image, but hand you the actual specifics? Let us build these within your territory, with your oversight and your people. Add your own coding to them, let these be an addition rather than a replacement to your warriors."

leaning slightly back into the sofa, Amalia showed a genuine smile. "Remember, you made your trade agreement mainly under the auspices of the N&Z, NOT the Imperial Confederation. However, by having us both remaining true and loyal to the agreements, we can set an example. Dialogue between like-minded people trumps the bickering of children. Now, you have seen my proposal...may I inquire as to what you have planned for this... set back? We need two points before we can actually find a middle ground after all."

 

[Onrai]

Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory Siv Kryze Aether Verd Adelle Bastiel

"I think we need only one point."

Vanessa Vantai's form was evident, the woman having been listening in question. "That point being, given what I attempted to say to the Mandalore, that given both parties have assets at play - why don't we simply get a combined fleet together and go crush these people? There's nothing else to talk about aside from taking back what doesn't belong to the ICD."

She had no reason to elaborate any further. Her own fleets were prepared to engage the ICD's bastions at the stations in question the moment the conversation wound down.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Coldsteel Cupboard, Trasse
Tags: Siv Kryze | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Onrai

Adelle had sat with Siv when he did, leaving her helm on when he did not take his off. On the way over, she'd listened to his briefing and told him she'd back his play. Aether Verd had given them the objective of regaining their stations and while this was Siv's realm, Iron Wolves did not walk alone.

She settled into the couch on their arrival, quietly listening but letting Siv take the lead. He'd negotiated this trade agreement to begin with. Amalia seemed to be the speaker for the N&Z corporation and laid out a first option: droids that could wrest control away from outside forces and bad faith actors. Siv was quick to point out that the N&Z operated within Imperial Confederation space, and that any manufactured there posed a security risk to Mandalorian interests. There was also the issue of both sides wishing to choose to act preemptively, an angle Adelle hadn't considered. The Mand'alor, she knew, had a will of iron but if the Imperial Confederation pressed him, he might just do it to send a message. Or as one part of a message. And after being on the holocall . . . she wasn't entirely sure someone wouldn't find their way into N&Z and push the button themselves.

Amalia took this in stride, giggling a little in a surprising move. Assurances were made that, just because N&Z operated within IC space, they were not owned by IC, going as far as to offer the Mandalorians to program the droids themselves. That . . . could work. Granted, being doubly sure of safety, they'd have to have the droids manufactured outside the IC and the Diarchy--which meant Sith space, at least, if they had no other established markets. It would be a more expensive solution, but security could be assured.

That did leave the matter of "Who's going to push the button first?" and Adelle's own question of how vulnerable these droids were to being sliced and if there were contingencies in place for that possibility. Siv probably understood the technical aspects of the droids but Adelle had very little knowledge in the technological field. Medical, mystical, and martial were more her areas of expertise.

A new voice spoke up, a woman that had been quiet in the background. Adelle's HUD helpfully supplied a name: Vanessa Vantai. Ah, yes. The one who brought the actions of the Confederation's traitor before them and then put cleaning up that mess—their mess—on the bargaining table like it was something worth the Mandalorians' time. The transparency was appreciated. The push to have Mandalorians help rectify the situation, on the other hand.

"I believe the Mand'alor was firm in what the position of the Empire was on that suggestion," Adelle said, steadily. She nodded towards Amalia. "I find your path to be reasonable—a failsafe in case of third party interference. With these droids, if we decide that's the failsafe that works best, what's their vulnerability rating? How likely is it a third party could slice into it or infiltrate one of their own droids into these groups? And what would the cost be if they were to be manufactured outside of Diarchy and Confederation influence? Naturally, there are some trust issues there."

 

[Onrai]

Siv Kryze Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory Adelle Bastiel Aether Verd

"You're absolutely right, he did choose to let the Warden Primus's allegorical slap across his face go free with nothing more than harsh words. Which is why we are here to clean up the mess, not him and not the Exarch." It had taken a tremendous amount of resolve to not outright call the Mandalore a coward to his face for allowing Her's insult of treason during diplomacy to be unresponded to, and her opinion of this Mandalorian for following along in the atypically passive response was, in truth, low. Perhaps that would prove different in time. "Until we have the stations back under our control - as in not the ICD's control - then respectfully, this conversation about future failsafes is a waste of time."

A hand raised. "Shall we go?" She said, the motion intended as a signal to, when the hand dropped, begin the arduous and resource-intensive task of reclaiming the stations she didn't even otherwise have a stake of in the name of attempting to, perhaps wastefully, rebuild Confederation and Mandalorian relations. At this point, she would do so regardless of what the next response was, and if they had to deal with her to receive their property back - potentially with its already dissected secrets further uncovered - then she was willing to let it be.

 

[Siv Kryze]

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Siv stayed seated as the exchange unfolded, helm angled slightly toward the speakers. He let the momentum run its course before answering, measured and unhurried, as though deliberately slowing the room down.

"I want to be clear," Siv said calmly. "Because clarity is what was missing the last time we tried to do this."

He inclined his head briefly toward Adelle, acknowledging her points, then continued.

"The proposal for a joint task force keeps circling back to the same issue: it assumes Mandalore commits resources and blood to resolve a failure that wasn't ours."

There was no accusation in his tone—just fact.

"The stations were lost due to internal treachery," Siv went on. "That creates a political debt. One owed to Mandalore. Having Mandalorian forces retake those stations doesn't settle that debt—it deepens it."

A short pause, letting the logic sit.

"If we deploy to clean this up, that isn't cooperation," he said. "It's us underwriting someone else's internal collapse, only to be handed back what was already ours and asked to call it progress."

Siv shifted slightly, posture still open.

"Our objective here is narrow and practical: securing the stations. That can be done without reframing this as a shared military campaign or treating Mandalorian restraint as something that needs to be tested."

He exhaled once, slow and controlled.

"We're open to safeguards. Failsafes. Measures that prevent a repeat of what happened," Siv said, reinforcing Adelle's stance. "But there's a difference between preventing further damage and absorbing responsibility for it."

Then his helm turned—deliberately—toward Amalia.


"We've heard a great deal from Onrai about how this should be handled," Siv said evenly. "So I'd like to hear from you, Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory ."

A brief pause.

"Do you agree with her assessment? Is that how you believe this situation should be resolved?"

His voice remained calm, but the question was direct.

"Because how you answer that tells us whether we're discussing stabilization—or simply negotiating who pays the cost."

TAG: Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Onrai | Adelle Bastiel | Aether Verd​

 

[Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory]

TAG: Siv Kryze | Onrai | Adelle Bastiel​

As soon as Vanessa spoke, Amalia grinned just slightly, turning towards her colleague-imperial for a moment, leaning in towards the avatar of Onrai . "Dear vanessa, should we not first and foremost discuss things through proper dialogue to avoid any and all indiscretions and possible flaws any of our assumptions or actions could have as consequence?"

For a moment she leaned back again, reaching for her glass of liquor and taking a sip from the warm, amber-colored whiskey it contained. "Your precautions are admirable and correct, but I would refrain from taking any action for the time being. The ICD will be dealt with, I have no doubt about that."

Just as those words escaped her lips, the woman looked towards the masked man standing behind her, the vibrant golden and crimson eyes seemingly looking into the void, yet the man's head seemed to turn towards her and just as well traced towards Onrai 's avatar. She most likely would know who it was hidden behind that mask... and Amalia hoped that with this knowledge, her colleague Imperial would also understand that the ICD was just part of a larger problem plaguing the Imperial Confederation.

With those words uttered though, Amalia's eyes slowly turned towards the other mandalorian, wondering if this person was there as a support in terms of safety, or perhaps also part of the observation, to gauge the lengths she was willing to go to make sure the two factions could retain a certain level of civility despite the turmoil cast by the actions of others within the imperial ranks. When this other mandalorian spoke though, The CEO of the N&Z tilted her head a bit, raising an eyebrow not in a frown or any dismissive way, but with an expression of genuine interest and curiosity.

"I do not wish to be... improper or condescending towards your leader," The woman's eyes seemed to cloud over a bit, her eyebrows lowering and seemingly straightening themselves, a look of absolute calm and a bit of authoritarianism mixed in. "Yet he made practically the same mistake as the Supreme Commander did. he is certainly eloquent and passionate, but the moment he got confronted with the brutalist manner of talk from the Supreme commander, it almost felt as if that man was all he could focus on, he completely disregarded my proposal, despite it being the most logical and most fair way to safeguard our relationship. All he needed to do was validate the voices of reason within the Imperial Confederation, yet in turn by this mistake, he has opened the floodgates of poor diplomacy and turncoat behavior... Again, not entirely your leader's fault, it does not diminish his quality as a leader, but perhaps both sides might have wanted a better approach...more like this, by putting a few people together, calmly and collectively draft an idea and work out the logistics through intelligent dialogue."

Letting a few moments pass, Amalia nodded and hoped the lengthy monologue didn't dissuade the mandalorians in this meeting, in fact she hoped they'd understand this was merely her view on the former preceedings and that she desired not to antagonize the Mandalorian Empire nor its leader, but to retain constructive and mutually profitable endeavours without having politics throw in too much of a wrench.

"As for your question on the safety against slicers..." reaching forwards, Amalia's hand touched the side of the holographic device, pulling up the specs again, where she pressed the main control unit; the droid brain of the Arabesk. "As you can see, the Athena Direct Central Operating system, in this case the 1M version, is based directly on the HPI's ECSAI platform, but where they utilize gabonna crystals and open sourced droid brains, our droid brains are effectively AI systems on their own, though through the ECSAI system, they become more compatible beyond the scope of our own product lines. However, since the core of our Athena system is the ZEUS mkII AI droid brain, it is effectively perfectly safe against the majority of slicers, as so far in over five decades of utilizing the principles of electrostatic induction as our main transference of signals within our operating systems, none of our droids have been sliced."

Waving her hand in the air though, honesty and confidential trust did force her to at the very least mention the flaw which plagued these systems. "While most other systems would have sincere issues in slicing the ZEUS...this isn't the case when the system utilized is of a higher coding value and hierarchy within our company. This could be rectified if rather than the 1M, we utilize the 1L into the droids, this would sifnificantly lower the potential of slicing or enslaving by higher position droid brains from our product line...limiting it to exactly two in existence at this point: THEMIS and KRONOS, though if necessary...we could always produce a third of these Adavnced artificial intelligence interfaces for the mandalorians to feel more comfortable."

Again Vanessa seemed to show her eagerness to just grab the bull by the horns, it seemed this was also duly noted by Siv Kryze , who seemed keen to hear the N&Z CEO's opinion on the matter.

"An open act against the ICD would do us no favors...however," Again the woman turned towards the man behind her, who this time did respond to the fact that the CEO was looking at him, as he came closer, standing in between the seats in which both Imperials were seated. Making a short, courteous bow towards the two Mandalorians. "We could have two outside parties handle this in conjunction. No official mandalore or imperial troops, but mercenaries that we trust in being capable of taking down the ICD with minimal effort and minimal loss of life. My associate would be capable of providing us with not just a way to secure the stations again, but also a way to display the combat capability of the aforementioned droids."

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Coldsteel Cupboard, Trasse
Tags: Siv Kryze | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Onrai

Adelle never turned her head from Amalia. The Mand'alor had been clear before she and Kryze had left for this meeting. Siv laid things out more thoroughly, more clearly, and more diplomatically than she ever could have. It was good that he was taking point. After an aside from Amalia about responsibility among the leadership for the summit's deterioration, she got to the heart of the matter.

If she was following along, the security rating against slicing and hacking was already pretty high, with fifty years of reliability. Their only real point of vulnerability came from droids with higher-value code or ranking within the N&Z's company. Which had a solution: an overseer, of a different, rarer model, one of two, with the option to build a completely new droid brain.

As to the point of reclaiming stations, the offer of mercenary forces not officially affiliated with either government was plausible but the offer of Amalia's colleague providing an alternate option—more than that, a demonstration of the droids capabilities.

Adelle tilted her helm to share a look with Siv before speaking again. "We would be interested in hearing the finer details of this 'demonstration.'"

 

[Siv Kryze]

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Siv listened without interrupting, helm fixed on Amalia. When she finished, he gave a single, measured nod.

"You're right about the summit," he said. "Too many voices. Too much heat. That's how talks turn into standoffs."

His gaze flicked briefly to the holoprojection.

"The droid's record speaks for itself. And I respect that you named the weakness instead of hiding it. That matters."

A short pause.

"If production and oversight happen outside Confederation and Diarchy space, that removes a key concern for Mandalore."

As for the ICD, his tone hardened—just slightly.

"There's a difference between acting decisively and acting prematurely. Fast moves feel strong, but they also create openings—especially when people are already looking for excuses."

He inclined his head.

"Neutral contractors and a live demonstration keep this contained. Proof over promises."

"Our priority hasn't changed," Siv finished. "The stations are secured—yours and ours—without turning this into another political fracture."

"Show us it works," he added calmly, "and we'll keep talking."

TAG: Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Onrai | Adelle Bastiel | Aether Verd​

 

[The Lord of Hunger]

LOCATION: Coldsteel Cupboard, Trasse
OBJECTIVE: Demonstrate power
IMPORTANT LINKS: Sword #1 | Sword #2 | Armor | Jewel | Ring | Necklace | Gauntlet | DIII Gluttoneria | The guards | KRONOS
TAG: Adelle Bastiel | Onrai | Her

The masked man held out his hand towards Amalia, to which she calmly reacted by pulling a small datapad from within her vest and handing it over to the strange, but eloquently dressed, masked man who had been silent the entire time. As he was handed the device, a shimmer could be seen within his golden and crimson eyes, his fingers gently sliding accros the datapad. With a surprisingly chipper voice, full and honeyed, the man raised his free hand upwards, as if he were talking to an audience.

"Boys and girls, metallics and plastics," Almost as if he were making this moment some sort of performance, the masked man spun around. "Time to wake up...time to activate..."

The extatic movements, the oddly happy tone of voice seemed to collide with the words that came out of his mouth, as finally the orders were given.

"My little children...it is time to hunt," The voice changed, the suit and tophat vanished, as in their place, now stood a tall, armor-clad golden and black man whose very presence would have made any lesser warrior fall to their knees. "Take down the troopers, secure the stations... let's give this little associate of ours a wake up call."

Walking back to his position behind the CEO of the N&Z, the masked man looked at Siv Kryze and Adelle Bastiel , a soft, yet hollow and cold chuckle escaping through the voicebox of his mask. "Now let's see what the adherents of the Mandalorian Creed think of the future of warfare."​

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Coldsteel Cupboard, Trasse
Tags: Siv Kryze | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Onrai | The Lord of Hunger

. . . Well she couldn't say Amalia's colleague didn't have a knack for showmanship or a flair for the dramatic.

When the change happened, Adelle raised her eyebrows inside her helmet. A man, tall and wearing gold and black armor, stood in place of the masked man before. If she hadn't had been exposed to warriors of equal presence, if she hadn't had her Jedi training, she would have found it intimidating.

It was, at the very least, impressive.

The armored man returned to his position shadowing Amalia and chuckled. It held no warmth or levity.

"Now let's see what the adherents of the Mandalorian Creed think of the future of warfare."

"You had our attention before," Adelle said, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. "Now you have our interest."

 

[Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory]

TAG: Siv Kryze | Onrai | Adelle Bastiel​

Amalia just leaned back in her chair, her eyes showing a rather arrogant, but also dangerous hint of glee. even for only a second, this moment of triumph seemed to be burnt into her expression, her usual neutral expression maintained, yet undeniably she was clearly feeling somewhat superior to all the other people present.

She knew, the moment the 'other' person with her had openly shown his true self, the lights had begun blinking within the hidden armories within each of the security stations. There was the slow and deliberate sound of hydraulics engaging, electronics wirring to life as codes began to be decompressed and rehashed, protocols activated and metal and polymer fibers began to tighten and tense like sinews.

It had begun...

Doors would open, silent and with the utmost precision, in each of the stations, the Arbalesk droids would begin their purge, following high level military tactics, securing one position after another, sweeping through each corridor and each room with the tactical efficiency expected from top notch military personel. While they lacked the zeal and ferocity the Mandalorians were known for, the soul that the mandalorians usually displayed in combat wasn't there, but in their stead there was utter logic, cold and sterile efficiency, no feelings, no sympathy, no hesitation... perfection in a package of nuts and bolts.

her datapad displayed the truth, by having synced up with several of the comm systems she still had access to, the lay out of several of the stations being swapped in a holographic display once every few sections.

"Level 1 clear"

"Level 2 clear"

"Level 3, designated hostiles neutralized"

"level 1 clear"

"level 2 clear"

"level 3 clear"

The repeating messages came in through the comms, every so often one could hear the surprisingly silent and swift blasterfire, a few muffled shots, with sometimes the responsive loud blasterfire one could easily recognise as a cramping hand triggering a blaster's autofire. Perhaps Adelle Bastiel and Siv Kryze could get their own messages, perhaps they'd already gotten the communications, one thing was clear though, they had asked for a demonstration and it was exactly that what they were getting. The arbalesk droids were not the strongest droids, not the heaviest hitting or hardest to kill, but what they lacked in pure individual power, they more than made up for with superior programming, utilizing high efficiency tactics, logical and critical thinking in unison with high caliber strategic operational awareness and cooperation.

Then the real noise began, the muffled screams, the thuds that were clearly audible, orders being yelled back and forth, the command structures were failing, the arrogance of the stormtroopers under the Warden Primus' command was being washed away by brutal and cold efficiency being used to terminate their contracts, their employment, their lives.

"I think it would be good to try and contact some of your own on-site personel..." A thin, yet calm grin appeared on Amalia's face, she knew that this was a proper display, who knows...perhaps she might've actually gotten a gold star for effort in this regard. "The N&Z has been threatened by rogue elements, thus we respond. The Mandalorian Empire should find this a more than satisfactory display of operational capacity and moral stability, should they not?"

 

[Siv Kryze]

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Siv did not move when the reports began filtering through the room.

Level clear.
Hostiles neutralized.
Stations returning to order.

Behind his visor, he watched the holographic feed in silence, allowing the outcome to speak before he did. The operation was efficient — controlled, deliberate. No spectacle. Just results.

After a moment, he inclined his head slightly toward Amalia.

"Well," he said evenly, "that answers one question."

His gaze lingered on the projection before returning to her.

"Securing the stations without Mandalorian or Confederation forces deploying openly was the correct approach. Contained escalation. No one loses face."

A brief pause followed.

"But demonstration and agreement aren't the same thing."

He leaned forward slightly, forearms resting on his knees — posture relaxed, voice calm but grounded in certainty.

"Mandalore can work with this," Siv continued. "Provided the safeguards we discussed remain intact."

A gloved finger lifted subtly.

"The units are manufactured outside Imperial Confederation space."

"A neutral production chain — verifiable."

"And control does not rest with standard command architecture."

His helmet tilted faintly.

"You mentioned replacing the 1M with the 1L framework," he said. "Limiting command authority to a handful of higher-order intelligences — THEMIS, KRONOS… and, if required, a third constructed under agreed conditions."

He gave a small nod.

"That layer," Siv added, "is the part that matters."

Another status confirmation echoed faintly through the room.

"Mandalorians don't fear capable machines," he said quietly. "We fear systems we cannot meaningfully share control over."

He leaned back again, tone easing — diplomacy returning without surrendering ground.

"If the driving intelligence remains limited, transparent, and independent of Confederation jurisdiction, then this stops being an Imperial safeguard we merely accept…"

"…and becomes a joint guarantee we can defend publicly."

His visor settled squarely on Amalia.

"So the question now isn't whether the droids work. We've all seen that they do."

"It's whether those conditions — neutral production, limited 1L command intelligences, and shared oversight — become part of the agreement itself."

A small pause.

"Because if that line holds," Siv finished calmly, "Mandalore gets secure stations… and your proposal survives the politics that nearly destroyed it."

TAG: Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Onrai | Adelle Bastiel | Aether Verd​

 

[Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory]

TAG: Siv Kryze | Onrai | Adelle Bastiel​

"Mandalorians don't fear capable machines," he said quietly. "We fear systems we cannot meaningfully share control over."

Amalia nodded calmly, understanding the mandalorian's concerns and principles. "It is exactly because stability and ensurance are a necesity, that KRONOS exists in the first place, so that no weapon, no matter how good it is in itself nor how good its wielder, could ever be used against the N&Z proper."

"If the driving intelligence remains limited, transparent, and independent of Confederation jurisdiction, then this stops being an Imperial safeguard we merely accept…"

"…and becomes a joint guarantee we can defend publicly."

The CEO of the N&Z Umbrella Corporation let out a chuckle, glancing towards the armored man who looked down upon the two mandalorians present with a hint of glee and amusement in his eyes. A single nod seemed to be enough to convince Amalia to turn her attention back onto the two warriors. "The N&Z operates within, but also above the Imperial Confedration's laws, logistics and legislation. We are still a separate entity and the Mandalorian Empire is still to be considered a worthy market for our products, skills and expertise. Be it military or civilian, the N&Z would not let an opportunity like this slip between its fingers based on the political upheavel between governments."

"So the question now isn't whether the droids work. We've all seen that they do."

"It's whether those conditions — neutral production, limited 1L command intelligences, and shared oversight — become part of the agreement itself."

A small pause.

"Because if that line holds," Siv finished calmly, "Mandalore gets secure stations… and your proposal survives the politics that nearly destroyed it."

"I believe considering the fact that the allegations the Imperial Confederation made are essentially true...would you prefer our facilities in Sith territory to assemble the products for you...or would you perhaps continue on the talks we had before, but rather than reserve the agreed upon space for the confederation, you allow the N&Z to properly establish production facilities within the Mandalorian Empire to effectively fullfill the very needs of the empire?" The woman leaned back a bit, smiling softly for a mere moment, she felt somewhat victorious. Even her jab in regards to the allegations could not be denied any longer, the fact was that once the man standing behind her knew the actual name of the mandalorian leader, the dots were easily connected by someone who once belonged to the same sphere as both the Verds and the Talons in the times of the old Confederacy. The N&Z never truly cared about it all, nor did this man, this being whose presence eclipsed even Amalia's own. "It's a clear cut idea, would you not agree? I believe the N&Z has more to offer than you'd even realize...not just stations or ships, but efficient power plants and fuel refineries, unique metals and materials, even medical and luxury items and products... After all, our corporate mantra does say it: Your life is our business."