Crime and Business

[Corey's OOC]

Dealing with the Ravens, that was what was going on now. Marek Starchaser had first contacted them when they got on the scene and were run by one of his now (maybe head-canon but whatever) bro’s, Cryax Bane. Now he was looking at a war with space communists on one side and really didn’t feel like dealing with the Space Mafia on the other. And with both the Techno Union and the Ravens working to make that credit score, he saw a bit of similarity between the two groups.

What he needed was a summit with them. Hence why he was on the agri-World of Lyran IV. Between the two nations control centers. He probably had SpyNet with him, and a few other reps from the Union, but he also had sent droids ahead of him, just as a safety protocol. He himself? Suited up and ready for action. Tie all neat and dapper, and well, just representing. This world didn’t belong to either but it was probably not a bad idea to keep here and not blow it up.

Sending word ahead to [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"], as one government official to another, he had heard murmurs in the galactic grapevine and wanted to flesh things out. Sitting in the conference hall, he was awaiting the meeting, a snifter of Whyren’s prepared and a glass in his hand.

[member="Asher Valentine"]
[member="Darell Irani"]
[member="Raziel"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

The message from Marek Starchaser had come as something of a surprise. Chiasa had largely written the Techno Union off as 'too much work, ignore it and hope it goes away while having many, many weapons and tricks ready in case it didn't'. Was she hugely in favour of them? No. Too many Sith tied too tightly, and that stank of danger to one who'd frustrated them to the point that a truly stupid bounty had been levied and friendly relations had been cut off.

It was a bit funny really, she was largely cited as the one who'd broken off Raven/Sith relations, the real story was a bit different. What she had done was sold to anyone who wanted to buy from her and demanded autonomy, which considering they'd always intended to be partners, not subservients was only reinforcing the original agreement. Certain Wrathful people had shown why they carried the name and told the Ravens to stay out of Sith territory, broken her belongings and stalked off. Cue Cryax ducking out, trying to rip off the Ravens as he did and running for Sith space. Didn't take a genius to figure out you weren't friends after that. Friends who felt the need to physically and mentally torture you were not the kind that Chiasa wanted or needed in any case.

But there were those within the Techno Union who she might want to deal with. Or at least.. reach an understanding with. People who understood what was really a priority in the galaxy. Credits. Besides, if playing nice with people she could tolerate meant those she couldn't had to stay away from her and her space.. Well, she'd take that. Not that this meant she was going to turn on the Rebel Alliance, if they wanted to keep buying weapons they could, they'd just get them from somewhere else anyway, but the Twi'lek didn't believe in their cause and it was starting to look like their momentum was gone. She'd wanted credits and for them to stop attacking her. She'd got both, as well as a worthwhile contact..

Add on top of all that the fact that some digging into Marek Starchaser had turned up a project on Makeb, a planet she guarded fairly jealously for it's Isotope-5, and yes, it was a safe bet that the Twi'lek was going to show up. She wasn't entirely certain how previous administration had missed that, but they had. If the Twi'lek had one defining characteristic hidden beneath the others it was a possessive streak a mile wide. No one touched what was hers without permission.

The Twi'lek strode into the conference room, heels clicking and dressed to the nines, though this hardly meant she was unarmed. The human at her side and the hulking Gen'Dai bringing up the rear would give anyone pause, and with the Red Dress in the skies overhead and backup waiting on nearby Far Pando in case things went south.. Always appear confident and untouchable, but be ready to bring the smackdown if anyone called you on it. This way on the day when you really had nothing to back up your will or words, no one would know. They would be left wondering, and in that time you could get away with anything.

Yellow eyes found Mareks suited form and eyed him appraisingly, at the very least he knew how to dress appropriately, always a plus. Lips quirked up in an easy smile as she approached.

"Mr Starchaser, I presume."

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] [member="Khaleel Malvern"] [member="Marek Starchaser"] [member="Asher Valentine"] [member="Raziel"] [member="Darell Irani"]

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

A diplomatic meeting? Maybe...

If this was the case why was the Gen'dai asked to come? These were Kezeroths thoughts as he walked with [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] the tiger colored twi'lek. He did not look at it as complaining but more of talking to himself, Kezeroth had been doing alot of that in his spare time it kept his mind off shedding blood when he was tempted to rip people apart. Working under the ravens was always exciting but now was not one of those time or least not so far. The armored giant lumbered to the side and crossed his arms against his chest apon sight of [member="Marek Starchaser"]. Chuckling at the man Kezeroth started to walk tap his foot, he was annoyed already. Meetings of this sort reminded him of One Siths stupidity and the Techno Union was still an enemy or least in Kezeroths eyes it still was.

The Gen'dais face mask retracted back revealing his facial appearance and glowing eyes caused from darkside degradation and yet despite all the toys [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] brought with her none of it could compare to Kezeroths disgusting darkside presence that followed him everywhere.

"Hah!"

 

[Darth Metus]

In an era long since past, the Dar'manda held a sizable sum of power in the Southern Systems. Some even saw him as the puppeteer behind the show...at least until Norongachi butchered his efforts. However, in the time that Dagora held the strings, he had encouraged his then apprentice [member="Marek Starchaser"] to take the mantle Foreman. The skirt-chasing, business savvy man was but a younger (and paler) reflection of the man he once called Master; and as such he was thoroughly equipped for the job. Dagora never had any doubts in this young man, and even now smirked with pride when Marek got things done.

Such was the occasion of the present. Marek was getting things done. The Techno Union was capitalist above all else; kark Jedi, kark Sith, all that matters is cold hard credits. The Red Ravens, while criminals, also put value on money above all else. In truth, this sit down was a "peanut butter, meet jelly" scenario, but things could always go sour. This was the reason Dagora took the time out of his skirt-chas...erm...busy schedule in order to show his former apprentice support. (That and he had to check up on a certain, Twi'lek apprentice of his who was just too busy to show up for training sessions.)

So, when Marek sauntered over, he was joined by an equally dapper man. Garbed in a finely tailored suit, with a handful of...alterations...Dagora would stand calmly beside his former apprentice. As per the usual, he wore a certain Gauntlet upon his left hand whilst resting his dominant palm upon his sword's pommel. There was also a saber in there somewhere, tucked in the pocket of his suit. For the moment, Dagora was content to simply watch. He regarded the Twi'lek with a respectful nod...before lofting a brow at her monstrous shadow.

Well, well, well. Talk about muscle. And the thing reeked of the Dark Side too. Ever the "polite" man, Dagora offered a nod of acknowledgment to the Gen'Dai as well before addressing the Twi'lek.

"Well you're certainly looking well, Chiasa. That's a welcome sight these days."

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] | [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] | [member="Marek Starchaser"]

 

[EmKay]

LYRAN IV
THE MEETING PLACE

The Techno Union High Priority Armed Shuttle slid into realspace from its hypervelocity transit, and its foils spread out into ready position. The craft howled its way into atmosphere, and screeched over the meeting field, leaving a breeze in its wake. As a dot on the horizon it turned around, slowed, and retracted its foils, landing near the meeting site, mere metres from the current gathering. Wind from the engines bellowed out, sending a gust through the area for a few seconds. The engines ceased, and the loading ramp slid open with a hiss. Once the ramp touched down on the earth below it, six of the Obsidian Network Bha'Lir, in the midst of special training, filed out and flanked the path before the ramp, facing outward and forming a small barrier. Upon their belts were lightsabres, swords, blasters, and utilities, and upon their backs were either VCMC Probe Droids or Millicreep Droids, in standby inactive states. A moment passed, then the sleek figure of the Archon Asher Valentine stepped out of the darkness of the shuttle's cabin, out into the light of the area. He wore a black armourweave cape that draped over his shoulders but didn't quite touch the floor, and a second drape beneath that which hung from the curve of his spine. The smooth black armour beneath was adorned with soft lights and was polished to a gloss. It nearly made him appear as a human head floating over the ground as a strange cybernetic wraith, stalking out of the ship. In flashes of the cape billowing outward from the wind, his armour glinted hints of his form and revealed the belt of lightsabres he near always wore. In a gap, the pommel of a standard vibrosword showed, and hidden at the back of his belt were two heavy blaster pistols.

He didn't expect a fight, to be truthful, but with the events at Rothana, he needed to maintain the appearance of being on alert. Terrorists could attack at any moment... he'd laid out as the premise for the call to arms of the Order, the installation of an elite unit, and his current State of Emergency would be his excuse for if he were confronted about his appearance.

Now he took in the scene before him. A female Twi'lek who shared the markings of a Nexu, and a massive hulk next to her who reeked of the Dark Side of the Force. He let himself a subtle smile and a deep breath, as his signature within the Force flared, and any with Force Sight would see tendrils like wings made of solar flares pour off of him as he let that creature's strong signature, so ready to leak into the natural flow, come through him and let him be prepared in the unlikely event that this meeting should go sour.

Opposite them, were his comrades of the Techno Union. The headstrong-if-weak Starchaser, and the so-easily-bribed-with-honour Verd. Dagora. Whatever he called himself these days wasn't of consequence in Asher's scope, which currently dealt with the mass over the individual. He stepped out of the Obsidians' corridor, and they flanked the meeting and went into standby. Sense of intent would show them to be protectors, not assaulters. They were Asher's Guard, not reinforcements to make for an uneven fight if one broke out. Even so, Valentine decided to leave little to the imagination, even as he circled around behind Dagora and Starchaser to come up on the far side of them in relation to the shuttle.

"Greetings, sentients," he spoke formally, "Apologies for the display, but I've encountered recent issues that require such precautions. I'm certain you can understand. Rest assured, they will not make any moves unless they sense impending danger -- be it against us as a whole or against myself and these two." he flashed them a charismatic smile that disappeared as soon as it came.

He would leave the political-profiteering speeches to the profiteering politicians. He was merely here to observe, and remain vigilant on what moves the Union made. He worked with them, after all.

[member="Marek Starchaser"] // [member="Dagora-Kel"] // [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] // [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]​

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

There was a reason Chiasa had brought only two with her, and not all those who were available. It had to do with politeness and propriety. This sudden landing of walking arsenals put her back up, though only those who knew her would be able to tell from the particularly easy and controlled facial expression that gave nothing away she did not want known.

~Your associate offends me, though it is always good to see you.~

This to Isley alone, though her Blood would be able to pick up on it, if he wanted. Kezeroth would likely be able to hold his own against the lot of them, and that was why she had brought him. His presence could not be concealed, he was as he was. The others flaring when paired with his martial display however, when his words were almost an insult in and of themselves..

The Twi'lek did not flare, such a thing was wasteful, but she did begin the slow pulling of energy into herself, running through her options in her mind. There was always that which she had stolen.. She'd not nearly mastered that yet, but with her Blood to aid and Kezeroths raw power.. It was a possibility, if it became necessary.

It seemed appropriate, all things considered to allow some displeasure to be shown. She had not requested this meeting, some effort could have been made to not outright offend her before it got under way. A curt nod was all the newcomer got before attention was switched back to Starchaser.

[member="Asher Valentine"] [member="Dagora-Kel"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] [member="Marek Starchaser"]

 

[Corey's OOC]

Marek Starchaser was the one who called this, but it was because he wanted to get the ball rolling. He knew a bit about the galactic state of things, especially in the South Systems, a result of the SpyNet doing their job and he actually reading reports every so often. Yeah, sometimes Marek did his homework as the Foreman-Poster Child of the Techno Union. What he wanted was to make sure that he was going to be able to leave this in one piece, and that was part of the reason he invited some of the people in the Union he trusted.

It wasn’t a show of strength, or a show of distrust, Marek just didn’t want to die. Not here. It wasn’t his time yet. His writer had other plans for this character’s death, but it would happen sooner or later.

The meeting was to make sure that there wasn’t a stalemate here with the Ravens to their border. Dealing with the Rebels was enough of a headache that he didn’t want to get into another border dispute. “Chiasa, thank you for arriving. You already know Isley, it appears, and I’ll introduce you to Asher Valentine, leader of the Obsidian Order. Just so we’re all on the same page, it’s a matter of open-ness within the Union that our Force state shows up as well.” He did his best to give her the once over and making sure he wasn’t seen giving her the once over, merely taking her looks in.

He had no problem with female aliens. It was the male ones, and the fuzzy ones that bothered him. But don’t tell his Bothan admiral that.

“Word on the galactic grapevine is that you have no desire to war with us, and to be frank, we really would not like to enter another theater of combat.” Simple, and he’d let her continue to speak before making other speculations on what was going on in the Red Raven space.

Sure, the Techno Union had Sith, but they were smart Sith, not the blood thirsty and unpredictable Sith most would expect.

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] [member="Asher Valentine"] @Dagora-Kel @Kezeroth the Malevolent

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

"Interesting. And they all have equal voice within your Force state do they? It must be hard to get things done."

There was the slightest bite to her voice, to make what she thought of this very, very clear. The Twi'lek did not enjoy feeling threatened, and considering the last time she'd been on the same planet as any of these people aside from Isley they'd been on opposite sides of a war.. being surrounded by heavily armed men did not set her mind at ease. It was easy to say they were there only for defensive measures did not mean it was true. Would she survive if they chose to attack? Oh likely, there were very few beings in the Galaxy quite as cunning as she was, but that didn't mean she wanted to put it to the test.

Speaking of cunning.. A twist of the Fore used internally saw her heart rate spiking, setting off the silent alarm in her wrist units life sensor and signaling the Red Dress. Not to attack of course, not until she either manually tagged it on or it registered her as taking any actual damage.

"But, your internal structure is not my concern."

She added, voice softening slightly as she made a dismissive flicking away gesture.

"You hear correctly. Wars are only profitable when others are waging them. I've no interest in them myself unless forced."

Here a slight emphasis, and she pointedly did not look at the armed 'escort'.

[member="Marek Starchaser"] [member="Asher Valentine"] [member="Dagora-Kel"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

To say Keira was necessarily a diplomat would be an understatement, and a severe one at that, but she understood when words were preferred over action, regardless of whether it was hostile in nature. Despite many believing her to be nothing more than just another Corellian that didn't know better, she was possessed of a higher intelligence. Yes, she indeed saw the sense and perhaps even a need for meetings like this. It didn't mean she had to like them. That was exactly the reason why she was currently standing on the bridge of the Red Dress instead of among the other Ravens, and why she became just a bit more interested when the ship was called in closer. It wasn't as if she wanted something to happen, but it would be better than standing around and waiting for hours.

Her presence had been requested rather indirectly, as something of an added security measure rather than an active contributor to whatever discussions were to take place. It was all the same to her, in the end. After all, it was quite literally in her job description that she take on the more dangerous tasks, leaving others to what office work needed finalizing. This time those 'more dangerous tasks' only included patrolling the skies above the designated meeting place, ready and willing to intervene should a conflict arise. It seemed as if those among the Techno Union were smarter than that, until that moment. Maybe someone had gotten too trigger-happy, or maybe it was just nothing. With her not sensing anything, she supposed it was the latter. That meant [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] was up to something.

With the flick of a switch the communications systems of the ship were activated, tuned specifically to the frequency of a certain Twi'lek's comlink. "You rang?" Perhaps not the most formal of introductions, but anyone that knew her personally was perfectly aware that this was always how she functioned, no matter the company. Everyone was shown the same common courtesy, but when one made any move to threaten her or hers that typical kindness would be dropped down a few levels. Then, it wasn't unlike their current company to put on a display. They were more a business than anything explicitly criminal, from what she'd heard, not that it meant anything. Parleying with individuals such as the Ravens foretold any and all information necessary. They weren't above conversing with criminals, and that meant something.

Maybe she would be adding more to this than she had first anticipated. Hopefully no one was expecting anything extremely out of character from her. After all, she was a Raven.

[member="Marek Starchaser"], [member="Asher Valentine"], [member="Dagora-Kel"], [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

 

[EmKay]

Whether present company was capable of trust wasn't his concern. He was incapable of trust, and so these six men would remain. Motionless save their eyes, in a parade rest stance, simply observing the happenings. While he may not have had the sufficient bond with this Twi'lek to directly sense her uncomfortable disposition, her words made up for that and they tied together with uncertain, tense dances through the Force that made Asher take a calming breath to centre himself. He controlled his baser instinct to feed off of those emotions. This was no battlefield of his. It was a battlefield for others, one of words and wit. Did he change the formula by arriving in such a manner? Most likely. They would learn, though, that the Obsidian Order were not Sith. They were not creatures to simply attack at the behest of a violent urge. Especially not these six, and their Archon. The air of the unit through the Force remained tempered. They were neutral, humming with life and waiting. Of course, they were only humans. They had thoughts, fleeting ones regarding what they saw. They weren't mindless droids; but they kept those thoughts to themselves, and outwardly displayed nothing.

Meanwhile, Valentine's eyes flicked from person to person, watching their movements as they spoke, weighing their words for merit or deceit. He was on the brink of boredom when a flurry of emotion through the mystic tendrils that interwove the universe thrummed at him a familiar chord. He rocked on his heels and looked skyward, wondering at whatever just happened overhead. He felt vague alertness, but beyond that... he wasn't a God, after all. He let out an absent hum of wonder, and brought his attention down upon their primary point of contact for this meeting. He gave her a calculating watch for the briefest of moments before avertign his gaze to look out to the tree line. He wouldn't worry about it, no need getting himself worked up. His flares would continue, such was merely a reflex for him around someone such as this big red guy. He wouldn't be the one to pull the first punch, however; he wasn't stupid.

He'd heard about that incident on Geonosis, where a Rebel cruiser opened ion fire ion an unshielded civilian facility. That was a highlight of his reading that day, and he wondered if these Red Ravens were just as trigger-happy.

[member="Keira Ticon"] // [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] // [member="Marek Starchaser"] // [member="Dagora-Kel"] // [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]​

 

[Corey's OOC]

Alright, alright… This was getting to be a huge stalemate when really, Chiasa and Marek could probably have handled this over holocall. Marek just liked to drink. A lot. And that meant he didn’t really trust people who wouldn’t have a drink with him. There was enough going on here, and with the unfortunate Techno Union honor guard floating a system away while he took his own ship. And was followed by his former Master and the leader of the Obsidians. Giving both of them a look, he reached out in the Force and pushed out a feeling of calm. Remember, Marek Starchaser was more a bard in the Force than anything, making sure people drank and played games. He just hoped [member="Asher Valentine"] was keeping watch, but, y’know, being FETHING CASUAL about it.

He didn’t have to worry about Verd, he was a good man. And Marek was truthfully glad to have him back in the fold. With the other Raven’s appearing, though, Marek was…itchy.

“We manage them well, guard dogs, mostly.” He shot Asher a glare and turned a smile back to his Raven counterpart. Marek was a Master, albeit a weak and jokingly useless one. His skill set was in calming people down, changing the weather and enjoying the vices in life. Dealing with the Force that was here? Not so much.

The Rebels on Geonosis, Marek knew that crew that was with the Ravens were mostly former Ravens now, at least from what he understood of reports, but it was Marek, mostly a lush when reading those thing. “Alright, now that we’ve got that out of the way, lets get down to business. War between us definitely won’t be a profitable enterprise. And as far as I’m concerned, and correct me if I’m wrong, Ms. Kritivaas, but as far as your people are concerned, profit is all we need to worry on, isn’t it?”

That was going to work well into Marek’s next point. Once he was allowed to continue, but his writer felt this post went on long enough.

[member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] @Dagora-Kel @Kezeroth the Malevolent

 

[EmKay]

Asher's mouth quirked when Marek referred to the Order as guard dogs, but he understood the point. The waves of calm flowed through the Force, and he found himself sleepy, given that he was already calm. He was, despite what was likely popular belief, a placid person when the scene wasn't a battleground. It was when he was given a target that he became the embodiment of destruction. Valentine shifted his footing and reached out to give Marek an Obsidian-gloved pat on the shoulder, to reassure the little man. Before he started his next bit of speech, of course. It would be rude to interrupt the discussions.

Once the resuming of negotiations took place, Asher folded his hands and went back to observing as things went on. The Guard remained motionless and silent. The shuttle released a hiss of hydraulic pressure buildup.

[member="Keira Ticon"] // [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] // [member="Marek Starchaser"] // @Dagora-Kel // [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]​

 

[Darth Metus]

He learned from the absolute worst.

The Dar'manda's telepathic response was laced with a heaping portion of malice. Sure, Dagora had literally fought his way back into the Techno Union, but that did not mean that all was instantly forgiven. He would fly their banner and fight their wars, but when it came to Norongachi and his puppy-turned-Archon...well, suffice it to say that "angst" didn't cover it. Of course, that mattered little when it came to matters of politics and state. Those sort of things were better left at the door, lest they detract from the shining goal.

The Techno Union and the Red Ravens should be friends, not enemies.

Fret not, so long as I'm breathing you have nothing to worry about from them. No clue why the show of 'my wang is long, hur hur' happened, though. In any case, I echo what my young friend here has said. Profit is what makes both of our worlds go 'round. I would much rather focus my time and effort on fighting my enemies instead of the nation I've come to consider a second home.

With that said, he offered the Twi'lek a reassuring smile. There wasn't anything to worry about, not in the slightest.

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"], [member="Marek Starchaser"], [member="Asher Valentine"]

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

As the conversation continued between the two Kezeroth grinned at @Dagora-Kel. Giving him a nod in return. He began to look around his environment, Peaceful for the most part. But peace was not in the Gen'dais vocabulary. This place was lacking and that was all. The various presences reminded the giant of yet another twi'lek he knew and had not seen in quite some time, he would be lying to himself if he didn't acknowledged he missed her too. Profit, Profit, Profit. This was the reason the gen'dai couldn't run a business of his own.

" Hmm..."



[member="Asher Valentine"]
[member="Marek Starchaser"]
[member="Keira Ticon"]
[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

"Profit and autonomy."

She agreed, carefully. Starchaser was not setting off any alarm bells thus far. If it had been just the two of them, this would likely have been much less tense and more enjoyable. A seventy million dollar bounty tended to make one uncomfortable when surrounded by unknown armed men however.

Her lips quirked up slightly as she heard Keiras voice over the comm unit. Hitting a button on her wrist unit a holoimage of the Corellian sprang to life, small and floating in the air.

"Apparently our new friends give all those in their 'Force State' a say, I thought it only fair to make sure you had yours as well..."

And if that meant that an entire Destroyer was now directly, visibly overhead and should someone choose to play silly buggers, get lucky and manage to kill her.. They could look forward to this location being wiped off the face of the planet. None of those present felt like the kind of men who would like to sacrifice themselves.

~Always a place for you, I trust you Sihse Dagora~

To an extent. He'd allowed the twit to dictate company politics which had resulted in the inconveniencing of the Ravens, but she would trust him in this case with her life. Between Khaleel, Kezeroth, Isley and the Keira on the Red Dress overhead, the Twi'leks uneasiness was largely being assuaged.

Starchasers use of the Force was taken at face value. Between mental assaults from Kaine, Disciple, Spencer Jacobs and a list of others, the Twi'lek was very good at telling what came from within and what was imposed from outside. It was a conscience decision on her part to allow the calming aura to influence her. Likely her Blood would have a snarl at her otherwise, he thought she was too emtional, she just operated largely on baser instincts.

"Providing those two things are present and available.."

She shrugged once.

[member="Dagora-Kel"] [member="Asher Valentine"] [member="Marek Starchaser"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"]

 

[Darth Metus]

Normally, the Dar'manda wouldn't open his mouth during these sort of gatherings, but now there was a Star Destroyer parked overhead. A detachment of Obsidians behind, a capital ship above. What was this, a meeting of Jedi and Sith? Hell, all this shindig lacked were a few bounty hunters pointing blasters every which way and dramatic music playing in the background.

No, wait, there was dramatic music playing down the hall. Great.

Stepping forward, the Dar'manda raised his hands in a non-threatening manner. He then motioned at the two leaders who were having a rather productive conversation...although the backdrop screamed oblivion. "If I may interject for a moment." he said in a "I'm asking, but I'm not asking" sort of tone. "Let not this meeting be characterized by...tension. We are neighbors, sharing a local space with peace up until now. It is my humble opinion that, with the exception of the immediate diplomatic parties, additional...forces...should not be required at this gathering. I think it would make things proceed a lot smoother if there wasn't a detachment of the Obsidian's finest present or a Star Destroyer overhead."

"So, how's about we send the soldiers home and you park the Star Destroyer somewhere out of BDZ range? Show of good faith on the part of both parties?"

Was Dagora out of line? Sure. But kark it, he had this magical thing called a 20 in Charisma. It worked most Days, here's hoping it worked now.

[member="Chiasa Kritivaas"], [member="Asher Valentine"], [member="Marek Starchaser"]

 

[Lok Jorunn]

It was just another grand, old day aboard The Red Dress. To the resident salty swashbuckler, it wasn't about where the Dress was going, it was about who was wearing that dress. That orange-skinned Twi'lek wasn't aboard and her sass was just the thing Lok needed to get his butt into gear and get a-workin' for the Red Ravens. Well, these here crimson birds had been his family for almost an entire decade for now and it was his ultimate priority to ensure their safety. Well, that and enforce their will, smuggle goods in and out of governmental space, and do lots of illegal weaponry deals.

Yeah, he had a lot of priorities.

"Hey, you!" He brought that bottle of Corellian liquor up to his lips once again, taking a swig. "Why're we still waitin' around? I thought we were headin' t' whatsitcalled for some rest and relaxation, if ya catch m' drift." The pirate Captain was inadvertently jammed a finger in the air at [member="Keira Ticon"] as she fumbled with some sort of technological gobbledygook.

This fine specimen of liquid was his priority at the moment.

The man was already hammered beyond belief and he probably had even more unknown substances pumping through his bloodstream. Euphoria was something that he liked to spend his credits on and boy was it worth it. Lok took another long swallow of the alcohol before stumbling over to his fellow Red Raven. "Hey, girl," he presented a cheesy grin and threw an arm around her shoulder, "Does your daddy let you date?" The pirate snickered and dragged a sleeve across his muzzle.

The man almost retreated back to his own personal quarters to drink and experience this lust for existence in peace, but that was before he noticed the white-blue mirage of that Twi'lek and some other people he didn't know. One had a nice suit and a cool hairdo while the others looked like the Feds.

"Whatcha watchin'?" Lok nearly doubled over as he shambled back to peer over Keira's shoulder. That Twi'lek didn't have her hands on her hips and that suited man didn't seem all too pleased with his military-styled comrade, so the pirate naturally assumed this HoloDrama was boring. "Hey, uh, does that guy like her or somethin'? I think he does," he drew a finger at [member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"], "Or maybe he's got the hots for the red hulk over there. Steamy stuff, lassie."

He watched the little people move and converse for a few more seconds, completely unaware that his own image and voice happened to be projected into the diplomatic conference. Oh well, drugs and booze did that to ya.

"Well, I'll catcha later, gal. Stay single, wrap it 'fore ya tap it."

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"], [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"], [member="Dagora-Kel"], [member="Asher Valentine"], [member="Marek Starchaser"]

 

[Chiasa Kritivaas]

As Lok's inebriated head made it's way into the frame, the Twi'lek just had to shake her head, as his ramble made itself heard, her grin grew finally evolving into an outright chuckle and finally a laugh.

"Keira, maybe have one of the lads spike his stash with Sweetblossom, should keep him well behaved until we're done here and back to things he'd find more exciting."

She left Isleys comment alone, in truth she agreed, but she wasn't going to tell the Techno Union to get rid of their thugs, they could do that or not on their own.

[member="Lok Jorunn"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

A wry smile twisted her lips at that. Apparently their friends were far more diplomatic than the Ravens themselves. It was a wonder they accomplished anything with everyone constantly squabbling over which decision was the best one for the entirety of the group. But she wouldn't question that strategy, not outwardly. Or, at least, not yet. "Force State? Huh, so we have those now." Wasn't just about everyone in some position of power within the Ravens sensitive anyhow? It seemed they all were, some days. They didn't have much use for this so-called 'Force State' when the group itself was essentially one on its own. The operations of others really were something entirely foreign to her. But she would let them settle their business however they felt necessary. Whatever was most efficient for them.

A light blinked into existence, signalling that her appearance was now visible holographically to those others in attendance. Silently she listened to the comments from the others, most notably the one that requested the Destroyer be landed well out of blast range. "I'll leave if I'm not needed." Briefly her amber gaze cut to the military in attendance, military that most certainly wasn't their own. "As long as they do as well. It's not that I don't trust you, but..." A glimmer of half-sarcastic amusement flickered in her eyes. "I don't have a reason to. Forgive me for being so forward, but after that little display I didn't think we were being subtle with each other." That may have been crossing a line, but, well, she never came to these meetings for a reason, and a good one at that. It wasn't her style.

Nothing was going as terribly as it could have been, given she was taking part in what was supposed to be diplomacy, until [member="Lok Jorunn"] decided to add his drunken commentary. Sighing quietly she managed to restrain herself from throwing him across the bridge telekinetically and quite literally knocking some sense into him. That wasn't a way to make first impressions on those from the Techno Union, and she didn't want to risk whatever less than sober anger would be rallied towards her. He would make flirtatious comments only once when he had slept this off, before she would teach him the finer points of tough love. For now, in his intoxicated state, he would be forgiven. Shrugging his arm off of her shoulders, she spoke, her voice low, "Why don't you go sleep it off? I'll let you know when things get interesting." Time and place.

One side of her mouth turned up in a half-smile at [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"]'s comment. "I'll keep him under control, you don't need to worry. He'll figure things out eventually." Rather nicely or with a more physical lesson, and not the one he was looking for, was entirely up to him. For the moment he would be ignored, and hopefully he would get bored of things and shamble off. "You want us out of the sky? I could lock him in a quiet room and be there in a few minutes." Or she could do that now, and let the problem sort itself out. Civility was something she really needed more practice with.

[member="Kezeroth the Malevolent"], [member="Dagora-Kel"], [member="Asher Valentine"], [member="Marek Starchaser"]

 

[Corey's OOC]

He nodded towards his former Master. Man had a point. But when you crit rolled your CHA checks back to back, you mostly kind of won battles before they started. Marek was sort of put here to make sure things worked well, the producer and protector, and sometimes leader of the merry band of capitalist and tech junkies. They weren’t unlike the criminal gangs that were around the galaxy, present company… maybe included in that? He was the type to make sure that people networked.

The bard. That would be his class.

Looking at the group and nodded to Verd’s request, he then remembered the bottle of Whyren’s reserve on hand. Right? See? This was useful. He motioned for the table and the group, mainly the ones that weren’t. “Maybe a drink, and some more chit chat, weapons down and away…” Bringing the guard dog probably wasn’t the best bet. Looking over his shoulder, Marek nodded to Asher and the groups, indicating to take a step back, outside, relax, go see the sights, buy an agriculture company, something.

He took a seat at the table, and poured himself a drink, summoning a few more with the Force.

[member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Chiasa Kritivaas"] [member="Lok Jorunn"] @Dagora-Kel @Kezeroth the Malevolent [member="Asher Valentine"]