Dealings In The Dark

[Subject 37]

Nar Shadda - Blagga Casino
[member="Aver Brand"]

Business within the underworld was always a very blurry thing.

Everyone wanted something, and no matter what that something was they always wanted all of it. Slevin knew this because he was the exact same way. The Cortanni cartel was not the largest criminal outfit in the galaxy, nor would it ever be. Their fingers extended in almost every single piece of the criminal pie, smuggling, weapons dealing, piracy, and whatever else they could get their hands on. They weren't the biggest, but they did have diversity.

That was often far more important, especially considering the other side of their business.

SIN was growing, and with the new entertainment district on Coruscant finally ready and open things were now happening fast. Money was flowing into the cartel like never before, both legitimate and illegitimate funds were now stacking the metaphorical bank. They had enough to do whatever they pleased, and with Natalia's pet project coming along nicely on Zeltros things were only getting better.

In truth he had thought it would all be more difficult, but it seemed that the majority of his criminal brethren just had such a hard time because of their own inadequacies.

The Crime Lord shrugged slightly, leaning back in his seat.

Either way he supposed it didn't really matter. As the Coratanni Cartel grew it would be branching out into newer challenges, ones that would have to be over come. He stretched slightly, readjusting himself and glancing up at the tiny Twi'lek Waitress at his side. She lingered there expectantly, waiting for him to do something. "You can go."

Slevin told her flatly.

"Make sure my guest knows where I am." The girl mumbled something then nodded her head, music briefly blasting into the sound proof booth as she slipped out of the doorway and into the casino proper.

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]


Under the flashing lights of a thousand artificial suns, nothing looked out of place. Humanoids and aliens blinked in and out of the darkness in an epileptic fashion, their movements choppy and frantic. Nobody noticed the armored figure that weaved through the crowd. The split-second glimpses were shaken off with the next sip of a colorful drink with a catchy name. The touch of cold metal was forgotten in the flood of drugged perception, just another weird experience chalked up to the fancy new hit.

The bass thumped muted in her ears, dimmed by the helmet. A small twi’lek stepped out of a booth, running straight into the towering mercenary. She yelped, recoiling in pain and craning her neck to look up.

“Can– can I help you?” the girl stuttered, wide eyes straining to see in the blinking lights.

“I have a meeting with Slevin Thrawne. I assume this place has some sort of back room?”

“Oh. Um, right through there,” she said after a beat, gesturing behind her to the booth.

The merc moved past her with two long strides, slid the door open, and disappeared inside. Small enough to handle if anything went sideways. She dipped her head in greeting, taking a seat opposite the man.

“Aver Brand,” she offered along with an open hand, reaching halfway across.

Something to be said for symbolism, after all.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Aver Brand"]

Slevin didn't move an inch.

Introduction, pleasantries, small talk, it was all just a little bit played out for people like them. His eyebrow slowly quirked and he glanced at Aver's palm for just one second before he slowly looked up at the woman herself. In truth he knew very little about this person, partly because he hadn't cared to learn and partly because he wasn't the sort to do so. Natalia would have spent the entire night studying up and learning as much as she possibly could, but not Slevin.

"Let's skip the pleasantries." His tone was dry. "We both already know each other."

Names and reputation were enough.

They were here for an express purpose, not to be friends. That was how he looked at this sort of thing, how he looked at any relationship with a criminal business partner. These people were legitimate, they didn't care about face value and they certainly didn't care about shame. Doing business with someone from the Underworld was an entirely different game than dealing with someone who dealt within the light.

They both knew that. "Let's just move to business."

Why waste time?

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

The gauntleted hand turned over to gesture at the man. “Business, then,” she agreed, leaning back against the plush seat. With the table between them, Aver rested a calm hand on the grip of her sidearm.

Prepared meant alive.

“What can the Coratanni offer us?” The merc spoke, blue eyes settling on the other man.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Aver Brand"]

He perked an eyebrow.

"It's what we can do for each other." Coratanni didn't need anyone, he would make that perfectly clear, but he knew that the Underworld was sectioned off more than any other group within the galaxy. Unlike Imperials, Jedi, or even Sith the Underworld tended to do things alone. It was their way, but it was also their fault.

The goal of all criminals was to make money, it was the same for Slevin, Nadir, anyone. Sure others had some sort of ulterior motive, power, control, but it really all came down to money.

"Money." He told her simply. "Spice, Slaves, Gambling."

He waved his hand. "That's what I offer. Mutual benefit in all avenues."

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

A tongue ran over the row of pointed teeth. Aver listened, head canted to the side.

“That’s already how we operate,” she replied as soon as the man finished. It didn’t matter to her if he perceived is as boasting or not. It was a fact, and had been for the past two decades. Infighting, much like with the Sith, was what always led to criminal outfits collapsing whenever they reached the cusp of greatness.

It was refreshing to see someone else with a similar perspective. “And how do you see us working together, Mr. Thawne? Better prices? Special privileges in mutual space?”

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Aver Brand"]

"Of course." This was all about business in the end.

Slevin didn't care about politics, about who Aver was, what she wanted, or who she was fucking. All that he cared about in the end was that Coratanni could continue expanding without any issue from...well anyone. They were bound to be conflicts, but he wanted to make sure those conflicts could be cut off at the head before they brewed into anything more serious. That was the way to do things, not get into pointless war after war that would only stifle growth on both sides.

"I don't care about Nadir." It was on the opposite side of the galaxy. "I'm equally sure you don't care about Rishi."

The outer rim was something most criminals avoided unless they were running away, but in truth it was a huge market that had largely been ignored. "Mutual support of our two organizations."

Until they grew tired of one another.

 

[Aver Brand]

Her lips split into a hooked grin behind the helmet. “Sure, why not?”

Nadir’s reach was considerable, but no amount of resources or untapped market was worth stretching all the way across the galaxy. It was a recipe for disaster – long travel times, unguarded transport routes, few reliable contacts. Fighting a turf war half a galaxy away would net no other profit than a massive margin of dead bodies for both sides.

This suited her just fine.

Too often, people in their line of work tried to complicate matters. Made a show of business deals, played hard to get like a high-end schutta on Zeltros. Aver didn’t believe in wasting anyone’s time. They both had places to be, people to kill.

That sort of thing.

“Anything in particular that you want?”

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Aver Brand"]

"I require warehouses." Rishi was currently under the direct control of the Galactic Empire. So far they hadn't really bothered the Cartel or done much of anything at all to actually effect business, but he and Natalia had long ago realized that they needed contingencies.

They'd already set up multiple labs on Zeltros, Nar Shaddaa, and even Coruscant, but again those were all controlled by some system of government. They needed more, and considering their manufacturing demand was about to go up ten fold...it was necessary.

"There's always wandering eyes." He told her, his fingers raking through his hair. "The Alliance, Imperials..."

He trailed off, waving his hand. "Different governments, same claim of righteousness."

Everyone railed against crime, no matter who they were or what they said they stood for. People like Aver and Slevin were easy targets for government propoganda.

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

Aver drummed her fingers on the table. Once, twice. “Easy. Gonna bring your own security, or do you want local protection?”

She tipped her head to the side. “You’ll attract less attention that way, but… your choice.” She shrugged one shoulder, considering the man.

“I want your drugs at manufacturing price. Any new products you make are exclusively ours to sell in the Unknown regions.” What he did down in the Outer rim wasn’t her concern. There were plenty of other interested fingers up in the galactic north, though, and Aver had every intention of being the first – and only one – to claim this particular pie.

“You can send us your excess of whores, too. Clients tend to go through ‘em pretty fast up there.” With a massive population of aliens, mandalorians, and other brutes, accidents happened. Often.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Aver Brand"]

"Our girls aren't simple whores." Slevin stated simply. "They don't get tossed to the side."

Natalia was incredibly proud of their host of escorts. Each one of them wasn't a simple tramp that had fallen down on their luck, they were women who had trained to be what they were now. They were all intelligent, cunning, and incredibly deceptive. They catered to everyone who had the funds, but their primary goal wasn't to please, instead they gathered information. From the lowest miner to the highest corporate executives, they listened, coaxed, and brought it all back to Coratanni.

"They won't be coming here without the proper protections." He could see the deal happening, but Natalia would never allow it without a few conditions. That was how it worked. Sure it annoyed Slevin himself at times, but the benefit far outweighed the cost.

"As for the drugs..." He trailed off. "Twenty percent above cost. With distribution and sale you'll still make more than enough."

Especially considering what was now in development.

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

“Fine. We’ve got some high-class… heh. establishments, if that’s what your fancy girls prefer. Places are guarded like the bedroom of the Hapan queen.”

Blue eyes gave a lazy blink behind the faceplate. Fingers stilled on the table – they were playing Sabacc, only without the cards, and the stakes were a fair bit higher. Aver grinned.

“Ten,” she replied smooth as a viper, dipping her chin just a fraction.

“If you’re looking to bring your own protection under the radar, I have to warn ya it ain’t gonna end well. The Clans don’t take lightly to people trying to take ‘em for a ride.”

“Might see it fit to return the favor.”

Someone else might see it as a threat, but Aver was simply stating a fact. Point Nadir was a living, breathing ecosystem. Those trying to skip the foodchain rarely ended up anywhere else than a ditch.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Aver Brand"]

"Fifteen." Slevin hit back immediately.

The girls would need more than just guards at the door, but that was something to be ironed out later. Natalia trained them well, and most carried some sort of protection with them. They weren't just whores however, they were agents. Their environments needed to be tailored, and Coratanni intended to keep it that way. Aver didn't need to know such things of course, mostly because it would be good to have a slice of information inside of Nadir itself.

His hand nonchalantly scratched at his beard. "Then they'll get upset."

Slevin shrugged.

"Nothing to be done about it." He didn't particularly care about any 'clans'. Protection from someone else simply wasn't possible. There were too many secrets to keep and far too many things to protect. If they had to slaughter their way into Nadir's 'ecosystem', then that was what they would do.

Even if it cost them some money.

 

[Aver Brand]

“Twelve,” her tone didn’t change. Her posture neither. She’d been playing this game longer than [member="Slevin Thawne"] was alive.

Aver waved her hand in a gesture of insidious largesse. “Of course not. We don’t police personal conflicts. Consider it a free favor – since we’re entering business, and all.”

“Would you like a docking bay reserved for Coratanni as well?”

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Aver Brand"]


"Twelve." The number was an okay one. He didn't think there would be many profits from this place anyway and it was more important to secure a good working relationship than it was to make money from Nadir.

This was supposed to be a small haven for them, or at least another place they could use if parts of the Cartel were shut down by whatever government. It was unlikely they would ever expand outward towards this region of space anyway.

"Yes." They would need it. "Preferably closer to the warehouse."

He didn't mind killing, but he also liked to do things quietly, or rather Natalia did. If they had to transport their goods through the entirety of Nadir every time it would invariably end up not so quiet. His beloved would not be pleased with that.

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

She gave a shallow nod. “Can be arranged. The Slips have their own protection, however.” She paused, holding his gaze even. “That’s non-negotiable, I’m afraid.”

“What’s the largest class of transport ship you use?” Wouldn’t want to give them too small a docking bay, after all.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Aver Brand"]

"Kilometer." The bulk Transports were rare, but they were used from time to time.

Coratanni's drug production could not be understated. They had taken Rishi first, but it was Ukkio that had been the true boon. Most of the planet was now under their control. The government of course still ran everything, and ostensibly the fields that Coratanni controlled were used to grow agricultural products, but the reality was much darker. Slevin and Natalia had worked hard to corner a market, and that market happened to be in Spice and other illicit drugs.

It had been surprisingly easy. "Though we can made due with smaller vessels."

The Bulk Transports were most often Laboratories in it of themselves of course, landing on Ukkio to take in raw goods and producing large amount of drugs while heading to their destination. It had it's own dangers, but was far more efficient than standing labs.

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

Aver arched a brow behind the faceplate. Near-on whistled, too.

“No Slips, then. You’ll be parking your carriers in the VIP section of the main bay on the Ring,” she grinned. A timely investment, the external space station. While it did compromise the shadow of the shadowport, that no longer mattered. Nadir maintained a fleet of its own and had standing arrangements with a number of pirates that sowed fear and destruction around the Unknown regions.

The Brethren, they called themselves.

The merc entertained a private smile. “You’ll need some big warehouses too, then. Anything else?”

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Aver Brand"]

"No." He stated simply.

His finger gently ringed around the small glass that had been lingering on his chair. He wondered briefly what would come of all this, the dealings with Nadir, the association he was holding with that disgusting little Hutt in the south. He frowned for a moment, wondering if Natalia had yet reached out to the Chiss in the north.

"That is all." Slevin glanced towards the glass wall, watching for a moment as the guests danced. "We'll sort out the particulars another day."

Where the warehouses where, what they would contain, all of that.

Slevin didn't like all of this negotiation, this talk. He'd never been one for the business side of things. Even with Joza it had been less business and more...pleasure, but that wouldn't be happening with anyone from the underworld. Far too dangerous.

 

[Aver Brand]

[member="Slevin Thawne"]

“Quite.”

No need for that whole ‘my people your people’ posturing. They both knew what was going to happen – some well-paid shmuck down the food chain would take care of the details, and the organizations would both reap the benefits.

Aver tipped her head as she rose from the seat. She left the booth and the man without another word, thoughts already shifting to the day that lay ahead. Another small thorn to pluck from her side here on Nar Shaddaa before she left for Dressel to tie off a fantastic deal with a bow and an explosion.

It was going to be a good week.