Private Deals in the Dark

[Marlon Sularen]

D E A L S_I N_T H E_D A R K

DARK EMPIRE
CADEMIMU V, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

Cademimu V, the Warchest of the Outer Rim. It was one of the most heavily industrialized worlds in the Outer Rim with a strong military tradition. Since the rise of the Dark Empire it has served as an integral component to the Imperial War Machine as well as being a cultural center of the Empire as the homeworld of one of it's founders the former Despot Ignacious Korvan. This made the Planet ideal for businesses that thrived on arms manufacturing and shipbuilding as the production of weapons, military equipment and warships were a vital component of the planet's economy. All of this was the reason for why Lord-Regent Marlon Sularen was here hoping to make full use of the planet's industrial potential to fuel the Imperial War Machine and exert more control over the Imperial Military-Industrial complex.

In order to achieve this goal, the Lord-Regent had entered contact with a black market info broker and arms dealer known as Gorba Savak who already had a history with Imperials, having worked with Talvar's Empire and even Imperial remnant groups following the Empire's collapse. Already, Savak had proven to be willing to work with the Dark Empire having assisted the Empire in it's raid on Mygetto and seeing vast potential in the Khormai businessman, the Lord-Regent sought to bring him into the fold of the Dark Empire giving him a role within the Empire's Military-Industrial Complex which Savak could make a great profit from given the ongoing war with the Galactic Alliance and the growing conflict with the Diarchy.

Already the Lord-Regent had invited Savak to join him on Cademimu V so that they could discuss in detail the future of the Empire's partnership with Savak's buisness and his future role within the Imperial Military-Industrial Complex should he accept the Lord-Regent's overtures. As such, now all that was left was to wait for the Khormai Buisnessman to show up, with the Lord-Regent patiently waiitng within the hangar of an abandoned weapons manufacturing facility, for his guest to arrive, eager to begin the private negotiations and expand the Empire's war machine.

Tags | Gorba Savak ​

 

[Gorba Savak]

GORBA
Abandoned Factory | Cademimu V | Dark Empire Territory
TAGS: Marlon Sularen

​

Gorba chortled a rumbling low laugh to himself as he strode off the transport ship that had carried him to Cademimu V. The more-core-than-thou types always loved to brag about how much better things were the closer you were to Alliance space. Gorba had fond memories of traveling between the core and the outer rim. Now, it seemed, each time he left Hutt Space, he was astonished by the state of these “civilized” planets.

Rust, concrete, and decay. The abandoned factory looked like some sort of metallic beached whale. An enormous carcass splayed out amongst the industrial landscape. Gorba couldn’t help but smile at the irony. A physical metaphor for an Empire clinging on past its expiration date. However, he was also well aware that a faction must at times go through a molting process. A metamorphosis into something greater. Well, different, at least.

“Are we going ghost-hunting, Mr. Sularen?” Gorba greeted the stoic Imperial, jesting at the condition of the facility. The stormtrooper escort that had shown him in seemed to stiffen up. “My apologies, Lord-Regent,” Gorba corrected himself, nodding his head forward in a half-hearted bow. He then waved a metal-clad hand to dismiss both his own personal guard detachment and the troopers. Their job here was done.

“Quite a show on Mygetto, eh?” Gorba spoke enthusiastically, “they hardly saw it coming! I also hope you found… what you were looking for,” Gorba winked. Implying that the Dark Empire hadn’t informed the hired mercs about all the details regarding the attack on the N&Z facility. Nobody throwing their weight around in the galaxy was completely forthcoming about their intentions. In the world Gorba and Marlon worked in, one couldn’t afford to be so transparent and expect to remain alive for long.

​

 

[Marlon Sularen]

D E A L S_I N_T H E_D A R K

DARK EMPIRE
CADEMIMU V, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

The Lord-Regent watched as the transport ship carrying Gorba Savak made landfall, carrying the Khormai Businessman who soon emerged from the transport flanked by the escort of Stormtroopers that has brought him to the abandoned weapons factory without issue. As Savak walked out of the shuttle he approached the Lord-Regent and greeted him speaking in a very friendly and enthusiastic tone.

“Are we going ghost-hunting, Mr. Sularen? My apologies, Lord-Regent. Quite a show on Mygetto, eh? Tthey hardly saw it coming! I also hope you found… what you were looking for,”

With his hands still clasped behind his back Sularen offered a soft smile before responding to the Black Market Arms Dealer. "We did find what we were looking for yes." the Lord-Regent replied. "I must say I've been quite impressed by your performance back at Mygetto, and your resume is no different. There is a lot of potential for a strong partnership between your enterprise and the Empire, one that will strength the Imperial War Machine while expanding your business and filling up your pockets all at the same time. A fair exchange don't you think?" Sularen began, getting straight to the point as he outlined what he sought out from this meeting.

With Savak's Enthusiasm, the Lord-Regent was certain that he would only be more enticed at the proposal that had been laid out in front of him. This was a huge opportunity for someone like Savak, especially given the Empire's vast untapped market that the bigger players in the galaxy had avoided due to it's harsh policies. Now Savak had a chance to fill the void left by the Megacorporations and build something that would land him a permanent spot within the Empire's Military-Industrial Complex which in turn would only further allow him to build a large fortune in the years to come.

Tags | Gorba Savak ​

 

[Gorba Savak]

GORBA
Abandoned Factory | Cademimu V | Dark Empire Territory
TAGS: Marlon Sularen
​

"I must say I've been quite impressed by your performance back at Mygetto, and your resume is no different. There is a lot of potential for a strong partnership between your enterprise and the Empire, one that will strength the Imperial War Machine while expanding your business and filling up your pockets all at the same time. A fair exchange don't you think?"

“There’s no better partnership than one built on heaps of credits,” Gorba said with a wet chuckle. The galactic empires, in all of their various formations throughout the years, had always been lucrative clients. Stiff, strict, and dogmatic but consistent. The Dark Empire was a new take on that classic flavor. One with more than a hint of Sith influence. Gorba had purposely avoided Sith contracts for most of his career. The real spooky darksiders had a bad habit of cutting someone in half rather than paying their bills.

However, word around the shadowports was that there had been a change in the ranks. A wider separation of church and state within the Dark Empire. A change that Gorba had double-checked with trusted sources before agreeing to the one-on-one meeting.

“Listen, joke around as I might, get along as we I’m sure we will, ultimately we’re both men of serious business,” Gorba said, making it clear that he agreed with the Lord-Regent’s sentiment, “If I can be frank with you, the Empire has some serious threats. Big fish with big guns. Mandos, Jedis, Diarchs, not to mention the rebellion burning hot in your inner-core holdings right now.”

“There are a lot of gaps to fill, and we will fill them, but let me ask you a question,” Gorba continued, “if you could wave a magic wand and fix one of your problems right now, which one would it be?”

​

 

[Marlon Sularen]

D E A L S_I N_T H E_D A R K

DARK EMPIRE
CADEMIMU V, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

“If I can be frank with you, the Empire has some serious threats. Big fish with big guns. Mandos, Jedis, Diarchs, not to mention the rebellion burning hot in your inner-core holdings right now. There are a lot of gaps to fill, and we will fill them, but let me ask you a question, if you could wave a magic wand and fix one of your problems right now, which one would it be?”

This was an interesting question from Savak. It was true that the Empire faced threats on multiple sides, although fortunately the complex nature of galactic politics shielded it from getting instantly ganged up by it's many rivals who themselves had their own problems. Like the Jedi for example who in addition to the Dark Empire were dealing with the Neo-Crusaders and the Sith Order along with their own internal issues such as the ongoing Hapan Crisis.

However regarding the question itself, the answer was clear and simple. "Getting rid of the Diarchy would be most idea. A Faction that has occupied former Imperial space, has already presented itself as both an ideological and geopolitical rival to the Empire and whose constant presence threatens us with a two-front conflict which would be near disasterous for the Empire." Sularen answered. It was also somewhat of a personal matter, the leaders of the Diarchy were arrogant self-righteous idealists, the type who thought that only they could fix the galaxy's problems that the galaxy would be better off following their word and only their word.

To the Lord-Regent, the Diarchs were no better then the Galactic Alliance and just like the Galactic Alliance if no one was to keep them in check they would grow in size and strength potentially becoming a dangerous irresponsible superpower that would plague the galaxy with it's lies and corruption.

Tags | Gorba Savak ​

 

[Gorba Savak]

GORBA
Abandoned Factory | Cademimu V | Dark Empire Territory
TAGS: Marlon Sularen
​

“Hm hm hmhm,” Gorba chortled a throaty laugh behind a knowing smirk. The Lord-Regent had made an apt choice. While not the greatest threat, removing the Diarchy from the field would allow the Empire to better focus on their more immediate rivals.

“Let’s talk solutions,” Gorba spoke, “a full-on assault would invite more attention from the other parties. Now I know there’s nothing better for propaganda than a big flashy battle. Heroes, explosions, the holocams love ‘em, but in this case it could invite more unwanted attention from the other parties. The Empires have always been at their best when they acted subtly.”

Gorba paced as he spoke. While it was only a light pace, his large size and environmental suit resulted in heavy footballs reverberated in the expansive metallic room.

“You pick them apart from the inside. How about some good old slicing? I don’t mean to boast but S&C has been cooking up some impressive tech in that regard. In the hands of the right slicer crew, or your agents, of course, you could have your teams working overtime logging all that juicy data. Viruses would really cause some havoc but I’d save that for last. You wouldn’t want to spoil the fun too early,” Gorba stopped to make eye contact with the Lord-Regent. He gauged the man’s interest.

“Then, of course, there are viruses of the biological variety. New territory for us, I must admit, but for you, because I like you, we could fast-track something. They'd never see it coming,” Gorba paused for a few moments before chortling again, “Stop me if you had something else in mind. The possibilities, they’re just so exciting aren’t they?”
​

 

[Marlon Sularen]

D E A L S_I N_T H E_D A R K

DARK EMPIRE
CADEMIMU V, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

Sularen listened as Gorba Savak outlined his points, speaking about how his business had been developing slicer technology, which could come in handy for the ISB and Imperial Special Forces. In addition he mentioned other technologies like technological viruses and biological viruses. Products that his Corporation, Savak & Corwin Securities were either developing or most likely planning to develop. Naturally Sularen was intrigued with these ideas as the Empire lacked technologies in the slicing department and could make good use of viruses to disrupt enemy tech. At first when Sularen approached Savak he was curious to learn more about his Corporation and it's practices but now Savak had the Lord-Regent's full attention.

"I must admit, they are. Our efforts at Subversion and Intrigue in the past have had mixed results although considering the success of the Deep Core Rebels, with the proper tools and equipment such tactics may have value with the Empire." The Lord-Regent said, already hinting at the possibility of the Empire purchasing some of the slicing tools Savak & Corwin Securities had developed. "But by all means do keep going. I am quite curious to know what other marvels S&C can potentially provide for the Empire, in these troubling times." Sularen added, giving Savak the opportunity to further impress him and the Empire should he have more aces up his sleeve that could captive the Lord-Regent even more and further prove the Empire of the value of a partnership with his company.

Tags | Gorba Savak ​

 

[Gorba Savak]

GORBA
Abandoned Factory | Cademimu V | Dark Empire Territory
TAGS: Marlon Sularen
​

Gorba paced alongside the Lord-Regent. The man was stoic; hard to get a read on. Empire types were typically cold but Sularen seemed to be forged in durasteel. Gorba understood why he was able to rise through the dark imperial ranks. Troubling times, he had said. He could work with that.

“Ah yes, the rebels. I’m glad you brought them up. Like the Tingel Arm before, it’s clear that the Alliance is propping them up. Idealistic chaff to throw at their enemies to save their own troops and continue the masquerade of being the voice of peace.”

“I’m sure you know that I’m an old shipping spacer,” Gorba continued, placing an armored flipper-hand to his chest, “Some say I’m an expert but I simply say I’m experienced. Those rebels require constant resupply from their benefactors. You can patrol the hyperspace lanes, blockade shadowports, but they’ll always be crafty smugglers getting through the net. Your navy can only be in so many places at once. But I’ll tell you the one thing I hated dealing with more than anything else, including Star Destroyers,” Gorba turned to gauge the Lord-Regent’s reaction, “space mines.”

After a moment of serious expression, Gorba’s mouth once again turned into a smile. “Yes! If you can believe it, a field of space mines would have us stopped in our tracks and rerouting. Sometimes it would add days to the journey which could make the whole venture unprofitable. A nightmare, I tell you. We could take a facility like this,” Gorba lifted his arms to gesture to the factory around them, “and have it churning out a thousand little nightmares each day. We could retrofit some of your cruisers, or you know what, I’ll commission a custom mine-layer vessel for deploying them. Fast and simple.”
​

 

[Marlon Sularen]

D E A L S_I N_T H E_D A R K

DARK EMPIRE
CADEMIMU V, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

When Sularen mentioned the Rebels, Savak lit up before proceeding to offer potential solutions to the Rebel problem chief among them being a weapon that had rarely been utilized by the Imperial Navy, Space Mines. He then went on to talk about previous experience, about how Space Mines often caused him to take longer delays which cost him money and time. However Space Mines would be less effective against Rebel elements who made use of a less conventional military and would rarely strike directly against the Empire. But against Conventional Forces, Space Mines were definitely a good investment especially when it came to defending key Imperial worlds against hostile incursions.

"Hum. This is indeed a very interesting idea." The Lord-Regent said nodding in agreement. "Tell me. How soon you can get these factories up and running again and get those Space Mines on the production line." Sularen inquired, intrigued to see what Savak and his Enterprise was truly capable of accomplishing, eager to begin the first step towards the revitalization of the Military-Industrial Complex as soon as possible. "After all, there are more peices of equipment other then Space Mines that the Empire is in need of."

Tags | Gorba Savak ​

 

[Gorba Savak]

GORBA
Abandoned Factory | Cademimu V | Dark Empire Territory
TAGS: Marlon Sularen
​

“Well, let’s see,” Gorba placed his large hands on his hips and stared out into the open air. A grumbling sigh escaped the folds of his face, “with the right opportunities, and the right investments,” he left a pause after that final word, allowing it a moment to sink in, “I’m confident we could have field prototypes testing in ninety days. New ships and all.”

Gorba was always enthusiastically positive about potential timelines. His time in logistics had made him believe that anything that could be done could also be done faster. Somehow. This often led to his technical teams feeling overworked in those crunch times before product releases. Not that Gorba cared.

“They say, Lord-Regent, that necessity is the mother of invention. I say there is no higher necessity than the destruction of one’s enemies,” Gorba’s friendly smirk faded into a harder expression, acknowledging that the situation was indeed serious. “I believe that it’s always prudent to assume that your enemies are having a meeting just like this, at the very same moment, discussing how to destroy you.”

Gorba let out an audible scoff at the thought of the idea. The hubris of his enemies had often been their downfall. How could some backwater slag-hauler pose a threat? He showed them how. It was now both unfortunate and fortunate that the Empire was in a position of perceived weakness. That was their advantage.

“If you’ll humor me for a moment, I’d like to play out a scenario,” Gorba continued, slowly pacing forward again, “let’s imagine that the Diarchy attacks you. Perish the thought, I know, but let’s use them as an example. Your keen military mind knows better than mine how they would conduct such a strike. Locations they would target, forces they would deploy, tactics, strategies, etcetera, etcetera. Now I don't expect you to reveal any secret contingency plans you have, of course. I'm simply curious, what does the enemy rely on to make their plans work? The Dirachs, in this case. Then we can develop the right tech to counter them.”
​

 

[Marlon Sularen]

D E A L S_I N_T H E_D A R K

DARK EMPIRE
CADEMIMU V, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

Sularen thought about Savak's question. The Diarchy was a fairly recent enemy, with the Empire having only fought them twice so far, first at Entralla and Munnilinst and again over Bastion. But there had been too few encounters between the Empire and the Diarchy to actually understand how they worked and what made them effective on the battlefield, not to mention that the Empire and the Diarchy weren't truly at war yet. However, on the other hand, Sularen knew the Galactic Alliance very well, their strengths and weaknesses although he had never been truly been able to take advantage of their many flaws and weaknesses due to his own problems.

"I'll be honest, i don't know much about the Diarchy. The Empire has only fought them twice so far and both battles were mostly inconclusive. While i don't know much about the Diarchy though, i know a lot about the Galactic Alliance whose primary strength comes from their New Jedi Order and Galactic Alliance Defense Force, especially the former who have proven to be more then a thorn on the side of the Imperial Military throughout the Core Wars." the Lord-Regent responded.

"When it comes to the New Jedi Order they often tend to operate either individually, in pairs of masters and apprentices or in small strike teams, all of which have been effective even against the best of Imperial Special Forces. What makes the Jedi so effective though is their usage of the Force, which has enabled them to counter every attack thrown at them with relative ease, even with Anti-Force User countermeasures like Force-dampening grenades, ysalamiri, voidstones, slugthrowers and sonic weapons. While the Alliance Defense Force is a formidable force alone, the New Jedi Order remains one of the largest and most active threats to the Empire." Sularen further explained.

Tags | Gorba Savak ​