Desert Heat [ORC Dominion of Manas | P,57]

[Rosalina]

Objective: 2
Location: Kafez, plains
Nearby: [member="Thal"] and his shiny teeth

At some point Alm had dismounted from her steed and out came the weapon. With a one armed swing, the blunt of her hammer had found the pirate’s face, simultaneously tearing him away from the frightened girl and caving his skull in. In her time spent off planet, Alm had grown taller and stronger, lanky form filling out to be more muscular. That was the thing with teenagers—a few years could do a world of difference.

Before she could comfort the girl or venture further into the city, someone called out to her. At least, she thought they were calling to her. Alm didn’t understand what he had said but her posture spoke of wariness and hostility. For a few moments she strained to try and decode his words given that her Basic was far from fluent but ultimately couldn’t make heads or tails of anything.

The hammer was brought down to her side as she examined the man in front of her. She hadn’t seen him beat one of the attackers to death, all she saw was a foreigner, caked in blood and dirt and heading towards them. The broken restraints at his wrists did not go unnoticed, and perhaps that was why she did not attack.

“Who are you?”

She assumed he’d understand her Basic, thickly accented as it was. The Nasvalo stood tall, unyielding as she was raised to be. Though more worldly than anyone in her family, she was still cautious when dealing with foreigners on Manas. Especially ones soaked in blood during a pirate raid.

The other native cowered behind her, peeking out from beside the taller woman at the strange man who spoke strange words.

 

[Karrigan'Xalda]

Objective: 2
Location: Kafez, plains


Supposedly, the town of Kafez, once the centre of Manas, had a slaver problem. There was nothing confirmed, but rumours claimed that young adults and children disappeared. This coincided with an influx of foreigners. Somewhere in the desert, a bit further away from the town, a Drow clad from head to toe in sealed armour that kept the merciless sun from blistering, was at work.


Her captive was wearing a lot less than she was. Actually, only his modesty was concealed. Mainly to keep the censors from getting mad. The scorching heat was havign an averse effect on his skin. The same applied to the sand, which had gotten into unmentionable places - and his eyes. He was also collared and cuffed and had been denied water for quite a while. He happened to be right in the sun.

"You should let me go. I'm an honest merchant,"

"You stink of urine, fear and sweat," the Drow observed. Her accent was thick.

"What do you want? Money? I can pay if you let me go. My friends will come looking for me."

"Tell this one about the disappearances."

"Or what will you do? Kill me?"

"No, too simple. You will be left to die in the sun. Terminal dehydration will set in. The heat will kill you. Eventually. As will these," nasty looking insectoid creatures began to crawl over him. The prisoner cried out as they made themselves at home on his skin and applied their stingers. "They lay eggs inside inside the skin of mammals. This one will just watch."

"Get them off me!" he cried out when the creatures began to target his eyes, ears and face. So she did. Some time later, he'd finished talking. "So we're square now, right? You untie me, we both go our separate ways and never see each other again. You do what you want in the town."

"This one thanks you for your information. However, it does not absolve you of your guilt," Xalda turned and left him to struggle and shout at the uncaring sun and the insects that crawled back to him. He was still screaming when she boarded her bike...

 

[Klesta]

Objective 1: Business (peddling ergonomic assessments)
Company: Sith Inquisitor
Allies: TBD

"Probably feel it's better to go with training on-world"

"Then start with us taking more responsibility early on and then we will gradually allow your own staff to train later batches"

Might take a little longer, but they may as well get the building built separately from the main deal for training the ergonomic assessors proper, he thought, while realizing that, sometimes there was little money for the provision of services but there was seemingly a lot of money for immobilization and other capital expenditures. Might take a little longer, but if they preferred to lease some building for the Sith Inquisitor to play host to ergonomic assessor training, so be it. He appreciated them taking the long view which, especially since they expect WH&S to be a going concern, so he could get into greater detail as to how those ergonomic assessors were going to be trained, and also the schedule for handing off the training of the assessors. So much could go wrong if there isn't a proper control mechanism to ensure that instructional standards are actually met. For the first time that it wasn't merely about selling the ergonomic assessments proper, more of an attempt to teach them how to fish, proverbially speaking. But training ergonomic assessors was a long-term endeavor.

"What about for the first year, we handle everything, the second year we handle two-thirds of the teaching and the third year we handle one-third of the instruction?"

 

[Thal Mantis]

Objective Two
[member="Alm"] and hammer time
The plains, the sand, coarse and it's...everywhere....

She spoke basic. He knew the language, yet not the words. He had only heard it from travelers- rarely in the Red Tower's slave pits did he hear that language. The unifying language of the masters he served in Wild Space and the Outer Rim was Huttese and Bocce- rarely basic. He had never been taught it, perhaps on purpose. It was hard to make your way around, much less escape- without knowing the language.

He walked towards her, his footsteps...awkward. He had never walked in such heat before, or on truly uneven footing. His eyes burned- they had never seen the true force of a sun. He shielded his eyes, and walked forwards to the girl.

He touched his chest with a bloodied hand.

"Thal."

He gestured towards her. He looked dangerous, a muscular frame and braided hair- covered in someone else's blood. Upon closer inspection- and for those that were attuned to violence, it was not the blood of a human- so it wasn't his. Even if, Thal was fully human. He didn't know, but he wagered a hard guess.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Objective : Major Contract | Location : Manas, The Plains, Kafez


"I've heard some rough stories about Kafez. Seems to be littered with unsavory types now that Sel claimed itself the capital of the planet. Slaves, arms deals, various drugs. Intelligence gathered from Omega seems to tell us law enforcement cannot keep up with the crime. Considering the remote area, the cultural differences of people on Manas, and lack of resources I am not surprised."


Judah looked at his security adviser sitting in the seat next to him on the dusty trip into Kafez. Line of landspeeders cut across the plains, taking them to see a local council. Judah tended to get their blessing (if there was a local group of elders) before doing anything. Didn't need a construction site and business ruined by angry locals.


"Zona, we've faced this before. Tabaqui was a bit of a mess before Firemane Industries came in with us and helped clean up those who didnt have the planets best interests in mind. I have no doubts Omega will be able to keep this sector clean for both Salacia and the locals after a bit of time. Besides, I'm sure [member="Danger Arceneau"] doesn't mind expanding our contract and taking even more of my money. "

 

[Saffron]

Objective : Haven Shipyards Major Contract | Location : Manas, Sel

"It feels just like Tatooine." Saffron would murmur, a bit appreciative of the observation. The L3-37 Droid beside her, however, was not in the least bit amused.

"This sand will get in my drive wheel." Elthree, a L3-37 customized droid, did not have the standard personality matrix like those of her kind found at the Southern Systems Business Bazaar. She had been programmed to be an assistant for Saffron, but with it came the quirks of a delayed memory wipe. As such, it manifested in a personality that was keen to point out minor inconveniences with a touch of sarcasm.

To her benefit, Elthree didn't do so while in the presence of customers.

"Perhaps. I am sure your drive wheel will be fine, Elthree." Saffron replied. "Lets continue, shall we?"

While Sel certainly wasn't the most resource heavy, it was the bridge towards interacting with the people of Manas. It had to be done in steps. Manas had a wealth of Tibanna resources, something that Mara Tibx certainly was interested in. But it wasn't just for the fuel. Haven Shipyards had been expanding and if they could negotiate the construction of a location here to utilize that local Tibanna, then perhaps they would be able to supply the Outer Rim Coalition with more utility space craft much like the fuel transports they had contracted for earlier.

 

[Rosalina]

Objective: 2
Location: Kafez, plains
Engaging: [member="Thal"]
Approaching: @Karrigan’Xalda

As far as Alm figured, this man understood Basic. She assumed that anyone not of her planet spoke Basic and likely better than her.

“My name is Alm.”

Dark eyes swept over his form again, making no move to hide her scrutiny. He certainly looked as if he were built for war, but why wasn’t he doing anything? Alm’s own trust in strangers had dwindled since exploring the galaxy.

“Are you pirate? Slaver?” Her chin jerked towards the city.

The girl behind her made a noise and pointed to the east. Alm glanced to the side for just a moment, keeping Thal within her line of sight. She was able to glean a small dot in the distance but didn’t know what it was, not until the low hum of a speeder bike drifted over the din. The good thing about the plains was that there was very little where you could hide.

Overhead, a bird of prey circled. Alm kicked her tongue twice and he descended, latching onto the gauntlet at her shoulder.

 

[Karrigan'Xalda]

Objective: 2
Location: Kafez, plains
[member="Alm"], [member="Thal"]


The bike kicked up a shroud of sand and dust as it sped across the sandy plains, a low humming filling the air. The star people had taught Xalda how to drive this vehicle and she found that she liked it. She enjoyed the speed it possessed. To someone like her, it felt like traversing a vast space in the blink of an eye. Above all, it represented freedom.


Something that was evidently being denied the inhabitants of the town she was shooting towards. As she approached the outskirts, she slowed the bike down to get a better view of things. Through the gift of the spirits, she could sense the presence of two individuals even before she saw them. The figures solidifed as she got closer. One girl holding a huge hammer, one maleling who was covered in blood. From this distance, she could not tell whether it was his own or someone else's.


Either way, thoughts on this matter were cut short by shouts and the sound of gunfire. Armed gunmen were trying to subdue people running away in the streets, many of them children. Bringing the bike to a halt, Xalda turned off the engines and disembarked, getting in cover. "Raider presence confirmed," she whispered quietly into her commlink, keeping her voice low while she looked at the scenery in front of her through the scope of her rifle. Rather than use Basic, she spoke in the native Xioquo tongue. It was extremely unlikely that anyone on this planet understood that language.


She watched, seeing that some of the natives open fire on their would-be captors or defend themselves with melee weapons. Calmly, she lined up for a shot; then a high-velocity bullet leapt out of the muzzle of her rifle and shot towards a raider's centre of mass. It breached the pleural cavity. His cavity was filled with enough air to cause his lungs to collapse. Good luck breathing in that condition. Or not dying. She'd have to remember to take the scum's ears.

 

[Klesta]

Objective 1: Business (peddling ergonomic assessments)
Company: Sith Inquisitor
Allies: TBD

"That's a curve perhaps: usually, how long does it take to train ergonomic assessors?"

"Maybe six standard months or so"

The length of the learning curve was far from being an inconsequential information for the Jawa and its would-be partner. It would definitely affect the expenditures and how many assessors to train at any one time. Also, the Jawa knew that the costs of training per student were often sawtooth-shaped once the size of the cohort being trained increases. He also heard about how higher education seemed to incur, from some programs' standpoints at a given institution, a net marginal cost to enroll an additional student, even with additional government funding and/or tuition money: students often sent memoirs regarding the topic as far as to how to make the whole educational system effective without sacrificing standards or service levels. However, this led into a question of prerequisites: Klesta had no familiarity whatsoever with the system in place on Manas so he was at the mercy of the other party regarding the matter. Perhaps some prereq discussion was necessary before enacting the deal in full, however, and that might be for the best. And also what would be necessary to actually deliver an ergonomic assessor in six months.

 

[Saffron]

Objective: Haven Shipyards Major Contract | Location: Manas, Sel

The longer Saffron explored Sel, the more it reminded her of a Tatooine Bazaar. There was a medley of scents in the air. Spices and perfumes. The arid sensation of dry air against your skin and the slight floating particles of sand drifting in the breeze. Another smile began to curve upon the blonde's lips.

"Ma'dam we should be meeting with a local Sel representative within the hour." that was their contact with the local trade council. Well, as much as one could call it one. The locals of Manas were not too keen on outworlders, but those in Sel at least were a bit more used to technology and trading with them.

The plans were to suggest the construction of a space port. From that spaceport a series of buildings for warehouses, productions, and sales of Haven Shipyards and MaraTibx products could be the base of operations within this sector. It could very well take years before a shipment could be delivered just by the sheer danger of traveling through the Outback. Making it easier and providing stoping points and trade posts was not only to their benefit, but to the Outer Rim as well.

 

[Mala]

Location: Kafez
Possibly nearby: [member="Thal"] [member="Alm"]

Mala was not deaf to the sound of death, the gurgling cries of dying men, shrieks of agony and brief blaster fire reached her keen ears in the belly of the ship where they'd left her. Laying on her back in the cage, they'd thrown her into upon discovery, she sang merrily. So sneaking away from her Hunter [member="Cato Fett"] had not been her smartest idea yet, but she'd been so bored and the ship had been so inviting. Just sitting there all open and with crew with lazy eyes, it had screamed at her. Stowaway, it had said, stowaway and I'll take you to some new shinies.

It had taken her less than a parsec to realise they were pirates...and no more than three for them to catch her. Apparently they didn't take to kindly to achilles tendons being sliced and small balls of screeching fur dropping from the ceiling vents and sinking her teeth into whatever she could. Mala hated pirates, pirates had killed Mala's parents...so their dying screams were nothing she concerned herself with.
Instead she hooked her tongue into a cheek pouch, freeing a flexible piece of metal and continued her singing as she bent it into the perfect lockpicking tool.


"...twenty fat pirates, sitting on a ship. Twenty fat pirates sitting on a ship..."

She rolled to her knees and faced the tiny cage door, shuffling forward to slide her hand between the bars and slide her pick into place.

"If one fat pirate, should violently fall..."

Click.

The door swung open and Mala giggled happily.

"Then there be nineteen fat pirates, sitting on a ship."

She bounded free of her crate, and went looking for the bald one who'd taken away her shinies.

 

[Thuumal Xevshe]

Post #3
Objective: #2
Location: Somewhere in the deserts plains of Manas, not far from the City of Kafez
Allies: [member="Chedi Iqari"]
Others Nearby: [member="Thal"] | [member="Alm"] | [member="Mala"] |[member="Karrigan'Xalda"]

"You know what, I think that maybe we should do a little exploring. Maybe up towards those tents over there."

Xevshe nodded slightly and followed Chedi. The sun was hot, the dusty air thick with the sense of danger. And despite this, his companion had slowly crept up to the outskirts of the town. The falleen wasn't sure what had gotten into his companion, but the motives behind the mirialan's somewhat out-of-character, and frankly, blatant disregard for safety on an unknown world were betrayed by the look of concern on Chedi's face.

In the flash of an instant, Xevshe felt pain. Deep, scarring pain, the kind of pain he had felt once before. His mind raced to memories of a time when Xevshe had been a captive of slavers somewhere in the Kathol Outback. Suddenly, he saw Chedi and himself walking toward the nearby town, much closer to the town than he had remembered them being. He felt weightless. The view, ethereal, was not through his own eyes, but rather those of an observer hovering high above the area. The pair crested a hill, when suddenly the sky grew dark. Xevshe could taste the unmistakable, metallic sensation of blood in his mouth. He could feel a sense of caution and fear in the wind.

He shook his head and was suddenly back in his own head, walking closely behind Chedi. He closed the gap, taking his blaster rifle off his back as his head filled with fear. He whispered to his companion, hoping to share his sense of dread.

"I don't know why, but this place is unnerving. We best tread lightly." As soon as he spoke, Chedi began to climb a hill, the same hill that Xevshe had seen in his mind just a moment before. He crouched and reached out gently to pull Chedi down to his level. He could hear commotion and saw a few figures in the distance. "Chedi! Get down!" He whispered.

 

[Chedi Iqari]

Objective #2

Chedi could sense that Mr. Xevshe was behind him, following him towards the tents but Chedi could hardly pay attention as Mr. Xevshe tried to talk to him. As they had moved up the hill, Chedi had taken his rifle blaster out. Suddenly, he felt Mr. Xevshe pulling at him "Chedi! Get down!" As Chedi peaked over the hill, he could see two figures that appeared to be talking to each other, one covered in blood and the other with some sort of large bird on her shoulder. Chedi still had his sense of foreboding but he did not feel like these people in front of him, who frankly looked terrifying to him, were the source of his unease. Suddenly he heard a shot but could not tell from which direction. Chedi and Mr. Xevshe instinctively flattened out on the ground.

[member="Karrigan'Xalda"]
[member="Alm"]
[member="Thal"]
[member="Thuumal Xevshe"]
[member="Mala"]

 

[Klesta]

Objective 1: Business (peddling ergonomic assessments)
Company: Sith Inquisitor
Allies: TBD

"You say you can train an ergonomic assessor in six standard months. Prerequisites don't seem that steep, although we need a commercial and an industrial stream to make that happen with the least prerequisites"

"What exactly does the least prerequisites mean?"

Poor Klesta. He once heard about how some Republican worlds, back in the day, seemed to have steep licensure requirements for practicing professions even as mundane as florist, which locked out some people from entering job markets even when they were otherwise qualified. At least the local authorities were aware of the need to reduce the barriers to entry as much as safely possible. Yes, Klesta was aware that some areas, such as healthcare or law, protection of the public was often a major rationale for restricting access to training leading to those professions, but WH&S seemed to be a different bag of beans. Perhaps the Jawa was one of those few senators who understood that sort of matters without having to rely on staff or the Senate Research Office. Just that, while senators usually were motivated by power, careerism or maybe the actual desire to serve their planet's constituents, actually exercising legislative power is a merciless work in a democracy. Just that, for once, he was dealing with local authorities that readily understood their constituents' needs and where ergonomic assessments fit.

"Probably some high school-level biology and mathematics up to precalculus level"

 

[Thal Mantis]

Objective Two:
With: [member="Alm"]
In Vicinity: [member="Thuumal Xevshe"] l [member="Chedi Iqari"] l [member="Karrigan'Xalda"] l


Slave.

The word burned his ears. He knew only a handful of words in the unifying language of the galaxy, the shared collective tongue of so many, excluding him. And that word meant what people viewed him as. Property. That he was nothing more than a tool, a way to make money. They had robbed him of his life, his youth, of love, of family, of home- all for the sake of profit. His anger swelled, a burning hatred that rarely formed within the man, save for when the brutality of his life was recalled.

He blinked rapidly, the adrenaline wearing off. His sixth sense was burning- someone else was here. Someone was feeling him, searching for him. He twisted his feet and planted himself further in the sand, steadying himself. The woman with the hammer must have been asking him what he was. If he was a slave, if he was with these raiders, these creatures that came to inflict harm on these innocent people. Do what they did to him to even more people.

"Nobata."

How to tell her he wasn't a slaver- if she could not speak his language? Perhaps she spoke Bocce.
"Bazi batza Huttese?"

He needed a clear line of communication- perhaps then there wouldn't be a small chance of him being subjected to that hammer of hers. Not that he felt particularly threatened- he just didn't want to get into a fight with a person that didn't deserve it. He had his sights set on more evil men than her.

 

[Saffron]

Objective: Haven Shipyards Major Contract | Location: Manas, Sel

They would arrive at their destination within a few minutes. All the while, Saffron would quietly observe the Manasites walking alongside her. They were as curious as she, although there were a few of the elder Nasvali who would give her suspicious looks. It was easy to understand why and Saffron did not fault them for it.

Sel was the planet's capital, and with that came rapid change. Change that many of the older generations were not comfortable with. It was Saffron's intention to quell those fears and to transition the proposal of a new location with the utmost respect she could give them. Haven Shipyards in partnership with Arceneau Trade could offer an enhanced lifestyle and access to trade goods from across the 'verse.

She was to meet with Adria Van, a Tsolvalo member of the local council. Perhaps it was best that they would meet with someone a little more progressive.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Objective 1: Business
Objective: Archangel Major Contract | Location: Manas, Sel

Change was coming to the world of Manas. The deserts of this planet bred a hardy, tough people. Their grand desert cities were a testament to their ingenuity. Now they were being opened up to the larger Galaxy. As always, there were those who perceived change to be a chance, others saw it as a threat. It was probably a mixture of both.


Unsurprisingly, Archangel, a corporation committed to technological progress, took an interest in this world. The company had many things to offer the natives. The upper crust of society in Sel might appreciate the services of deceptively realistic HRDs. Droid servitors could help them improve their infrastructure. Finally, it had come to Archangel's attenton that the native Nasvali, though hardened by life on a desert world, suffered from a serious medical ailment: Their hearts were too small for their large frames.


Archangel, an expert in medical technology, cloning and cybernetics, was here to help. To this end, Archangel intended to construct a state-of-the-art hospital, along with a research facility to manufacture advanced artificial hearts and organs. It was also interested in securing rights to mine Tibanna gas deposits in the wastelands. Such matters were on the mind of Tess as she was brought to her destination via speeder transport, accompanied by some natives. They were a curious bunch, some suspicious, others intrigued. Either way, she would conduct a tour of the place and meet with one of the senior leaders of this community.

 

[Moira Skaldi]

Objective 1: Business
Objective: Archangel Major Contract | Location: Manas, Sel


Sel was a bustling city that prided itself on being almost as modern as the galactic standard. This generated opportunities, but also risks, class inequalities and so on. Both land and labour were easy to come by, though this presumably still required greasing the right palms. The climate was extremely hot, dry and unforgiving.


This did not trouble droids. Archangel preferred to utilise droid labour. What had attracted Archangel to the planet were reports of tibanna deposits being discovered in the desert wastelands. The news had caused a veritable tibanna rush, as various private entities sought to stake their claim. Archangel did not intend to lag behind. So while talks with local dignitaries were ongoing, Archangel dispatched droids to survey the mine - and keep competition away. Every business needed fuel, after all, though Archangel's interests went beyond that.


To prove its credentials and keep trouble away, Archangel made a donation to certain bigwigs in a nearby city. It was always sensible to be on good terms with local luminaries, after all. Either way, survey droids were dispatched. A bunch of military grade security droids led by an HRD would ensure their protection, just in case pirates or enemies of progress showed up. If the survey results turned out to be promising, this would be an ideal location for an outpost.

 

[Klesta]

Objective 1: Business (peddling ergonomic assessments)
Company: Sith Inquisitor
Allies: TBD

These prerequisitseemed acceptable for him, especially since he knew that trigonometry was a key component of getting the work done regardless of streams. Maybe he could have an additional clause about using the civil service for the training of ergonomic assessors so that he could kill more than just two birds with one stone. He knew that some cultures approached civil service as a place to stash educated people of varying levels of laziness, but that's probably because there is no reward system in place and only punishments in some cases (as was the case in one of the Imperial Remnants). And yet perhaps a proper ergonomic assessment would be a wake-up call to some among the civil service, a wake-up call to correct inadequate methods or procedures. There was the possibility that Klesta does, in fact, effect a whole change of culture among Manas' civil service especially if the pilot project as outlined now proved conclusive and that there is actually some change being enacted, and hopefully for the better. Or so he would hope.

"One last thing: if you do not have any objections, perhaps you could use the civil service for the practical lessons of delivering ergonomic assessments"

"In the workplace health and safety administration as a pilot project, which can later be expanded to other departments"

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Objective 1: Business
Objective: Archangel Major Contract | Location: Manas, Sel


Once upon a time Tess had been a human being. She'd had a childhood, aspirations and dreams. She'd even been married. Then she'd gotten sick and begun to waste away. Her grieving husband, who'd poured all his efforts into saving her, had been unable to bear the loss. So he'd contracted Archangel to produce a facsimile.


Later on, her mechanical masters had ordered the replicant to dispose of him. She'd obeyed. Perhaps some of the memory of the person she'd once been lay buried inside her Droid mind. Something all the conditioning and logic processors could not undo. Perhaps it had made joining Enyo Typhos easier.


Either way, outwardly, it was almost impossible to discern her true nature. Nothing short of an MRI type scan would divulge the truth. Her body was made of low-strength polymers and plastics, her skin was soft and felt warm to touch. Her movements were fluid, as opposed to jerky or awkward. She was the ideal advertisement for Archangel.

A group of dignitaries greeted them after she'd been led into a temperature-controlled office. The evident leader was a native dressed in elegant robes, by the name of Aybek Karashev. "Welcome to Sel. I trust your trip here was pleasant. I am Councillor Aybek Karashev, one of the elected leaders of this community."

"Director Tess Tanner, Archangel Research and Design. Thank you for receiving me. The trip was pleasant, as was what I got to see of your city," the HRD replied smoothly, shaking the profferred hand. Her grip was firm, but not unduly so. A sophisticated droid knew its strength.

The politician chuckled slightly. "How does it compare to the great cities of the Core?" he asked rhetorically. "We do our best to catch up. Our ancestors toiled hard to tame the deserts. When we leave the stage and make way for our children, we shall leave them cities that are oasises of progress and culture."

"Archangel wishes to support your efforts to bring progress to Sal and Manas as a whole. We have a broad portfolio that can help you accomplish this goal, ranging from the provision of ships, infrastructure droids, elite combat models to medicine and cybernetics. The latter two are a special focus of ours."

The Councillor's face remained a polite mask, yet Tess was certain that it had slipped just a bit when she mentioned medicine. "Jyrgal, please bring us some refreshments," he ordered a minion. "Continue."