Devil's Work

[Jairus Starvald]

​

Humbarine Sector - Outer Territories​

​

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]​

The construction of shipyards that rival the glory of Fondor, Corellia and Kuat was not a trivial matter in the slightest, but if there was one thing that defined Tai Fa more than anything else, it was an ambition and hunger to accomplish the complicated and difficult. The frame was already established and several large bays were completed. It would take months, maybe even years before the entire ring-structure was finished, but in the meantime those bays could already start churning out production.

It was in this setting that the Humbarine patrols found something curious in the outer territories of the sector.

A routine patrol detected a mass shadow that was grotesque in size.

They first had assumed it was a small fleet of ships incoming, before scouts localized the source of the mass shadow. It was a hulking Battlecruiser, its form wrecked and tears in its hull from extensive battle and wear.

Magister Fa received a missive on his desk within the hour.

Specialists had already determined that the ship would need extensive repairs and restoration, before it could be put to use again. But this seemed the prime opportunity for Humbarine and Fa Holdings to receive vital experience in the shipwrighting business, before they actually went public.

It made sense to reach out to Kuat next.

They might have a friendly rivalry going in local politics, but both nations would rise up together against any existential threats.

Hadleigh and Tai had already negotiated a mutually beneficial partnership on Sarapin.

If Kuat Drive Yards could lend their assistance with the repairs of the Battlecruiser, they would earn a tidy amount of money they would need for their own restoration and both would profit from a renewed diplomatic relationship.

So an invitation had been send for Hadleigh to discuss a joint project. A shuttle would be send for her to transport her to Humbarine territories, where she would meet with the Magister of the Humbarine Sector himself.

The location? An orbital shipyard network in one of the dark system in the sector, militarized and heavily secured against intrusion by the way of Kar'tayl sensor platforms suspended in hyperspace and independent intrusion systems to scan for most forms of stealth technology.

It was in this system that most of the clandestine military research and development was done.

Which explained why a shuttle was sent, instead of sending her the coordinates themselves.

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

Hadleigh went with the shuttle provided, no questions asked.

Although she had been certain her security chief, [member="Ghorua the Shark"], had preferred to be there himself she insisted he stay on Kuat and oversee the chaos there. Better not bring a shark into a meeting with a bird. Of course, she also found herself comfortable enough in Humbarine that she only brought a security tech officer with her.

A relaxed woman with little combat experience but a decade-long career in investigative analysis. "Welcome, Lady Purkis," a greeter had been arranged to meet them at the hangar and no doubt escort her to the whereabouts of [member="Tai Fa"]. "Right this way please, and sorry for the mess. We've had to improvise as our facilities were not manufactured for projects of this scale."

As he said that, countless men and women assisted by power armour and droids continued the internal planning and construction of the newly expanded facilities. For a rapid project, Hadleigh found herself impressed by their synergy. Clearly Fa holdings had a reputation, but this was beyond that--this was simply good business. She did keep her thoughts to herself, however.

At long last the escort party stopped at a large, metallic doorway. "He's waiting inside," the greeter bowed his head once and marched off with the rest.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]

If there was one thing that sovereign nations could count on it was public courtesy and diplomacy.

Purkis would have nothing to fear from Humbarine, in fact, in this meeting the nation would presumably do anything in its power to keep her safe and sound from any harm. Simply, because reputation meant everything in the business of building nations and valuable trust would be destroyed, if something happened to the noblewoman while she was under their protection.

No, if they wanted to do her harm, they would presumably have done it outside of their sphere of influence.

Much safer that way.

Inside the office Purkis might be hit with a sense of vertigo. Specifically because the background was completely dominated by a wall that was transparent and gave a mighty view on the workings outside. The large frame of the Battlecruiser was already visible as it was being worked at. Large durasteel frames surrounded it, to give them access to it from every side and bring in necessary resources to work it.

In comparison the little form of the Thirriken was positively small.

"Lady Purkis." The soft voice sounded through the room once she entered and the hiss of the doors accompanied its closing once again.

"Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. She is beautiful is she not?"

A hulking mess of infinite resources poured into its frame, but there was grace to be found there.

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

"Long ago my family made such titans of war," she turned around to acknowledge the starship before facing Fa again. "Not anymore, though."

Hadleigh offers him a solitary bow of her head in respect. "It is gracious of you to invite me, but I trust you didn't bring me all the way here to show off your new toy." Of course she had her formalities, but even through the casual riff in her speech she maintained a professional demeanor, and always maintained her preference of being to-the-point.

The security tech at her side maintained the 'silent and unseen' mantra that any respectable agent in service of V.I.P would maintain.

"How can K-D-Y be of service?"

She didn't even bother pretending Kuat itself had anything to do with this meeting.

[member="Tai Fa"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]

Tai chuckled in good humor at her comment.

The audacity of the young and the connected was a sight to behold at the best of times, but it mattered little to the Thirriken. There was too much at stake here to take mild offense after all.

Both of them projected the power of their respective powers.

The difference was that Purkis was still young, her nation still in chaos and that her power was not yet resolute. This would change with time, if she was given the chance, of course. It would be interesting to see the young lady stumble, fall and rise up once more to grab the Galaxy by its... nethers.

"Quite." A shrug of the little shoulders followed. "Humbarine has little experience with the restoration of ships the size of this behemoth."

"I could have tapped Iron Crown, Silk or Naboo, but I want Kuat involved in this."

The reason was very simple: all of the formerly mentioned were not local and this was an affair of the Core Worlds first and foremost.

Kuat, Humbarine, Coruscant, they were bastions of ancient civilizations. It could not be any other way, it was either Kuat or a company like Rendili... who had fallen from grace to a larger degree these days - they supported a marginal shipyards in Humbarine, but the Magister was already pondering about a solution to that issue.

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

"I assure you that our shipwrights remain in a class with no higher degree. No glass ceiling like those at Rendili," she of course called out her desolate rival.

Hadleigh looked back to the battlecruiser again. "The design is clearly taken from one of ours, but it has been heavily modified and manufactured by someone else. I don't recognize any familiar markings... Is it Sith?" She looked back to Fa with unaccusing eyes.

He of all people was familiar with Catalys, and probably had no way of knowing how much or little Hadleigh knew. But he was also smart, and wouldn't try to prod around it. Assume everyone is ignorant but don't let them think that: That is the mantra of powerful people.

Or at least those who remain in power.

[member="Tai Fa"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]

Tai pondered how much she would need to know.

At least, before he realized that her engineers would find out either way once they got to the hardware. It was doubtful that he would be able to enlist their assistance without giving them actual access to the systems. But in truth it didn't truly matter in this particular situation, they found this ship drifting out here.

Wrecked and not functional.

Something had happened, but what?

That was the question that interested him. The logs were wiped, so it would presumably stay a mystery, but thankfully it wasn't crucial information.

"Yes and no." The answer was complicated. "We managed to salvage some of the data and this ship is old, older than the One Sith and it's been practically all across the Galaxy."

"But it has signs of Sith use, codes and such that we managed to cross-reference. Why?"

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

"The design has some similarities with Sith trademarks, but it is inconsequential to me." She brushed off the topic, as it was meaningless in the end.

Hadleigh stepped closer to the massive viewport, her emerald eyes struck with concealed awe at the vessel. "So what do you need from me? You never answered that, at least..." Her words trailed quietly at the end whilst she got caught up in appreciation for the battlecruiser. A shipwright's wet dream, to say the least.

She turned back towards Fa for the third time now, unable to choose where her eyes settle. "Or better yet--how much involvement do you want?"

The moment they got involved, they would know a lot about the ship.

Kuat Drive Yards is first and foremost a competitive company...

[member="Tai Fa"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]

Ah, the sound of competition and intrigue in the air.

This was what Tai lived for at the end of the day.

It didn't truly matter to him, of course.

Fa Holdings was a galactic conglomerate, its name synonym to quality and its power reaching across the stars. In the meantime the GenoHaradan was slowly expanding its hold as well, silently and sneakily, but that was just that. Catalys was a part of that same GenoHaradan at the same time.

His success was their success.

"Consultation for the most part." He responded after a moment of thought, before shrugging. "We will most likely need you to get more involved the farther we go, advanced systems, structural integrity and the sort."

A smile of the beak followed.

"We would require contracts, of course, to ensure that everyone profits equally."

It wasn't necessary.

Not with Catalys involved, but it was expected. It would be strange if there weren't any contracts and restrictions involved to keep KDY away from the pretty stuff.

Just as Tai expected Kuat to try and get to it anyway.

As long as everyone kept to protocol and were graceful? It would be fine.

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

"Consider the ink dried," Hadleigh nods twice in succession.

Resisting the urge to look back to the ship, she maintained eye contact with the bird... A bit awkward coming from a humanocentric world such as Kuat, but she ha been used to it more than some.

"I would like to be involved personally then. I assure you my credentials are satisfactory." She still tried to hide the eagerness in her tone.

Graduated 97th percentile at the Shipwright & Engineering College in Kuat City, before that served two years as a cadet in the Kuati Naval Academy with a double major in naval engineering and game theory. Suffice to say, she was as good as they came.

[member="Tai Fa"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]

Tai would not consider the ink dried, which he wanted to note, before he realized she was making a joke.

"I do not have an issue with this, you will be working with my head of engineering, Rash Tsona." The Echani Mechu-Deru expert was one of the finest minds this side of the Galaxy. He had been working quite hard with G.E.A.R, the new acquisition Tai had made a few weeks ago.

The larger Fa Holdings was getting, the more Tai realized it was important to consolidate his assets.

Manufacturing and technological advancements were slowly being funneled into the company. This way one company had control over all the assets, which would benefit advancements, instead of it being spread out across the Galaxy with no rhyme nor rhythm for its reason.

"I will have my people write up the paperwork, so yours can look them over. We can start this within two weeks, if nothing strange turns up."

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

Hadleigh nods.

"Fair play," she sent another idiom his way. "Will we continue coming by your shuttles?" She had to ask.

Hadleigh realized that he wanted to keep this project under wraps, but realistically he also must've known the inconveniences. Yet she--unfamiliar with the bird himself--still gauged the question anyway; who knew the answer but him.

The security chief maintained her quiet-and-unseen approach throughout, to the point Hadleigh nearly bumped into her when she turned to face the ship again.

"Beautiful..."

[member="Tai Fa"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]

It was a good question, but Tai already had the answer for it.

"For now yes."

But that wasn't the whole answer, of course. In truth they were going to do the preliminary work here, assess the damage and ensure that every critical system was backed up, any sensitive data wiped, before they would transfer the hulk to a different system that was less critical in terms of security. There it would be much safer for the KDY representatives to show up and set up shop for the time being.

"Once the project has started in full, you will be allowed to ship in on your own ships, but the location will be different, of course."

It would have to be played carefully, but most things in life that were worthwhile deserved a risk and needed proper caution.

"Unless you have more questions, I think we may conclude this meeting for now?"

There was still much to do and not enough time to do it all.

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

Hadleigh listened well as he answered her thoroughly.

"Of course. Thank you for your time, Lord Fa. I eagerly await the contract," she bowed her head once again in respect.

Turning to her security chief the woman gave a curt nod and departed with the Kuati noblewoman. The two found their way back to the hangar, although all in likely the security around the facility kept a close eye to make sure no one from Kuat Drive Yards had a gander at anything they weren't supposed to see.

Trade secrets and all... At least until the contracts were signed.

As the shuttle departed, Hadleigh looked back once more unto the beast before frowning faintly as stars stretched by before fading into the thick blue of hyperspace.

[member="Tai Fa"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]

Two weeks passed where the KDY and Fa Holdings administrative teams went over the contracts.

Lawyers went through them with a fine comb, until eventually something acceptable went through. There was presumably some interference by Catalys to ensure that Kuat didn't attempt to take too many freedoms. In the end both parties were content with what they got. A contract that ensured that none of the sensitive information would leak, a tidy profit for Kuat and a restored gargantuan ship for Humbarine.

There were no true losers here.

In fact, it ensured that their relationship only improved and was strengthened.

By this point in time the structural integrity of the ship had been improved and solidified enough for emergency hyperdrive units to be fast-wired to the ship. Through various backchannels and a lot of patience they managed to transfer the hulk to one of the secondary military systems within the Humbarine Sector. It was there that Hadleigh and Tai were meeting again.

This time on station orbiting the shipyards that were specifically geared towards tackling the Chrysalide.

All according to specs.

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

Once things were further underway, Hadleigh returned in her own ship--the Contrivance.

A singular shuttle deploys from the less impressive vessel and shines brightly on its way towards the designated station. Once on board Hadleigh had been greeted again, but in a less greeting manner and more of 'hurry let's go' way as her arrival became standard. A certain degree of respect remained, of course, as did the usual security tech for her personal guardian.

When Hadleigh arrived at the meeting point, she brushed herself down before entering.

"Lord Fa, a pleasure as always... What business do we have today?" She kept the pleasantries brief on her part.

Hadleigh had always been a fast woman, preferring things done timely.

[member="Tai Fa"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]

Tai looked up from his desk filled with paperwork of one degree to another and inclined his beak in respect.

After this he pushed himself off his seat, instead opting to perch on its back as it gave him a better view of his guest. From the perched position the Thirriken cocked his head and give it some thought, before nodding softly.

"We have commenced the reconstruction efforts. Coordinates have been transferred according to the protocol laid out in our contracts and your people should be arriving in..."

Three seconds later hyperspace reversion occurred and Kuat ships were telegraphed and guided towards the established docking areas.

"I wished to introduce you to my Head of Engineering, before I departed." He clicked on a button with his talon and after a few more seconds a side-door opened from which an Echani revealed itself. His face was scarred, but eyes were bright and deep like they hid all the mysteries in the world. His fingers were fidgeting, though, which suggested a certain sense of nervous energy.

As if he was very eager to start.

Rash bowed from the waist down to Hadleigh.

"My Lady Purkis, it is an honor to work with you."

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

Hadleigh opted to stand.

Little known secret: The woman hates sitting. She -hates- standing still, too, but if she has to pick between the two she'll take the latter nine times out of ten.

After the Thirriken provided his little memo, Hadleigh turned around to adress sound of a sliding door. Her feet moving with military manners drilled into her from academy days. "Likewise, mister...?" She politely fishes for his name. The Kuati people and the Echani were once rivals; not of the same sort the Echani had with the Mandalorians, but Eshan has its own driveyards.

Of course nothing on the same scale as KDY, but the relationship between shipwrights in the galaxy is fragile at best.

If you're on top you intend to stay there, and if you're on bottom you hope to climb. Kuat followed these rules as did anyone else--even the great Titan Industries who overshadowed galactic shipwrights for a brief wrinkle had paid a hard price learning this lesson.

In truth, only the relationship between Kuat and Humbarine actual saved either's shipyards from brutal competition.

[member="Tai Fa"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Hadleigh Purkis"]

Rash Tsona blinked and then chuckled nervously, before shaking his head.

"Where are my manners? My name is Rash Tsona, Head Engineer." For a moment it seemed like he was going to extend his hand for a shake, at least until he realized just how much literal space there was between the two of them. That would make things awkward and the Echani really disliked it when things got awkward. It didn't help that the slight fidget of movement, before his mind halted said movement already telegraphed what he had wanted to do.

It wasn't any less awkward, but Rash didn't seem to notice.

He was mostly happy he didn't need to touch her. Rash really disliked touching.

"Rash, why don't you show Lady Purkis the engineering deck? I still have quite some work to do after all."

Again Tsona seemed to blink, before nodding furiously. The idea of finally getting back to work seemed to please him greatly and he didn't waste any time to move back towards that direction. He brushed past the table and gestured for Purkis to follow him, only a single light bow was afforded to the Thirriken in response to his own current exit.

Not that Tai seemed to notice, his beak was already bend over the paperwork again.

"Oh oh oh, so exciting, isn't it?" Tsona shared with the lady walking next to him. "The ship is amazing let me tell you!"

 

[Hadleigh Purkis]

Hadleigh's hands crossed behind her back, she politely allowed the Echani a moment of embarrassment.

"That sounds like a sound suggestion," she chimes after Fa's words, before following Rash at his beckoning. She may not have displayed her professionalism as devoutly as Tai did, but her demeanor certainly remains less relaxed than the Echani's. "It is an impressive marvel of engineering, but I haven't seen the inside." Looks could be deceiving, anyone knew that, but for starships it remained no less truthful.

A massive vessel of this size had its benefits, but it also held equally massive risks. Expensive maintenance, delicate systems, and the need for flawless logistics and superior officers meant that any mistake in its operations could prove disastrous. An entire sector could have an electrical failure and someone would have to organize the hundred-or-so technicians to handle it.

If it happened in combat it could mean an entire block of batteries go offline, or the shields overload from the power surge.

The truth is all those people who refer to starships as space coffins were quite accurate, and the more complicated they are the more things can and will go wrong. It wasn't about preventing mistakes from happening, it was about being able to tolerate them.

[member="Tai Fa"]