Exchanging For A Tie

[Nyx]

On the roof of the building, The Black Hat couldn't help but admire the cityscape of Narr Shaddaa. It reminded her of Coruscant, just with less Sith this time. The teenager's neural implant fed her constant information about her environment, from the temperature to the noise level to local radio frequencies. If she wanted to, she could listen to every call within a two kilometer radius without even thinking about it.
But she didn't, for she wasn't there to spy that day.
No, today was Black Tie business.
Seeing as the Hat was devoted to the concept of non-violence, that meant reaching out to organizations that could prove to be potential allies; including the Exchange.
Finding [member="Khaleel Malvern"] hadn't been easy, but the Hat wasn't a fan of 'easy' anyway. Her message had been simple; the location of the roof she was standing on, a mention of business discussion, and a 'kisses' emoticon. The slicer had always had a sense of humor.

As she looked out over the landscape, the Hat's artificial eyes peeked out from under her hood, seeing, but focusing on the information only she could see.
She was currently processing the information from her latest worm. It siphoned minuscule amounts of credits from a person's account, barely anything, almost unnoticeable. But it did this millions of times, to millions of different accounts. From there, it siphoned the money into hundreds of soc accounts the Hat had set up on hundreds of planets. Essentially, untraceable.
From there, the money funded Tie business, as well as several anti-Sith groups, and the Hat's personal company.
While she waited for Khal, the Black Hat couldn't help but smirk at her own genius.
Damn, she was good.

 

[Arage Bao]

Nar Shaddaa.
[member="The Black Hat"]

He had owned this place once.

Jimmy’s, now Berry’s. The Corellian and Bothan Sector. The Upper and Lower Promenade. Nar Shaddaa, Nal Hutta and all the rest of the filth and scum of Hutt Space.

Said ownership wasn’t overt, of course.

Only the arrogant and the foolish displayed their power for all to see. No, but nothing had happened without the Underlord of the Exchange looking it over either literally or at least in spirit. But that was a long time ago.

Malvern knew exactly which a way the wind had been blowing with the rapid succession in the Union territories, followed by Bane’s sudden appearance in the same territory.

Insulting.

No courtesy call, no nothing. Just a bunch of Rotary Club lackeys showing up and thinking they could just take over by punching a few low-level thugs in the face. It didn’t work that way and it never had.

But Khaleel Malvern was a businessman first and foremost. He could have waged war against this incursion. Bloodshed through every sector of Nar Shaddaa until the broken form of Bane was spread in front of his feet.

There ain’t no money in that though.

So the Exchange had slowly but surely pulled themselves out of Nar Shaddaa and its territories. The low-key operations; smuggling contraband, a few well-placed corrupt officials, some private ports and warehouses, the usual… they stayed, but Khal had bigger plans.

At least until a message popped up on his terminal.

Warehouse 39, the Roof. Business. :-*
The Hat.

And say one thing about Khaleel Malvern, say he’s a curious bastard.

There would be silence.

Only royally interrupted in steady intervals by gunfire, screams farther down the sectors and boisterous laughter. It was the sound of Nar Shaddaa in the fullest of its glory and it felt right.

She wouldn’t get any warnings. None of her cybernetics would suddenly pop up with notifications of his arrival.

One moment there was a big empty next to her near the ledge and the other a trench-coated man occupied that same emptiness. The scent of cigarra smoke, cologne and worn leather followed in his wake.

“Usually I do the knocking, miss Hat.” the Underlord spoke mildly, his tone spoke of bemusement and a hint of curiosity.

 

[Nyx]

The Hat did not allow herself to show surprise when her contact suddenly appeared beside her. She'd heard stories, and something like this was to be expected, to her. Her artificial eyes swiveled over to him, subtly glowing under her hood.
"Mister Malvern, you made it."
Her implants scanned him head to toe, cataloging him, his possessions, his stance, and all other available information. The slicer rubbed the purple pain on her chin, allowing a grin to show on her face.
Despite all of the cybernetics, she was still human, after all.
"I figured finding this place wasn't too difficult for you?"
The question was rhetorical.
The cyborg fully turned to him, slowly letting down her hood, letting down her shoulder length black hair.
"As much as I wish it was, this isn't a social call. I'm with the Black Tie Syndicate, I trust that one of your position is aware of our existence."
[member="Khaleel Malvern"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="The Black Hat"]

How could he not?

The Black Tie Syndicate. A band of raving maniacs, idiots and amateurs with aspirations to grandeur. The entire Underworld was buzzing with tales about these newcomers.

The latest heir to the ‘legacy’ of the Red Ravens.

Just a few weeks ago they had apparently invited people to come and ransack one of the most profitable casinos that was now located in their home turf.

Why? Who knew.

Simple madness and a waste of resources.

“I might have.” the Underlord replied noncommittally. “What can the Exchange do for the Syndicate?”

It was his curiosity that had pulled him here. Curiosity and just that natural instinct that told him opportunity might be on foot. He might dislike what the Black Ties stood for, but their money was just as good as anyone’s money.

And above all Khaleel Malvern was a businessman.

So he would hear her out. That was the least he could do.

 

[Nyx]

The cyborg gave a small grin as [member="Khaleel Malvern"] agreed to hear her out. Good, good.
The Hat turned away from him, crossing her hands behind her back.
"As you may be aware, the Syndicate can be rather. . . explicit in our methods."
Explosions, huge death tolls, the whole kebab. The Hat had seen it time and time again, and had decided enough was enough.
"We can't keep going like that. I happen to be in a position to, shall we say, forcefully change hands of the Syndicate leadership."
She gave a small sigh.
"Problem is, I'm only one person. I need support."
She turned back to him, her artificial eyes staring at the Underlord.
"Support my regime, and the Syndicate and the Exchange can enter into a very profitable partnership. I hope to do it without violence, but if it comes down to that, then I hope to be able to count on your assistance."

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="The Black Hat"]

Now that took him back for a moment.

He had been anticipating the suggestion of a partnership of sorts and he had been planning on either declining it or reframing the deal in such terms that it would give the Exchange plausible deniability. The last thing his business needed was get its name attached to those bunch of hooligans and misfits.

But this changed things.

"I could possibly… accommodate such a transfer of power." Khal carefully responded. Theoretically he could. The Black Ties were mostly established on the old Red Ravens territories and the bulk of the Ravens had joined his organization after Chiasa’s disappearance.

The competent bulk, at least.

"You have a plan, I assume?"

Khal knew Hat was part of their leadership, but her forte was slicing and white collar crime. That didn’t command a whole lot of respect from a group of murderous vandals.

So her plan had to be good.

 

[Nyx]

The Hat nodded, her usual joking demeanor turning completely serious.
"I do, indeed, have a plan. I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't think things through."
She retrieved a holopic from her pocket, and tossed it to [member="Khaleel Malvern"].
"That, is Miss Blonde. She is on the council of the Syndicate, but most of our organization regards her as our leader. You, however, may know her better as Patricia Susan Garter."
The Hat gave him a moment to digest that information before continuing.
"She is also my adoptive mother. As such, I hold a level of trust with both her and the other so-called 'leaders' of the Syndicate. Miss Blonde is currently content to stay on Antecedent, in the Dragon casino. She rarely deals with the Syndicate these days. I run the day-to-day operations. My plan is to assess which of the other leaders are susceptible to my little coup, and which would be opposed. Those opposed will be dealt with accordingly."
The Hat hoped to not kill them, and use other means, but she was beginning to recognize that such measures will be necessary.
"However, there are some that will without a doubt resist. Many among the Syndicate revere Miss Blonde, and will stay loyal to her. That's where the Exchange comes in. You help me quell the loyalists, and I ensure that the new Syndicate regime deals favorably with your organization."
Her artificial eyes looked into his.
"The Black Ties are rising, Mister Malvern. It would be beneficial to both our organizations if you were on our side."

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="The Black Hat"]

Garter.

How that particular type was still out and running was anyone’s guess. Literally insane as far as Khal was concerned. What with her involvement in the Republic and the clone army, the shet with the Ravens and now this, incompetent at best and unstable at worst.

"How are you planning on dealing with your adoptive mother?"

The Exchange was a business first and foremost. This meant that they did not revel in meaningless destruction, but it also meant that they had little to no use for personal feelings. An obstacle was best removed by making it disappear completely.

Killing Garter was the logical choice.

But was Hat smart enough to realize this? Or would she let her ‘feelings’ stand in the way of good business?

That was the question, wasn’t it?

Khaleel still did not have a very high opinion of the Black Ties.

Ridiculous name. Even the ‘Red Ravens’ had been better, if barely, and the Ties were on a whole other level. But name or not, they had muscle and correctly applied muscle could be effective.

It just needed a sharp mind behind it.

Of course, the Hat thought she would be that mind and she could continue to do so. But a true and strong leader does not need any outside help to establish power in their own organization.

This was a truth that the Underlord understood instinctively.

It was also a truth that eluded most others. Chiasa hadn’t understood it, neither had Bane nor Irani’s Vigo.

 

[Nyx]

The Hat took a sharp breath at the question, knowing it was one that was coming. The woman was many things, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that Blonde would be a problem. She knew that in order for this little coup to go well, she had to make sure Blonde was out of the way.
"I don't want her dead, Mr. Malvern. That will solve nothing. I don't believe that killing solves any problem, in the end."
Whether that made her weak in the Underlord's eyes, she didn't especially care. She was far beyond caring of other's opinions.
"I just want her out of the way. If we do this, then you're not killing anyone."
She may not be physically intimidating, but the Black Hat was not someone to be underestimated. There were few slicers of her equal, and with enough digging, everyone left some of their dirty laundry on the Holonet.
"I am not begging for your help. If you can't do this my way, then walk away."
[member="Khaleel Malvern"]