First Step into a Larger World (Marek)

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Marek Starchaser"]

When Jorus and Alna Merrill stepped down from the leadership and ownership of Silk Holdings, leaving it in the hands of their old compatriots Selka Ventus and Aldiel D'Lessio, certain avenues opened up. The hotheaded hyperspace explorers had, separately or together, acquired some enemies. But bygones had been bygones, and Jorus had finally given the go-ahead to return operations to CIS space.

Silk intended to come back with a vengeance.

The Hyperspace Assisted Launch Cyclic Onramp -- the HALCYON space train -- had been installed on critical worlds of the Omega Protectorate and Fringe Confederation. People got fussy over companies that sold arms to their enemies, but Silk pretty much just sold...public transportation. Ugly freighters. Space trains. Gas stations.

Selka entered the meeting room armed with datapads by the ton.

 

[Corey's OOC]

How many more meetings did he have that day? Marek was a Templar, and he thought first and foremost. Lately, he wasn’t so sure. So many meetings on behalf of the Techno Union. While he didn’t quite mind, and most of the meetings were things he wanted to do anyway. Like this company, Silk Holdings. He was a fan of their vessels, and owned one granted he knew that part of his own companies were making a similar craft that he was absolutely in love with the design of, and would probably serve to replace his MC-15. Just so he had something that was created solely by the Techno Union as a personal craft.

After all, why not fly what you built, right?

Knowing that this meeting was coming up, the Corellian had reviewed the majority of the offerings from Silk Holdings and was excited, as he had made a suggestion to his own company to begin work on several different work vessels, and Haor Chall had actually created a planet-scouring resource repulsorlift vessel. Silk was a huge exploration company and he wanted to get some of the other Techno Union companies to begin working in a similar fashion, mainly Arakyd Industries.

So many people had so many skills. And maybe with the addition of Silk Industries, making another vessel in a similar fashion would give the Techno Union a huge advantage on the market. He knew a bit about exploration, being raised on the Rim, and a survivalist, and this was something he was going to enjoy.

Sure, his companies were designing more products for the CIS military, but he wanted each company to make creations that could be sold on the public market, and the resource game was probably the best example. A few odd and end for exploration would add to this, but it was going to be mainly planetary resource hunting for his new product offerings, at least from Haor Chall and Arakyd, which have been working together a lot.

Hearing that the Silk Holdings representative, a one @[member="Selka Ventus"] was in the building, he secured a meeting room, something simple, just the pair of them to has out a few things. He’d be able to call in Sindy sometime soon, but she was more of his tech guru. And he was fine with that. Standing from his seat when the representative came in, he smiled.

“Greetings, Ms. Ventus, and welcome to the Techno Union. Please, have a seat.” With a wave of his hand, one of the chairs at the table pulled out. At that, Marek took his own seat again, tapping at his datapad to bring up the information he had amassed on Silk Holdings.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Marek Starchaser"]

The woman who entered the room was, by all accounts, not especially impressive. A little bland, a little mousey, dressed like career middle management.

She owned half of arguably the most powerful corporation in the galaxy. Fuel depots and starbases all over nine hyperlanes. Enough personal wealth to buy this planet. She sure didn't look like it.

"Thank you, Mr. Starchaser." She took the offered seat with a professional smile. "It's been some time since I visited Confederate space. I'm contemplating taking up residence here. I used to live in our former headquarters on Ukio; I may again.

"We have a proposition for you, Mr. Starchaser. It's the same proposition the Omega Protectorate and the Fringe Confederation made to us, and one we were happy to accept." An imagecaster flared to life, depicting a planet with very long, thin lines projecting from it. "This is the HALCYON -- the Hyperspace Assisted Launch Cyclic Onramp -- suitable for affordable mass transit or resource extraction, or reducing transorbital cost. The HALCYON system is currently being constructed all over a third of the galaxy. We want to bring it to Confederate space."

 

[Corey's OOC]

See, that was one thing Marek did know. He knew that people were robots in disguise more than meets the eye. And this plain woman before him was going to surprise him, somehow, and probably more than just her being in charge of perhaps the most powerful single corporation in the known galaxy. He did run Haor Chall Engineering, a small operation compared to many, but Silk… Silk was another beast all together.

He was going to have to be on his A-game for her.

Besides, working with Silk was always a smart move. They were the primary fueling company in the galaxy. Again, he was going to be handling this one with care. “Well, welcome back to our space. It would be a true honor to have someone such as yourself within our borders.” And trusting the military of the Confederacy, even if they might not be a loyalist. Still, would make these meetings easier to get to, with her and Danger in local systems. “If there is anything we can assist you with, all you need is to say the word.”

Pleasantries, he was getting used to that now. Leaning forward to put his elbows on the desk, he was looking at the image caster, and listening. A deal with the others… Still, if they were using the tech, and it was coming from Silk, they weren’t going to load the market with their products fighting their products. Would they?

Looking at the image, and taking a second to look it over, he nodded. Resource extraction, that was something he was definitely interested in, with Haor Chall’s new line of products. “And it’s an accelerator, correct?”

And this is where his rivals would always get him.

@[member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Marek Starchaser"]

She laid out the details for him with long familiarity. In broadest terms, the HALCYON system was a return to a five-thousand-year-old piece of technology, the hyperspace cannon, which could launch non-hypercapable ships between solar systems. A reversion module was much simpler, lighter, and less energy-intensive than a full hyperdrive -- and, as a result, much cheaper. Six train lines carried cargo up or down the skyhook tether, the cannon launched outgoing trains, the tractor beams snared incoming trains and directed them onto the downward tracks -- and in deep space, untethered cannon/tractor modules collected and launched cargo trains as intermediate stations.

Then she showed him how much money other people were saving.

 

[Corey's OOC]

Taking a few moments, Marek was nodding along. It was pretty simple, the HALCYON, beautifully so, the more he thought about it. Moving people and cargo for a lot less money was definitely good. Sure, he didn’t want to put Danger out of business, but still… She could work with this, couldn’t she? He nodded once more.

“And they’re saving that much? How much is installation? How many worlds?” He was sure she had a plan, this was the woman in charge of Silk Holdings, after all.

@[member="Selka Ventus"]