Help Me With These

[Zion Krayt]

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

Today he was going to Kuat. The largest shipyards within the Galaxy, and by far the most reputable. He had designs for a ship that he wanted to run past the CEO of Kuat Drive Yards. He would think she would admit him, after all they had an arranged meeting upon that day, and for that casual day, he was just Zaren Bouqi.

Nothing more, nothing less.

It was refreshing to say the least, no reason to wear armour, no reason to wear Jedi robes. He was just himself. Not that when he was wearing the Jedi robes and the armour that he was someone else, it was just that no one would be expecting anything of him, except expecting some understanding when it came to ships.

He landed at the designated landing zone, and when he had disembarked he straightened out his clothes and started to head towards Lorelei Darke's offices. Eventually, he had made it to the outside of them and he stopped to speak to the secretary. She had to do some...Secretary stuff and notify her boss that he was there for the meeting, right?

At least he thought so. Whatever it was, he would wait patiently. He was in no rush.

 

[Quietus]

For reasons of timeliness, we'll breeze through those Secretarial duties.

Lorelei Darke sat dressed as she always was - like a Queen. Unlike Mr. Bouqi, she didn't have a choice as to whether or not one day or another would be casual, or whether or not one day she would choose to simply be Lorelei. One didn't dismiss the needs of an entire planet or the business of a Tier 5 corporation for a day without paying some very large consequences. When he arrived to her headquarters office within the Drive Yard ring she looked up from her desk expectantly.

"Mr. Bouqi," the greeting was curt, "you're right on time. Have a seat," the woman indicated one across from her desk. She waited until he was comfortable and spent the next few moments arranging holopads and data flimsies on her desk, just so.

"Now then," with her full, undivided attention garnered, Lorelei gave a short smile that was more a tic at the corner of her lips than anything, "what can I do for you today."

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

 

[Zion Krayt]

He nodded his head to her when she had said that he was on time. He always meant to be on time, a lot of the time his life depended upon it. Sometimes he ever went early to some places, the words of an instructor echoed in his mind. Coming early is coming on time. Remember that. And he watched the Queen re-arrange her holopads.

There was a polite smile upon his face and he folded his hands upon the table in front of him. It was best to look...Official and like a businessman.

"Thank you for receiving me, Your Highness." He hoped that was what he was meant to be calling her, but then again he was speaking to her as the CEO of Kuat Drive Yards, so ma'am could have been acceptable too, right? "I was hoping that Kuat Drive Yards would be capable of completing an order for me." He paused so that he could at least pique her interest to some degree.

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

Highness was a good choice.

Her brows lofted at his question and there was a momentary glint of mirth in her otherwise acidic green gaze. Perhaps he wasn't attempting humor, but when you approached the largest corporations in the Republic and inquired as to their ability to fill an order, the proper response was humor. Taking offense wasn't good for business.

"Yes," she replied ingratiatingly, "yes I do believe we can, unless of course you've come to order anything but ships," there was that tic of a smile again, though it was a bit more resilient this time, "what sort of ship are you looking to order, Mr. Bouqi?"

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

 

[Zion Krayt]

Wrong words of choice, Zee.

He noted the look within her gaze and he stopped himself from frowning. It was a natural thing for him to do in a situation such as that, but just thinking back upon what he had said had been enough for him to realize what he had done.

"I am not in fact looking to order any ship that you already make, Your Highness." He said bluntly. He expected surprise, and then he continued on with, "I ask for a private contract."

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

The woman's expression remained unshifted, no surprise to be had. Private commissions were not so rare, especially not for a company as specialized as KDY.

"Very well, have you designs to present or are we starting from scratch?" Either means would result in the same, but it was the difference between simply overseeing a project or bringing in a Specialist for the job.

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

 

[Zion Krayt]

The Jedi Knight sent a single hand into his jacket, and when he had grasped a datapad in one of the compartments in the jacket he turned it on, already upon the screen with the schematics and the planned end product, and slid the datapad over towards her.

It was a large ship, larger than many ships that were currently within the Galactic Republic's arsenal. It was only a prototype, or it would be if it succeeded, and it would be the only one of it's type. He was kind of shocked that he had made it that far in the galaxy after all that had happened to him.

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

The Queen gently took the datapad and pulled it to her, simultaneously donning a set of half-moon spectacles. She perused the files with interest for several minutes, silent to any internal thoughts on the matter.

"This is quite a ship for one man," she said finally, watching Bouqi over the top edge of her glasses ponderously, "what part of the Republic do you report to?" The man's file had been scant in details, and certainly she couldn't sell a war machine to just anyone. The Queen had her own back to watch, after all, and it was difficult enough with having already undergone one Jedi investigation due to facts based on ignorance. She wasn't about to go through that again.

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

 

[Zion Krayt]

He was going to ask her how she knew he was from the Republic, but then he stopped himself. There was no point really. Kuat was within Republic Space, no Sith would just come waltzing into the largest Shipyard in the Galaxy to ask the CEO to build a ship for them without anyone realizing.

Plus, it was a fairly large warship.

"The Republic Navy and the Jedi Order. I wish to have this ship commissioned as my command ship." He didn't think he needed to say he was a Jedi General.

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

"I see," she replied, glancing at the design plans again.

"Then this project is sanctioned and funded by the Republic itself," she remarked, eyeing the man momentarily. Apparently he'd never done this before, but she wasn't in the business of making a fool out of people who were trying in earnest. Those efforts were saved for the real fools, the Darren Brunswicks of the galaxy, as it were, and Zaren Bouqi was no Darren Brunswick.

"As per the new arrangement made with the Supreme Chancellor for the war efforts, this project will be placed at the front of the line, - DiVanca," the Queen depressed a button on the holoscreen, "my office, now."

"On my way, your Highness," answered back a woman's voice.

Moments later a tall, smartly dressed blond woman stepped in through a hidden door within a wall behind the Queen's desk. Her eyes briefly engaged Zaren before flicking down to his datapad on the desk.

"The Republic is commissioning a new, unique command ship," Lorelei began, pushing Bouqi's datapad across the desk to her Chief of Operations, "I want you to head the project and see that it is made top priority. Start assembling a team and getting the materials. I want them delivered and a station emptied and prepped by tomorrow."

"May I copy this?" DiVanca indicated Bouqi's datapad, "to give to my Chief of Design?"

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

 

[Zion Krayt]

He nodded his head to the woman as she came through the hidden door and checked the datapad. It had been quite unexpected, but to save face he simply nodded and let her do what she had to.

He didn't see a reason why not. But he didn't think he had to make sure of anything, except a contract. "Shall we sign a contract?" He said, already forgetting about the woman DiVanca it was, and looking at the Queen, [member="Lorelei Darke"] again.

 

[Quietus]

"DiVanca will have one drawn up for you shortly, Mr. Bouqi. It will simply be a project agreement based on the designs and parameters you've presented for the Republic, as our base contract with the Republic is already taken care of. This will simply give them someone to go to should they take issue with the project."

In other words, it was his responsibility to ensure that he was representing the Republic faithfully in this endeavor. Any backlash would be sent his way.

Within minutes, DiVanca returned from her office, "This is yours," the woman set Bouqi's datapad on the desk before placing a second larger one beside it. She handed the man a stylus and indicated the areas of the project contract, "please sign here, here, and here."

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]

 

[Zion Krayt]

Again, all he did was nod along because he had nothing else to do. This is so awkward. She does all the talking, and you do all the nodding! This type of job is not for you! He shook his head fractionally, and when the stylus came his way he took it into his hand and signed where he was supposed to three times.

Easy.

Right?

"That is it, Your Highness?"

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

Lorelei waited for the final signature and for her Chief of Operations to collect her things and disappear back through that hidden door.

"This is it, Mr. Bouqi," the Queen replied slowly, brow lofting towards him, "I did not spend several days crafting a highly articulated contract with the Supreme Chancellor for the Republic's projects to become muddled in bureaucracy. Efficiency is key. Now, is there anything else you needed? Any questions? Concerns...?" her lips drew thin, holding internal thoughts where they best remained lest someone get offended, and we already discussed how that was bad for business.

[member="Zaren Bouqi"]