Houses Ain't Cheap

[Subject 37]

Vanir
[member="Joza Perl"]

Einhardt stood quietly in a small conference room at the southern end of Vanir City. The tower that the building was located in was one of the few within the sprawling Metropolis that had it's own landing pad, and the reason for that was rather simple; meetings were usually conducted here.

It might have seemed silly that such a thing would warrant it's own building, but with Vanir there were often small things to be considered that other cities didn't really need to worry about. This entire world, this entire place was built around Vanir Technologies. The Corporation as a whole was put first, and thus this building basically served as one big meeting hall for a dozen different entities at a dozen different times. It was a convenient place to go when someone needed to arrange something, especially if they didn't want to go through the trouble at landing at the Transportation hub.

He couldn't blame anyone who wished for the latter, after all it turned an hour long trip into a two hour long trip and that turned the whole thing into a nightmare.

The young man let out a sigh.

He had been working for his Cousin's company nearly a year now, and so far things had gone supremely well. He had started as a simple Financial Consultant on projects, working with other parts of the company to ensure that money went where it could best be used. His work had been exceptional, and he'd proven to be quite effective. It had been that merit that had gotten him promoted to where he was now; Vice President of Finances.

The title was a bit...well useless, Vanir was so huge there were about 30 Vice Presidents of Finance, but it was still something. He was coming closer and closer to actually doing something within the company, and most importantly he was proving that he was getting by not by his name, but by what he could do. It was important to him to succeed by his own merits, and he was doing so.

Of course today marked the beginning of a new endeavor, making deals.

As Vice President of Finance he was now capable of making deals, diverting money to projects outside of the company. That was big, it was a way to show you were either ready to make money for the company, or improve the companies image. The latter was what he was hoping to accomplish today, or that was what he had intended when he'd read the proposal anyway. He only hoped things would work out.

 

[Joza Perl]

When a company has a planet named after it, that’s when you knew they’d made it big.

Like, real big.

Joza had no plans to colonize a planet in the name of Heartbeat House, but then again she’d never envisioned that she’d take things this far. It had started as a small studio in downtown Lianna City that could barely hold a dozen dancers, and now the Heartbeat logo was popping up on different planets in the Core, largely in the entertainment and beauty industry. To some it would seem small but the Zeltron had found passion in her work, and in turn threw herself into expanding her reach and strengthening her company as a whole. She had enough experience in the entertainment industry prior to start off with a decent grasp, but there were a few ventures she needed guidance with.

Humanitarian aid was a project she’d been working on for a long while, starting long ago by simply converting the basement floor of her dance studio as a makeshift safe house for escaped slaves—to tunnles and underground safe houses on Nar Shaddaa—to a fleet of transport and medical ships that was currently being built.

In a time of crisis, she could help people get off of a planet. But what could she do when it was over to help rebuild? There was an answer in the construction division of Vanir Technologies.

Joza smoothed out the crisp fabric of her skirt, checking her reflection quickly in the lens of her compact mirror. Her hair was pulled back, coiffed in a professionally stylish way and her clothing was appropriate for a business meeting—no cleavage, unnecessarily short skirts or high heels, and no sparkles. Satisfied with her appearance, she turned the knob to the door and strode into the conference room. With only one other person inside, she made her way over to @Einhard Al’khun.

“You must be Mr. Al’khun—Joza Perl, lovely to meet you.” She beamed, confidence and cheerfulness completely natural and very Zeltron-like. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.”

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Ein had only met a few Zeltrons in his lifetime, and all of those had been at frat parties back on Empress Teta. They had always been a fun bunch, at least in his experience, and those pheromones that they could produce were nothing to scoff at. He suspected that Miss Perl was incredibly aware of this, though he also doubted she would try anything of that nature while conducting business.

Still, for a brief second he did imagine the letter he could write to Galactic Penthouse.

"A pleasure, Miss Perl." Ein said as he slowly walked over to the woman and took her hand. He gently cupped her palm in between both of his hands and then leaned in, kissing each of her cheeks before pulling back. "Please, call me Ein."

He wasn't being cheeky, instead carrying out a Tetan custom.

The young man had no idea if Joza would be aware of that, but he hadn't quite learned off-world etiquette just yet and doing what he had done was a very natural thing back home.

 

[Joza Perl]

For a moment, a crimson brow raised then lowered at the gesture. It wasn’t one unfamiliar to her, just unexpected for a business meeting.

She returned it regardless, not particularly minding especially given than to sly grin or extra touches followed.

“Thank you for having me, Ein.” She responded in kind before giving him a polite smile and swiftly taking her seat, legs crossed. Business posture was one thing she had to be taught when meeting like this became more frequent, especially when they involved hashing out deals. Back straight, shoulders lifted, arms and hands more open, not crossed so as to seem defensive or unsure.

They’d interacted a few times via messaging, enough to get the gist of the proposition. “Heartbeat is excited to be potentially working with Vanir on our new humanitarian initiative. We have a history of providing aid to civilians in the wake of natural disasters and invasion, and now we’re looking to expand our ability to bring relief to the citizens of the galaxy.”

[member="Einhardt Al'Kuhn"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

"Yes I read the proposal." He stated simply, slowly motioning her towards the conference table.

Galactic Construction was one of the things that Vanir Technologies did better than most companies. They had proven time and time again that their projects were done faster, better, and most of the time bigger than any of their competitors. There was a reason they did so well within that market.

"Obviously we'll want to start small." Ein said as he took a seat at the table. "Is there a world in particular..."

He trailed off for a moment, reaching down and grabbing a small datapad with Joza's proposal on it. "That you believe will benefit the most initially?"

They would do this one at a time.

 

[Joza Perl]

The Vanir name was one of the reasons she’d approached the behemoth of a company in the first place after researching her options. There were many smaller companies that offered construction, but Vanir had the experience and capacity to help her pursue a project like this should they so choose.

Bigger didn’t always necessarily mean better, but the Zeltron preferred a tried and true method for this venture rather than take a leap of faith. Plus, she’d purchased weaponry from VT on several occasions and was not disappointed.

Not that…they were building guns. She just appreciated a quality project as much as the rest of the galaxy did.

“Togoria.” She answered simply, pulling up a document on her datapad and giving it a quick scroll before looking back up to Einhardt. “It’s recently come under the protection of the Silver Jedi. I went there myself when they sent aid to the citizens and saw the need for proper housing.” Among food, clothing and medical care which she was able to provide in smaller doses. Hopefully the world would see some rest now after being ravaged by war.

The Sith power that lingered too close to Silver territory made her wary.

[member="Einhardt Al'Kuhn"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

He ran a hand through his hair.

"Togoria." Ein was not unfamiliar with the planet. He knew what had happened there a couple of years ago, what the Sith had done. The case was one of the examples they had learned about in University, the atrocities of the Sith. He had never seen it first hand of course, but there were plenty of pictures and holofeeds that made most of the class throw up or not want to eat their lunch.

Thinking of it made him scowl.

"Good choice." He said quietly. "Though, what about the New Sith power there?"

Ein was well informed of course. "Aren't they a concern for you?"

It wasn't that he was against it, but Ein had to conduct his due diligence if he was putting money into this project. The Silver Jedi were still a strong government, but he knew that they had recently lost Dromund Kaas to what was calling itself the Resurgent Empire. If Vanir and Heartbeat House were going to build refugee camps, Ein wanted to make sure their resources didn't fall into the wrong hands a few months later.

 

[Joza Perl]

The mention of the Sith made her pause.

Something she should have seen coming. They had always been a concern for her—lingering in the back of her mind even when her focus was entirely elsewhere. Like it or not, ignore them as she tried, interaction with the Sith played a pretty big role in how she had come to define herself. Wasn’t the only factor of course, but Joza would have likely been a very different person if she hadn’t come into contact with the Sith. She likely wouldn’t have been sitting here on Vanir, hashing out the details of a refugee housing proposal.

“I understand that this venture does not come without risks. They’re being monitored.” She finally answered. Monitored to the best of one’s ability, that was. There was only so much she could do, especially given their victory at Kaas. “They seem to be interested in reclaiming the old Sith worlds. Togoria wouldn’t be on their radar.” But it might. In truth, Joza had no way to confirm what they were after. And if the Silver Jedi crumbled, Togoria could be the next…Togoria.

What guarantee did she have that the Resurgent Empire wouldn’t invade Togoria tomorrow? About as much guarantee that the Outer Rim would not light up tomorrow. But she wouldn’t be here if she did not think her cause was worth it.

[member="Einhardt Al'Kuhn"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

He frowned for a moment, considering their options. Togoria was a good place to go, not only had the world been ravaged and near enough annihilated, but it was one of the few places in the galaxy that had been truly highlighted by the Sith. Almost everyone knew what had happened there, no matter where they came from or what they did. Ein shook his head eventually.

"Alright." He stated finally.

It was a risk, but it was a calculated one. They could build there, but they would have to be careful. Perhaps he would ask Saeva to divert a few resources, nothing serious, just a passing patrol every now and again to ensure the Sith weren't going to be moving in that direction. In the end they were doing this for a good cause, and that's what truly mattered.

"Togoria then." He said with a simple nod. "I suppose you'll want to begin immediately?"

Most people that came to Vanir did, and Joza already had a rather well thought out plan.

 

[Joza Perl]

As controlled as she was, Joza couldn’t help but smiling with a mixture of relief and triumph as Einhardt agreed. She knew that building on Togoria would be risky, but they wouldn’t be going at it alone. The Silver Jedi would be there to oversee rebuilding efforts and keep watch for the Sith.

The distance between Zeltros and Togoria was quite manageable, and nearly anything would seem so given her constant state of travel between the Core and the Outer Rim.

“If possible, yes.” Joza returned his nod in kind. “I’ve got a triage unit on the ground helping to care for the wounded and manage makeshift shelters for those who lost their homes.” Togorians were a hardy people, but they seemed to have grown weary from the wrath of war. She couldn’t blame them—no one could. At least they could extend a hand and help them rebuild.

“Thank you, Ein.” The Zeltron gave him a smile, grateful and polite but not too grateful. Nothing overly sappy. “I really appreciate Vanir’s support. If you ever need anything, please, let me know.”

[member="Einhardt Al'Kuhn"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Ein nodded. It wasn't a project close to his heart, as callous as that might have sounded, but he recognized that it was a good thing.
He highly doubted that Vanir would see much money from something like this, in fact he doubted that they would see any, but it was an image thing. If Vanir went around the galaxy helping those who needed it, helping those who could not help themselves, then they would come off better. The greater their reputation the larger their customer base.

It was a simple math. "We'll get started right away."

Ein assured the Zeltron.

"Vanir has assets in the area already." Some of the Seedships if he recalled. "I wouldn't expect a Coruscant Hospital in a day, but perhaps in a month or two."

The young man gave Joza a smile, walking her towards the door and then shaking her hand a moment before she left.

Things had gone well.