Ice Cube

[Jairus Starvald]

​

Hoth, Anoat Sector.​

First Order Space​

[member="Rolf Amsel"]​

​

Some individuals were born towards enterprising endeavors.

They could see money everywhere, not in the literal sense of money being plastered around everywhere, but in the figurative sense.

Where they saw opportunity in the smallest things.

It was not a secret that this Galaxy was a large one, filled with more planets than there were stars on the sky. And yet, sentient life always had this desire to settle completely undesirable locations. Like desert worlds, where water was difficult or even impossible to get by properly. Some worlds, like Tatooine, had established an economy based around it.

Moist farmers gathering up as much liquid as they could to sell it off.

But Lord Fa was an enterprising individuals. He saw a market that could be cornered, because nobody had made serious business of it yet. So contracts were being made with local or interplanetary governments, for the construction of specialized facilities.

Ice refineries which could transform ice into water, which could be transported to those desert worlds to sell them off at high profits.

Hoth was an obvious choice. The initial permits had been approved, but the First Order wished their military to inspect the facility, before any finalized contracts would be signed. This wasn't much of a surprise and for this occasion Lord Fa had decided to be on Hoth personally this time around. To serve as a guide and ensure that everything ran quite smoothly once the imperial officer was here.

 

[Progflaw99]

---​

Location: Anoat Sector, Hoth​

Time: Morning, Local​

---​

​

The Upsilon-class command shuttle rocketed over the barren landscape of Hoth, snow and ice evaporating in the wake of its engines. It's destination: An Ice-to-Water Facility located in the mess of an enormous ice field. Major Amsel had been tasked with a fairly routine inspection of the facility, a business venture financed and operated by a man - if you could call him that - named Tai Fa. In truth, the agreement had been brokered by those more attuned to business than the Major himself, likely someone belonging to the business or trade ministry but to Rolf it made no difference - here he was, stuck on this barren chunk of snow and ice to conduct an inspection much better suited for a Captain or even a Lieutenant. Regardless, Rolf had done his duty, choosing eight of his shock troopers to attend him as the inspection force, though they were forced to bring along both a representative from the trade commission as well as an engineer to ascertain the validity of the construct itself.

Contrary to Rolf's wishes, they'd been sent in full uniform, not the standard armor of the First Order legions. It left him feeling vulnerable at first, but as he'd begun to recognize, his worry was misplaced. Too often since the rapid assault on the First Order worlds and Occupation of Avalonia had the Major absentmindedly reached for his blaster or felt his heart start racing when he heard the hum of a speeder overheard - it was something he'd have to address, eventually, but not today. Today he had business to attend to. As the shuttle began its approach on the facility, Rolf could hear the radio chatter, nothing unusual thus far, and he didn't expect anything out of the ordinary though truth be told he'd never seen an Ice-to-water facility and had very little in the way of expectations. With a swooping flare the Upsilon-class shuttle rose up and then descended as its wings began their folding process, below a flat landing pad, mostly clear of the snow that washed away from the roaring engines. The landing procedure took only several more minutes before with a hiss and expulsion of hot air the boarding ramp descended, the inspection team following. They weren't dressed for the harsh conditions of Hoth, at least not fully and a visible shiver could be seen from the majority of the troopers - not accustomed to being out of their heat regulated armor suits. Rolf however held his posture, his sky blue eyes piercing through the cold, an expression of determination adorned his features.

Heavy and sure footsteps led him towards the arcing door just down the walkway from the ground level landing pad leading directly into the facility. With a short procession of his inspections team and the rather out of shape and puffing trade commissioner, they reached the doors, welcoming the rush of warm air from inside as they stepped into a large corridor. Rolf's hand rose, brushing away the stray flakes of frozen condensation from the shoulders of his uniform, glancing back at the red faced commissioner. Turning back to hid a satisfied smirk, he then checked to ensure the engineer they'd brought with had survived the unbearable cold. The engineer met Rolf's gaze, a playful twinkle in his eye as he stood tall, seemingly unaffected. The Major let loose a quiet "Hmpf." before turning back to the open corridor, he assumed they would be met. Perhaps they'd landed in the wrong place? No matter. Retrieving the comm link from his uniform belt, he activated it on the pre-established channel that he was given to contact the business mind behind the venture - Tai Fa.

:: This is Major Amsel of the First Imperial Stormtrooper Corps, we have arrived..." His eyes scanned the walls for anything denoting where they were exactly. "...it looks like section Bravo Four, Landing Pad Echo 7. Are you prepared for inspection? ::​

​

​

[member="Tai Fa"]​

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Rolf Amsel"]

"My Lord, your appointment has arrived."

Vnut of Garnib's voice filtered into his conscience. He stood there, at the edge of his sight, just inside the office itself. There was patience within the soft coiled muscles barely hidden behind the fur. He waited. Always, did Mister Vnut wait, until the time arrived to act. Then, the act was in full and without hesitation. It was what Lord Fa enjoyed about Vnut the most.

He was not a talker.

No, that role was reserved for him and such was their success. To separate and keep their roles distanced from each other, so each could do what they did best without any confusion.

"Very well." Tai, the Sith Thirriken, finally said. "Let's greet them, yes?"

As they walked the little claws of the Thirriken's feet ticked gently against the cold durasteel flooring of the facility. Tick. Tick. Tick tick tick. It was a steady beat and one that had a certain cadence to it. It spoke of unhurried natures. Of a man, a bird, who was used to having people wait on him. The first ring of nobility and noble blood, to be tended to.

"Yes." Vnut growled into his comm in response to Rolf as they walked. "We will meet you within the next two minutes."​

​

What Rolf would immediately notice, if he bothered to study the hallway he was in, was the professional look of it. Brushed steel, signs and cameras, it wasn't a rookie's first operation this.

It were the first signs of a bird who knew what he was doing.

 

[Progflaw99]

Hearing a quick confirmation from the other end of the comm, the Major replaced the device at his waist. Gently he pressed his hands against his uniform, a subtle tingle playing across his face as the flesh began to thaw from its brief exposure to the sub-zero temperatures on the surface of Hoth. A short exposure such as they had wasn't enough to give them frostbite though it had been less than pleasant - but that was neither here nor there. Eyes searching his surroundings, a half frown of approval appeared then vanished on the officer's face - Whomever this Tai Fa fellow was certainly knew how to keep a facility clean. While Rolf hadn't been to any ice-to-water facilities, he'd seen the rigs used to gather Phrik - he could easily say that those had been significantly less in order. *Professional.* he mused.

Looking back to his fellow inspectors he made a quick motion with his hand, the group immediately moving together and forming a short pair of lines behind him. Just as their hosts, they would provide an image of professionalism. Patiently Rolf waited, removing his gloves slowly, one by one, before tucking them in his belt. Rubbing his thumb across the trimmed nails of his right hand he looked. With disgust, he identified the source of an irritation that had been bugging him - a hangnail. No time to deal with that now. Looking up from his mental wanderings, he searched the corridor - footsteps. He could hear them as they approached but the angle of the intersecting halls hadn't allowed him to see their approach. Adjusting his posture, he stood tall as he waited for their hosts to approach.

[member="Tai Fa"]​

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Rolf Amsel"]

The refinement of ice to water was a difficult affair, even if it did not seem to be such from a distance.

After all, it was simply melting ice to water and then you were about done, no? But the truth could not be farther from that. To refine ice into drinkable liquid was complicated and complex, because you needed to actually filter through any diseases, bacteria or viruses that could be stuck within the ice. Not even speaking of the purity you needed to adhere to, if you wished to keep your permits in some of the more lawfully-inclined desert worlds.

Not that there were many of those, but just enough that things could get complicated rather fast, if you did not adhere to standards set out during the agreement.

Within the promised two minutes two figures rounded the corner. They were comical, in one way. One, a large bear in an immaculate suit and groomed to perfection, Vnut of Garnib. The other, relatively, smaller and especially in contrast to the huge, lumbering bear next to him.

Lord Fa wore a splendid red and white robe, vine-silk, for the experts.

He was also, in fact, a Thirriken. These were not often seen in the wider Galaxy, preferring to keep to themselves in the outer reaches of remote space, while having their business done through intermediaries.

"Major Amsel, yes?​

I hope the trip was pleasant.​

Hot water perhaps?"​

​

"It must be quite cold out there."​

 

[Progflaw99]

Hearing the footsteps approach, Major Amsel was almost unable to keep his composure at the strange sight now before him. *A bear. A bear and a bird. Is this real life?* Managing to keep up his professional composure, he performed a half bow, no doubt there would be difficulty in shaking hands. Raising a hand in polite protest, he replied to the creature's offer. "Indeed, thank you for the offer, though I will respectfully pass." As he spoke he looked back towards the entrance, the chill finally starting to fade. "It was quite so upon our arrival - certainly not a place I'd wish to take a vacation." he joked. "So - I've outlined the few requirements for our inspection, I trust you are able to accommodate?"

Holding out a small datapad, a display showed of the rather lengthy checklist but divided under subheadings. The only major points of interest would be the power generation, the filtration, and then of course a quality control test at the end of the process. A fairly simple and quick inspection overall. Raising an eyebrow, Rolf still thought the prospect of talking to an oversized bird and a bear were things much better suited for a children's book but hey, what could you do?

[member="Tai Fa"]​

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Rolf Amsel"]

Lord Fa patiently looked at the datapad, until Vnut trundled over with big, heavy steps and took it carefully in his big paws.

It was not quite the hassle everyone expected it to be. Mostly because Vnut had been practicing and training his fingers to be able to handle little objects. It was way more important in his current function as Chief of Security than anyone could have expected, perhaps that was the reason why Fa let him handle it.

Allowing him to show off his new-found competence.

"We are quite ready.​

You may come with us now, yes?​

Your men will be helped.​

​

Anything they need?​

They simply ask for it then.​

And it shall happen."​

​

That way they could personally inspect the main portions of the list, while his people went through the entire list in their own time. Otherwise it would probably be way too much hassle and time spend.

 

[Progflaw99]

Major Amsel somewhat hesitantly handed the datapad to the lurching ursine nimbly taking the datapad - surprising for his large size. *The galaxy never ceases to amaze.* It had been particularly abnormal, the sight of the two alien species waltzing down the hallway, almost like something out of a children's holo-film, he could almost hear the singing in his head. It was amusing, but he kept the thoughts to himself, no doubt such a silly thing would cause undue harm to their business relationship. Lowering a hand to his right and gesturing with his index and middle finger, he motioned for the rest of his crew to disperse, surely they would be attended to and directed to the affected locations.

"Of course, Mr. Fa, or is there something else to call you by?" Nodding his head towards the corridors leading further into the facility. "Shall we?"​

​

Gently adjusting the belt at his waist, Rolf stepped off , wondering where they'd head to first, it wasn't particularly important in which order they inspected the facility and he was sure that the avian businessman would likely want to showcase his operation - playing it up for the First Order in hopes of further contracts, it was a particularly sound tactic, one which Rolf would not hold against him in the slightest, just like the physical battlefield the realm of business could be a dangerous game all in itself.

[member="Tai Fa"]​

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Rolf Amsel"]

Most referred to him as Lord in a sign of respect for his noble station.

But he did not expect the same treatment from the First Order or their military personnel. Oh, they were quite orderly, all things considered. Far better than the dregs of the One Sith, the rabble of the Silver Jedi Order, the Mandalorian menace or half a dozen other failed entities.

Yet, once again there was a failure that Tai could localize.

Their insistent need to worship their 'Supreme Leader'. Ren, something. Lord Fa did not recall his complete name, but he did not need to, to see the flaw in their revelry.

"Mister Fa is fine.​

Please follow me, if you will.​

Much to see here now."​

​

They had money though.

And their - mostly - lawful ways aided in the stability of their territories. This stability was sadly not helped by the rumors spread by the Galactic Alliance, rumors of genocide or the crucifixion of their enemies. Fa was a Sith, so this did not truly matter much to him in the moral sense.

But it did concern him in the efficient sense of the word.

"There is importance.​

In public relationships.
Order must see this.

There have been issues.
I do not believe rumors.
But now some might, yes?"

"Fa Holdings could help out here."

 

[Progflaw99]

Nodding his head as the avian began his journey down the corridors of the ice-to-water facility, Rolf kept his head on a swivel. It was a functioning facility, much cleaner than some of the ones he'd been to at least. As he listened to Mr. Fa, a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. The bird man had a point, there was much to see. Despite the good soundproofing in the corridors, Rolf's keen senses could still pick up on the heavy whir of machinery and air circulation vents no doubt using the heat of the machinery to warm the air. Everything about the facility was built with efficiency and energy recycling in mind - and as far as Rolf could tell it was effective, though they'd truly only have an idea after the inspection was complete.

As the avian businessman's words turned to business and politics, Rolf raised an eyebrow. Rumors - yes, there had been many of those as of late. Certainly there had been rumors of evil, a sort of anti-Imperial sentiment spread throughout space, or at least near their border worlds. Nodding, he continued to walk down the corridor.

"I have to agree, there have been a rash of wild rumors regarding the First Order outside of our borders, no doubt perpetrated by our neighbors in an attempt to stall the expansion of our domain. How would Fa Holdings help in that regard?"​

​

A genuine question from a man, an officer who'd known little but conflict, the subtleties of politics difficult for him to grasp without the proper context.

[member="Tai Fa"]​

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Rolf Amsel"]

At the very least this one wasn't quite so delusional as some of the individuals from the First Order.

There were those who truly believed in their own propaganda and that was dangerous. No, they were dangerous individuals, the real zealots who believed in the message they were pumping out to the civilian herd. Not his concern, of course, as long as they didn't interfere with him, he had no reason to interfere with them.

But it was quite difficult to do business with these true believers.

"My name is sterling.​

People have respect for it.​

They believe in me."​

​

"What I can do then?​

Humanitarian work.​

Help me help others."​

​

"Your name will be purified."​

​

"Much the same as this bright ice."​

All the First Order needed to do was continue providing assistance and humanitarian aid to those who had need of it. But under the umbrella and assistance of Fa Holdings, that was one of the only ways to truly detach their damaged reputation from the work they were doing.

Otherwise the Alliance could always claim they were simply throwing money on an issue they had presumably caused in the first place, then they would be just as far away from home as when they started.

 

[Progflaw99]

Much of the groundwork had already been handled by the lawyers and agencies of the First Order, the Major's job simply to inspect the facilities and provide the result to his superiors. Despite that however, he appreciated the talk of business, pulling him away from his frequently addled mind. A transformation had begun to occur in the man, one he wasn't entirely sure that he liked - but analyzing his feelings on the matter was not the task at hand. Throughout their continued walk along the corridor he saw the purpose of this particular plant more clearly. Surely Dosuun wasn't short on water, but some of the other Outer Rim planets were near barren, scorched by suns or just outside the habitable zone - almost like this place - Hoth.

Purified. Rolf wasn't sure if it was intention, likely not, but the use of the word caused him an uneasy feeling. He supposed it was simply a piece of terminology reserved for such things as cleansing the water of impurities but even so, it spoke of a structured vocabulary and from what he had witnessed thus far of the Avian businessman led him to believe there was something much more at play - but he kept it to himself. He nodded, responding.

"I supposed that could be said, yes. We have the need. I notice you've cornered the market in the Unknown Region then - tell me, do you have much competition closer towards the core or is this your first endeavor towards ice recycling?"​

​

[member="Tai Fa"]​

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Rolf Amsel"]

Lord Fa inclined his head at the admission given by Rolf.

It was a wise man who could admit when their organization was completely karked. No matter their personal opinion of their organization and what they were doing, the First Order's reputation was shot to hell and back in the Galaxy. In the grandest scheme of things it didn't have to matter all that much, but it would make it more difficult for them to accomplish the goals they had.

Planets would be more suspicious of their intent, corporations less likely to jump in bed with them, other nations unmotivated to form defensive pacts.

The sort.

It was why even the greatest empire needed allies, to fill in the blanks and weak spots, where the empire could not.

"First time, friend Amsel.​

We have something they have not.​

The strong will to change."​

​

"To innovate our service"​

​

"Customer is king."​

 

[Progflaw99]

Surprise would have been the perfect word for what the First Order Major was experiencing. It wasn't so much a conscious choice, but the mild xenophobia still filtered through and affected his judgement at times - noting it, he would have to continue to work on that. The First Order, while officially not xenophobic, was still a 'Humanity First' institution, though to his credit Rolf had come to recognize merit over something as trivial as race.

Their footsteps dwarfed by the operations of the facility itself, the hum of activity reverberating throughout the pristine corridors. Yes, the First Order did have a good opportunity here, not only to make up a bit of funding on the tax side of the operation but by having a sponsored supplier of relief supplies and a company to sing their praises - the sky was the limit.

"Ah, the customer. Yes, it's a common phrase in business, is it not? I will have to agree." Continued footsteps as he spoke. "We do have an opportunity here, both of us and as little as I've seen of your facilities I have to say you stand to make a decent profit - some of the worlds in the Outer Rim are so stagnant that they'd be willing to sell you an entire spaceship for a chunk of ice as large as that one." As he said the final words, he pointed through a large port of transparisteel at a giant ice block being moved by machinery. "Speaking of change - We've done a lot of that since the incident on Eraidu, and I daresay this venture between our government and your operation here on Hoth will go a long way towards improving our image galaxy wide."​

​

​

[member="Tai Fa"]​

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Rolf Amsel"]

Lord Fa thought back to Kaeshana and the rumors of prisoners of war being mutilated as a message.

An effective message, but one that was prone to shoot yourself in the foot, if you were trying to frame yourself as one of the good people. But that wasn't the Thirriken's business. In fact, he was happy it happened, it simply meant that Fa Holdings would have to do more work for the First Order to brush up their image. More work meant more money and better connections moving forward.

"Agreed on all counts.​

Image is my prime concern.​

We will overcome.​

​

This I am sure of."​

The details themselves would have to be discussed with his partners within the First Order, of course. All Rolf could really do was file a recommendation and approval of the idea, which would presumably fast-track it somewhat.

But it would be the inner-most workings of the government who would decide which projects they would be moving on in the end.

 

[Progflaw99]

Their footsteps seemed to have led them back towards where Rolf's shuttle had arrived, a quiet chirp indicating a message received. Holding up a hand, the Major quickly retrieved his commlink, eyeing the small screen. His teams had just checked in, the preliminary inspections were complete, and in good order as well. According to the scores listed on the small device, the Flux-class Hydro Station was one of the higher ranking reclamation facilities in the sector. Given the statistic output and intake of the facility it was pretty impressive. Sending a curt reply, Major Amsel replaced the commlink and turned to face his hosts.

"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure - it seems our inspection is complete and your results are more than satisfactory. I can't speak on behalf of the legal team, but I expect they'll be excited to work with you further."​

Turning briefly at the sound of measured footsteps approaching from down the corridor, he recognized the familiar pacing of the Stormtrooper Corps. It was something you couldn't avoid, a subconscious behavior and mannerism that never left you, regardless of where you went. Lurking towards the rear, he could see the specialists they'd brought with - unavoidably civilian, their gait loose and disconnected, certainly not the crisp and disciplined walk of the stormtroopers. Turning towards their hosts once more, the Major bowed at the waist, a smile greeting the two as he stood and motioned towards the shuttle.

​

"Congratulations, and I look forward to seeing what becomes of this venture - have a wonderful day gentlemen."​

​

With that, the First Order Major turned on his heel, crisp footsteps leading him down the corridor towards the landing pad in wake of his men, ready to brave the short walk in the frigid temperatures before once more boarding the shuttle and heading back to Dosuun to deliver his report. The data would be transmitted en route, but there were other things at hand that required his physical presence at the Capital, things of a more sensitive nature.

[member="Tai Fa"]​