Into Industry

[Sebastian Thel]

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Sebastian jolted in his seat as the shuttle bus lifted, descending towards the industrial sector of Mygeeto. He had not expected his journey into a working environment to come to this. That being, the Sith Empire. He had heard that the Sith treated their citizens well and so far, had not witnessed any cruelty. That did not quell his fear and he looked over his shoulder constantly from his seat.

Rain drops rolled down the thick window pane, laced with fuel from the smog. Arching his head to watch a passenger stride by, Sebastian moved his briefcase to allow a Twi'lek woman to sit. He shifted uncomfortably and turned his head, tracing the space between the drops of rain outside with his finger. He placed a number above each spherical gem in his mind and connected them with a line, dividing each in an equation hovering above the glass.

The shuttle bus moved gradually towards the sector and he rested his briefcase on his lap. As he unhooked the latch, a mound of resumes and graph paper came sliding out and falling at the feet of the woman next to him. Sebastian's cheeks heated as she laughed slightly, bending down to help him pick everything up. His lips moved subconsciously while he made no sound, too embarrassed to produce any words at the moment.

The lady helped Sebastian organize his sheets of paper, which he hugged dearly to his chest as he tried to organize them correctly. When the bus reached his stop, he had no choice other than to shove everything in a messy pile into the briefcase and slam the lid shut. The shuttle and beeped, alerting passengers to the stop. He nodded silently to the woman in an attempt to thank her, before making his way outside.

After a short walk through the sector, he arrived at Jaeger Solutions, the weapons manufacturing company which had accepted his application. He inhaled for as long as he could before releasing and walked through the mechanical gates. He did not know about weapons, only numbers and hoped that the company may at least have a desk position for him. Droids and staff beeped away behind desks as he entered the doorway, huddled behind glass cabinets and filing data on holo-screens.

"Sebastian Thel." He remembered to say his last name this time. The droid behind the counter tapped away on a screen and directed him to a waiting chair. He wore a long, beige coat over puffy trousers which tucked into socks and lace-up shoes. The coat brushed his ankles as he walked.

"Cybele will see you shortly." The droid chattered. Nodding, Sebastian gripped his briefcase, his hands growing damp around the handle and sat down, waiting to be received by the manager of the establishment.

While he waited, he took the time to open his briefcase and reorganize his work. Some sheets slipped to the floor as he cursed beneath his breath. Reaching down, he collected the resumes and graphs, before rearranging everything in correct order and clicking the case shut. He hugged the handle to his chest, bracing himself for his new life in industry.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The room he sat in was slightly off in his set up. The walls weren’t lined with gold as they were on the Companies headquarter ship, through a careful design seemed to fall in them. Almost digital, almost intentional; there seemed to be a pattern to the way the walls curved and the accents laid themselves across it. Durasteel laid over the duraplast walls like that of digital veins, each turning only at very precise angles and at unique distances to each. For the time he sat there, it would be nearly impossible to see what they meant, as the moment it seemed to make sense a robot would come by and offer no introduction, only a statement;

“Cybele will see you now.”, the protocol droid spoke in fluent common.

As the two walked through the lobby to the more refined areas of the building, there was a substantial change in the way the aesthetic seemed to be expressed; from industrial and cybernetic in the lobby to more calming and executive in the rear. The walls went from a subtle ashy black to something more red; likely all purpose strictly for power, perhaps even for intimidation. Eventually, the two settled at a door towards the rear, double wide and ivory, the smallest details were carved into it; and if he weren’t mistaken it seemed the doors themselves were made out of some unknown bone. Electrum handles turned as the droid coaxed him into the room.

Inside, there was nobody, but the door shut behind him regardless. On the far wall was a desk, with an empty chair; yet all the furniture in the room was extravagant. Gems, gold, and red fabrics were strewn about in a beautiful manner; carefully placed to emphasize everything in the room at once. The last thing to notice was the large portrait of a wolf above the desk; the symbol of Jaeger Solutions it seemed. After looking around for a moment, only then did a waif like voice speak up over the silence;

“Please, take a seat.”, it said.

In the same instant, the once empty chair began to glow to life as the holographic image of a gorgeous woman appeared. Her hair was tied up, vaguely oriental in attire, but all business. She exuded equal parts attraction and authority at once, though the reasons why were all but lost on [member="Sebastian Thel"]; all the while her legs were crossed and her fingers were intertwined, a creepily cocky smile hung gently from her soft features.

 

[Sebastian Thel]

Sebastian looked up from his seat to see the protocol droid waiting. Nodding in acknowledgement, he stood with his briefcase in hand and followed the droid through the corridor. His eyes widened as the interior seemed to change around them. The industrial feel of cold steel shifted to an impassive red, slowly enhancing the professional finish of the establishment.

They arrived at a door which appeared to be carved out of ivory. Repressing a gulp, Sebastian waited as the droid walked through, motioning towards him to follow. He looked in awe at the extravagant room, yet saw nobody to greet him. As the droid left him alone, he wandered and looked curiously into every glistening cranny.

Suddenly, a feminine voice spoke up and caused Sebastian to jolt from his trance. He turned around abruptly and analysed the room, trying to listen for where the voice had come from.

"Please take a seat." The voice called. Sebastian hugged his briefcase to his chest and swallowed, shifting his eyes as he pulled his feet towards one of the chairs. Just as the voice commanded, he sat down and waited to be received. Every passing minute made him antsy as he sat alone in the strange building.

The chair before Sebastian glowed with mechanical life. A holographic projection of a woman appeared in the empty space and greeted him with his legs neatly crossed. While most would find her beautiful, Sebastian was not swayed by her appearance and looked her down with a gaze of steel. The line of his mouth remained unmoved as she shot him a cocky smile, all attempts at seduction fruitless towards the mathematician.

"Thank you for accepting my application." Sebastian took a breath and forced the words out of his mouth. "I look forward to working for you." His voice was quiet and mellow, lacking in any dramatic nuance. There were so many questions on his mind, all of them lost as he tried to form the words in his mouth. He could only picture equations, no sounds or syllables, only numbers and could not think of the right question to ask. "I do not know anything about weapons." He thought, no that would not do to talk about his weak points.

"I will do my best to assist with any of your projects." He had already attached copies of his degrees, having detailed his skills in his application. "Where will you have me working?" He asked, hoping to be based somewhere quiet and away from people.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

It seemed the only wrong assumption Sebastian had was that Cybele was there for seduction.

Everything from the room to the way she appeared was an act of intimidation. It is how Jaeger did business after all, through blind imagery based solely on the surreal with hyperbole littered throughout. This is what all who came into the headquarters on bastion saw, and it was all they would ever know of Jaeger; yet there was another side to them. With their leader simply missing from the entirety of Sith Space, there was nothing left but what Cybele held by her tight cybernetic grip.

“Your resume was very impressive, although short.”, she said as her digital imagery leaned forward in the massive chair. Resting her hands under her chin, she continued;

“I would of course seclude you to accounting, only running the numbers on non secret projects and the like to make sure profitability is sustained. This would include of course, filing them away and keeping both physical and digital records.”

She stopped her self however, and cocked one of the blue shimmering brow’s she held;

“Though I have a number of servers and processors already dedicated to such a thing. Where do you think you’d best fit into Jaeger?”

[member="Sebastian Thel"]

 

[Sebastian Thel]

The room almost felt as though the walls were closing in on Sebastian. His cheeks heated as he took a breath, inhaling for as long as he could before releasing. Thinking inward, he knew there was no reason to be afraid. His application had been more than satisfactory and even then, being put on the spot and made to explain his skills verbally made him quiver. He needed to relax. Everything was okay.

Accounting sounded good, one of his better subjects at university. Cybele then mentioned that they already utilized servers to manage funds. Cocking his head to one side, he scanned his mind for options or tasks he could fulfill while working for Jaeger.

"As well as accounting, I am qualified as a data analyst and actuary." Sebastian mentioned the areas which he had studied.

He enjoyed designing machines and programming, while he was not confident enough in those skills to approach them as opportunities for employment. Bare numbers, he thought, were his safest option. Should he tell Cybele that he worked best when he was alone, that he disliked crowded spaces? He did not want to come across as whiny and decided to keep those thoughts to himself.

"I am happy to fulfill any of these roles." Sebastian said softly, folding his hands on his lap.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Any of these roles…”, she said idly.

Her holographic frame tapped against her azure chin as she watched him nearly sweat in his spot. A brow raised before she broke the half a minute long silence -

“You’re a computer.”, she said almost absurdly blatantly, “Wonderful.”

Laughing with her almost delicate mannerisms, she snapped her fingers and a small datapad in front of Sebastian would light up. On it was a series of psuedo accounts and altered black book files; all meant to simulate what real markets would offer for this ‘Jaeger’ on the computer. Looking back to him, she leaned forward;

“This is a false Jaeger account overview. This also contains a fictional series of investment rounds Jaeger has participated in recently for the exclusive purpose of falsifying actual income; as certain banking cartels consider generic profits different from investment income.”

She paused, glancing to him to make sure he was following.

“I want you to actively process this, give me a percentage of taxes in various sections of space, update it according to follow up documents I give, and see just where our money is going; then fixing where the discrepancies show up by adding a dollar or taking one from somewhere else. I want to see perfect documentation.”

“Is this alright?”

[member="Sebastian Thel"]

 

[Sebastian Thel]

A long pause followed between Sebastian and Cybele. Every passing second grew all the more arduous as he waited for her to speak. To his relief, she piped up with a keen statement which triggered a coy smile from Sebastian. With her approval gained, his confidence heightened and he relaxed his shoulders, watching the datapad on the table project a series of financial information.

Sebastian listened intently as Cybele explained the purpose behind the false accounts. Reaching into his coat pocket, he retrieved a pair of wide-rimmed glasses and placed them over his ears. He absorbed the numbers as they rolled down the screen, forming immediate equations in his mind and organizing the displayed data into mental sections.

"I understand." Sebastian nodded, placing his chin in his hand as he contemplated the information which Cybele presented. He pulled his notebook and pen out of his pocket and began to take estimations as his gaze shifted between the datapad and the page.

"This is just fine." He said in a voice low and mellow. "I am well prepared to complete to complete this task." As he spoke, Sebastian glanced up the projection emanating from the holo-screen as he documented the numbers displayed. He organized the amounts for each statement and took rough measures, evaluating change in rates and the discrepancies between each quantity.

"Where will you have me working?" He finally asked as he processed the task at hand.

[member="The Slave"]