Private Journeys around the Son | House Renoux

[Hester Shedo]

Sterdo Industries Planetary Administration Centre
Planetside
Jaemus

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Ulysses Renoux | Reggie Rau | Cyressa Tiberos (Open invitation)

Walk. Don’t run.

One of the guiding principles that had kept Hester Shedo in good stead for half a century was just that. Walk. Don’t run. Look effortless, look unafraid. Running might cause panic or, worst yet, draw unwanted attention to you. It might cause you to lose your breath, your focus, your vision. In short; walk-don’t run.

She walked the length of the atrium of the newly built facility, with various decals and aesthetic touches from her years inhabiting countless worlds. She had known so many roles. Governor. Viceroy. Confederate. Auretti. Executive. Corporate Director. Despot. Dictator. Wife. Mother.

The last one had been the singular focus for the last two decades, raising a son as best she could, keeping him sharp and tactful, always a step ahead of those that might come for her. She had a growing list of those that might seek some form of reprisal against her and her vast wealth. Hex. The Mandalorians. Various diplomats. Tribunals. Suffice it to say, she was wanted and known by many.

She had aged like a fine wine, the slenderness of her cheekbones still alluding to a youth that was now long past her. She wrung her hands, smelling the all-too-familiar smell of freshly soldered durasteel. These sorts of prefabs were cleverly built and erected at great speed. It was then her chance to add the personal touches. She thought of her former home on Scarif, the place she was always trying to get back to.

In her mind, at least.

And now? This latest enterprise made her feel like a little girl again. Excited, nervous and anxious, all mixed in a frivolous cocktail of hesitancy and gut-busting fear. The representative from House Renoux was going to deliver the writs and necessary approvals from the ruling House to approve her taking over some of the key operations at the shipyards that Jaemus was famed for. She certainly knew how to build things, that was for certain. She just hoped that building ships would be half as difficult as building business, and building new relationships.

Like building trust.

She waited in the atrium, checking her dress in the vast pain of reflective glass that covered the entire back wall, her eyes focused on the large glass doors that would shortly welcome the representative.

Sterdo Industries' latest venture was open for business…well…almost.

There would be no running away from this one.

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[Ulysses Renoux]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Ariellyn Renoux | Reggie Rau | Cyressa Tiberos | Romin Renoux | Raze | Amelia von Sorenn

The initial idea of free and open trade as terms for the covenant between the three houses had not settled well with Ulysses. It was not that he had been disagreeable, far from it. The Duke simply understood the task was more difficult than the ease with which it had been suggested. He would have to make up for the missing revenue from the tariffs with more goods sold and services offered. He was a shrewd man after all. Cutting expenses was not the only way to increase profits.

It seemed an interesting venture, expanding the control of the shipyards to an outsider. Where Ulysses normally would keep business in house, he could not rely on the network of great houses to be the only consumer base to which he marketed his products. With the Galaxy in relative peace, the time to perfect his ships and war machines was now.

Hester Shedo came with an interesting experience. Amelia von Sorenn had suggested as much. Were it not for the sanguinus' network of merchants it would have been likely Ulysses would have never met this woman. Tales of exploits made the Duke interested in her ability to be as ruthless as he was known to be. Negotiations would prove interesting.

He held the writ in his hands, reading over the details of it. She would no doubt have some things to say about certain clauses. Ulysses would not be living up to his reputation if he did not try to squeeze every bit of advantage for himself in the issue. If the woman was as good as her resume seemed to indicate, then Ulysses would not settle for any less than her joining him in an advisory role in the area of economic expansion.

His children, ward, justicar and advisor were all invited to join him for the meeting. Those of his house which did not wish to attend had not been forced to. For once, the Duke hoped his son would at least participate as much of the benefit would be his to command in the years to come. Everything Ulysses was building now was for the generation which would follow. It would be up to them to see the peace succeed and prosperity to increase.

He entered the atrium with his usual directness. There was nothing special about the way he walked in, other than the sense that he commanded the room. Ulysses gave off the appearance of an intimidating figure, strong, and one not to be crossed. Much of the way he held himself was designed to set the stage for whatever he would demand, and the expectation that it would not be ignored. This was his natural default. Only one could stand up to him without fear of reprisal, and she was not invited.

His dark eyes settled on the woman who stood in the room to greet them. Ulysses was confident she was not expecting him, or his house.

He bowed.

"Lady Shedo, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am so glad you have made yourself available to us."

The Duke took her hand and kissed the top of it, his usual charm attempting to break the ice.

"I do apologize if we have caught you off guard, but I would never have been satisfied with allowing an ambassador to finalize these agreements. Please do forgive my boldness."

 

[Reggie Rau]

STORM
STERDO INDUSTRIES | JAEMUS
TAG: Hester Shedo | Ulysses Renoux | Ariellyn Renoux | Cyressa Tiberos | Amelia von Sorenn | @dizIrefusetotagyouralts

JUST PRETEND​

It was one of those days.

Days when nothing happened. Days that were so dull and slow that she wanted to pelt people with wet papertowels as they walk by. Yes, that's how far gone she was with this dullness. Lazy days were something she hated with a passion.

Until her father's invite.

Well, it was something to do at least. Better than sitting and waiting for confirmation of training or to pelt people with wet wads. So she dressed moderately more appropriate to meet some important person.

She wasn't privy to her father's state affairs unless there was something specific he wanted to teach her. Like the damn peace talks. According to her father she had done well, but diplomacy was really not Rexanne's strong point. But still, she at least tried to placate him by not staying behind with this meeting.

So she was in her usual place behind him as they all entered the atrium. She could see that her father meant business as he completely ignored their surroundings and zoned in on the woman in the center of the room, awaiting them. Or awaiting someone, it seems. But Roxy took a few glances around. Always know your surroundings - another lesson Raze had drilled into her over the years. It was interesting architecture for sure. Not the stalwart finesse of the Ironhold, but it held a different kind of wonder as art from all over the Galaxy greeted her from her the walls. This woman was well traveled, it seems. She did fleet her glance over Raze just to the right and back of her to try and read his thoughts on the matter, but her eyes didn't linger. Too dangerous.

As her father greeted this Lady Shedo, Rexanne played her part with years of practice as she curtsied in a brief flow of powder blue and the regality of her station, but she remained on the background. But her keen grey gaze assessed the woman with practiced efficiency without it seeming that she was doing so. This stranger was dangerous. Not like Lady Draco, but still dangerous. There was a light of cunning that resided in her eyes that couldn't be veiled by anything. This woman reminded her on various levels of the Lady von Sorenn.

Roxy knew her father would see it too. He was a great tactician after all. She just dearly hoped that this woman wouldn't make the mistake of trying to outfox him. It wouldn't end well. But it wouldn't look good for business. Even with all of Roxy's fierceness and drive to be a warrior, she still had a keen enough mind for politics, even though she didn't like it. She still saw the small details.

They'd do well to be wary around her.

 

[Hester Shedo]

SHEDO
STERDO INDUSTRIES | JAEMUS
TAG: Ulysses Renoux | Reggie Rau (House Renoux Open)

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The clean-cut figure before her was not who Hester was expecting to be making an appearance at what was, for all intents and purposes, a moment of formality reserved to an administrator or lower guild official, let alone the Duke himself. She was glad to be dressed in something that exuded both chic and power, something that ought not to be wasted on any visiting noble. She knew the handsome guise of Duke Renoux from the various documents, forms and holo-visuals she had consumed since arriving in the system, long after her eagle eye had spotted an opportunity to invest in the otherwise small setup that was being undertaken in the neighbouring systems.

She watched him bow, taken aback at his directness.

"Lady Shedo, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am so glad you have made yourself available to us."

The Duke took her hand and kissed the top of it, something she permitted without hesitation. She was used to being treated differently by many, from heads of state to lowly mercenaries and this was simply the latest. She did not doubt he could withdraw such courtesies without much thought required.

"I do apologize if we have caught you off guard, but I would never have been satisfied with allowing an ambassador to finalize these agreements. Please do forgive my boldness."

She curtsied in response, bowing her head low to show deference to his Grace. She looked up and smiled warmly, her hands folded into each other in front of her like a debutant might, attempting to court a beau.

"Your Grace, I am both humbled and quite taken aback at your presence here. If I had but known, I would have made more of an effort on my appearance. In future, I shall remember that great men will, of course, take great care and concern in affairs that matter to them. I take it as a great comfort and reassurance that I am dealing with a brilliant man."

She was as disarming as ever, her own genuine charm blossoming like a rare orchid, untouched for a generation and yet somehow, and quite unexpectedly, bursting forth in a display of beautiful presentation.

"Sterdo Industries are grateful to be received by House Renoux in such a manner. You will, no doubt, have read of my legitimate qualifications for running such a facility. I can have my staff transmit it once again if it did not make its way to your office."

She gestured to the atrium around her.

"This prefab was swiftly erected and we are grateful to your administration for permitting its construction ahead of any further formalities."

She was loaded with that sentence, hoping the implication would be rewarded with assurances that she would, in fact, pass the test with flying colours. Hester recalibrated her gaze, taking in the small party that had accompanied the Duke. This must be his daughter, she thought to herself.

"My Lady." She curtsied towards the beauty behind the Duke, sure to acknowledge all present as formalities dictated.

She returned her attention to the Duke.

"Can I show you the facility? Or perhaps straight to a conference suite?"

She gestured to an attendant who swiftly arrived next to her, ready to begin whatever preparations would be hastily required. The staff were used to adapting rapidly to the needs and whims of their employer.

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

Attire: [X]
Location: Sterdo Industries | Jaemus

Thirty-Two Years; the time that had elapsed since the Sacking of Naboo and the penultimate Collapse of the Confederacy. During that time, the woman had wondered where certain individuals that had made the upper echelon of that Government that had spanned much of the Southern Systems, had found themselves. For some, they had slipped into the Unknown, the wilds beyond civilization, and landed within the Shiraya Expanse. She was sure that there had been others that merely found themselves wandering or settling in other far-flung locals. She was sure that John Locke had found his way back into the Corporate World of the Galaxy and settled swiftly into any such role that was required of him. She had already met with Srina Talon on the planet of Jutrand in what was now the heart of Sith Space; their meeting, as brief as it was, had seemed to light a new fire in Amelia's bosom, which had found her settling within the Braxant Sector and it's neighboring systems.

Then, there was Hester. Though the two didn't have much interaction during their time in the Confederacy, they were well aware of each other due to their own actions that went into securing and building that government. For Amelia's part, her focus had been on the martial, and it still weighed heavily upon her shoulders the number of lives she'd sent to their end; it was likely what she would be well known for in the years to come. She only hoped that better aspects of herself were known to the woman beyond a simple Admiral that had overseen many of the Confederacy's naval engagements.

With a soft smile on her lips, she kept her head down, letting the Duke and his Daughter take center stage and the limelight before she slowly brought her head up. The hat she wore was out of function as a means to keep the harmful rays of the sun off of her skin, as much as it was in some manner for fashion. Golden-yellow hues fell upon the woman as she brought both of her hands forward, resting them one atop the other as she offered a simple bow of her head in greeting.

"It's been some time Lady Shedo; I believe the last time we saw each other in some manner was during the height of the Confederacy in the Southern Systems. I am glad to see that you've done well for yourself since its unfortunate collapse."

A more in-depth session of catching up between the two of them could happen at a later moment, for now, her focus was on ensuring that the Duke came out secure in his position with his offer; though she was also there to ensure that any such agreement did not threaten the rather fragile and tentative balance of the newly formed Triumvirate between the three Great Houses. A misstep here that could easily place House Renoux ahead of House Draco and House Amnen could prove beneficial in the short-term whilst leading to a devastating collapse in the long. She was there to ensure that House Renoux would still be standing in the next three-hundred years.

Ulysses Renoux | Hester Shedo | Reggie Rau | Cyressa Tiberos​