Justice Bargining

[James Justice]

Location: The Angel's Den, Dal'bor, Soceras

James was sitting in his private lounge, waiting. The couch's red leather seats conformed around him perfectly in a hedonistic display of opulence.The smells of alcohol, spice, and pleasure from the dance floor in the stories bellow mixed with the smells of the flowers and gorgeous perfumes and his own Zeltron Pheromones. Waiters and waitresses, alike, the definition of the galaxy's most gorgeous beings stood waiting on James. Several guards were posted at the door, massive wall window, and around the room. A conocopia of pleasures were sprawled across the table drawn from each of the galaxy's farthest reaches.

This was how a crime lord did business. More specifically, this was how James Justice, lord of the Vice City of Dal'Bor, did business. He was expecting the renowned [member="Triam Akovin"] a weapon and armor smith with few equals. She was also something of a mercenary, and James could always use more of all three in his fold. He had bought and personally used a few of her weapons and gear effects, so when a chance at securing a contract came up, he seized it with both hands.

He took a pull from one of the alcoholic bottles as he waited, for him business was as much about having a good time as it was about being successful. He was generally good at both.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Triam had been known to travel to some pretty weird places in her life time, but few compared to the spectacle of a planet she was looking at now. To think that people... human people lived in such a chaotic and oft inhospitable environment was insane. Though she had to admit, it did posses a strange allure to it. Those rings, as deadly as they were, were beautiful. Why was it so often things that held beauty were also the ones who held behind them death and danger.

Regardless of this fact, she was on a mission to expand her wealth. After all, being a hermit didn't come cheap, and when you spent all your free time building expensive gizmo's or guzzling some really karkin' good ale... even her small fortune couldn't support it for long. Such was the life of a mercenary: retirement was very nearly never an option. Luckily killing, or otherwise hunting people for money wasn't her only avenue of profit. One of her past clients had a proposition to be made, and after making herself known to a few parts of the galaxy in recent months, it was one she was going to take the hell out of. That had a double meaning there, though Triam wouldn't be aware of it until after it was settled as something going to happen *wink wink*. Excuse my narrative interruption!

As Triam walked into the Den, the sickly sweet, sort of musky scent of many different kinds of pleasures wafted into her nose. She had worked for Hutts before, and she refrained from thinking about it... but she never thought someone would have the audacity to challenge their utter hedonism. They weren't going to be happy, for sure. Was her client a glorified Hutt? She certainly hoped not, she had a bad reputation with honoring deals to Hutts. Nonetheless, she caught an extra whiff of something that made her eyes dilate and her heart palpitate slightly. If she were younger, she would feel the effects and let it wash over her, and become the slave to whoever's passion was strongest... but she spent enough time around a particular Zeltron to be immediately repulsed by the sweetness. Not that he ever used it on her like that before, but nonetheless she did not particularly enjoy the company of her dark sided employee... though that may because she had once loved a Mandalorian who was scarred by the dark side, and she pretended to share the same conviction he did despite his inability to return her desires.

She pushed the thoughts of her heart out of her mind, as her helmet unfolded from her armor and tightly sealed around her face. The air she breathed was now filtered, and devoid of any of the sweetness lacking in her life. Triam was getting too old for anything like that... she was an adult, she had grown up, become jaded by greed and conflicted only over matters of reputation. Conflicted also by her dual infamy and reclusive periods of life. Walking effortless through sin-filled smog of sweetness, her presence wafted into the room like a bitterness that soured the flavor of their vices. Hateful eyes glared at her back in her passing for reasons even they did not understand... was it jealousy? True contempt? Or unrealized fear? No matter the cause, it soon ended as she disappeared elsewhere, disappeared into the "office" of James Justice.

"I take it you're James Justice?" Her helmet projected her voice as she entered the lounge, her eyes inspecting the security of the room, various exits, and finally alcohol. Though her mind was tactically eviscerating every detail of the room, her eyes dreamily wandered to the dulling effects of a good brand of ale. She'd been sober for a long while... believe it or not, couldn't afford to not be recently, but it continued to be a temptation. It wasn't a good idea here though, alcohol brought down more than her inhibitions, it brought back emotions... emotions that were neither pretty to look at or very good with business ventures. She steadied her mind, attempting to avoid distractions.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James watched as the woman made he way in. He was used to doing deals with many people, from planetary leaders who wanted terminate solutions to thug lords who soon became his fifes in the ever-expanding empire of Justice Shipping. Never would he ever have believed that it would blossom into the powerhouse it was today. If they didn't have it, they had someone who did. The strength of Justice Shipping was not in the corporation alone but in its sheer power to call on allies of all types and styles.

And of course, the greatest way to keep that power was to expand it all the time. He knew a fair bit about mercenaries, too much some would say. He wasn't surprised when he saw Triam come in wearing her armor. Perhaps it was paranioa, a lack of wardrobe, or just plain comfort, but a lot of them seemed to do that. He didn't understand it as much--sure he had a wardrobe full of armor, but he still preferred plainclothes to the bulk every day. And besides that, it was a lot easier to stay under the radar when you weren't wearing a couple dozen kilos of metal. But that was just his experience.

The spacer offered his helmeted companion a charismatic smile, "The one, the only, miss, glad to see ye," he patted the couch next to him, offering her a spot. He took a puff from his cigarette and let the smoke billow out in a thick fog of sweet-smelling, euphoric delight. These were home grown and special mixes that smelt just as good as they felt to the user. They were Justice Specials, the greatest tobacco product on the market. "Come sit next to me miss, I am so glad ye could make it."

His free hand pulled a bottle from the table before them and poured two glasses, letting the intoxicatingly rich and enticing fluid flow slowly into each vessel. This was imported, [member="Seanna Vel"] was to thank that through some questionable and seductive dealings of James' with her.

He took a drink from his glass and offered the other to the lady. It served two purposes; first, James hated helmets. On himself they obscured his gorgeous hair. On others they obscured the expressions and served as masks that facilitated lying. James hated not being able to make eye contact and gauge expressions. It was the tell between winning and losing in business. Second, it was a chance to get the lady slightly intoxicated. You could tell a lot about a person based on how and if they held their liquor and what type they preferred.

"I hope ye didn't have a hard time finding the place," he said before taking a gulp of his glass, "I must tell ye, I do admire some of ye works. Some damn good stuff ye make."

[member="Triam Akovin"]

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Triam was not unused to such flattery, but she be damned if she didn't say she enjoyed it. The accent caught her momentarily off guard, but she quickly adapted; it was in her nature to adapt quickly. He patted the futon, beckoning her to sit, and she obliged. Just because she looked like a brute, didn't mean she lacked manners. She nodded as she issued her own greeting. "I'm glad to make it as well. It isn't every day you are able to connect so closely to one of my customers."

There haven't been very many as of late... is what she wanted to finish that sentence with, but for the sake of keeping this a presentable business proposition, she left it out lest she look like a beggar desperately trying to make a deal to save her company from going belly up. She observed casually as he poured the alcohol into two drinks, and she knew precisely the reasons why he did it. Her calculated mind did not miss on the fact that negotiating with a faceless person was difficult. The problem was, she smelt a Zeltron, and she knew she would be vulnerable if she got a whiff of that sick air. Especially when she would be inclined to drink, though either way, it would be rude not to take the drink... which she very much did desire.

"It was not much trouble, I may not be much good at piloting my ship but as you might be aware of, I'm fairly good at improvisation." For whatever reason, her voice seemed to naturally tense the last word, making seem as if there was a second meaning. There might have been a more serious one in her head before speaking, but she soon forgot about it as she reached for her glass and brought up to the light for inspection. James said some other words that she didn't really here, but could tell they were compliments.

"I appreciate your words, and..." Her eyes inspected the bottle that had been pouring, "... your liquor. This is imported, is it not?" Although Triam was no connoisseur of fine liquor, she did once enjoy a good bottle of Whyren's Reserve... it was a shame that Corellia had been destroyed, as she understood it. If the Reserve was rare and expensive before, finding one now would almost certainly constitute into a considerable fortune.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James gave a tilt of his head, amusement and satisfaction both on his face. He was too heartbroken to give himself over again to another woman. The past he had lead, the heartache that constantly gnawed a the back of his mind when he was sober, the fear of losing again--it was all too much for him. After he lost Nyx, a part of James had died. He couldn't find her again, and he had nothing left to give or love with anymore.

But a one night stand--was something entirely different.

"It was not much trouble, I may not be much good at piloting my ship but as you might be aware of, I'm fairly good at improvisation."

James quirked an eyebrow slightly, smirking at the comment. A stream of snake-like sweet smelling smoke escaped his lips, clouding the air and mingling with the strong smell of of his pheramones. He let his eyes do his talking for him to reply, darting across her body.

"I would sure like to find out," he said at last in a low husky voice before pressing his cigarette between his lips once more.

"Of course," he said nodding to the bottle, "I have a few contracts in this business, we do make 99% of our domestic GDP off pleasure here," he took a gulp of the wiskey. He let it burn down his throat with a sweet, fierce tang. "We have night for 24 hours, it leaves a lot of time for--improvisation."

He grabbed the bottle and poured himself a refill, "More, lady?"

He moved closer, closer than needed to refill the glass, and let his leg press against hers as he filled the glass again. He pulled it back, but left his leg touching her's, intentional, but still, a start to test the waters.

"I think that the best business dealings with business partners are when ye know 'em very well, very personally," James kicked his boots on the table. "Tells a lot 'bout a person."

[member="Triam Akovin"]

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Still hiding behind her mask, and nobly attempting to resist the temptation of bringing the alcohol to her lips, Triam could tell this 'business' meeting was quickly devolving into something else. While it was true it had been a while - a long while - things were going a bit faster than she liked. They still had business to settle after all, but it was clear he wanted her mask off. Had it been off, he would notice the struggling face of a conflicted woman, resisting the impulse to down her liquor in a single swig, and ignore the bodily touching James had initiated. She remembered him speaking his desire to find out about her improvisation, and cursed her senseless tensing of the verb. That hadn't been what she meant, but knew that is the way she made it sound. What else could that have had meant? Stupid!

Justice mentioned the fact this planet had a nighttime which lasted for longer than twenty four hours. She remembered how before she was space faring, she had always wished there were more hours in the day... it never really occurred to her that such a thing could literally be possible if just lived somewhere else. Although, with her current spacer residence, day and night became largely irrelevant. He then asked, if she would desire more liquor, before she had even taken her "sip"! This guy was desperate to get her drunk... and with something like this, it was hard not to take it. She knew though, that taking a sip of the devil's drink, her body would be getting a lot more ingested than she would bargain for. There was something in the air, and it was dangerous to her inhibitions... but if she was already intending to lower them...

"You move too quickly," She said, though with a cheery tone rather than malice, she smiled though he could not see it. "I have yet to even drink! Though my temptation is great, I must resist for now." She, visibly hesitant with the action, placed the drink back to the table. "There is business to attend to after all... from what I understand, we have plenty of time." Was she playing hard to get? She didn't even know if she was attracted to this man, yet seemed to be falling into his trap. It was good she had a will of her own. A lesser woman would be removing much more than her helmet if she had given in to her temptations.

"From what I understand, your company is very good at getting things across the galaxy. While I am good at capturing dangerous materials and... men," She hesitated on that words, "Getting them to where they need to be can sometimes present a challenge. Additionally, I am aware that while you have a great deal of freedom," Her hand gestured to the room, "You may desire my services for measures of security. While on occasion I may represent the interests of security for Justice Shipping personally, I think it would be more preferable for the both of us if I use my talents for a more realistic solution that may mutually benefit us."

She picked up the glass again, possibly hinting that she may soon reveal her face.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

"You move too quickly."

James let out a slight chuckle at the statement. He didn't see things that way--life was terribly short and there was all too much alcohol to drink and too many women to have. It was tragic, after all, that there was so little time--and so much to do.

"I am always interested in adding more to the fold of my companions," James said, reclining back and letting himself ease into the plush leather. "Aye, we are one of the best when it comes to getting from one side of the galaxy to the other. We got a host of bribes, pocketed officials, guns, soldiers, and old tricks to get us there," he took a pull from his glass, taking half of it already, "Hiding in plain sight, or just hiding, we can get things where ye need 'em to be, wherever ye need em to be. I promise ye that."

He listened to her talk about the freedom that was present on Soceras. It was true, in Dal'Bor, things were intensely free. It was generally a bad idea to commit a crime in a city where everyone carried guns and the leader was known for beating his enemies into bloody pulps. In the city of Bankor Ultima, things were not so fortunate. He had taken over through quiet, stealthy measures with the help of Thraxis, and had yet to lift the communistic regime that had ruled for hundreds of years over the city. Oh, well, it would come in time.

"I wun't say no to more security measures," he said pursing his lips slightly, "However, I'd like to know what ye mean by realistic solutions and such."

[member="Triam Akovin"]

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"Well shouldn't it be obvious?" There was a touch of genuine surprise through her voice, "You have purchased my technology, you've seen what I can design and how effective I can use it against the most challenging of opponents. Imagine your own security forces with a bit more," She contemplated an appropriate word, "... capability, than most." Her hand swished the alcohol in her glass, eyeing it with great temptation.

"You can move my materials, my technology, and my bounties across the galaxy to wherever they are needed... and I'll repay you with my arms, armors, and other toys." She paused a moment, then reconsidered. "At a very considerable discount, of course." She still needed the credits after all... and she started to internally worrying in her head how she was going to start producing her equipment on the scale needed to 'arm' his company with her superior technology. The road to mass-production required more than a very capable droid. It needed a factory... which reminded her of a factory on Utapau Vanir Technologies was going to produce for her, but there were complications on her end as well as the political difficulties barring her from seeing the project to fruition. She could reinvest in that, get it operational now that the political situation favored her. Once again, that required credits to start however. It took money to start making more of it. Which gave her an idea.

"Or, if it would be more pleasing to you," She made a point to use a derivative of the word pleasure, so as to make sure he was following along. As a woman, she had seen those eyes before on a man, even if he was focused on the affair of money and business as she was. "I can grant you those without any price tag at all... if you would be willing to offer me a considerable monetary investment to my company to begin mass production right away?" It was tempting to reveal her face now, and let her inhibitions fall for the night... but not until she could get a square deal settled while sober. Hopefully her client here could appreciate this strategy... though she doubted it from his initial attempts of cosying up to her.

Not that she completely hated the attention she was receiving.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James really did hate doing business with a mask. It was such a pain to have to rely on his Zeltron empathy alone instead of his ability to read faces too. But, he had done enough deals with mandos and "semi-mandos" to know how to deal with this sort of business. Not to mention, he was sure there was a helmet filter somewhere in there that was blocking out his delicious pheromones. It just wasn't fair damn it! Ok, so it was.... but he still didn't like it!

"Aye, ye gear is damn good," he said before swallowing the other half of his spirits, "I never step out without my phantoms and Vader Swipes nearby. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page."

If there was any phrase that personified James, it would be "the House always wins." Only a truly ignorant fool would believe that he was really ever bumbling around. Or that he was half-heartedly shooting from the hip. He planned ahead for everything, he was cunning, tatical, and precise. But of course, who would ever believe that man never seen without a bottle in one hand and a woman on the other arm was in the least able to plan anything at all?

"I will counter that," James said before taking a slow, long pull on his cigarette. "I will do better than that. I'll get ye land, warehouses, factories, and all that lot. Here. On Soceras, hell even on the outskirts of Dal'Bor or Bankor Ultima, if ye prefer, but I, there's just one thing," he flicked the butt away, another stripper standing by lit him a fresh cigarette and placed it between his fingers the moment the first went airborne. "All the employees ye hire have to be natives."

Of course, the facilities would cost thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands. But, the effect on the economy would be great. Triam would hire locals, who would in turn pay taxes and buy further goods. These taxes would support more of James' inner machinations of change and--also booze. The people would have more jobs, the wheels of his economy would spin and--it was a perfect nexus if James was going to be handling all her shipments and gear out.

The house always won.

James leaned in slightly, with a slight glint in his eye, "I find a lot of things pleasing about this proposition."

[member="Triam Akovin"]

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Her eyes lit up like two blazing stars one comet strike away from going 'nova. A shame her genuine surprise and gratitude were so unfortunately hidden. James would likely have gotten a kick from it. The House always wins indeed, and Triam just got in on it. Her mind, calculating as it was, knew she would see a very sizable dent in the few millions of credits she retained... yet at the same time knew that the natives here wouldn't need much to be hired initially. And if he was footing the pill for the construction of factories? The deal was simply too good to pass up... there was nothing else she could do, to offer, that would get her any better a deal than this one!

She would still revisit the idea of her Laminanium Factory on Utapau, but for another day. Right now was the time to celebrate, and it was time let loose... get James Justice the thing he wanted out of her since the moment negotiating began. Without any noticeable movement, her mask immediately folded and retracted behind her neck, unleashing her short and wild blonde hair, complimenting her piercing blue gaze dancing in excitement alongside her wide toothy grin. Her nostrils dilated as that familiar sweet scent flooded her brain and made her heart race. Was this what it was like to swoon?

Hell, what did this mean about her attraction? Was she attracted to money? Did she get off on a good deal? What about Preliat, the only thing he ever did was fight, complain, and- wait a minute. He helped her start her... career...

For the love of- she's attracted to her own personal success! It just so happened it conveniently took the form of the men (or woman, it's never been tested that far) who helped her achieve it. No wonder her ego was so large, she loved herself too much for that sole reason...

"More than pleasurable..." She said with an even but intoxicatingly delighted tone. She turned her head so only the side of her face was plainly visible, still beaming from the exchange, and slowly brought the glass to her lips, her left eye looking at him closing only when her head tipped back... further... and further...

*CLINK*!

Her empty glass hit the table, and she casually looked back to James, looking a bit too happy to be the real Triam Akovin everybody else knew.

"It'sa deal, James." Her voice was different... lacking in the stoicism of her all-business personality, but definitely deeper. Damn, looks like The Relentless did have one crucial weakness, and it seems to be that those pheromones hit her like a freight ship. One can only assume anyway, considering how she was acting... although it did appear she had already been at least mildly aroused before that sickly sweet smell even reached her nose. So who's to judge?

"I'll take that second glass now," She winked.

Way settle into the idea and not go 0 to 60, Akovin. Classy.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James felt through his empathy as he watched his deal score. He believed there was no point in getting rich if you couldn't be damn generous. Oh, sure, he owned like.... everything here. And if he didn't he could possess and repo it or black mail the owner into giving it over--but well, what the hell were ethics worth if you couldn't help someone out?

"With a face like that," he he said eyeing her with a smirk, "Ye should wear helmets less often."

He watched as she downed her glass and slammed it on the table. That was more like it. That was what he was talking about. It looked like the Angel's Den was starting to work its magic on her. With her helmet gone, James had no doubt that his pheromones could do their work now. Either way--he didn't care. Business was done, it was time for other business. The type he was the best at.

"I'll take that second glass now,"

James grabbed one of the bottles from the table, sliding his arm around Triam he let one of the nearby strippers remove its cork. It was hard liquor. The stuff you drank when you wanted to get smashed and wake up in someone else's bed unable to remember all the amazing times you had that night. He cocked it back, taking a few mouth fulls of the burning liquid down his throat. He eyed Triam with a devious look.

"I hop eye can hold ye liquor as good as ye look," he said moving to press the bottle to her gorgeous lips.

[member="Triam Akovin"]