Make the Best Use of Frequent Flyer Miles

[Dunames Lopez]

Dosuun, a few hours before the games start. A few hours before Dunames takes up her position in the studio allocated to Taking Off on a Star Tour for the Games themselves. By now Star Tours was one of the leading spacelines of the galaxy, one that could operate on the same level as the likes of Maersk Star Freight, which also operate in One Sith space after their competitors in that area of space were driven out of business. And Bluth Company, whom Star Tours challenged in SSC space, no longer operating only from Ringo Vinda in SSC space. Dunames was, to be fair, a refreshing face in the world of business: among the people known in the galaxy as the player-characters, she was a special snowflake because, while she is as megalomaniac as other business-owning PCs, she thought it was best to pursue her objectives away from what she calls implements of destruction, and running Star Tours differently from Star Tours' Galactic Civil War-era incarnation. Nevertheless, she accepts that hauling implements of destruction is part of the game. She is convoking media, and not just Taking Off on a Star Tour, but also the First Order State Media through its financial news outlet Dosuun Review.

"Dear Star Tours patrons, despite the failures in expanding the Beaches of the Dark Side line of vacation packages, we are ready to take an unprecedented step: allow holders of frequent flyer cards to use their frequent flyer miles for purchasing stocks. Never in galactic history has a spaceline allowed the more faithful among its clientele to actually purchase stocks using their frequent flyer miles"

Past PC-owned companies that attempted to reach tier-6 without manufacturing implements of destruction, or their components thereof, almost uniformly failed to grow to tier-4. (To Dunames' eyes, mining is the base material of implements of destruction) Such companies included Mirai Confectionery, who explicitly aimed to do such before the Alliance nationalized it when Elrood became Alliance property. And the Alliance authorities did nothing more with it than act as rather conservative custodians, making the company stagnate for the past 18 months or so. They may still be the largest cookie manufacturers in the galaxy, but they dropped the ball. Contemporary banking was a sector where there are a multitude of smaller banks scattered across the galaxy, with the Big Three being the IGBC, the Galactic Banking Federation and Aurum-Saccs. Was Star Tours a PC-owned company that could actually achieve the goal of growing to tier-6 without themselves selling or manufacturing what Dunames called implements of destruction? They did win the Most Improved Spaceline Award from Hyperspace Traveler, but would that suffice for Dunames?

[member="Darth Veles"]

 

[Darth Veles]

Darth Veles loves Star Tours!

With their wide assortment of galaxy-spanning destinations to choose from, the Sith assassin practically did not need his beloved stealth vessel! The Mon Cal’s gold-level Star Tours frequent flyer card served as an undeniable proof to support such a bold claim. Of course he had to abuse it to the fullest and enjoy the luxury only this particular interstellar travel agency offered.

Exotic cuisine and relaxation during the long, endless flights possessed this unique, undeniable charm. Plus it allowed the amphibious assassin to get into certain places undetected – very much like his own ship, albeit a bit more legally and without the necessity to fly the spacecraft himself, which gave Veles more free time to convert into something productive.

So useful!

After the Star Tours' CEO released her latest announcement, no hesitation followed the purple-haired woman’s message – Veles simply had to spend most of his frequent flyer miles. What else to do with them, anyway? That, and the megalomaniacal [member="Dunames Lopez"] was too charming to refuse.

It did not stop there though!

Without the slightest ounce of guilt, the amphibian spent all he could on Star Tours stocks – gone were the remaining credits drained from the Black Rose’s funds. What a prick – though many would applaud such action and argue that bankrupting the Sithspawn hive was the right thing to do.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Although the notion of PCs and NPCs wasn't foreign to Star Tours, as it applied to corporate ownership, contract and business law, it was foreign to all the other spacelines in the galaxy that actually operated as such. Even Justice Shipping, who claimed to operate as a spaceline, actually was more like how Vanir Technologies operated theirs: just some channel through which to ship implements of destruction their other divisions built to external parties. For this reason Dunames held little respect for these two corporations, especially since in the first case their spaceline operation was also used as a front for smuggling. And undoubtedly that one [member="Darth Veles"], the first-ever patron of that ski resort on Hoth, had to be there, along with his then-apprentice, [member="Isla Ashen"]. As did Emelanda Starky, some Dosuun socialite that was a Lipstick Express regular (she was even interviewed by the First Order State Media about the Lipstick Express), also holding a gold-level Star Tours frequent flyer card. That announcement amounts to an emission of stocks from a financial standpoint... and with Star Tours, there was only one type of stocks, unlike some other corporations that had several categories. Sure Dunames wouldn't own as much of a stake as she used to, but she would not expect these pesky PCs to invest in it, save for that someone special who was there with her, and would almost systematically use Star Tours on official business.

"Today, we pledge to never manufacture implements of destruction. Too often these people, who regard themselves as the gods of the galactic game of thrones, also known as the map game, live and die by their implements of destruction. They virtually dominate the defense industries but occupy comparatively little space in service industries and in consumer goods industries. Thank the Force that there are those people, those corporations, to remind these people flying around the galaxy in search of the next excuse to fight, that the defense industries are not the be-all, end-all of the galactic economy. For this reason, I have no problem saying that I am a special snowflake among the bigwigs of the galactic economy"

"Implements of destruction?" a Hyperspace Traveler journalist asked.

"The average corporation in the galactic headlines is part of the defense industries. Implements of destruction are, simply put, any instrument that can be used in combat for either offense or defense"

"There are other spacelines in the galaxy. I may be struggling to understand how Star Tours is different from the others" that journalist asked again.

"Justice Shipping also operates Justice Yards, building implements of destruction. Plus their main operations are cloning of troops, mercenaries as well as droid manufacturing so, in the end, the spaceline component is just a front for smuggling. As for Sif Shipping, they are a subsidiary of a gargantuan defense contractor whose parent corporation made no effort whatsoever to actually develop that aspect of the business"

"By now Star Tours is one of the Big Three spacelines in the galaxy. What are your plans for the future?"

"With Taking Off on a Star Tour we're doing horizontal as well as vertical integration of in-flight entertainment. We will now sponsor the making of holovids; regardless of which film is shot with Star Tours money, so long as it is completed, it will be available in perperuity onboard Star Tours flights"

 

[Kami Meran]

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

Great Lyth gave her a invite to a tour and Deran had no real interest in these things.
She sat looking bored and disinterested with a box of Iradorian nuts.
still it was good to be sitting on a comfy chair without some on shooting at her.
The others looked at the scruffy Meran mechanics mechanic like she was embarrassing.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"As a result of the upcoming Galactic Games, I announce that the Galactic Games will be broadcast live onboard all Star Tours flights, as well as on the holonews channel operated by Taking off on a Star Tour"

However, the Galactic Games would be broadcast on just one channel on each Star Tours flight. Iradorian nuts? That woman called Brittany, who was best known on Dosuun as being an idiot-savant of a veterinarian that specialized in equine care, ate the last of them. A rather plain woman by the looks of it, a far cry from even crimson-haired Dunames, let alone the likes of Jessica or Marzena, despite both women being different kinds of women: one being a genius that was pretty thick and favored heavy weapons, the other being much more willowy, delicate but with little skill with heavy weapons. Brittany was more like Charzon in that she was more willowy than Jessica, yet were almost equally tall. The journalists from both the First Order State Media and Hyperspace Traveler were keen to ask Dunames about how Star Tours would go on about their business of broadcasting the Games that were to be held in just a few hours...

"Given the tepid interest of the mainstream media outside First Order space, wouldn't it allow Taking Off on a Star Tour to enjoy a virtual monopoly on broadcasts of the Games outside First Order space?" a First Order State Media journalist asked.

"How will you ensure the broadcast of the games with so little experience of sports journalism?" a Hyperspace Traveler journalist asked.

"We just acquired live streaming equipment that will allow us to do instant replays as well"

[member="Kami Meran"] [member="Darth Veles"] [member="Ardgal Raxis"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"To answer your question, the antitrust regulatory agencies are rather lax for things like these. Especially Mandalorian ones whose barbaric economic practices have no equal"

Brittany sometimes envied her cousin Tiffany, living on Hosnian Prime and working in the entourage of a certain Jawa senator called Klesta: compared to her, Tiffany was a lot more well-rounded as a person, whereas Brittany was more one-dimensional. And yet Tiffany was the family's big gambler: she, too, exhausted her entire supply of frequent-flyer miles much like Darth Veles did. Seems like Dunames counted on the fact that passengers could only accumulate a finite amount of frequent-flyer miles before pulling the trigger on that move of doing what amounts to a stock emission. And Star Tours was the smallest of the Big Three of space freight: Maersk Star Freight, Bluth Company were both bigger than Star Tours was: whereas Star Tours was on the cusp of tier-4, the other two already were there, and Maersk Star Freight was going on tier-5, even though they should no longer be regarded as being part of any faction, unlike Bluth Company.

"And how do you feel about letting passengers convert their frequent flyer miles into stocks?" the Hyperspace Traveler jounalist asked. "No spaceline in galactic history ever did that"

"I'm not worried. There is only a finite amount of frequent flyer miles they can accumulate and it will allow the passengers to take ownership from the bottom up"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"Since you mentioned Mandalorian barbaric practices, I'm wondering how are they different from the Sith factions' economic practices" the Dosuun Review journalist asked.

"Mandos are doing embargoes on every crusade target but beyond that they favor weapons and armor above all else"

As Dunames reviews her notes, she notices a certain Darth Veles eagerly awaiting the next big announcement alongside his apprentice, Isla Ashen. And not only that, but with the number of dominions Star Tours ran for the First Order: Thakwaa, Hoth, Vortusa/Dead Nebula, Yalara/Effekt as well as running several of the First Order's bread-and-circuses events and infrastructure, broadcasting the next big thing in the FO's bread-and-circuses, the Galactic Games, she had no choice but to make an announcement pertaining to the headquarters: it doesn't make any sense for Star Tours to remain headquartered on JanFathal if the center of gravity of Star Tours operations was now in FO space. Especially since JanFathal faded in importance in Star Tours' network because of Cademimu in Mandalorian territory that is rather close to JanFathal. Plus Dulvoyinn is a rather minor location in the grand scheme of things.

"I hereby announce that Star Tours will move its headquarters in First Order space"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"Where in First Order space?" Hyperspace Traveler journalists asked.

Bespin was off-limits since Bespin Direct was already there, despite Bespin Direct still being a rather non-factor in the spaceline world, only flying to Hoth within First Order space, and the three remaining possibilities being Lanteeb, Lipsec or Dosuun. Lipsec they already flew to, running the Lipstick Express route, where the romance of shopping among a plethora of cosmetics appealed to all too many socialites in FO-land, they used up nearly all the passenger spots in Lanteeb's Bant'ena Fhernan Spaceport, the only spaceport on the planet with a significant commercial presence, but by far the largest of the destinations in FO-land that wasn't already a hub, was Dosuun. Perhaps Dunames would rather want to build the headquarters away from the big two cities of Dosuun, Avalonia and Prosperia, if so was the case. Also the attendees, nearly all of whom held gold-level frequent flyer cards, if they were not Star Tours staff, all eagerly awaited the one big announcement of the day.

"Dosuun"

"Any reason why?" the First Order State Media asked.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"Star Tours' center of gravity has shifted southward towards First Order space since the near-collapse of Hedeek Shipping"

"Already Hedeek Shipping was in deep trouble from the moment Star Tours first appeared in First Order space. Any move pertaining to that corporation you would like to make?"

"With the money raised from the frequent flyer miles announcement, Star Tours will buy a 51% stake in Hedeek Shipping, in effect merging it with Star Tours"

And the Lipstick Express drove out Hedeek Shipping from the bread-and-circuses circuit of tourism. Star Tours may have been "wanting for everyone to come to Lipsec and become fashionable no matter the budget they have", but [member="Marzena Choi"] was one of the fixtures of the Lipstick Express if only because she appeared in the Lipstick Express' holoads. Plus it marked the beginning of those seats with holotrays that were mounted all over the place in the end. What made Star Tours earn the Most Improved Spaceline award from Hyperspace Traveler. Plus these first-class cabins already surpassed at the time what that CR70 called Tzarina sported when it crashed on Dathomir in 0 ABY. But now getting involved in podracing, a ski resort on Hoth (where the most incredible [expert-level] slopes in the galaxy were to be found even by 4 ABY, let alone today) and holoflicks?

"There are already a lot of filmmakers around the galaxy: Dathomirian, Mandalorian (Alderaanian or not), Coruscanti, to name a few. What will you do differently from, say, Tenloss Corporation?"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"The spaceline Tenloss Corporation operates mostly shows holoporn on it, but we want movies to feel authentic by making use of historical records if the plot lends itself to it"

"You're going to operate more like indie studios then?"

"I hate the star system as much as the next guy and how it feels so fake, plus the star system, often requiring a bankable actor to get a movie funded, let alone shot, seems so fickle, plus picking the wrong actor can cost a flop a fortune. We want to give a chance to previously untapped talent"

Hedrett Holovid, for example, was nearly bankrupted when their last holovid, The Princess and the Genius 6, failed to achieve any kind of success whatsoever. The Princess and the Genius 7 was in the process of being optioned to Taking Off on a Star Tour. All that TOoaST needs to actually exercise their option, if they actually option it, is the right set of historical records, or the right story to milk. But shooting The Princess and the Genius 7 would require a male actor with some knowledge of engineering, if the original plot was to be kept. But TOoaST had to be flexible in shooting said holo. And Dunames knew that the journalists had a lot of questions left about Star Tours and its position in the First Order's bread-and-circuses circuit.

"Long live the First Order's bread-and-circuses!"

"But how does podracing and operating a ski resort play into the First Order's bread-and-circuses? They are disparate components"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"I might have won the Lanteeb Grand Prix after having placed fourth in the Cademimu Drift. Podracing and alpine skiing, while disparate, are among the more extreme sports: sporting seems to have moved to the more extreme scale but holovids and shopping are more components of what I call the bread-and-circuses"

"Bread-and-circuses? All that you have been talking about were the circuses: where does the bread enter the equation?" the FO State Media representative asked.

"We deliver what you call the bread in the bread-and-circuses schtick, but that is a question that the Ministry of Agriculture is more apt to answer"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Bread-and-circuses were mostly, in that sense, about food supplies and entertainment supplies in any shape or form. And that was the definition that was prevalent in First order space. But the expression bread-and-circuses were often used outside of FO space for different meanings: among the Alliance, bread-and-circuses would instead mean that the authorities would seek popular approval by either distraction or appeasing short-term needs. As the shareholder's assembly was almost over, the journalists still covering Star Tours' shareholder assembly flocked towards Dunames, but the Hyperspace Traveler journalist left the scene because he feels as if the participation of a spaceline in bread-and-circuses was of little interest beyond what was said during the shareholder's assembly. So only the First Order State Media followed in Dunames' footsteps and tried to get to the bottom of the story - they know there is more to it.

"For all that talk of how you intend to broadcast the Games outside of First Order space, a visit of the press gallery at Kalast Stadium is in order. Start with Taking Off on a Star Tour's facilities"

"Roger, will do"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"The shareholder's assembly is now closed"

Dunames boarded a broadcasting truck alongside the FO State Media journalists from the hotel conference room where the shareholder's assembly was held, whose emergency exit directly led to the journalists' truck for holo broadcasting. Clearly the whole announcement of broadcasting the Galactic Games for the people outside First Order space piqued their interest and they wanted to visit the press gallery of Kalast Stadium. Luckily for all parties involved, Dunames picked a conference room close to the stadium itself, but not in the stadium itself, but in that they could be forgiven: the conference rooms inside the stadium were not big enough for that. Inside the 100,000-seater stadium, they realize that the stadium has many, many levels, and the press gallery was near the top of the complex. What goes on behind the scenes in what was set to begin soon, very soon was for the FO State Media to see and photograph, as well as cover, in addition to Star Tours' statements.

"We have arrived at the stadium. Take us to the press gallery"

"Roger"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Dunames and the journalists from the First Order State Media make for the stadium's press gallery with the Games being merely a few hours away. Journalists, both those assigned to the Games and those assigned to the Star Tours coverage, all reached for the stadium's press gallery in a frantic race. Here gallery is more appropriate than box; the press facilities cover a row across a wide array of the stadium facing north, much larger than Hextrophon Stadium's press box on Dagobah (capacity: 15,000), owned by Dagobah Tech, which is so cramped that press had to pool cameras when huttball games are played there. Once they arrive at the top floor of Kalast Stadium, they realize that they still need to take up their positions before the games begin and to deploy the equipment used for taping the Games live. Clearly the FO State Media have questions. Dunames is nervous as they ask the not-so-tough questions:

"What equipment do you have at your disposal here?"

"The camera drones aren't deployed yet, there are 20 of them, 12 of which will be deployed in goal zones"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"Why 12 cameras in goal zones?"

"Four cameras in each goal zone: one from the top, one from behind, two each on the sides so that these cameras could decide the issue for questionable goals"

"I guess, fair-play does matter"

Dunames was unfazed by the comments made by the FO State Media journalists before the broadcasting control center is even visited by either party. Intrigued by the then-questionable ability of Star Tours to offer live broadcasts across the galaxy for an event such as the Galactic Games, or even huttball games, the First Order State Media having never set foot in the broadcasting control center either, and yet they assume responsibilities over the First Order's broadcasts of the Games. She guessed that the stadium is brand-new and that the material is brand-new so there shouldn't be any malfunctions. As she gets a feel for Taking Off on a Star Tour's box within the gallery, she realized that Frank or the rest of the podcasters haven't yet arrived on-site, but that's OK since the Games are still a few hours away and the pre-game broadcast hasn't yet begun. But she will have to sit in that chair soon.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"In our departure from the all-too-common Jedi-vs-Sith plots, we have planned a new movie called Broken Bones and Breadsticks, where a street brawl erupts inside a Pizza Hutt location on Nar Shaddaa"

"What I'm seeing here is capturing the everyday scene in a new light. A warning against the anarchy"

The main cast was promised 5,000 credits apiece for just a few days, or maybe one, of work. That was a B-series salary but if paying all medical expenses and damage inflicted on the Pizza Hutt was an indication, the budget would be expected to be similar to the budget of Dead Fantasy 2. But as the jounalists leave Star Tours' press box, they arrive at a room chock-full of holoscreens, as well as of streaming equipment, much like the equipment used in news stations to cover breaking news as they happen. Plus Dunames was given her press credentials, just after Frank got his for the event. They'd never suspect that Star Tours would also get increasingly involved in every aspect of the operation of the First Order's bread-and-circuses. Never. They'd never think that a company slated to build new headquarters in FO-land would be able to withstand the pressures of having to broadcast things on such a grand scale.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Dunames obtained her press credentials for Star Tours' role as the Games' broadcaster outside of First Order space. Now that she was one of the podcasters, her face will be visible across the galaxy as the sole broadcaster that has actually gotten around to obtain rights to broadcast the Games outside FO space. And they arrived almost at the very beginning of the opening ceremony of the Games, long before the Parade of Factions occured. Of course, by the time the preliminary pre-game show began, the FO State Media journalists vacated Star Tours' studio, and the opening ceremony was taped. Dunames was on air for the first time in a holoshow on a galactic scale for something other than financial news.

"Welcome to the opening ceremony of the first edition of the Galactic Games, hosted by the First Order. Participation has been a little disappointing this year, with only three teams entering, but nevertheless each representing one of the three main poles of the galactic political scene: the light side, the dark side and the Mandalorians. Taking Off on a Star Tour is present on behalf of Star Tours, one of the many, many sponsors across First Order space without which the Games wouldn't be hosted"

"If I may, Dunames, the organizers downsized the Games because they seem to target a special segment of the athletic talent and also in a cost-cutting measure" Frank said.

"I know you're disappointed not to take part in the podrace, I mean, that the games were not to actually feature a podrace, but all of Marianne, Abraxis, Titan Kryze would have competed" another journalist said as well.