Medici in SPACE

[Melvand Zrimmir]

Bastion.

The slave planet.

Zrimmir had never been, and he hoped not to come again any time soon. However, he needed to be there now, if he wanted to hook a big client such as Blackwell Industries. It was vital if ZUBU was to keep up its current growth into next quarter. Any stagnation, or worse, drop, could cause a lost of trust from ZUBU's shareholders. Then ZUBU's rise into galactic banking would come to a close, forcing Zrimmir into mediocrity. That was not something Zrimmir ever hoped to see, so big fish like Blackwell Industries and their manager [member="Darth Maliphant"] had to be caught.

Zrimmir's potential client was an interesting character. What little information he could find about him related to a graduation from the Sith Imperial Academy on Bastion, and an unknown career amongst the Imperial Army. The only important information to Zrimmir was his ownership of the vast technology and manufacturing corporation Blackwell Industries. So Zrimmir had reached out, using any and all means he had, about a financial patronage by his own bank. Maliphant accepted, and Zrimmir left Cato Neimoidia to present a contract.

"This is the Yacht Nib Fortune, requesting clearance for landing procedures."

And hopefully Maliphant would sign.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

As the Neimoidian moved through Bastion’s airspace, his ship’s computer was funneled a series of transportation request and documentation from the totalitarian government of The Sith; something Maliphant and other Imperial citizens were well adjusted to, however something quite foreign to someone like Mevland Zrimmir. As he was granted access, the ‘Nig Fortune’ was slowly guided far from the localized metropolis’s of Bastion’s many cities, instead breaking into the nature of the wilderness, soon nothing but red canyons and arid environments to be seen.

It was here that the feminine personality of Harper’s Respite spoke out, the waif like voice breaching the Nib Fortune’s cockpit speakers with an elegant welcome;

“Greeting, Mr. Zrimmir. If you’ll allow us, we’ll take over, and guide you down to the private dock.”

With that, the controls would quickly move to autopilot, bringing the vessel into port with the smoothest of landings; allowing the Neimoidian to witness the grandeur of the massive art deco facility, its experimental design well in line with Mon Calamari stylings, but with a certain imperial modernness to it. Far below, a massive oasis would offer Melvan the soft music of birds singing and a waterfall roaring, though quiet by distance.

“If you’ll please step out, Darth Maliphant will be waiting for you.”, the voice would speak up once more.

As Melvand would, the distant form of a man in what looked to be modern, tight fitting workout attire approached him. Its linear design accented what muscular structure the man held, while much of his silver, ashy hair was pulled behind him in a loose fit high ponytail that bobbed and swayed as he walked. As the two approached, he spoke, extending his hand out as an amiable smile met Melvand’s gaze;

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zrimmir. I’m glad you could make it. I trust the trip was pleasant?”

Surprising manners, for a Sith.

[member="Melvand Zrimmir"]

 

[Melvand Zrimmir]

Zrimmir wasn't alien to these sorts of procedures, so he was more than happy to allow the ship to be taken in softly by ground control's guidance. However, there was always that nagging bit of paranoia. Something drilled into him by his early childhood. One common to all Cato Neimoidians. One where the young fight to survive, by any measure. Zrimmir shook away the unwelcome thought and put himself in the mind for deal making.

Zrimmir was also put off by the odd stylings of the Sith's home. He'd never seen a Sith so, well decorated. Of course he was even more surprised by the music choice and even more by the Sith's actual appearance. To Zrimmir, it was so...emasculate. It took all the discipline Zrimmir had trained in composure and etiquette to not smirk and laugh at [member="Darth Maliphant"]'s boyish complexion and feminine hair. Even then, a small tug could be seen for just a second on Zrimmir's gray-green face.

Now a more professional, and dishonest, smile appeared on Zrimmir's face,

"As it is mine to meet you, Darth Maliphant is it? And yes, the journey was practically a vacation."

 

[Darth Empyrean]

No stranger to the machinations of a businessman, Maliphant simply smiled as the man went through his judgements. There was a certain annoyance he always had around Melvand’s type, the credit grubbing, oily masses that sought nothing more than to follow the ways of the Sith in betrayal, but for nothing else. Would Mevland hold himself to such high regards if the credit his company was based on simply failed? Put all his power into the common idea of a galaxy and their security within, only to have it all slip away by a market scare.

That thought brought a real smile to Maliphant’s lips before he spoke, his words dripping from his tongue like molten silver;

“As to be expected. Sith space is something to adore, no?”, he said with a slight laugh, only to motion Melvand to follow into his great home, past the walkways and into the facility itself.

The door sprang to life as it depressurized and slid aside, offering the two the full encased environment of Harper’s Respite, that in which Maliphant lived day to day. Its interior was mostly white, with various forms of art from all eras of the galaxy hanging or standing in their alcoves; a few splotches of wood furnishings to break apart the monochromatic nature of the modern home. Quickly a human replicant droid meandered to the two, greeting Maliphant first;

“Hello Master, who is your guest?”, she said in a waif like tone as she glanced back to Melvand.

“Melvand Zrimmir, with ‘Zrimmir Universal Banking Union’. Save that to memory, please.”

The girl seemed to zone out for a moment before smiling once more.

“Done. Is there anything I can get for you, Mr. Zrimmir?”

As she spoke, Maliphant moved to the general living quarters they were to discuss in, planting himself in a basin like chair that seemed to swallow him in synth leather cushions, all supported by a singular repulsorlift serving as a form of suspension for his weight. Maliphant simply waited for Zrimmir to catch up, humming to himself as he let his home do much of the talking.


[member="Melvand Zrimmir"]

 

[Melvand Zrimmir]

As Zrimmir followed [member="Darth Maliphant"]'s lead, he couldn't help but gaze at the young man's art collection. Nothing compared to those considered average on his own homeworld, but for someone of Maliphant's kind, it was fair. Although much better than any other force user he had met, the boy's interior design paled against his exterior. Nevertheless, the best one could do when managing so much. Most force users just let their homesteads and posessions lie out to rot, leaving little care for what they own, save their lightsaber. Disgusting people, thought Zrimmir.

The Neimoidian didn't think much of the human replicant, on Cato Neimoidia they had better, but Zrimmir assumed it made do for the Sith. He just waved dismissively when she asked,

"A water." he said, leaving no respect from the droid. Then he followed Maliphant into the room, taking a seat opposite the Sith Lord.

"Shall we begin?"

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“If you’re so inclined, I suppose we can.”, he said, idly remarking the lack of respect for his replicant droid.

Not that a droid really deserved any, but the signal was enough to imply what sort of man Melvand was, the exact reason he had the droid greet everyone who entered his home. Whether they looked at her with curiosity, disgust, or even lust told Maliphant more than they could imagine, and this Neimoidian was no different; instantly setting the personality Maliphant had already picked up on with his near Zeltron level empathy skills.

A soft ‘hmphf’ of approval left him for a moment before he quickly corrected himself and sat forward, typing away at the coffee table between them until a holoprojector brought about a series of documents, charts, and line graphs of all sizes and degrees; their slight hum only overtaken by Maliphant as he began to speak in the sweet devil like tones he was known for;

“Blackwell Industries is coming to you for a large scale loan to expand our company further. Here collected for you I have a documents on current liquid and solid assets in excess of a few hundred million credits, projected growth patterns, current average income, stock prices as they currently stand, and plenty more.”, he said as a series of them moved towards the Neimoidian’s side of the table, as if to present themselves to him.

“With all these in consideration, I’ll be looking for a small loan of eighty five million credits; just enough to build our new corporate building on Coruscant, expand our mining efforts on Barbatos, and further expand our research department.”

With all that said, Maliphant quietly sat back in his chair, letting the Neimoidian work through it as his pace.

“You’ll find a more detailed business plan within. Do you have any concerns, Mr. Zrimmir?”

[member="Melvand Zrimmir"]

 

[Melvand Zrimmir]

Zrimmir studied [member="Darth Maliphant"] as he detailed the deal he had decided upon. He studied the documents, in depth. Finally, after several minutes research, Zrimmir came to his conclusion. It was worth it. Regardless of this Sith's no doubt illustrious background, his company was a surefire success, for now. The loan would be in good hands, but that didn't make Zrimmir trust the boy anymore. His ownership of Jaegar Solutions had proven his savvy for business, Zrimmir would approve. He wouldn't like it though, he rarely did. In Zrimmir's mind, there were only a few species capable of really conducting business, and force using filth like Maliphant didn't count in Zrimmir's book.

"This all seems very sound, and your requested loan price, although risky for a first time client, seems acceptable. However before I sign this loan, I'd be interested in learning more in exactly what your company does." Zrimmir said. "I've read the public Holonet descriptions, but I'd like to hear it from you, the CEO and mastermind behind it all." Zrimmir really knew how to butter them up.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“And here I thought yourself a very number focused man.”, he said after a short stint.

Maliphant simply idled his finger to the desk, letting all the documents Melvand had just seen disappear between them, leaving nothing but the crisp, atmospheric air of his home left. A small holodisk ejected on Melvand’s side, obviously for the banker, while Maliphant simply watched him with his golden corrupted gaze; an intimidating sight for a non force user who knew the power of Sith. Still, Maliphant failed to give off the other displays of aggression, instead offering the banker an amiable grin and moving to speak;

“Blackwell Industries looks to create the leading edge of technology at my discretion, and that of its leading corporate officers. Genetics, technology sold to Sith like myself, even the realm of new creatures and flora to faun over.”, he said in a slightly whimsical manner.

“In truth, Melvand, Blackwell Industries is looking to become the largest corporation in the galaxy, just as they all do, but is doing so on the promise of quality over quantity, as it should.”

[member="Melvand Zrimmir"]

 

[Melvand Zrimmir]

Zrimmir leaned back as he mulled over the answer he received. Not much more informative than what he had read. No he would need more, so Zrimmir pursued,

"Perhaps you could show me an example of your work? A photo, or maybe a document detailing a current project?"

Zrimmir finger bridged and awaited [member="Darth Maliphant"]'s answer. The Neimoidian studied the young Sith's face. It was funny really. Maliphant held many of the same qualities Zrimmir searched for in his comfort women. But nothing about this dark lord brought him the same comfort they brought him. No, his very presence was just a tad unnerving, nothing Zrimmir couldn't ignore with his deep arrogance and insatiable greed for more, whether that be credits, power, or whatever he could find. Hopefully this endeavor would help try extinguish that hunger or else Zrimmir would not be very pleased for the remainder of the day.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“If an example is what you require, then an example you shall receive.”, he said with a shrug, followed by him closing his eyes and seeming to focus on something.

Little did Melvand know, but Maliphant had summoned a bird of his own creation with the genetics team at Blackwell Industries, a bird known simply as ‘The Birds of Hermes’. Maliphant put a finger to his chin as he glanced to an empty spot, motioning for Melvand to follow his gaze; though for a moment nothing appeared there. Another moment, and nothing came, almost pointing to the would be associate an insane nincompoop; yet as the two idled something stirred distantly.

In a flash, feathers appeared in a reality warping blink of the eye, nothing but a few strays falling to the wayside as the vulture like apparition looked around, its three sets of beady black eyes wondering over Maliphant before settling on Melvand. It was unsettling to look at, its mannerisms twitchy and disgusting; yet it moved with some sort of confidence unfounded in conventional animals.

“This is ‘The Bird of Hermes’, a series of messenger birds created by Blackwell Industries and its fringe technology department.”, he said with a smile.

“It sends messages, and parcels, but it does so through what you just witnessed-”, pausing for a moment, Maliphant’s tendency for dramatic flair.

“Teleportation.”

[member="Melvand Zrimmir"]

 

[Melvand Zrimmir]

Zrimmir stared confusedly at [member="Darth Maliphant"], watching as he just pointed to the corner. The Neimoidian looked to the corner, then back at Maliphant, then to the corner again. Then a poof and Zrimmir shot up from his chair, scared karkless. His breath jumped but he soon relaxed and sat back down. He listened to the boyish Sith. Teleportation. Now that was advancement, advancement Zrimmir would get behind.

"Thank you, this is all the proof I need." Zrimmir said, an ugly smile hanging off his lips. From within the folds and drapes of his robes Zrimmir revealed a datapad no larger than twenty centimeters in length and width. He spent a few minutes typing in information, details of the contract. Then he pressed his thumb on the little pad, and after a beep, he handed the datapad to Darth Maliphant. "Here is our contract, feel free to review it however long you want. All I require is your biological signature."

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Maliphant simply smiled at the fear the Neimoidian had given off at the sight of his creation, her own personal messenger on Bastion. There was nothing quite like seeing the shocked expression of the uninitiated witnessing the darkness of The Sith, and what they were capable of; be it in the form of Sith Spawn, outright powers, or even speed and ferocity. There was an almost iconic category of fear they all shared, a mixture of desperation and awe struck nature…

As his gaze came to the contract, he quietly went over it as he brought his thoughts back to the issue at hand, sliding through it before pressing his thumbprint to the slot required, taking both his print and the dna sample from his skin. Setting it aside, he leaned back once more and offered Melvand a wide smile;

“A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Zrimmir.”, he said with a dangerous tone.

“While you’re here, is there anything else I can do for you? I imagine if this goes well, we could be seeing much of each other in the future, you know.”

[member="Melvand Zrimmir"]

 

[Melvand Zrimmir]

Zrimmir stood up, put the datapad into his robes, and held out his hand to shake.

"I hope we do, [member="Darth Maliphant"], but I'm afraid I must be going back to Cato Neimoidia. Important political matters are swirling planetside, as a member of the ruling council, I must get back to attend to my duties."

Zrimmir did not want to stay, not one bit. He didn't lie, there were political problems back on Cato Neimoidia. Ones he needed to sort out on his own. However, Zrimmir wanted to get out of this freak palace as soon as possible. And once his hand was shook, the Neimoidian was gone.