Reservations for Two

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

Business. The galaxy was born on it, it breaths it, and it'll probably die by its mark. If there was any truth to be found that would be it and on the Republic world of Balmora business was not just present but it was everything. The Gaillard Corporation was no exception; despite being born a small company building a few speeders it had now boomed into many new ventures. The beginning was just had and the journey would be rough but given the means it would lead to power and riches.

"What about the Red Ravens?", a human woman spoke as she walked beside the young and ambitious Aleksandyr Gaillard on their way to a board meeting. The savvy businessman's stride forced her to keep up at an uncomfortable speed. "Red Ravens? A bunch of criminals ****'s aren't they?", his snarky remark was not withheld by even a second; followed by a light smirk. The woman who followed him rolled her eyes at his satirical attitude.

She cleared her throat, "They have the means." She looked at him-scanning his face for expressions to get a clear read of what he was thinking. The party stopped briefly at the door leading into the conference room. Aleksandyr turned to her so that she would adjust his suit and make sure that every strand of hair was in the right place, his enhanced eyes narrowed slightly as a large grin grew across his face from corner to corner. "Send them a G1--on me.", he turned to the door as it slid open a series of suits with the same faces sat in rows just beyond but before he entered he turned around one last time.

"Oh, and don't forget to mention that I expect them to break it in on the trip here."

Aleksandyr marched into the conference room, the sliding door closing behind him. His faithful assistant walked down the hall at a more comfortable pace, punching into her datapad sending a note with a brand new luxurious starship.

To whomever manages the Red Ravens:

I hope you enjoy your new Galaxy-One starship, your infamy precedes you and as such our Chief Executive Officer,Aleksandyr Gaillard, is eager to meet with whomever runs your 'roguish' organization. Consider this gift your means of travel, enjoy the luxurious and intricate design.​

​

Finally, we are prepared to put you in the best penthouse suite credits can accommodate for you and a special guest. Any and all needs will be met without miscue. ​

​

Sincerely,​

​

Tanlia Witt ​

​

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Catching a few rare moments of sleep in his office at the Dragon Palace Casino on Antecedent, Cryax Bane, President of the Red Ravens criminal syndicate was roused from his nap by the melodious sounds of his Datapad ringtone. The newly minted crime boss let out a string of Cheuhn curse words and fumbled with the device, his glowing red eyes scanning the message, which was from a company called Gaillard on Balmora.

Once the message was finished, the Chiss let out a long, slow whistle as a little blue Holo of the Galaxy-One starship flickered up on his Datapad. "Shiny." he muttered. He nodded to an executive assistant, a Bothan whose name he kept forgetting. "Send Ms. Witt a return message thanking them for their generous gift, and let the Gaillard executives know that we're coming to Balmora. And Contact the Antecedent spaceport to see if we can leave this afternoon." Cryax didn't relish the thought of going to Republic space because after he'd unceremoniously blown a hole in a Jedi master's ship on Nar Shaddaa, he guessed he was likely on some kind of watch list. But with his slicers on the case, passenger lists could easily be faked to allow him to move freely through their space. Or at least he hoped so.

Once all of the arrangements were made, Cryax Bane and his entourage which consisted of Mirari Bodyguard Droids and hulking Gamorean guards, plus his Bothan assistant, Bleb or Frab or something, arrived at the Space Port where he greeted his new crew. Without fanfare, the ship departed, with Cryax travelling under the pseudonym, Keth Broxin, an actor from the longest running Holodrama in the galaxy, Zeltrons in Love.

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

The long drawn-out board meeting concluded nothing new. A bunch of folks who made sure credits went into their account every hour was all; not that he found anything wrong with it. Credits were great! Just... When he had them. The human cracked his neck in either direction as he woke up in his bed with sore eyes, glancing around the space of his apartment. "Computer. Remind Tanlia to order me a new mattress, this one sucks.", in the moment he said those words the covers next to him ruffled revealing a nature in the more feminine fashion, "I don't find anything wrong with the bed.", a discreet sigh of exhaustion was hidden amongst the statement. Aleksandyr blinked a few times to adjust his eyes that were recently better attuned to the nighttime and now blurring just about any source of light. He looked back to his 'partner', taking in every detail before finally escaping the confines of the sheets.

"Computer. Make her breakfast.", the automated functions in the house knew 1,218 recipes but there were perhaps only about 40 that were any good, or at least he thought.

Back at the Gaillard Corporation headquarters, Aleksandyr was now properly dressed when a certain Tanlia Witt paraded down the hall carrying at least seven different datapads, shuffling through them like deck of cards. "Tanlia, I was jus--", his sentence got cut off immediately by the force of said datapads being shoved into his chest; nearly falling to the floor before his reflexes bear-hugged them around his stomach. "You're late. You're lazy, and at this point the President of the Red Ravens will be here.", a deathly glare shot right through him as she lead him down towards the room where the two would inevitably meet. The two of them hurrid down halls and corridors, passing the design labs, offices, and meeting rooms as they went.

The several datapads were still drawing questions, "Wha--", once more his sentence was cut off; this time by her own words. "That's everything we know about them.", her raised voice had shut him up before he even had a chance to ask; he was almost surprised that she knew. Almost. There's a reason why she was his assistant. The datapads seemed alien and had broken pieces of information on several accounts concerning the Ravens and most were excerpts taken from bounty boards. "There's no possible way I can read all of this.", a rare ocassion he was being completely honest without a snarky remark. There was no way he could review everything on the datapads and now he was walking into this meeting blind. Not exactly pocket aces when it comes to dealing with Crime Lords--Aleksandyr hasn't actually seen [member="Cryax Bane"] and at this point was too afraid to ask. He's dealt with Crime Lords before and no set of shoes, no manner of confidence made a difference. They were all the same; you don't make a name for yourself without having a reputation and someone who lead the Ravens was surely going to be a large, bearded fellow who smoked a cigar and maybe cracked a keg open every now and then in the public atmosphere. The duo stopped right before the door. "Go on in. Wait for him to arrive and most of all; don't **** up.", Tanlia turned and walked off; leaving him for dead just about. Aleksandyr grunted, dropping the datapads on the ground as the door slid open and going to take a seat at his end of the table.

 

[Cryax Bane]

If Republic space put Cryax in a bad mood, waiting put him in an even worse one. Too much power was bestowed upon the young Chiss slicer much too soon by his former boss and it created an impatient monster who didn't like to be held up by anyone. As he sat in the lobby of the Galliard corporate headquarters with his entourage of droids and Gamoreans, he typed on his Datapad testily. He was trying to find out more about the company CEO so that he at least knew who he was dealing with, but there wasn't a whole frell of alot out there on him other than he seemed like a young Balmoran upstart who had pissed off dear old dad.

"Sir, Dasha the Hutt is calling with a..."

"Shut it, Bleb!" hissed Cryax.

"It's Frab, actually."

"Whatever, man."

The crime boss ran his fingers through his blue black hair, straightened out his expensively-tailored suit jacket, and glanced down at his chrono again. Luxury jet or no, he decided that he was going to give the company's representative five more minutes until he hauled jets back to Antecedent.

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

An entourage of Twi'Lek assorted by colour like a rainbow entered the lobby, at its center was a particular oddity; a protocol droid.

"I am C--*whirring sound*--*STATIC*--&A2%*--", the droid spat out a series of complicated noises and curse words before a modified voice took control, sounding almost like remote access. "Please follow me.", the droid responded in an uncharacteristically manly voice. The droid did a 180 turn and moved ahead of the back, the entourage of Twi'Lek lined up as to give gesture that he walk in between them on his way towards the meeting room.

An assortment of business-like folk, engineers, models, and secretaries clogged the lobby of their Headquarters but as soon as the hall door opened just at the end of their party revealed a suddenly calm and quiet atmosphere. If anything the Gaillard Corporation seemed to be undergoing transitions as if the wave of the future was before them; a formerly modest company is now becoming the next big thing by their terms. However silly it seemed, one thing was certain: Their pockets were deep.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

"Finally," huffed the Chiss as he and his entourage followed the strange masculine-sounding protocol droid through the rows of multicolored Twi'lek, and down the halls of Gaillard, accompanied by the footfalls of Cryax's metal bodyguards and snuffling Gamoreans. As Cryax glanced around the corridors, he nodded his head in admiration. The young crime boss was impressed. Gaillard's corporate headquarters seemed to be undergoing a renovation of sorts and Cryax liked the look of the state-of-the-art improvements. Perhaps it was worth the trip after all.

As Cryax strode along, typing on his Datapad as he walked, he began to scheme ways that he could incorporate Gaillard's presence into the casino and among their other clouds of influence. The Red Ravens had the reputation of being a rag tag organization of ruffians and thieves. It was not always the image that the Chiss himself wanted to project. Perhaps he could mine the company's CEO on ways to improve the Red Raven's galactic appearance. The man clearly knew how to put a good foot forward.

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

The unorthodox escort took the Chiss and his 'stiff' companions down a series of halls. At one point they passed by a skywalk that elevated just above a large runway complimented by a series of hangers. All twenty of the unsold Galaxy-Ones were spread evenly in display. The protocol droid from before still whirred a bit now and again and kept at a surprisingly good pace for its design; the Twi'lek didn't seem to do much except follow along in their own way, keeping in a steady formation. Finally the group made way into a somewhat large opening that split into two directions like a fork, and just in front was a crescent-shaped desk and behind that a sliding door. The Protocol droid did another 180 and faced the Crime Lord.

"Please head through that door. Your companions must wait here: My Master wishes to meet with you privately.", the droid's eyes flickered into bright colours before going completely cold. The whirring sounds stopped as the droid shut down, standing in place in odd silence. The Twi'lek on either side split off and headed down the fork depending on which side they were standing on, the clap of their footwork echoed as they walked off. In front of the door and on the desk a small printer procured an ID that went with the security panel on the door behind it; a hologram appeared in place of a secretary but took no identifiable shape. It was humanoid, that was it. "Statement: Take the Identification Card and press it along he sensory panel attached to the door. Any unauthorized individuals who go through will be dealt with harshly.", the hologram display shut off as soon as its last syllable was produced. The previously bustling Headquarters was completely silent save for the minor buzzing that came from unknown sources.

Behind the door Aleksandyr Gaillard was waiting patiently for his guest, leaning forward comfortably with his hands cupped together and resting on the table.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax was deep in the middle sending a text message so didn't pay any attention to the hologram of the secretary. When the Chiss didn't respond to the secretary's prompt, one of his Gamoreans elbowed him roughly. "Wha?" he said and then looked down the Identification Card, plucking it from the terminal and lifting to the sensory panel. As Cryax tried to shake an annoying buzzing sound out of his ears, the door opened with a hiss.

Without skipping a beat, he and his guards entered the large office, the Chiss still immersed in typing on his Datapad. Once they were inside the room, the security door closing behind them with another hiss, Cryax shoved his Datapad in Frab's hand, and raised his glowing red eyes to the man sitting before him.

The first thing he noticed about the man was that he was slightly older than himself, but not by too many years. The second thing he noticed was how handsome the CEO was. Disarmed by his looks, the Chiss smiled and introduced himself, holding out his hand for the other man to shake, "Cryax Bane. Red Ravens President. Thanks for the starship. It runs like a dream."

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

The door behind Aleksandyr opened as two armoured security guards stepped in brandishing their blasters.

"Your pals need to step outside.", one of the guards said as his finger went towards the trigger; hesitating only in the slightest to await confirmation from his boss.

Aleksandyr burst out in laughter at the intense situation. Whether or not it'd relieve the pressure or make matters worse would be known soon enough but the sudden outburst was enough to puzzle his security detail. Nonetheless things were either going to get bleak or settle down. I doubt anyone was ready to start a gunfight but it's always hard to tell when you put a Crime Lord and an eccentric CEO in the same room.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Without missing a beat, Cryax's droids brandished their pistols, and his Gamoreans both produced electro whips from holsters. "Whoa whoa whoa. Cool your jets, everyone," said Cryax with his hands spread in front of him in a conciliatory gesture. The Chiss vehemently shook his head at the CEO's security guards in avid disagreement. "No can do, man. My security detail doesn't leave my side. Ever."

Then, his glowing red eyes narrowed in irritation, the Chiss crime boss looked Aleksandryr squarely in the eyes. "My guards get to stay, or I walk out that door, and your company gets a very bad karking name in Red Raven space. What's it going to be Mr. Gaillard?"

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

The Corporation security detail kept their weapons aimed and on target. "Crime lords.", Aleksandyr spoke softly. "You're all the same.", he added on after a pause. Reaching towards his leg he pulled out a light blaster pistol and immediately put it towards his own head; suicide style. The pistol seemed to be of a recent make in personal defense weapons, but strangely what looked like a serial number was scratched off. "You pretend to know business and you get your way through intimidation: Fear.", as he finished his sentence Aleksandyr pulled the trigger releasing a sudden click sound but no blast. "But you misunderstand...", pulling the gun down he slid it across the table towards the Chiss. Stopping just a few inches away from him. "It's the illusion of it that matters. There's no such thing as having control: It's all just an act!"

The CEO leaned back into his chair, smiling and exhaled deeply. "Order your men to kill my guards. They'll stand down, I just told them to.", his modified eyes narrowed slightly in anticipation. Whether he was crazy or daring, or something else... It was clear that Aleksandyr wasn't entirely right in the head. The Guards glared at their boss with fear and equal anticipation. They were hired specifically for their discipline but would anyone truly risk their life for it?

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

As Aleksandr reached for his weapon, Cryax’s Gamorean guards gave a loud snort and the bodyguard droids immediately moved targets, aiming at the Gaillard CEO. The young crime boss blinked his glowing red eyes quizzically trying to puzzle the situation out, when all of a sudden the other man put the blaster to his head and fired. Although there was only a click from the barrell, it still made the Chiss and his guards startle. An awkward silence hung in the air, and after a few minutes, Cryax filled it with slow applause that eventually increased in crescendo.

Clapping enthusiastically the Chiss smiled warmly at Aleksandr. “Great show! I loved it! Five out of five, would watch again. You’re an interesting guy, Gaillard. I like you.” He pointed at the man and shot imaginary gun fingers at him. Then whipped his head around to his security team and barked orders at them. “Stand down,” commanded Cryax, and at his behest blasters were lowered and whips holstered.

“I’m not going to shoot your guards, Mr. Gaillard. It would be a waste of your valuable resources. And if there’s anything I hate, as I’m sure you do, too, it’s wasting credits. I’m here to do business, not threaten. You must understand, with my reputation, just how many people in the galaxy want me dead. So with that, I would like to request my security detail stay.”

“Once you agree, I’d be happy to get right down to business and talk about some partnerships that could mutually benefit our organizations. And once that’s out of the way, perhaps I could speak to you about doing some image consulting for me.”

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

The security detail visibly became calmer when they heard the Chiss would not order their deaths; a frustrated aura came off them and was directed towards their boss. "A lot of people like me.", Aleksandyr cracked the comment open like the tension hadn't existed to begin with; carrying on a casual conversation. With a snap of his fingers the two guards lowered their weapons, reluctantly at first. Something he took great notice to, his eyes narrowing. "I was told your company was renowned for discipline. You had second thoughts for a moment.", he spoke to his men whilst looking at Cryax. "You're fired. Leave me. All of you can go, I'll find a better security detail.", the guards looked to each other and were about to protest but held their tongues; leaving silently through the door behind them. Aleksandyr had just fired his entire armed security force without even thinking of a replacement. Clearly there was an impulsive side to him; reckless even.

"Your men can stay. Let's talk business, Mr. Bane.", he pressed a button on the table , metallic tubes containing water rose from two cylindrical tubes on either side of the table. "From the Ice on Hoth, melted and then purified."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

"I bet they do," said Cryax with a raised eyebrow, admiring his good looks. The Chiss had a boyfriend back on Antecedent, but there was no harm in doing some subtle flirting with the handsome CEO. Ok, maybe it wasn't so subtle, but it wasn't like he was going to sleep with the guy. Cryax knew that his boyfriend was cocky enough to simply find the whole thing amusing. Cryax took a sip of purified Hoth water, and straightening out his slacks, took a seat across from Aleksandyr.

He blinked his glowing red eyes at Aleksandyr. "So, let's talk business then. What other kinds of products are Gaillard developing besides luxury transports? And what kind of partnerships are you looking for with the Red Ravens, Mr. Gaillard? We have the Dragon Palace Casino of course, as well as a number of other companies such as Wrestle Mechanics Inc., and Dragon Droid Pty. We even own a news corporation which could help you get PR, the Multiverse News. In the Outer Rim we have quite the influence cloud."

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

Aleksandyr was quite intrigued by the brochure of industry coming from a crime syndicate. Particularly at the mention of a news outlet. If there was anything he appreciated it was image management and the thoughts of it almost clouded the entire reason he had called to meet with the Ravens' leader. A light chuckle escaped his mouth but he was clearly pleased at the suggestion of working that closely with the organization. "Well, truth-be-told I didn't give you that ship just so you could joyride or to get you here. I consider it a favour for a favour. Unfortunately as you may have noticed we're in Republic space... As such I need to keep up certain appearances, I'm actually interested in your more 'discrete' services.", the CEO took a small swish of water before continuing.

"I need to shut down this organization called the 'Corporate Alliance', with The Republic weakened from the war I plan to build up a paramilitary industry, using entertainment as the guise to fuel to funds but first I need to make sure that a few pesky industries can't feel protected from war just because they came to an agreement.", he finished his long statement and eagerly awaited a response.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss tented his fingers as he mulled over Alekasandryr Gaillard's request. It piqued his interest and it certainly seemed like a job for the Red Ravens, but he needed to make sure there was enough in it to make it worth their while. "A favor for a favor huh?" said Cryax with a smirk. "I can buy my own ships, Mr. Gaillard. I would temper my expectations about what the Ravens might owe you. Although I think you're one to watch, your name isn't big enough to throw around the galaxy. Yet." He gave a sardonic chuckle and continued.

The Chiss spread his hands at Gaillard, his expression stoic. "While we're certainly capable of shutting down a small trade organization, The Red Ravens are not interested in one-offs. After all, you could hire a few bounty hunters to take down a handful of their key members and be done with it. What's in it for us in the long-run? What do we get out of it?"

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

Of course there was always something more to gain, that was part of negotiation after all. "A big name? What's the point of a big name. Reputation is a meaningless concept , idle gossip. That's not why image is important. It's important because you want people to perceive you as something you're not.", he responded, "You can buy your own ships, your own armies."

He reached down and switched on a hologram that appeared at the center of the table. It was a political map of the galaxy, updated to mark all the various contested regions and battlegrounds known. "This is what you cannot buy with credits. You require something greater: Poise.", he licked his lips slightly in a OCD-like habit before continuing, "I'm providing you a target, and the resources. Do this for me and you are no longer just a reputation, you're a force to be reckoned with.", he cupped his hands slightly before leaning forward again; his eyes narrowed as he looked at the Chiss.

"I have big plans, and even bigger ambitions. There's risks and rewards with everything. I am offering you the greatest prize not as a contracted enterprise, but as a partner.", his voice had become more serious in tone and he spoke a bit slowly in those last few words before leaning back once more, relaxing in the chair.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

"It's an interesting opportunity, Mr. Gaillard. And very bold I might add. There are some pretty important, well-connected individuals in the Corporate Alliance. Are you sure this is a boat you want to rock?" he asked, leaning back in his chair with a raised brow. As much as the Chiss was interested in a partnership with Aleksandryr Gaillard, he needed to make sure that none of the members of the CA had companies subcontracted by the Ravens themselves. And he was pretty sure that at least one of them did.

The Chiss shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't give you an answer today. But I will certainly think about it." Then Cryax put his hands out as if to reassure the enigmatic CEO. "Don't worry about me going to any of them to spoil your plans. In the interest of a possible partnership, I won't." He gave Aleksandyr a wide grin, knowing that he had a bit of juicy information about Gaillard that was ripe for exploitation.

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]

 

[Aleksandyr Gaillard]

"Spoil it?", he looked down at the table slightly before turning his eyes back to Cryax, "I don't see what there is to spoil. The Corporate Alliance is bad for business... Look at it this way; there's a war going on and a bunch of companies from a multitude of sides are shaking hands to prevent the death of their respective companies.", Aleksandyr added the lengthy pitch to his initial afterthought.

"They're becoming bloated. The losses will become catastrophic and worse, the market will shrink. Without proper competition from the war industry, wars become pointless. There'd be no gain.", he continued to look into the Chiss' red eyes as he went on. He seemed strongly opinionated in this area specifically.

"I may make luxury starships, Mr. President. But if there's one thing I know, if these wars begin to exclude the exploits of business then crime lords such as yourself lose a place in the galaxy. Honest business is built on the foundation of discrete business. We need organizations like yours to undermine each other, that's competition but the Corporate Alliance is going to destroy competition in pursuit of becoming fat in more ways than one. I'm lean, I'm fit, and I'm ready to **** it all up."

His speech now over, he took another swish of his water having almost stood up from his chair in the process. "It doesn't matter what they know or find out. They're the ones spoiling it. Becoming politicians, this is business!"

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax smirked as he watched Aleksandyr get all riled up. It was good to see someone so passionate about making money and expanding his galactic influence. No matter what the businessman offered, the Chiss crime boss knew one thing, there was true talent in the man himself as a salesman. He had chutzpah that Cryax didn't see in many of the jaded Taris and Nar Shaddaa crime lords he consorted with, and he was a breath of fresh air. The Chiss nodded his head enthusiastically and spread his hands at the young CEO. "Ok, Mr. Gaillard. Don't get your undies in a bunch. As I said before, you have my interest piqued."

He tilted his head, his glowing red eyes taking on a sheen of malice. "Let's say the Ravens take this job. How far do you want us to go to shut this alliance down. There are a number of things we could do. Blackmail. Corporate Espionage. Murder. What are the ideal end goals for Gaillard? Would you be satisfied if the alliance was simply hobbled or do you want to plot the course for a more, ah, final outcome?"

[member="Aleksandyr Gaillard"]