Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Private Rise and Fall

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Coruscant

Tagging: Veles Oshu Veles Oshu
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There was something about Coruscant that was unlike any other planet in the galaxy, a metropolis that had stretched to wrap the planet in layers of concrete, metal and glass. Other cities might have been majestic or spectacular but Coruscant held a sense of urgency of intensity that it was hard to find anywhere else. It was a hive of activity, of motion. No matter where you looked, what you saw people going about their business no matter where you were, whatever the time was. It was a busy hectic hive of a planet, the beating heart of the galaxy and the centre of politics, business and culture. You weren't anyone if you didn't have a presence on this planet, had taken a share of the market here. Holonet personalities, politicians and businessmen all competed to make their bones but…when it came down to it John just couldn't bring himself to like the planet.



The view outside the transparisteel window was spectacular, night had fallen over this section of the city and he could see the lights twinkling beneath him. The tower was high-class enough that most of the traffic avoided it, streams of light that pulsed past in the distance, ribbons of light that decorated the heavens. The lighting in the bar was kept dim enough that the external lights were that much more spectacular, a nod towards ambience that John found useful. Everyone was so entranced by the décor, by the mystique that they rarely paid attention to their surroundings. It was the kind of place you could sink into anonymity, it didn't matter if you were a senator, a socialite or an executive, no-one cared who you were.



For the boy from the slums who had found his way to the heights of the galactic business community that sense of anonymity was a pleasant relief. He might never really be comfortable with Coruscant, it reminded him far too much of Coronet City for that, of the slums where he'd spent his childhood. While the surface of the planet had parks and was airy you only had to travel down a level or two for the oppressive feeling of the planet to grow, for it to wrap around you. There was a reason that John had established his headquarters on the garden planer of Naboo rather than taking the step of setting up base on Coruscant like many other enterprises had.



Still, that didn't meant that he could avoid it altogether, but thankfully the decentralized nature of his company and the holonet meant he could avoid visiting Coruscant more than he had to. Some meetings however had to be done in person. Dark eyes fell to stare at the amber liquid in the tumbler caught between his fingers before he looked up at the man seated across from him. Sometimes you couldn't get a true measure of a man unless you met them in person.



"I'm sorry to hear about Dorian, have you had any luck in tracking him down yet?"



Even the most powerful businesses needed help, support in opening up new markets and seeing off competitors. The IGBC had been a useful ally in this, but it was Dorian Harper who had been such a stalwart ally, this new man, the new leader of the conglomerate was an unknown to John. That's why he had to be here, to take a measure of the man.











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Plutus Incarnate
"Unfortunately, no.", Veles said with a shake of his head followed by a pensive stare towards the horizon.

On one hand he had immense respect for Dorian and Dune - they had built the IGBC up from a series of failures running rampant over the good name the Muun had built for it over millenia. Now that it was stable again, able to hold its own, it remained the most premiere galactic economic power in the universe. Veles could respect the ambition and drive that allowed these men to do such greatness, and he felt sad knowing they were gone.

But in their absence, he took control, and overnight became the guiding hand of the single largest business to ever exist. He was beyond rich - money no longer meant anything to him. The sensation was exhilarating, like the finest spice one could ever get. So where there was a sadness, there was a greedy joy biting at its heels.

"His stocks have been consolidated and payouts have been sent to his numerous beneficiaries. While I have numerous private investigators attempting to find him - he doesn't seem to want to be found. My hope is he retired on some nice villa in the Outer Rim.", Veles said, stirring his drink in contemplation.

"I suppose that's the best outcome, isn't it?", he said with a frown.

"But that's why I've brought you here - as one of the largest shareholders in the company, and owner of one of our largest assets, I'd like to touch base with you. On market futures, the security of the banking clan, and future business deals."

"Is there anything else I can get you before we begin?", he said with a motion to the bottle of Lord Sivgon 765 vintage, moving to top off his own glass.

John Locke John Locke
 
"That's the dream for all of us, isn't it?"

There was something in the man's gaze, not just the respect that he held for his forebears but something more, a sense of understanding the game for what it was. Many of the companies John did business with on a daily basis were focused on the bottom line, on the short-term goals that would amass their shareholders the most bang for their buck. It was an understandable driving force, but short-sighted. There were advantages to playing the long game, looking at more than eking out the best profit you could. After awhile money just became a measuring post, a way to show you were doing well, though John had started looking to other metrics.

If he was honest he'd been that way when he was first starting out, doing everything he could to establish himself in the galaxy and to secure the market. Now, the owner of one of the premier companies in the galaxy he could take the time to focus on what he wanted to. His focus had shifted away from the pure generation of profit to other ventures, to improving the quality of life for his employees. Locke and Key Mechanics had become a juggernaut that allowed him to do what he'd always wanted his company to do. Ever since the fire in the factory John had found his priorities shifting and changing, He had been too overwhelmed by the need to please the larger companies, to meet the quota, he'd pushed too hard and his workers had suffered. As he lay in the hospital recovering he'd sworn never again, and now he was in a position to do that. From resource extraction, through manufacture and sale Locke and Key was large enough to handle it all and held to providing their employees with benefits that he'd always wished his parents had been provided.

Now, well now he was here in a position to affect the policy of not just his company, his people but the galaxy on a whole.

A small smile touched his lips as he lifted his tumbler in a half-salute to his host.

"I would, but something tells me I'm gonna need my wits about me today."

Veles Oshu Veles Oshu
 
Plutus Incarnate
Veles offered him a knowing smile, and set down his own drink in respect. He crossed his legs, leaned back, even rested his arm on the back of the patio couch. It's black synthetic leather was extremely high quality with a subtle golden stitching and IGBC logo embroidery on its faces - just subtle enough to be tasteful, but extravagant enough to flex a touch of the immeasurable wealth backing him.

"Locke and Key is one of the IGBCs best performing subsidiaries - I dont think I need to clarify that. It, along with Jaeger, are likely two of the three largest corporations in the Galaxy as of right now; and the IGBC has the leading stake in both. To say that alone doesn't set us above the competition would be foolish; but the economic wheel turns."

"Tell me, have you kept up with politics? Or the various other companies involved in such, Mr. Locke?"

John Locke John Locke
 
Shook his head wryly, a small smile touching his lips as an almost guilty look danced through his eyes.

"With everything going on I've...fallen behind keeping up with all the major shifts in policy and membership."

The man held up a hand, gesturing at the datapad on the table, the screen coming to life to reveal scrolling data.

"I've been reading the reports that get published but that really isn't the same as knowing the player, who they are, their quirks and foibles. What makes them tick and what they want. You might say I'm coming in at a little bit of a disadvantage."

It was a disadvantage that he would soon seek to correct, but until that time only a fool would discard someone who could provide him with the assistance needed to fill in those gaps.

"Are there any companies or individuals I need to be particularly aware of? Oh....and please, call me John."

Veles Oshu Veles Oshu
 
Plutus Incarnate
"John.", Veles reaffirmed.

"There are - a few peculiarities to get reacquainted with galactic affairs. While Locke and Key is the largest manufacturing company in the Galaxy, there are others gaining. Roble, Nakaioma - both had been previously negligible, but have recently grown much larger."

He motioned to the data pad as it scrolled to various news articles showing them both.

"Roble has a few interesting items, but they lack a proper R&D department. Much of it is rather... basic, but that doesnt stop the Galaxy from relying on them preferentially."

"It would do us well to stay above them - but they're hardly the most immediate threat to the IGBC. Rather, I believe they have connections to the Trade Federation, and could prove their only reliable manufacturing company if they are inducted into its member base."

"The Trade Federation continues to be the only tangible threat to IGBC dominance - but not for the reasons you might guess. In a free market they can't compete - they lack the manufacturing or service subsidiaries to be any tangible threat. Rather they seem to have the ear of governments across the Galaxy - the Empire, Galactic Alliance, etc. They continue to make large deals that undermine the IGBC - my guess is that they are bribing officials, but their liquid capital couldn't keep up with our own bribes, so I assume there is an alternate motivation."

"Specifically, the undermining of companies such as ours."

John Locke John Locke
 
The entrepreneur closed his eyes for a moment, allowing Veles to speak while he built up a picture of the Galactic situation in his head, a tangled web of connection, but then politics always was. He slowly swirled the tumbler between his fingers, feeling the amber liquid sloshing around from side to side as he considered the new information the man was laying out.

"Even before focusing on helping the remnants of the Confederacy settle Roble had been making inroads on the galactic market, they might not have the most cutting edge technology but they make up for that with an aggressive sales platform. That's always been my weakness, I guess, I tend to think that quality speaks for itself, if you have to shout from the mountaintops to get people to buy your products then they're not good enough to sell themselves."

John's dark eyes flicked open as he slowly met Veles' gaze. It was a succinct summation, but that was only half of the battle.

"The question is, do you want to fight them in the core markets? Or aim further afield? The Silver Jedi have always relied upon Lucerne and the Directorate for most of their manufacturing needs, but that does leave us an opportunity to engage a relatively open market. As with the Rimward Trade Federation. Build ourselves a base outside of the standard commercial stomping grounds. Or would you rather face the Trade Federation in open economic warfare?"

The man across from his was the head of the IGBC, the man who would have to carry the weight of those companies, of that policy that would be decided. No matter what choice was made, war was coming, not the kind of war that would set the galaxy on fire but it would be fought anyway. In the markets and the boardrooms, in galas and political affairs. But for those who knew, those caught in the crossfire it would be no less deadly.

Veles Oshu Veles Oshu
 
Plutus Incarnate
"Hardly.", he said with a dismissive wave.

"The Trade Federation hides their board members through shell companies after shell companies - it's hard to tell how they're getting the ear of multiple major governments, but given they can't compete with our liquid capital it makes me believe they're running those governments."

"Fighting them will be tough - given they don't want our help, and their enemies also don't want us. I believe a good first shot would be to introduce conspiracy to their public image - audits from the Empire and Alliance would do well, but it'll be hard fighting to attain such."

"Rather, I would prefer outside influence. The Trade League, Hutts, et cetera. I doubt the Jedi will be around much longer, their economy and alliance is fracturing under mismanagement - but them and the old Confederate space would be good areas of focus."

"The rest are no doubt under Federation influence. My question is how you feel about all this - what do you think should be done?"

John Locke John Locke
 
John took a moment to stare down at the amber liquid before raising the tumbler to his lips, letting it flow down his throat before settling back in his car, staring across the table at his confidant.

"If you want to take them head on then yes, it would be difficult to manage if they're puppets for those in power. But if we come at them side on, establish our own powerbase first, a vector of attack that...isn't coming from us. The Senate is made of up a myriad of individuals, we just need to find the right one and...push."

The man leaned forward, his shadow falling across the table as he offered the man a smile.

"A factory on their homeworld, perhaps an infrastructure upgrade, and in return an audit on all companies benefitting from government jobs. A first shot that can't be traced back to us, if we can find the right individual."

Dark eyes flicked up before glowing turquoise for a moment.

"I've been focused on a nation's politics for a long time, letting my company coast without focusing on the larger game...I think I'd like back into it."

Veles Oshu Veles Oshu
 
Plutus Incarnate
Veles smiled at the thought, nodding -

"Coasting does us well from time to time, but I would have to agree. I would hate to see our fine institutions fall flat like Vanor.", he said simply.

"Would you, John, know of anyone who might be open to such influence?"

John Locke John Locke
 
The oligarch leaned forward for a moment, his mouth opening before slowly closing it, his finger rising and then falling down as he settled back in his chair.

"That's the trick, finding a senator who is vulnerable in just the right way. I'll admit that my network in the core has...atrophied considerably. I can put out some feelers, but I was hoping that you might have some knowledge in that direction."

Dark eyes glanced down at the tumbler of amber liquid in his fingers as he settled back into the shadows of his seat.

"Looks like we have a lot of work ahead of us."

Veles Oshu Veles Oshu
 
Plutus Incarnate
"I have some guesses. Saro Nakaioma Saro Nakaioma has been a valid business partner for a few years - and his connections in the core are far more indepth than my own. There is a strong anti-corporatist sentiment in the Core lately - so we are left with two options, join with the Corporatists who are led by Tithe, a notable federation sympathizer, or go against corporate interests at the cost of our bottom line."

"So we either help the Federation, and harm ourselves, or we fight the Federation, and harm ourselves. It's really which bitter drink we would like as far as I see it currently."

John Locke John Locke
 
"There is another option."

John leaned forward, placing his tumbler on the table as he marshalled his thoughts, a single digit wiping through the condensation beading the sides of the glass to use as ink as he drew on the table to punctuate his thoughts.

"The corporationists are going to do what they do, going to play the game in the senate with us or without us and adding our resources to their effort isn't something they're counting on right now. Either their plans will succeed or they'll fail without us so any aid we provide them would be...an additional benefit."

A finger poked at the table, gesturing towards the galaxy he'd roughly mapped out on the surface.

"Why not turn our attention to other markets at the same time? The Silver Jedi are right there and lack the current corporate issues that plague the Alliance senate. We could establish ourselves there first as a way to establish a foothold in the core and then work on extending our reach into the deep core, while at the same time we can send out feelers into the core. A two-pronged attack on the interests in the core might shake something loose for us."

Veles Oshu Veles Oshu
 
Plutus Incarnate
Dorian tapped the rim of his glass, the soft gold rim forcing the glass into a slightly harmonious hum at his taps. He finished his contemplation with a point towards John. His voice was like silver, as it always was - a classical core accent, descending from high born nobility.​
"Your idea is sound - and one I had reasonably agreed with myself, some time ago, however on the matter of the Silver Jedi...", he said resting the glass.​
"After their assaults and conflicts with the Bryn'adul, I fear their 'coalition' may not last much longer - they seem less jedi bound and more chaos concurrent. Take no offense if you have certain sympathies for the Jedi, Mr. Locke..."​
"But I don't."​
 
The dark-haired businessman nodded slowly, spreading his hands apart as his eyes sought out Veles', inclining his head to indicate a point well made.

"Business is business, you need never worry about offending me when business and logic are involved."

John tapped the edge of his glass in though, the reverberation melding with CVVeles' in the air for a moment before he set his drink on the table, a frown marring his features.

"With that instability taken into account then we really have no choice but to approach the alliance do we? But, perhaps we could do it from a different angle. The current corporationists are fighting a political battle on Coruscant, and you're right we can't stay oput of that fight, on one side or the other in the long-term. But what if we took a beat before we approached Coruscant?"

The man leant forward, taking a moment, a breath to assemble his thoughts before he spoke, it had been some time since he had had the chance to confer with a business equal and he was enjoying the opportunity.

"What if we put together a system defence package and offer it to the systems of the alliance. With the threat of the MAW nipping at their systems, it might be attractive to some of their systems and should provide us with some political capital in Coruscant, so we're not just new names in the game. While the corporations have been playing political games, the IGBC was providing support to those systems who needed it?"

Veles Oshu Veles Oshu
 

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