Shenanigans of a Corporate Nature

[Nan'eth'illa]

It was strange. The illuminated being known to a lucky few as [member="Cerbera"] rarely called Nan'eth'illa to one of her homes, and when she did, it was always with some sort of company. More often it was the csen'ai who ordered Nethil to meet with Cerbera, and in those times either Skai or Ophidia herself were present to make and mend the transaction.

Not this time. No. This time, she was alone. This was her task, for her benefit.

Only a fool would not feel a certain fright in such a position, but it was not apparent on the Chiss' face. It was hard as the metal she had grafted to her skin - Still like stone. It was one of the qualities her csen'ai had quite diligently instilled in the young Sith; emotion was encouraged, passion commended, but outwardly she was to be as calm as the void - Ideally.

She swallowed the bound of nerves as she stepped out of her ship and advanced on the metal gate. It yawned open like the maw of some mechanical beast - Notes for later, she thought - and let her inside. There, her polished, imperial boots clacked against the black, tiled floor. Her red eyes were fixed ahead as they peered out from under the hood of the dark-blue robe that engulfed her form.

She stopped outside the next set of doors and closed her eyes. Three breaths came and went as she reached out her hands and touched the metal doors. She felt the phantom hand of her csen'ai on her back, pushing her forward. The doors opened between her hand as she stepped forward into the hall of Cerita Sarova.

The wind that pushed out slipped the head off her shaven head and revealed Nan'eth'illa's stern face as she entered.

"Master Cerbera." She turned to face the green master alchemist. Her head inclined just so, enough to show respect and formality, but not so much as to show weakness or servitude. "Thank you for your invitation."

She rose up to her full height, giving her best show of control over her personal space. It was a pretty good show, for a beginner.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Filiae"]

The look Filiae received was similar to that of a praying mantis right before it would feed.

This was nothing personal.

It was just business as usual.

Her eyes flowing amber and lively with every twitch and glance. Observing, studying, calculating, you would be forgiven to think she was already dissecting you in her mind. Because... she was. Cell by cell, inch by inch, skin, meat, organ, bone, essence. There was always another secret to be found if you were diligent enough to dig deep.

"Sit, darling." A long, thin finger, end manicured and pretty like a claw, gestured towards a seat. The only one in front of a working bench.

She had found her way to one of Cerbera's workshops.

Objects of many kind loitering on the table's surface. "Tired? Hungry? Thirsty perhaps." Head tilted with a pleasant wide smile that held no warmth. "What does the daughter wrestle with today?" She looked up a fraction and the smile widened.

"Maybe some antihistamine." Like a doctor overseeing a patient. After all, it helped against anxiety as well and *fear*.

 

[Nan'eth'illa]

Cerbera's Workshops were wonders in and of themselves. There was a complex order to them. The untrained eye would see only chaos, yet Cerbera knew where every piece sat and would sit in the future. In a sense, it was like watching a forest grow around her, not at all random, but ruled by cause and consequence. The Chiss moved through the room with purpose and took the offered seat. Her hands folding together and resting on the edge of the table.

"Tea would be excellent."

Accepting drinks? Normally this would be a rookie mistake, but in this instance it was a matter of face and integrity. Cerbera was the one in power between them, stepping around her traps would probably amuse the alchemist more than it would serve Filiae. She caught the reference in antihistamine, mostly due to her work on Serenno. The left side of her mouth curled in a half smile in response.

"And your ear for a brief time. I want to discuss what-" what my mother proposed. No, strength. "I have a proposition for you."

[member="Cerbera"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Filiae"]

"Do you now?" The spoon kept swirling in the cup made for her. Sugar? No, she didn't look like a sugar person or rather she would presumably attempt to take after her darling mother. No sugar for her, but two little cubes for her. Which was the equivalent of a soft chug of whiskey, but this called for it with a meeting like this.

The cup was pushed over and Cerbera took a pleasant taste herself. "Murakami orchid." Once Filiae took a sip herself and made pleased noises.

If Filiae had done her homework she would know that particular flower's specifics. For example, it was very much sentient and force sensitive. It was rather like cannibalism, if one thought about it. One sentient plant consuming another.

But it sure did taste good.

"Very well, darling, your proposal then?" As if Ophidia hadn't already brought it up to her and paved the way for this conversation.

Oh, Cebera liked Filiae just fine. But she also had liked her pet Akk dog, before experimenting on it. She wouldn't have given it the corporate reins and stand back to watch. Ophidia had assured her this one was up to the task.

They would see about that.

 

[Nan'eth'illa]

She would prefer sugar, actually, but Cerbera was right in assuming that Filiae would want to emulate her mother. After all, in her eyes Ophidia was the single most powerful individual in existence; a biased view, some would say. None the less, it was a driving point in Filiae that had pushed her far past the limitations of most her age. In her emulation, and acting on advice and instruction from the csen'ai, she had indeed read up on the most common teas Cerbera served. She had also considered what they meant.

This one? She found it less like cannibalism and more like the power-display of an apex predator. They were similar in the same way an ape and a human were, but far from the same thing.

She took a sip from the tea as Cerbera posed her question.

"I have been planting my roots in the pan-galactic corporate sector, building favours, connections, clientele. Within and without the Empire."

She set down the tea, one hand resting near the cup and the other moved tune with her speech.

"On Serenno, Oricon, and Muunilist, to mention some, and I have more irons heating." She paused for a second, fingers touching the cup of tea just barely. "You, Master Cerbera, have a corporation with a reputable name, and far better things to do with your time than babysit the board."

Her eyebrow perked as her eyes flicked down to the tea, then back up to Cerbera. She was referring to Ophidia.

[member="Cerbera"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Filiae"]

It sounded good on paper, but this was the real world and paper was as meaningless as one's word.

All that mattered was blood and actions.

Mostly blood.

"Where does your money come from?" Oh, Filiae received a more genuine and wistful smile at that hint of hers, because Cerbera had caught it. It was a smile reserved for few, but darling Ophidia was surely one of them. So competent, fierce, so educated and focused. Her drive was enough shatter empires and change the fate of entire star sectors.

Darling indeed.

"What are your plans for expansion and profit margin enlargement."

A plan had to be in place. She was right, of course. With her influence growing in the alchemical world through the Path of the Broken Leaf and Akure Executive Interstellar... She had plenty of things to occupy her mind in between experiments and animated discussions with Ophi. That did not mean Cerbera would just pass it along because Filiae asked nicely.

 

[Nan'eth'illa]

She had never expected this to be easy, but at least Cerbera was giving her something to work on. Complete silence would have been torture; these questions she could handle. Again, she took a sip of her cup while Cerbera spoke.

There was a chance Cerbera would not like where the money came from, but Filiae had her assurances and contingencies for every risk.

"Some of the payment comes from the accumulated revenue following my earlier projects, of course. However, the bulk comes from the Muuns." She leaned in a little and gave Cerbera a look, one telling her that what came next was of a confidential nature and precious in its own right. "The Banking Clan has a contender who is willing to invest. The interest is fair, the credits are hard and real." It was a juicy morsel.

She leaned back with another slight smile and drank the rest of her tea before moving on to the next question.

"As for my plans for growth, I intend to ride the tidal wave of the Great Galactic War to fund a growth spurt. All sides will need shipping, supplies, logistics, and all the ore we can wrest from the ground. I have handled these operations with the Saaraishash previously, I can ensure they are handled well under my leadership. This already exists, and it will keep us afloat, but there is more to growth."

"Now, the entirety of Silver Jedi space is open for the taking, looking for support. - For friends, if you will - That includes untapped mining worlds, new trade routes, new infrastructure that needs to be built, Ession, Rhen Var, Voss. I have the contacts that can land me the contracts."

"Planets like Aeten II have untapped resources, like Stygium reserves that, when combined with our shipyards, can build priceless ship cloaking. In the wars to come, one cloaked ship can be more deadly than any Star Destroyer, but only one with the right contacts can move them."

Her speech was intense and sure. Filiae's hands were gesturing with sharp, measured movements.

[member="Cerbera"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Filiae"]

This was when the silence *did* come.

Unblinking eyes of molten amber staring at Filiae without giving away anything. There were gears turning, but were they to the young Chiss' advantage or not? Was her impassioned speech a boon here or was it a liability? There were maybe three people who could predict her. One of them was dead, the second was her darling, the third?

She felt shame at the thought of that third.

Odd, that. Shame had not been part of her life for quite some time. "Very well. Cut off your arm, present it to me and you will have your chance."

This was punctuated by the tick of the tea cup as it was neatly placed back on the desk. Her attention was still on Filiae though. Wondering, gauging, just looking for even the barest trace of doubt. Did she have the same resolve as her mother?

They would know soon.

Once they did? Her worth would be known, in part anyway.

 

[Nan'eth'illa]

Damn silence. Nethil resisted the urge to bite her lip as she waited for Cerbera's response. The Chiss' expressions were subtle, but no doubt within the scope of what the green alchemist could fetch and fathom. Filiae's lip thinned in a hardened, expectant counter-silence.

And then Cerbera spoke.

Filiae shifted, her head cocking to the side and eyes narrowing. It wasn't doubt that made her pause, rather she questioned the seriousness of the imperative. The pause was short, barely more than a breath before the lightsabre hilt clacked into Filiae's metal hand. She slapped her one still original arm on the counter-top.

"I presume you prefer flesh over steel."

Her monochromatic, red eyes stared into the molten orbs of Cerbera as the metal cylinder was placed under her arm, just above the elbow joint. Her lips un-thinned, but the look in her eye lost none of its hardness. In her unblinking stare, she did indeed resemble one ashen-skinned murderess.

With a snap-hiss an orange blade erupted from the simple, metal hilt, and with a pull Nan'eth'illa severed her own arm at the elbow.

The blade itself appeared to darken in the motion, taking another step towards a furious red. The Chiss let out a yell to quench the pain, her face contorting, but never wavering from the eye-contact even as she extinguished the blade, put it on the counter, and presented Cerbera with the severed limb.

[member="Cerbera"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Filiae"]

Graceful long fingers wrapped itself around the still warm limb.

Part of her was impressed and surprised- up to this point it had been a coin-flip if Filiae would have it in her to go through with this, but a larger part was simply satisfied with the events. It meant that Ophi had been right. A success for Filiae was a success for her mother and that was a success for her. "Mm, truly the heart and spirit of your mother, darling." She rose and where her fingertips touched the flesh of her arm, darkness filled the veins. Spreading and warping and contorting just beneath the skin.

"Very well. You will have your chance."

She brought the arm closer to her to inspect it good. "Ri'ess-Emeritus Industries Incorporated and all its subsidiaries will be yours." Head tilted as the inspection continued slowly. As long as the check did not bounce, of course.

After all, Cerbera was not running a charity here.

"Now... let's see what we can make of this arm of yours. Darling Ophidia would be grumpy, if I let you leave without a present for your tenacity."

Pets needed positive reinforcements for their good deeds, no?

 

[Nan'eth'illa]

A smile spread over Filiae's lips as Cerbera accepted her proposition.

Ri'ess-Emeritus Industries would be hers, and she would hold on to it with a death-grip. Never would she relinquish it, even if ghosts of its past came back to haunt her for it. Nethil had fought for everything, discussed day and night, laid plans, seeded growth, and sacrificed life and limb for each step towards this acquisition.

When Cerbera inspected the severed arm, Filiae placed her lightsabre hilt back in its place at her belt. Her eyes closed for a moment as she touched the cybernetics in her skull with her mechu deru influence and used the secured com-link in her skull to send a simple, but important signal:

<e.sec//admin [Complete transaction="6654800176651-78.b"]>​

​

The money would be routed through any minute. If the check bounced, well then she would just have to visit a certain Muun and find out exactly why he failed to keep his promise.

Her eyes opened again and the Chiss stood, pretending her legs did not shake a little bit from the neural shock of severing her own arm. She stood remarkably straight, all things considered.

[member="Cerbera"]