South Systems Business Bazaar Expo

[Asher]

Fingers wandered up my shirt and breathing got difficult. Swallowing air felt like a last resort but it proved itself fruitless. Her soft skin, the delicate touch, it was hard to fight it. My body tensed up as my entire body seemed to curl up into a rigid piece of skin and bones. I wasn’t disgusted, in fact it was quite the opposite, but my face still scrunched up nonetheless to fight off the pain.

“Just. Stop!” Hissed through gritted teeth as the straw was coming to an end. “Okay? Just stop!”

“Do you have any idea exactly how farked I am if I feth this up?” I stared her down to mark my ‘No’ with anger and near-genuine fear. “I am absolutely sure that chairmen of the board will be more than delighted if I told them that my unplanned meeting with [member="Danger Arceneau"] was interrupted because I ‘Done did the dirty with a twi’lek in an elevator.’”

It tore me up inside but it was the safest bet to save myself from instinct. Didn’t mean I couldn’t run a look up and down the woman’s form again. There was the fleeting idea at the back of my mind that said I was crazy to say no. She was great at what she was doing, there was no arguing that, but not all men lacked self-control.

At the very least I didn’t.

“I am here on business, catch me later and we’ll see about this, but not now.”

[member="Alisha'ven"]

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Elias Truden"]

"Mores the pity," Alisha would float over to the CEO with notable amusement, but she drew back none the less. The bait had been cast and the man did not bite.

Regardless at how humourous the rejection had been to begin with.

The turbolift would halt its small rumble, coming to a slow stop on the VIP floor. A wink and a small tap at Elias's chin with a provocative note would leave the man with lighthearted quip, " Win some and lose some, sugar."

A throaty chuckle would bubble forth, and with a deft backward step, the Rutian would give the man some breathing room. As if nothing had even gone on, two fingers would beckon him to follow her.

"Miz Arceneau is right this way," she informed him, stepping through the threshold of the lift doors into a wide large room. A balcony would overlook the distant dunes.

There, a lone figure would be silhouetted against the drift of pale white semi translucent curtains. A gust of wind would send the shift of fabric dancing, the half revealed figure giving a half turn of her torso. Light would filter down, waterfalling over crimson waves of hair a deep corseca red. She would look stunning as ever in a hip-hugging skirt, fabulous boots that clung to the shapely lines of her long legs, and a low-cut lace blouse that showcased every voluptuous curve. Blowsy sensuality. Ruby red lips. Expensive perfume. Her emerald gaze, seemingly frankly sexual.

But nothing ever was what it seemed.

"Mistah Truden," his name in greeting would flow like a honeyed prayer, and hung at the belt buckle. A slow amble would bring the Queen of Trade to the man, given a wide berth by Alisha'ven as she took her leave. Her part of the game was done. She had delivered the CEO of IronCrown to the woman the 'verse knew was a pertinent cog to the known galactic economy.

And Elias Truden was in her territory now.

 

[Asher]

“Right.” I mumbled as the girl talked of pity. I could take the comment on winning and losing, after all at the time I was heading for an uncertain disaster. I could take the casual drop of all pretentions that she would have meant anything serious by her offer. The beckoning of two fingers lead me right into the lioness’ den. The calm and soothing winds from the desert landscape was no small comfort as the form of none other than [member="Danger Arceneau"] would shift and prove itself just as tantalizing as a young man could imagine.

She greeted me. “Miss Arceneau.” I greeted her back. Pictures were one thing, to see her in the very flesh was a very different thing. I could feel the capillaries in my nose act up but thankfully nothing happened. Her voice, her looks, her smell, her everything was incredibly, very much, pleasant. My mind wanted to wander again but just like a few seconds ago the matter at hand was still painfully enough the most important thing to be mindful of.

I just had to ask the one question. I figured if I was going down I might as well let myself enjoy the ride.

“Are all your assistants that handsy or am I a miraculous exception?” We both knew from the wry smile on my lips that I was very much not serious. Even if one side of the discussion really wished it was, and it was both fair and obvious to say that someone was me. I really hated this job sometimes.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Elias Truden"]

He was a curious thing. A few seconds appraising the man would let Danger know far more than reading a biography. He was nervous; rightly so. But he also felt out of his element. You could tell by his stance, in the way his smile would crack in an attempt of lighthearted banter. He all but attempted to keep his eyes locked north; his gaze dancing left to right as if to avoid looking at her.

He was young. Green as goblin moss and simply young.

Granted, he well could be the same age as she, but he was young in experience. This one had yet to really live life.

His question amused her at the very least, enough to prompt a half chuckle. "Well, reckon you'd have to ask each and every Companion under my wing, Mistah Truden." she said simply. "Perhaps you should ask them?"

Mild amusement would kiss the corner's of her lips, the woman starting to draw away from him to the far bar. "Care for a drink?" came her following question, tossed over her shoulder as the slow saunter of her hips would tempt a more southerly view.

 

[Asher]

Then the first step, and then another. The assumptions that I was nervous was right on the money. I found a small spot of courage in the woman’s chuckle, but little else. Then again, this was how most meetings seemed to be when you spoke out of inexperience. I couldn’t hide who I was, to do such a thing would be to lie and at this point my word was all I really had to give. At least by choice.

I was the pawn and the entire universe was the game leader. No matter where I turned I ended up in the middle of something. Andra and the rest of the council, Lord Cordel and his countless enemies. Now it was about Darell and his enemies or people he didn’t trust. The image I had of the other people in the business wasn’t even my own as much as a fabrication that I knew better than to question. So at the end of the day was there ever really any doubt as to why I was nervous to meet this woman? For all I knew she would turn into a dragon in a few seconds.

“I guess, if I was into that sort of thing.” Half-truth, I had no real intentions of ‘getting involved’ anytime soon. At least not until I had this mess of a life situation sorted out. “They seem to be experts in their area though, I’ll take your word for it.”

Not that she gave me her word on it. “And no, I’m good. Thanks anyway.”

Drinking didn’t feel like the best of choices given the mood I was in. After all, us Trudens had always been known for being lightweights and in particular somewhat gloomy when drunk. Needless to say it was not exactly the best of combos for a meeting such as this.

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

 

[Mya Jesel]

[member="Noah Corek"]

Mya paused upon seeing weapons booth. They were affiliated with the Protectorate somehow. She had never quite been able to tell the specifics, however. Given the logos emblazoned on the man's armor, it must be fairly close. She studied the sigh. Arm and train planetary militias? That would be perfect.

She strode over towards the booth, planning a speech in her head. Military supplies and training would be invaluable for what she had in mind.

"Mr. Corek, I believe! I'm Mya Jesel, representative on Susefvi, formerly a Protectorate world, now independant due to the unfortunate mass disappearances. Since we're not running our own affairs again, I have been authorized to contract with companies to supply what we previously relied on the Protectorate for."

She pulled out her datapad. "Frankly, we need to upgrade our defense forces and supplies. With Protectorate influence gone from the system, the Fringe, Vitae Alliance, and the new Rebel Alliance creep uncomfortably close to our system. We have no desire to be a part of either one of them, which I believe you understand. I have studied the Selectivism theory and it is incredibly disturbing. The Vitae seem like warmongers to me as well. Can you assist us?"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Elias Truden"]

Well there were some networking fails already. He had refused a drink and he had in his response, managed to insult the Guildhouse.

Tsk tsk.

This was going to be interesting.

Danger would give a slow shake of her head, walking past him towards the bar. He might not want a drink, but she did. Inside she was weary, tired. Emotionally drained. Alisha'ven had keen insight on the fact that Danger would like to meet new business prospects, but for the present time, she wasn't too keen on doing so. Six and Alisah could take care of things, but now she was without a choice.

And her levels of patience, well, were stretched enough to begin with.

"You're new to the business scene, ain't ya Mistah Truden?" well there was no need to beat around the proverbial bush. Might as well come clean. The man had an awkwardness about him that would bled like a stuck nerf to the slaughter.

"So it begs the question, what did you do prior to Iron Crown?" she would ask, reaching the bar. The sound of a glass being set on the table would come flowing over, as would the clink of ice.

 

[Asher]

What was the point in lying to make myself seem all the more like someone who knew what they were doing? In a sense my trip here had been to check the others out, not end up in a talk with the most powerful woman in the galaxy. A woman who most likely would see through me like a ghost anyway.

“About as green as it gets.” If I didn’t know better she was angry. Something about how she spoke. “I was an assistant.”

Spoken without any trace of regret or second thought. I seemed to lack quite a lot of the latter as of late. No doubt it wasn’t a mannerism or answer that spoke very well for me or how I would be able to run ICE, but it wasn’t exactly like I expected to not end up on a list after this. For all things considered I was actually quite calm despite the internal storm that was brewing.

“I helped the former High Councilor of the Fringe’s Military Affairs run numbers. Budgets, personnel lists, performance statistics and helping out when it came to running projects.” Perhaps more of an advisor, but the official title nor papers wouldn’t make mention of any such thing. “So yes, I am well-aware of what seat I am in and what I have to overcome.”

Certainly came out a lot more angrily than I intended it to. There was just that small tone to her voice, what did I do? Was that an insult, a taunt or just a question she wanted a legitimate answer to that came out wrong?

For a second I considered bringing up my parents company or the record I had in ‘shipping’ but needless to say that didn’t feel like something a businesswoman like Danger would appreciate nor relate to. At least not the latter. Arceneau worked shipping, I had helped a few friends with ‘shipping.’ There was that one fundamental difference in legality. Besides, for all I knew she could be recording this. I was not about to have myself on a holovid admitting to smuggling a thing or two in the near-distant past.

“Look, Miss Arceneau, I appreciate that you’d take some time out of your schedule but I’ve yet to know why I am here when I get the feeling you don’t really want me to be here.”

Didn’t take a genius to figure out she was probing me and setting up the many different ways I could prove a liability and how to exploit it. I just really wanted to make my mark since I was already in the knows that I was going to crash and burn at some point.

[member="Danger Arceneau"]​

 

[Danger Arceneau]

That's when Danger did something rather extraordinary.

She laughed.

It was a throaty sound, bubbling up into a small chuckle that would relay her amusement. [member="Elias Truden"] might find himself struck dumb and befuddled as to why the Queen of Trade would suddenly find herself in the midst of bubbling mirth, but there she was. Was she being insulting? Did she find him ridiculous? Or was she actually amused at his feisty reaction to her probing question.

The slosh of fine and now more so doubly rare Corellian Whyren's Reserve would spill into her glass, her shoulders still slightly shaking in her mirth.

"Well now... you've a bit of sass in you, Mistah Truden?" the corner of her mouth went quirking up. He was either a fool or truly didn't care how she took his manner. Granted, there was a fine line Elias was walking -- that line of being tolerably amusing or an insulting tool.

A small gesture of her glass after taking it in hand would come his way, "Some posh there to..." there came a narrowing of her eyes, not in anger but more in piqued interest, as if searching through mental datafiles. Another few seconds and then she would wag her finger at him.

"You've a measure of High Galactic in your speech -- comes out with you being slightly miffed." she would declare, returning her attention to the bar to put away the decanter. She spoke to him as if giving a lesson, perhaps as if instructing someone younger instead of a peer.

"Coruscanti is it?" she'd ask in query, an auburn brow arching as she would wait for his answer. Oh he had pegged her right by stating she wasn't in a mood to keep company; but no one told her what she did or did not want to do without a measure of her own sass biting back.

Whatever it was, she felt a stirring within her. A fight. A restlessness.

Elias Truden just managed to catch her on the eye of the storm of it.

 

[Asher]

I had expected a stare to set fire to my soul or a tsk unlike any I had ever heard but instead I got a laughter. For a moment I blinked as the smile on her lips had my stomach do a temporary one-eighty. It was too early to truly let my guard down but laughing certainly took the edge off of things. There was a measure of sass, High Galactic and Coruscanti was in me.I would have disagreed but knew better than to lie to her and try to keep a straight face.

“You are absolutely right.” I nodded in affirmation to her statements. “Most impressive...”

“Yes, I was born on Coruscant, my parents ran a company there. I was in charge of shipping manifests and logistics for a while before leaving.” Not on the best of terms, at least not with the way things worked out in the end. “We had a bit of a falling out over a few things and I had to go.”

Yeah, that was as close as I wanted to go on that subject. Lightweights and oversharing, it would seem we Trudens liked to live dangerous with our privacy as well. I wasn’t going to deny that the slightest of frowns fell upon me before the quick shake of my head got rid of it. She was dead, had been for over six years and moping about it hadn’t really done me well since for never.

“Helped a friend of mine with the same stuff for a while. Different setting, but the money was just about the same for a lot more work.” At least there were no need to pay taxes and what not. “At least I got to see the galaxy for a while. Eventually I found another friend within the Fringe government and well, a few years later here I am.”

That was my life story abridged. I shrugged. “That’s really pretty much all of it. I don’t know if it’s all dumb luck or not, but I am thankful for what I have nonetheless.”

[member="Danger Arceneau"]​

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Elias Truden"]

Well, I'll be. Poke at a man and he gives you his entire lifestory. Not quite what Danger was aiming for, but that also gave her more insight to more about the one Elias Truden.

She would slowly start to rock the lowball glass with her wrist, the amber liquid giving a lazy swirl. "Well well... quite a little series of fortunate events, then is it?" she'd coo, still feeling restless. Still feeling a dire need to provoke.

This wasn't like her.

Then again; she normally never thought Alric would ever betray her.

"And.. do you have any prior experience with manufacturing and shipbuilding?" both brows would arch. That's when she would start her slow, hip swaying amble right back to the man himself.

"Beyond... shipping manifests and logistics, that is."

 

[Asher]

I was still oddly relaxed. The situation wasn’t spiralling in the way I expected it to. Where I had been expecting certain doom I was instead met with swaying hips and an overwhelming sense of being out of my waters. So perhaps the feeling of impending doom wasn’t quite gone yet but what did that matter when your host was proving far more hospitable than the wolf in sheep’s clothing that I had come to envision her as?

I cleared my throat. “Yep.” There was no use denying what she said this time either. “I am probably discrediting myself somewhere, but a guy’s gotta keep his humility in check unless he grows a thick head you know.”

I gave the office a second more thorough look. Perhaps one day I too would be able to own an office of this size. I probably could already, but I meant to truly own it and feel like I belonged in it. So far the chair in my own office felt like Darell’s but I still held on to the idea that one day it wouldn’t feel that way.

Then she began to move towards me. Hips swaying, drink shuffling. Heart beating, gripping at armrests intensifying, the usual drill when a man had to keep focused. Eye contact, deep breaths and a seemingly calm exterior.

I arched my eyebrows and tilt my head slightly to the side in return. “I’ve never built a ship. Why?”

[member="Danger Arceneau"]​

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Elias Truden"] would soon seen the distance between him and the Queen of Trade diminish. Two meters. One. It was almost akin to what Alisha had done, but with subtle provocative flare of a woman well aware of her charms.

"How about how they work.. the in's and outs?" that honeyed coo would come at him with a bit of bite. She was probing. Searching. What made this guy get the position of CEO? There had to be a reason right?

Why Iron Crown? Why the one company in Fringe territory that was in essence the nationalized corporation for its manufacture and production of ships of the line for the Fringe.

"What do you bring to the table?" she'd point out, curious and yes... yes she was looking to provoke him. "Humility or not... there has to be a reason right?"

 

[Asher]

She came closer, two meters and then a meter. The twi’lek had been hard to resist, to be faced with a trade queen pratcially sitting in my lap... If this was one of my elder sisters’ crudely drawn Atrisian comics I would have engulfed the entire room in nosebleed. Lucky for me such things were not humanly possible. I would settle for a feigned cough and an opportunity to look away.

“I-I-I... I might be in the know-how of how to increase the amount of space a ship has available.” I was skirting dangerously close to, well, Danger. Was getting caught in her trap part of my plan? I wasn’t sure, at this stage it seemed like it. I cleared my throat. “And as an assistant to the Councilor of Military Affairs it’s hard not to build up contacts with the men in charge of the army.”

High-ranking officers, generals, even a few agents here and there. I may have gone way back into the past with the High Councilor herself but I was still left in charge of delivering papers, sending messages and such. Keeping a friendly yet professional tone to matters and treating people as people was apparently a really good way to work things.

I wouldn’t go as far as to claim I had more say on matters than the councilor, but I wasn’t without it either.

“What about you, Miss Arceneau? How did you become the Trade Queen?” It was a two-way question. I wanted to know, and I also wanted her to stop interrogating me. Hopefully it worked.

[member="Danger Arceneau"]​

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Elias Truden"] was between a wall and .. well a hard place? What does one call the rather precariously close full figure of one Danger Arceneau. Guess the name has more weight than one would believe...

"The Trade Queen?" amusement would glitter within her green eyes. Real amusement at that. He had managed to fend her off for a moment, taken aback for a bit at that.

"Now that's a strange way of describing me." her eyes would narrow. Instead of answering she would ask a question. "What do you think, Mistah Truden.... does it hold merit?"

 

[Asher]

She backed down. Easy breathing ensued while I contemplated her question as if she had not heard someone call her that before. I cleared my throat again as I straightened the cuffs on my shirt and suit jacket. I had to keep the summary tactful and professional.

Actually, I didn’t and I wouldn’t. Not by a lot anyway.

“Well, you are inarguably one of the most powerful players on the galactic playground. Whoever hasn’t heard of ATC has either been living under a rock or in a cave -- perhaps both -- and those who are in the same business as you know better than to mess with you.” I couldn’t really help shrugging. “So as for if it holds merit...”

It’s when I realized I had it. Time to prod back.

With the lean back into my seat I tried my best at eye contact. “... Why don’t you tell me?”

I wasn’t smirking, I merely smiled at something I found very amusing.

[member="Danger Arceneau"]​

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Amusement would get kicked another notch at [member="Elias Truden"]'s quip. Whether he was a fool or not, he was at the very least keeping up the pace in this bit of banter.

Question was, how much farther would he be able to go?

"Well, reckon you have a point there... Mistah Truden." she'd toss back, her eyes watching him with a narrowed expression. Appraising. "So then it begs the question," she'd add, taking another step back and bringing the glass of whiskey to her lips.

"If I am the Queen of Trade... well then, what would a man in your position do?"

And the ball was in his court again.

 

[Asher]

I chuckled in retaliation. “That really depends, don’it?.”

“Even the court jester can become a rebel. It all depends on how he is treated by the queen.”

I let the silence hang as I looked for eye contact again. Once the coin had fallen into place, the game revealed itself. I was being pushed to see exactly how much of a mess I would turn myself into. At this point I was just happy to know that for a rookie I had still managed to keep my head above water.

At least most of the time.

“So far the jester thinks that the queen is in charge for good reason.” I nodded in case the fact that I referred to myself as a jester wasn’t as obvious as I was trying to make it. “I’ve no reason to go against you or any of your interests. It’s quite clearly not in my best interests.”

Reassurance that Iron Crown didn’t stand against ATC. It most likely didn’t really count much, but it never hurt to reiterate. If not as a promise then a friendly piece of small talk.

Part of the fun was what new ways she could try to press those buttons anyway.

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Danger would give another half amused snort, but it would allow [member="Elias Truden"] more space to breathe at the very least. Another series of backward steps and then a redirect would bring the Queen of Trade out towards the vast floor to ceiling glassteel windows that would overlook the entirety of the Expo.

"Well...a court jester may very well be a jester -- but while he may act the fool, doesn't mean he is a fool." she'd toss back, giving him a compliment that said that he had managed to impress her with that.

"You've some big britches to fill, Mistah Truden." she'd say simply, glancing back at him through her peripheral. " Rave Merrill had her last stake on Iron Crown -- that's a reputation you not only have to maintain.. but excel beyond."

Her head would swivel over to him, her green eyes locking upon the man's own. "Just how are you going to manage that?"

 

[Asher]

It was a... Compliment? The look on my face as I blinked in surprise would have to speak for how much I had expected such a thing. To fill in after Rave Merrill. Oh I knew those were quite the ‘britches’ to fill out, but that didn’t necessarily mean I was nervous about it. Each CEO had their own style and while Mrs. Merrill had without doubt been twice the business partner to hers than I was to mine I still had the loosest of ideas to continue her ‘legacy.’

“I have my ideas, and together with Mister Irani I’m looking to get myself acclimatized with most of the internals of the company as fast as possible.” A stray hand reached up to scratch at the side of my head as I slowly shook my head. “It’s not fully there yet.”

Didn’t necessarily bring the woman any faith in my abilities, but at least she knew I could be an entertaining type. Overly honest and open, but that was simply who I was. Like I had mentioned before, I liked to keep it all open and transparent. Besides, it was still her home court and the details were merely about me, and I was interchangeable with anyone else.

“Still, Merrill was a great businesswoman. Whether I’ll sink or swim remains to be seen.”

[member="Danger Arceneau"]