Sportsmanship is expensive ... so by the same token are summer camps [Tmoxin]

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien stood in the bar of Nym's Hotel. Looking out over the sports complex and the surrounding desert. Behind him as ever stood his silent assistant Shim holding a conference file with a special envelope that he was saving for later. It also contained a document confirming the sale of shares ... the specifics were blank of course but that would be amended in due course. He wanted to confirm an investment today, he had been aiming to invest in Morpho's Pharmaceutical Division before only to have it sold out from under him ... that couldn't happen again.

The Morpho Sports complex was a glittering shrine of consumerism in a sea of sand and Lucien wanted a slice of the pie. It promised to continue to turn profit and that could only lead to growth for the complex.It could become a very lucrative gravy train, very lucrative indeed. It was vital for him to get in now before any massive growth occurred and the share price went too high. He was after all not made of money.

He became lost in the subtle sound of the bikes outside whilst he waited for [member="Tmoxin Temi"] to arrive. This lady seemed to have a head for business and even if the dark rumours about her were true Lucien doubted it would affect cash flow too much after all as an associate of the present Foreman it was doubtful anyone would publicly proclaim the truth of the rumours that would be a rather foolish move.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin was eager to meet with Lucien Cordel today at Nym’s hotel. So far their business partnership had been agreeable and advantageous to the both of them. And to be honest, although she probably wouldn’t fully admit it to Lord Cordel, she regretted selling Morpho Pharmaceuticals to Salvatrucha in the first place. Mr. Malvern promptly demoted her, and while profits were steadily climbing, Tmoxin missed being the chief executive and felt relegated to the sidelines. Furthermore, Khaleel Malvern had disappeared, which made the re-negotiation of her employment difficult.

If you don’t improve upon your poor decisions, they become regrets, thought Tmoxin. While it was too late in the respect of her flagship company’s sale, she didn’t want to do the same to Morpho Sports Complex. Aside from an angel investment by Marek Starchaser and free reign of Brightstar Entertainment product placement around the facilities, Tmoxin owned most of the arena and surrounding amenities.

She didn’t think Cordel needed much persuading, but as she entered the hotel to greet him, with a flick of her finger, the bartender set her favorite white wine on the long, greel wood bar, awaiting her pink-glossed lips. The bartender then sat an expensive scotch down in front of the Sith Lord.


“Mr. Cordel, it’s always a pleasure,” she said with a wide smile. “Shall we sit down?”

She motioned to a table nearby the bar.

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Scotch, now that was a surprise. He would have been skeptical of taking alcohol during a business meeting were it not for [member="Tmoxin Temi"] having alcohol as well, he did have to be careful not to get drunk and make foolish decisions. None the less he took the scotch with a smile "The Same to you Madame Temi" He nodded "Yes we should" He followed her over to the table. He didn't trust Tmoxin, but he didn't trust any intelligent people. He knew that if a better deal came along she would likely take it whether it shafted him or not however he did trust that she wouldn't do away with him unless it was profitable so he would just need to make sure it remained profitable to work with him.They sat down Lucien's assistant sat at the table behind Lucien poised as ever to keep him abreast of developments in the outside world or pass him information. It was a hard life.

Lucien took a drink then began "I must say the complex is quite impressive and it all seems to be progressing along well" He lifted his hand and clicked a data pad was placed into his hand, Lucien could give wordless commands too, "I'll cut to the chase I want to get in on this"

He tapped on the table "I want a 40% stake in the profits for the first two financial years with the option to sell back 10% after that and I want advertising space, is that agreeable? ..." He could go down in terms of percentage but it was always better to start high and work down. "What you want from me in return ?" He knew after all that not everything was about money. He expected to pay some monetary cost but it was expected that other terms would be imposed.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin took a seat at the table as well. She sipped her wine, and then pushed it away gently with one hand, drumming her long fingernails on the table. It was probably wise of Lucien Cordel to not trust the Hapan executive. Her business acumen was instinctual but whimsical, decisions made in the bedroom, rather than the boardroom.

But in recent months, she had been less reckless with her finances and trying to make amends to both the One Sith and on a more personal level, shipbuilding magnate, Aleksandyr Gaillard for traitorous activity to the both of them. Whether she would retain the sudden integrity remained to be seen.

Tmoxin glanced at Cordel's assistant briefly, and then turned her brown eyes back to the Sith Lord.

As he minced no words and put his deal quite plainly on the table, she arched her perfectly groomed eyebrows and said, “40%. That’s quite high. I was thinking of a number around 25% myself.” Mr. Malvern had played hardball with her in her last negotiation, and Tmoxin didn’t want to be put in that position again. This time you will get the deal you want, she thought.

“The other terms are fine. There is plenty of advertising space, especially in the arena. Holodisplays, electronic billboards, jumbotrons…” she trailed off.

“What I want in return is to offer you a new investment opportunity. An improved Morpho Pharmaceuticals, but something that’s just ours, not tied to Salvatrucha.”

She knew how interested he was in investing before…

“What do you think, Lucien?"

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien smiled, it wasn't a happy smile though "I can't go as low as 25%" To do so was to invite someone to come along and force him out no he needed strong foundation in the company in case someone tried to cut him out "What if I reduced the percentage of returns to 35% and the time time I want 35% returns to one financial year then made a commitment to reduce my returns by at least 5% year on year until they are at 25%? I would need assurances that the voting power of my shares is second only to yours should you ever go public however" He didn't want some new blood rushing in an upsetting the balance in five years time.

Lucien nodded along as [member="Tmoxin Temi"] outlined the various forms of advertising on offer. The type of advert was inconsequential it was the length of time and the quantity of the adverts, such vulgarity could be discussed later however.

Her request took lucien rather unawares. A new Morpho now that was interesting and very appealing "50/50 split I presume?" He asked eyebrow cocked. If he was going to be in it would be full force "You see If I'm going to get involved I don't want to just be a one time bankroll I want to be a partner ... You would do the technical stuff I'd attend meetings and have a say in staff etc. " Not quite a silent partner but not a full time one either. It seemed they had both come with an ulterior motive, his side project could wait until the matter of the arena was finalised, He was reluctant to muddy the waters too much.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

The negotiation was a matter of pride for Tmoxin. She was trying to build her business empire back up from her forced military retirement from the OS. She would put Lord Cordel through a little bit of aggravation because ego would not allow for her to just rollover like a docile lap dog.

Despite Lucien’s frigid smile, but offer would do. She could go back and forth but did not see the point to put both of them through an oppressive verbal duel. The red-haired Hapan’s mind was made up, and she only stood to benefit from this financial arrangement. Her own resources were not as robust as the financier.

The wealthy Sith Lord’s face changed, showing genuine interest over the new Monarch Pharmaceutical company and her proposition. Tmoxin’s freckled face relaxed, and her lips curled up in a smile.

“Yes, a 50/50 split would be only fair,” she said, no further negotiation on her mind. If anything, she was eager to get the credits in place and start scouting locations, contracting, ramping up the operational plan and creating new supply chains. She took another slow sip of her wine, her brown eyes unwavering from his. “Based on our prior dealings, I feel I can trust you, Lord Cordel. A partnership would be very welcome indeed.”

As her lips left the glass, a pink stain would be left on the delicate rim.

“What do you think a good location would be for Monarch Pharmaceuticals? Morpho essentially owns Tipoca City in terms of marketshare. Therefore Kamino, while the science resources are superior, is not where I would recommend we put the new headquarters.”

“Your thoughts, Lucien?”

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien had no such attachment to these negotiations. His ego , although rather inflated, didn't come into this. For him it was all business and it was for business reasons that he wanted such a large stake. For this reason he could take a little aggravation, in addition his previous political career had taught him patience. He could wait her out.

Lucien noted Tmoxin's tension after he had updated his offer but she didn't reply, that was odd ... perhaps she intended to make him sweat or see if he would go lower unprompted. He had no intention of doing that. He noted that she relaxed somewhat when they moved to discuss Monarch and she smiled. A change in subject how quaint, he would return to cement a proper arrangement on The Morpho Sports Arena soon.

Concerning his resources, he wasn't as wealthy as he let on, he was by no means poor but he did need to be very careful how much money he chucked around. It wasn't like he owned one of the abundant handwavium mines so popular among the galaxies populace.

Lucien smiled as his offer of equal partnership was accepted "Very good" He smiled, drinking the last of his scotch and echoing her eye contact. He smiled into the glass as she stated she trusted him. It was always nice to be told you were trustworthy, He put his glass down "How much money will we be looking at to start up? I have about 10 million in slush money ..." That was at a push "I could get a further 10 million through a line of credit" He was willing to risk debt to help [member="Tmoxin Temi"] as he could foresee a huge profit.

Talk then moved onto the placement of headquarters. Lucien didn't know much about science and was therefore unsure about where to base Monarch. It was clear however that Kamino was out of the question. They would just have to scout around.

"I'm not sure where is best for us, we will have to scout out some locations . I'm sure you have some ideas" He inclined his head "We can discuss that once the paperwork is signed ..." He opened a template partnership agreement on the data pad filling in the relevant information. The agreement he had draw up was a basic one, stating that they would split the costs and profits straight down the centre. "Sign at the bottom please" He said sliding the data pad across the table.

"Then shall we cement an agreement on the arena"

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

It seemed that Lucien would leave the location planning to Tmoxin. This was fine with her. In fact, giving her free reign over most of her operational concerns was what she was looking for. After a quick internal scan of planets, she knew would have everything she was looking for – access to the best science talent, accessible trade routes, nearby allies like [member="Marek Starchaser"] and [member="Gerion Ardik"] - in one place. The Blood Monarch knew where she wanted to build her new company.

Fine weather. Rio Vivo. Keffi farm.

She snapped back to attention as Lord Cordel’s datapad was being passed her way with a contract. Using the stylus, she signed her name and then said, “Lianna. That’s where the new pharma company will go. Lok is nice but it’s too hot, and well… it’s difficult to get the sulfur smell out of my clothing sometimes.” The sports fans of Lok didn’t care. Most of them enjoyed the dust bowl atmosphere where it was hot enough that drinking all day didn’t seem like a bad idea. And although Tmoxin’s penthouse suite in Nym’s hotel was temperature-controlled with a wall-to-wall holo display of the Fountain Palace instead of windows, she had looked into raising Keffis there, and the climate was not good for the Annaxes steeds.

“There,” she said, putting the pen down gently. “Let's discuss the Sports Complex terms. 35% of the profits then?” she asked, getting right to the crux of the deal.

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien was quite happy to leave the bulk of the decisions to Tmoxin, it was far too technical for him to grasp. He was quite satisfied just to bankroll the venture, he would still look over her decisions and likely pretend to understand but he was resigned to likely spending much of his time at Monarch in a state of confusion.

Lucien was rather shocked when [member="Tmoxin Temi"] announced where they would be headquartered. He had not expected her to be so quick. He turned back to his assistant "commision me a report on Lianna " He ordered before turning back to Tmoxin "I can empathise" He smiled, he too found the outside heat unpleasant and was tempted to have his current attire burnt so as not to risk contaminating the more pricy garments in his wardrobe. the sulfur really was unpleasant. he would never understand why so many blue collar workers insisted upon working with it. Then again there was much about the poor that lucien didn't understand ... namely why they insisted upon being poor.

Lucien took back the data-pad and stylus "Yes, 35% Thats agreeable " He drummed on the table "Will 1.7 million suffice?" He asked, it seemed a fair amount to him and could certainly be of use to the sports complex.

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

1.7 million sounded like a fine investment figure, although if they were ever to build an actual sports franchise together, that would most likely cover a week of a Smash Ball Forward’s salary. Tmoxin was about to speak when her datapad pinged. She glanced down momentarily, and wouldn’t normally have interrupted such an important business meeting, but the message was marked URGENT.

“Excuse me, Lord Cordel,” Tmoxin said in the most apologetic tone she could manage. “I just need a moment to review these figures.”

The message was a press-release forwarded from her assistant Beulah: Morpho Pharmaceuticals announced that Tmoxin Temi had just been named CEO again and would resume operations at the helm of her beloved company.

The news was both welcome and a bit disconcerting as no one had alerted the Hapan executive ahead of time that she was being promoted.

“Beluah!" she shouted across the hotel bar, and out of nowhere, her young, brunette assistant came. The girl's face was impassive but betrayed the slightly belabored look of a person used to being verbally abused.

“For the sake of Lucien, I will read aloud this news. Effectively immediately I am now back to being CEO of Morpho Pharmaceuticals. Just when did you intend to tell me about this news?” she asked, icily.

“Ms. Temi, the lawyers just got done negotiating your contract… there was literally no time to let you know.”

“Well, apparently you let the press know.”

“That was not me, but the PR department.”

She grimaced, pressed her lips together and sighed. It wouldn’t be appropriate to have this internal skirmish with her assistant in front of the investor, so she said, “Beulah, please go fetch some champagne. I think this deserves a toast don’t’ you?”

She pushed her datapad away. “This won’t change our deal one bit,” she said, thinking quick on her feet. Tmoxin made eye contact again with Lucien. "I will make Monarch a research subsidiary and use Morpho for the production pipeline. Does that make business sense to you?” she asked, hoping he wasn’t about to pull out of their deal with the unexpected news.

[member="Lucien Cordel"]

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien raised an eyebrow as [member="Tmoxin Temi"] 's data pad pinged. He was surprised that Tmoxin hadn't issued a notice to her staff that she would be engaged. None the less he gave Tmoxin a dismissive wave as she apologized and looked down. it must have been important if it required immediate response.

"It's quite alright " he smiled, it was a fake smile mind. He was livid "I'll wait"

He drummed on the table. becoming lost in the rhythm until Tmoxin shouted across the bar to her assistant. As if from thin air the woman appeared. Lucien found the ability to move in silence the mark of a good assistant. Lucien decided that this was going to be good, very good. Lucien did love a bit of scandal and that was what he expected ... it wasn't what he got though. It seemed Madame Temi was back on top as CEO. He couldn't help but laugh as it transpired that Tmoxin was the last to discover her promotion. The woman was dispatched for champagne, this meeting had just improved two fold.

"Madame Temi this is very good news ... Very good" he smiled, considerably less annoyed now. He was glad to hear their deal was unchanged, it would be rather unkind to turn on one of the people who had been by your side when you were down. "I can find no fault with that idea" Like he'd pull out now this deal was big before and the news had made it massive.