Such Glowing Mountains before us

[Corey's OOC]

This was really a pain for Marek. Sure, he had his shuttle, and really, the CrossCurrent was great most of the time, but there were certain times where he just wished he had a Corellian transports, a good old, home world bucket that was going to be solid for just about any job. He was going to need to invest, basically. What kind of Corellian was he, after all? Sure, he was a vagabond, and made his way around the galaxy at his own pace, but he truly needed to get a ship for this sort of thing. For cargo trips. And as much as he didn’t mind borrowing from the fleet, it wasn’t ideal.

At least he was representing his personal company, Haor Chall, with the Class Onith Transport. Marek had landed the craft on Katanos VII, the cortosis mining colony. What he needed now was to make sure he could find the site foreman in a chipper mood. Opening the ramp to step out of the shuttle, he was just wanting to make this deal and leave.



Seeing the craft land, Foreman John Wanner got up from his seat. He remembered the call that the Techno Union was coming by to make a pick up of cortosis. Well, simple enough. Whatever he could do to make some money for his mine, after all. And besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t support to CIS, nor the Techno Union. So long as they weren’t stealing his product and profit, they were fine. Maybe it wasn’t so much support as they weren’t so bad. Was either a bad concept?

Stepping out of the office and into the landing zone, watching the ship pass through the magcon field, he waited until the crew of the ship descended. Giving a nod to the one known as Marek Starchaser, Wanner waited until the group had disembarked from the ship.

“Welcome to Katanos VII. We’ve been expecting you. I hope the approach wasn’t too difficult.” Asteroids and all.

@[member="Idiian Sayali"]

 

[Idiian Sayali]

Normally, Idiian tended to travel about in her own ship. However, the circumstances that brought Idiian to Katanos VII weren't exactly normal, either. She had been hired as extra security by @[member="Marek Starchaser"] for the pick-up of some Cortosis. Of course, Cortosis being as rare as it was, it wasn't exactly surprising that some extra security would be brought along, but Idiian didn't exactly expect to get the job, herself. Expected or not, though, when Idiian got the offer for the job, she took it in a heartbeat.

Since the job was in CIS space and her employer was part of the CIS himself, Idiian doubted that there would be much trouble even with the rarity of Cortosis; It wasn't like the CIS was going to suddenly shut down the mining operation or anything, after all. But the mining of Cortosis itself was inherently dangerous, and something could always happen within the mining company itself. So as Idiian disembarked with the rest of the crew, she kept an eye on the workers at the mine, including the foreman who called out to them. She doubted there would be any trouble even from them, but she was being paid to play security, so if something did happen, she wanted to be aware when it went down. The key word being "if".

 

[Corey's OOC]

It was just easier if anyone involved showed up in the same ship. Plus, having too many private vessels going to a location that is strictly CIS just made the manifest messy. That was the whole reason Marek wasn’t in one of his personal ships. He really did like the Onith, but he didn’t want to own one, not when it was his work ship. Really, it was a blue milk run, but sometimes, just having the extra help was worth the money.

And the peace of mind.

Stepping off the ship with the bounty hunter was definitely something odd. Mainly because Marek was a loner most times, so it wasn’t anything @[member="Idiian Sayali"] did. He gave her a look and tried to give an expression of ‘calm down’ because he could feel her watching. Most likely nothing was going to happen.

Taking the hand that was offered after the greeting, Marek nodded. “Nice to see you, Wanger, this is my associate Idiian Sayali. We’re here for the pick up.” And to drop off supplies and staff, but that was obvious.

Right, all business. That was fine. He had other things to do. “We’re still assembling your pick up. We got a little behind schedule, shifts acting up, and certain workers just needing to be… released.” Right, because that wasn’t ominous. “But nothing to worry yourself on, the Techno Union will still have all the product they wish.”

He made a motion for the waiting room. “Come, we’ve got caf at least, for the interim?” How was he going to explain the delay better?

 

[Idiian Sayali]

Idiian caught the look that @[member="Marek Starchaser"] had given her, and tried to relax some. After all, there really shouldn't be anything to worry about; It wasn't like the Miners were working in bad conditions here for a Cortosis mine, after all. If something happened, Idiian trusted herself enough that she figured that even at her most relaxed, she would be able to react fast enough to cover her client if something happened, and that's what mattered.

Idiian rolled her shoulders back, trying to loosen up as Marek accepted the foreman's greeting, giving a rather goody bow when she was introduced. From the sound of things, it seemed that they'd be waiting a bit before they could get the Cortosis they came for. While the sound of some nice, hot caf did sound good, Idiian waited to see whether Marek himself accepted the offer or not.

 

[Corey's OOC]

How was he supposed to keep two people occupied? Sure, one person could be easy, but without touring them around the facility, what was he going to do? Shaking his head, he tried to push the thoughts away, he knew that Starchaser was a Templar, and weren’t they supposed to be able to read thoughts? Like the Jedi, or the Sith? But why would someone from the Techno Union want to do that? Besides, this one was coming with an escort.

Not that he was thinking of stopping Starchaser, the cortosis was being paid for, after all. It was just… what was his doctor calling those? Intrusive thoughts? Leading them inside, he offered two seats for them. Right, his office really had nothing, so waiting room it was. Approaching the caf machine, he produced two mugs and walked over to the table. “We don’t have much here, but we make due. I know it’s a reach, but is there any way to get some sort of droid support?”

Well, they could talk business.


Marek wasn’t expecting all of this. He figured it was going to be in and out. Still, a little bit of a delay was expected, he’d just have to make sure his escort, @[member="Idiian Sayali"] , was paid a little more. Really, not combat pay, but ‘sitting around bored out of skull’ pay. He did have the backing for something simple like that, after all.

It felt good to know he could do something like that. Previously, Marek was working to just fill his ship, and keep ammo around. Nevermind food, that was a bit trickier, but he could still make it work. Taking a seat that was offered, he nodded to the two mugs of caf. “Droids? Are there that many problems with the sentient staff?” Though, labor droids would make things more efficient.

 

[Idiian Sayali]

Idiian had been taking a seat of her own when @[member="Marek Starchaser"] had asked the question about the droid support, asking if there problems with the sentient staff- or rather, implying that there were and inquiring of it was at unmanageable levels. Idiian had read up on Cortosis mining on the way over, and remembered from what she read that mining Cortosis was supposedly highly hazardous to mine due to a variety of reasons, and the best way to circumvent those hazards was with mining droids, so perhaps the sentient staff wasn't a problem at all? Or perhaps the sentient staff was all they had right now...?

"The workers starting to get sick from the mining?" Idiian asked the foreman herself, speaking up for the first time since she disembarked from the ship. She took a sip from her caf before continuing. "Or is it something else entirely?" She was referring to needing the droids for expanding the actual mine itself or moving to a new site if the vein had run dry, thought in retrospect the question could probably be taken in other ways, too.

 

[Corey's OOC]

Great, now he was looking incompetant. That was far from the truth, and Wanner knew that his reports would show that. He had a lot of good work come out of his mine. The production and harvest of cortosis was vital for most anti-lightsaber weaponry and armor, and as such, he filled a role within the Confederacy that many would need. It would be a silly thought to think that he would be shut down.

Still, droid support, that wouldn’t hurt. And as the woman had indicated, it was a bit of a problem for the workers. “Its not that they’re sick of it, we have enough staff that they’re down to 10 working hour shifts. Its becoming more a situation of security.” Turning his attention back to Starchaser, he shrugged, as if it was out of his hand. “So, between worker droids, and maybe a protection detail…”


Right, Marek was now in that situation. Looking at the foreman of the mine and considering for a moment, he nodded. “I know we can drop off worker droids, it’d need to be a new order, and we can get a delivery within the month. As for the protection detail, that is going to be a little more tricky. Nothing is preventing you from hiring out.” He looked at @[member="Idiian Sayali"]. “Surely you might know people?”

For the interim, really, and only if they passed inspection by the proper hand in the CIS. Aside from that, getting a unit out here would take a little time, especially if they wanted a Dread Guard team. Battle droids would be a little longer, but that was up to Wanner, with what he wanted. “Unless you’re looking for battle droids?”

 

[Idiian Sayali]

Security, huh? Well, that did make sense; Cortosis WAS pretty rare, so the mines coming under attack could certainly happen. When @[member="Marek Starchaser"] turned and asked her who she might know who the foreman could hire, Idiian almost shrugged, since she didn't actually know any security companies, but then an idea popped into her head. "You could try hiring some Bounty Hunters. The bounty market's pretty dried up right now, after all, so I'm sure there's a good few of 'em who'd like the work."

Of course, as her employer pointed out, and she figured the Foreman was asking for all along, there was also the option of battle droids. Idiian imagined that would probably be the best option, since a lot of Bounty Hunters would sell out their current employers if they were offered enough- She knew in most cases, she certainly would. Droids, however, can't be paid off.

 

[Corey's OOC]

There definitely was something to be said about security on these mines. Sure, Katanos was protected by its location, but that was about it. Marek would have to fix that, and fix that soon. The trick with bounty hunters was that they could be hard to manage. Bringing @[member="Idiian Sayali"] with him for extra support was simple, he could keep an eye on her, and he knew how to handle himself. With the mine, well, he wasn’t so sure about their ability to handle a bounty hunter. Getting a droid unit here for defense was their best bet until they could deploy a crewed vessel.

Pulling out his datapad, he made a quick few notes. Sending them off to his astromech, with the order to forward it to the Techno Union command and place an expedited order for battle droids to be sent out here. It felt like he was almost calling in the trouble, however.


The Foreman nodded to the bounty hunter. “Its an idea, I suppose.” He wasn’t too keen on the idea, having bounty hunters were other mouths to feed that he couldn’t guarantee that they were going to be loyal to the cause. Battle droids, or paid CIS soldiers, they were on the side of the government, it made sense.

“Its not that the conditions are bad, its mainly the sense of security. Perhaps if we were to take you two down to the mines? Show them that the Confederacy is taking an interest in the operation, and the leader of the Techno Union was personally overseeing the operation?” It really couldn’t hurt morale, plus, it would help fill the time while they were waiting for their shipment. Taking a peak at his own personal datapad, it was on its way, slowly.


Marek looked over at the bounty hunter he had brought along. For him, this was a good idea, but he really was on the fence about bringing the hunter in. He was going to need to make sure those droids showed up immediately. Making a mental note, he nodded. "It makes sense to me. I'd appreciate more of a tour of the facility, but just the public tour." Really, what could it hurt to do more, if someone wanted to break in, the could. Besides, it would give a better lay of where security droids should be posted. Besides, these annual visits were going to be part of his job description, weren't they?

 

[Idiian Sayali]

When Marek glanced over at Idiian after they had been invited for the tour, she thought he was gonna ask her to stay behind. Not exactly without reason, granted, considering how Bounty Hunters were known to behave, but right now her employer was @[member="Marek Starchaser"], and without anyone else to give a better offer, so her employer would remain Marek. When Marek decided to bring Idiian along for the tour after all, Idiian was actually surprised, though pleasantly. Any kind of tour of a Cortosis mine was a rare opportunity indeed.

"Yeah," Idiian responded for herself, still a bit surprised that she was coming along. "A tour would be pretty neat, sure."

 

[Corey's OOC]

Really, he couldn’t think of a problem with taking @[member="Idiian Sayali"] around. If she wanted to get a gaggle of her bounty hunter friends and come to the Cortosis mine, she was more than welcome. There would be droids here to defend the place shortly. And beyond that, as this was a high priority target, Marek would even bring in one of the new Legion units when they roll off of the line. That would keep most things busy. Plus, a ship was always in the area, it was just the mine needed its initial protection.

Besides, as leader of the Techno Union, he could always use a hired hand to assist him with the way the world moved. Who knew? Idiian was proving to not be a hindrance, and keeping someone hired who had an ear to the ground could prove useful… Especially in the going ons of the business world.


Standing up, Wanner opened the door and lead the pair down the hallway. He got the feeling that Marek was confident and comfortable with the bounty hunter being here. And who was he to argue? Besides, the Techno Union Foreman did have his lightsaber, the trick was if he knew how to use it.

Why would someone carry such a weapon if they didn’t? Of course, Marek also was outfitted with a pistol, so there was that. Right, start boring. Giving a brief rundown of the living quarters, recreation center and the galley, Wanner made to bring them closer to the heart of the operation. Of course, they weren’t going into the mines, but they could at least make it close enough where he could subdue most curiosities. “And this is the observation deck.” Giving a wave of his arm, it was clear that this was only showing the entrance of the mine. Workers and some work droids were moving supplies and gear around. Hopefully Wanner was timing it well enough then the next cart to show up was the load that Marek had requeted. Perfect.

 

[Idiian Sayali]

Throughout the tour, Idiian had been rather innocently curious, especially once they reached the observation deck. The petite bounty hunter had quite visibly relaxed compared to when she had first arrived; The previously overly cautious, intense, professional demeanour she had displayed before was now overwhelmed with genuine awe and curiosity; The mine wasn't something particularly different than she had expected in some ways, yet the chance to actually see so much of a Cortosis mine wasn't something one could get every day without working in one, even if they never saw the mines themselves.

Once they reached the Observation deck, Idiian's awe reached a bursting point as she let out an audible gasp at the sight, rushing over to the railing of the observation deck and latching on, leaning slightly over it to get a better look. Sure, it was just the entrance to the mine, but even there the operation was an impressive sight for someone who knew as little about mining as Idiian did. She wasn't even thinking any more about whether someone could attack the mine or something bad could happen down below, the only thing that was going through her mind at that moment was how, well, amazing the mining operation looked. She guessed it was probably more of the same on the inside, on a grander scale, but there was probably some cool stuff really far in where they were actually mining the Cortosis ore from the veins...! Probably because she had been so interested in what was going on down below, Idiian noticed pretty quickly that a cart seemed to be moving out of the mine entrance. She wondered if perhaps that cart was carrying the package that @[member="Marek Starchaser"] had requested?

 

[Corey's OOC]

See, he was patient. There was some parts of Marek that were growing with this job of his. And patience was one of them. Sometimes there were just things one could not rush. What he wanted to do was make sure he got this cortosis, and made sure that the mine was secure. No need having anyone coming in and disrupting the supply here. He was hoping to find some more supply of cortosis, but until then, this was it. He wasn’t about to start invading others to make sure he got the material.

Smirking at the bounty hunter, he nodded. “A bit of a large operation here, from the looks of the outside.” See? All the more reason to start supplying this place with the proper droids. Stepping up to the railing, he looked to his companion. “First time in a mine?” He had noticed that their companion had taken a step back, most likely to allow an unhindered view of the mine and operation. Was he going to have trouble with her?

[member="Idiian Sayali"]

 

[Idiian Sayali]

When she heard [member="Marek Starchaser"]'s question, she stepped back from the railing, giving him a nod of confirmation. None of her previous work had taken her into a mine before- bounties on miners were pretty rare as it was, and usually weren't worth the resources that were needed to break into a mine to collect them to begin with. "It's pretty large," Idiian commented, glancing back down towards the mine entrance below before turning back to her employer. "I always thought mines were supposed to be small and cramped and stuff. Sure doesn't look like that would be the case from the size of that mine's entrance, though." Granted, these specific mines have been around for nearly a millennia, maybe longer; in some ways, it was a surprise the planet wasn't a hollow husk from all the mining yet. Then again, with the rarity of Cortosis, maybe it already was.

 

[Corey's OOC]

Could always pick newbies out from a mile away. That was a good thing for Marek, he still could size people up. That meant everyone, really. He looked at the bounty hunter and nodded. “They’re a bit different than what you see in holovids, that’s for sure.” Wasn’t there that one about the archeologist? Was that a mine? Or a tomb… Maybe that was what he was getting confused in his head.

“Besides, we don’t want to harm our workers, and galactic safety laws need certain criteria to be met before sentients can work in certain locations.” Or they were Techno Union laws, sometimes the latter were a bit better. Just to provide the right ones and attract more workers, really.

Wanner nodded. “Yeah, we do our best to keep everyone safe and happy. Mr. Starchaser, it does appear your order has been processed. Would you like to meet it at your ship? Or are you two still looking around?” He looked between the Templar and the bounty hunter.

[member="Idiian Sayali"]

 

[Idiian Sayali]

Yeah, it certainly was a bit different than what she had seen in the holovids, though Idiian had expected some degree of differences just because no one was really allowed into Cortosis mines to film to begin with. Though legal reasoning for the mine's size made sense to her, Idiian did wonder if that was the only reason the mine was so large; Certainly the age of the mines had something to do with it too.

When the Foreman mentioned that their order had been processed, Idiian glanced over at him for a moment before glancing back at [member="Marek Starchaser"], wondering what his response would be. She didn't mind whether he opted to continue looking about or if he wished to return to the ship to see the package for himself; Either way, she was getting an opportunity to see something that most people wouldn't get to see in their entire lives.

 

[Corey's OOC]

The mines in vids were definitely all sorts of dingy and small. These, well at least ones sponsored by the Confederacy, were going to be spacious and safe. Doing their best to make it so coming to work was not a hassle, or a problem. Besides, mines that were going for a long time needed to be expanded to find the material, this was all stuff he was learning from his new hiring of resource specialists in Haor Chall.

“Lets meet it at the ship.” He nodded to Wanner before looking at [member="Idiian Sayali"]. “IF that’s alright with you?” He smirked, figuring to give her the chance to see if there was anything more

 

[Idiian Sayali]

Idiian's response came so quickly, one might have thought it started before Marek even finished his question. "That's perfectly fine to me," Idiian responded with a nod, smirking back at [member="Marek Starchaser"]. "You're the boss, after all; Wherever you wanna go, I'm fine following, so long as I get paid in the end."

Idiian then glanced back over at the Foreman, tilting her head back and towards him some. "So yeah, guess we'll be meeting it at the ship then," she said, giving the foreman a grin as she spoke. The Foreman was the one who showed them around, and took the long way to the observation deck; Unless they wanted to retrace their steps the long way back, the Foreman had to show them how to get back to the ship, too.

 

[Corey's OOC]

It was pretty simple from here. Wanner was being kind enough to take them the express way out to the hanger deck. Down a back turbo lift and not through the whole mine and hallways. Marek wasn't antsy to get out, per se, but it would be nice to get back to his ship and get back to some form of civilization. Looking around, he was making notes to give the Techno Union as to where to deploy guard droids, and where they could send the Dread Guard marines for a short time. It wouldn't hurt to have this property locked down more.

When they reached the ship, the crate was already being loaded up. "I want to thank you for your time, Foreman Wanner, and if you need anything from the Techno Union on top of what we'll be delivering shortly, all you need to do is ask. You have your way to contact me, correct?" Marek spoke, knowing that the foreman would follow up with the nod. Not the Force, just being rhetorical. Looking to Idiian, he motioned for her to lead the way up into the ship. "Ready?"
[member="Idiian Sayali"]

 

[Idiian Sayali]

When [member="Marek Starchaser"] asked Idiian if she was ready, she answered him with a nod of confirmation. "Yeah, I'm ready," she said, making her way up the ramp. About halfway up, she glanced over her shoulder, making sure that her employer wasn't far behind her, before continuing up and into the ship.