Tango of a Deal

[Taeli Raaf]

Erilnar - Aurora Industries Headquarters

An interesting piece of technology had come to Taeli's attention, one that was developed by a smaller company known as Ignus Industries. A new type of point defense laser they had developed, dubbing it the Orbalisk Point Defense Laser. She could appreciate the name choice, but she more appreciated the technology itself. A spherical point defense laser meant omni-directional against enemy missiles and starfighters, something that could be very useful in large ship design.

To that end, she had invited the head of the company out to Erilnar, more specifically the headquarter campus that Aurora Industries operated out of on the world of lakes. She was awaiting his arrival in her office, looking out the window out over the campus itself. She had done a little background research on the head of the company, not that there was much to go off of. Leos Palle was a Mirialian and there had been some information on his childhood and such, but she had been curious to learn more about the man himself as well. Perhaps this meeting would shed more light onto him.

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

When a Jedi asks for you by name you can't help but be intrigued about it.

Normally he would have sent Kaela to meet with the people from Aurora. She would have gone and dealt with the meeting, leaving him free to do whatever he wanted to do, or whatever he needed to do. But no, Taeli Raaf had asked for him to come and meet with her. He was alright with that, considering she was a Jedi Master. He didn't get much opportunity to talk to those. Usually they just tried to kill him for being a Sith. Strange as it was, he found Jedi were more willing to kill than he was. It was a sad day when that was the case. He shook his head as his ship descended through the atmosphere and came down to land at the spaceport.

A landspeeder then took him to the Aurora building, which he entered slowly, half expecting a huge security guard but not finding it. Shrugging, he approached the desk and nodded to the secretary behind it.

"Leos Palle here to see Taeli Raaf. She's expecting me."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ignus"]

The secretary, an Umbaran named Uleema, would give him a blank and appraising look before politely responding, "Of course, Mr. Palle. A moment please."

In her office, Taeli had gone from observing her company's campus from the window to looking over some new blueprints that had been sent from their facility on Saleucami. The Siaber crystals had finally arrived there and she was eager to see what her droid designers would come up with. A small light flickered on and Taeli pressed to answer the call from her secretary.

"Yes?"

"A Mr. Palle is here to see you, Miss Raaf."

"Send him up, Uleema."

The connection clicked off and Uleema would give a small half smile to the Mirialian.

"Just take the lift at the far end, it will take you directly to her office, Mr. Palle. Please enjoy your time here at Aurora Industries."

She would turn back to whatever she was working on, and he would be free to go to that specific lift. If he tried to stray, the concealed Harbinger droids in the walls would be more than pleased to show him to the correct lift, much like some flight attendants on shuttles.

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

Leos had no intention of straying from the path. Corporate espionage was such a pitiful tactic to undertake. Buying something and reverse engineering it worked better.

"Thank you, much."

He tipped his head to her before turning to head to the lift that was mentioned. To be fair, if he'd really wanted to go wherever he wanted in the facility, he could probably do so without ever truly being spotted by anyone alive. The droids, though, would have been the issue. But he didn't want to mess with that. When you're invited somewhere, it's best not to upset the person inviting you. So he boarded the lift and ascended to the level of the office of one Taeli Raaf, noted Jedi Master, and sister of a former Grandmaster of the Jedi. He was more than intrigued about the prospect of their meeting.

When the lift stopped, he stepped out and into her office, though his eyes skipped past her and to his surroundings first, examining it all before turning his eyes to her and offering a dip of his head.

"Master Raaf. I was certainly intrigued by your request to meet."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ignus"]

As the doors to the lift opened, activating a small light on her desk, Taeli switched the hologram she had been observing. If Leos Palle was observant enough, he would catch a glimpse of some sort of device with a crystal at its heart before it shifted to an image he was likely much more familiar with. What was far far far more prevalent was the dark side aura around the man, quite a powerful one actually. Felt trained too, so that could only mean one thing. Well at least it confirmed her report from her apprentice.

"And your technology here certainly intrigued me," she said, smiling from behind the hologram on her desk. She had noted his eyes traveling over her office, and if he was familiar with his ancient history of the Sith, truly and deeply familiar with it, then two statuettes on her desk and a painting on the wall would be familiar. "Not many companies or engineers would ever think to develop a point defense laser such as this. Multi-directional, very nice advancement."

"I'm glad you could join me today, Mr. Palle," she continued, gesturing for him to take the seat across from her. "Would you care for any refreshments before we get to business? I have some aged Corellian whiskey, some rare Tarisian ale, something else perhaps? I'm partial to the Bastion Black Tea myself, never really got into alcohol, but always polite to keep some on hand I've found."

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"The tea sounds good," he said as he took a seat.

He was somewhat brushed up on his Sith ancestry, so he did notice a few things. It raised a level of curiosity within him, but at the same time it did make sense that a Jedi would have a level of curiosity about their dark side counterparts, as well. Suffice to say, he didn't think it worth questioning at the moment. Some of his own art collection was comprised of various items tied to ancient Jedi lore, after all. They were very rare pieces as the ancient Galactic Empire had made a point of doing everything in their power to wipe out any recollection of the Jedi for a time. Only the Skywalker line had managed to keep their existence ongoing.

When he was comfortable, he crossed one leg before him, and watched her curiously. He felt it was almost miraculous that in this age of Jedi she hadn't flat out attacked him. So many of them would.

"The OPDL is a good piece of technology. You have a keen eye for picking up on its existence. It's the next step in anti-starfighter and projectile weaponry. Cuts down on how many of such placements you need on your ship. Always nice to need less room for something."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ignus"]

"Uleema, two cups of the Bastion Black and leave the pot as well," Taeli instructed, receiving affirmation from her secretary before she went to address her guest. "I like to keep an eye out for the latest pieces of technology being developed, call it an insatiable need to know things. In our line of work, it helps to know what your competition and up-and-coming entities are working on. In that regard, to start off the business portion of our meeting, I want to offer you and your company a contract to supply Aurora Industries with this technology."

She was curious what the Sith Lord would do or so in this case. On one hand, she was a publicly a Jedi and thus the ancient enemy of his Order. Admittedly, most Jedi had a thing for fighting Sith they came across a little too quickly. She actually understood manners were involved in such meetings, plus there was the fact she was secretly Sith herself. But her guest wouldn't know that, and could likely refuse to agree to work out a deal based on those supposed religious differences. On the other, from she could gather, his company sold to all players and strove to maintain neutrality in matters. In that regard, he could very well accept to keep that image going.

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

When it came to business he wasn't picky about who he did it with, most of the time. The technology in question was meant for sale to anyone that wanted it. Designed to stop starfighters and missiles it wasn't something that the sale of would hinder his plans in the future. The goods that Ignus Industries sold to everyone were good, especially the OPDL, but wouldn't cause a threat to his future goals. Everything was done with intent.

"Of course. Let me draft a quick contract."

He drew out his data pad and pulled up II's standard contract, inserted the necessary item for sale and the information on the purchasing party, and slid it across the table for Taeli to sign. It really was that simple. And when their tea was brought in and poured, he carefully took his and took a ginger sip to keep from melting his mouth off.

"Good stuff all around."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ignus"]

Smiling, she took the offered contract with nary a word or sound. Glancing it over, everything seemed to be in order although it did make her miss her dealings with the Thirrikian. That had been an engaging game, this deal was not as much. Ah well, different beings and mantras and all that. She signed off on the deal, accepting a cup of tea from her assistant. She didn't immediately take a sip, adding a few ice cubes to lower the temperature first.

"It's sometimes hard to keep a stable supply going," she sighed, taking a sip and enjoying the bold flavor. "Ever since Bastion was occupied by those Primeval zealots, the supply hasn't recovered. That part of the galaxy needs some stability, give the growers time to actually regain lost ground."

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

He sipped the tea again before taking the datapad back and sending it off to legal via the holonet. They'd do a final review and approval and contact her people and everything would get set up with nary a problem. Sometimes business was meant to be simple. The best business was simple, wasn't it? Perhaps not the most fulfilling, but at least it worked out in favor of both of them. His company made money, hers gained a better point defense laser which would help her make money. A win-win situation. He liked those.

"Perhaps it will find more stability under the thumb of the Ascendancy."

The tea was quite hot, but he preferred it that way. Coming from a rather cold world, one did build a tolerance for warm drinks. In this particular case, it was not hot enough to bother him, though it did appear to be hot enough to bother her. Such was the way of things.

"Quite a few business people within the Circle, as it were. Myself included."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ignus"]

"Oh I'm aware," was all she said in response, sipping her tea. What exactly does one say when they are a hidden Sith pretending to be a Jedi to a Sith Lord practically flaunting that he was one to said Jedi Master? And on top of that, what does one say when he casually mentions that there were a few business beings among their Circle of Lords? Personally, and she couldn't sat this aloud, she welcome the return of a major Sith power that looked to bring a lovely type of stability to a region. She had no... inkling of support towards the Sith Empire that had emerged in the old Sith Worlds, none of their actors were anyone she knew. Unknown variables.

The Ascendancy on the other hand were made of several Lords she had known, either by reputation or personally during her time as a member of the One Sith. They were known quantities, one could predict with a reasonable sense of assurance, what they were likely to do. They certainly, given the Zambranos' support, would be firing up that old war machine to bring their own version of peace and stability to worlds.

"I expect to see an economic boom in certain sectors of industry before too long in that region of space," she continued. "Once, of course, everything is firmly established. I heard some Mandalorians were causing problems for the Ascendancy."

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"Business boom, economical boom, various others. We get a bad rap because some of us are decidedly more- volatile, than others. We can also be some of the best leaders you'll ever meet."

She was intriguing, to say the least. He hadn't hid what he was from her, and yet she wasn't attacking him. Of course she could have pressed some hidden switch to issue an alert and he could walk out into the waiting arms of people intending to slaughter him or take him off to jail. He somewhat doubted that, however, as he had done little to warrant such an issue. He'd done more good than bad.

Sipping from his tea, he offered a slight nod in response to what she said about an issue with Mandalorians.

"Not ones associated with the current Mandalore, unfortunately. A cult of Force Hunters. Nasty business really. And they aren't picky about Jedi or Sith, either."

He lowered his glass to the desk in front of him.

"We kicked them off Bastion and several other worlds, so now they're proving a thorn in our side. Their numbers seem to grow constantly."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ignus"]

"Once again, I am aware of certain... individuals who sit on your Circle," she replied, giving a wider smile. This Lord Ignus was intriguing, she had to admit that to herself. She had to wonder what schemes he was playing at and what this business ultimately led to. Perhaps it was simply to build up a strong power base? Many Sith wanted and required resources to project power, something she had also done. She had built her power base quietly, using her company as both as it should be and as a front for her research.

"That is a troubling situation though," she continued, taking another sip of her tea. She did note that he made pains to mention these Mandos had no qualms about fighting Jedi or Sith. "A constant stream of angry recruits for these Mandalorian Force Hunters would certainly cause a headache for anyone. I would imagine they must have benefactors in the shadows, people supplying them with safe havens, credits, equipment. I would imagine dealing with those benefactors would deal with the other issue in due course, but the problem then becomes... which enemies of the Sith is backing them?"

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"It's more than likely that there is more than one backer, as well. They've even accrued fleets, after all."

He sat back in his seat and steepled his fingers against his chin as he regarded her. Yes, it did make sense that they would have someone backing them, or a party of someones, and getting rid of them would ultimately solve the problem, but they didn't know who those backers were. The intelligence people were attempting to work it out, but it wasn't as easy as it might seem to be. Or so he was told. Intelligence gathering wasn't his cup of tea. He preferred to leave that to people with the patience to run all over the galaxy chasing after leads that might turn out to be nothing at all.

"We'll deal with it in time. The others are actively working on the situation while I work on securing new, better equipment to strengthen our fighting forces. Or, in this case, to make more money that I can use to make newer, better equipment."

Orange eyes regarded her with a curiosity.

"I'm curious, however, why it is you're different from most Jedi? They tend to attack first, ask questions later, especially those of the New Jedi Order variety. Yet, you've done no such thing. Why?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ignus"]

Before she answered, she took a long sip of her tea, delicately placing it back on her desk. A finger would run along the rim as she thought about how to phrase her answer. It was true that many of the New Jedi Order were prone... to rushing into a fight with dark siders. Actually, most Jedi these days seemed to spoil for a fight when they encountered a Sith. She was most definitely not like the other Jedi, but she wasn't about to tell him her secret.

"I had a life before I became aware I was Force Sensitive," she said. "Adopted at birth and grew up on Lorrd, daughter of a history professor and a former Mandalorian. I went through school and college, earned three Master's degree. Perhaps that is why I don't rush to attack you, because I actually had an upbringing and learned how the galaxy works. And manners, manners are quite important. Something I find irritating about Jedi education is that they don't teach anything about emotions except how to suppress them in the name of peace and tranquility and serenity."

She wasn't about to go into what happened after she left Lorrd or why she did. If he was a Sith Lord, he would know who she had been publicly and still was privately. But her answer was a good enough one that it would please anyone without such knowledge.

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"Fair point, though I questioned whether it wasn't merely because you were one of us."

And of course he meant in the past, as that's all he knew. At present she was, of course, a Jedi Master, at least as far as he knew, and that was what was driving her motivations. Her upbringing, however, could certainly have something to do with it. The thought of being taught manners. Realistically, if both of their sides taught each other mutual respect rather than hatred, and yes the Jedi did teach hatred, then they could exist together without the insatiable desire to destroy one another. That was the future he wanted for their galaxy, but it wasn't a future he could just make. He had to set the pieces into motion, and hope that his children would eventually continue to push things, and their children, and so on. It would take ages, but it was worth the effort.

He contemplated that for a moment, his eyes drifting to the obviously Sith art in the room. Conversations like this were so few and far between. Taking the time to contemplate what it was that they were discussing was pivotal.

"Why, and this might sound out of line considering, as you know, we do the same, do the Jedi teach that the Sith are evil and must be destroyed?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ignus"]

"Oh no, I will freely admit that might also color my perspective on such things," she replied, giving a half smile as she watched his eyes drift towards the artwork that was in her office. She could tell he was a smart man, and would likely put some pieces together... eventually. His question thought was interesting, but not all together surprising. It was natural to be curious about what the other side of a conflict really thought and taught its people... its soldiers what to think and believe. She also saw this as an opportunity of course.

"Unfortunately, yes they do," Taeli answered, giving a perfect apologetic look. "The Jedi teachers preach that the dark side must be resisted when encountered, eradicated if possible, all in the name of protecting the peace and freedom of the galaxy. They particularly like to bring up some of the more ancient examples... and more modern ones, such as the actions of Kaine Zambrano, to really hit home their point about how the dark side and its practitioners are evil incarnate. The New Jedi Order is particularly vehement about that, being one of the supervising Masters of the Education Corps, the Grand Marshal pushes constantly for lessons on the evils of the dark side and how they must be overcome."

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

He nodded. It was much as he already understood. That teaching, and way of thinking, was prevalent in other orders of Jedi as well. He'd encountered it among the Silver Jedi, albeit less vehemently as he'd encountered it among the Jedi of the NJO. Not that he'd had the privileged of meeting many of them, but he'd heard, over and over, about their militaristic intent. It was just another issue that would ultimately keep the galaxy in its negative spiral.

"People like the Grand Marshal, and Kaine Zambrano, are exactly the reason this galaxy has been killing itself for thousands of years. It needn't do so, but it does. A war of ideology. One breed of stupidity against another. The ones who perpetuate this cycle are often the worst either side has to offer."

Having not met this Grand Marshal, he couldn't say for certain, but he had the feeling this was a person that needed to be destroyed. While yes, even now Leos worked with Carnifex on many different matters, ranging from the construction of the shipyards at Bastion to matters of war for the Ascendancy, it was only a means to an ends. The Ascendancy needed to assert itself as galactically dominant so that he could turn on it with his ships and forces, and rally the free people to sweep in an take everything they had built out from under the Sith, and establish a new rule of law over the entire galaxy; one of equality, balance in the Force, and judicial responsibility.

"It needn't be this way, our two sides fighting constantly, but that is ever as it shall be until people step forward to make it different, is it not? Life is valuable and finite. The Force is forever. If we chose to focus on that, instead of the matters of one supposed side or the other and the lies we teach, there would be no need for hundreds of galactic governing bodies, and all could do as they pleased within the spirit of the law. But alas, such thoughts are despised on both sides of the aisle."

A frown and he chewed the inside of his cheek.

"Disheartening, really."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ignus"]

An idealist, how very... interesting. Not often one of those was encountered, but that was all the better. An idealist could certainly be useful, if proper steps could be taken.

"More tea," she said, refilling her cup and topping off his as well. She settled back into her chair, taking another sip before continuing. "I can understand how it can be disheartening to watch the cycle continue on and on and on. Light and dark, constantly striving to snuff the other out and never quite managing it. The brightest light can cast the darkest shadows, and the darkest shadows always contain a pinprick of light in its depths. It's quite hard to break 25,000 years of traditionally fighting the other philosophy and possibly even more."

Another sip of tea.

"You're very brave to harbor such thoughts, given your current colleagues," she said, setting her cup down again. "I know from personal experience how very entrenched they can be, just as I observed my sister and the Jedi be entrenched in their ways. Makes it very hard to voice other opinions and philosophies without being marked a traitor and killed. As it so happens, I agree about the pointlessness of the cycle. It is a complete waste of everything in this galaxy we live in. Both sides heedlessly toss resources and lives into a star that will forever burn until we stop feeding it, but only brave souls might be able to extinguish those flames."

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

"Yes, and the easy way is less desirable than it seems."

He watched her pour the tea, waiting for her to finish, before reaching for his glass again. Suffice to say, the easy way was going to more than likely be the only way, as far as he was concerned. The Sith weren't going to change their ways. They enjoyed war so much that the idea of not killing the Jedi was absolutely abhorrent to them. On the other hand, the Jedi were the ones who caused the war in the first place, and they certainly weren't about to relent. Though he did see more hope for enlightenment among the Jedi than he did among the Sith. Very few, outside of the untrained, could be made to see the truth.

Sipping the tea, he shrugged his shoulders lightly in response to her calling him brave. He didn't think it bravery so much as a calculated venture. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. In his educated eyes, it was only logical that eventually all life in the galaxy would end up destroyed by their hands unless something was done about it. This became more and more realistic as time moved on and more and more people joined either side in the battle. There were more Force Sensitive beings in the galaxy now than there had ever been. A great Force War was impending.

"I don't call it bravery. Bravery is too glorified in the eyes of many, and then the reasons behind it are lost. I'd say it's more of a sacrifice, doing what is necessary while realizing it will ultimately cost one their life. This galaxy can't change in a single lifetime, anyway. Too many minds would need to be altered in too short of a span of time. No, it's going to take years and years of working on the youngest minds, to show them the truth."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]