The Ball of Bastion [Invite Only][Primeval & Guests]

[Boethiah]

Time had passed and the guests had either left or returned to the private quarters where they'd stay the night.

Anja Aj'Rou, however, had arranged a meeting with one [member="Lorelei Darke"] whom runs the infamous Kuat Drive Yards. The Host Lord has been searching for a shipyard which could produce some of the finest vessels in the galaxy, the Ball of Bastion was certainly an opportunity to build a vast network of connections... One which Anja could use in all of the Primeval's future projects.

The witch found herself standing near a balcony in the vast gardens of the Palace courtyard, her eyes followed the setting sun's final light before night blanketed them, but her vision remained unhindered. Soft lights began to shine from artificial sources throughout the garden, giving guests and guards some sight without disturbing the natural beauty of the scenery.

What Anja would discuss with Lorelei was a matter of much importance, something that would likely have to be concluded elsewhere at later date, but if they could talk about it even briefly it make things far easier for the two of them.

 

[Quietus]

"Hostess Aj'Rou," Lorelei arrived quietly at the arranged meeting point, drink in hand half full, and dipped her head in a shallow nod of respect to the other woman. She held no illusion that her own Queenly title followed her everywhere - a mistake many young rulers made out of pure inexperience. Tonight she was here simply as a guest and, in some form, a sigil of trust and partnership within this play of alliance between Sith and Zealots.

Not that the two were mutually exclusive.

"I would express my gratitude for the invitation to your home, but I gather gratitude means little in times and places like these..." or to dark Apostates, though the intention of thanks was there all the same. Lorelei was not without manners, after all, even if dinner's entertainment was centuries beyond her own tastes. The point of attending had not been for pleasure anyway, it had been for business. Now here they were, about to talk business.

Seemed the only title that followed her everywhere was CEO.

A thin smile crept into her features, green eyes narrowing upon [member="Anja Aj'Rou"] with mild curiosity, "What can I do for you, Host Lord?"

 

[Boethiah]

Anja eyed the approaching guest. So this is the ruler of Kuat? She thought to herself, her eyes examined the woman without missing a visual detail.

"How many starships does Kuat produce in one cycle?" The Host Lord inquired rather bluntly, leaving no room for small talk on her part.

This wasn't the first time Anja had spoken with one of the One Sith's starship manufacturers, [member="Alric Kuhn"] had contributed much to their efforts in the form of warships. More specifically, the Prim'ra Carrier was without a doubt one of the greatest feats of engineering every obtained by the zealots. Yet somehow that wasn't enough, the Primeval needed more and Anja dreamed of something that hadn't been done--or at least not recently.

If Lorelei was curious about what the Umbaran wanted, that curiosity was likely sated by the Host Lord's lack of rhetoric. There was no need to speak to riddles, and although Anja wasn't ubiquitous, she already knew that Kuat Drive Yards was who she wished to go through for the matter of starship production.

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

Brow lofted in return, Lorelei came to stand beside the Host Lord, a sharp look of consideration taking her features. There were only two reasons anyone asked a question of that nature to her: preparation for the business of war or an attempt to steal and use information for their own benefit. Enough years of practice gave her a remarkable judge of character where those two were concerned.

Anja didn't striker her as the stealing sort. The Primeval were ripe for war and their sort was of barbarism and savagery, if the reports of their aide to the One Sith were of any indication. They had conquered a large swathe of the galaxy in little time, building a formidable reputation in the process. With that momentum built they couldn't afford to stop and realign their goals, not where there were outlets for their needs. Why spend double the resources when half would get the job done in half the time?

"More than you could possibly need," Lorelei replied finally, no hint of humor in her voice, "What is it that you need?"

 

[Boethiah]

"We need starships capable of leading fleets into battle, a proper destroyer that is not only formidable against similar vessels but can dominate entire task forces with relative ease." Such a starship would usually be deemed impossible, it almost seemed like the jack-of-all-trades but in limited numbers, with the right resources and facilities, such a starship could be produced. That is why Anja wished to discuss Kuat.

If the reputation of her shipyards were true, the Primeval needed not to deal with anyone else in this matter. The less ties they make the better, less could go wrong and developments would go quickly. That is of course assuming the Queen of Kuat was a willing participant. Certainly warships were a matter of profit and prestige, but Anja didn't feel that the Primeval lacked in providing either to anyone willing to do business with the bizarre nation of outcasts.

Should she accept the deal, Anja would ensure that the rewards were lucrative.

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

"This can be done," a statement of fact and not of whim or hope. What [member="Anja Aj'Rou"] asked for was a challenge but not one that KDY had yet to meet before. These sorts of Destroyers were becoming hot-ticket items. They'd been designed and built by several other companies, and while KDY had fielded only one in conjunction with the now defunct CEC, they'd yet to produce one of their own make. Why? Strategy.

Watch what your competition makes. Study it. Capture it. Learn about it. Then tear it apart and make it your own. That was good business. Lorelei had no doubt she'd waited long enough, seen enough of what the waters of the galaxy provided, to finally begin this particular project.

"Something of this scale will be ...costly. A great deal of time and money go into the fresh design and production for ships of this scale. It can be done, but it cannot be done tomorrow."

 

[Boethiah]

Anja didn't expect this to be a milk run, rather she almost hoped it would be a challenge, because the product of a challenge tended to be lucrative. One could easily make a cookie-cutter destroyer that did the same thing as the last, but to truly create something new, that required patience, time, and effort. Spending a day at the drawing boards wasn't going to get you anywhere. You had to delegate, consider, and make your move.

One thing that would be easy, however, was resources. The Primeval had an abundance of them, including the Chiloon Rift which is where resources for the Empire's super star destroyers came from. So to ask for resources was really asking 'how much?' Of course those details would have to be considered later on, "all is understandable. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to set up an official meeting between the two of us?"

Anja had never been to Kuat, and she had only been to the core three times. Twice for war, and once for diplomacy.

[member="Lorelei Darke"]

 

[Quietus]

"That would be prudent," not to mention a necessity, but smart Leaders knew these sorts of things and needn't be reminded.

"I'm in the process of clearing out a few larger projects as they finish. I expect there to be openings in three weeks. That, I think, should suffice for both of our schedules," the woman produced from a hidden sleeve pocket a small datacard and offered it to the Host Lord, "this has everything on it you'll need to make the arrangements at your earliest convenience. My Assistant Miss Hardt will set up the appointment."

"I should tell you now, if you intend to have us produce a vessel of your own design I will require the rights to it after your order has been filled. If that should be cause for issue with you then we can discuss other arrangements."

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

"I'm sure arrangements can be made," Anja took the card from the woman's hand. "I look forward to our future together," truthfully a future with KDY was something Anja had intended to achieve for a while now. Circumstances, however, made that difficult. Not to mention she knew little of the woman who ran it, but after meeting Lorelei the Host Lord saw a capable, competent, and fearsome individual who understood what was needed to achieve ones ambitions.

The ambitions of the Primeval was the very will Anja embodied.

As long as the Primeval lived, she would serve it without fail.

[member="Lorelei Darke"]