The Crown Jewel of Destroyed Spaceports in Primeval-Land

[Dunames Lopez]

Having signed a memorandum of understanding allowing Star Tours, which is expected to get some flight slots at the resulting spaceport on Mirial, and Czerka Mining and Industrial, who will build the resulting spaceport, back on Serenno, Dunames eagerly awaits the results of the bidding process launched by the Mirial government. While, of course, the Mirialan specifications raised the price a notch, here the comptroller assigned to the Primeval region couldn't complain because here it was solicited by other parties, with the baseline cost paid for by the Mirial government, and any cost overruns covered by Star Tours. Those will make the new comptroller nervous, that is, Anastasia, with the old comptroller for the Primeval region being shuffled to Contruum: it was found that his performance review was a little unsatisfactory. A ping appeared on Dunames' datapad informing her that a message arrived in her holo mailbox, and it was an important message for Dunames to read here:

-----------------------------------------

Mirial Ministry of Transportation

ATTN: Dunames Lopez, Siran Bochan de Frou

Subject: Spaceport bidding process

We are pleased to announce that the joint bid by Star Tours and Czerka Mining and Industrial has been approved. As such, construction work on the spaceport can begin immediately.

Attachment: Construction permit

-----------------------------------------

[member="Dalan Vaine"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Mirial​

[member="Dunames Lopez"]​

The world of Mirial had seen much devastation across the years.

But none had made more of an impact than the Primeval crusade called upon it a few years ago, which had left much of the infrastructure destroyed and its people sacrificed to the forsaken gods of the Marches. This was all good and well, but Sirah Bochan de Frau could not truly care about this particular detail - not in the way of sympathy anyway, because what did these green-skinned devils know about true suffering? They had no history of slavery clinging to their skins and pulling them down at every single opportunity...... and as far as Bochan knew the Mirialans weren't being sold to slavery right now.

No, there was no sympathy, instead there was the simple clinical belief that there was profit to be had here.

This was the reason why Sirah Bochan stood currently on a nearby hill top only a click or so away from the starport currently under construction on Mirial itself. A simple encampment had been erected on and around this hill, the current place of Czerka operations and the nerve center of command. From here the construction directions were led, while droids slaved away in the distance.

It was here that the honorable Bochan waited patiently for the arrival of miz Lopez.

A meeting had been set to discuss the matters at hand.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Once the news of the approval of their bid, prepared on Serenno a week earlier, she made haste from Contruum, where she had another project of that nature done, costing pretty much the same as Mirial would have been if the Mirial government didn't pay for it. So Siran set up the encampment on some hilltop a klick away from the spaceport? Dunames knew that, among the public, Mirial was synonymous with Primeval-land and especially the damage wrought by the Primeval, and sought to capitalize on the symbolic value to bid on the spaceport. Contruum, Trian, Kaeshana, Pax Insul, Gravlex Med, Hijarna, Serenno: a number of things pertaining to the reconstruction of spaceports has been done on Star Tours' own dime. She arrives at the tent where Siran and the more senior members of the team assigned to the construction of the base is. Droids might be slaving away in the distance but they were, at this stage, simply excavating to the required standard. She thus asks the security guard at the entrance of the encampment:

"Your name and the purpose of your visit?" the security guard asked Dunames, before giving a hard hat to her.

"Dunames Lopez, I have an appointment with Siran Bochan" she told the security guard, while putting on the hard hat.

[member="Dalan Vaine"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

The guard looked her up and down for a moment, before looking over his shoulder towards the tent that contained the wookie and other entourage.

An awkward cough escaped him.

"Careful around the wookiee, ma'am." He leaned in and almost whispered in her direction. "He doesn't enjoy it when people mispronounce his name."

Last time someone had dared to do that they lost their limbs. It had been a malfunctioning droid though, but the costs to repair the state-of-the-art protocol droid were substantial. Only reason the big wigs up high didn't seem to care was because of his connections on Kashyyyk and the Trandoshan Clans.

A valuable connect to have for sure.

"Sirah is a title, it signifies his noble status. Bochan de Frou is his real name." A conspiratorially wink followed, before the Czerka security guard leaned back again and resumed his post.

Lopez had been expected, so nothing more was required from her.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"Thank you"

If Sirah Bochan de Frou expected her, the guard just pointed her in the direction of the tent where Bochan and his entourage is located. She then entered the tent where she made herself as comfortable as was possible when, as she learned it on Serenno, that Wookiee would tower over her even when Bochan was sitting down and she was upright.

"Greetings, Mr. Bochan de Frou. I'd like to follow up on the Mirial project: after the bid's approval, I came here as fast as I could"

[member="Dalan Vaine"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

She would enter the tent only to be met by the splendid-suited Sirah Bochan's back, while he was exploring a semi-large screen that was dominating that side of the tent's boundary.

It described some of the logistics Czerka was dealing with when importing the various refined metals and other materials they needed for this particular project. Most of it was shipped in internally, mined and refined by their own facilities, but some of it was outsourced to other organizations.

"Ah, Madame Lopez, welcome." A large furry hand waved her further into the tent without looking back. Instead the heavy brows furrowed even more in thought.

"This project is a challenge, but I have always enjoyed such."

With the wave of a paw the holograms shifted slightly, rearranging the paths and routes. Next to him a little form beeped in affirmation, before fading from slight red to a more greenish hue. It was a special program developed by the R&D department of Czerka, one that could do math and figure out the most optimal routes for their shipping lanes.

"Can I get you something to drink, eat maybe?"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"No thanks. I'd probably drink and eat at a later stage; however, I wish to discuss business and whether you would like us to partner for future opportunities"

A challenge? Bochan didn't think more true: it was a challenge that somehow eluded the prefabricated stuff from Meran Mechanics that was usually relied upon by Star Tours. If it was because of use of local materials, that might be one reason, the other big one being the lack of respect for local cultural practices. Nevertheless, she could see from a viewport in the tent the construction site buzzing with activity, with droids working around the clock for getting the spaceport built. She realized that the specifications of the Mirialan government actually made provisions to build it much as they would the spaceport built on Mindabaal two years ago. But then again Dunames would rather partner up with Czerka Mining and Industrial only if the usual options are exhausted: she perceived CMI as being there for the tougher jobs that can't be done either internally or with Meran Mechanics-manufactured equipment.

"It might be a little early to tell but, at this stage, I have to say that the Mirialan government has been satisfied with our bid, and the work made thus far, but do you want us to partner together for future spaceport construction bids on other planets?" Dunames asked Bochan.

[member="Dalan Vaine"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

It was then that the noble Wookiee turned around to inspect his new business associate.

Up and down his thick whiskers went as he mulled over the proposition. It was an interesting offer, to be sure, but in truth Bochan had his doubts with it.

Oh, it didn't truly matter if Czerka had to comply with regulations and respect the usual cultural desires every once in a while, but it wasn't really... their MO. They preferred to stick things in the grey areas and Star Tours seemed to be a different creature - one which thought it was very important to be on the right side of history.

"Perhaps." Sirah de Frou retorted after a moment of thought. "Czerka can be quite... indiscriminate in their business practices though, Madame Lopez."

"Mirial was different, because its government specifically requested it. Do you understand?"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"I understand that aspect of how CMI does business: Star Tours used to be indiscriminate once upon a time"

What Bochan did not know was that Star Tours already had its share of run-ins on the shadier end of the business: Hoth, Jiroch-Reslia, Quintas, Kaeshana in chronological order, with Quintas being hands down the worst of the gang. Because Hoth and Kaeshana were rather low-key, with respectively a half-dozen expert alpine ski trails (and virtually no one could descend more than one before having to seek heat indoors afterward) and a commuter spaceport, these weren't nearly as bad as even Jiroch-Reslia, which was plagued with PR problems over the construction of a theme park in a dark side nexus and went 1 million over budget because of some blackmailing attempt. With those events, Star Tours' continued association with the First Order depended on them cleaning up their act: even today, it was associated with the First Order (and rebuilding the destroyed spaceports in Primeval-land). But Star Tours has been good so far with hiding its smuggling end of the business from the public eye, and, from there, any Star Tours involvement in Black Sun activities.

"For the time being I'm satisfied about the progress that has been made since the bid's approval. Is there a timetable for when the opening of the spaceport can occur?"

[member="Dalan Vaine"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

It was most definitely true.

Czerka was not aware of Star Tours' illicit dealings. After all, this was the first time they cooperated together in a project and before this they had never before had any contact. There hadn't been a reason for Czerka to look into their operations and Bochan doubted they would find out much of irregularity either way.

Some corporations were simply so good in playing both sides of the game that it became a game in itself.

The Wookie curled his mustache in a carefully pointed thought, while making mental calculations in his head. If this had been the old days it would probably have taken another six months.

But this was the age of the droid.

"I would say another two months, Madame Lopez." It would have been different if there wasn't the insistent need to comply with safety regulations and the sort, but the government of Mirial had been quite clear on this. They would not accept anything other than the very best and that was what Czerka had staked its bid on. "But we are well on schedule and the next shipment of refined ores will be arriving later today, that will keep us on track."

They couldn't really work any faster with the specifications being what they were.

"Unless there is anything more we should discuss, I should get back to work, Madame. Many... cats to herd after all, yes?"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"I believe that progress on Mirial has been satisfactory, so I take my leave of you"

Two months was sufficient to Star Tours: after all, they couldn't complain, they were not spending anything since the Mirial government wanted it in the first place. One day all the destroyed spaceports in Primeval-land will be rebuilt, and in two months it will happen since Mirial is the one taking the longest. By now she was finished with Bochan, while the droids work hard in the background for the next two months, given the specifications given to Dunames when the time for bidding came. Hopefully the Mirialan bureaucracy will be satisfied with the proper management practices made thus far, but that's more on Czerka than on Star Tours. That, even though Star Tours is on the hook for any cost overruns. For those Mirialans, however, they wanted the spaceport to be a testament to their rebirth, and the symbolism was a major component of why they even wanted such exacting specifications in the first place. Might have wanted a cloning factory à la Kamino... and then Dunames left the camp, quietly.