The Emperor's Will for a strong Navy

[Zenva Vrotoa]

Glee Anselm, a glittering blue jewel set in the Mid Rim of the galaxy. Zenva, matron of clan Vrotoa, stood on the bridge of her fleet's flag ship and she could not help but smile as her ship approached the planet. The irony of the situation was verging on out right comical. The One Sith representative who was to oversee the negotiations of her contract, which might provide them with a greater reserve of Naval forces, was the governor or Will of the Dark Lord as they were called, of a planet almost completely comprised of water. The bridge around her was abuzz with activity, read outs and reports flowed in from every station. Largely she ignored them, she left the actual running of the ship to the crew. The reports she did take note of were those in regards to her vanguard. "The Predator has reported in. All green." "Instinct is on station, all green." "Matron, Hunter's Boon reporting all green." "Devil's Maw is reading all green. The fleet is ready Matron."

Zenva's bemused little smile turned sharp, "Well done everyone. I'm always glad to have a clean jump. Send notice of our arrival to [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]. Be sure he is invited to join me. Send one of the Trucks to fetch him if he wishes." Zenva turned away from the forward view port and begin to exit the bridge. "If there are any issues, I'll be in the conference room commander. The bridge is yours again." She nodded to her cousin Zuko as she left. No doubt he was only too happy to have the ship back under his control.

Once she arrived in the conference room Zenva immediately brought up the holographic projectors, her fleet displayed before her. Five ships might not be the most impressive fleet in the galaxy, but it was her's and she was truly proud of it's might.

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

"Ships coming out of hyperspace. Five of them, my Lord." a Nautolan informed him. "Very good. The Revenant?" the Togruta Lord asked in return. The question was met with a final confirmation of "In position, my Lord." Excellent. So far so good. Darth Pyrrhus was not expecting a diplomatic scandal, but you never knew. It didn't hurt to be prepared. And as he called himself a Sith Lord, was always prepared. To lower his guard and leave himself open was to prove himself undeserving of his title. In his eyes, those who called themselves Sith but made such mistakes only deserved the executioner's block. Harsh he may be, but he held himself to the same standard.
The Revenant was his personal ship. Merely a corvette, it was nothing spectacular. However, its strength lay in stealth. It could remain hidden and away from the scanners of most ships. What made it useful in these situations, was its interdiction field generator, should the need to detain his guests arise. Should the need arise, a small but capable fleet floated about the ocean pearl, ready to defend her.

Soon the response of Darth Pyrrhus would reach her, in the form of an incoming holocall. Provided she accepted, the transparent and blue-ish image of the Togruta Sith would come into view. While the colour did little to bring out his fiery red skin tone, it did manage to do some justice to his fierce looking facial markings, the very same most, if not all, Togruta bore. Unsurprisingly, he wore the dark robes of the Sith, ontop of black and grey tunics and undertunics. He had never been one for branching out into new fashion trends. Pyrrhus was forever the Sith loyalist, something his wardrobe certainly gave away. Though he said nothing, the menace radiating from his eyes seemed to also carry with them a certain impatience. He was expecting some kind of introduction that gave away who he was dealing with and precisely what it was she had sought coming to Glee Anselm.

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

In command of the Vrotoa Flagship once more, Commander Zuko Vrotoa wasted no time issuing orders to the whole of his fleet. Zenva might claim rulership over the clan as a whole but her place was on the ground, in the mud and blood with the rest of the warriors. In the air, Zuko commanded. No one in the fleet questioned otherwise. "Listen up!" The Commander boomed, "Fleet to general quarters. I want Instinct and Predator lined up off our wings. Present broadside to the planet and be sure we're well spaced. No one gets tightly packed, clear? Devil's Maw and Hunter's Boon are to fall back and wait in reserve. Remember, these are Sith. Treachery and underhanded tactics are their specialty. Do not expect a fair fight or even a warning that they are going to attack." The bridge crew rushed to relay the Commander's orders. In moments the other vessels of his fleet began to position themselves in accordance with his will. A moment later a communication officer stood to address the Commander, "Sir. Incoming transmission from Glee Anselm." The Commander nodded once, "Alright. Put it through to the conference room. No doubt it's for the Matron's ear anyhow."

The holographic image of [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] appeared in Zenva's conference room, though for a moment the Darth was looking at nothing. Zenva stood off to one side of the holo-terminal, not yet in view of the Togrutan Sith. Her yellow-red eyes narrowed as she studied the man's profile a moment longer. Finally she stepped forward into view, her trench coat pulled tight about her. Immediately her head bowed respectfully, her hands spread at her sides, "You must be Lord Pyrrhus. I am lady Zenva Vrotoa. I am pleased to make your acquaintance my lord. I am here as the CEO of Blood Hunter's Iron Works, to discuss the terms of an arms contract. I'm sure your aware of this already." Zenva straightened with a smile, pearl white serrated teeth gleaming.

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

"Ships moving into attack position!" one of the Nautolans said, with her face locked to a computer screen. "Hold your position" was the calm reply from their on-deck commander. With Pyrrhus pre-occupied with his holocall, this one was in command of dealing with the situation. The holo-call would not be interrupted, nor would these conversations be heard, unless the need to personally contact Pyrrhus via a comm link. "But sir! What if-" "Hold your position!" his tone was much less forgiving this time around. He would not have his orders disobeyed. "They are not attacking. They are forming a formation, so they're ready in case they engage. Even if they do plan on attacking, we will not act preemptively. Orders are to only respond to hostilities, not initiate them. Tell orbital fleet to hold their position, but maintain shields and weapons at the ready." that order seemed to calm the technician, at least to the point where she didn't object. "Yes sir!"

Meanwhile, the Sith Lord observed as the woman he was to negotiate with came within view. Keeping up with formalities, he offered her a nod of the head. "Pleasure" he said, in a cold, static voice, deprived of mirth. She would probably know not to take offense; Sith weren't known for their compassion. "I am aware. I am prepared to negotiate terms with you. What is it you wish to offer the One Sith?" he asked, proceeding straight to business

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

Zenva's smile sharpened, bemused by the Sith's forthwith manner. This is a man worth dealing with, she thought briefly. "While I had hoped to meet in person, we'll cut the showmanship and get right to the meat of the matter. Refreshing actually." The Zabrak looked away for a moment as she spoke to someone out of view, "Renesri?"

A young woman's voice answered immediately, "I'm forced to admit their security is tougher than I anticipated but... I think... Got him. Alright. Your able to transmit Matron." The youth handed a datapad to Zenva but was careful to remain out of view.

Zenva nodding as she accepted the datapad. Her smile turned back to the Sith, "You'll have to forgive me Lord Pyrrhus. Without you being here I've had to steal your transmission. Now then," The holographic image of the Zabrak vanished with a pop of static. A full second passed before the hologram of a ship appeared in her place. As Zenva continued to speak the hologram began to come apart, each weapon system becoming the focus briefly before the hologram reassembled only to highlight the next. "Blood Hunter's Iron Works wishes to begin production of war ships for the One Sith Empire. Presently the Cutter Marauder V-1 is our best seller but, it is only the first among the vessels I hope to provide you with."

A new war ship appeared after another pop of static. This ship also began to disassemble, highlighting weapon banks and defensive gun placements. "The Heart Seeker. A ship of the line as some call such frigates. Naturally we will provide all the standard fighter craft that accompany our larger vessels, interceptors and bombers in the case of these two ships." After a few moments the ship disappeared, the Zabrak matron filling the projection once more. "I would also like to produce a new vessel for the Empire. Something exclusive for the One Sith, my Lord Pyrrhus." Zenva handed the datapad back to the young woman, who remained out of view. She bowed her head again, her hands spread at her sides. The closest Zenva would ever come to bowing to another.

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

A small hint of a smile emerged, showing his sharp predatory teeth on the corners of his mouth. If first impressions were anything to go off on, this would be an enjoyable meeting. She obviously came prepared, and like he preferred, managed to go straight to the matter at hand without the need for needless flattery or veiled threats. Refreshing.

Pyrrhus waited while things clearly went on behind the scenes, out of his view. Her words caused an eyebrow to raise, before the Zabrak vanished. Had he known less self-restraint, he would have laughed. The way she openly and matter-of-factly explained that she was taking over the transmission was amusing to him. Though there was a fine line, as some who encountered him would find, between rage and amusement, she had found the latter. "Clearly, my slicers have their work cut out for them after this..." he muttered. Her people had hijacked his signal far too quickly for his liking. Were they vulnerable on this arena? Pyrrhus knew of soliders and war machines, not this digital battleground. It was something he'd have his people investigate, but that would have to be later. "But I'll allow it, seeing as you prefer this to coming down planetside" for the sake of business, the hacking was ignored. Perhaps both hoped to have gained an edge by playing on home field? Now their positions were quite equal.

"Fascinating" he said, observing the ship, though the tone of his voice did not reveal the level of his interest. However, he took note that it appeared able to pack quite the punch. Similarly, he found the second ship that appeared to be of high quality. He was indeed pleased. "I like what you are showing me. We are interested in striking up a deal with you, and add these models to the One Sith's fleet. Especially, I like that you show an interest in continuing manufacturing ships for the One Sith. I can assure you, we would support the production of a vessel exclusive for the One Sith. Hopefully not the last project between your company and my... Organization."

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

A harsh smile cut Zenva's lips. "Well I had invited you to join me here, my Lord." She pointed out in a coy manner. "The truth of the matter, my Lord Pyrrhus, is that I sun burn so easily. All those beaches and what have you. It's just too much for my delicate complexion." It was a difficult thing for most species to do, determining the exact meaning behind a predator's smile. Rarely could they see beyond serrated incisors or elongated canines to the reasons one might smile. For the Zabrak and Togrutan it was difficult to miss the playfulness and amusement behind Zenva's otherwise harsh seeming smile. They both knew they were not ready to give up their seat of power to appease the ego of the other. There was no basis of trust yet for either to expose themselves to a potential threat.

After a moment Zenva schooled her expression back to a more professional one. "I am pleased you find my offer favorable." Once more she offered her version of a bow to the Sith lord. "Tell me, my Lord Pyrrhus, just how supportive is the One Sith willing to be? Again I ask you to forgive my forwardness but, you more than most understand what it means to gather power to yourself. I lack the talent to manipulate the force my Lord. As such I must try to garner what strength I can, if you understand my meaning."

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

Darth Pyrrhus laughed at her excuse. It was neither dismissive nor condescending. He was genuinely amused. He doubted the beaches and sun had anything to do with her preference to keep to space. She knew he would be aware. Yet, the tone and obvious bluff had with it a layer of entertainment. Perhaps that was also its intention, and what made it so effective. More often than not, Glee Anselm offered rain instead of sun. "Very well. I won't shoot you down and force you to come planetside" most likely. With the hint of a smile still on his lips, he gave an understanding nod.

So far the negotiations were going well. He had a feeling they would both be able to leave it satisfied with the results. "Don't ask forgiveness for being forward. It would be more appropriate to ask forgiveness for the absence of it. Let's be above such schemes. There are certain things you want and there are certain things I can offer. I am sure our interests can meet somewhere." the Sith Lord responded, playing the part of something in-between diplomat and merchant.

"The One Sith can be very supportive when it comes to serving their own interests." and this, in his mind, served their interests. "What is that you're looking for? A position within the Sith navy? Permission to establish shipwrights under our protection within our borders? Credits? All matters are negotiable, provided what is being offered is worthy of its reward."

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

Zenva flashed a quick smile and with it something she had not done in several years, her crimson skin made it difficult to see, the hologram made it near to impossible. None the less her face darkened faintly with a blush. Such a laugh, she thought fleetingly. "Well I'm glad you're not going to shoot me down. It would certainly spoil our otherwise pleasant conversation, my Lord Pyrrhus." Her smile remained in place for some time afterward, an answer to his own coy smirk.

She tried in vain to school her expression back to the fierce business like demeanor one expects of your typical arms dealer. It didn't work so well, a small smile stayed on her lips. "One wonders how closely our interests will match."

One hand waved through the air dismissively, a rich laugh rolled from her. "If the Sith wanted me to command in their navy they would offer the position, not seek to barter for it. I already have a shipyard. It's remote and my fleet can guard her well enough, thank you. As for credits, my Lord Pyrrhus, I don't intend to swindle our organization out of more money than my products are worth. I don't need credits. There are plenty out there in the galaxy waiting to be taken." With the last word her hand came up snatching at the air, her clenched fist held before her.

"No my Lord. My desires are much simpler than new production facilities and much more tangible than meaningless credits. I offer to strengthen your Empire with new war ships, new walkers, new armor. All in hopes of lending your Empire my strength. I desire reciprocation my Lord Pyrrhus."

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]