Private The First Directorate Conference (Directorate members and invited guests)

[Gir Quee]

Location: Little Aldera, The Waystation, somewhere in Deep Space

Gir looked up at the blue sky, or at least what appeared to be a blue sky complete with artificially formed clouds. Fields of vibrant green grass seemed to spread out for kilometers, yet than the man knew intellectually that it extended only for a few kilometers at most. The man passed underneath the shade of an actual Hydenock tree, taking a deep breath in of its fragrant, sweet aroma among the setting sun. This is so close to life ground side that it's almost sickening. He turned to the apparent woman beside him as they approached the conference center, a tall alabaster building with flowing lines that seemed more grown that constructed.

"You look nice today. That dress fits your figure well."

She slowly smiled, making Gir almost believe that the droid appreciated his comment, "That's very sweet of you. You look spiffy as well in your dress blacks. But I have to ask, are you practicing for tonight?"

Gir blinked, "What? No...not really...perhaps getting in the mood for a more social occasion."

Ariela slowly nodded in understanding, "You've seen almost nothing but war for nearly a year now. When was the last time you were in civilian company?"

"Counting official government functions?"

"Not counting those. Casual, among people you'd actually want to consider associate with as friends."

He blinked. When was that? Back on Hast maybe? Maybe on Kwookrrr? The admiral couldn't actually think clearly of the last time he socialized just for the fun of it. The few occasions that he might almost say were casual social interactions all had a decidedly work related bent or association. He ruefully smiled. I don't really have a life outside of work, do I? I'm just too busy...Her brown eyes gazed into his own with a knowing look. She probably knows the answer to that better than I do...The two approached the stained wroshyr wood doors flanked on either side by Directorate Shock Marines. One of the figures in dark gray battle armor approached him and extended a hand.

"Code cylinders or invitations please."

The admiral nodded as both he and Ariela produced their code cylinders, which the sergeant promptly checked on his datapad. He handed them back after a brief salute.

"Enjoy your evening, admiral. And you as well, Miss Captisan."

"Thank you," said the man quietly.

The two passed through the doors and through a sparsely populated foyer before entering what could have passed for a traditional Alderaanian ball room. White marble seemed to be everywhere, broken up only by the occasional wall panel of dark wood or furniture. Corporate magnates, military officers, explorers, and others from all sides of the galaxy milled out about and created a low din as they conversed. He could hear snippets about the lastest battles against both the Bryn'adul and the Sith Empire as well as juicy corporate intrigue as he passed through the other attendees. The admiral himself could count other former Galactic Republic officers and politicians well-established in the Directorate since its formation to young, new faces fresh from the Outer Rim and Unknown Regions. A SE4 servant droid edged his way through the throng of people, expertly balancing a tray of drinks. Gir beckoned the droid towards him with a pair of fingers. Ariela shook her head.

"The evenings just getting started, and you're already getting drinks?"

"You don't know who I'm going to end up talking to, do you?"

 

[Niki Priddy]

Niki had been beside herself after receiving an invitation to the event. A meeting with some of the galaxies most reputed and respected engineers and creators? She was certainly not going to pass up the opportunity. At least not when given the chance.

She had even steeled herself for such an event with hints of possible persons from, former altercations present. She was dressed in business casual with a pair of pink contacts behind her newly prescribed glasses as one would expect from an eclectic group such as the Agents. Her hair had been allowed to grow out and past her intended purple dye job, returning to a base dark charcoal color with purple highlights in off places.

The clack of her heels warned the sergeant of her approach as he gave her a quick up-down. Nerves hit as he did, wondering if all the bravado and guts she had worked up was to be met at the door with a dismissal from a last minute denial of her invitation. The gathered bodies in armor around her did little to alleviate that growing worry.

A slight tremor of her hand was visible as she passed along the code cylinder and invitation. Entirely unsure now of either being valid. The invite had come before the cylinder, but it felt wrong to leave one behind in lieu of the other. She was shaking like a leaf as the man eyed both the cylinder and the invitation before he looked back up to her.

"You didn't have to bring both Ma'am. The cylinder would have sufficed." He informed her with a slight smile, amusement clearly in his tone. The nerves drained slowly, her face once pale now colored with a tinge of rose matching her outfit as she stared at the two items in his hands.

"I...I wasn't sure. Thank you." She replied meekly, feeling very small in that moment for her overthinking. The sergeant shook his head, pocketing the invite before swiping the code cylinder over the datapad and returning it to her.

"Have a good evening Miss...Cairistiona, Dior-" The sergeant held the datapad up, pausing between names as if mentally sounding them out beforehand.

"J-just Niki. Niki Priddy. The whole thing is a mouthful. My mother was a madwoman." Niki cut him off as she flushed further. Embarrassment was a horrid feeling. The sergeant nodded, and Niki sucked her lips in while tucking her chin to her chest slightly.

Entering the fray before her, she raised her head and spied a number of people. A spattering of different groups, corporates and military officers milling about as the nerves took a drastic and sharp turn. The social events on the scintilla had been easy enough since everyone there was a touch off their rocker, and had an easy manner to approach.

This made her want to tuck her tail and run.

She instead slipped over to the bar, ordering a very stout drink to attempt to take the nerve off without absolutely making a fool of herself.

Gir Quee

 

[Gir Quee]

Gir waded in and among the crowd with Ariela close in tow. He found the familiar voices murmuring and chatting an almost peaceful ambience, briefly reminding him of an old caf house on Hast he used to hang out in his early years. In many ways, it was the same - familiar faces swapping stories with other familiar faces about work life. Of course the young sailors and academics of the caf house were very different from the assortment of military officers and corporate executives who filled this room, as were the stories and information which they exchanged. His briefly flitted about spotting both Dav Hannser, an old family friend, as well as Perit, a fellow commissioned Directorate officer before he spotted one of the few unfamiliar faces in the room. He briefly squinted at Niki Priddy before remembering that he had seen her face before in a holo, but that just it - a single holo. As he approached the bar, he noted that she had apparently ordered a rather strong drink. Interesting...He spared a glance at her as he took a seat next to her at the bar.

"That looks good," said the admiral, "and I do apologize, I'm not sure if we've met before. I'm Gir Quee of the Lucerne Labs consortium, and this is Ariela Captisan, my secretary. You are?"

 

[Niki Priddy]

She had greedily snagged the drink after it came her way, hand slipping around it and reaching upwards as a voice and body made itself known beside her. She twisted, the motion of her hand not catching up in time as she looked at Gir Quee .

Her two good brain cells fought against each other, attempting to wrestle control over her muscles as her hand wobbled and the liquid threatened her attire.

A sharp look back to the bar allowed the two contentious brain cells to function in unison as the drink made a sharp clink as it met the table top.

She faced the newcomer finally, face showing a lovely shade that matched her outfit as she forced a smile through the heightened awareness of her surroundings.

"Ah, yeah. No. We haven't. I don't think we have anyway. I know of you though. I mean who wouldn't honestly. Hard not to really. I've browsed the catalog too many times not to. All lovely work. Hard not to make quality stuff given that you are pretty accomplished as-I'm rambling." She cut herself off as she became mindful of her gushing. She blew out a breath and sucked on her lip a moment before straightening herself out mentally.

"Niki. Niki Priddy. I won't make you suffer my whole name. I the owner of Priddy General Goods. Kind of a lackluster name really but its pretty self explanatory honestly. Oh! Ah, pleasure to meet you both Mr. Quee and Ms. Captisan. Sorry. I keep rambling. I'm just a bit...well. Nervous really." She continued to speak, unable to stop herself when she saw the proper social timing fly past her at lightspeed.

"I work out of the Scintilla. That's where I got my start at least. Where I started designing things I mean. Been really quiet though since, ah, never mind that. How have-uhm. You-erm. Feth." She muttered the last part, her hand covering her mouth in a forced attempt to silence the continued rambling.

 

[Gir Quee]

A smile slowly creased his face as the blonde man took ahold of his own glass of an amber fluid. He briefly twirled the translucent glass in hand, watching a few bubbles rise out of the cocktail. He briefly raised it to his lips and took sip and savored, taking the few moments gained to try and recall anything about her. Scintilla. As unusual of a place as Scintilla was, and given its recent history, it was surprisingly not a place he had ever been to. He set down the glass before making eye contact again with Niki Priddy .

"Well Miss Priddy, I'm afraid you are almost certainly a much better engineer and product designer than I," admitted the admiral, "I'm more of a figurehead at Lucerne Labs, though I offer bits of end-user advice for some starship and military matters, and have a hand in shaping the company's strategic outlook. I've never been to Scintilla, though I've heard of it and some of the people there. It seems like a one of kind place from what I can recall..."

Ariela opened her mouth as if to inform him about it, but she just as quickly shut it after a brief brush of eye contact - a brief unspoken warning between the two. While the Directorate itself had become far more politically diverse since its founding, there were still areas of potential conflict and tension - the flow of credits only grease the cogs and wheels of business so far. Yet the very mention of Scintilla intrigued him even further. She said it was quiet - that's probably what Ariela is trying to warn me about...perhaps it's best not to double back there yet?

"...but the galaxy is always changing people and places...almost everything I guess," mused the man, taking another brief swig of his glass, "have you thought about expanding your General Store elsewhere?"

 

[Niki Priddy]

Gir Quee

"T-thank you. Really."

He looked her in the eye, and she was suddenly hyperaware of her glasses sliding down as she errantly pushed them up the bridge of her nose. His explanation had her a little slack-jawed. He's complimenting me. A small short circuit at being complimented by one of the people she looked up to in the engineering world. He went on about the Scintilla and she struggled to push past the enamored stare she had briefly.

"Certainly is. Lovely really. There was a little tea shop that I enjoyed and I'm hoping I can find another one. The owner bless him knew everybody and their order. Handmade every cup, old fashioned, didn't use any new tech where he could. Doesn't properly draw out the aroma and flavors he'd always rattle off when someone asked why he didn't upgrade." She was a bit misty eyed at the memory, missing the exchange between the two as he moved on.

"Oh! Yes, actually. Erm, trying to secure a deal nearer to the core worlds. Ember-" Her mouth suddenly snapped shut and glanced about realizing she was about to spill the beans on a still fluid contract. "It's still a working contract, and the buyers are surprisingly interested given my, history."

"I want to expand, get into a broader market, all that bith-jazz and such." She offered sheepishly. "I hadn't planned on being anything more than a civilian designer really, but the engineers caught wind of my work and I got thrown to the dogs. Fun group though, about as crazy as they come with ideas."

She took a sip of her drink, nerves still plaguing her a bit as she skirted to a different topic.

"So, these get togethers-" She waved her glass filled hand around them. "Are these, common? Or a bit more between?"