The Foundry; Part 8

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

The last call Nel had to make today was regarding security concerns. Normally, Saeva Incorporated would handle all security issues that had to deal with Vanir Technologies projects. However, as The Foundry initiative expanded and became bigger, it was clear that Saeva couldn't simultaneously guard Vanir's interests and also work on what needed to be done regarding the Foundry.

This was simple logistics and it meant that Vanir had to look elsewhere.

To make things simpler, and to ease the transition into what needed to be done Nel looked for a more professional group of soldiers to do what needed to be done. The Mandalorians were an obvious choice, the easiest one. Vanir Technologies held no affiliation with any enemies of the Mandalorians and their reputation as soldiers supreme, and extremely professional ones at that, made them the easiest and most logical choice. It helped that the Liran had previous experience with the Mandalorians, specifically several of their small clans on Concord Dawn.

"Nira." She called to her assistance. "Please contact Gilamara Skirata."

Her research showed that his company was looking for larger contracts and were exactly what Vanir needed.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

To say the Shriek-Hawk's office was busy would be an understatement. Since their recent contracts with up and coming Galactic Alliance and their security work in the Republic, despite its rather awkward turn of events, young and eager Mandalorians had been applying like mad to join the growing Mercenary Company. Thus with the amount of work the GA was putting the originally small group of Mercs through along with expanding throughout Mandalore and other things Gilimar himself was not prepared to do on his own the small office was filled with stacks of paper and ringing coms.

"Gil, we've got a call from," the Twi'lek paused, "Vanir Technologies..." All movement in the office came to a halt. Gil set his datapad down and looked up from his stack of paperwork. Vanir Technologies was one of the biggest technological conglomerates in the Galaxy, what did they want with his company? Gil kept a calm face and set his mug down.

"Well," he started, "Don't leave them waiting connect them to me, I'll be in the conference room." His boots clicked on the stone floor as he left the small office and walked into the dark conference room to take the call. He took a deep breath looked at the holoprojector and com set up in the center of the room and pressed the power switch, connecting him to the call.

"This is Gilamar Skirata with Shriek-Hawk Company, how can we be of assistance."

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

Nel shifted slightly in her chair. She herself hadn't often dealt with this sort of thing, but she knew that in the end in was necessary. "Hello Mr. Skirata."

The Liran wasn't entirely sure if that was the proper vernacular to address a Mandalorian. People had many titles, and those titles often weren't distributed across the galaxy. Nel didn't want to offend, so she figured going with the most obvious and simplistic title would be the most prudent. This was especially so because...well she needed the Mandalorians. Hiring second rate mercenaries didn't appeal to her at all. Vanir needed the best.

"My name is Madam Nel." Her voice remained soft. "I'd like to hire your company to work alongside Saeva Incorporated to clear a pirate stronghold in the outer rim."

Being straightforward seemed the most effective. "Ordinarily we would handle it ourselves, but it seems that our resources are stretched a tad thin. Your company has an excellent reputation however and it seemed prudent to contact you."

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

Bringing his hand to his bearded chin in thought the old Mandalorian sucked his teeth. The outer rim was a bit far out for a company like this to be working in. Something didn't smell right, but then again it could just be a safe choice, though out in the outer rim, how safe could anything they were planning be? Regardless, he needed specifics.

"The Outer Rim is a big place...Did you have any place in particular in mind? What's the goal here?" Both were important questions that needed to be answered before he talked about pay. There were a few places he had contacts at in the Outer Rim, places that he had promised he wouldn't go...Unless the pay was good enough. During his time as a merc certain bands of pirates, if the captains were still around, owed him a favor or two. But the opposite was also true for him. Usually he didn't like having debts, but those men had helped him in ways, well...That was a different story for maybe another time.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

"My company is beginning works on a new project." Nel dug around her desk for a moment then found a datadrive. She plugged the small piece of technology into her holo-communicator and a moment later Gilamar Skirata would receive a small presentation piece of the Foundry. "A new shipyard. Independent of all planetary and galactic governments. The driveyards when complete will rival the size of Kuat Drive Yards and Fondor combined."

That was a massive scale. "We've found the perfect location within the outer rim near former Moross Territory."

It had taken some time, but eventually Vanir Technologies scouts had managed to find a prime location within the darkest depths of space. It was perfect really, hidden within a nebula and tucked away from all sorts of Dangers and evils. Of course, the difficulty was that they were not the only ones who had found it so far. Pirates and Raiders made their home there now, and that was the problem.

"Unfortunately, we were not the first to find the location." She frowned. "A sect of Pirates has taken up home there, and they must be...removed, before construction can begin."

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

"Bigger than Kuat eh...?" His own company, MandalMotors had plans to eventually expand their own shipyards. Just getting the original shipyards up in the air took a massive effort on his and the Bard's part. Luckily for him though that experience wasn't plagued by pirates and the like. But bigger than Kuat and Fondor combined? From scratch? The thought was ridiculous...But he wasn't going to say no to a job.

Gil knew some people who knew that area relatively well. An old Pirate captain himself who had gone legit and become Mandalorian. Gobar Nass was his name if Gil's mind wasn't going. The old Gungan owed Gil a favor or two so getting him to join up wouldn't be too difficult. But he would need credits to wet the grizzled merc's appetite for sure. And ships with crews, which meant even more credits.

"Alright Madam Nel, pirates will be no problem," he paused to remove his flask and take a swig of its contents, "But there are some logistical things that need to be handled before we talk about accepting this job."

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

"Logistical things?" Nel blinked for a moment.

She didn't mind sorting things of course, that was perfectly acceptable.

She just had to know what.

A part of her told her that she likely should have had Mr. Vess handle this call, he was far more versed in military matters and his input likely would have been a tremendous help to Mr. Skirata. The Foundry was her pet project however, and that, inevitably made her rather selfish when it came to organization around the massive Construct. One could hardly blame her for that, she had slaved over the design specification and the plans for nearly a year before the proposal had even been made.

This was her baby.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

"Pay."

It was such a simple thing, and something always expected from both parties. But there were the small nuances in the pay, especially when dealing with a new and growing outfit like the Shriek-Hawks. As she had said before, Madam Nel wanted the best, and currently the only reason some considered them "the best" despite the plethora of PMC companies out there was because of the small team size and also the fact that well...It was entirely Mandalorian run and staffed from the mercs down to the communications officers and so they were running on their people's reputation alone.

But reputation did not build a PMC. No...It was a part of it there was no doubt in Gil's mind about that, but it also required credits, and A LOT of them all tucked away into their different corners. It was big deals like this that gave him the leverage to do so.

"There are just a couple of things I want to go over and make sure of before I get my men neck deep in pirates," he started. He took another swig of his drink before continuing, "Currently Shriek-Hawk company doesn't have the capacity to face any sort of naval based group. We've had our eye on a few ships but the credits from this job could give us enough for enough ships to tackle your pirates. That along with the crews and the ground team clearing the pirates will be quite a hefty fee by itself. Continued protection of the area is also going to be extra. Just the extended stay and protection will probably require two teams on duty rotation in the sector. Feeding all those men isn't cheap. Then we factor in the cost of ammunition and repairs..." The list went on and on.

Madam Nel was after all essentially hiring out a small army for their venture. But Gil wagered that this project was worth every credit.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

She smiled.

Money.

It made the galaxy go round, and she didn't mind talking about it. Of course she had expected this, and she was more than prepared for it. Vanir Technologies had funds backlogged enough to purchase several armies. When Alric Kuhn had been in charge he had begun to place sizable proportions of Vanir's profit in holding stocks, thus making the corporation more money then if he had simply cashed that money out. It was part of what had made him such a good business man, and why Vanir was now capable of building The Foundry without damaging the company too much.

"Cost, is to be expect Mr. Skirata." She smiled. "Though a garrison will not be necessary, just the initial assault."

Saeva Incorporated could handle garrisoning the cleared area, it was simply ejecting the raiders that would be costly. "As for arming yourselves for the job, that will be fine. Vanir Technologies will assist in such endeavors and ensure you have the proper funds in order to succeed."

Everybody would get rich from this project.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

No residency? That was alright, those usually were more work than it was worth. Gil nodded as he listened to the short reply. He already had a list of things to purchase with the funds, people to hire, captains to persuade. It would greatly increase the future effectiveness of Shriek-Hawk company as well as the ensured longevity of the company if this job went well.

"Great. That's all I needed to hear. I have a few more questions, but here are some numbers I was thinking of..."

Stepping forward he pressed a button on his console. It brought up a private hologram for Gil so he could look it over and make sure everything was in order before he pressed it again and sent the data over to Madam Nel.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Rose Kuhn]

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

Nel looked over the figures.

A few weeks ago she would have balked at the numbers, they were so large that she could have bought half a block on Coruscant with them. It wasn't surprising now of course, knowing how much Vanir Technologies made and just how much the Foundry as a whole was projected to cost. The credits that were being bandied about for this project was on another level, and after doing a quick bit of math in her head she smiled and nodded at the holo-image before her.

"That shall be fine, Mr. Skirata." Nel said as she once again looked at the figures just to double check.

"Shall I have my representative meet you somewhere?" She at least wanted Saeva to have a presence within the operation, though there would be no oversight on the Mandalorians. "He's rather Companionable."

He was a droid of course, neutral and not likely to get in anyone's way.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

He nodded.

"I'll meet your representative wherever you like Madam." The deal was going well, at least this part of it was. He had to admit, it was making him nervous as a businessman.
[member="Nel"]

Spoiler

(Sorry for such a crappy post that is so late)

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

Mr. Skirata would receive a final goodbye from Madam Nel, followed by a series of coordinates that would lead the Mandalorian General to a small asteroid station operated by Vanir Technologies within the outer rim.

Upon that station, Mr. Skirata would find Rigor.

Rigor, of course, was the operative that Nel had been referring to. He was a droid, the first and only of his kind. Previously a medical droid that had quite on accident received programming for assassination protocols. Of course, not being a very good doctor, the droid was instead put to work for Saeva Incorporated as an assassin and lead operative. Due to it's relatively simplistic design, Rigor was often utilized on missions across the galaxy to provide loose oversight, this Foundry project being one of them.

The droid would stand simply waiting within the asteroid base, placing itself within the center of the hangar bay and awaiting Gilamar Skirata's arrival.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

The coordinates led Gil to a remote collection of asteroids somewhere deep in the Outer Rim. It seemed Vanir Technologies was everywhere, always watching, always knowing. Maybe he was being too ominous, maybe it was just another company like MandalMotors or MandalTech. The shuttle entered the hangar of the asteroid station and hissed as the landing gear deployed. It landed with a shudder and the low hum of sublight engines diminished until silent, replaced with the roar of the cargo bay door.

Clad in his beskar'gam Gil walked down the ramp, his boots clanking with every step on the durasteel ramp. His eyes fell on the droid standing in the center of the hangar bay, its orange glowing eyes sending a familiar feeling down his spine.

This thing was dangerous.

Maybe it was his years of combat experience, or perhaps his long relationship with droids, but he knew just from a glance it was no simple protocol droid. With a grunt he walked towards the machine, his black cape following behind.

"Are you the Agent Madam Nel mentioned?" he asked. A silly question considering he could guess the answer. He hated dealing with droids, the programmed pleasantries that were normally required within a business setting with organics weren't needed when dealing with a droid, something he always forgot. It just wasted time.

[member="Rigor"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

[I am] The droid answered simply.

Rigor did not pick up on the body language that Gilamara Skirata gave off, nor did it notice the slight inflection in his tone that showed a slight distaste of droids. Truthfully, it wouldn't have cared if it did. Rigor was sent to do a job, to perform a function, and it would perform that function without hesitation or prejudice. That was simply what it was designed for, what it was made for, why bother with anything else? Rigor had never understood organics, no their likes or dislikes.

It simply saw no point in them.

[Madam Nel has supplied this base with all the equipment you might find necessary] Rigor continued, quickly informing the Mandalorian of the situation. [The Raiders are located deep within the asteroid belt three parsecs from here]

They would be difficult to flush out, but not impossible.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

He nodded. The job was simple enough. It would take some time to get his people to this location, but other than that the job was as good as done. He had hired Gobar Nass as the fleet commander recently. The crazy Gungan was an ex-pirate turned Mandalorian that knew these parts well. He was sure he would flush the pirates out.

"Thank you. I'll contact my men, they'll be here in a few hours," he looked around the hangar for a moment and back to the droid, "Do you have somewhere I could sleep? These old shebs need to rest before the operation begins."

[member="Rigor"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Gilamar Skirata"]

Rigor gave the man a curt nod.

[There are sleeping quarters arranged in the back of the base] The place wasn't massive, but Rigor understood that humans, most organics for that matter, required sleep. Due to that the droid had arranged several beds in several of the former storage rooms. It was hardly five star accommodations, but it would do well enough for the soldiers, or so Rigor had been told. The droid turned on it's heel, beginning a quick mechanical walk towards the back of the Hangar. [There is also a mess hall]

Food was also important to organics. [As well as several supply rooms with anything you might require]

Everything was here that was needed, or so Madam Nel had assured the droid before sending it off. Rigor had been instructed to make the mercenaries as comfortable as possible. This wasn't just a job after all, but also a way to make an impression on these warriors.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

~En Route~​

​

​

The Outer Rim was a dangerous place to live, even riskier to build in. All sorts of scum nested there, from pirates to slaves, all of them the trash of the Galaxy. The light of hypserspace travel filled his room aboard one of the many TU5K-class ships hurtling through time and space casting his shadow across his bed. Gil had given them the coordinates, a few of his operators would rendezvous with him at his location to provide a data feed to the Shriek-Hawks on the ground, or in space rather.

Apparently they were going up against pirates. Clearing out their base so that this big corporation could swoop in and take the area for their own purposes. He didn't know, nor care, what Vanir was doing in the Outer Rim, all he cared about was his paycheck.

[All hands, prepare for combat, we're dropping out in 5.]

Five minute warning? Well, he must have missed the last warning. He snatched his helmet from the table and made his way to the hangar. The gunships were being loaded up, Mandalorians filling the troop bays. Laughter and a general positive atmosphere filled the room, the smell of ozone danced along his nose. A mouse droid bumped into his foot as he walked up the ramp, annoying.

[5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]

The ship shuddered as it exited hyperspace, turbolaser fire and flak exploded all around the starship. It seemed the pirates were already in combat with the ships that dropped before his. The repulsors on the gunship flared to life along with the engines and pushed the Mandalorian war machine out into the black of space. It rocked back and forth as combat jostled it around, but nothing was getting through the Tra'galaar's beskar plating.

"Alright Hawks, for many of you this is your first mission. We're clearing out pirates, if you couldn't tell! Anything not wearing beskar'gam is a target. If something happens and we hear otherwise your HUD will be updated. Don't die, and have fun!." The shuttle shuddered as the front facing plasma cannons fired away. The pirates' asteroid base already had been compromised it seemed and landing in the hangar was easy enough. The troop bay door hissed and slammed open. Using the beskar plated ship for protection as he and the others ran down the ramp Mordecai smirked beneath his helm. This would be a good day.

[member="Ordo"] [member="Aedan Miles"] [member="Ariella Garon"] [member="Bishop Janson"] [member="Jerrick Shado"] [member="Kezeroth the Unyielding"] [member="Kylo Kyr'am"] [member="Liam Darkgear"]

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

Pew pew pew.

Blaster bolts and metal slugs flew threw the air. The Shriek-Hawks had nearly pushed the pirates from the hangar. Reports were coming in that the small ragtag fleet the Shriek-Hawks had mustered with the front pay of Vanir Tech was kicking Pirate tail. The battle was nearly won, the pirate's leader was elusive however and now as Mordecai stalked the halls of the asteroid-based space station he wondered what hole the coward had climbed into.