The House of Roon

[John Ash]

Roon, it is a rather infamous planet. It is the only place to find roonstones in the galaxy and has served as a key location in the spice trade for centuries. It also happened to be not too far from the Pii System and along the Mara Corridor. This made it the perfect location for Ashhearth Industries to expand their operations further along the hyper lane. With the company moving their headquarters from Nar Shaddaa to the Pii System, John could feel the distance causing problems. Orders were slow to be received, fuel consumption to transport re-purposed materials from the salvage yards to the factories on Pii 3 was expensive, and there was not enough established infrastructure on yet in the Pii system to put in more factories right now. So yet again, it was the perfect location for the company right now.

With that goal in mind, John just needed to travel to the planet. He could have handed the task over to his secretary, [member="Emilia Delane"] , and let her take care of it and would be sure it would get done right. But John was the type to handle this sort of business himself. He needed to see for himself what the planet had to offer, and make sure he got the deal he wanted. He employed a lot of former pirates and mercenaries. They were not shy about doing the dirty work of intimidation and coercion if need be. They could handle it, but he was their boss. That meant he needed to get his own hands dirty from time to time and let everyone know just who they were dealing with. He could hand the job over to his people after for further expanding on the planet.

While John would normally take the expensive, luxurious corvette to meet with people, he decided against it this time around. They were in Imperial space heading to a planet known for being less than law abiding. They might need to make a break for it under heavy fire. The corvette wouldn't cut it because a couple hits would sink it even if it was fast. No, it was better to come in on his personal ship, The Blueshift, and avoid too much attention. With him he brought Emilia instead of Blackwall. He needed information not muscle for this trip. He said to her as he finished flewing through the Cloak of the Sith and headed towards Roon, " Landing soon. Got all the data ready to go? Don't want to waste too much time this close to the Imperial capital. Karkers are likely patrolling closer to home and around easy targets rather than doing their job right at the borders. We don't see them around the Pii System for a reason." With that said he just waited for her response as he went to land in Nunurra spaceport. They had to look at least somewhat legit with a combat ready ship like this.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Emilia sat in front of a conference desk with datapads, holoprojectors, and other sorts of information gathering devices. She had her legs crossed, wearing a grey plaided dress with a white dress shirt underneath, spotting long black heels to accompany the attire. She was in charge of gathering information on Roon, Roonstones, and other fancies that called the planet home. She hoped they could maximize their profits by setting up a factory on the planet - this would be the best location per several site analyses that she ran during previous discussions.

She traveled with [member="John Ash"], her very attractive boss, to the system Roon was in. She really wasn't a fan of being inside Imperial space, although she did understand she was safe with John and company. It still gave her a few worried jitters, after her previous encounters with them.

They would be landing soon and as such, she decided it would be time to sync her information into two datapads - one for her and one for John. Both were rather large, with holo projection built into it. She downloaded all relevant information she obtained from various sources - the HoloNet, local news media, galactic news media, local conditions and times, conspiracy holosites about roonstones. Roonstones were lovely gems they could use. While the planet would be great, they still needed to find a spot to actually build the factory - and get it fully operational. There were a few locations that she had found near Nunurra and several outlying settlements that might make a good location for another factory.

She smiled as she saw John, nodding at his request. She stood, grabbing both the datapads, while they went to land in Nunurra. "Yeah, I got it all downloaded and loaded onto datapads. One for you and one for me." She smiled as she looked towards him, "Yeah, the sooner we can this over with the better. I don't like being around here either. Hopefully, this will go smoothly and as planned."

 

[John Ash]

Their ship touched down in the spaceport of Nunurra. The cockpit slide open and John got himself out quickly. Without saying a word or having to be asked, he went to help [member="Emilia Delane"] get out of the ship. Dresses and heels didn't exactly work well with this kind of cockpit. Once she was out, he pulled one of his pistols out from some hidden spot in his suit. He pulled the hammer back and made sure it was ready to go in case trouble popped up. As he did he said casually, " Need one? Added you to the biolock." It was probably not something you would expect an executive to ask of their secretary upon landing in an Imperial owned spaceport. Not that the people of Roon were ever that big into official authority. It was a little lawless and criminal organizations held more power usually than an official did. It was familiar to John since it was just like Nar Shaddaa in that way.

After John had finished checking the pistols, he locked up his Naboo style ship. A frown crossed his face at he looked at it a moment. He loved the thing but kark Naboo. Place was a hell hole and deserved to get orbital bombarded into a wasteland.... He snapped out of it after a second then turned to Emilia. " Ready?" Once she answered and was ready, he headed for the entrance of the spaceport. An unfamiliar city was waiting for him. Didn't matter if he was a mercenary and bounty hunter or an executive and system owner, he always found himself in unfamiliar cities. Maybe one of these days he would see it all....

As they traveled to the reality place, John looked over at his secretary. A Pantoran woman who had suddenly shown up at Ashhearth with part of one of her arms missing. The Inquisitors were on her trail and rolled in as if they owned the place. There wasn't much chance of killing a space wizard without a few deaths on the ground, but it was a different story up in space. Such a tragedy that some pirates found them hanging out near one of the asteroid belts and destroyed their vessel. A shame too that some scavenger picked the entire debris field clean so absolutely no evidence was left behind to figure out exactly who did it. Just a distressing situation for everyone involved.... Emilia though had proven to be more than worth the effort. He never asked what she did in the past, but he didn't need to after seeing her work. Not many knew it but he was studying to become a Republic officer in the past. Part of that training was in learning how to spot agents, both your own and the enemies. His eyes drifted back from her to looking back out at the city going by. They would be at the place soon.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Emilia smiled as John helped the Pantoran out of the ship, extra mindful to touch his hands if possible as she stepped down onto the platform. She took a careful glance around their surroundings - sure, no one probably knew who or why they were here. But, it was always better to be careful. That's how she lost her arm, after all - not paying attention to the little details. Not only in the field but back in the office. One day she'd find out who did it to her. Those days weren't today, though.

She perked a brow towards John as he asked her a question. She nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to need one. Forgot my blasters." She shrugged a little, giving him a slightly sheepish look before she took the pistol from John. She gave a small stretch as she holstered the weapon. She hoped this would go as according to plan - the Imperials didn't do much, it seemed, here. Of course, the Imperials weren't policing their worlds very well anyways. Emilia was partially surprised some of the planets hadn't decided to take independence into their own hands. They basically already were running themselves, probably.

In either case, she nodded. He looked lost for a few moments, "How about you?" She was ready to get going. She gave [member="John Ash"] a quick, sly smile before glancing ahead as they began to walk towards the realty place. She had been working for John for several years now - she wondered just what he thought of her - from the beginning to now. He probably knew well enough what she thought about him, considering his sources and intelligence. In either case, she did her best to prove her worth to the Executive. He took a gamble on helping her. He helped her get a cybernetic arm, a new identity, and a new lease on life away from corrupt and dying government. Doing her best to assist him was the least she could do.

 

[John Ash]

The rest of the ride was quiet on John's end as he just watched the city passing them by. He was doing it for a reason. Every passing building told him about how the place was doing. Plenty of big, fancy building dedicated to companies like his own. Plenty of housing in need of some updating as well. It was fairly typical for an outer rim world along a major hyperlane in that it had that mix of prosperity yet disparity. Comparing it to Ashhearth though, the place looked kind of run down. Fresh, new city though compared to a long established one. Eventually they arrived at the realtor's office. After getting out of the speeder, John helped [member="Emilia Delane"] out yet again then paid the driver.

The building they walked into was well kept and large for a realty office, but that was because they were nearly the only one in the entire city. It was either them or the smaller one on the other side of the city. The smaller one was backed by pro-Imperials, but this larger one was not. It was a front for the largest gang on the system for their operations in the city. It was familiar to John and something he could work with, especially since he had no qualms on illegal activities. Profit was the only thing of importance that everyone could agree on in the entire galaxy. Walking in, the receptionist was a twi'lek woman in need of more clothing even if she wasn't inappropriate. He was about to walk up to her and announce himself then changed his mind. He looked at Emilia and said, " You're up."

John just began to study the place as he let his secretary handle the other woman. The place had that clean and proper look to it, but still had those little tell tale signs of what really went on here. There was a big open space for a lobby with pictures along the walls. Under one of the shorter pictures though he could see the little slit that spoke of a gun port. This was a kill box if anyone tried to raid or invade the offices. Not something a business cared about but definitely something an organized gang would. Smart. He was liking the ones in charge of the realty office right now.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

The ride was nice, uneventful. She enjoyed it as she watched the city fly by. It reminded her of the many places she'd been over the past few years. Large, domineering buildings dedicated to science, commerce, and so forth. It was truly a site. Even their housing seemed nice, despite some of it needing to be updated and repaired. That wasn't something that really surprised Emilia. Most places didn't look that great and most places needed a renovation. How could a family afford such a thing though? Not everyone had the luxury of the jobs that she or John had. They got lucky in the fight for survival.

in either case, Emilia was assisted out of the speeder by John. A small, cute smile would be her way of thanking him for her assistance as her heels began to click on the ground. She walked into the office, taking it in carefully. From their records, it was a storefront. Sure, they did leasing and reality, but they also did less than legal activities. Maybe they could help their 'mafia' out in some way, too. A deal was a deal, after all.

She gave [member="John Ash"] a nod and a smile as she continued to walk up to the Twi'lek woman.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"I'm here looking for property, preferably for a large factory type construction." Emilia leaned onto the desk in front of her, explicitly making a show of herself to the scantily dressed Twi'lek. "Preferably enough space for a large factory among other... Activities," she gave the woman a smile, looking back towards John. She used her glance to scan the establishment. It was a good front, she had to admit.

"Um, one moment and let me see if we have someone available to meet with you."

Emilia nodded.

 

[John Ash]

While [member="Emilia Delane"] was talking with the near dancer dressed receptionist, John noticed something else about the room. There was a few spots that had to be cameras or mini turrets along the ceiling. They were disguised to look like little spheres for some kind of artistic display, but there was a few lines showing on some of the turrets and the camera above the reception desk was barely visible. He also noted it was looking straight down. Whoever was recording the footage was clearly after top down views of blouses. He wondered if they were just being a pervert or if this was another side venture for the "realty" business.

After the two women had spoken, John walked back over to Emilia. He tapped her shoulder and waited till he had her attention. Once he had it, he simply just tapped his collar bone then pointed up at the camera. She would know what that was about... hopefully. It wasn't his problem if she was okay with getting oogled at on the holonet, but he would rather she kept some level of dignity. Hard to do business with some people if they thought your secretary was loose and looking for a good time. They would lose their fingers one way or another if they tried something, but he didn't want that to happen since it tended to be bad for business.

The secretary spoke over coms with someone for a bit while giving John some glances and a couple of kissy winks. He just stood there and waited. Eventually she looked directly at them with a smile and asked, " So who shall I tell my boss is here for this business?" John said to her right away, " John Ash and his secretary from Ashhearth Industries." She gave him a wink then relayed the information. Whatever they said seemed to catch her off guard as she got flustered for a moment then responded and looked back to them. " My boss will see you personally right away Mr. Ash. If you would please follow me." She got out of her seat and began to head towards a door leading into the heart of the building. It was hard to say if the sway she had as she moved was natural or intentional, but he made sure to follow her along to her boss.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Emilia stood back up after her brief conversation with the receptionist. A purple brow perked towards [member="John Ash"] as he looked around the room. She couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind - picking apart all the different things in the room. Being an agent, she could sense that things were not as they seemed. There were cameras, from what she could tell, along with different parts of the building. That made her a bit nervous, but nothing else was to be expected from an organized crime ring after all.

Emilia perked a brow as John tapped her shoulders and pointed up. She made an annoyed face, standing tall again. She shouldn't be surprised they'd be trying to get views of such a thing. The woman looked away from the secretary and rolled her eyes. Did the secretary really want to be apart of this kind of operation? Maybe she was a slave? Or was that prejudiced of Emilia to say? In either case, she gave a nod to John for warning her as she crossed her arms.

Emilia's like and patience for the Twi'lek was officially draining, though. The flirty suggestions she kept making towards her boss was annoying and slightly upsetting. She shook her head but patiently waited for Secretary to finish speaking with whomever she had to speak with.

After who they were was directed to her boss, she brought them. Emilia was careful to note that the Twi'lek refused to acknowledge her - only John. Was she invisible to this woman? In either case, Emilia followed next to John as her heels tap rang throughout the hallway. "Gotta admit, it's a nice place for a 'realty' company," she said quietly.

 

[John Ash]

It was getting harder and harder for John to ignore the fact the twi'lek woman was swaying her hips in front of him. She was making sure she was always at the best angle to keep her asset in his view. While everything else about the entrance had been criminal, this receptionist was definitely using a business tactic. Get the clients attention onto her and they might slip up during the meeting. Wasn't about to happen to John, but it was still not as if he didn't enjoy a little sway from time to time. Too bad this wasn't the time or place for some fun or he might have taken the woman's obvious offers up.

Soon enough they arrived at the office of the owner. The receptionist opened up the door for them and gave a coy smile as she made sure her figure was in full view for the both of them. Woman was acting more like a model or adult actress than a receptionist in that way. John just nodded and entered. Sitting behind the desk was who he was here to meet and he had to stop in his tracks for a moment. It was a devoran man in a black suit with the tips of both of his horns snipped off flat. After the second of pause, John continued up to the desk.

" Kaerve. Thought you were dead. Glad to see I was wrong."

" Not yet my boy!" The devoran had that kind of big smile only a con man could produce. He got up and walked over to John. The two embraced for the briefest moment. " Before you ask, yes I still want my credits. Just because some of my competition puts a hit out on me the moment your bounty was confirmed and I barely made it out of town alive doesn't mean I don't! Now why don't you and your extremely lovely associate sit down. You are here looking for factories yes? We got plenty to sell. Some of them are even still in use. Just tell me what you are looking to make in it and I'll handle the rest."

John nodded and pulled out a seat for [member="Emilia Delane"] to take. As he did, Kaerve gave her an impish wink. The receptionist was still standing by the door. Her boss waved her in and then directed her over to a seat along the wall not far from his guests. Kaerve got back into his seat and made himself comfortable. He pulled out a bottle of port and poured it into an appropriate glass. He pushed it across the desk in front of Emilia then repeated the process for John. As the devoran poured his own glass, John took his and took a sip of it. It was the cheap kind of port, not that any kind was that cheap, and brought back some memories of Nar Shaddaa. It was good to see the old information broker was still alive and kicking.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Emilia wasn't sure who she should keep her eyes on more - [member-"John Ash"] or the Twi'lek in front of them. She never saw John as the kind of guy that would be distracted by an unsavory woman but there could always be an exception. Maybe this one caught his eye? Emilia sighed, ignoring the feelings that erupted in her gut at the thoughts. Maybe she should just flirt with the Twi'lek and really show him! At least then the Twi'lek might not be slobbering over him. Some respite would be nice, after all. "Her eyes aren't down there," Emilia muttered under her breath as she walked behind John into the office.

Kaerve and a Devoran. Interesting. And apparently, John and he knew each other from before. Thankfully, it was John's turn to do all the talking - for now, she could examine the room. She would have loved to have gotten into his computer systems and see what all juice she could find on him (and the Twi'lek, in truth.) Of course, she couldn't, as she promised to be on her behavior during the meeting. Emilia gave a small nod and gave Kaerve a small, flirtatious wave as she sat down on the chair that was next to where John would sit. Maybe that would also give John some room to think, too!

In either case, Emilia crossed her legs and held her hands in her lap as she cautiously analyzed the room with her eyes. Cameras were practically everywhere, dotted across the ceiling and walls. There was almost unnoticeably small openings along the walls - except where Kaerve's desk was. Turrets of some sort? She wasn't sure how John and Kaerve knew each other. She accepted the drink with a small smile. She took a sip, sighing as she sat the glass back down next to her. Not the best, but definitely not the worst. She could live with it.

Although, the Twi'lek who was oogling all over John, however, was not something she could live with for a long time.

 

[John Ash]

Kaerve was still the same as John last remembered him. The old devoran just didn't change. The little flirting tone though that he made to [member="Emilia Delane"] equally flirty wave in response was noted. Seemed his secretary was into older devorans. You always learned something new. The twi'lek receptionist had sat down after shutting the door, and seemed to be about to get into her distraction act when Kaerve motioned for her not to. The two Nar Shaddaa natives had done too much business with each other in the past for those kinds of little tricks to mean much. John took another drink of his port. He nodded then motioned for Emilia to share the list of their products.

After she did, John would give Kaerve a few moments to skim it over. " As you can see we need factories for producing ships and vehicles. We can't support more than a cruiser for combat or a civilian sized carrier, but we do got some contracts in place for most of our ships. The vehicles are a little hit and miss, but that isn't an issue. The bigger ticket ones are the medical centered ones. The walkers my company uses for our salvage operations and the speeders are selling back at Ashhearth."

John stopped to take another drink. " So we have a market for everything. We just need more factories to keep up with some of the newer demands. They will be running constantly and see heavy use. Can you find us something for that?" His little update was now over. A thought crossed his mind though so he added, " Do you have a new account already since you left? I can transfer what I owe you from the bounty if you do. If not, Ashhearth has some banks you can use. I promise your assets there will stay safe. I own the whole karking system after all. I can even get you a nice apartment set aside as well. Rent free."

As John had been talking, Kaerve had just looked over the data. Once John had finished, the old devil just laughed. Setting the holopad down, he said, " You trying to sell to me now boy? I see you picked up a few of my tricks. Excellent. I don't have a new account and could use a place to go if things get hot again. So I'll take you up on that offer." He gave Emilia an impish smirk and a suggestive wink. Seemed he was offering her a place to stay once it was all taken care of. " As far as your needs go, I'll see it taken care of personally. Come back in the morning and we can square everything away. You will have the best Roon has to offer! Even if I have to kick a few people out of their establishments." John smiled a bit to Kaerve and the two shook hands. Seemed the deal was now done. Kaerve did add after, " Now, why don't you two go enjoy yourselves? Just try to stay in Nunurra and away from Midway City. That place has gotten worse since whoever controlled the place died. Too many gangs vying for control of the city and the Midway Mine. Roonstones. I tell you, those things are pretty but do strange things to the locals. Like it was spice or something on Kessel."

That comment sparked John's interest and he just gave the man a nod then stood up. They were shown out by the receptionist, who seemed a little displeased at the attention Emilia got in the office. Once they were out of the front door, John turned to her and said, " Anything you want to do now? Got a day to wait. Kaerve will stay true to his word with me. He knows I will too and what will happen if he crosses me." He made a motion as if he was holding a pistol and shooting it into someone's head.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Her attempts to invoke some kind of response from [member="John Ash"] were all in vain. Emilia sighed, quietly, as she straightened her back and watched as the meeting began. Negotations may not have been her forte, but John seemed more than capable of handling a fellow criminal that he seemed to be fairly in the know of. Old friends, perhaps? It was interesting to see that the Devoran motioned for the Twi'lek to not play mind games on John - a show of respect for the man. Defintiely old acquitances, probably with some form of respect for one another. That would make this go more smoothly than she expected. Plus, at least the Twi'lek wasn't oogling over John even more. It was a bit classless, in truth.

Emilia spoke of the many different products Ashhearth created. She even walked over and showed him on a datapad, explaining samples of their wares. Going through the technical details of them. Soon afterward, she went back to her seat. She sat, sipped her drink, and simply listened. Her portion of the show was over. For now, it was just to listen to John and the Devoran to hash out details and come up with some type of agreement.

She couldn't help but give a small smile at their interactions. It was easy enough. It wasn't long before they were being escorted to the exit. She gave a small wave to the Twi'lek as they exited the building. It was her way of saying kark you, in a polite way.

She perked a brow as they stood outside. Anything she wanted to do? Hrm, she wasn't really sure. She laughed softly at the motion he made. "Hmmm. We could get a nice bite to eat and some drinks? Or go roonstone digging. Might be a bit dangerous, but... We know dangerous all too well, eh?" In truth, she wasn't sure what to do for the rest of the evening. She gave John a smile as she waited to see if he liked either of her suggestions or if he had a better idea.

 

[John Ash]

Something that Kaerve had said during the meeting began to bother John. There was a mention of this Midway City and mine. The old man knew exactly what John was capable of, so why offer a warning? Could be genuine care or it could be an attempt to get him to go there. Hard to say. The former information broker knew how valuable the slip of the tongue could be for someone else, so it wasn't an accident. The place was in a war for control and the rights to a roonstone mine were on the table.... A slight smirk crossed his lips. It was something [member="Emilia Delane"] would never have seen from her boss before. The Devoran wanted John to take over the place for himself. Kaerve must have had an idea of why John was really here on Roon then looking to expand his business and this was a peace offering along with the best factories in the city.

John turned to Emilia and said, " Food and drink then. After let's head to the hotel and get our rooms. Need to rest up. After we make the deal we are going to this Midway City. Ashhearth Industries could use a roonstone mine to go with our greel wood. Pretty stones and pretty wood to sell to rich customers." With that he hailed a cab and waited for it to come over to pick them up. As it got to them, he opened up the door for her to get in first. Once she was in he would shut the door and head to the other side. His was looking forward to tomorrow already.

Once John was in and had his door shut, the cabby asked where they were going. John held up a hand to shut the twi'lek man missing a few teeth up. With his attention on Emilia, John said, " What kind of food do you want tonight? Don't mind the price. I'm treating you for doing a good job in the meeting." After that he waited for her response then looked over at the driver. " Take us to the best place for what the lady wants and wait for us to get out. Do good and you will have a tip more than worth the effort. Don't and you might not like the results. Got it?" The twi'lek man's eyes were a little wide but he gave an awkward smile and nodded. With that they were off.

John looked out the window yet again. It was the same as last time. His mind went back onto the meeting with Kaerve. What exactly was that old man up to? Seemed like a good way to get into John's good graces, but that was always how he was. Even back on Nar Shaddaa when John was just a young punk looking for a job the Devoran had treated him good. Was this more of that or something entirely different? Guess he would find out after the dust settled and things were clear once again. John stretched his muscles a bit after the flight, ride, and meeting. As he finished, one of his hands idly found itself on Emilia's knee. His attention was still on his thoughts and the city passing them by.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

There was something on [member="John Ash"]'s mind. Over the past several years of working with him, she had learned to tell some of his facial expressions - on the rare occasion that he made them, at least. She kept a poker face except for a small, little perk in her right eyebrow. She was curious about what was going through his mind, especially after the meeting with the Devoran. Seeing him this lost in thought made her assume a few things. Probably there was more than meets the eye that went on in that meeting, which was a very real possibility considering that they were friends.

Or he was just thinking about what to get for dinner. In either case, the small smirk that went across his lips was something that Emilia noticed easily. This only intensified her curiosity. What in the galaxy could be so good that it made the man have a smirk like that? She presumed that time would tell. It would soon, she could almost tell that it would involve something on this planet and the deal they were working out with the Devoran.

"Food and drink sounds lovely." She perked a brow as he mentioned going to Midway City. "A roonstone mine would be an excellent addition to Ashhearth! Do we need to call in some goons to assist or do you think we have it by ourselves?" In truth, Emilia wasn't sure about the current positions of power, gangs, or what have you in the city. She didn't know there was a power struggle until the Devoran mentioned it. And like that, the lightbulb went off in her mind. The Devoran was wanting John to take over the city and fill the power struggle with, well, John being the power. It seemed like a great idea - plus, it ensured the Devoran had access to a highly profitable company, even with the deal with the factories.

Emilia smiled as she stepped into the cab. She crossed her legs as she watched John step into the cab. Treating her for a good meal, eh? Emilia wouldn't complain for that! She wished she could give him a good treat... But anywho, she had to decide quickly what she wanted for dinner. "Hmmm, anywhere with steaks and wine." With that, the cab took off towards the nearest restaurant that had well, steaks and fancy wine. It might be expensive, but man she really was craving some juicy steak!

With her legs crossed and Emilia lost in thought about their planned occupation of Midway City in the coming day, she almost missed feeling John's hand rest on her knee. Her eyes widened slightly as she glanced towards him. Maybe he didn't mean to do it? In either case, Emilia let her leg ever so gently rub against his. Did he actually like her?

 

[John Ash]

As the cab continued on towards what would be the best steakhouse in the city if the driver knew what was good for him, John stayed lost in his thoughts of what to expect next from this planet. Then he felt something touch his leg. His eyes drifted over and saw that [member="Emilia Delane"] had brushed his leg with her own leg. What was that about? Then he noticed his hand was on her knee. Ah. That was it. Seemed like a misunderstanding took place.... He just rubbed her knee a bit as he went back to looking out at the city.

The cab arrived at a fancy building with plenty of people dressed in expensive clothing entering it. There was even a valet service at the front. So far the cab driver had done a good job. When they stopped at the front, John got out first and made sure to help Emilia out. Once that was done, he leaned into the window and reminded the driver what was at stake if he didn't wait or make a good enough suggestion. After that he patted the speeder door and held an arm out for his secretary to take. The two would walk in together arm in arm as if this was some kind of date night for a pair of socialites or power couple. It did make John wonder how many other men were here with their secretaries, even though those other men's intentions would no doubt be less than proper.

Once inside, John walked over to the host who had immediately asked for a name as it was by reservation only. John subtly produced his pistol and had it stuck into the host's gut before another word was said. Without a smile or any hint of humor, John said in a low voice so only the two could hear it, " Find us a table for two right now. Somewhere nice and private. That woman did good today and earned herself a nice meal after all. I'd rather not ruin the evening by shooting you either, but I will shoot you if you don't do what I say."

A panicked look came over the host. The young man was just doing his job after all. In a slightly shaky voice, he said, " My boss won't take this sort of threat lightly. This establishment is owned by Mr. Fennick after all." John frowned a bit as he heard that name. It sounded familiar to him.... Oh right. That was what Kaerve was going by on Roon as his alias. He just chuckled a bit then slammed the host's head into the podium. As everyone looked in shock, John bent down by the now crying host. The pistol had been put away as subtly as it had been drawn. He said in a voice that the others around them could also hear, " I'm here because Fennick told me to take her to a nice dinner while we have some business being sorted out. Now find a table for Mr. Ash and Ms. Delane before your boss has to hear how you insulted his personal guests. Understood?"

The young man just nodded as tears kept going down his face. John stood up as a replacement host quickly arrived. John and Emilia were waved on with a nervous smile towards a private booth. John held out his arm again for her to take before following. They were brought to a nice, private room and then were asked what they would like to drink, on the house. John asked for a bottle of Serenno brandy for the table and a glass of whiskey. With that their server left right away. He looked to Emilia and said, " Fennick is Kaerve. Seems the old man owns the place. Should be good. He has great taste in fancy establishments and consumables. Bet the manager is calling him right now about us only to get laughed at and tell them we are his guests. Wouldn't be the first time. Long story."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Emilia couldn't help but feel the sensation, even though the fabric that was barely touching, as she rubbed her leg against his. His hand was on her knee... And he rubbed it softly. He didn't pull away, which meant... Maybe it wasn't an accident. Maybe he meant to put his hand on her leg! That had to mean he at least somewhat wanted her, too. Maybe. She would have to play her cards right, after all. It was part of the game.

They had arrived at a very formal, fancy place with a lot of, well, rich people. Emilia couldn't complain too much - she wasn't lacking in the money department, at least not badly. She had stable income, good benefits, and a hot boss so she couldn't complain. Plus, her job was full of fun, exciting, and new things! Like going on runestone hunting.

Emilia smiled as [member="John Ash"] threatened the poor host. She felt bad for him but at the same time, she liked that John was willing to go to the extremes like that. While he was busy focusing on him, Emilia got her mind to focus on other things like admiring the beautiful interior of the building. It must have been one of the best restaurants in the city. She felt slightly guilty bringing them here, truthfully, especially since John said he would pay.

Although, she couldn't help but beam with a smile when he said she did a good job. It wasn't that long before they were moved to a private room. Emilia slipped into the booth as she began to look over the menu. "I'll take some of your finest red wine, please." She gave a smile to the waiter who left.

She perked a brow once John began to explain the situation. "Ohhh, that actually makes a lot of sense. I was curious, I won't lie, but I figured he was someone you knew." She smiled, "It seems you and him go back a long while."

 

[John Ash]

As John began to look over the menu, Emilia spoke. Seemed she was curious about his and Kaerve's relationship. Not surprising honestly. The woman was a former agent of the Galactic Alliance. The only problem he had was how to explain it to her. After a few silent moments, he said, " At Nar Shaddaa I had two people who mentored me on how to get survive. Blackwall showed me how to do the mercenary and bounty hunter work, and Kaerve taught me how to handle myself in the criminal crowds. Both looked out for me, so I try to do the same for them. Kaerve got attacked while I was away claiming a very high profile bounty. Thought he had died but seems he made it out and fled here. Goes by Fennick now and seems he took over the underworld scene here in Nunurra."

Their waiter arrived with their drinks not long after John had finished speaking. A glass of red wine was placed in front of [member="Emilia Delane"] and a glass of whiskey in front of John. A chilled bottle of brandy was left in an ice bucket along with a clean glass for each of them when they were ready. The waiter then asked if they were ready to order or if they needed some time. John went ahead and ordered their nerf steak special. He waited for Emilia to order her food then he added on an order for oysters on the half shell as an appetizer. With that the waiter left the two of them alone again.

John turned his attention to Emilia and said, " After our meeting tomorrow I need you to do some research on Midway City and the mine there. If the situation is how I think it is then the two of us should be able to handle it without help. Rather not walk in to find out though, so the more data the better." He took a drink from his whiskey. A thought crossed his mind as he looked over at his secretary in her dress. As the glass clinked onto the table top, he added, " We need to get you a new dress for tomorrow. We didn't bring any spare clothing and I don't think you want to wear that two days in a row. What would you do if something got on it before the next meeting?"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Emilia crossed her legs and leaned slightly towards [member="John Ash"]. She held her hands on the top of the table as she waited for John to explain the backstory behind him and "Fennick." She was intrigued that they had known each other. Mostly, she was intrigued on how much the Deovran seemed to want to assist John. Whether it was for his own selfish reasons, the negotiation with him was easy, simple, and did not even involve any tricks. That wasn't something that most crime lords would be willing to go through with. Or, at least, she assumed most wouldn't. She knew, based on her past work as an agent of the Alliance, that governments sure didn't work that easily.

She nodded as she listened. That made sense - Kaerve was a father figure to John when he was on Nar Shaddaa. Or something like that, basically. That made the situation a lot more clear. He viewed John as his own, kinda like his own family. That was awesome, at least in terms of Ashhearth expanding and their chances of taking the city.

Once the wine was served, Emilia took a small, little sip of the wine before she sat it softly back on the table. "I'll have what he ordered," she would tell the server. She was wanting a steak, after all, and that seemed to be the most appetizing item on the menu. Her craving for steak was really high and she really just wanted to get some! But, for now, she was content speaking with John as they waited for their food.

"Makes sense. We can do a little recon. I can do some research on the shadownet tonight or tomorrow morning - see what I can dig up on the situation." She took another small sip of the wine. It was excellent - some of the best she had in a long while. She perked a brow at John's suggestion of buying her a new dress. "Oh? You're right, we didn't. Looks like you might need a change, too. There is probably a shop nearby, especially considering how fancy this place is." Really, she should have packed more.

 

[John Ash]

John just listened as Emilia spoke. His glass of whiskey was gone fairly fast in the process. Once she finished, he set his now empty glass off to the side and poured himself some of the brandy. He offered to pour her a glass as well and waited to see what she wanted. After, he would say, " Work on it when you have the time. Don't know when that will be. As far as clothing goes, we can find a place. Pick something nice. Kaerve took a liking to you and you might be able to get something out of him if he slips up. I can distract the receptionist too if it helps tomorrow."

The brandy bottle was recorked and went back into its bucket. John took a sip of his drink and approved. Good stuff if a little bit cheaper than he expected. The waiter came back in with their oysters and set it down in the middle of the table. They took any empty glasses and left. John picked up one of the oysters and ate it. He didn't mind the things, but he never did understand why they were so popular for dinners. Maybe that whole concept of them getting evenings going. Hard to say. He was ordering them for [member="Emilia Delane"] since she did a good job today. Might send the wrong message, again, but he could live with that. If she had an issue he could just explain it to her when it came up. If she didn't have an issue with it... Well he wouldn't have to worry about that result much.

" You have been doing good work since you showed up in Ashhearth Emilia. I want you to know that." John said before he took a drink of his brandy. " Do you have any plans or goals though for the future? Doubt you want to keep being my secretary forever with your skills and looks. You could probably start your own company or organization and do well. Did you ever think of doing something like that?" Small talk. He hated it, but it was worth it with some people. Emilia was one of those people since it helped him gauge how she was feeling. Last thing he wanted was an upset secretary with her kinds of skills out for revenge. That would not end well for either of them.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Emilia nodded when he motioned for the brandy. She would definitely take some. She loved a good brandy, wine, whiskey, and... Well, in truth, she enjoyed most alcoholic beverages. It was a bit of a hobby to taste them on the side, although she truthfully didn't drink too much. It could cloud judgment. That could be dangerous, fatal even if on a special mission back during her agent days. Of course, her job wasn't so much agent as it was secretary work. She was [member="John Ash"]'s assistant, after all.

With that, she took a sip of the brandy and nodded her own approval. It was tasty. She sat her small glass back down as the witer came in with the oysters. She gave a smile towards him and once it was sat down, she took an oyster and popped it into her mouth. They were tasty, even though she hated the smell of oysters. Delicious, but smelly things. In either case, she reminded herself to thank John for the meal and, well, everything else at the end of their meal. It was the right thing to do, especially considering how nice he had been. She had been lucky to have been found by him, given a new identity, and the immediate job offer plus a cybernetic arm.

Emilia smiled as she listened to him. He usually didn't make a lot of facial expressions, but she still watched to see if she could infer what he was thinking about either way. "Thank you, John. I... I am doing my best to help the company and you." She picked her glass of wine and took a sip as he asked about her future plans. She... Hadn't exactly thought about that at the moment, but she had some ideas. "Yeah, I have thought about operating a company or organization. I'm just not sure industry I would go into and enjoy." She was honest - she wasn't really sure what was really in demand in the galaxy. She mainly focused on helping John with Ashhearth's acquisitions.