The Starting Point (Techno Union Conference, Open to Faction, all others PM)

[Dart the Amaran]

At first it looked like a chair was sliding along the ground via some unknown force. The boring business men at the table all looked at the chair in shock as its legs made grinding noises along the floor until it finally stopped at their table. They heard a grunt, and all of a sudden, a furry little beast was climbing up into the chair. It was wearing a suit. Little paws sticking out of the end, with tiny black claws on them. It was actually a he; Dart, to be precise. He wiggled his wet nose through the air as he looked across the table. Lots of food. Dart reached out with his tiny hands, piling a bunch of the food onto his plate before he started to shovel all of it into his mouth.

"Gods, how can such a little thing eat so much food...?" One of the onlookers whispered.

"What!?" Dart gave them a little, 'What can I do about it?' look in response. As he continued to shovel food into his maw, he noticed a woman walking around the room. She looked like the one he was looking for.

With a speed that made the terrified CEOs jump, Dart jumped off his chair and onto all fours. He ran across the room, running under tables and between peoples legs. As he caught up to her, he called out to her, standing up on his rear legs.

"Hey! Hey lady! You're, uh...Tomooxun Tami, right?"

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin stopped when she noticed some type of creature zipping around the room, weaving in and out of the legs of the guests. What now? Had some type of mangy pest infiltrated the Point? The Hapan executive began to grumble to herself, eyes scanning the room for security or catering or facilities or the maker only knew who she needed to contact - an exterminator probably... until she realized that this critter was, in fact, one of the conference attendees.

Was it a womp rat? A possum? Upon closer inspection, she realized she was gazing at an amaran.

With her hands on her hips, she bent slightly at the waist and peered at the furry, twitchy creature.

"Yes, I'm Tmoxin Temi," she replied. The Blood Monarch, the Hapan Hussy, that devious witch... sure there were other names to which she had answered at one point in time, but she wasn't keeping track.

"And who are you?"

[member="Dart the Amaran"]

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Danger gave a shake of her head. A gesture of her hand would indicate the contrary. "No trouble at all," she would say, shining him a soft smile. She should have known that regardless of where she would travel, there was always someone who would recognize her. Granted, present company was always welcomed along with his son.

"When are you planning on scouting locations?" she would ask him, hand rising to take off her wide brim hat. Auburn hair went dancing in the slight breeze, fingers curling to tuck the stray strands behind her ears.

"My meeting isn't until closer to dinner."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]



"I planned on putting on decent clothes and heading out shortly, within the next thirty minutes or so."


There were no concrete plans set in place for his day beyond searching locations. Even that would be a laid back, casual affair as he scouted the waters of Maramere for an optimal location. Judah had figured it wouldn't be difficult. Warm water with some land somewhere close by for the pumping and transfer system.


Miss Arceneau stated she wouldn't be busy until near dinner. It was mid-morning, more than enough time to spend a few hours scouting locations with the Trade Queen. That is...if she wished to tag along. It seemed she was interested in spending some time away reflecting in her hotel room. Perhaps something was on her mind? It wasn't his place to pry unless the redhead actually alluded or said something directly to him.


"Would you care to tag along? You don't have to...of course, just offering."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Would I?

The question would mull in Danger's mind. For a moment she was hesitant, but then reason came to play. She shouldn't shut herself up. Things were changing; every year she was getting older, and every year saw it just a bit more lonelier than the next.

She should treasure the friendships she currently had.

A smile would curl upward, warming her face, crinkling the corner's of her eyes.

"I'd love to." she told him, honest for a rarity. "Thirty minutes?" she would query to confirm, leaning over to pick up her hat.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]


"Thirty minutes, give or take. I'll stop by your door then."


It wasn't going to take Judah thirty minutes to get ready. Now if the young Tadpole had been with him, thirty minutes might have seemed like an impossible goal. Disappearing back inside his hotel room, he yawned and stretched again. Really this vacation should have been extended another week but Makai really did need him at home. With one parent gone, Judah didn't want to give his son the impression he was leaving as well. It explained why his business trips had been so incredibly short and to the point over the last handful of months.


His idea was style was basic, still farmboy like in many ways. Judah had thrown on dark-washed jeans and a plain shirt, his well-worn brown boots rounded out the look. Not exactly a beachy,tropical look but he suspected there would be crawling on rocky islands and tromping through bits of lush jungle. Not exactly a sandal excursion.


Hand went to run through trademark curls, taming them just slightly before knocking on the door next to his.


"Ready yet Miss Danger?"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

The door would slide open, automated by the press of a button to allow Judah entry.

"Yes," Danger's voice would call out, drifting from within the corridor. The stride of full hips would take her to the coffee table, where she plucked the straw hat she had set aside earlier. Her time had been spent reviewing manifests and the scheduling for the remainder of the day. Things were moving along nicely with the expansion beyond the Wild Regions. The reconstruction of Corellia was also a matter of interest. Motions were being carried to review potential terraforming technologies that could expand on the small biodomes already there.

It would take time, but such was her pet project. It helped with keeping her mind busy.

A few seconds later would bring the familiar figure of the Queen of Trade before Judah. "Ready." she would assure him, a ghost of a smile lingering.

"Have you eaten yet?" she would ask him, coming to a slow stop beside him. Depending on his answer, then a mental note would have to be made to ensure that lunch would be ready.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]


"Lovely as always. You do know we're just scouting out patches of ocean...right?"


Yet he was merely teasing her. Judah knew that Danger tended to prefer to be well-polished most of the time. There had been very few instances where she had been anything but. The motion sickness on the yacht seemed to be the only one he could think of off the top of his head, not that it mattered in the slightest.


He strode ahead to open the turbolift and hold the door, not wanting it to close on either of them.


"I had a half-box of cereal this morning while scrolling through my messages. Doesn't mean I can't eat again though."


Turbolift started and the sinking feeling in his stomach hit from the motion. Leaning against the wall of the lift, eyes kept a tab on the descending floor list that ticked away above the door.


"Apologies in advance, this is probably going to be a boring outing for you."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Well then, one prays that you won't be tossing me overboard." Danger was quick to quip back. Humor and witticisms came to her now and then. Granted, they were usually coated with enough provocative sway to many any red blooded man's mind wander. The Turbo lift came to a slow halt, then the hatch would slide open for them to pass through.

Mid-day at Maramere was certainly bright. At the very least, it wasn't humid. There was a freshness in the air none the less, the sort that comes from salty sea air and the wind blowing in your face.

"Underwater cities as well?" she would ask, following up on her earlier question on the sites he was looking to visit. With Maramere as it was, there was a wealth of valuable resources at the ocean floor. As long as they would be surrounded by durasteel, Danger didn't have much to fret about.

Even if she couldn't swim.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]


"If I toss you overboard then it will suddenly get interesting, dont you think?"


Eyes squinted in the bright light, trying to adjust. Fishing around in his pocket, Judah slipped on his sunglasses. They were a wayfarer-type, dark lenses and frames. It had taken him a long while to actually buy. The more time he spent on the water and with Makai it made him realize that his eyes were just sensitive to the tropical environments.


"Maybe not underwater cities. They make humans uncomfortable. Ceto is dotted with underground cities. Very beautiful but also unsettling for non-aquatics at first. Nearly had a panic attack the first time I visited. Aquatics normally have their own established areas...although migration may happen due to xenophobia and Sith expansion."


There was a slight shrug as they walked along.


"Anything underwater is such a pain to build."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

It was the familiarity of the sentiment of claustrophobia at being underwater that would prompt the small chuckle from Danger. She too, had felt the same during Mon Cal's underwater facilities. Considering she was born and bred on a planet with Twin Suns and an endless dune sea, being surrounded by so much water was just plain... unsettling.

A slight narrowing of her eyes would nonetheless be directed at the elder Dashiell for the mock threat of being flung overboard.

"I am a dangerous woman to rile up, Mistah Dashiell." she sang in her twang, "I'd hate to think of just what manner of punishment you'll reap from me for attempting to do so."

Her throaty chuckle would follow. The slight rap of her heels upon the floor echoing as they would begin their walk. Twin ebon brows would arch in mock audacity.

"I just might take all your toy blocks away. Then what will you do?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah couldn't help but chuckle at the mention of riling up 'dangerous women'. [member="Danger Arceneau"] could certainly be dangerous enough, as her given name suggested. A part of him liked to see powerful women riled up a little, in addition to being amusing it was also a bit of a turn-on, not that he would ever share such knowledge with the woman beside him.


"Punishment? Where do I sign up?"


Eyes shaded from her view, Judah merely waggled his eyebrows for effect. A risky move but he was only dancing on the side of some dark humor rather than propositioning the woman. A few hundred yards away, their chariot awaited, another boat to escort them around to various locations. Provided by one of the best real estate offices in town, no expense spared when a client was clearly about to drop millions of credits on various land patches.


"If you take my building toys away? I don't know, I've already had a great deal of what I love taken from me..." Judah went silent for a minute. "Long as you don't take Makai I'll be perfectly fine.....No building toys means maybe I'll go back to being a recluse farmer."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Well I'll be...

Her eyes widened briefly, Danger half wondering if she heard [member="Judah Dashiell"] right. Was that... flirting? The perk of her brow rose, and she wasn't quite sure how to take it. Then again, this wasn't the first time a married man would have made such advances, but she didn't think it would come from Dashiell.

Then again, for all she read of him, he had his moments of humor.

Considering the sort of man he was and his make, Danger decided to not dwell on it much. However, it certainly would linger with a curious wonder from the Queen of Trade. Everyone was made of different facets. Each one revealed to another in due time or not at all.

Just like me.

What followed would make the moment somber, and Danger thought back at Judah's wife. There was something going on there. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but with what Makai had done said and how things seemed to go on since then.. well... one didn't miss the pink bantha in the room.

"I've a feelin' Mistah Dashiell," Danger would state with wry amusement, attempting to bring back a smile at the farmboy turned CEO's lips, "That it wouldn't be too much of a bother 'tall."

They came upon the charted vessel for the expedition, and a hand was extended to help Danger step inside. The boat would rock a bit, but she found her legs.

Here's to hoping that them pills she got worked this time around.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

It appeared his humor hadn't fallen too short and [member="Danger Arceneau"] had picked up on his tone. Wry amusement greeted him in return, a little jest at his mention of signing up for punishment. There was a snort of laughter at her reply as they loaded up on the boat, providing the dilemma of who should board first. It would be amusing, two desert kids trying to judge a moving water faring vessel.


Considering he had far more experience on the water than Danger, Judah planted himself firmly on the dock and offered help aboard. Naturally their Skipper would do the same, just on the side. The entire situation would be as dignified as possible before he hopped aboard himself. Not knowing the itinerary, Judah felt it was best to go with the flow. It had been some time since he was merely the 'passenger' so to speak on a great deal of adventures.


"Probably best you stare at the horizon, I don't have any ginger tea with me this time."


Taking a seat on the long,deep bench towards the back of the boat, he motioned for Miss Arceneau to do the same.


"We haven't talked but I assume we have a moment before business gets underway....I want to thank you for watching Makai. I'm not sure its a debt I could ever repay."

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

“Ain’t no trouble with Makai there Mistah Dashiel.” Danger was quick to say that off the bat. She loved that little boy somethin’ fierce and she was more than happy to shower affection on the youngling as if he were her own.

“He’s a charmer like his daddy,” she said in compliment, giving a half grin as she settled down upon the bench. She made sure to take into account his advice about the horizon, keeping a watch. Hopefully them pills served their purpose. If anything, if they didn’t she’d charge PharmaTech to come up with a new method of combating motion sickness in all manners and ways. A contract with Rhytana allowed the joint venture between the two companies to expand into new avenues.

“Truth be told, if I spend any more time, you’d just might end up gettin’ him on the weekends while I abscond off to spoil him some.” she gave a lighthearted quip. The rumble of the boat’s engine would wane into a purr, and within minutes they were off.

“I’m sure we can do just fine doing some Lifeday shoppin just he and me.” her shoulders gave a slight shudder, amusement dancing in her green eyes. She was far more relaxed now, speaking of Makai did that to her.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Charmer? Miss Arceneau, I am many things but I don't think charming is one. My son on the other hand..."


Judah couldn't help but to laugh at the mention of only seeing Makai on the weekends. There were some stretches of time he wasn't so sure if he was going to get the boy back from [member="Danger Arceneau"] . Makai always came back in a jovial mood, with stories to tell. Clearly the Trade Queen was a true natural at entertaining little boys without trying hard. Pillow forts, toy dart-gun battles, holovid parties. When Judah went to work it seemed his son got to on vacation.


"Spoil you have, he absolutely loves his time with you. I think he might request to live with you instead of me. Heck, you might be his favorite person, passing up his Nana. As for Lifeday shopping, I'll be sure to give him extra credits to cover everything, makes sure he treats you to lunch. I'm trying to instill some of the farmboy in him without actually living on a farm..."


The skipper pulled up to their first location. A rather small, ratty island. Judah looked overboard, leaning over the sides of the boat. The water looked clear. Hand went down in the warm water. Temperature seemed decent enough. The water was certainly shallow around the island, with sandbars dotting the area. It was going to need a closer inspection.


Shoes and socks came off and Judah started to roll his pant legs to the knee.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Well here was when things got interesting.

Seeing the elder Dashiell take off his shoes and socks meant that it was highly likely she would have to do so as well. Her nose gave a crinkle, and truth be told, her green eyes took an extra few seconds to determine the depths they were likely to go wandering through.

"Planning to dive right in?" Danger would ask wryly, following suit. Off went her boots and socks. "Never known a man who would go the extra mile to inspect things himself such as the likes of you Judah Dashiell." she'd say with notable amusement, meant as a compliment as she watched a gust of wind toss his dark brown locks back and forth.

"Just what exactly are you inspecting for?" Maramere was an investment not just for toursim, but for the precious Styguim that could be found. There were rumors that the Protectorate had moved those stores elsewhere, but some said that a crash long ago could have prompted the formation of more crystals. Who knew, anything was possible. One that Mara TibX and Fuels along with Mohc Extractives were busy investigating while she spent her time with Dashiell.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Eyes studied [member="Danger Arceneau"] as she removed her footwear. He was curious at her movements, the following suit as if she was about to tromp through the water with him. A smile twitched at his lips, clearly amused at the sight of the the Trade Queen preparing to enter the pale teal seas. Of course he would be going the extra mile. As with any major purchase, Judah liked to look it over. Got it from his Pa he supposed. Liked to see where exactly his credits were going. What one was getting for the money.


"You're coming out of the boat? Into the water?"


Judah was fairly certain the woman couldn't swim. It would be just two backwater desert kids trying to keep one another afloat. Thanks to his wife and son, he had gotten fairly comfortable with vast expanses of water. Miss Arceneau on the other hand....had she even been to the ocean before meeting up with Judah on Mon Cal not too long ago?


"Anyways, I'd like to just poke along. See how deep everything is. Inspect any local wildlife and make sure it isn't going to tear up my product."


Gingerly he had started to put himself overboard. A little awkward due to the height of the boats sides but it was dignified enough once getting both legs over. Soon enough he was standing on a large swath of sandbar, gentle waves lapping at his knees.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

“Is it really that surprisin’ Judah Dashiell?!” needless to say, Danger Arceneau would stare down upon the CEO of Salacia Consolidated with mock affront. Both hands came to settle on top of those wide hips, and the feint glower she amusingly used upon the man up to his calves in seawater was enough of a challenge for anyone.

Truth be told, for all her bravado, she wasn’t so sure about the water. But when one was committed, well… one had to just bite their tongue and jump along for the ride.

In this instance, she precariously managed to lug her caboose into the sea with little difficulty. Granted, that could be due to her knuckle white hold she used to slide herself down to begin with.

Gorram it.

Being born and raised on Tatooine, it was a rather peturbing sensation to be surrounded by water. The liquid just saturated her pants up to her thighs and that wasn’t even including the waves! It took a bit while she hung alongside the boat, one hand still held on tight to keep her balance.

“Bout the same thing my researchers at PharmaTech are doing with Kolto,” she would admit. That was just one of the many directions beyond green energy her company was taking. Botanical pharmaceuticals.
“Reminds me to ask if Salacia has any underwater habitats beyond them mines you did a while back?”

 

[Marcus Tritum]

An ashen cloud billowed into the air.

Dak watched it for a moment before tapping out his deathstick and tossing it in the trash. Smoke responsibly, kids.

The merc headed indoors, helmet under one arm. Security was more lax, what with the party winding down and all. Still, all these moguls had a habit of lugging along their own gaggle of guards. He sidestepped an oily Herglic with several nasty looking scars. He was technically contracted out to the umbrella organization of Tion Hegemony, but matters of payment were a little trickier than that. The money was good though, especially for working a light security gig like tonight.

A grey blur streaked across the room. Canton nearly tripped over the rodent of unusual size. He grunted at the creature as it skipped about. Caught up in the sight-seeing he nearly ran into [member="Tmoxin Temi"].

"Uh, excuse me miss."