The White-collars of Lanteeb

[Zef Halo]

ZEUS BUILDING
LANTEEB
08:43


It had been a very long voyage from the Corporate Sector to Lanteeb. It also did not help with the heavier traffic control on ships who had their flight paths cross Galactic Alliance. Things were getting tense at this side of the galaxy and Vitor had been recently contemplating on that. By far, having these two great powers clash was a good opportunity. An opportunity for those that were shadowed.

The Galactic Alliance and First Order political relationships were not the reason that he was sitting in a cozy and luxurious lounge of the so-called Zeus Building, the corporate office of Brandt-Volcata Industries. It was the corporation that interested him. Beside him his aide, June Ando, sat scrolling down her social media on her datapad.

"You made sure the plans have been uploaded to both mine and your datapad, correct?" Vitor asked the Pantoran beside him to which she replied with a sarcastic facial expression.

"What do you think ?"

"Just asking, geez." Vitor shifted his eyes to the clock on the wall and cursed himself for being this early. Granted, there was just fifteen minutes till their official meeting time was scheduled but the young banker was impatient for the meeting to begin with. He would enjoy Lanteeb gladly after the talks, he deserved some prolonged rest after this voyage.

[member="Archer Brandt"]​

 

[Progflaw99]

Tap tap tap tap...​

Biting the corner of his lip, Archer adjusted the stylus in his grip. Scribbling on a large datapad he made a few smooth motions, sending a flurry of windows across the smooth surface of his desk. It was the pinnacle of touch technology, a blending of functionality with the graceful necessity of art - or at least that's what his secretary had said. He'd yet to find a permanent member of staff to serve as a secretary, somewhat due to his Aunt's dithering to be sure. [member="Aurelia Volcata"] , the second part of the company name, "Brandt-Volcata Industries". With a sigh, Archer set the stylus down, gently rolling it across the smooth surface of the desk till it came to rest in a small indenture on its surface. Resting next to it was one more stylus, the two now forming a pair. Sweeping his hand across the crystalline surface of the desk, the young entrepreneur cleared it of any open windows, a neutral theme background taking its place. If memory served... Confirmed. In ten minutes he had a meeting. He recalled little, the minor headache affecting his ability to recall with whom or for what purpose. Gently massaging his temples with his left hand, he took a deep breath in. *I really have to lay off the alcohol on the weekends.*

Sliding his chair back about a foot and a half, Archer rose to his feet, using his hand to assist his ascent. His life had been anything but hard, but even so his body was in decent shape - the result of a hazardous and often high speed life driven by immaturity and a lust for life, unmatched. Removing his thumb and forefinger delicately from his brow, the young businessman shuffled over to a small liquor cabinet, retrieving a set of three crystal tumblers. Raising his voice to an audible level, he spoke.

"Karen! Send in my next appointment, and be a dear and get me some ice. You seem to have forgotten to replace it again."​

​

A quiet shuffle could be heard through the overhead intercom, Archer's finger coming off a small comm panel on the wall. In an effort to curb the younger of the two shareholders, Aurelia had replaced his last secretary with a much older woman this time, and Archer had noticed not only a drop in visual quality but the temp also seemed to be quite forgetful, he might have made a joke about senility but he did know when to hold his tongue - usually. Stepping casually over to the small loungette located in the oversize office, he deposited the glasses, awaiting the ice and his guests. The guests would likely have been escorted to the upper offices, much like the main entrance there was a small lobby though here there was visible security as well. Not often did Archer entertain guests on the upper levels but today was an exception, that and what good was a glorious office with no one to show it to? The furniture was a soft white, a modern look pervaded the majority of the room, sleek fixtures and bright lighting added to the ambiance. Light filtered in through the windows of the office, the floorlength transpariglass allowing plenty of light in as well as providing a grandiose view of the Elysium complex, the headquarters of Brand-Volcata Industries.

[member="Vitor Avendahl"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

The two were escorted towards the upper floors of the luxurious building that showed how new it was and how much wealth had been inserted into it. Good. Vitor was not as phased as June at the design of the office's interior. The former's background had removed any appreciation, needs or wants for superficial things. Different was the case with June who was approvingly nodding while scanning the area.

Their entry to the office coincided with an elder lady leaving the office with an empty ice bucket. Nodding as a greeting to her, Vitor sidestepped her and entered the office. With a nod to their boss and a 'Sir', the two escorts left the office leaving the duo from Corondex and Mr. Brandt alone. He couldn't help but notice the three stylish whiskey glasses on the man's desk.

"Mr. Brandt, I'm safe to assume ? Vitor Avendahl." Vitor approached the man with an extended hand. He was not the best at socializing but he was constantly learning. Gesturing with his other hand at his Pantoran aide, he introduced her. "And this is my assistant - June Ando." The woman would smile as she would approach the man as well and wait for her turn to receive a handshake.

[member="Archer Brandt"]​

 

[Progflaw99]

Archer's eyes darted towards the door as the familiar whoosh of air signaled an exit - and an entry. Flashing a trademark Archer grin, a friendly hand was returned as the man approached. *Ah, Vitor. That's the name I was forgetting.* Grasping the man's hand firmly he met eyes with him for a brief moment before turning a interested eye towards his associate. Careful not to let his eyes linger too long, he greeted her pleasantly.

"Ah, thanks for coming. That would be correct, please - call me Archer." Motioning towards the lounge seats off to the side, he picked up the glasses, moving to a small streamlined cabinet against the wall. "Can I offer either of you a drink?"​

​

Swinging open a small door on the face of the short piece of furniture, he retrieved a small crystalline container, the liquid inside a dark amber. Raising an eyebrow at the man's aide. Pantoran if he guessed correctly. There weren't an overabundance of them in First Order space, at least not nearly as many as there were Chiss but he'd seen a few here and there. Casually he looked back to the door as the elder woman slipped back in, ice bucket in hand.​

​

"Ah, thank you Karen, you're free to go."​

​

Punctuating his dismissal he nabbed the container, a loud crunch as Archer drove the small metal scoop into the bucket, filling each glass with several large cubes of ice. Gently pouring an initial glass for himself, he hovered - waiting for input from his guests.

[member="Vitor Avendahl"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

"Still feeling the hyperspace lag, I will pass. June?" Vitor politely declined the offer despite its lucrative look while inquiring about June's reception. She gladly shrugged her arms and accepted the glass with a thank you to their host. Avendahl could not help but scan around the wealthy office that belonged to Archer Brandt. The information he had read on them spoke of tightly knit connections with the First Order. That was, in the former miner's situation, a good potential deal. It gave him the opportunity to explore the market on this side of the galaxy.

Vitor looked behind him to find the comfortable chair which he immediately fell upon. June soon followed, crossing her legs and sipping from her drink.

"So how is business going, Mr. Brandt ?" Avendahl began. Small talk was certainly not his strong part as much as June had tried to engrave it into him. He could feel her smile internally but that smile would soon turn into disappointment as Vitor was not a man able to socialize without being direct to the point. "Good enough for some corporate social responsibility and positive PR in their marketing plan ?"

The former banker locked eyes with Brandt awaiting his reply.

​

[member="Archer Brandt"]​

 

[Progflaw99]

With a curt nod he offered the man a smile - hyperspace lag though seemingly made up by all appearances - was a real thing, and painful at times. It was bad enough travelling from one place to another on one planet, much more so when travelling between star systems, in the expanse of the galaxy, none were entirely unaffected by the sensation though one could become more accustomed to the draining feeling with the help of a few choice stims.

"Each to their own." he said politely, raising the empty glass to the Pantoran woman to his side. Given her shrug, he gently tipped the decanter, the amber liquid pouring over the ice. "And for the lady."​

​

As she accepted the offered glass he smiled politely, eyes lingering as he made eye contact. The moment short, he smiled, turning back and replacing the cap, sliding the ice filled glass towards the rear of the cabinet before snatching up his own glass and following his guests to the small lounge space of his office. Gently setting himself down on one of the chairs, he leaned in, setting his glass on a coaster after taking a brief sip of the amber liquor. Good, as always. Raising his eyes towards Vitor, he smiled cordially, his response coming quick as if he was overly familiar with pleasantries. As he spoke, his eyes shifted between the two, speaking to them both politely.

"Business isn't bad, though it could always be better. And yours?" Taking another sip from the glass, he raised an eyebrow as he met the man's eyes. "I'll bite, what's the sales pitch?"​

​

Just like that the avid playboy had switched from the social graces to the determined look of a businessman. He may have resented the fact that he'd been given such a responsibility, or that he had to attend dreaded board meetings but all in all, he didn't have a bad mind for business, just young. He was curious, what did Vitor have in mind?

[member="Vitor Avendahl"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

There was much the Force subconsciously helped Vitor with. Reading into little details of socializing and making sense of them was something that Avendahl certainly struggled at. The Force was able to assist him in that matter. Such was the case here when the young businessman's mind captured the pattern of Brandt's behavior towards his aide. He was not surprised. June was a pretty woman and man of Brandt's stature, Vitor had found, were more incline to a hedonistic lifestyle than others such as Avendahl himself. It was something he had learned being around the wealthy students of his university on Etti IV. Corporate brats, as some called them.

He figured that he would use June as a representative. A brand, let's say. Considering that she would be the better image in Brandt's eyes, Vitor knew that the same words he would utter would sound better if June said them. Besides, she was by far more capable of socializing than Avendahl. Vitor was just a good negotiator and maximizing benefits from deals. The Pantoran, on the other hand, had a tongue of honey.

Vitor was glad that Brandt cut the small talk and focused on the meeting itself. Nonetheless, Avendahl had an idea to play out.

"Well, you see, I will be honest - I am not that passionate about corporate social responsibility and good PR. June, on the other hand, is." He gestured at her and was surprised that she did not even flinch when he transferred the whole 'sales pitch' to her. "I am sure she can explain it better than I."

"I do." She replied confidently to Vitor and turned her eyes back to Brandt with a smile. "Mr. Br- Archer. We've been engaging lately in restoring much of the slums and poverty stricken areas in the Vorzyd system. Of course, our resources do have their limits and we can only as much. Yet, Brandt-Volcata Industries surely can be a massive boost. There's plenty of infrastructure, schools, hospitals and other civilian institutions that need serious funding. I'm not telling you to completely toss your credits into a good cause. Let's be honest. We are corporations. The good causes will, obviously, help you massively. Nothing better than a positive image."

"Along with that, Vorzyd IV bears a dozen of shut down factories or factories needed of minor modernization before they could be operational. Labor is not as expensive as this said of the galaxy, local populace tend to be very hard working and the factories themselves are not bad one bit." June explained and even Vitor was taken aback by everything she had said. His aide turned on a holopojection from her wrist pad that showed details of the factories on Vorzyd IV where Brandt-Volcata could possibly expand or outsource operations to someone local there.

[member="Archer Brandt"]​