Private Via Concordia

[Nagual]

Money makes the world go around.

Nagual had heard that said often enough by people who believed themselves cynical, though he had always found it a rather charming understatement. Money did not make the world go around. Money built worlds, absolutely. It moved fleets, buried governments, revived corporations, purchased wars, and, on ambitious days, reached into the black between stars and persuaded entire civilizations to rearrange themselves around a sufficiently profitable idea. No, money did not make the world go around. It was the world. The Sith spoke endlessly of power, but Nagual had long suspected that many of them failed to appreciate one of its more important manifestations: a sufficiently large line of credit. That was why he had come to Aargau, and why he now sat in a conference room somewhere within the headquarters of the Bank of Aargau, surrounded by polished transparisteel, dark stone, and the quiet, expensive atmosphere peculiar to institutions that had spent centuries deciding who was permitted through their doors.

How, precisely, Nagual had acquired the room was unclear. The reservation had simply appeared where it needed to appear. The necessary security clearances had been approved by someone, somewhere, though no one presently visible seemed particularly eager to explain who. His name had passed through the building's systems without alarm, his credentials had apparently been found satisfactory, and by the time anyone might have thought to ask further questions, Darth Nagual was already inside, waiting for a representative of the Trade Federation. It was entirely possible that he had legitimate access. It was also entirely possible that several layers of highly paid administrators had decided, independently and without speaking to one another, that whatever problem he represented was probably someone else's problem.

For the occasion, Nagual had even dressed properly. His usual robes had been exchanged for a tailored suit of black fabric, severe in its cut and almost offensively elegant in its simplicity. Yet the garment possessed one subtle defect, if it could be called a defect at all. When the sunlight struck the material from the immense windows at a particular angle, patterns woven into the fabric seemed to shift beneath its surface, revealing the suggestion of innumerable pale faces and open mouths, as though a multitude of souls had been caught in the threads and were screaming soundlessly for release. Nagual had selected it specifically because it was understated.

He sat at the head of the conference table, fingers loosely folded before him, while a data-pad displayed projections, shipping estimates, capital requirements, and the skeletal beginnings of an idea that did not yet possess a name. The idea was simple enough, a new hyperlane to re-connect the worlds of the Core and provide immense profit to its financiers and architects. Nagual just had to find some financiers and architects.

Lodd Grimmin​

 

[Lodd Grimmin]

Nagual

The blue swirl of hyperspace began to fade revealing the planet of Aargau, though Lodd was preoccupied with the documents in front of him which showed the quarterly projections of the Trade Federation in real time. The losses were unbearable given the Sith's renewed offensives across the Galaxy and the fact that the Sith Covenant had no idea how to run the the economy of the core worlds without resorting to violence.

His fingers rubbed his head in concern as he pressed the button on the side of the data pad and put it neatly down on the desk in front of him. The shuttle touched down on the landing platform allowing Lodd to depart without saying a word to the Customs officials near the gates. He didn't acknowledge their existence knowing that his aides would handle any incidents that might happen while he was gone.

A sleek, armored airspeeder was already idling near the platform. Lodd stepped inside, the blast-doors sealing out the cold wind of Aargau's upper atmosphere. His two Neimoidian bodyguards slid into the seats behind him, their heavy blasters armed and ready.

"Keep the pilot on the comms," Lodd said quietly, his voice barely being heard over the noise of the speeder's repulsors. "If we aren't back in the air, thirty minutes after the conference, proceed with an emergency pickup at my coordinates." The guards nodded in understanding, the speeder moving through the towers of Aargau's financial districts, pulling up to the private rear entrance of the Bank of Aargau.

The bank was quiet much to his displeasure as he had been wanting to speak with the Vice-Chair of Communications about the Federation's accounts on the world. He stepped into the conference room to find that his associate was not there either, but sitting at the table was Nagual in a tailored suit.

He had dealt with the Dark Lord of the Sith, with warlords, and with Republic idealists who were far more dangerous than both. A man in a strange suit was just another variable in an already terrible fiscal quarter. Lodd walked to the opposite side of the table, pulling out the high-backed chair.

He sat down, his fingers loosely interlaced on the table. Outside the room, visible through the clear glass paneling, his two guards took up positions on either side of the doorway, their hands resting near the stocks of their weapons. He let the silence stretch for a long moment, measuring the man across from him.

 

[Nagual]

The silence was unbearable even for the socially awkward Nagual. He had tolerated it for what he believed was an appropriate amount of time, which was to say approximately three seconds longer than he would have preferred and considerably longer than his instincts had advised. Grimmin was studying him. Nagual was studying Grimmin. Neither appeared inclined to blink first. Somewhere beyond the transparisteel, the two Neimoidian guards remained perfectly still, their posture being, in Nagual's opinion, genuinely excellent.

"How goes the market?" he asked at last, as though they had simply resumed a conversation interrupted moments earlier. "I understand that the invasion of Thyferra has caused quite a stir. Will the price of bacta continue trending upwards, or will it stabilize? Pressing matters."

His expression remained perfectly straight for a moment before one corner of his mouth twitched. "If I was in the Trade Federation's position at this moment, I would take the disruption as an opportunity. Thyferra has enjoyed its monopoly for a very long time. How long before someone decides the inconvenience is worth the expense of finding an alternative? We have been here before. A crisis happens, prices rise, and suddenly things which were supposedly impossible become economically viable." He shrugged. "Synthetic production. New suppliers. New routes. Someone, somewhere, will make a great deal of money. Why can't that be the Trade Federation?"

Nagual leaned back in his chair, studying Grimmin again. He could tell the Neimoidian was still deciding whether the man across from him was worth taking seriously. That was fair. Nagual was deciding much the same thing. "Anyways, I asked you here today to discuss the economics of our beloved Sith Covenant. I have been so forthright and honest, and I expect the same." There was no our Sith Covenant, Nagual knew. Realistically speaking, Grimmin likely viewed the Sith as a nuissance to the Trade Federation more than anything, what with the killing and the razing and the bombarding and generally depravity of his fellow Sith. But here was a chance. Surely the famed Trade Monarch would take it?

"It is not like I have the power to change anything. I am not on whatever council presently decides these things. But I have companies, engineers, and money, and I imagine the Covenant will find itself on another crusade eventually. The Core is being suppressed economically, trade is being disrupted, and we cannot finance our ambitions forever by taking whatever happens to be lying around after we conquer a planet." A faint smile returned. "So it is good to have a vision."

Nagual tilted his head slightly.

"Before I tell you mine, I must know what is yours."

Lodd Grimmin​

 

[Lodd Grimmin]

Nagual

Lodd sat quietly, listening to the man discuss market opportunities and grand strategies. Observing Nagual for any hint of intelligence behind the rambling leaving his lips. So far, he found nothing but recognized that the sith's constant desire to destroy everything was negatively impacting the Trade Federation's profits.

However, the market would bounce back as it always did, as long as trade could flow freely across the galaxy. "The market is suffering because the Covenant treats the hyperspace lanes like war zones," he finally spoke after a moment, uncrossing his fingers to place them side by side on the table. He kept a relaxed posture to gain an advantage over his associate, gesturing with his hand.

"Creating a bacta monopoly isn't the great opportunity you believe it to be." He adjusted the ring on his finger, keeping his eyes on Nagual.

"When a company gains complete control over a vital resource like bacta, it becomes a target. Every warlord, insurgent, and rival government in the galaxy will have a reason to attack your convoys. The Trade Federation has no desire to become that target. We profit by moving goods, not by being caught in the middle of a conflict." He paused, allowing his words to linger between them. He intended to answer honestly, as ensuring what was best for the Trade Federation was the only reason he was here.

"My vision is straightforward. It's about continuity. I need open hyperlanes, reliable terms, and customers who can actually afford their shipments. Synthetic bacta and new trade routes may look good on paper, but they require time, money, and stability to establish." Lodd placed his hands on the table, looking directly at the man across from him.

 

[Nagual]

"Hm." Nagual tilted his head, considering Grimmin's answer for a moment. Then he made a small sound against his teeth.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

"I do not think you understand what I was trying to propose, my friend." His tone remained mild. "The galaxy has depended on a single world for bacta production for time immemorial. There are countless worlds in the galaxy that could play host to production facilities. Building in redundancies and alternative supply chains would not create another monopoly. It would break one. Thyferra remains important, certainly, but it ceases to be indispensable. That is the opportunity I am suggesting. But we are getting distracted." He stopped, looking down at the table for a moment before his hand moved to grab an inert datapad to his right. After activation the datapad displayed a map of the Core and its major trade routes, some highlighted in red, others interrupted entirely by conflict, instability, or the consequences of the Planeshift.

"Your vision is continuity. Open hyperlanes. Reliable terms. Customers who can actually afford to move their goods. I think you are right. The problem is that we are treating those things as though they should simply exist. They do not. Not anymore. Not in Covenant territory." His finger traced one of the routes across the map. "So we repair them, garrison them, and the fat wallets of the Core will once again be available for the Trade Federation to plunder."

Nagual brought up another set of figures beside the routes. "And trade pays for it. I would suggest a tariff but the Covenant does not possess the appropriate bureaucratic infrastructure for such a thing and well...too many sanctions for that to work appropriately anyways. No, a simple transit fee on a sliding scale should suffice." He said matter of factly. "The Covenant gets money, the Trade Federation gets money, and the Core rejoins the wider galactic market without major disruptions."

Lodd Grimmin​

 

[Lodd Grimmin]

Nagual

Lodd leaned back slightly, taking in the map displayed on the blue screen. The man was speaking with more clarity this time, laying out the numbers instead of talking in circles about grand visions. Even so, Lodd spotted three distinct operational flaws in the plan before Nagual even finished tracing the line with his finger.

Enforcing a sliding transit fee across dozen-system spans meant paying for patrols, tracking droids, and clearing hub bottlenecks. Such expenses would swallow small margins entirely leaving the Trade Federation worse off than it had been before. They were already paying exorbitant prices for operating in both the high Republic and the Sith Order.

Still, he kept those notes tucked in the back of his mind. Pointing out every oversight right now would only drag out a meeting that was already costing him credits. The core logic of reopening the Core lanes was sound, but Lodd hadn't forgotten the stranger's earlier admission. Nagual didn't hold a seat on any decision-making council. Negotiating hard terms with a man who couldn't enforce them was a waste of time.

"A transit fee is cleaner than a tariff," Lodd said. He rested his forearm on the table, tapping one finger once against the polished stone. "The Covenant avoids building a massive tax office, and my freighters don't sit in customs docks while clerks argue over duty rates." He gestured vaguely toward the map, then looked back up at Nagual, keeping his face completely unreadable.

"It is a fine concept on a datapad. But by your own admission, you lack the political rank to mandate Covenant fleets or set official policy. The Trade Federation does not sign multi-sector logistics agreements with interested bystanders." Lodd rested his hands flat on the stone table, wanting to know how his company could benefit from any agreement with a third party that lacked access to the halls of power.

 

[Nagual]

Nagual's expression tightened. Only slightly. It was not the criticism of the proposal that irritated him. He had invited criticism, after all, and Grimmin's objections had been sensible ones. No, it was the implication that Nagual himself was ultimately irrelevant to the discussion, an interested bystander with an expensive idea and no authority to make it happen. The distinction struck a nerve. Nagual knew perfectly well that he lacked the formal power to order fleets into position or rewrite Covenant policy, but he had spent too many decades being underestimated to appreciate being dismissed quite so efficiently.

The lights overhead flickered, then dimmed. A low vibration passed through the conference room, subtle at first, before the entire table began to tremble beneath their hands. As the sunlight shifted across the fabric of Nagual's suit, the screaming faces woven into its design seemed to stir, their distorted mouths opening and closing in silent agony. The transparisteel windows shuddered in their frames. Then, as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. The faces became nothing more than patterns again.

"That is power." The Sith Lord sneered, still somewhat upset. "We do not need power, my friend. We need influence. I have friends in high places, enough to begin with, and the rest can be acquired." Whether this was entirely true was difficult to say. "You are correct that I cannot mandate Covenant fleets or rewrite policy. That is precisely why I am not proposing we begin with the entire Core."

Nagual tapped the map, several worlds in the Deep Core illuminating between the larger routes. "A demonstration project. A handful of worlds ought to be small enough to build without waiting for half the galaxy to agree, but significant enough to prove the concept works. Trade moves. Revenue is generated. The routes become useful. Then we expand."

His gaze settled on Grimmin. "And yes, I am offering this to the Trade Federation because I need additional capital. Solstice Dynamics and its subsidiaries can front a significant amount of the funding, and they will. But I did not come to Aargau because I enjoy conference rooms. I require a connection to the wider market that I seek to reconnect the Core to. That is why you are."

Lodd Grimmin​

 

[Lodd Grimmin]

Nagual

Lodd watched the lights flicker and felt the heavy stone table shake beneath his hands, his face completely devoid of surprise. He had sat across from Dark Lords who could crush starships with a thought, and this little outburst felt like nothing more than a child slamming a hand on a table because he didn't like being called small.

It was a tiresome habit the Sith had, relying on dramatic displays whenever their pride took a hit, and it only proved how ill-suited they often were for real business. Though soon the theatrics ended, the screaming patterns on Nagual's suit settled back into simple thread, and Lodd remained exactly as he was.

The display was boring, but the shift in the Sith's tone was actually useful. Nagual had finally dropped the grand galactic posturing and admitted the truth, that he desperately needed the Trade Federation's capital, and he needed their network.

"Influence is expensive," Lodd said, his voice entirely calm and unbothered by the lingering chill in the air. "And unlike power, it doesn't always guarantee that a guard ship will show up when a convoy is under fire." He looked back down at the map, focusing on the small cluster of Deep Core worlds Nagual had highlighted. A limited test run was far more practical than trying to reopen the entire Core at once.

Small scale meant smaller risk. If the local Sith warlords in those sectors proved too volatile, the Federation could pull its freighters out before the losses became crippling. If it worked, they would hold the ground floor on a brand-new trade network, bleeding credits out of a region everyone else thought was locked down tight.

"A demonstration project makes sense," Lodd said, reaching into his broad sleeve to retrieve his own datapad. He tapped the interface, pulling up a quick ledger of Federation assets currently idling near the Mid-Rim borders.

"Testing a handful of systems keeps our exposure low. If your friends in high places can clear the local permits and guarantee that your Solstice Dynamics escorts won't turn on my captains, the Federation can allocate a small merchant fleet to test the flow." He rested the pad on the stone table, pushing it slightly toward Nagual.

 

[Nagual]

Nagual scoffed at the mention of permits. It was an almost charming concern, the sort of thing one worried about in civilized jurisdictions where governments still maintained the polite fiction that sufficiently powerful people required permission. Permits. In the Sith Covenant? Laughable, really.

Still, Grimmin had agreed. That mattered considerably more than the details presently separating them. He leaned forward over the map and began manipulating the projected routes with renewed interest. Aargau would serve as the western anchor, connecting first to Tepasi before continuing outward through Raithal and Castell. Those two were important precisely because they sat beyond the Covenant's borders. The route could not merely circulate wealth within Sith territory. It needed an artery into the wider galactic economy, and Castell in particular offered access to established commercial traffic that Solstice could never reproduce by itself.

From there the proposed line curved back into Covenant space. Skako, Corulag, Anaxes, Alsakan and finally Coruscant. One after another they illuminated until a single crooked chain stretched across the display. It was ambitious for something Nagual continued to describe as a demonstration project. Surveying alone would cost a fortune. Construction, security, navigation infrastructure, stations, repairs, insurance, financing and the inevitable unforeseen catastrophe would cost several fortunes more. Nagual stared at the figure accumulating beside the route and seemed almost pleased by its obscenity.

There remained, however, the irritating question Grimmin had raised earlier. Nagual could build things. He could finance them. He could persuade, bribe, threaten and occasionally charm people into cooperating. What he lacked was a government through which those arrangements could acquire the dull legitimacy necessary for contracts, concessions, treaties and everything else that became inconvenient when conducted exclusively through shell corporations and Sith handshakes.

"Alsakan presents another possibility." Nagual enlarged the world on the map. "A friendly government could be established, a protectorate of sorts. Independent enough to possess the appropriate legal personality, dependent enough to remain friendly. There are certain things a government can do much more easily than either of us." He left that sitting between them. It was not yet a proposal so much as the beginning of one, and Grimmin knew considerably more about conducting business through governments than Nagual cared to pretend. "As for your captains, they will be safe from me." Nagual looked back toward the Neimoidian. "I am probably the best business partner you will find in the Covenant. I throw tantrums, yes, but I have not threatened to kill you, enslave you, vassalize you, conquer your homeworld, or demand that you kneel before me."

He considered this.

"Thus far." The faintest smile appeared before Nagual returned his attention to the route. For the first time since Grimmin had entered the room, the pieces were beginning to resemble something that might actually exist. Solstice had capital and engineers. The Trade Federation had ships, markets and commercial connections. The first corridor had endpoints. Alsakan might provide the political vehicle. Everything else could be acquired. "Aargau to Coruscant," Nagual said. "What do you think?"

Lodd Grimmin​

 

[Lodd Grimmin]

Nagual

Lodd tapped on his data pad more than once, inputting the the details of the agreement so far into a private file. Even without a signed contract today, this rough draft would give him a solid footing to work with if he took the idea to Lord Carnifex or the Triumvirate.

Nagual was just step one in his overall plan to reintegrate himself into the core world's economy after the fall of the Galactic Alliance, and he was already thinking of ways to cut his associates company out of the agreement completely in the future.

He looked over the projected trade chain running from Aargau to Coruscant. If the Federation controlled the supply nodes on Castell and Raithal, they held the keys to the outer corridor, and without their support any stations built would just be floating in space.

The suggestion about Alsakan made practical sense. Setting up a compliant local regime was an old trick the Federation had used for decades to sidestep heavy regulations and absorb legal fallout. He avoided commenting on his partner's claim that he was the best businessman in the Covenant, nor did he care about the man's pointless threats.

"Alsakan works for a hub," Lodd said. "A proxy government gives the operation a front to hold the contracts, handle customs disputes, and take the legal hits. It keeps our names off the primary filings." He set his stylus down on the table with a quick click.

"Aargau to Coruscant is a long stretch, but the stops make financial sense. Raithal and Castell give my captains a way out if Covenant space goes unstable again. But we need clear terms for the trial run." Lodd pointed his finger toward the blue image of Castell.

"The Federation gets exclusive freight rights from Castell to Aargau. Solstice Dynamics can build the stations and provide the security ships, but my logistics team sets the manifests and schedules. Once your people set up that authority on Alsakan, the Trade Federation gets a seventy percent cut on local docking fees." He rested his hands over his stomach, leaning back into his chair.

 

[Nagual]

Nagual stared at Grimmin for several seconds before laughing. Seventy percent of the docking fees, exclusive freight rights, and control over scheduling. Apparently the Neimoidian had mistaken enthusiasm for stupidity. "No. Preferred freight rights between Castell and Aargau for the demonstration period, not exclusive. Your logistics team controls your ships and manifests. The corridor remains open."

He took the proposed terms and began making amendments of his own. "And fifty percent of net docking revenues to the Federation, not seventy. Thirty to me through Solstice, twenty to whatever Alsakani authority I establish. We can renegotiate once the initial investment has been recovered." There was profit, and then there was financing the construction of a commercial empire for someone else. Nagual had no intention of doing the latter.

The remaining provisions could wait for lawyers. Security, insurance, maintenance, liability, capital contributions and the precise duration of the trial would require considerably more paper than Nagual presently wished to read. He did, however, add one important restriction: neither Solstice nor the Federation could transfer its interest in the project without the other's consent. Nagual was many things, stupid was not one of them.

Nagual signed the preliminary memorandum and transmitted the amended copy across the table. "There. Something for your lawyers to ruin." He began gathering his things. There was little reason to continue. They had a route, ships, capital, preliminary terms and, assuming Alsakan could be brought into the arrangement, a legal vehicle through which much of it could operate.

He paused before leaving. "I expect you to try to cheat me, Mister Grimmin. I would be disappointed if you did not." A faint smile crossed his face. "I shall endeavor to extend the same courtesy."

Lodd Grimmin​

 

[Lodd Grimmin]

Nagual

Nagual changes were clearly an effort to prevent Solstice Dynamics from being drained, but he seemed to overlook who would truly suffer if the High Republic discovered Federation ships operating on Sith-approved routes. Exclusive rights and a seventy percent share were the cost of that kind of risk.

Reducing those margins meant this rotation wouldn't appear as profitable on the books as Lodd had hoped, but it was sufficient to conclude the meeting without leaving empty-handed. Internally, Lodd found the Sith's confidence quite amusing as they seemed to believe they were successfully negotiating with him on even footing, completely unaware of how many times the Federation had played this same game with ambitious newcomers.

Lodd saw no need to enlighten him. The dark side thrived on arrogance, and there was no point in depriving a Sith of his cherished illusion when it kept him heading in the right direction. He tapped his datapad, accepting the revised file with a quick swipe of his thumb.

"Fifty percent of the docking revenue ensures the venture remains viable during the trial period," Lodd said. "My accountants will grumble, but they aren't the ones standing on Aargau." He locked the datapad and tucked it back into the deep fold of his sleeve. He observed as Nagual collected his belongings and made a parting comment about mutual betrayal.

It was the kind of dramatic statement every Sith felt compelled to make before exiting a room. Lodd didn't feel the need to respond with a witty retort or a faint smile. He simply rose from the heavy stone chair, smoothing the brocade of his robes over his stomach.

"My legal team will examine the draft before my shuttle gets to orbit," Lodd said, maintaining a calm tone as he faced the glass doors. "Please ensure your engineers don't destroy the relay stations before the first convoy shows up, Nagual. The cost of rebuilding will be deducted from your thirty percent." He exited the conference room without glancing back, his two Neimoidian guards aligning closely behind him, their boots echoing on the shiny marble floor as they made their way to the private exit.