Ask Regrouping

[Lom Tolsite]

Regrouping​

Since the fall of Kessel, the intergalactic spice market has been in turmoil, prices skyrocketing thanks to the collapse of regular trade. However, alongside this the Pyke Sydnicate, for generations the preeminent players in the spice market, has suffered a colossal setback as a result of the loss of one of their core territories.

But in disaster, can come opportunity. Some Pykes have come together following the fall and with a lack of direction from Oba Diah, the home of the Pyke family, now itself under the control of the ISC, it is up to them to forge a new path for this decimated Cartel.​

Lom had been scowling beneath his facemask for what felt like hours. It had been a long journey from Oba Diah, where Lom, alongside a veritable flood of his fellow Pykes, had been swift to leave the world as rapidly as they can once Kessel fell into the clutches of the Independent Systems Consortium. From there he had scurried through Hutt Space on a commercial liner, and taken a trip down to Kafrene, as far outside of the reaches of the ISC as they could manage. Kafrene itself was a dump, but it was a highly populated dump, and that meant there was an opportunity to hide away, and also to make a few credits.

Now he sat in the side office of a small cantina in the depths of Kafrene, which had become something of an unofficial base for the Pykes, after they had just sort of turned up in force. Taking his mask off, which solicited a slight hiss as he did so, Lom sighed and reached for his drink. Shaking his head he sprinkled a pinch of spice into the drink and swilled it around idly with a thin metal fork as he tapped away on a datapad with his other hand.

”Death sticks?” he shook his head again as Krim Tolsite, a third (or was it forth?) cousin of his boasted about how his new death stick ‘operation’ would save all their fortunes. In reality, the younger Pyke was brewing watered-down sticks from his basement, and selling them to junkies, praying they wouldn’t notice. ”We cannot get back to our former strength by selling your drekk, Krim” Lom snapped, unimpressed with the machinations of his cousin.

With Kessel gone, Oba Diah under ISC control, and many of the other spice producing worlds that had once been the jewels in the crown of the Pykes, likewise now beyond their grasp, the family was on its knees. Selling watered-down death sticks was not the way to do it. They needed a good product to move, from there they could expand and - eventually - take back what was theirs. ”Well, it’s better than anything you’ve brought to the table, Lom! At least I’m bringing something in for us.” his cousin spat back, venom in his voice. Lom couldn’t really argue with his point - he hadn’t done a great deal, bar mope since they’d arrived here.

Taking a sip of his drink, he nodded in agreement with his cousin, before putting his glass back down, and hoping beyond hope that someone in their ramshackle gang would have some sort of plan for how to get the product they desperately needed.[

@Charles @lou
/size]

 

[Krim Mardin]

For centuries, the Pyke Syndicate was the proud dealer of spice in the Galaxy. Through this business, they created a criminal empire, with a fleet and a military. However, all their power and prestige became ashes after the ISC conquered Kessel and the homeworld of their species, Oba Diah. Now, the remaining members of the Syndicate were being forced to reinvent themselves to make it rise again.

Was due to this reason that Krim was at a cantina on Kafrene. Two years ago he was contacted by a colleague of the old search division of the Syndicate. He had found some old archives of the experiments that they were working with before the fall of Kessel and wanted to make a small team to finish it. Considering himself a scientist, Krim never refused to participate in a new search.

After a gruesome period where several failures happened, they finally were able to make a functional and effective substance. Now they were presenting the finished product to the other Pykes. However, most of them were skeptical. Krim thought that they were fools. They were still attached to the spice, but now there wasn’t any for the Syndicate to sell. They needed to change their mindset, or it would be the end of the line for the Pykes.

“Those aren’t Death Sticks and even less a drekk! This substance was the culmination of several years of search at the laboratories of Oba Diah.” Krim’s voice was full of annoyance. How dare they call his magnum opus a drekk? “After years dealing with spice, the Syndicate came to understand that it could profit with something more. Before Oba Diah fell, we were working on new products that could be sold.”

Krim would pass his Datapad to Lom Tolsite. “There you have all the technical information about it, but I’ll make a resume so your mind can understand the geniality of what we did.” he removed his mask, thinking that it would facilitate the comprehension of what he was going to say. Although, not every Pyke was a genius like. “Through the use of molecular chemistry, we were able to synthesize the euphoric properties of the Guilea. We combined this with several other industrial chemicals and also with Balo Mushrooms. Due to this reason, it looks like a Death Stick.”

“However, it’s something new, strong and exclusive. We call it the Guilean Balo Sticks.” Krim picked the mallet where the product was carefully stored. “We finished the testing with sentient beings three weeks ago. It was a success, with none dying after using it.” using homeless desperate addicts as guinea pigs proved to be very effective. Their payment was being able to use drugs for free and no one would miss them if they died. “This is the solution for our problems! Through it, we can bring the Pyke Syndicate back to its glory!”

@Nor'baal @Charles

 

[Sepiks Redux]

Sepiks entered the meeting late, his left cybernetic hand bloodied by a very recent encounter, carrying a small sack with something pointy inside. The Redux Pyke family was once a noble smuggling cell but now was nothing more than just a bunch of guns and pilots for hire after the recent event with the loss of both Oba Diah and Kessel. Kessel was where Sepiks lost his limbs, and he was waiting patiently for the day he would cut the heads off of every Independent System Ranger he came in contact with.

Taking a seat and setting the bag on the table with a thud, Sepiks did not take off his mask while he listened to Krim's long and boring speech about another one of his glorious inventions. Yes, Krim Tolsite was a genius, but what he held in intellect, he lacked in common sense. While Krim was probably wasting his time baking in that grimy lab of his, Sepiks had been out and about the galaxy, learning about the wants and needs of the beings that lived in it and how the Pykes could give them a little bit of both.

"Congrats, Krim," The Pyke cooed from his seat. "Now every homeless druggy in the galaxy will want a taste! But, you see, the only problem with homeless druggies is the fact that they have no money." Sepiks grumbled, unwrapping the bag on the table to reveal the severed head of an Ovissian with a Sector Ranger badge nailed to it's forehead. "Even if we get more wealthy clients to buy in...This is the attention we will receive. Found this one snooping around outside. There's only a few off us left in the business and we're already being watched. The noose has been set all over the galaxy, brethren, and the traitorous Syndicates as well as the ISC don't need another reason to shut us down."

"I've seen what this galaxy wants- and it isn't a fix. They all want power. The New Republic wants the power to keep their planets in line. The ISC wants the power to convert more systems to their cause. The Empire wants the power to reign over the galaxy with an iron fist. Sector Rangers want the power to keep crime in line...and the Syndicates want the power to remain a piece of the great game we're all stuck in."

"Likewise, I began thinking about an old stimulus used during the galactic civil war. However, with a few modifications, I believe I can create a stimulus that enhances your senses as well as your reflexes. With what I'm currently perusing, we'd even be able to sell to Force users. I'm simply not as gifted as Krim with chemistry, and I would require some assistance in actually modifying the drug. This way, we can have a mask to cover up Krim's spice replacement as we'll be selling steroids across the stars to fuel a war that could fuel our banking accounts if used correctly..."

@Nor'baal @LouJoVi

 

[Ooris Tolsite]

"A stim?" Ooris finally spoke up after Sepiks showed up and offered a different approach. "After a hard day of work I don't sit back and enjoy a military stim."

The Pyke would-be ringleader shook his head towards the late-comer and then offered a glance back to his cousin. Lom would understand this. Tolsites had been running spice with the Pyke since before anyone could remember. It wasn't just being made for sale, but for their own enjoyment. Ooris said nothing to Lom other than giving that glance seeming to seek verbal support.

"Krim, have you taken any of this new product yourself yet?" He wondered if it was any good or just not murdering hobos. "We need to set up a permanent lab somewhere, get some crew to run these to dealers, and much more. I've been working on a list of opportunities but I want to make sure our product is viable before we... dive in."

Ooris believed that the best way to negotiate these issues was face to face. He slid off his helmet with a slight hiss and set it next to him on the table. These Pyke were, in some cases literally, his family. There was no need for a mask or hesitation around them. He looked to Krim to await an answer, meanwhile bringing a pinch of spice to his face as was habitual.

 

[Lom Tolsite]

"Schuta!" Lom spat back at Krim, as he took his compatriot's datapad and scrolled through the data therein. This poodoo was good! He hadn't seen a chemtrail like this in years - the junkies would go nuts for it. Maybe he had been a little too harsh on the chemist after all. Lom didn't know much about chemistry, but having worked in a drug gang for much of his adult life, you picked a few things up.

Sepiks however, spotted something neither Lom or Krim did. Getting back into the game with a drug of this strength was bound to attract unwanted attention, and with the Pykes already on the back foot following Kessel, that was the last thing they wanted. Sepiks always had an eye for such details, but again, he was more of an expert on the chemistry side of things. Ooris however, he basically breathed business.

He entered the discussion with an immediate focus on the practical side of the trade. A lab, runners, and more besides - and it was on the latter point that Lom could muscle in on, literally. "Attention, we can handle. Well - limited attention. Sepiks is right, we need to be careful, but with Ooris' connections we could maybe manufacture here, and then move to one of the larger outfits, who can distribute for us - at least in the beginning?" Lom thought out loud.

"That would lower our exposure. Look, we need to be honest here," he paused, taking another sip of his drink "- Sepiks and Krim can make it, Oomis can hook us up with the big players, and I can keep the local heat at bay, for now. We need to keep our heads down until the credits come in, I cannot keep us safe from the other Syndicates without the credits to bring in more muscle." he made their position plain. The Pykes needed to play this round safe.

 

[Krim Mardin]

Krim wasn’t even a bit impressed with Sepiks' idea. "Let me see if I understood that correctly. Do you want to sell to the Consortium, Republic and Empire a stim that would make their troops stronger? The same groups that are at war with the cartels? Yes, do that! They would never reverse engineer it and use it against us!" really, his relatives were so dumb sometimes. It was a surprise that the Syndicate survived so much time with Pykes with such a simple mind.

He turned to Ooris. "You know that I don’t use drugs when I’m working. It disturbs my creative abilities." Krim was different from other scientists. While some would use it to help open their minds during their experiments, the Pyke discovered that he works more efficiently sober. "However, my assistant used it and he said that it gave him a 'long and good trip'. He asked to buy more, if we start to sell it."

When the discussion moved to the viability of producing it, Krim decided to speak again. He had already made a plan that they could follow to make this business work. "While we can use Kafrene as a good headquarters, I believe that we should also have another place where we would not be ‘exposed’.”

Then, the Pyke showed them a picture of a Lucrehulk on his datapad. “I know that certain individuals are selling this old Separatist ship. After some modifications were made, we could turn it into a mobile headquarters, with a laboratory and a hydroponic farm for the production of the drug. This ship would allow us to evade enemies more easily, while still being able to produce it.”

@Nor'baal @Charles @Oreus

 

[Sepiks Redux]

Sepiks sighed with disdain. He had a feeling his comrades would look to his idea with skepticism, but Sepiks wasn't finished with his sales pitch. During some research on what the AMS virus was supposed to be, the Pyke smuggler began picking out the flaws of Durr the Hutt's creation, the biggest one being the permanent effects of the virus. If the Pykes had small dosages that only lasted for a few minutes, then they could start reeling in a lot more credits.

"For a guy who's brain is so big, you really are a dumbass." Sepiks said smoothly, flicking his wrist at Krim lazily. "The dosage we'll sell will only last for about ten minutes. You won't be able to take more than one at once or you'll probably suffer a heart attack or an aneurism, so you have to take them in increments. The best part about this drug, however, is that it's not addictive...unless you're an adrenaline junky, heheh." Sepiks himself wasn't one to take drugs contrary to his career, however, these ones were probably the only ones he would consider using.

"Meanwhile, the dosage supplied to the Pykes will last an hour. Think about it...If we want to take Kessel and Oba Diah back, we'll need a kickstart. This drug could also pass as just a simple energy booster. Military usage would give us more money for our pockets, but this stimulus could be for a simple college student pulling an overnighter for a thesis statement, to your average criminal caught in a pinch during a bank robbery. This drug can be sold to virtually anyone interested. While the whole galaxy is using simple stimulus for the war, we can sell Krim's Balo Sticks to reel in the real money. Otherwise, all one of our clients has to do with the fake-spice is tell his friends...then we end up like this poor Ovissian." Ovissians really were the most pathetic spies in the galaxy, and Sepiks found himself staring into the lifeless gaze of the blooded alien Sector Ranger. Sepiks didn't want his brothers and sisters to suffer anymore loss, but regardless if this drug wasn't going to be approved by their shabby council, the Pyke Smuggler was going to work on it as a side job.

"Selling to the New Republic, the Independent Systems Consortium, or even the Sith Empire may sound risky, but we don't need our faces on those contracts. I have a few contacts who'd love nothing more than to get paid to be the face of such a potentially profitable operation. With Ooris, we can probably dig even deeper." Ooris was a business genius, and if needs be, Sepiks could work with him to better sort out how they could distribute such stimuli.

Looking to Lom, he sighed again, "But...if you don't like what I have to offer, I'll assist Krim in whatever it is you all desire. And if we're talking ships, I'm afraid I'm the best pilot here. Wherever it is you want something sold, I can get in and out. A mobile headquarters would be easier for reconnaissance as well, but I don't think we should be worrying about going on an assault any time soon. Our biggest threat, currently, is the entire galaxy whether any of you like it or not. My idea with the stimulus was a way of...making friends out of some of those enemies."

@Nor'baal @LouJoVi @Oreus