Ask Top of their game.

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

Nor'baal disliked doing business over the holo, but these days it was becoming more and more commonplace. Plus, it did stop him from needing to take the risk of leaving the Hutt core - which history had shown was probably not a bad thing. Sat in the entertainment deck of his war barge, orbiting Nar Shaddaa, got down to the day's business.

Apex.

"I have heard much of your organisation; rather seems to have come out of thin air and is already making waves." he began. Indeed, Apex was a newcomer to the field, but already the Hutts had heard of them - they boasted quite the roster of hired guns and demanded an excellent price tag. "Indulge me a little, tell me more about the services you can offer the Cartel?" he asked.

Nor'baal was no fool - he knew what they could do, and he knew he could afford to pay whatever they asked. However, he wanted them to show off a little first, talk themselves up, and then he could go into a little more detail as to what he had planned.

 

[Arla]

Arla still hadn't managed to find anyone to take these meetings for her, so she would simply do it herself. Her history with Hutts wasn't great, but at least this time it wasn't a truly face-to-face operation. Wearing a set of ornate robes, she sat at a desk aboard the Galactica where she was conducting her business from for the time being.

She had done a little bit of research into the Hutts in an attempt to prepare for this meeting, but she knew that her negotiating skills still left something to be desired. As the blue of the hologram flashed live in front of her, she inclined her head politely.

It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Supreme Mogul, she said. She was well aware of who he was, and she wasn't going to underestimate him. She knew what had happened to Draugr and how the Hutt had managed to slip and slide his way through the galaxy narrowly coming out on top seemingly every time.

Before we get into business, I have a gift for you, she said. As far as she had read, the exchanging of gifts was a prudent thing in Hutt culture.

Someone here on Galactica was using Durr's name to leverage authority, pretending he was not dead. While I understand that he's deceased, I thought you might like to know in case attempts like this are made elsewhere, she said. Knowledge was power, and that made it a useful gift or so she hoped.

She didn't linger on it for long, but simply pressed onward to the questions he had asked of her. Of course, she figured that he knew all about Apex already, but it didn't hurt to play the game a little bit. Or at least, that was what she'd been told.

We're an independent contracting company. Our operatives work in small teams to deal with precise operations. We handle everything from bounty hunting to private security and even have agents capable of hunting and eliminating the supernatural, she said. Although it was probably a strange thing to hear, the Jedi and Sith had become a more prominent part of the galaxy and with that appearance came a whole host of the "impossible" happening.

We have no interest in politics and hold both our neutrality and the confidentiality of our clients in high regards, she said. It was about one step away from reading off of a script given her own lack of skill in this regard, but it did well enough for now. Kriff, I really need to get someone better at this to take these meetings for me, she thought to herself.

More specifically to you, you might also be interested in membership on the Galactica when it is up and running, she said. Although the finishing touches of the program she was about to "pitch" was still underway, it was worth bringing up while she had "face-to-face" time.

A fully neutral, mobile space station under the protection of Apex. No weapons allowed and catering to the finer things in the galaxy. A place for the influential of the galaxy to meet without fear of reprisal, she said. It wasn't so different from the Wheel save it was smaller, mobile, and designed to cater to a slightly... less wide population.

@Nor'baal

 

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

She certainly had an impressive resume.

Nor'baal blinked slowly as she went through the assorted services that could be rendered to the correct buyer, and was impressed with her commitment to keeping her clients names out of the public sphere. She sounded ideal for a Hutt of his means, someone who could be relied on to do the nasty work without asking questions.

And boy did Nor'baal have a lot of nasty work that he wanted to be done.

"This information is of considerable use, you are right to bring it to me." Huttese had no word for 'Thank you', and even when he spoke basic, as he did now, Nor'baal had no desire to utter the phrase himself. This was the closest he got. Whoever had impersonated Durr, Nor'baal would ensure that habit died just as quickly as they did.

The idea of independent meeting space was of interest for sure, but not nearly as much as their potential to do violence. "Are you able to stage false flag attacks with a degree of skill?" he enquired, pressing her for more information as he continued his 'interview' of this potential new contractor. Nor'baal had one plan in mind, which would require Apex to be able to do just what he had asked.

 

[Arla]

Arla only nodded slowly at the response to the information. Her face remained impassive, but internally she counted it as a win. It served her purposes to tell him and gained her some goodwill with him at the same time.

He didn't seem particularly interested in the Galactica offering yet, but she wasn't too shocked by it. Perhaps a smidgeon disappointed, but they had come here for discussing a contract. She had assumed it was an assassination or tracking contract, but now it sounded a bit more like a military one.

Her head tilted ever-so-slightly to the side.

For the right price, she replied, though there was a lot more to it than that. But to give you a more thorough answer would require a more thorough description of the job, she said.

As I stated, we are not at present an infantry or naval force, but small units means we're capable of adapting strategies more easily. Including foreign uniforms and equipment, she said, without any bravado or embellishment in her words. Sometimes two skilled killers could do more than a thousand regular troopers.

@Nor'baal

 

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

Excellent.

Now Nor'baal just needed to put her to the test, see just how serious she was about earning some serious coin.

"I need you to stage an Imperial attack on the ISC." he stated flatly, not a hint of irony in his voice as he said so "Small at first, a skirmish on the border between Hutt Space and the Empire, involving ISC transports, then scale it up to a revenge attack on an ISC planet, a bombing on Naboo for example." he continued, elaborating on his scheme.

Nor'baal had no intention whatsoever of explaining the why of his mission.

"It would be a set of contracts, starting small and building up - with payments made along the way, and the final payment made once the Empire and ISC formally declared war on one another. No links to the Clans, completely 'hands off' on our end." he stipulated the requirements "Are you up to it?" he asked finally,

If she was, Nor'baa was quite keen to get the plan in motion.

 

[Arla]

Arla's face was deadly serious, not for a moment imagining that this was anything other than completely serious. It was a huge ask, but that also meant pulling the contract off would make it worth a small fortune.

It also wasn't the kind of contract she was used to taking on. She thrived on tracking and assassinating people. But it was potentially worth it. She never bothered to ask "why." That wasn't what she was here for.

ISC and Empire conflict, she started musing over in her head. She didn't have the ships, uniforms, or equipment to pose as ISC, but perhaps the Cartel could provide that.

Individual contracts? Payout after war? she pondered those things. She wasn't stupid enough to think that the Hutt cared about anything than his own ends, and that meant it was up to her to stick up for what was best for her company. There were a lot of wrinkles to iron out.

Trouble with a border-skirmish is that the two forces you're talking about don't share borders, she said, leaning forward and clicking on her datapad for a moment. Her ear twitched slightly and not on purpose as she looked at the map.

Bombing we can absolutely do, she said. In fact, it was exactly what Apex specialized in doing.

But I think you may need a different inciting event, she said, having a thought even as she said it. Her head tilted to the side.

Recently, the Empire went to Dathomir at the behest of an ISC governor and lost several thousand troops there, she said. Even as she said the words, she felt the rage rising within her. She hated even thinking about it, but she had a focus and goal. This was an opportunity, and she needed to seize on it.

Perhaps the Empire decided that the ISC's fool governor was responsible and to be held accountable, she said. The truth was, she chose to build Apex because she was good at war and killing, but she was terrible at politics. Whether this idea would work at all, she left to the Hutt who seemed to have a far better acumen for this sort of game.

Are you able to provide the appropriate equipment or will we need to acquire those ourselves? she asked.

@Nor'baal

 

[Nor'baal Desilijic]

The suggestion from 'Apex' was a good one and an excellent way to keep the distance between the Hutts and the attackers. However, the question of who would provide the equipment troubled him.

Whilst failing to do so would inflate the price, meeting their equipment demands directly would create a risk that it could be traced to the Cartel.

This could not be allowed.

Nor'baal shook his head "We will provide funds for you to purchase the required equipment, but we cannot provide the gear directly." he added "We need our hands off this mission entirely."

He was prepared to pay what they needed, and could easily afford to do so.

It was decided then "I believe we have the basis of a deal. Have your people send the costs, but on the premise of our discussion today, I am content to commission your services to deal with this errant governor, will a bonus payment made once the Empire and ISC enter into a war." the Hutt sneered, confident in his commanding genius to have formulated a plan to weaken both his rivals in one go.

 

[Arla]

Arla nodded, unconcerned with the revelation that they would need to acquire the gear themselves. If the funds were being provided, then that was all that mattered to her.

We'll obtain them, then, she agreed.

Although she had her hesitations regarding the payment being contingent on how others responded to their actions, if it truly was a bonus then she could live with it. They were still being paid for the deed itself.

I will be in touch once the job is completed and we can discuss if follow up contracts are required in order to achieve your end goals, she said. They could kill the Governor, and that would certainly mount tensions, but would it be enough? She wasn't sure. Arla created Apex because she had no stomach or acumen for politics. She liked the simplicity of trying to figure out how to complete her job and the thrill of the hunt far more than having to dream up the fallout of them.

Until next time, she said, and with that the call was disconnected. Apex had work to do, it seemed, and she knew just where to start.

@Nor'baal