In Business There is Sin

It never was easy to admit when you had the rug pulled out from under you. Moff Rübezahl's promise of the Corporate Authority had opened so many doors, letting just enough promise peek through that Emelie had let her mind become awash in it all. But the force of her imagination was nothing compared to the power of Imperial politics and it seemed overnight that her position as a good standing member of Imperial entrepreneurship was all but lost. It was unfortunate, but not a total loss. It had shown that Elysian Acquisitions was interested in a friendship with the Empire, not merely content to do what was best for their holdings, but to ensure that Cloud City and Bespin itself flourished. Not bad for a small company that had been relatively unobtrusive.

But Emelie had been going about it all wrong. Sure,the Moffs had power and prestige, but their scope was far too broad. She'd neglected the real source of influence in their little city among the clouds. If you wanted an ally here, there was only one name that should have ever come to mind: Tagge.

Her visit to the office of the Baroness Administrator was far overdue, in hindsight. Emelie, however, hoped the information held within the datapad neatly tucked away in a simple clutch she carried would more than make up for it.

The Baroness Administrator stood behind her desk, looking out over a panoramic view of the Cloud City skyline: cotton-candy pink clouds streaked with vapour trails. The morning had seen a seemingly endless cavalcade of sycophants march through the Administrator’s Palace and there was no end in sight. As promising as Moff Renkl’s plans might be, her visit to Bespin had somewhat agitated the locals. The prospect of new economic prosperity was a little like jabbing a stick at the bottom of a swamp on Dagobah, flushing out as many eyeless bottom-feeders as it did prize catches.

At the sound of the door to her office hissing closed once more, Sanya Tagge smoothed a smile across her lips, squared her shoulders, and turned to regard her next appointment. Between the two Stormtroopers who flanked the entryway was a woman she had never met before.

“Miss Shadowstar. How can I help you today?”

Though there were a number of chairs positioned around the room, Baroness Tagge remained on her feet and made no invitation for her guest to sit. Not yet. There was every chance that their meeting would be brief enough that it wasn’t necessary.

She wasn't so pretentious to think she could reply with a simple Actually, I'm here to help you, as enjoyable as it always was to tote such things about. No, the Baroness required more tact than that; a fine line between flattery and getting the frak on with it.

Emelie glanced to the two stormtroopers and made her movements slow and plain. It wouldn't do to have them mistake her actions for pulling out a concealed blaster or anything similar, now would it? The clutch was opened and the datapad was touched, fingertips traced along it's edges before she reached past and took hold of the cool glass that had rested along the bottom of the bag. It wasn't a large sampling, sadly, but it was enough to be appropriate. She took several slow steps forward and placed the stoppered and delicate glass bottle on the desk.

"I should first apologize for having not met with you sooner, if for no other reason than to introduce myself. Not that I feel I am any more or less important than others here in your city. But I believe it to only be polite when stepping foot in someone else's house that you make yourself known to them."

Her hand trailed on the tip of the bottle before she finally stepped back.

"Though, I wouldn't have been able to bring this with me, then, so perhaps this wasn't ill timed at all." Emelie paused and offered a soft smile. "Raava, distilled here on Bespin. A product of Annwn Distillery, which I'm sad to say has not yet quite had it's grand opening so I can't say for how others find the quality. Though I have sampled the batch myself..."

The smile changed from polite to knowing. "It gets the job done."

Emelie came to rest a few steps back from the desk, her hands resting in front of her, keeping hold of the clutch she had kept the alcohol hidden within.

"Though that's hardly the reason I'm here. You see, I wanted to meet with you regarding something more... insidious. A concern I have regarding the security of the city, a very threat to the Empire's hold here, if taken in a greater context."

“Insidious?”

The Baroness Tagge lifted a slim eyebrow. She glanced between her guest and the proffered bottle of raava. The top of her desk was otherwise almost entirely empty and free of clutter. An irrational impulse niggled Sanya to reach out and move the bottle, to align it more centrally. Instead, she regarded Emelie with a more earnest expression, her lips pressed into a serious line.

“Then you must tell me what you know at once, Miss Shadowstar.”

Perfect. Well, almost perfect. she had her audience, now it was time to present the performance. It was with an almost regretful air that Emelie removed the datapad and held it aloft.

"Of course, Baroness. You see, I've taken to monitoring the flow of various deals and entities here on Cloud City; one must know their neighbors, after all. At first I hardly thought anything of what I was seeing, I hate to jump to conclusions, after all... but..."

Emelie placed the datapad down on the center edge of the desk and pressed a few keystrokes on it's surface. Not quite with the flourish that her slicer may have done, but Emelie could present information all the same. A holo projection emerged, floating over the pad; documents detailing corporate buy outs.

"When I saw the Hutts were purchasing Ubrikkian Industries, I thought nothing of it rather than distasteful to have the slugs here on our fair city. However..." Another few keystrokes and several icons became present. "I couldn't help but feel uneasy by their presence here, so far removed from their own space. I'm not one to judge someone on wanting to become part of an ever growing investment opportunity but... Well, the other companies that they bought out... Rontha, Gordal... weapons manufacturing, Kalibac for it's droids..."

She looked up and away from the display back towards Baroness Tagge.

"If this had been but a few years ago, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. The Empire could always have used resources like this during the war but the galaxy is at peace now. These purchases make little sense for such a time in our lives except if..." Emelie trailed off and let a thoughtful frown appear for just a moment, replaced by instead curiosity and even possibly genuine concern. "I just can't help but wonder who it is the Hutts are planning to go to war with and why, of all things, are they buying out industries within the Empire."

Emelie tapped a finger against her lips and delivered another small jab to the commentary. "And this is only what I could find that they allow to be known. The Hutts are far from being considered known for their adherence to law and order. I'm not entirely sure they have Bespin's best interests in mind."

It was an old doctrine, outdated in some quarters of the Empire, but humanocentrism had formed a core part of the Sub-Adult Groups teachings during Sanya’s childhood. There were some species that had proven themselves dedicated to the Empire and earned their right to citizenship, but the Hutts? Emelie Shadowstar was right: the Hutts were loyal to the Hutts. At least that was what Sanya had always been told, and she had yet to see any evidence to the contrary.

Stepping out from behind her desk, the Baroness strode past Emelie and to the nearby cluster of chairs and couches. She sank into an expansive armchair and regarded the still-standing Emelie.

“Why don’t you pour us both a drink, and you can tell me more about the… monitoring you’ve been doing.”

It may not have been the response that Emelie had exactly been expecting, but if she was honest with herself, she hadn't really tried too hard to gauge what the Baroness would do with the information that she had offered. To have her actual means of gathering that information, a throwaway line she had used, become the sudden center of attention? Well... perhaps there was more to this woman than Emelie had given her credit for. It was a surprise, certainly, but a welcome one. After all, she wasn't looking for an adversary.

"Of course, Baroness."

Emelie had already spied about the room as she had been giving her small presentation, so there was no hesitation in her steps as she walked over to where Lady Tagge must have had her own private stash tucked away. Two tumblers were retrieved and she returned to where she had placed the bottle of Raava, quickly uncorking and pouring an ample measure of the liquid into each glass.

"It would be my pleasure," she said with a smile as Emelie handed one of the glasses to Sanya.

Emelie chose the couch, choosing to position herself directly in the middle of it as she leaned back and regarded the Baroness, but more so her security, especially of the sentient variety. No doubt they were the sort that Sanya would trust with whatever she wished to speak with, but that didn't mean that Emelie felt the same. She didn't get where she was now on trust.

"It's something I would consider a bit of a pet project. It's so hard to stay abreast of all the dealings in Port Town alone, never mind the entirety of Cloud City. I've never been one to much stock in hearsay or rumor, I much rather get the information first hand."

She took a small and slow drink of the Raava and allowed herself a momentary spark in pride at how the quality was coming along. It took her mind off of how much or how little to say and her eyes once more drifted towards the Stormtroopers positioned in the office. It was a fleeting glance and her attention quickly returned fully to Tagge.

"It's not always easy, mind you. But most of the information out there is public knowledge, you just have to know where to look and how to sort through the every day nonsense to glean what others might disregard as unimportant."

“It is quite a challenge, and no doubt doubly so for a private citizen such as yourself, lacking as you are in the vast resources at the Empire’s disposal.”

At the mention of Port Town, Sanya’s lips quirked upwards, just a fraction. The lower levels of the city were troubling, at times. The Wing Guard devoted an inordinate amount of their time and resources to patrolling Port Town; it felt as if addressing one problem their only lead to discovering another two in its place. Whoever was at the head of the dissension would be apprehended in time, Sanya knew, though that did not mean that she had to like just how long it was taking.

The prospect of yet another outside influence disturbing the city was unacceptable. “You are right to distrust the Hutt’s. They cannot have the interests of the Empire at heart.”

Sanya lifted her glass, though stopped short of drinking as the strong scent of the raava filling her senses.

“Given all that you have observed, how would you respond, if you were in my place?”

"If I were in your place, Baroness..."

There was a hint of a question there, not to further probe but to highlight the inquiry. The thought amused her and Emelie let another sip of Raava pass over her tongue to compliment it. It would be a tricky position to be sure, loyalties torn between the Empire and well... herself. Bespin hadn't been a new start for Emelie so much as only encouraged her down whatever deep pit of a path she had set herself on years ago. It was genuinely difficult to consider what she would do if put in Tagge's position, if it were Baroness Shadowstar...

But there was one change she would make abruptly, and she doubted very much that the majority of those who lived upon Cloud City would loathe her for it.

"I would get the slugs the hell off my planet by whatever means necessary."

Sanya took a sip of her raava, at last, savouring there subtle blend of flavours washing over her palette. There was a surprising depth to that single sip, one that made her study Emelie Shadowstar a little closer.

The Baroness swirled the contents of her glass as she reclined further into the comfort of her chair.

“Am I to understand that you’ve dealt with the Hutts before?”

"Only a little, only when necessary, and it's been far more than enough for a lifetime. Several, really." Emelie paused, just long enough to take another small drink from the tumbler. "But it also has been plenty to teach me everything I need to know about them."

"They live longer than us, did you know that? Far longer. Maybe that's why they see themselves as superior." She shrugged a shoulder. "Or maybe not, who's to say what goes through their slimy minds?"

She had meandered away from the explanation, intentionally, but it had gone on long enough. Long enough to gauge the Baroness' reactions, but Tagge was mercilessly tough to get a read on. Maybe Emelie should have brought one of her Force adepts with her... No. No. She had this.

"Whatever they're thinking, or planning... All I know is that they are dangerous, ruthless, and have never shown themselves to be an ally to the Empire. They act deliberately in all things, and Bespin is just a little far from Nal Hutta, don't you think? A more safe business plan would be to slowly move outside of your home range, maybe set up business on Ruusan or Bothawui, or even Onderon, make a name for yourself there... But they haven't. And those are all Alliance planets. Instead they come here, all the way to Anoat sector. And something tells me they didn't come here for the Tibanna. The Empire rightfully controls most of the Galaxy, maybe they're finally just trying to play nice... but I really doubt it."

Another pause, another raise of her glass, but not to drink this time. Instead Emelie simply spun the tumbler between her fingers, eyes drifting to the liquid within.

"Some of us came to Bespin for the promise of being a part of the Empire's invaluable trade routes and business opportunities. Others... not so much. Hutts are criminals, the same as Tenloss or any of the other gangs trying to make a foothold here. Only problem is they are seldom happy with playing citizen on the side. They have aspirations, they want to rule what they think they own."

A small hesitant laugh left her.

"Or this could all be conjecture of someone who would just prefer them not be around. I've never been one to fall victim to paranoia, though. I'm just merely sharing my observations, Baroness. But in my experience, and the only reason I'm still alive in some cases, is I've often found that it's better to know who your allies truly are and to strike first before your enemies can find a way do the same."

The taste of the raava still tingling on her tongue, the Baroness listened in intent silence to her guest and wondered how it was that she had not crossed paths with this woman before.

“Indeed. Our instincts are weapons that dull without use.” There was a faint twist to Sanya’s lips, her expression tightening as the shadow of a past enemy flitted briefly across her thoughts.

“It is a privilege, not a right, to operate in this city. If there are businesses here who intend to exploit the generosity of the Empire - parasites who think to grow fat on the wealth of the Empress - they must be dealt with accordingly.”

Sanya glanced towards the Stormtroopers guarding the room’s entrance, the slight sourness in her expression lifting into a smile moment’s before her cool gaze shifted back to Emelie.

“Where can I find these enemies of the Empire?”

"Well now, there's the rub of it."

Emelie let a drink of raava take the place of an over dramatic sigh. She wanted to let the question linger, to draw out dramatic purpose but she'd gotten the feeling the Baroness was one for theatrics, up to a point.

"The upper levels. They don't dare drift to Port Town. Not that it's -" A laugh escaped her, barely a breath and yet holding all the amusement that she wanted to show. "Beneath them, simply that they know those of us of the Underworld see through their slimy disguises."

She casually shrugged a shoulder as if they were discussing a change in the weather or a fashion flub at a social event. "They have the socialites wrapped around their portly digits, come toting fine exports and exotic goods while their roots dig deep into the underbelly. I'd be shocked to find that Tenloss wasn't in their pocket."

The last bit was said hastily, a finger drawn to her lips as if the business woman was shocked she'd said such a nasty thing. Tenloss here, in Cloud City? Who would have thought?

"I'm sorry, I have a bad tendency to simply state what's on my mind. Sadly, such a criminal enterprise taking stake in our fair city is but a... rumor. Another ugly, ugly rumor. One that'd take a bit more delving into. The Hutts? They're easy to spot and survey. Others... I'm afraid you'd need more resources to confirm their presence."

All the gods of all the beliefs above and below and wide, she wasn't subtle, was she? No doubt Atton would have a thing or to to say about Emelie's performance here today. But he never understood that part of things. The man with the keys and answer and secrets was so used to hiding in his shadows and pulling strings from behind curtains that he never saw the benefit in just coming out and saying what you wanted. No, Emelie wasn't subtle, nor delicate. At least not now. She could be when the need came about but this entire operation, to serve such a decisive strike, that felt like it needed to be done with all the care of a public execution.

Maybe she was stretching too far too fast. Targeting the Hutts was one thing, and Emelie had more than enough surveillance to offer to rid the entirety of Bespin of their presence should the Empire wish it. That was the door, that was the key. Tenloss... a window in an adjacent building. One frak of a gaudy one that'd irked her since she found out it existed, though.