[b]Location:[/b] [indent][b]Raygon 8 - The Belt, Raygon 8’s orbital space station.[/b][/indent] [indent][b]Foreign Traffic Port 221-010[/b][/indent] [indent][b][i]Traffic Levels: Moderate - estimated wait time for dock space: 63 minutes.[/i][/b][/indent] [img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/009/072/800/large/paul-chadeisson-testspeed-0200b.jpg?1516967282[/img] [hr] The busy, overcrowded spaceport over Raygon 8 stretches like a fat belt around the whole planet, thus its name. It handles the vast majority of all incoming and outgoing traffic, sporting hundreds of thousands of enormous piers and loading bays for space ships to dock to in order to load or unload their cargo. Hundreds of control towers coordinate the congested traffic into every nook and cranny where there is space to trade, and the private security forces keep a tight regime to make sure smugglers and thieves can’t take advantage of the chaos. Of course, that job is essentially impossible to fulfill, and the Belt is home to a great deal of mischief and corruption perpetrated by profit-hungry corporations and corrupt harbourmasters. In the shadow of colossal cargo freighters, drugs, weapons and top-secret technology are traded under the very nose of private tax collectors and upholders of company law. One such emissary of a very powerful company stood leaning against a metallic pillar by the space dock, his helmet active and his body ready for when they would ventilate the room to invite in the ship she was waiting for. Any minute now. [hr] “We have the green light to land at the space dock, Assistant Chief Engineer Amem.” The female Ka’thir’s ears perked up as the co-pilot’s news reached her ears, sitting up in her seat and stretching her arms languidly before looking about the cabin. Though in truth she was more than the only other one in the sleek, silvery spaceship of Dominion make. There were the pilots, the staff, and even several undercover elite human troops. There were even a couple of Valkyrians sitting there, their brilliant white hair and red eyes visible, donned in casual attire and their shield-lance combo weapons on their backs. Amem almost chuckled to herself at how common a sight like this was for her...though this was Raygon of all places, and not exactly the proper territory of the Dominion. Though this was a place of business...and Amem indeed had some important business here indeed. It wasn’t her first time arriving in Raygon space to meet with some clients, after all. As ever, however, a certain level of discretion would be required. “Initiating docking procedure. Space dock ventilation system has been initialized.” Amem let out a small sigh, standing up and grabbing onto one of the straps hanging from the roof of the passenger cabin of the ship. Noticing her get up, the two Valkyrians also stood without a word, grabbing onto their straps as well. Soon the rest of the ‘passengers’ would follow suit themselves, waiting for the ship to finish docking as the slight rattling of the cabin indicated they’d be ready to depart soon. [hr] “There you are, finally,” buzzed the emissary’s radio sourly. “I’m not getting paid to wait, y’know. That’s literally in my contract.” The only person to greet them on the dock was a vacuum-suit-dressed Raygonian, helmet still on his head despite now standing in the air-filled plastic tunnel that had been linked between the ship’s door and the entrance further into the station. [hr] Ah, Raygonian contracts and their stipulations never ceased to amaze her sometimes...at least with how precise they could be. Of course that was one reason any paperwork regarding the nation was meticulously looked over by the Dominion. Though admittedly, this little venture was rather “off the books” than those other deals. Yes, and Amem did not want to keep the other party waiting as well. Of course, they had all been through this song and dance before more than a few times~ [color=FF7F50]“Apologies. Unfortunately, it took some time to load the ‘gifts’ we brought with us. I am sure your superiors will be pleased with them, however, so please accept a little…’compensation’ for your troubles, not that anyone has to know~”[/color] Amem said with a small smile and a wink to the Raygonian representative, walking up to him down the plastic tunnel before subtly passing him a small but heavy bag of cash, [color=FF7F50]“In the meantime, I will let you lead the way.”[/color] As Amem spoke, her Valkyrian bodyguards stood silently behind and to the sides of her, vigilant and silent as they ever had been. Their height was imposing for many species of the galaxy, that much was certain, but beyond these two Valkyrians the rest of the crew back at the ship was getting to work with their ‘cargo’. The Raygonian raised the bag up and down, the weight being rather reduced in zero G. He zipped it open and stared at its contents hungrily. “Right, your papers seem to be in order. If you’d follow me…” The creature trundled down a corridor with the guests in tow. Whatever other people they encountered seemed to intentionally look the other way. A gorilla Simmie approached them with its menacing form, the police uniform shining a silvery white in contrast with its fur. However, as it reached their guide, they discreetly shook hands before the police officer continued on as if nothing had happened. A few feet beyond and the group had arrived at a small door, which slid open to reveal a meeting room. “Wait here,” the Raygonian requested and gestured at the entrance. Giving a polite nod, Amem walked into the room calmly...albeit with her bodyguards in tow. The two towering Valkyrians’ eyes also continued scanning over their surroundings like watchful guard dogs, looking for anything out of place or that even remotely eked of ill intent. A mere precaution, combined with years of military training and experience. Amem had put her trust in these guards of hers time and time again, after all, and had by now learned to trust their insight instinctively. They’d even saved her life a couple of times, haha! However, the lack of looks from the crowd along the way was something most appreciated for such an occasion as this, and was indeed a sign of this particular business partner’s power. Yet business was business, and when both parties got something out of it the spoils and profits were all the better. Though with this particular meeting among many, well, a very special gift was inbound for both sides during this ‘auspicious’ occasion...at least based on the reports. All that was needed was the other side to arrive. A moment passed before a tall, slim Petalos in a silver suit entered through the doorway with two black-suited and sunglass wearing Quroks in tow. He gave a gracious bow and extracted a small, square box from the hem of his arm, placing it on the middle table and pushing it towards her. “Miss Amem - allow me to extend my personal welcome to Raygon 8’s central station.” He eyed the glass panel walls still showing the hallway and commanded, “Private.” The glass panels immediately fogged over and the door closed automatically and clicked with several locks. The Petalos turned back with a smile. “Forgive the ominous sounds and all that - when our customer requests for us to be discreet, it will be made a priority. I am Lucifer Restaran, by the way.” He walked over to Amem with an extended hand. “A pleasure to meet you.” Amem gently pulled the box towards herself, a small smile on her face, before looking back to the Petalos before her. Extending a hand in return as was proper, she formally shook the hand of the other representative firmly. [color=FF7F50]”A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Restaran, and...many thanks for your party’s continued discretion. It is one reason this relationship has been able to blossom, after all~,”[/color] the engineer said, standing there in her formal engineering attire and big white lab coat as was befitting of the occasion, [color=FF7F50]“In fact, the ‘donations’ we brought today should be arriving at the requested location as we speak. Along with a little something…’special’, which I am sure your employers will most enjoy.”[/color] “Of course, of course - always a pleasure to fiddle under the table. What sort of speciality have you sent them, if I may ask? My employer is not too keen on surprises, you must know.” Restaran’s tone grew sour towards the end and his polite smile waned somewhat. [color=FF7F50]“Of course, of course. But rest assured, this speciality is something most valuable indeed,”[/color] Amem noted, as she reached into her coat and pulled out a well-kept folder...placing it on the table and sliding it towards the Petalos before her, [color=FF7F50]“Last time your employers noted some ’interest’ in how the Dominion synthesizes Umbhite, and other...potential applications of such technology. So we worked on something special just for them as ‘incentive’ for our continued partnership~ In those documents are blueprints and formulae for synthetic thorium production, tweaked to work with Raygonian tech and designed to mass produce the substance. Testing of this technology yielded synthetic thorium in mass and stable quantities, which should cut costs nicely for your superiors on that front. With the plans and blueprints, your people should be easily able to build more, and we have included both the usual lower-quality Umbhite shipment and what synthetic thorium we produced in testing. Yet the true specialty we bring to you today are the ten of these machines we have made, which as I speak are being assembled by my crew on-site for you as we speak.”[/color] Looking down before her, Amem then picked up the small box she had been slid, opening it to look inside as she again began to speak. [color=FF7F50]“Though if our special gifts are an unwelcome surprise of any sort, I can of course provide proper compensation and tell the crew to withdraw things for now.”[/color] While Amem had been talking, the Petalos had skimmed through the first few pages of the documents, occasionally casting glances back at her over the tip of the file case. He closed it after a time and smacked his lips dryly. As he put the file down on the table, he said, “A stellar offer, miss Amem. Forgive me for asking though, but… Is there a catch?” [color=FF7F50]“Just a couple, since you asked~ The main catch is that you will deliver all findings done by your own research back to the Dominion, including the provision of one-to-one copies of any and all prototypes created in the process of this research. The second is more of an aside, though, but we also want a list of any and all of the useful ‘contacts’ your superiors might have within this sector and beyond...this could include other companies, miners, mercs, drug dealers, and beyond. No questions asked.”[/color] The engineer spoke with a smile emerging onto her face, glancing up at the Petalos once more with a knowing look before returning her gaze to the small box she’d been given. Ah. Before her gaze was a beautifully fashioned platinum ring, wrought beautifully, as well as a business card and a few coupons for some local five star restaurants on Raygon. It was all enough for a fine night out on the town with a special friend or alone...all whilst enjoying the best that Raygon’s obsessive and all-consuming capitalist system could provide at minimized cost. Perfect. As the two representatives spoke, Amem’s two Valkyrian bodyguards kept their seemingly eternal vigil on the room and its occupants. Even when looking over the black-suited Quroks they did not budge or so much as blink in the face of it all. Of course this was all professional in nature. One could not lose face for their superior, after all, as that reflected badly on themselves and their high-up in the process. They had long served Miss Amem as well, and had become accustomed to…’these’ sorts of procedures that were kept far from the public eye. Restaran drummed his fingers pensively on top of the file. “My employer will provide a list of the items you ask - however, I believe they won’t be as satisfied with the need to disclose all their findings. A tight link of communication between our two organisations is sure to draw plenty of unwanted attention, and I would need more than my four hands to count the number of businesses that would attempt to sabotage our collaboration.” One of the Quroks gave a discreet cough; the other, a quiet sniff. [color=FF7F50]“Hmm...well that would be quite the bother, now wouldn’t it?”[/color] Amem said, pacing back and forth for a moment before looking back to the Petalos, her smile as confident and sly as ever, though her more formal and polite mannerisms hadn’t been lost themselves, [color=FF7F50]“Then perhaps we can arrange a favorable compromise, yes? I believe in have something in mind that might work~”[/color] The black-haired Ka’thir leaned forward, her eyes gleaming almost devilishly before she began to speak again. [color=FF7F50]“Rather than your employers provide all of the findings in their research, there is...a certain key area or two my own employers have an interest in most of all. Given the full provision of all findings and prototypes in these specific areas, then I would be able to convince my employers that any other findings are…‘unnecessary’ to provide at best. This in turn would notably remove the need for such tightly-linked communications, which as you have noted would be a risk, and ultimately create a far smoother and more subtle arrangement which could benefit both parties. I can send this information to your employers to give them the specifics before I depart today, of course, but I would need to know if your employers would be more interested in these terms.”[/color] Amem stood back once more, neatening up her appearance as her jackal-like ears turned to ensure she could hear the answer to come. Of course this statement was not a lie, not one bit. She could talk her ‘employers’ down nicely to these more reasonable terms, but if the other party did not want to accept then they’d have to figure something out. Alas. But such was the nature of business and commerce. Restaran appeared to force his polite smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. “Ms. Amem, with all due respect, may I ask if you are aware of the number of competitors my employer has to keep an eye out for?” For dramatic effect, he took a slight pause. “Any regular communication will be caught, intercepted, decoded and read. I’m sorry, but it’s simply too large a risk for the both of us.” He tapped the table twice and a screen of light appeared before him, switching to a calendar. “We can meet once every year, at different times and at different ports, where we can exchange this information. That’s the best we can do.” To signify his statement, he started bringing up calendars for every planet and starport in the Raygon system. [color=FF7F50]“Of course, Sir Restaran, we are fully aware of the situation for your employer and will respect this accordingly. To seek otherwise would be...ill-advised for any future business relations,”[/color] Amem said, finishing neatening herself back up and looking back to the Petalos, [color=FF7F50]“Though I do give my apologies if I came off as insistent about regular communications...my intent was merely stating a hopefully more favorable alternate arrangement for the provision of findings and the ilk. And meeting once every year, at different times and at different ports, is a perfectly suitable arrangement!”[/color] One of the engineer’s own Valkyrian bodyguard seemed to let out a small, mostly quiet, sigh in response. This was not the first time her boss had been given such a reaction. For one whose knowledge on engineering and machinery was so high, her own words at times were something that needed clarification and detail. The Assistant Chief Engineer could also have her moments of...eccentricity, to say the least. “Then let’s make it so!” said Restaran with a snap of his fingers and a wry grin. “Let’s see… In approximately 431 Raygonian cycles, the moon of Bick 3, Tetsugami, will be furthest away from the Bick central system surveillance station. We’ll meet by the abandoned tritium mines, which should be in the radio dead zone of the moon at that point. We will wait for half a planetary rotation. Kindly be there in time.” Amem didn’t skip a beat, pulling out a holo-tablet and jotting down the details of the meeting place, location, time, and the like as the Petalos spoke to her, before looking over to him and giving a polite nod. Yet she also seemed to be rather pleased herself, the sides of her lips somewhat curled upwards themselves, [color=FF7F50]“Of course, and I shall be at the exchange as well personally. We shall also send a rapid-response team for the exchange, to assess and perform the necessary loading and unloading of goods, prototypes, findings, and such materials in the proper timeframe. Her highnesses expect great things, but do not doubt your employer shall live up to these expectations...such is the reason this has all come about in the first place, of course~”[/color] As the Assistant Chief Engineer began to turn about, however, she suddenly stopped, before looking back at the Petalos from the side. [color=FF7F50]“Ah, and do tell your superiors I hope they only get the [i]best[/i] use out of those synthesizers! If I am correct, their assembly should be done by now if your superiors want to give them a test run.”[/color] “Fantastic - that’s wonderful to hear,” Restaran offered back smilingly. “My employer will make certain to have a scientific report ready by time of the meeting.” He tapped a few keys on his holographic screen. He then turned to the window and said, “End private session.” The windows defogged and the doors unlocked themselves with the ticks and clicks of metal and plastic. “With that, I believe we have come to a conclusion?” Restaran flanked the door and held out his hand for Amem to shake. “It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Amem.” Amem took the hand of the Petalos, politely but firmly shaking it with a smile. [color=FF7F50]“Indeed, Sir Restaran, it has been a pleasure. Till next time~”[/color] the Ka’thir said, a certain playfulness tinting her otherwise formal tone and manner, before she looked back to her bodyguards, [color=FF7F50]“Vyka, Hella, come.”[/color] No more words were needed, as Amem’s bodyguards nodded and followed behind her out of the door. The deal had been set, the date and time and location had been arranged, and all that was needed now...was to wait.