Double-Talk

[Darth Callidus]

Although it had historically been the secondary retreat of the Royal Family of Hapes, the shoreside Reef Fortress was no less impressive for it. It was dwarfed by the majesty of the Fountain Palace, and Star Home – the starship modelled upon the royal residence, but there was a stately elegance about the Fortress that could not be denied. More than this, it's privacy was far greater and its windows overlooked placid waters whose surface was disturbed only by the arrival of silent oarsmen, conveying only visitors whose arrival had been pre-approved.

One such vessel had come in the dawn hours with two passengers, and left only a short while later, a man – or rather girl – short. Ambassador Vilissar disembarked and paused for a moment on the sand shores of Reef Fortress Island, admiring the vista that spread before her, before her eyes were drawn to a welcome party that waited closer to the estate itself, dressed in the royal blue and gold of the Alastor household. There would be time to admire the scenery later, once the Ambassador's guest had arrived...

[The Vilissar Twins]

They were separated, the first time in ages. Callidus' mention of sacrifice from a time ago on Onderon echoed in their minds. Yet even as one was approached by the welcoming party and smiled, the same expression was echoed on her sibling elsewhere as both shared in the experience. Hapes was truly beautiful, they both silently hoped that once their meeting today was over they would have time to explore some of its splendor.

For now the single girl was greeted and lead into the estate where she could change from traveling clothing into something more appropriate for the meeting with her guest. The meeting would not be too long into the future and its importance had been stressed upon her in every possible manner. Anya was determined to not disappoint.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

The trip into Consortium space was concluded by leaving Haifaa'Iro'Iro, the Cizerack government's official escort, behind. The Korri galleon was understandably not allowed through the Transitory Mists, but instead a Raapka shuttlecraft was sent to deliver Madame Taataani Meorrrei to her long-scheduled meeting with representatives from Onderon.

Having a daughter in the Pride's Navy had benefits, as did having enough economic clout to allow such an official sign-off endorsement on business deals. The Pride may be ruled by the Pride Mother, but that was also tempered heavily by the influence of so many baronesses of industry. It was in the interest of everyone involved to promote trade and business prosperity, which was why the Meorrrei clan matron was called to conclude her promising networking job she'd pushed on Coruscant, during the Tarkin Coronation.

"We'rre landjing at the the Rrojyal Hapan Forrtrresss, Madame Meorrrei."

The pilot, cordoned off by a door and a curtain in the compartment ahead, communicated into the well-furnished passenger cabin by a comm line. Taataani, looking up from the latest briefing she had on her upcoming negotiation, extinguished her Corellian cigar and adjusted her reading glasses as she clicked to reply.

"Gjive me ten mjinutess."

She replied casually, not bothering to wait for the affirmative before clicking out. Setting her datapad aside, she gestured to her attendees, three of her manservants and her daughter Raifaani. Her daughter went to work gathering her presentation materials, while her manservants went to meticulously going over her makeup, adjusting her wig, and a few other last-minute touches to make their mistress an alluring sight. A breath-freshenng losenge was passed to her as another misted her with perfume from Chandrila.

Taa stood by, allowing herself momentary patience for this necessary evil to pass. Her reading glasses were removed and a manservant held a mirror up to her, which she nodded in agreement to her appearance.

"Alrrjight, down wjith the gangplank. Let'ss go and meet ourr colleaguess, Raifaani."

[The Vilissar Twins]

There had been a few moments where Anya had thought to forgo the typical gesture of waiting for their guest at the point where they would first set eyes upon the Hapan landscape. A thought that perhaps it would be best to allow Madame Meorrrei to be greeted by a party similar to the one she had upon arriving would represent that such a simple gesture was beneath the importance of the Ambassador. It could give a thin veil of ego and respectability the girl marginally wondered if would suit her better.

But the idea had been squashed almost as soon as it had been conceived. There was, after all, a certain etiquette that could account for the fact she had eventually decided to be the first to meet the Cizerack. Though the underlying reason boiled down to nothing more than she did not trust the simpletons that represented the Alastor household to handle the situation.

Not that Anya exactly knew what she was in for. The briefing that she had been given contained all the basic information she needed on general things such as a general profile on the Cizerack as an entity in the galaxy, as well as a rough idea on Meorrrei herself. But words on a data pad or flowing from one's mouth were always thin when compared with the prospect of being face to face with an individual.

So it was that she stood, the small collection of people in gold and blue remaining behind her, bowing graciously to the clan matron as Anya remained upright, her honey colored eyes following Taataani as she stepped foot upon the planet.

"Welcome to Hapes, and the Reef Fortress, Madame Meorrrei." A gentle nod of her head was given to accentuate the greeting.

Elsewhere, her twin mouthed the same words, letting Callidus know it had begun.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

A woman, well, that was a thoughtful. Taataani smiled politely, ears tilted forward slightly as she returned the nod. She had been curious to see exactly what sort of reception the government of Onderon would prepare for her. She was hardly a head of state, but held a not insignificant amount of influence.

"Thank jyou."

Suddenly, she realized the delegate from Onderon had her at a disadvantage.

"Who am jI to gjive mjy thankss to forr the hosspjitaljitjy and venue?"

It was a curious choice for Hapes to be their venue, but perhaps understandable. Onderon and Carshoulis shared a bit of long-lost cultural heritage from the Hapan matriarchy. It was difficult to officially recognize the link for most Cizerack, due to xenophobia and hubris, but hard to academically debate history and anthropology. Their own matriarchal revolution had been adopted, and perhaps encouraged, by Hapans, nearly a thousand years ago.

[The Vilissar Twins]

"Ah, I must apologize firstly then. I was under the impression that someone would have told you."

Her voice was kept soft, genuine in its inflections of politeness. Apparently years of being brought up in high society did have its uses on occasion.

"I am Ambassador Vilissar, I've been delegated to represent both the Queen of Onderon and the new Queen Mother of Hapes in their alliance. But I believe it is the former in whose stead I mostly act today."

There was amusement in it, having gone from disgraced children of a Ralltiiri noble to an esteemed representative of not one, but two monarchies. And to think, they had at one time thought going to live on Onderon would be dull.

The girl paused for a moment, letting her words settle for just a moment before she turned and let her hand gesture to the villa behind her. "I have asked that two separate locations be prepared for our meeting, one indoors and one outside, do you have any preference? I must admit I was unsure as to which would be more appealing."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Pleassurre to make jyourr acquajintance, Ambasssadorr. Asss we would ssajy, Ja'iirra korra nai."

To the side and behind, Raifaani echoed the greeting in a lower tone, also dipping her head in respect to the Ambassador. At Ambassador Vilissar's mention of the twin venues, Taataani took a brief look about. Breathtaking vistas were a cheap commodity here, it would seem.

"Whjile the vjiew outssjide jiss wonderrful, jit majy be besst forr enjojyjing afterr we have rreached a concorrd."

There were several reasons for Taataani's preference. One, it helped to keep focus, and two, she was wary of potentially sensitive discussions in the open air venue. Far too easy to eavesdrop or to read lips over great distances were one inclined. In so many ways, she embodied the for-the-moment passion of a libertine, but in matters of business, she was a professional above anything.

[The Vilissar Twins]

"Very well." The agreement was accompanied by another gentle, more subtle nod of her head.

It mattered little to Anya which was chosen. The interior venue was more traditional in terms of the reason behind their meeting and it would suit the situation well enough. Though truthfully she had not planned much of what was to come afterward, it had been some time since the girl had been forced to actually entertain a guest in any manner. With a little luck, the beauty of Hapes itself would aid in the cause.

"Come, let us not delay any longer, then."

Anya managed to keep a softness to her voice that was filled with warmth. It reflected the unsaid sentiment that, while honored with Meorrrei's presence, believed fully in the saying of 'business before pleasure'.

The young woman, along with the small delegation representing the royal house lead the clan matron and her entourage inside the estate. Not to be outshone by the grandness of its surroundings, the Reef Fortress' interior commanded just as much awe as the views outside. The ceilings were high, the decor grand, and yet all of it inviting.

The room they were lead to was more of the same and Anya had to give pause once inside, standing to the side of a large window whose top portion was a etched in various shades of colored glass in designs reflectings symbols of the house of Alastor.

She waited to see where Madame Meorrrei would choose to sit, and to see if she would shoo the others away as Anya had done the Hapans before entering the room, or if they would be accompanying her.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani's manservants exercised decorum, staying with the ship as they were led inside. It would only be the Meorrrei house matriarch and her daughter attending the event.

Inside, the decor was redolent with the charms to be expected of a colonial style aristocratic taste. The table was a heavy and long one, cut lovingly of old-growth wood and decorated with care. Tapestries ringed the walls, and a high chandelier cast warm light in an omnidirectional glow. Fresh flowers were also on display in vases on small console tables in the interim between windows and tapestries.

Taataani took the head seat at the table nearest the door, and her daughter Raifaani took the seat immediately to her left. She waited for her counterpart to sit, presumably at her opposite. Her tail curled into her lap as she prepared the dataslips and holoprojections she would need to convey her part of the negotiation.

"To sstarrt, jit jiss cusstomarrjy forr ourr people, asss a good fajith prractjice, to gjive bussjinesss crredentjialss upfrront."

At that, Raifaani rose, walking to the Ambassador's side of the table to provide her with a dataslip.

"jI am accrredjited thrrough the Carrshouljiss Bussjiness Mjinjisstrrjy, and jyou wjill fjind mjy corrporratjion'ss charrterr, and the sstatuss of jit, wjithjin. The charrterr jiss to guarrantee that we have goverrnment ssanctjion of jintegrrjitjy of enterrprrjisse agajinsst malfeassance and unprrofesssjionaljissm."

She allowed the Ambassador a moment to review it. It was important to know that a business partner was a sound party, and insulate against any form of con artistry or criminality.

[The Vilissar Twins]

Anya had no doubt the Cizerack before her was in good standings. The young woman knew that research would have been extensive before such a proposal between Meorrrei and Onderon could even begin to be conceived. Regardless though, it was always good to view such things with one's own eyes and the dataslip was viewed with keen eyes.

A mental tug of war occurred when it came to herself. While surely the Ambassador would not have such similar information, surely there was supposed to be some decorum of duty performed that would have explained why the young woman, still considered nothing more than a girl in some cirlces, would be holding the position. The final response was swift and came from both internally and elsewhere: You are an Ambassador, this is your arena, and it is not you personally that you are here to represent. There is no need for explanation.Harsh perhaps, but Anya wouldn't budge on it.

The dataslip was handed back to Madam Meorrei as a small smile formed on her lips.

"Everything appears to be in well order, not that there was ever any doubt. Unfortunately I do not have similar credentials to show for the whole of Onderon, but I don't believe that is quite necessary, I'm sure you've found whatever information you have needed to that extent. I can call for more official records though if you are interested in viewing them."

The air to her tone was one that flirted on the edge of jest. Not to make light of the custom where the matron had provided her information, but more that when compared to an individual, information that validated the whole of the Onderon-Hapes alliance would probably take several volumes to fill and several hours to read over.

The Ambassador waited for Taataanito take her seat once more.

"Perhaps though, if you would humor me, I would like to go over some of the more basic information regarding this before we go into negotiations? While the desire is certainly mutual to open up trade, I am curious as to why it is that the Cizerack as an entire entity looked to Onderon for this opportunity."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

It was not a question Taataani found herself fully at liberty to discuss. For that, she may need to get an official government opinion.

"Ourr goverrnment hass a poljicjy of trrade ljiberraljizatjion wherreverr the opporrtunjitjy exjisstss. jI therreforre act not asss an agent of ourr goverrnment, but wjith thejirr blesssjing. But rresst asssurred, an open marrket wjill brrjing the prromjisse of even morre bussjinesss, and perrhapss, the openjing of a new trrade corrrjidorr jitsself."

She nodded to Raifaani, who passed to the Ambassador a further dataslip of their basic business proposal.

"We arre jinterressted jin thesse companjiess and jindusstrrjiess on Onderron, asss tarrgetss forr larrge-sscale jinvesstment. What we prromjisse jiss capjital, and wherre needed, advjisorrss. An jinjitjial jinvesstment of two hundrred bjilljion crredjitss, ssprread acrrosss twelve kejy ssectorrss, jindjicated on the datassljip. Kejy to the ljisst, jI am jinterressted jin bujildjing up jyourr bjio-medjical and trranssjit and tourrjissm jindusstrrjiess, at a rrecoverrjy of a perrcentage of prrofjit."

[The Vilissar Twins]

It sounded reasonable enough, as least as far as the Ambassador was concerned. It wasn't an enormous deal, but far from small, and as lady Meorrrei had so kindly pointed out - had the opportunity of opening up greater trade, which could possibly even lead to some sort of unspoken alliance between Cizerack space and that which Onderon was involved with. Down the line, of course.

The thoughts were shared, even relayed where necessary. The list of businesses, the information as spoken by Taataani. All that awaited in reply for Anya to speak was some form of counter offer, objection perhaps, if for nothing but formality sake. But first...

"What sort of percentage were you considering?"

The information hadn't initially popped out to her in that which she held, but it seemed a rather pertinent point.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"A twentjy perrcent commjisssjion jiss what we arre jinterressted jin."

Taataani dropped the number coolly, expecting some tweaking of the figure before a final agreement was made. She inwardly had her own idea of an equitable arrangement, and even if her monetary compensation wasn't reached, she could arrange a basket of other interests, such as exclusivity rights and other matters that didn't immediately pay off, but had other gains realized in the long term.

"Gjiven the jinherrent rrjisskss of jinvesstment, that fjigurre jinssulatess mjy companjy agajinsst unforrsseen galactjic poljitjical eventss."

She didn't have to mention the elephant in the room. Everything was done under the shadow of the roiling conflict between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.

[The Vilissar Twins]

Twenty percent wasn't unreasonable but as an initial agreement it set a rather dangerous precedent. Surely it would become the low point in future offerings and that alone brought a moment of pause in consideration. Anya let other numbers bounce around in her mind as Taataani continued, her final comment bringing a bit of a smirk to the young woman's lips.

"Ah yes..." The smirk faded into a small simple smile as the woman looked away, letting her gaze fall to the outside view from the decorated window. "I can see how that would give you reason for concern. However, let me assure you... and this may be a bit brazen of me to say, but Onderon and its affiliates have found ourselves outside of that realm of influence. While it is my understanding that trade routes may not fall under such comfort, we certainly would make certain that we take whatever precautionary steps are necessary to protect our assets and those of our allies."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"And jyourr earrnesstnesss jisss valued jinto that perrcentage."

Taataani smiled in a reassuring way.

"An jinterrsstellarr bussjinesss venturre of thjiss ssjize, and thjiss farr frrom ourr famjiljiarr trrade rroutess, alsso factorrss jinto that fjigurre."

It was obvious the Onderonian ambassador had something else in mind.

"Djid jyou jintend a counterr-offerr?"

That was no problem to the felinoid. It would concern her more if Ambassador Vilissar took the proposal without contest.

[Darth Callidus]

His hands laid on Anadi's shoulders, Callidus allowed his thoughts to flow into Anadi Vilissar's mind. Anya, connected to her twin-sister through the power of the Force, heard her master's answer too, his thoughts becoming her own.

“That is unacceptable. Onderon offers ten percent commission, at her Majesty Queen Adraudia's instruction.”

[The Vilissar Twins]

It was seamless, the words flowing from Callidus from one mind to the next, processed, and then gently relayed. Her lips drew into a soft smile shortly after Madame Meorrrei asked the question. Unacceptable seemed a bit too strong of a word though given the overall tone of their conversation thus far.

"Naturally. Given the circumstances around this venture, your offer is indeed a reasonable starting figure. However, I must admit that we were looking towards something more along the lines of ten percent."

She kept her tone firm, fully aware that drifting too far into politeness would cause her to appear weak and unsure of herself.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Another bout of whispering between herself and Raifaani. This was not unanticipated. Gesturing her daughter away, Taataani smiled politely.

"jI would prreferr a perrcentage morre becomjing to coverr the rrjissk jinherrent jin trrade bejyond ourr norrmal corrrjidorr? Would fjifteen perrcent be morre acceptjible?"

It was a rudimentary negotiation, and one that Taataani completely expected.

[The Vilissar Twins]

The fact that the business venture would take Meorrrei's resources out of their usual comfort zone was certainly something to be considered. There were whispers on her side of the negotiation as well. The peaceful look on her face was hard to discern what the thoughts were towards the matter as the conversation took place far away from the room in which the ambassador and the business woman sat.

The feigned contemplation was lifted slowly. There was no point in giving some sort of reason for the next counter-offer, so only a simple word left her.

"Thirteen."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani interlaced her fingers together as she rested her hands on the table. Thirteen percent, without other compensation, would possibly not be sufficient. There were other issues than simply percentages of profits.

"Thjirrteen, wjith sstjipulatjion that we arre allowed to jinstall an offjicerr to Onderron'ss commerrce burreau."

Her eyes tracked to the left slightly.

"Mjy daughterr, Raifaani."

[The Vilissar Twins]

With eyes calm and unreadable the young woman regarded the younger Cizerack, as if studying her, weighing the option placed before Onderon in the negotiations.

Being a medium for both her own thoughts and those of her unseen Master wasn't entirely a strange experience, but to have it happen over such a long distance was ever so slightly unsettling. Yet there was a dignified sense of security in it as well, the hand of Callidus was there to guide.

A small gentle smile broke out on Anya's lips before she nodded her head just slightly.

"I think that's more than reasonable."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani gave the slightest of nods, a confident smile prominent on her face.

"Done, then."

Raifaani said nothing, looking back at her mother with her mouth slightly agape. When did she think of this? When was she going to tell her? She felt used, like any other bartering asset in her mother's limitless coffers. Onderon was so impossibly far from home, and now she was to be installed there as her mother's mouthpiece? There was certainly prestige with the posting, no doubt, but couldn't she have saw fit to telling her?

Taataani, on the other hand, was putting various affairs to order on a datapad.

"Ambasssadorr, let me amend thjiss contrract, and jI would want jyou to rretajin a copjy and rread jit pleasse."

The business arrangements here were proceeding amicably, even if the representative from Onderon did prefer to play her cards close to the chest.

[The Vilissar Twins]

The change to the air in the room was swift, what might have almost been considered tension was instantly lifted as the deal was agreed upon. The overly cool demeanor of the young woman left as well, leaving Meorrrei with the more agreeable nature that Anya had presented when they had first met.

"Wonderful." Her hands clasped together lightly, her elbows remaining off the table and gently tucked against her body. "I will personally make sure that your daughter's stay on Onderon is as pleasant as possible."

Her hands lowered to her lap once more, a small smile was given to the younger of the two, not quite reassuring, but there anyway. Anya and Anadi after all had first hand knowledge of how jarring it could be to suddenly find yourself moved away from home and to somewhere you were never expecting to find yourself. It was something that made a person stronger in the end. Though strength of the younger Meorrrei was something that was already factoring in, if her mother was anything to go by. It would be interesting to see how she would fair among the politicians of Onderon.

"Now, is there anything else I can do for you ladies to wrap this up?"