Close To Home

[Rex Gallicka]

It had been six years since Roxy'd been anywhere near the core worlds. Ever since she got picked up off the streets by the Empire like an unfinished cigarette, she'd mostly tramped around the outer rim like a stray dog. She was just a kid then, now, well, she was still barely more than a kid. A kid pretending to be an adult, pretending she knew exactly what she was doing.

She did an okay enough job convincing herself most days, but it's gotten harder lately. Trying to run a business herself? She didn't know how businesses worked. She knew speeders and blasters, that was about it. But she was learning. What was more unsettling today, was coming to Corellia, so close to home, and so close to the Empire. Sure, she'd done hit and runs, but operating trade through a core world on the Imperial border, right after a major battle. It was dangerous, especially for a deserter. But it had to be done. If she wanted to make a difference, she couldn't just freight hop the outer rim.

Corellia was a lucrative opporunity, and she would be far from the only opportunistic trader flocking to the system, fighting for the bones and scraps of contracts left behind by the Empire. She was here to meet with the CEO of Streebek Courier Corps. This was a big deal, the SCC was an established corporation on Corellia. She could hardly believe she landed a meeting with the CEO himself. Either the SCC was smaller than she realized, or he'd taken a personal interest in her.

Now she'd have to keep her cool, meeting with a big wig CEO, in an office setting, discussing trade contracts. Well, there was a first time for everything. It's just like a Hutt, she thought to herself. Don't overthink it. Still, landing a legitimate contract with a big company like the SCC would open a lot of doors, even more if the rumors she'd picked up were true. Word in the rim was they had their hand in a lot of pies, pies with conflicting interests, and pies you weren't supposed to touch... Underworld pies.

I wonder what kind of pie a Hutt would be... Great, now I'm hungry, she thought as she set Galaxy One down in an SCC company hangar. Her co-pilot was probably asleep at the moment. She switched on her comlink, keying for her gunner, who she knew was up and about.

"Jakka, we're touching down now. Once everything's unloaded, you guys can take the ship to the spaceport and find a landing pad. After that you're free to go. We'll probably be here a few days."

"You sure you don't want an escort in there?" Jakka asked over the comlink.

"It's an office building, not a Hutt palace," she replied. "I'll be fine. Besides, I don't think an armed guard would be appropriate for an office setting."

"Alright," Jakka said. "See ya later."

Now that she mentioned it, she probably shouldn't go in herself strapped like a space gangster. She probably should've bought some better clothes too. Whatever. Her regular look would have to do. She took off her blaster holster, and grenade belt, and thought about keeping her holdout blaster, but no, that could end up looking even worse. Do core worlders go around like this every day? What if someone shoots at you??

She'd brought a shipment of raw materials in from Geonosis for SCC, good quality stuff. It had cost her an arm and a leg, but if this deal worked out, then the return would be well worth the trouble. Hopefully she could start expanding soon, get her hands on a bulk freighter. Galaxy One was a great ship, but hauling small freight world to world was a slow, painful way to turn a profit.

After landing, she checked in with security and waited to be hailed.

@Zanna Black

 

[Dusti Streebek]

There was a pleasant sounding *Ding!* as one of the security personnel waved Roxy over. “Your profile has cleared. If you go right through that door you will find Mr. Streebek’s assistant waiting to guide you to his office.”


The rather stunning and conservatively dressed zeltroni assistant introduced herself as Sunara Broxo. She proceeded to lead Rex over to a fancy gold colored arch framed elevator. “This is our executive elevator. This will take you straight to the top two floors, so do mind your balance. It is a fast trip.” She sighed slightly. “Mr. Streebek does enjoy his little thrills.”


One unnecessarily fast trip later the elevator halted, and the visibly disturbed assistant stepped out clumsily, trying to regain her bearings. “I… do beg your pardon,” she apologized. “I much prefer the main elevators. This way.” As she made her way through the elaborate common room, which was decorated with ship designs and photos of the owner with big name clients, a small floating droid approached her with a file. “Very good…” she told the droid. “Please go assist Noomar in automations. I will be along shortly.”


She approached a door with a similar arch to the one over the executive elevator and rang a button. A pretty little chime tone emitted from a speaker above the button, followed by the casual sounding voice of a human male. “That you, Sunara?”


“Yes sir…” she responded with a tone far more prim than his. “I have a Ms. Rex Gallicka here with me. I believe she is expected.”


“She is very much expected. Enter, ladies!” The door opened with a *woosh*, and Roxy stepped into a room that was, well, mostly glass. Even the ceiling displayed the sky in its contrail-decorated glory. A pair of glass doors led to an outside balcony, where a young red-headed woman in a brown leather jacket and a drink in her hand seemed to be overlooking the action somewhere below her. A beautifully carved wooden desk adorned the back center of the room, and behind that, a clean-shaven (save for a soul patch) auburn-haired middle aged man of medium stature and build stood up to greet his guest. His fashion sense seemed to be a mix of business casual mixed with traveling adventurer. He smiled as he approached Roxy and held out his hand. “Ms. Gallicka! A pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” He shook her hand enthusiastically. “Marcum Streebek at your service. I hope you don’t mind me personally wanting to speak with you. As you can probably guess, I have my reasons. Please sit!” He motioned to a large comfy leather chair strategically placed in front of the desk. “Sunara, that’ll be all for now. I’ll handle drinks.” He winked at Roxy as he headed toward the nearby mini-bar. Ms. Broxo nodded and left them to their business.


Outside on the balcony the redheaded girl appeared to be waving and shouting at someone below. Although the glass seemed to be sound and shatter resistant, she could vaguely be heard barking some unintelligible joke and laughing quite loudly. Mr. Streebek raised his eyebrows as he poured the drink and gave Roxy a bemused look. “That… um… that would be my daughter Dusti. She’s a courier here and… kind of a company mascot with the other pilots. Bit of a character. Actually, that’s an understatement.” He chuckled a little as he brought her the glass and headed behind the desk. “So first, let’s get to your business. How can I help you on this beautiful day?”

 

[Rex Gallicka]

Mr. Streebek winked at Roxy as he dismissed his assistant. That made her uncomfortable, but whatever, she was here for business.

Roxy was still giggling at the butterflies in her stomach from the executive elevator, as she watched the Zeltron leave, turned rather impolitely in her chair, not thinking in the moment to be subtle about it. Damn, I've been cooped up on that ship for too long.

She'd spent the last three years in the outer rim, the three before that in the army, and everything before that on the streets. It would likely be a long process of breaking old habits and learning new ones before she ever became a lady of proper etiquette. A lady? Was that something she wanted? To be a lady? Probably not. Having class was one thing, but running around in a dress was another entirely. She'd keep her pants, thank you very much.

At least she was feeling a bit less tense for the moment. She turned her eyes back to Marcum, who had handed her a glass from the bar.

"Oh," she started, refocusing. "I don't drink. I'm sorry, I guess I should have said something." She watched Dusti out the window, wanting instinctively to go look out from the balcony herself, and to have whatever fun that girl seemed to be having.

"She sounds fun," Roxy said, smiling. "I get the sense you run this place like a family. We're just a single ship right now, but we're tight knit crew, all ex-military."

"Frankly, we're looking to expand, and this is a perfect opportunity for both of us to do just that." Roxy placed a datacard on the desk, with the arcade-themed Gallicka logo printed on it, and the slogan 'galaxy's best'. "This card has information on the contacts and clientele we'll be able to bring to the table. We do work with a lot of independent systems and aid programs, as well as... paramilitary groups," she worded diplomatically.

The datacard would show perfectly legitimate contacts, but suggest to the trained eye that she had trade conenctions with the well and exclusively equipped Rebel Alliance. She knew this was her biggest selling point, and only hoped some other rebel-aligned trader hadn't already beaten her to the punch. She had a hunch he'd already figured that out, which would explain the meeting in person. If not, she could hopefully at least settle as a regular trade associate.

"We're also working out a partnership with the Nirvanos Mercenary Company," Rex added, playing her final card. "If you decide to work with us, we can assist with improved security and escorts, which is obviously in high demand these days."

@Zanna Black

 

[Dusti Streebek]

Marcum listened to Roxy’s offer as he stroked his chin in thought. “So… if I understand you correctly, ‘Rex’, you’re seeking a contract with our company. And these connections you are bringing to the table are very intriguing. Now, I’ll be up front with you… I have made contact with certain individuals who I’m sure have associations with these groups, however, you are the first to present them in this fashion. My hats off to you.” He did a lackadaisical salute. “That’s about as militaristic as I get. A word of advice first, before we continue… that last company that you mentioned. We don’t like to use the word ‘mercenary’ ‘round here. How about a more ‘businessy’ name? Like, ‘NirvaPro Contractors’? It looks much better on paper.”

He sat back in his seat and put his arms behind his head. “When you’re in business with a customer base with many differing sensibilities and ideologies one must be cautious. You never know what may offend the slightly more ‘volatile’ clients. Hence, the reason for our private meeting.” He then leaned forward and looked Roxy in the eye. “Chance has granted us an opportunity to look beyond the Imperial entanglements that we once traversed. Corellia belongs to the Mandalorians now, and for a while that means less red tape and… less attention to the other clientele. Sooooo…” He pushed a piece of paper across the desk along with a gold pen. “I’ll give you some time to peruse the paperwork and make sure everything is in order. You can sign now if you wish or sign later, as I have another proposition for you. If you’ll excuse me…”

He turned to knock on the window in an apparent effort to gain his daughter’s attention. The attempt was a bust, as Dusti continued to bellow jokes laced with expletives to the couriers below. Marcum rolled his eyes toward Roxy as he made his way to the glass doors, opening one of them. A cool breeze blew through the office as the colorful words, “…up the mayor’s rosy-red *bleep!!!*” carried in on the wind.

“DUSTINA!!!” Marcum called out, causing Dusti’s head to whip around. Her unkempt hair flapped in her freckled face with the moving air as she clamped her mouth shut and stared wide-eyed at her father. Then, she grinned sheepishly. Marcum cleared his throat. “Dustina, would you kindly join us in the office, please?”

Dustina pursed her lips in displeasure as she made her way in. “I hate it when you call me Dustina,” she muttered to him under her breath as she attempted to fix her hair while she walked toward Roxy. “So, you’re Rex, right? Dusti Streebek. I’m a courier for my dad.” She took Roxy’s hand and gave her a strong handshake. She then pulled a wooden chair from the wall and turned it around to straddle the seat.

Marcum held his breath momentarily, then continued with his proposition. “Dusti here is a human roadmap when it comes to Coronet City. I thought it might be a good gesture to have her take you on the town and show you the sights. All expenses on us, so long as you stay out of trouble… And here he looked at Dusti before carrying on. “Call it an effort to schmoose our future business partner. And… um… an effort to offer Dusti an opportunity to show a certain sense of hospitality. Is this something that might interest you, Ms. Gallicka?”

Dusti leaned forward and cupped a hand to her mouth. “I guarantee… you won’t regret it.” she whispered toward Roxy, as a devilish glint reflected in her eye.

@ Cinderella

 

[Rex Gallicka]

Rex felt butterflies in her stomach. "Yeah," she answered. "I'd like that. I can't remember the last time I had a good meal. Uhh, go ahead and send the paperwork to my ship, and I'll get back to you before I leave Corellia."

How embarrassing, she couldn't look any more green if she tried. At least her first real big deal was with someone like Marcum Streebek. He seemed trustworthy and genuine, and seemed to be understanding, even helpful. It wasn't exactly the shark tank she'd expected it to be. Then again, that was suspicious in itself. You didn't last long in the outer rim by taking things at face value and trusting contacts. But, this wasn't the outer rim. She'd have to learn, and learn quick, and these Streebeks seemed like a good start.

Marcum's little salute rubbed her the wrong way even more than his earlier wink. Reminders of her 'service' came with mixed emotions. Hell, when did I get so uptight? She asked herself, deciding not to say anything, and trying not to make a face. She realized she had mentioned earlier she was ex-military, and that she was wearing an Imperial army jacket. What did she expect? It wasn't like her to be so tense.

She was taking this whole thing too seriously, and overthinking it all. She was probably just anxious from spending so much time on a little ship too. Flying was one thing, but hyperspace travel she could certainly live without.

"Thanks for seeing me, Mr. Streebek," she said, standing up. "I'll try not to be a stranger." She looked to his daughter. "So, Dusti," she tried put the name. "I'm all yours, schmooze away." She was looking forward to the downtime. And with someone her age? When was the last time she could say that? Maybe, just for a night, she could just be a girl. Not a spacer, not a soldier, not a businesswoman. Just a girl.

@Zanna Black

 

[Dusti Streebek]

“Fan-tabulous!!!” Dusti unhorsed herself from the chair and went to slap Marcum on the back. “It’s gonna be a late night, Dadda. Don’t wait up. Come on, Rex!” She started to skip out of the office. “We’re gonna paint this *bleepin* town chartreuse! I know a great Alderaanian place that serves the best Nerf a L’Orange. You’re gonna love it!”


As she bounced her way toward the elevator, Marcum placed an uncertain hand on his cheek and looked at Rex with a face that almost said “what have I done?” “Enjoy yourselves, ladies! And uh… Dusti? Remember what we talked about!”


Dusti turned back toward Marcum and attempted a graceful bow while stepping backwards… which made her stumble a little. When she turned back around she was face to face with the elevator door. “Oops… and I’ve hardly started drinking! Ha!” She pushed the down button and the door opened immediately. “I’ll bet Ms. Broxo looked pretty green after she brought you up this thing. If anyone was my polar opposite, it would be her.” She took out a key and plugged it into the button panel. “Come on in! We’re gonna go straight to the garage. I got a treat for ya.” She waited for Rex to step in before she turned the key. After the doors closed, the elevator swiftly shot down, giving its passengers the sensation of weightlessness in their stomachs. After a few moments, the door opened up to an incredibly different scene. A very simple parking garage met their eyes, with a mechanic’s station placed off to the right.


“Quite a change from the fancy gold elevator, right? The public doesn’t usually see this, otherwise Dadda might consider more gold leafing.” She rolled her eyes at that thought but the smile remained. “But anyway… let’s see if you can guess which speeder is mine? Come on, guess???” As they walked by various landspeeders, one came into view that stood out from the rest.

She bounced jubilantly over to the speeder. “Isn’t she awesome??? This is the Street Phoenix! She’s been specially modified for racing and she’s won more than once! Thought it would be fun to show up to the restaurant in style.” She pushed a button on a remote in her hand and the doors popped open. A devilish grin spread across her face as she looked at Rex. “Wanna go for a ride?”


http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?members/cinderella.3005/]@ Cinderella[/url]

 

[Rex Gallicka]

Getting out of that office room was like being pulled out of a tank of water. She could finally breathe again. Another ride on the executive elevator later, and her anxiety and tension had all but melted away. Dusti's personality was infectious, there was no denying it. In no time, Rex was laughing and matching the girl's energy.

"Oh hell yeah," Rex exclaimed, seeing the speeder. "That's a P-870! My friend back on Coruscant had a P-700 custom we used to race." She laughed, struck by the flashy design. If she didn't know better, she'd think it was hers. "The color kinda reminds me of my ship. That paint job is just my style too. Ya know, if I wasn't about to start working with your old man, I might just steal this thing for myself." She grinned at Dusti, making her way to the passenger side.

"You can take me for a ride wherever you like, sweetheart," she answered, climbing into the passenger seat. She was finally back in her element. The greenhorn trader of a few minutes ago was gone, and the outer rim tramp was back, front and center. "So, where you wanna take me first?"

@Zanna Black

 

[Dusti Streebek]

Dusti gasped, as if she had just heard the magic word. “You used to race???” She clapped excitedly. “Oh my *bleep!* We have so much to talk about!” Then she practically jumped into the driver’s seat.

The interior of the P-870 was almost as decorative as the exterior. It was a purplish dyed material trimmed with silvery threads and studs with fake diamonds. The two front seats had some sort of animal stripe pattern and there were decals of various racer symbols on the window edges. And… it had a great sound system.

She punched in a code and the speeder revved up, emulating something in between the growl of a tiger and the purr of a mother house cat. “Is that not a beautiful sound? My baby’s in tip-top shape,” she bragged. “Just tuned her up yesterday. And as for where we’re going… I wasn’t joking about the Nerf a L’Orange, but what’d ya say we get that *bleep* to go and I bring you to the hottest underground club in the city! It’s called ‘Queenie K’s’ and it is a wild time. A lot of peeps in the racing crowd hang there. Anyway… let’s blow this joint!”

And with that, she kicked the speeder in motion as she blasted through the garage. Flames shot out the back as she flew toward the closed off exit. “Don’t worry! It’ll open!” she assured Rex. She pressed a button on the dash and the doors slid open quickly, just in time for the Street Phoenix to zoom it’s way out of captivity and into the wilds of the great metropolis of Corellia.

“Woooooo!!! We are gonna rule this city to-night!!!”