Ask Estimations

[Raith Sokol]

”First visit yes.” Sokol replied, as the bored looking arrivals attendant read from its list of immigration questions.

”And you’re here for business of leisure?”

”Business.”

”Nature of the business, and the length of your stay?”

”Civil Engineering, and only for a month or so. However I will be coming and going during that time.”

”Right. Approved.” the attendant looked up, and handed back the now freshly stamped visa, which Sokol took with a pleasant smile.

He had never visited Zeltros before, but the client had insisted they meet here, and he was not one to be persnickety when it came to prospective business. Picking up his bag, which contained little more than a datapad, a few databanks and some documents, he put his jacket back on, and headed out to the front of the spaceport, where he had been told the client would meet him.

It was a squat and ugly building, built in the ‘post-imperial style’ that had swept some of the mid-rim over the course of the past decade. Expensive to make and maintain, as well as deeply damaging to the local landscape, this particular style was something Sokol had made sure to avoid in his own work.

Heading toward the exit of the ugly building, he was met by a stevedore droid with the rest of his luggage, and waited to see his client.

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Zeltros was a world that Laeonas had frequented on a number of occasions while out in the galaxy. Of all the places that one could kick back, relax, and enjoy himself, this world was supreme in it's accommodations. It was the partying, drinking, whoring, gambling capital of the galaxy, unrivaled by any other worlds. It was the kind of place that attracted both the upper echelons of the galaxy, and the vilest pit scum it could offer. Most came for what this world had to offer, and to an extent, Laeonas did as well.

There was just another matter he had to attend to.

"Welcome," The pink skinned attendant greeted, a warm tone and an equally warm smile on his face. "This shouldn't take long, but please produce your travel visa and relevant documents." He'd request, to which Laeonas nodded. In earlier years these formalities weren't necessary, but thanks to the AMS pandemic and heightening political tension, the man was now required to produce his fake ID and fake visa whenever he arrived on this world. It was inconvenient and expensive, with bribes and negotiations being exceedingly difficult.

Even his years dealing spice and other narcotics couldn't compare to how much of a pain it was to broker a deal. Nonetheless, the documents were worth ten times their weight in credits. Laeonas had not once had to deal with someone questioning him for discrepancies or an arrest for possessing forged documents. That was good for the person producing it as well as himself; mostly because if he ever escaped from the cell he was locked in for such an infraction, the first thing he'd do if he escaped would be to take the forged documents and shove them up--

"Everything checks out!" The Zeltron would suddenly chime in a sing-song voice. The human would blink a few times, refocusing on what he was doing. "Err, glad ta'ear it." He replied, reaching towards the booth. "What're you doing? We've got questions to go over." The Zeltron added, the sudden words stopping Laeo's arm in it's tracks. Pursing his lips, the man would hold back the desire to sigh, and reply "Aight, ask away."

"Are you here for business, or leisure?"

"Both."

"What's the nature of the business, leisure, and the duration of your stay?"

"Shite, they're bein' thorough."

He tried to remember what he'd actually written down on his papers. In truth, he'd mostly come to deal spice, but he'd also come to get his ship refit. He knew he'd written that down, so he replied, "Ai'm here ta get mae ship refit, and Ai want'a'it up one of tha casino districts."

The Zeltron looked down, and his brown furrowed slightly. Laeonas was bracing for a confrontation when the attendant shrugged. "Well, looks about right." The pink skinned native stated, stamping the papers and handing them back. "Have a nice stay!" The human forced a toothy smile, and awkwardly shimmied off. The first thing he needed to do now was find his... associate? Formal business titles were such a pain.​

@Nor'baal

 

[Raith Sokol]

Sokol would have been standing outside for nearly twenty minutes when his contact arrived, stamping out of the main entrance off to his right and shuffling his arrival documentation. He had to do a double-take.

"Damn, I thought he was already here." he mumbled to himself, as he picked up his bag, put on his very best smile, and walked over, extending his hand. "Raith Sokol, you must be," he stopped to ensure he didn't massacre the pronunciation "....Laeonas Tannaras?"

He put his bag back down again, and hailed them a cab.

"I was rather hoping you'd already have arrived, but I guess transport out here is not that reliable these days. There's a hotel nearby, with a meeting room, well - a bar actually - shall we head that way?"

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

With the ordeal of travel documentation put aside, Laeonas was now free to begin searching for his client. Fortunately that process didn't take nearly as long, as a shorter, balding human made his way over to the man. Laeonas stood frozen for a few seconds, listening to the the man's name-- Raith Sokol-- and what was supposed to be his own name. Slowly, the raven haired man took the other human's grip and shook, adding. "Call me Laeo."

The man had actually gotten Laeo's name correct, though he himself didn't think that. His accent prevented him from accurately speaking his own name. Though, if he had spoken it the way he did all his life, how he said it was the true pronunciation no matter what.

"Transport's fine. Documentation's tha problem. D'ya know 'ow 'ard it is ta get documents forged these days?" The man replied, no longer bothering to hide his illicit background. They were business partners, bound to work together so that they could both get what they want. He could discuss what he did outside of that freely. Besides, if his partner decided to turn him in... well, it wouldn't go well for either of them. He trusted the man's self interests as much as he trusted his own.

Going forward to address the man's other suggestion, Laeo added, "Ai'm fine with bunkin' there, but Ai'd rather we find a more... exotic place fer'our meetin'?" It was fairly obvious as to what Laeonas was suggesting, and as he entered the speeder, he didn't bother hiding it. He was going to experience Zeltron properly, and nothing was going to stop him.

"Take me and mae partner t'tha casino district," Laeonas instructed, a wide grin stretching across his lips. "Get us there quick, Ai'm thirsty...fer booze. Nothin' else." He clarified, not out of embarrassment, but in order to avoid freaking out his business partner. Before any protests could be had, the cab pilot had sped off the platform, taking them in the direction of the brightest set of lights the planet had to offer. "Ai 'ope ya don't mind, but Ai feel it'd be such a waste of an experience ta stick ta one 'otel. We can live a little, can't we?"​

@Nor'baal

 

[Raith Sokol]

Reminding himself that this man was the client, Sokol decided that they could, in fact, 'live a little', and so he nodded along and wondered what exactly he had got himself in for. The speeder careened through the streets, from the sleepy old town, it made its way with haste to the glitz of the casino district, and soon, Sokol found himself massively out of his comfort zone. The speeder came to a halt, and he stepped out, bag in hand, dishevelled from his travels.

"Well, I suppose we just go in?" he muttered, plodding into the nearest casino with his client in tow, and heading to the bar. "Urm, one water and a...well?" he paused, searching for an answer down the menu, before helplessly looking at Laeonas with an awkward grin.

"Whatever you want really?"

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Wandering into "Balaska's Betting and Booze," the main floor easily had hundreds of gamblers, drinkers and staff all around. It actually took a bit to get up to the bar, considering the floor traffic and seats occupied. Laeonas couldn't help but chuckle at the engineer's reaction, flashing another grin and shaking his head. "'Aven't ya ever 'ad fun, old man?" He teased, turning to the bartender. "Correllian ale, two rounds. Force knows Ai'm drinkin' more than one t'night."

So it was that the older man was given his water, and Laeonas was given his alcohol. Starting to drink, it was clear that raven haired man was... thirsty, to say the least. He emptied the first glass in seconds, and the second was finished soon after. He hadn't been slow about it at all, and from the look on his face, he almost seemed to be exclusively doing it for the feeling of drunkenness. Intoxication was it's own reward, and it wasn't long before he was visibly drunk.

"Sho laike, Ai'm a simple man," He suddenly began, blinking a few times and slapping himself in the face. "Ai don't need much ta be 'appy, but mae ship is a fuckin' shitehole," He explained, putting his glass down with a wobbling hand. "Laike, ya got any ideas man?" He'd ask, flashing a smile. Despite how obviously drunk he was, the man was still making sense... somehow. How long that would last was yet to be determined, but probably not for long.

"Ai'm gonna go take a leak." He went on, slowly standing. His legs wobbled as he made his way across the floor, boots failing to clack against the carpet. It was probably silly for them to choose carpet for flooring. Alcohol was the primary beverage of choice, and nothing could stop someone from just vomiting all over the floor. It was a good thing that he didn't need to vomit though, because that would've been an inconvenient and overused trope for an alcoholic character.​

@Nor'baal

 

[Raith Sokol]

One thing was for certain - Sokol and his client couldn't be more different from one another.

He ignored the man's jibes and focused on the job at hand, namely the one he had been hired to do. Reaching into his bag, he drew out a datapad, and a stylus, and pulled up some plans as the man wobbled off to the bathroom. "Lets see." Sokol muttered to himself, bringing the schematics he had been toying with on the way over, up on his screen. Overall the ship needed a refit before they could even talk about additional features. It was an old vessel, but a sturdy one and his immediate concern were bringing some of its mechanics up to pace with modern technology.

Waiting for his client to return, he would turn the datapad to face the man, deftly avoiding his drink as he did so, and run through the proposal.

"Your ship was well constructed when it was first put together, and that means the first phase of the plans are much easier. To begin with, the engines, coolant system and hyperdrive need replacing if you want to match modern variants. We can outfit the vessel with upgraded and more modern systems across the board, and whilst doing so, replace the outer plating and shield arrays with something more reliable. Chromium finish, or a more rustic option, is available for the exterior. Now, we also need to take a look at the cockpit, which is of an old design. A sleeker design would match the market at the moment, and provide more security in a gunfight."

"If we look at your aftermarket features, that depends on what you want to use it for. A booster for the drive and an underslung, concealable blaster cannon may be the way to go if ever you are, urm, looking to make a quick get away, shall we say. Finally, you may want to add some compartments inside for storage, these can be discrete if you need them to be. Are there any special requirements you have for the ship beyond that?"

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

When he returned from the refresher, Laeonas was immediately hit with a deluge of information. He had to go over what the older man was saying multiple times in his own head, adding more words as he went on. Finally, the raven haired man added, "Yeah, uh, cool." He wasn't dismissing the engineer; far from it. Laeonas could understand everything the man was saying. He just didn't have the mental energy to process a response when he was so... inebriated.

"Modern, got it. New parts, makes sense. Technical upgrades aarrre... good. Yeah, awesome." he nodded along, trying his hardest to not sound like a fool. "Chromium ish gonna be to exshpensiiivvve. Just add a cortosis and durashteeeeeeeeeel allooooooyyyyyyyyyy..." The man corrected, listening on about the cockpit next. He had no qualms with what Sokol said, but he had something to add.

"Cabin's also shite. Barely a cot, locker, and run down fresher. Make it bigger, Ai want an ackshual bed." Laeonas elaborated, blinking a few times as he sat up. "Don't go laike, to overboard. We've got plenty of space ta build onto... yeah, definitely. Huuuuuuge storage, never gonna use it. Build out from there." He went on, before belching. He'd pause, take a deep breathe, and go back to listening.

"No need fer a booster; Ai laike looooong trips." He immediately dismissed the first thing the man brought up, being about as specific in his reasoning as he could. "Need some ackshual kriffin' defenses... blaster cannon's good. Wouldn't mind some less concealed turbolashers either. 'Ere... 'ere... and 'ere..." He went on, pointing at both the sides of the ship, and plating just behind the cockpit. When he moved onto storage compartments, Laeonas suddenly grimaced. His face immediately took on a more somber look, and he shook his head.

"Ship's a'ready got plenty of space. No need." He snapped. There were parts of the ship's design that weren't known on the schematics the engineer had. His ship had been modified once before, modified for a specific type of cargo. The walls were lined with metal panels, two meters long and half a meter wide. They had cuffs attached, their purpose being rather obvious. He remembered spending hours staring at one that had fallen open the first time, mind wandering to the darkest recesses of sentient cruelty.

"Armory," He suddenly mouthed, turning back to the engineer. "Want a concealed armory. Blasters, armor, tha works. Gimme a compartment near mae cabin." He explained. If he hadn't missed anything, Laeonas had explained... everything he wanted to the man. Bright eyes looked down at his own drink, which, oddly enough, hadn't been touched through their entire discussion. Without any prompting, he'd down the glass, emptying it's contents down his throat. ​

@Nor'baal

 

[Raith Sokol]

"Costs will be high for sure, but it's vital to ensure that you put the correct resources behind this project for it to pay off fully." Sokol responded flatly, realising that the man was a little 'under the weather' so to speak, and was probably not taking on what he was saying.

He pressed on.

"We can upgrade the cabin, to your specifications. It may dig into the capacity of the cargo, but that shouldn't be an issue for you. A lot of these older models have lots of wasted space we can make use of. For the external blasters, we would need up the capacity of your power couplings so you can still use the engines to capacity whilst in a gunfight."

Finally, he took a look at the schematics of the ship once more and broke
out his stylus, running through a series of quick changes to the interior of the ship.

"An armoury is workable as well. We can move this," he stopped. His client had just necked another drink. Sokol rolled his eyes. "Same again barman." he called the server over, might as well join the party if it was happening anyway.[/justify]

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Sokol would see the man's eyes almost glaze over without any explanation, even while he was speaking. Than, unprompted, he'd return to normal... before going back to the same state. There wasn't much of an explanation that the engineer might have, since it couldn't possibly be him drifting in and out of consciousness. Entire sentences could be spoken, and that look would appear over the man's face, only for him to respond with perfect understanding and clarity of what had just been spoken of.

Laeonas actually had to start drawing on the force in order for him to remain conscious. Unknown to his partner, Laeonas was drifting in and out of a specific meditative trance he'd taught himself. It was similar to the trance he had used to stave off starvation after escaping Mataou, or dying of dehydration in the desert. The force would aid him in keeping focus, staving off the poisonous effects of alcohol on his systems. It wasn't quite as effective as the technique Vahn had used on the man while on Coruscant, though this had the decided upside of not requiring him to pee.

The downside was that he had to... well, keep doing it. Any time he drifted out of the trance to respond, he'd need to dive right back in. This would be the backdrop of their conversation for the rest of the night, until the man finally decided to either throw up, or nearly die and get his stomach pumped. Aquamarines would shimmer, grow cloudy, and than shimmer again. It would further reinforce the idea in Raith's head that his partner was very, very bizarre.

"Ai think mae combined savings are in tha... 250,000 credit range?" He began, finally putting his glass aside. "That's in liquid republic currency, ofcourse. If we're goin' by all currencies, Ai think it's twice that. Not even gonna talk about mae spiii..." He stopped himself short of further incrimination, giving a chuckle. He paused, before cracking his neck, turning back to the man and moving forward.

He had to pause at the mention of power couplers, frowning a bit. That wasn't expensive on it's own; a standard power coupler could be bought on the market for barely a handful of credits. The problem came in that one rarely ever bought just one. Additionally, it'd probably require an overhaul of the entire power system. "Ai mean... is there any way to up a power couplin's capacity without, yknow... replacin' it?" He asked, chuckling a bit. He hoped that his entire analysis was completely wrong. The last time he'd worked on a ship was 13 years ago... plus, he was still drunk.

The next drink came, and Laeonas just... stared at it for a bit. His trance momentarily lapsed, and it felt like a haze had just came over his senses. "Kriff..." ​

@Nor'baal

 

[Raith Sokol]

"Roughly, yes. Two-hundred and fifty thousand credits would be the saving, however, this would be broken down by the replacement to the power couplings. We can't skimp on the couplings, without them you can break down the moment you get into trouble." Sokol felt it important to break it down for his client. You couldn't skimp on a high-performance vessel, in Sokols opinion.

"We could get a cheaper version, and redo the electrics using pit-droids, under my supervision. This would mean your ship will be out of commission whilst we redo the electrics, about three days. However, it saves you the quarter of a million." he added. Basically, the client would need to choose between money or time.

A choice we all make! Sokol mused.

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

"PIT DROIDS?!" He suddenly roared, breaking out of the previous trance with a fury he hadn't felt in years. He turned to his partner with the burning rage of a thousand stars behind those aquamarines. Words couldn't describe the twisted look of hate and disgust on his face. Were it for any one person, Laeonas would have been trying to kill them. His partner would've been fully justified to feel terror at the sight of him. Fortunately, their agreement wasn't going tits up just yet.

Laeonas' suddenly outburst of rage subsided going from overwhelming fury to just normal anger. Trying to remain calm, he drank the contents of the nearest glass. "FUCKIN' RIDICULOUS, those things! Ya can't possibly know 'ow much Ai'd wanna see tha lot of em cast inta some furnace, melted down, and jettisoned int'a space! They don't even deserve recyclin', little, braindead hunks of SCRAP!" He growled, barely able to contain himself.

It took him a bit to realize how... rattled his partner would be. Turning, he was glad to find that the man hadn't immediately fled the bar. "Ai... am so sorry," he stated, trying his best to sound apologetic. "Ai just... REALLY kriffin' 'ate those things. Ai can't even explain right now, otherwise Ai'll 'ave a stroke." He went on, taking deep breaths. The next half a minute was spent in a meditative trance, with Laeonas slowly managing to calm himself down. His thoughts became clearer, and his rage began to subside. Finally, he opened them again.

"Ya need ta supervise 'em 24/7. Those... things aren't gonna be rummagin' around mae ship without ya keepin' a close eye on 'em." He demanded, not really asking a favor, but directly instructing his partner to do as he said. "Ya know what yer doin'. Keep 'em on a tight leash; an actual kriffin' leash, if ya think it's necessary! Just DON'T let em fuck with mae ship unless yer watchin'!"​

@Nor'baal