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[Galavant]

Backes the Hutt was generally not in the business of meeting the scum of the Cartel. The kung, or more politely prospects, were frankly beneath his concern. And when they weren't it usually meant something had gone very wrong, such as the fate of the (former) Besadii leader, Dogi. But generally speaking prospects were a credit a dozen. He could snap his fingers (well if such a thing were possible for a species as slim coated as a Hutt), and in the time it took him to do so, so many members of the lowest rung in the Cartel would have died exceptionally violent deaths, and been replaced by fresh faces looking to make a score and leave their mark on the galaxy. It was entertaining on occasion, but typically tiresome. Backes had more important things to do than watch ants play about.

But sometimes the scum showed promise, and that was then they were really interesting. More recently the new head of the Kormtha Clan had, had a bit of an unpleasant run in with the Champio of Anjliac. It had ended more or less without violence, but it had showed Backes the value of such people as Mjolla. Petar had used the one woman nightmare to great effect, and secured a much larger place for his own clan in the overall scheme of the Cartel. If Kormtha was going to be around what happened next, it was clear that such people were needed as well.

But such people couldn't just be created out of thin air. They had to be proven, or you had situations such as what had happened to Dogi where his own guards had turned on him. They had to be loyal, and loyalty was a tricky thing in a den of thieves. Backes wasn't sure he really believed in it, as an abstract concept. He believed in favors, and having people in his debt.

And it was for that reason that he was meeting with one of the more veteran prospects seeking to move up the ladder. Outright recruiting such people wasn't Backes' style. Giving them a hand here, and expecting something in return? That very much was.

And so he waited on one of the upper levels of Calrissian Hall for the prospect to arrive. He was outside the luxurious suite he'd rented out, looking out over the cityscape of Nar Shaddaa, near the large pool, and bar on the balcony. If the man did well in the meeting, he might himself with such luxuries, or whatever equivalent he desired, before too long. If he didn't...

Well there were always more scum in the sea.

 

[Phoenix]

Tal had been with the Cartel for about a year now, and that time had been spent running around killing, maiming, and otherwise committing crimes on behalf of the Cartel’s higher ups in an attempt to claw his way out of being a prospect and eventually ascend to the next rank: Enforcer. Personally, he felt that he deserved promotion, given all of the work he had done, but in order to make that happen, he needed someone to back his claim, so here he was hoping to gain the support of Backes the Hutt.

Tal rode up to Calrissian Hall on his speeder bike and every time he saw it, he was stunned. It was an impressive building, rising 80 stories into the sky of Nar Shaddaa. He flew in and parked his speeder on the 8th floor of the building and made his way over to the turbolifts. The other people were eager to make their way up to the casino floor so that they could lose their money and deposit it directly into the Cartel’s pocket. He smiled slightly at the thought that these people were all indirectly paying his paycheck.

He punched the button and waited as the lift stopped at the casino floor where most of its occupants disembarked and Tal could see the flashing lights and sounds of the floor. He crossed the casino floor and saw the numerous occupants of its floor. Innumerable people sat in the casino. Many sat at machines pulling their handles with zombie-like faces while the more experienced gamblers sat at the sabacc or pazaak tables, playing for higher stakes. Perhaps he would hit the sabacc tables himself to celebrate after the meeting if it went well, but that was for later.

He arrived at the private elevator for the lavish suite the Hutt had rented, and informed the guards at the bottom who he was. The pair of guards looked to be prospects themselves, no doubt also looking to make a name within the Cartel. He was confident that he could take them both in a fight at the same time, but that would be unnecessary at this point. It was simply his habit to size up other individuals that he met. “Tal Veren, here to see Backes. He’s expecting me.” The guard on the right raised a radio and checked with the superiors upstairs, and after a moment, motioned for Tal to enter the lift.

The doors slid closed, and for the first time, he actually began to feel nervous. He wasn’t a man given to fear of anyone, but that’s not what this was. This was nerves about performing well. His movement forward within the organization was largely based on this one meeting and he didn’t want to mess it up. He removed his helmet and held it in his hands, an action that showed extraordinary trust, as he waited for the doors to slide open.

When they did, he was met by the sight of yet another guard and he went through the process again. “Tal Veren to see Backes.” He was instructed to wait just outside the lift while another man disappeared onto the balcony, presumably to find Backes the Hutt.

 

[Galavant]

"Greetings Mister Veren," Backes answered him, as he arrived. Kormtha had always been the most liberal of the Kajidics, if it weren't a human like Jack Tamblyn would never have lead them. Backes wouldn't speak Basic with just anyone. He wouldn't even speak directly to the other party in a negotiation. But this was different, this was was about him showing just what kind of ally he could be. Much nicer than those other Hutts that just demanded groveling, and long winded titles.

Slithering over to face the man, the immense Hutt knew he couldn't really appear as amicable as he could sound. Hutt physiology just didn't really allow for it when dealing with humanoids, and the like. But that didn't mean the Hutt couldn't schmooze if he wanted to.

"Would you care for a drink?" He asked, gesturing to the bar. Depending on if his guest took him up on the offer, Backes would wait before speaking again.

"In the interests of not wasting your time with the usual back and forth Mr. Veren, I'll cut right to the chase. You're here because you want me to support you, and I invited you here because I fully intend to do so," Backes said. It was a relatively straight forward transaction.

"However there is a...favor I would ask of you in return. You are of a Mandalorian background are you not?" Backes asked. You could never be sure with a group like the Mandalorians whether or not someone truly was in this day and age. Back before the genocide it had been easier. Heck even for some after. It had been in this very building (though not room) that a meeting had gone very badly for one Mandalorian Clan. But with what Backes had mind, things might go well for many others.

 

[Phoenix]

“No, thank you, I’m fine,” he said with a smile and a wave of his hand. This Hutt seemed nice enough, but he knew that keeping your wits about you when in negotiations with a Hutt, no matter how amiable they seemed, was a necessity. The Hutt continued to slide toward him and really did seem to be quite friendly and, dare he say, respectful? It was commonplace for Hutts to consider themselves vastly superior to others, certainly those who were only prospects, but this one seemed to actually be treating him almost as an equal, which in his experience wasn’t very common.

Tal’s eyebrows rose slightly at the outright statement that he would endorse him. Backes was absolutely right; usually this type of encounter would be met with a great deal of back and forth bartering, “pleasantry” conversation, and even groveling in some instances. To be completely frank, Tal was too proud and independent to grovel, even to a Hutt, and it was this overall demeanor that typically left him with less than outstanding thoughts toward Hutts in general, despite the fact that he worked for the Hutt]/b] Cartel. However, it was quickly becoming apparent that this wasn’t your typical encounter.

He was still slightly wary of the smooth words of the Hutt. After all, the Hutts got to where they were because of intelligence and the ability to be smooth talkers. Nevertheless, Backes was on the way to earning Tal’s respect, and that was far more valuable in the real world than his groveling. Despite his internal thoughts, he kept his sabacc face the whole time. He knew gambling would come in handy some day.

Then it came. He knew that an endorsement would come at the cost of a quid pro quo, so he wasn’t at all surprised when the Hutt asked for a favor, though he was a little bit surprised that he asked about his culture. “I am a Mandalorian,” he stated first. “I never had a great deal of association with the clans, which is why I escaped the genocide, but my father was a Mandalorian, and raised me in their customs.” The reference was, of course, to his adopted father, since he barely remembered his biological parents, but that was of little concern to Mandalorian law and custom. He viewed Bevan as his father whether biological or not.

 

[Galavant]

"Would be opposed to associating with them?" Backes asked. And here was where things got interesting.

"The Cartel is strong. Stronger than we have been since the Bothan war," He continued. That wasn't strictly speaking true. The Cartel might have been stronger on paper in some ways, but it was still very much a lion whose roar exceeded its bite. These weren't the days when its borders had expanded in all directions as entire systems were quite literally bought, but if they ever wanted to see those days again, they were going to need more. And that was why the man's Mandalorian heritage was important. Backes wasn't just asking any random Mandalorian in the Cartel about this, he was asking one that had bled for the Cartel, and knew how it thought and operated.

"But we still need allies for whatever happens next. Not long after the genocide we'd reached out to several clans but since they've grown distant to us. We would like to see about bring them, or others back into the fold at least a little," He continued. he didn't come out and say what was going to happen next, that should have been patently obvious. War was what happened next. One way or another, whether anybody really wanted it or not, war was going to come again sooner rather than later. The current political situation wasn't one that could last, and Backes wanted to make sure that the Cartel had a few aces up its sleeve when that happened. The Mandalorians might be so few in number as to be considered practically extinct these days, but there were still some left. Some who'd fought alongside the Imperium not long ago. Some who knew how they fought, how they thought, and had a desire to see them go down.

And probably a desire for credits as well, which always helped.

"I would ask that you go in search of some of these Mandalorians and try to persuade them to our side. Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant so long as you try," Backes finished. And that was certainly true. If no clan could be persuaded...well it was no skin off his teeth as the humans said. The Cartel didn't lose anything by trying, and had everything to gain by doing so. They were playing a dangerous game, but when was Galactic Politics ever not dangerous?

 

[Phoenix]

Tal was sure that there was a least a little bit of bravado in the statements by Backes, but nevertheless the Cartel had been growing and solidifying its power. And what better way to solidify power than to bring in some of the most skilled and capable warriors in the galaxy. After all, there was a reason that the Imperium wanted them dead. Even though they didn’t number many, they could do sizeable damage.

“I have no problems associating with them,” he said honestly, though he knew that his experience with “Clan politics” might not be as fluent as some, he figured he could manage. He was no fool. “Are there any specific clans or individuals you’re particularly interested in?”

He was sure that he could likely track down some Mandalorians, even find some that would be willing to work with the Cartel, but if there was someone specifically that he was interested in bringing in, it was best to know up front.

Luring the Mandalorians in was an interesting proposition. At worst, he would be able to make the argument that the Cartel was a powerful ally against the Imperium if war ever came. No, strike that, when war came. What was the old adage: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. That struck him as humorous given the old Mando saying “the enemy of my enemy isn’t always my friend.” Still, in this case the others didn’t really have anything to fear from the Cartel. Furthermore, there was plenty of historical precedence for the Mandalorians working for credits as he did, which was something the Cartel certainly had plenty of.

Tal was no fool. He understood the ramifications of what was being requested of him. This was the possibility of the Cartel going to war with the Imperium and he was being sent to find out if the Cartel could count on support from the clans, but then the Imperium already wanted him dead simply because of what he was didn’t they? What would it matter if he gave them an actual reason to hunt him, besides what was life without risk? Bland was the answer.

 

[Galavant]

"None, I leave that up to you," Backes answered. Truthfully his knowledge of Mandalorian clan politics, or how such a thing could even survive the destruction of the Mandalore sector, was not as great as he might boast it to be. The only clan he knew a good deal of was Renelo, as they had attemped to presuade his old boss, Jack Tamblyn, into helping them on some idiot quest to free their leader, with the Cartel getting nothing in return. And from what Backes had heard, or rather hadn't heard, about Sisk Renelo pointed toward the Cartel getting it right on that particular subject. Really as long as they could hold a gun, command a ship, or whatever the Cartel needed, and accept credits for that, they were fine by Backes. Numbers were what they needed more than anything else at the moment, not who was the best at what necessarily.

"Do remind them that time is important however," Backes continued. "We don't have the luxury of waiting much longer before we find ourselves in the grapple."

And a grapple it would be. If the Cartel wasn't careful, it would be a life and death struggle, that was only too likely to end in their defeat. But if they played their cards right, found allies, and secured resources...well it was still liable to be a gamble. But as the saying went; the riskier the road the greater the profit. And the odds were certainly better than just sitting back, and waiting for the Imperium to come 'round again.

If that is all, I wish you good luck Mr. Veren," Backes finished, a not so subtle way of telling the Mandalorian to shoo if there was nothing else they had to discuss. Bakces was sure there'd be more soon, but odds were that'd be on the Grand Lord to discuss with him. From here on out, he was an Enforcer, and if he proved to be a bridge between the Mandalorians and the Cartel, he could no doubt find himself in a more powerful position than that very soon.

 

[Phoenix]

“I understand,” he spoke simply and gave a nod. He knew how to take a hint. Their business was over. For now. He had business to get to, and if it was successful, he was confident he would see the Lord again.

He also understood the stakes of what they were up against. Securing allies like the Mandalorians was something that would be incredibly useful in the coming war, and if he failed, well, it could cost his life, the life of his vode, and the life of the others in the Cartel. No, failure wasn’t an option. Not on this one.

“Thank you, and have a lovely evening,” he said and slid his helmet back on. That was that. He was an enforcer now, and one with an important mission. He turned and made his way to the turbolift. The doors slid closed and he considered his next move. Well, perhaps his next move would be a bit of gambling, and he could come up with a plan tomorrow. After all, he was already here at Calrissian Hall. Yes, planning could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, he’d have a bit of celebration to go with his good news.