Ask Unrest Breeds Opportunity

[Renfry]

Renfry arrived at Blackwell Technology's office on planet in short order and made her way inside. Despite looking professional, she knew that actually getting in to see someone of power wasn't just a matter of asking nicely. She wasn't going to trust some secretary with the fact that the Sith were on world, but that was where the Force as an ally came in strongly.

Some clever maneuvering and acting as if she belonged got her to the building's top floor and face to face with the VP's personal assistant... or rather across the same large office space. The woman was large, old, and looked like she had probably eaten someone who tried to get in without an appointment in the past.

Renfry paused, weighing her options for a moment before picking her path.

Too bad you can't just teleport in, she thought to herself, but this required a subtler hand. She opted for a distraction. It didn't need to be anything fancy, but she had a feeling a simple mind trick wouldn't work on this woman. Instead, she waited for the woman to take a sip from her drink - fortunately it wasn't steaming hot caf - and just gave it a little nudge. Lemonade poured down the woman's clothing and Renfry winced a bit in sympathy. But the woman was up and leaving to clean herself up.

She waited several beats to make sure the woman wasn't coming back before making her way into the VP's office.

Good afternoon, Mr. Burns, she said, flashing a disarming smile. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but your secretary wasn't at her desk. If you have five minutes, I have an offer that can get you in the door of the Bacta business, she said. She knew that Blackwell had been working tirelessly to do just that and failed.

The man gave her a long, hard look and a frown. He was thoroughly unconvinced about this, but he was a businessman, and it seldom hurt to at least hear a deal.

My two o'clock is going to be here in four minutes. That's how much time you have. If I like what I hear, you might get more, he said with a frown.

But that was her foot in the door. She closed the door behind her and wasted no time in getting down to business.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc had a rather productive meeting with Jor Dilas. He had the Vratix talking to his people about the potential for some upcoming shifts in government. This left two major things to cover: 1. Planting something that caused an impurity in the Bacta Cartel’s assembly line to taint the final product and 2. Getting Blackwell a foothold. Emryc would have Renfry drive both - she needed to prove her resourcefulness to him.

He would run the PR efforts once the deed was done and let the customers themselves speak out. Blackwell itself could possibly be convinced to help sabotage the current practices, just as long as it could never be traced back to them. He finished up with the Vratix and made his way back to the resort.

Emryc decided to visit the pool and sat down to lounge at the edge of it. He threw on his shades and decided to take a nap under an umbrella. He was available via comms if Renfry needed to reach him.

 

[Renfry]

Mr. Burns had ordered his 2 o'clock pushed back after about three minutes of talking, and it was clear that despite his initial hesitation he was more excited about the deal than he was letting on. The man had started out a bit icy, but after hearing she was Sith and seeing some of the things she could do, he became significantly more interested.

After their efforts are disrupted, we'll need another company to step in and take over production and distribution, she explained, continuing her pitch to Mr. Burns.

In exchange, the vratix need fair representation and input? the man asked, clearly skeptical of giving up any power. But he also knew this was his opportunity to get the share of the bacta market he'd hoped for. In fact, it was far more than the share he was looking for.

Yes. The Sith will ensure that Zaltin and Xucphra lose their control on the market and make sure that no one else causes any trouble. As long as you treat the vratix well, you'll have their backing. Our alliance will benefit both of our groups. The Sith will no doubt be needing bacta in the future, she said.

And then we find ourselves in debt to a new owner? he asked, not liking the idea of being a Sith puppet.

An alliance, she reiterated, though they were both smart enough to guess that if the Sith could ruin the Bacta Cartel, they could ruin Blackwell's holdings here as well.

We like Blackwell. We'd prefer it was you instead of your competitors, but we can always find someone else if you don't want to make a deal, she said, the smile she'd entered with was no longer there, replaced by a very intense gaze.

There was a silence that hung in the air for several seconds as the man thought through his options. Renfry could almost hear his thoughts in the Force, gaining an impression of precisely what he was thinking and feeling.

You have a deal, but we'll need to see results soon, he said, and she smiled.

Sooner than you think, she said, standing and grabbing a pen from his desk.

I'm sure you understand I don't carry business cards in my line of work, she said as she wrote her comlink code on a piece of paper and took one of his cards from his desk.

We'll be in touch, she said, and turned to leave.

As soon as she was out of the building, she started heading back to the hotel and dialed her comlink, waiting for Emryc to pick up.

We've got a deal, how'd things go on your end? she asked.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

“Just peachy,” He commed back, helping himself to a shrimp cocktail. He was enjoying himself at the resort and making contacts as he met some of the other high profile clients in the area. This was part of why the Sith provided an allowance for ritzy places - it allowed for profitable mingling.

Over the next few days, the Sith would send operatives to work in conjunction with Blackwell to break into the production facilities. Chemical changes would be applied that tainted the product that was shipped off-world.

Within a few days, there would be an overwhelming amount of complaints pouring in. Emryc got to work, spinning up a PR campaign that laser focused on the lack of Vratix say and the trends where bacta worked best when they had influence. It was a messy affair, but in the end the Sith had their puppet in place.

Emryc did not take the seat himself, his ambitions just a bit higher than that. The Outer Rim worlds as a collective needed a voice, and he would become just that.

/End