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Thread: Casting the Net

  1. #1
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    Closed Casting the Net

    "Miss Ghemenaux? We just got cleared for landing," Chirala's voice spoke through the speakers.

    The brunette looked up from the datapad she had been working on for the past hours. Even though her longtime pilot couldn't see her, she nodded.

    "Thank you, Chirala."


    The communication clicked out; and Shana uncrossed her legs and finished the cup of caf she had been nursing while working on planning tasks. She got to her feet across the meeting room where she had spent much of the day. She soon made her way to the cockpit, and sat behind her pilot. She didn't have to do that; but she had always enjoyed the view. Landings had always been a favorite, a first glimpse into a known or new planet. She had only visited Corellia once in her life; and it was a very long time ago.

    There were many worlds she had traveled to for business; way more than the leisure destinations. Yet, she didn't mind for she believed in the Empire, and in her work. Maybe some would say that being widowed several years ago when still a young bride had dampened her spirit; but truth be told, Shana loved the Empire and she loved her work, especially as she had climbed up the ranks in the Sillesk system. As the Acquisitions Administrator, she ensured that Admiral Bismarck's vision for his territory would only become a greater reality, thus bringing honor and success to Empress Tarkin.

    Corellia was a hotbed for terrorism; but she had faith the Empire would eventually prevail. In her particular situation, she was interested in exploring new possible business ventures with the CEO of a local corporation whose profile might be good for certain parts of land development in Sillesk. She knew that the scientists and even the military part might find interest in what Wayne Tech offered; but it was up to her to look into the options for it would be private contractors for the civilian development of the system first.

    She used the hour it took to descend upon Coronet Space port to unwind and garner her energy back, clearing up her mind from all she had handled on the journey to the Core world. Once the shuttle was powered down; she made quick work of freshening up and changing for an appropriate attire, a spark of color in the sleek grey interior of the space craft.

    As soon as she climbed down the boarding ramp, she exchanged a few last words with Chilara, who often acted as both her pilot and aide when traveling with a small crew. She didn't waste time before getting into the speeder awaiting her.

    She would be heading straight to Wayne Tech headquarters.


  2. #2
    TheHolo.Net Poster
    Maize Wayne's Avatar
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    WayneTech Headquarters
    Central Coronet City

    Floor-to-ceiling windows normally illuminated the CEO's office in lieu of two corner walls, providing a splendid view of the bustling, polluted city. For the moment, however, they had been set to opaque and the impressively large room's lights were at their dimmest setting; the sole occupant was focused on the 3D projection that took up most of the room. He walked through stars, stopping to touch particular representations, using the technology to expand a system here and there, studying individual planets therein. Then, the Corellian moved on to a different system and repeated the process.

    Where are you?

    It was easier to focus on there "where" than to wonder at the "why." Maize stopped and expanded to see Chandrila, dark blue eyes narrowing in thought. He knew it was foolish to go back and run his own search. He trusted his daughter's ability to research, question, and be thorough. If Aurelia hadn't found a clue, he wasn't going to either.

    Still...

    Maize sighed. He closed down the Chandrilan system, pivoted and stared out at the projection as if trying to feel in which direction hyperspace had taken her. She had to be out there, somewhere. Maize refused to believe anything else.

    On his massive desk, carved from a Kashyyyk wrorshyr tree branch, the intercom clicked. Maize touched the toggle in his hand and the projection vanished. He blinked a moment, adjusting to the total darkness, then gave voice command to gradually lighten the transparisteel to reveal the city. Finally, the dark-haired, care-worn Corellian responded to the intercom.

    "Yes?"

    "Apologies for the interruption, but you'd asked me to let you know. Shana Ghemenaux is on approach from the spaceport, Mr. Wayne. ETA is under ten minutes now," his secretary - Janes - said.

    Maize nodded and glanced at his wrist chrono. "Alright, thank you. See to her and her staff. I'm ready when they arrive."

    "Very good, sir."

    Janes clicked off the intercom, and Maize knew that he'd take care of everything. He was the best of the best as far as administrative professionals went; Maize had made sure of that. Then, for a moment, he tried to recall why this Ghemenaux woman was coming to see him. Taking a drink of cold caf, he recalled she was some kind of entrepreneur, and opened up his datapad to take a crash course on her background and business interests so they'd be fresh as she arrived...
    Last edited by Maize Wayne; Nov 6th, 2019 at 07:17:17 PM.

  3. #3
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    The short drive to WayneTech headquarters had Shana long for a good cup of caf. Space travel wasn't her favorite to be honest, even though she managed it well. She didn't get sick per se, but for whatever reason, she always needed more time to recoup than she ever got. Good thing she was always able to push through. At least, she did when it was work-related. She would crash later.

    Upon arriving, she was greeted by Wayne's assistant, Janes. He was a cordial and efficient man, which she appreciated. She gladly accepted his offer for caf right before he led her to Wayne's office.

    As she was led inside, she smiled to the Corellian. She knew some considered her a bit too colorful, bold, and some had got as far as calling her hyper; but she cared not for such petty rumors. She was passionate about her work; but even if she was hyper, which she wasn't, she literally didn't have the energy right now anyway.

    "Mr. Wayne, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Shana Ghemenaux."

    She held out her hand, not caring to exactly give her position title for such an appointment. It was about getting to know each other in a way that would hopefully foster business; but she had no reason to be hell bent on her position on Sillesk. She knew when and how to point that out when needed. Also her job was more a calling than a title to her.

  4. #4
    TheHolo.Net Poster
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    Maize took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he looked her directly in the eyes.

    "A pleasure, Miss Ghemenaux. Please, call me Maize."

    He offered a charming smile as he released her hand. Maize then gestured with his free hand, guiding her into his office proper.

    "How did the space lanes treat you?" he asked.

  5. #5
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    Shana appreciated Wayne's straightforwardness. She liked being involved in the well-being of Sillesk's development; but liked avoiding extensive pleasantries and convoluted political matters.

    "Please call me Shana, Maize," she replied without hesitation.

    Stepping inside the office, she chuckled at his question.

    "It went smoothly, with almost time for a nap in between juggling projects."

    As she took a seat when invited to, she looked at him, curious to see how the meeting would unfold.

    "It is good to see that despite the unrest, Corellia still appears thriving enough for fruitful business."

  6. #6
    TheHolo.Net Poster
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    Maize smiled knowingly about multi-tasking on a hyperspace trip.

    He sat down across from her and considered the comment she'd made about the state of things on-planet. Maize offered his best typical Corellian "What can you do?" shrug and offered a lopsided smile.

    "The rich are prospering, the poor are struggling," he said in an almost-singsong tone. "Somewhere in the middle, some folks make ends meet. And then, to make it interesting, someone plays saboteur or bomber and incites riots. Never a dull day, that's for sure."

    He paused to study Shana a moment before continuing.

    "And, it seems you're unfazed enough by the perpetual chaos to be looking to do business here, huh?" Maize asked.

  7. #7
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    Shana smirked at Maize's observations about the situation on Corellia. "Some people always strive to make things interesting. And those that prevail show they got what it takes."

    Her manners were pleasant and polite, but there was a subtle edge to her voice, which hinted at having dealt with her own share of hardships.

    "Chaos is something we do not deal with much on Sillesk these days; especially compared to Corellia; but we have little hesitation to do business with reliable partners, regardless of their locations."

    She paused for a moment, wondering how to best approach it.

    "My job is to build business relationships for infrastructure, commercial, and technological development on Sillesk. And I am curious to know what types of trades and contracts you would be interested in, Maize."

  8. #8
    TheHolo.Net Poster
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    Sipping his cold caf from earlier, Maize nodded as he listened to what Shana's purpose was.

    "Well, I'm sure you know our primary focus at WayneTech is communication tech. From the slimmest and fastest datapads to easily synched comlinks and beyond," he said. "So, from our suite of applications and devices, what sort of tech is Sillesk in need of upgrading or installing?"

    It was a dance, to be sure. And Maize was curious to how Shana performed.

  9. #9
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    Shana offered a slight grin along her nod confirming what she knew about Maize's primary business orientation with his company. For sure, she had done her research; but she knew very well that companies could have way more options or hopes for transactions than what their main sales indicated. It was why she had always been a proponent of direct discussions and negotiations. Both sides could benefit from such things tremendously.

    Just the same, he was curious about what she was shooting for.

    "We have been in the process of upgrading logistics for some of our transport and landscaping infrastructures in the past couple of years. With such work reaching its completion within the next four months; we seek to proceed to communications. While we are not in need of overall change at the moment, we are interesting in starting with various commercial and administrative facilities."

    They had various options in mind already; but she knew that expanding their contracts and business network could be highly beneficiary to Sillesk in the long run.

  10. #10
    TheHolo.Net Poster
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    "Hmm."

    Leaning back in his chair, Maize looked thoughtful. Although Shana might feel he was staring at her, he was truly looking inward, mentally diagramming and plotting what such an array of communication needs could look like. Of course, he left most of this work to his teams when it came right down to it; all the same, his brain still thought about projects as if he had the work to design himself.

    He caught himself, though, and redirected his thoughts toward the financial nature of business. This could be a helluva contract. Hmm.

    "We do offer leading edge hardware and scale-able software options," Maize said, "and while the overall code is proprietary, we do offer training for implementation so that your teams are able to adopt the new systems pretty seamlessly. It all depends on how much you need and how much assistance."

  11. #11
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    Given her background in engineering, her solid financial expertise; and what she had done both with merging for the company she had once built with her late husband, Shana loved discussing logistical and technical details of projects when it was an option, as it currently was with Maize.

    She grinned as he told her what options were on the table. That sounded promising.

    "We have been developing a proprietary system for some of our civilian administration in the last decade; so we would have to see whether any issues would arise with the Wayne proprietary system for the communication tech. We aren't giving up on what we currently have; but my company has been directly involved in the programming, and we have relied on some of your tech in the past; so I don't think it would cause much trouble to have both play nice."

    While management had been the core of her work in the recent years; she still liked to think in practical and tech terms.

  12. #12
    TheHolo.Net Poster
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    Maize nodded in agreement. "We're highly compatible."

    He paused and a micro-expression flitted across his face as he considered what he'd just said. In any other circumstance - and possibly, in many moments just like these - that could be misinterpreted. The Corellian didn't mean it in any suggestive way, however, and it had been a long time since he did.

    Clearing his throat after that moment's pause, he asked, "Would you like a warm-up on your caf?"

  13. #13
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    Maybe other people would have taken that the wrong way; but all Shana got from Maize's agreement was how promising their contracts might be. She loved a good discussion and solid transaction; and so far it was the case, especially as the Corellian still exhibited strong knowledge of what his company could offer, a quality she highly appreciated.

    "This is good. I am always interested in building new relations with companies rather than just one-time contracts."


    Of course, time would tell how things went but it was a good starting point.

    "Oh, more caf is always a good idea. Thank you,"
    she replied with a smile.

  14. #14
    TheHolo.Net Poster
    Maize Wayne's Avatar
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    "Very good. There's always time for more caf," he agreed.

    Maize smiled and rose, crossing to his desk. He touched an inlaid button to signal Janes for more stimcaf for them both. His gaze roved over the cityscape beyond WayneTech Tower, then he looked back at Shana.

    "For how long are you staying in Coronet City?" Maize asked.

  15. #15
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    Shana grinned at Maize's comment about caf. She had tried to cut how much she drank a couple of times when younger; but frankly, she had abandoned such crazy ideas a long time ago.

    She paused for a moment before answering his question about the length of her stay in Coronet City.

    "I am staying for five days."

    She didn't want it tot be too short; but she had other duties awaiting her back on Sillesk.

    "Regarding how professionals can be trained to use your proprietary tech, what are the skill requirement and how long does it normally take?"

  16. #16
    TheHolo.Net Poster
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    Maize tilted his head at the question. It was a sound one, but not one he expected coming from her exactly. It was the sort of detail that he left to his team to manage.

    "Oh, we have a packet with all of that information. I'll see to it that the holo is downloaded to you by the implementation team," he replied.

    Right on the edge of his sentence, Janes arrived with two fresh mugs of caf for them. Janes offered Shana a smile, nodded to his employer, then discreetly made his exit.

    "Do you plan on sightseeing Coronet or the surrounding area while you're here?" Maize asked.

  17. #17
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    "That's perfect. Thank you! I would have guessed as such; but better be thorough."

    She grinned to the Corellian, her spunky side always embedded in her strong business savvy personality.

    She was looking forward to reading that packet, for she preferred being as knowledgeable as possible before pursuing a deal, although her intuition and current understanding made her quite eager to proceed with a contract for WayneTech.

    When Janes entered the office and handed her another mug of caf, she thanked her politely. She took a satisfying sip from the refill before returning her attention to Maize, as he inquired about her time in Coronet.

    "I actually do. I have only visited Corellia once a good many years ago. Do you have any recommendations?"

    After all he was a local, so she could as well ask him.

  18. #18
    TheHolo.Net Poster
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    Maize waved a hand to indicate the city beyond the windows as he sat back down.

    "Well, the local museums, casinos, and shopping are usual visitor fare and generally worth a few hours of one's time," he remarked. "If you're into art, Teeno Village can be interesting..."

    He shrugged to indicate that the latter wasn't really his thing. Maize grinned and sipped.

    "Getting out of the city, there's a lot of good hiking and nature near the mountains. Or a trip out to Vreni Island is nice. It's a resort island in the south."

  19. #19
    TheHolo.Net Poster Shana Ghemenaux's Avatar
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    Shana chuckled at Maize's shrug regarding what sounded like an art district.

    "I have greater fondness for architecture and how art can enhance a given place, rather than just trudging through galleries," she admitted with a smirk.

    What he said about getting out of the city piqued her interest much more.

    "Hiking and nature? That's much more up my alley, as long as I have a datapad with good battery to jot notes down."

  20. #20
    TheHolo.Net Poster
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    Maize liked Shana infinitely better for her opinions on art galleries. He didn't say that, but simply grinned.

    While she talked about her preference for hiking and nature, Maize quickly fired off a task to his implementation team, asking them to send Shana the training and support documentation. He looked back up at her and nodded.

    "Well, I think that could be arranged... maybe with one of our prototype datapads, if you'd like to test it out and provide feedback," he said with a grin. "And, if you wanted company, maybe the CEO could clear his schedule for a bit to join you in that expedition."

    Again, Maize knew that ran the risk of being misconstrued. But, he made the offers anyway because he wanted an outside technical person's input on the datapad design and needed the exercise out of the office.

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