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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2013 10:36:40 GMT -8
Product/Service Offered
Raw Material, Refined Material, Resource Harvesting Gear, Transportation & Shipping.
Brief Business Blurb
With a collection of resource gathering sites across the galaxy, MandalMine Collective is prepared to fill your desire for nearly any material. For a small fee, they are even prepared to ship your or your possessions to the far-flung reaches of the galaxy.
Building Description
Above ground, this building is little more than a squat grey dome with the MMC logo painted in bright red above the entrance. Once inside, however, the customer is greeted by an open lobby that fills much of the floor space of the ground floor. A single door behind the counter at the rear of the lobby, leads to a turbolift that descends to the rest of the fortified bunker structure.
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Post by Aya D'Ordinii on Jun 3, 2013 14:24:25 GMT -8
Aya took a quick glance through the building, looking for someone. While she did notice that business was going on as usual, she also failed to locate the person she had been looking for here.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2013 9:41:49 GMT -8
Among all the bustle of one of the largest free markets in the galaxy there were a pair of metal boxes being delivered. This was far from an uncommon sight here, but these two boxes had a somewhat special importance to a certain pair of individuals. On the surface, the pair was wealthy, but otherwise not very notable in more recent years. Behind the scenes, out of the view of the common being, the story was more than a little different. One was a retired admiral that owned outright a massive supply company that had tendrils spread across half the galaxy & more than a fair share of big name companies. The other was a brilliant slicer that had eyes & ears in more that a few 'secure' areas. Both of the individuals held family above all other things. They also happened to be father & daughter.
The boxes that were slowly making their way to the headquarters of the supply company was a birthday gift from the father to the daughter. Despite the daughter's rather impressive skill at finding out things she shouldn't (including a fair number of past birthday gifts), or perhaps because of it, the gift had been ordered & created in the utmost security. Within a few minutes, the two boxes found themselves in one of the secure rooms deep in the headquarters.
Sitting with the boxes was a rather rare suit of armour. Most people that knew the owner would mistakenly call the armour unique. That would, however, be incorrect. While this suit was sitting with the two mysterious boxes, another that looked identical was in a private meeting in space over Geonosis, & several others were spread out across the galaxy. It was a simple, but effective form of misdirection. True, only the suit over Geonosis had actual beskar in its armour, but all the suits looked identical. This allowed the owner, who could control the suits remotely, to have a 'physical' presence nearly anywhere in the galaxy with an hour & an half at most.
Right now the armour was waiting for the daughter to show up & ask about the boxes, 'he' knew that 'she' wouldn't be able to hold out against her curiosity for much longer, but the wait was part of their long established game.
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Post by Aya D'Ordinii on Jun 24, 2013 10:02:54 GMT -8
The measures had been successful, as until the delivery being carted the boxes into the building, the daughter had been completely unaware of the importance of boxes. Once they where in the lobby however, the combination of the date & the fact that she didn't know anything about the boxes clued her in on their significance.
The game had entered its last leg. Aya hadn't been able to find a single scrap of information about this year's gift from any source she tried. If she didn't figure out the contents soon, her father would win this year. The first thing she tried, though she doubted it would work, was to use the lobby scanners to ID the contents. True to her predictions, the boxes may well have been solid featureless blocks of durasteel for all she learned that way. Then she slipped an order for one of the desk clerks to open up the crates in order to find out, but the crates proved to be data-locked so that only the being that placed the order would be able to open them. Twenty minutes later, the boxes were sitting in a secure room along with her father & she had exhausted every option she could thing up. It seems she had lost this year, but there was always next year.
She took a minute to decide how she would appear for this year. It was a bit of a tradition for her to show off her newly aged up 'model' to her father first each year. Few enough people got to see it anyway, as the 'current' model was usually reserved for more serious business. She was, however, a little annoyed that she had lost this year. Eventually she decided to keep with tradition & show off her new form. For clothing, she decided to go with a simple white dress, with her pink hair pinned up in a bun.
-Aya
Alright Father, you win. So what did you get me this year?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2013 10:36:35 GMT -8
The Armour almost seems to smile at the admission of defeat from the young woman. Today was her 25th birthday, & few enough things could still challenge her outright. Fewer still could win. Things like this were important to keep her ego from outgrowing her abilities. Rather than ruin the surprise or lessen the joy by speaking, the father simply sent the signal that would cause the two crates to open.
At a glance, a random stranger might think that the boxes held a pair of corpses or bodies in suspended animation. To the two occupants in the room not limited to the sensory range of the living, the boxes head something far more precious & valuable.
The first & larger of the two bodies looked to be a male Zabrak somewhere in his mid- to late-forties. A full two meters tall, & with a rather powerfully muscular build, he didn't look like someone a person would want to fight hand-to-hand. The sheer multitude of scars draped across his entire body only reinforced that feeling. One of the more notable features, seeing as the body was unclothed, was the large dark discolorations splotched across his frame. Had the body's eyes been open, a person would note that both the irises & sclera were pure black, nearly giving the impression that the eyes were completely absent. A few that had been around half a century ago may have recognized the figure as the semi-mythical "Admiral" before he retreated from public life & stopped removing his armour within the sight of others.
The second & smaller of the two bodies was nearly identical to the holographic figure looking down at it. The most notable difference was the hair was black with pink highlights instead of pure pink. A glance under the eyelids would also reveal the eye were a slightly different shade of gold. Other than those & a few other minor difference, the two were identical.
A second glance in the boxes revealed a selection of clothing for each of the two prone figures. A few moments later, the armour sat collapsed & nearly forgotten in the corner.
The larger figure twitched.
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Post by Aya D'Ordinii on Jun 24, 2013 10:58:59 GMT -8
There was a moment of surprise, then she knew exactly what it was. It was a pair of Human Replica Droids, or in this specific case, Zabrak Replica Droids. A droid advanced enough to pass all but the most advanced medical scanners without so much as raising a single question. Just one of these would cost a jaw-dropping fortune. Here, laying in front of her, were two. For her birthday.
The hologram flicked away. A moment later, the other ZRD twitched. A few minutes later. Both ZRD's were fully dressed & taking a few awkward steps.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2013 11:04:05 GMT -8
A few minutes later, the Father sat down beside the daughter. He was getting the hang of using a, technically, flesh & blood body far faster than his daughter. Of course, he did have the benefit of a lifetime worth of experience. Leaning over, the father gathered the much smaller daughter into his arms & gave her the first hug of her life.
-Z'har
Happy Birthday, child.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544 
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Oct 15, 2013 13:36:15 GMT -8
A dusty figure stepped off a public transport ship in the Marketplace on Dressel blinking as the sunlight hit her in the eyes. She was small, easy to ignore, except for one thing: magnetic green eyes that gazed alertly about as she took in her surroundings. After a question to a local fruit vendor she headed directly towards the MandalMine Collective. It was a squat grey building that didn't have much to recommend it on the surface, however, it was obviously the place she intended to go.
I faced it silently for a moment, suddenly unsure of myself. After all, I am a lone Jedi on a neutral world with a sizeable Mandalorian presence here in front of the primary Mandalorian business enterprise, a subsidiary of which I destroyed. I shook the dust from my outer robe and repositioned it around myself. It was enough to draw the startled gaze of anyone in the vicinity. For the last time, I replayed the small holographic message that so prominently portrayed my face and a large figure next to it. And I remembered not our last meeting...but our first. Z'har Dizen Or'dinii. We had fought back on Galantos, and I'd acquired a vornskr. Of course I had come. If not himself, one of his associates had challenged me. And, besides, even though I hate to admit it, I am feeling restless and bored, and this promises to be an adventure. To be sure, it might be my last adventure, but no one can live forever.
Once more, she moved forward, heading straight for the door. When inside she headed over to the lobby, and towards what she presumed was a receptionist.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2013 13:59:34 GMT -8
As the woman entered the building, several of the security systems matched her with a person wanted (for a very large sum) by the command staff. The clerks didn't realize anything was wrong, but below, four fireteams of SS Operatives were already on the move toward the lobby. However, it would likely be a few minutes before they reached it. Speed of response wasn't that large of an issue with a building as heavily defended & designed like this one was. Any attacking force would only be able to move toward the security details anyway & the extra time they spent trying to push through the automated defenses would only make them easier for the defenders to deal with.
Meanwhile, in the lobby, one of the clerks approaches the woman. Despite the mildly impressive number of beings in the lobby, their were plenty of clerks on hand to help anyone with questions. Most of the other beings however were idly tabbing through holo displays of the multitude of products & services the companies offered.
-Clerk
Welcome to the Primary Sales Office for MandalMine Collective. How may I help you today?
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Oct 15, 2013 14:12:37 GMT -8
"I'm here to collect a bounty," I replied calmly, reaching inside my outer robe for the holographic picture, which I then handed the clerk in front of me, "of Jedi Master Ael Jade." I pushed back my hood so the clerk could match my appearance with the image shown. My hair was currently braided and wrapped up around my head with twin silver hairsticks so as to be out of the way.
The woman in front of the clerk, seemingly self-possessed and surrounded by an aura of calm dignity, gazed at her apprehendor from brilliant green eyes. She was a bit shorter than the welcome committee, and clad in form-fitting black tunic and breeches, reminiscent of the Jedi, but embroidered in silver. Not the traditional robes of that order. Her long black katana remained sheathed at her back, though, openly to be seen she was carrying twin lightsabers on each hip, as well as a knife. Though, she made no move towards any of the afore-mentioned weapons. When she spoke her voice was definitely amused, and a smile twitched at the edge of her lips, "I believe that should be the 20,000,000"7 reward as I am here in person, and undamaged."
At the edge of my focus I felt a twitch. Seemingly my presence has already aroused security. A lot of security actually. Fifteen years ago I would have been positively itching for a fight like this, but now, even though I wonder just how many of them I could take out, I realize that that is not what I came here for. There is a time to fight, and a time to---well, bide one's time and see how things turn out.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2013 14:35:58 GMT -8
For a few seconds the clerk thought it was a bad joke, but the hologram she had looked authentic enough for him to check the small, wrist mounted datapad. His heart-rate jumped through the roof as he matched the hologram she held with the copy on the building's servers, right as he noticed the silent alert that had been raised by the woman's entrance, apparently ALL the SS Operatives present on the planet were heading toward the lobby at a flat run. 'Well' he thought to himself, 'They certainly didn't cover this in orientation'.
-Clerk
Well, ah ma'am. I'm going to have to ask, uh, that you hand over your weapons. Peacefully.
The last part was said almost as an after though & was extremely rushed, as if the man had suddenly realized that his words could be completely misunderstood. It was fairly obvious just from looking at the man that he was utterly terrified, but determined to do his job regardless. The other patrons in the lobby, those that noticed anyway, just assumed that the woman was the man's boss.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Oct 15, 2013 18:21:38 GMT -8
One eyebrow arched steeply, "Not so fast. Money first." She looked him over deliberately, then without making any move that could be interpreted as threatening, "You're more than likely to injure yourself with them anyway. I suggest you summon your military superior, if you have not already done so."
Even a rookie padawan could probably have seen how scared this young fellow was. My weapons have history, a class of their own. I am not about to hand them over to a junior-level paper pusher. From my brief interactions with the Mando'ade, I believe that this warrior's code will make as much sense to them as it does to me. An officer will understand what this clerk will not. Despite my calm exterior, I am fully aware that I am once again playing the game with my life as the stake. Why am I taking this gamble? Even at this point I am not sure. Still, the dream I had on Carida is present to my mind: the dark figure looking for me. What is a Wanted ad if not a search for someone, or something? However, I seemed to have upped the ante and stolen a march upon the opposite player. I cannot help thinking of this as a game of chess. And now I have made my move. What this entails remains yet to be seen. I felt a momentarily flicker of pity for the sweating male in front of me, but it passes quickly.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2013 5:40:12 GMT -8
For a moment the man had a somewhat blank look on his face. After all, he didn't have a military superior. He wasn't one of the Mandalorians that worked for the company, most of those wore at least a few pieces of visible armour. Instead he was simply a former farmhand that decided he didn't want to work on a farm any long. The first thing his brain managed to latch onto was that he was supposed to ask how the bounty hunter wanted to be paid. The memorized lines quickly spilled out of his mouth before he even had a chance to think about them.
-Clerk
Yes, ma'am. How would you prefer your payment? I can provide Imperial, Republic or Mandalorian Credits. Additionally, I can arrange payment in one of several types of precious or semi-precious metals or gemstones.
The clerk continued to list several other ways which payment could be arranged. By this point, several of the more observant of the clerks (mostly the Mandalorian ones, but a few locals as well) had noticed something was happening & began to discretely clear the lobby. Few, if any, of the customers that soon found themselves back on the streets of the Galactic Market ever realized anything unusual had happened. By the time the clerk facing the Jedi had finished reciting the ways he could provide payment, the lobby had been completely cleared except a few of the braver (& armed) clerks.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Oct 16, 2013 9:34:53 GMT -8
"Split it half Republic credits and half semi-precious gemstones, if you'd be so good," she replied nonchalantly, tugging on the wrist of first her left glove and then her right as she stretched her fingers and then crossed her arms in front of herself. Though the man in front of her would probably not realize this, the fact she was wearing gloves at the moment was another indicator that she really had come here to collect a bounty, instead of cause a bloodbath, a little known fact about her that the Admiral would only have been aware of due to an unforeseen occurrence the first time they'd met in person. Thinking about that made her smile.
There were two main ripples of motion, one moving away from me and leaving the building, and the other purposefully closing in around me. I willed myself not to tense up, the point of no return had been crossed a good ten minutes earlier when I'd entered the main sales office of the MandalMine Collective. Naturally, I wished to see this through, but dealing with the interim waiting phase was not pleasant. Waiting for something potentially nasty to happen never really gets any easier. It is only in the heat of the moment that one can truly relax and let instinct take over. When it happens, I have always found the intense up close and personal touch of combat to be a relief. However, combat was one thing I doubted I would get at this point in the game. A wrong move and some touchy underling ambitiously itching for a promotion could probably throw a spoke in the wheel, and I have no intention of dying just yet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2013 9:53:51 GMT -8
Making a note on his datapad, he noticed that the SS Operatives were getting really close. Deciding to get out of the path of the probable fire, & keeping in mind the whispered reputation of the Operatives, the clerk excused himself & joined the majority of the other clerks safely out of the room.
A few moments later, the Fireteams burst into the room, quickly spreading out to avoid any potential attack from the jedi. One of the figures began speaking, the voice reduced to the monotonous, even, vaguely-masculine tone usually found in low quality droids.
-Operative
Jedi Master Ael Jade! You are required to disarm yourself & lay face down on the floor. Refusal to cooperate will be met with lethal force. You have ten seconds to comply.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Oct 16, 2013 10:14:55 GMT -8
Ten seconds? How unarmed did he think I was? And face down? Involuntarily an eyebrow arched as I wondered just when the last time they'd thoroughly cleaned the floor of this edifice. Regardless, I decided to comply insofar as disarming went.
Jade made no verbal reply initially, assuming that he'd prefer actions to words in this case anyway. She unclipped both lightsabers, levitating her weapons to the floor instead of dropping them, then reached up and unfastened the crossbelt holding her katana, before letting it join the sabers, and unsheathing what at first glance appeared to be twin knives but which upon closer inspection had several noticeable differences (namely one was black with a carven hilt that appeared to be centuries old, while the other had been forged recently by a very skilled smith). "Given my posted value, lethal force is probably uncalled for, particularly since I have no intention of harming any of you. I distinctly recall the word 'undamaged' being used by the poster of my bounty, and I assume this would be the Admiral, no?" Her tone was calm, carefully unmodulated, as she removed two throwing knives from her boots and dropped them to the floor with a small clatter. Finally, she reached up to her hair and withdrew the twin silver hairsticks, barely hesitating as they joined the rest of her weaponry.
And then, in one fluid motion, she sat down cross-legged upon the floor, looking hardly bigger than a child, dark light glinting momentarily in the depths of her eyes and then vanishing too quickly to be noticed.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2013 10:27:53 GMT -8
Not bothering to respond to the question, three of the Operatives fired their rifles at the seated woman. Unlike the standard OR, the Operatives in this case were only carrying a form of low-speed slug thrower. The weapon could carry a wide range of ammunition, from lethal to non. At the moment, however, they were loaded with a nanomachine & drug cocktail designed to interrupt all sensory & motor control as well as knocking the person out. Even if the person managed to fight their way through the drug, they still wouldn't be able to act or observe anything around them.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Oct 16, 2013 10:36:08 GMT -8
Pinprickles of danger erupted seconds before they opened fire, enough of a sense for me to know that my life was not on the line here. I could either speed up or slow down my metabolism to combat the drugs, but the downside there would be hunger on one hand, or a potential coma-like state on the other. Besides, I had already determined that this was simply a jumping off point. The spider resides in the middle of his web, pulling all the strings, not on the edge where everything happens. And sleeping my way there seemed like the best option.
Jade slumped sideways on the floor, unconscious.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2013 10:40:32 GMT -8
A few moments later found the unconscious Jedi master packed into a coffin like box, while her weapons had vanished into a separate crate. Within the hour the coffin & two of the fireteams soon found themselves outside the Marketplace boarding a small stealthed shuttle. As soon as the vehicle lifted from the ground, it vanished from view.
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