Magic Chapter 24
Added 2024-05-28 03:00:46 +0000 UTCI am not a sellout nor a British lady.
Comments
Much better! It even fits with what else we know of Jorj's background, given his seed money was provided by Kinman Doriana on behalf of Sidious. Switching that to C’abaoth is an extremely minor change, easily explained by the butterfly effects running rampant through the Sith side of things. And knowing where those Shipyards are would/will be almost as big a boon (and a more immediate one) than the fleet would have been.
Novus
2024-05-29 12:27:18 +0000 UTCOn the surface of Junkfort Station, a massive space station in a star system that served as the crossroards of two hyperspace trade routes,, human men were having a working lunch. These two men were named Jorj Car'das and Talon Karrde. Jorj was the owner of a decent sized fleet of small freighters, specializing in moving delicacies and rare goods. He was also known as a networker of some repute, able to get people in touch with other individuals who could supply whatever they needed. Talon was one of his captains, an up-and-comer whose intelligence and probity had brought him to Jorj’s attention. For those in the know, both of these backgrounds pointed to one thing. The pair of them were smugglers. Jorj was, ostensibly, trying to go legit. Whereas the younger man, Talon, was just starting out, making himself a name under the older man’s auspices. For a time, they had both been silent, watching a newsreel. Now, Jorj looked over the table at his companion, the meal set out in front of them by his own personal chef having long been disposed of appropriately. “Well… now that this attack on Thyferra has been confirmed, I think it changes how I am viewing this war.” Jorj was a just-past middle-aged man, his formerly body-builder-like frame now sloughing into obesity. His hair was still full, but his attempts to grow a beard did him no favors, although thankfully, he had yet to develop a double chin. His eyes, deep brown, were sharp still, and he had amassed a quite nice little fortune for a single citizen even if you only counted the money he had made since trying to go legitimate. “What does that mean, exactly sir?” Talon asked. He was a much younger man than Jorj being barely in his twenties, and was in far better shape, with light blue eyes, black hair and just the beginnings of a goatee. His eyes were narrowed and thoughtful, not condemning, simply introspective, giving no hint as to what he thought, something else that had recommended the young man to Jorj almost from the moment he entered Jorj’s employ. “Are you going to go back to pure smuggling? Or Are you thinking of possibly funding some kind of resistance in the local CIS worlds?” “…. No, I don’t think I will. Smuggling doesn’t make a big enough difference on it’s won. And a resistance movement seems like a good way of getting people killed to me. But there are things… ways we can certainly impact the war effort.” Jorj fell silent for a second, then nodded in sudden decisiveness. “You’re a smart man, Talon. You probably have noticed something unusual about my businesses.” Talon paused, his whole body seemingly freezing in place for a moment before nodding. “I have. The amount of money you started up with here on Junkfort was quite a bit higher than your previous smuggling business should have allowed access to. And there are some missions you send two specific freighters on that don’t seem worth the trip, let alone anything else. The manifests I’ve seen also don’t seem to match what was actually on the freighters at the time.” “Heh, smart, Talon, but that’s a bit too much information for someone who just barely became a ship’s captain himself,” Jorj warned, causing Talon to chuckle and hold up his wine glass in salute. “But yes. There are secrets about where my seed money came from, and where I send some of the information that comes to me. A secret… that I think the Jedi might very much like. I know some things about C’baoth that they might wish to know. And those two ships? They actually do go someplace very different form the itinerary. C’abaoth’s name opened some doors that would otherwise be closed to me, as only a mid-level member of the Corporate Alliance.” Jorj leaned back, thinking. “I need to disappear for a time. Not just from my life here on Junkfort Station, but I think from the Confederacy entirely. I wish it could be otherwise, but I think some secrets need to be told. Some agents of the Sith need to be outed now before they can cause more horror.” Talon’s eyes narrowed in sudden contemplation, but he said nothing for a few moments, finishing off his glass of wine. “What would you ask me to do? And will you do so openly? If the CIS ends up winning…” “Then it will be up to us to make certain that that doesn’t happen. There are some things that a man simply cannot stand, and this is one of them. If Grievous’s assault had succeeded…” Jorj shuddered. “Trillions might have died eventually due to a lack of bacta, maybe more before the medical community could shift to cover that lack. I am a scoundrel, a rogue, a cheat, a swindler. But I am no mass murderer. I came out here because I thought that Iolo Stark had a point, that the Confederacy was indeed the best way forward and my own interactions with C’baoth and his agents. Despite the fact that the Trade Federation had suddenly begun to move in lockstep with the rest of the conglomerations, edging out those with real grievances against the Republic. I could close my eyes to the sophistry of that, to Stark no longer having an issue with the Trade Federation as long as my own bottom line was being padded. But I cannot ignore this. Nor do I think you can.” “… No.” Talon shook his head. “I will help you escape, sir. If that is what you want me to do. But where will you go?” “Good. I will need your help in this. But some of your more senior fellows might not understand the reasoning. Might not see why I wish to take such a step. And those who I can trust among my senior executives, I will need to leave in place to cover my absence. Or else some of my information might not matter.” Talon nodded at that, and Jorj continued. “As to where I will go, the GDL, obviously. I still have contacts within Corellia, and I am sure that they can give me an introduction to someone in their high command. Someone who will have the means to act on the information I will give them.” Talon nodded as that made sense, although the look on his face made Jorj chuckle. “Ah, I now understand I think what motivates you most Karrde. Not money, not fame, nor excitement. Secrets, those interest you, do they not?” “Is is so obvious?” Talon snorted, then shrugged. “Well, I will not deny it.” “Well… this secret, heh. You asked about those two ships. They do move trade goods. Specifically, food. Food for the workers and overseers of five of the largest hidden shipyards the CIS have access to. The shipyards which have over the years built the massive reserve of capital ships that the CIS are using in this war. I am certain that the GDL will be most interested in knowing precisely where those are, don’t you?”
vimesenthusiast
2024-05-28 18:09:17 +0000 UTC...Damn... okay, going back to my copy of the Thrawn trilogy, I was able to find that bit... so I had forgotten the blind jump was actually given a date. Damn. I also thought Jorj was on the ship, remembered his name rather than Hoffner. Two mistakes in one lore issue. I will need to correct that scene more than a bit. I will simply have him be a information broker and smuggler with a lot of knowledge of the Sith's own moves in that area. - I will go into detail there... Will post the changed scene as another post here.
vimesenthusiast
2024-05-28 15:25:31 +0000 UTCPossible Lore Issue: Jorj Car'das doesn't know about the Katana Fleet, if that's what you were hinting at him telling the GDL about. Karrde learned bout it as a sensor officer on one of Car'das's ships, after a blind jump...in 6 BBY. Only Hoffner, the captain of that ship, and Karrde ever realized what they'd seen, with Karrde wiping the sensor data. So, not only did Jorj never know...that event also won't happen for another 16ish years.
Novus
2024-05-28 12:41:31 +0000 UTC
