The serving units dispensed their drinks with programmed ease and disappeared once more into the hidden wall compartment, leaving the group alone. Trinity wondered, not for the first time, where the CEO of Belgardi Ltd. was, and what he would think when he arrived home to find an Imperial fleet above his capital.

But there were more pressing issues at hand, and Nell Ondajh wasted no time in bringing the subject to the table. The diplomat reached into his pocket (with some looks of aprehension from the members of the Belgardi party) and produced a datapad. Sliding it across the table, he said, "This is the official order from Regent Hyfe, citing the Empire's legal ownership of the Bespin system and demanding it's return."

Rayard Valoris read the document slowly, clearly taking in every word. It read, in part:

As pertaining to the planetary system known in basic as BESPIN, including all of its residents, properties, resources, [etc] (hereafter referred to as 'the system').

THE NEW ORDER (hereafter referred to as 'the Empire') claims:
-the SOLE and RIGHTFUL governance of the system under Imperial law
-the SOLE and RIGHTFUL ownership of the the system as granted to the Empire by the surrender of the Holy Demosthesian Empire

Furthermore, the present occupation of the system by the entity known in basic as BELGARDI LTD. (hereafter referred to as 'the company' is illegal under Imperial law. The Empire is therfor entitled to return the system to its control by any means neccessary.

By order of the Regent of the Galactic Empire, Daemon Hyfe, the company is hereby ordered to surrender immediatly and without compenstation, the system.

Signed,
Daemon Hyfe
Lord Regent,
Galactic Empire

The man's eyes revealed little as he read, and when he finally looked up he said nothing.

Ondajh clearly expected such a response. The official documents of the Empire were unforgiving and often harsh in their outlook, as the Empire demanded. The reality was little different, of course, but some room for negotiation had been granted.

Assuming that Valoris had the power to make any decisions!

"The fact of the matter, Mr. Valoris, is this," Ondajh said slowly. "The Empire wishes to see the return of Bespin. I've been instructed to inform you that if these negotiations fail, there will be no further talks and Belgardi Ltd. stands to be nationalized by the Empire."

Hardly a veiled threat. But hardly an eventuality that the company had the military prowess to halt.

"The Empire wishes to see the return of Bespin. I've been instructed to inform you that if these negotiations fail, there will be no further talks and Belgardi Ltd. stands to be nationalized by the Empire."

Like the body blows from one of the champion shockboxers who competed on Pavo Prime, the final statement from the Imperial diplomat rocked Rayard Valoris. His silence, obviously expected, confirmed this feeling. The look on Nell Ondajh's face was of supreme confidence. The situation, from Rayard's prospective, was decidedly one-sided. Only one thought managed to stave off the feeling of helplessness that was slowly engulfing him.

Rico can deal with the situation.

Rico Belgardi was an astute businessman, and used to hard negotations. If anyone could find the slightest silver lining in this deal, it would be him. The big problem was of course, that Rico was not here. He had sent out a distress call, asserting that his ship was under attack.

He'd be back soon.

"Mr. Ondajh, given the gravity of the situation, I feel inclined to wait for Mr. Belgardi himself to be available to review this proposition. If you don't mind making me copies of this document I'll have him deal with it as soon as he is available."

It sounded like bullshit, and Ondajh probably knew it was. Still, Rayard had a valid point- the tone of the agreement left little to be discussed- and Rico would need to sign of on it before any other action could be taken.

Trinity watched the expression on Rayard Valoris' face as Ondajh finished speaking. The Belgardi man, as expected, said nothing. But that, and his facial expression, said it all. He was terrified. And not without reason - a man like Valoris no doubt knew what became of those employees deemed 'redundant' when the Empire nationalized a company.

The Imperial diplomat smiled, his expression one of pure confidence. Like Valoris, he knew that the Empire's threat was no empty one. But the fact that Rico Belgardi was conviently away nagged at him.

The man leaned forward, meeting the Vice President's eyes with a cold stare.

"Speaking of Mr. Belgardi," he said slowly, "I would like very much to know where he is, and why he has failed to send even a personal note apologizing to the Empire for his absence.

"Surely he has been informed that we are here! And you have made no secret of the fact that he is absent. But the question remains: where is he? What business does Rico Belgardi have that he cannot meet with the representitives of the Empire, to discuss the very future of his company?

"And why have we been kept in the dark about it this long?"

He leaned back, smiling thinly, and slammed his fist down on the table. The movement startled everyone, the Imperials included.

"Furthermore, Mr. Vice President - what business does Rico Belgardi think he has negotiating for control of a world known to be rightfully Imperial (Bespin)?

"Fully aware that that world had been taken from the Empire by the terrorists! Fully aware, unless our judgement of his intelligence was vastly overestimated, that such an act was illegal under Imperial Law! Fully aware that it was his duty to immediatly report such a transaction to the Empire!

"Why, Mr. Vice President, did Belgardi Ltd. come to hold Bespin in the first place. And why did Belgardi Ltd. think that they could freely take an Imperial world and trade with the Empire's assets, and be surprised to find the Empire on their doorstep!

"By all rights, Rico Belgardi should have come to Imperial Centre long ago to ask for the Empire's blessing!

"Why did he think that he could undermine the Empire?"

Finally, the diplomat leaned back, placing both hands on the table as if to say, "Well?"

And the entire Imperial party waited for Valoris to repsond.

Pavo Prime Orbit

The Belgardi Ltd Defense force returned to Pavo Prime a suddenly as it had left. They, however, returned with an extra capital ship, and continued to move with the same sense of urgency in which they had seemed to possess while leaving. The extra capital ship, another Immolator class vessel, showed signs of battle damage. The other vessels maintained a tight cordon around the ship as they escorted it past the Imperial forces (given the as small a bearing as possible to maintain a non-threatening position) toward a high orbit.

When they reached the edges of Pavo Prime's atmosphere, a swarm of fighters was launched. The snubcraft buzzed around in tight formation, close enough that the shuttle that was launched from the Immolator was barley visible as it made its descent toward the surface of Pavo Prime.

Negotiating Room

The Imperial diplomat's tirade went unopposed by Rayard Valoris. He started to open his mouth, but turned what had started to be speech into a cough.

What was there to say?

Then his personal com-link beeped.

Thank the force.

His listened momentarily, and one could see the change of expression come across his face.

"I offer my deepest apologies, but I must be going."

Rayord Valoris ran out of the room like he had just escaped from a rancor pit.

"Well." Trinity said dryly, watching the Belgardi official flee. "What's next?"

Which was, in fact, a good question. The aides to the Vice-President looked as startled as Ondajh was at the flight of their master.

Silently, the Imperial team rose and left. Perhaps Mr. Belgardi, when he arrived, would be more cordial.

Perhaps.

Two Days Later

.Several hours spent submerged in an Eden induced bacta tank had mended Rico's physical wounds well enough. The knife wound would leave on a razor thin scar, and his other injuries were superficial, and with the exception of a few bruises had been healed by his emersion time. Still, to help handle the stress his body had taken, both mental and physical, Rico had spent most of the next day asleep; giving his body time to recover naturally. The delay had caused the Imperial delegation and its accompanying fleet to remain in limbo, hanging over Pavo Prime. The presence of the fleet was causing havoc with the planets lucrative tourism business, and a standoff between the corporate naval forces and the Imperial task force created a sort of palpable tension that could be felt even on the surface of the planet.

Rumors, as they inevitably would, leaked out about the circumstances surrounding the Imperial fleet, and the sudden actions of the Belgardi navy. One popular theory involved an attempted Imperial nationalization plan, centering on a now botched abduction attempt of Rico. Others claimed internal division among the company, and purported that a high-ranking Belgardi employee had tried to kill Rico and planned on distracting the company’s military forces with the Imperials. Within Belgardi itself, there was an element of the unknown surrounding the incident. It was general accepted as fact that Rico had been the target of some action..... but who had targeted him and for what reason was undetermined, even among the highest echelons of the company’s hierarchy. The Imperials, and their motives, also caused some highly contested debate.

So when Rico Belgardi set up a meeting with the Imperial delegation, in the mid-afternoon, two days after being rushed down to Pavo Prime in a heavy protected shuttle, there were many unknowns to be sorted out.

The meeting room contained a long, wooden table, with numerous chairs all around it. Rico sat at the far end of the meeting room, at the head of the table, a large datapad in front of him. To his left sat Rayard Valoris, the man who had conducted the hurried and frantic negotiations in Rico's absence. To Rico's right sat the gorgeous, blonde, Kella Portman, his executive assistant. She had numerous files and datapads, and had been brought along to access large stores of information quickly. One other man sat in the room, to the immediate right of Rayard Valoris. His attire was dark black, almost military, and had an insignia upon it, though when you immediately entered the room the view of the insignia was not clear. A pair of uniformed Belgardi security officers, clad in a very oceanic blue, stood guard at the door.

The Imperial delegation was expected shortly.

A lot of interesting questions were about to be answered.




OOC- Sorry for negletcing this thread, but we can cmplete it if you are still interested

The Imperial delegation did not like to be kept waiting. Ondajh's patience was wearing thin, and there was only so much time even he could spend browsing Pavo Prime's high status shops and spending the Empire's money.

Nonetheless, word had reached him of the attempt on Rico Belgardi's life, and as he readied himself for his meeting with the man he was most interested to see what his reaction would be to the idea that the supposedly reformed Galactic Coalition had made the attempt on his life.

"That out to be worth quite a bit." He thought to himself, adjusting his suit with a thin smile.

The delegation today consisted of only himself and Ariel Trinity, the latter only present because Moff Drayson had demanded the Observer be present. He made no secret of this as they arrived at the conference room where Rico was to meet them: Trinity was expected to observe, and nothing more.

Not that a man like Ondajh had any authority of the Line-Captain cum Intelligence officer. The power of the Imperial Observers extended far beyond even what little the diplomat knew.

The conference room was, as with everything Belgardi, lavishly equipped, the table made of some exotic wood even Ondajh, with his expansive knowledge of expensive exotics, did not recognize.

Belgardi was waiting for them, and rose as the two entered. Ondajh took the offered hand, not smiling, and said in a polite tone, "Mr. Belgardi. A pleasure."

He introduced himself and Trinity, and waited for the President to speak.

"On behalf of Belgardi Limited, I wish to express our thanks for your patience in this most unusual of circumstances. I would personally like to apologize for being unable to deal with you personally until now, and I hope that you found some way to amuse yourself while I was indisposed."

Rico smiled pleasantly. If there was ever a place where one could disappear for a few days and be totally entertained and content, then Pavo Prime was it.

"I can assure you that my ordeal was just as inconviencing to myself as it was to you."

Rico glanced down at a small datapad on the table in front of him.

"I have been informed by Mr. Valoris of the nature of your mission to this planet. I must say it distressed me, though it is hardly surprising, considering the recent incident involving Bespin.

They way I understand it, the Empire considers Bespin it's soverign property, and I don't deny that it was at one time. The Empire claims that the transaction that Belgardi entered in to obtain control of Bespin was illegal and should be voided."

Rico looked to the Imperials, to see if they had any objections with his description of the situation. Neither objected, so he continued.

"I'm sure you noticed that we have another person here in this meeting. I'd like to introduce you to Ambassador Liam Derris of the Black Dragon Empire. As per the Cuitric-Bespin Protocol, he maintains a liason office here and helps to coordinate BDE's relations between our company and his government. Bespin is one of his primary focuses."

Rico motioned to Derris.

"Ambassador."

Ambassador Liam Derris of the Black Dragon Empire sat quietly on the soft leather of the conference room chair, his fingers wrapped around the polished acacia wood of the chair's arms, the inlays cool against his skin. The conference table was carved acacia as well, the top inset with thick slabs of green-tinted glass. At the far end of the table sat the Imperial delegation, an Imperial officer named Aerial Trinity, and one named Ondajh, the focus of Belgardi's attention.

Derris was a tall man, trim without really looking fit, his head shaved and polished under his black officer's cap. He wore a tunic and uniform that matched the cap, lushly decorated in red buttons and gold cording, his chest layered with enough ribbons and medals to stop a blaster bolt. A black-plated, BDE standard-issued blaster pistol was holstered at his side-- a decorative touch. Despite superficial appearances, Derris was a peacetime ambassador, more politician than the circle of the elite Dragon warriors. He was a man who preferred to settle disputes with talk, or treachery, rather than battle.

When Rico Belgardi motioned to Derris, he rose to the Imperial delegates in respect, then quietly seated himself again.

"Welcome to Bespin, delegates of the Galactic Empire. I am Liam Derris, Ambassador of the Black Dragon Empire and Protector of the Cuitric-Bespin Protocol." A datapad was handed to him by one of his servants and he began to peruse the contests contained within. Everything was documented from their arrival above Pavo Prime to the details of their demands. A cup of caffa was placed on the table and Liam took a quiet sip of it.

"According to the Protocol between Belgardi Ltd and the Black Dragon Empire, it firmly states that we have complete access to Bespin and it's resources, especially it's Tibanna gas mining," he announced, then looked toward the delegation. "This claim that your Galactic Empire makes toward the Bespin system is of high concern to our Imperium, as it does infringe upon our treaty and as well, infringes our citizens who work the Tibanna gas mines here."

Like a skilled actor, Derris kept absolute control of his public self-- every gesture, every expression. He leaned back, giving the appearance of being calm, and placed the fingertips of both hands together in front of him. "I would like to know if it is possible to offer a peaceful negotiation with Belgardi Ltd and the Galactic Empire, as we of the Imperium will <i>not</I> rescind Bespin because your Empire once claimed it as theirs in the past."

Liam Derris smiled and glanced to Rico Belgardi in confirmation of his words. It was a chip of diplomacy, and obviously, the Galactic Empire was expected to make the next move.

"...as we of the Imperium will not rescind Bespin because your Empire once claimed it as theirs in the past...."

Ondajh did not allow his frown to show - he would not have gotten so far in the field had he allowed himself to show what he thought. His face remained steadfastly neutral as the Ambassador from the Black Dragon Empire spoke.

And finally, he offered a slight nod.

"That is not, however, the case, Derris. The Empire does not claim that Bespin was once ours and no longer is. Irregardless of any citizens you might have placed there, the planet - and all of its assets - belong to the Empire.

"This is the case in spite of any accord you two may have reached. Simply put, Sir, you do not have the authority to make an accord regarding the Empire's property."

He spoke slowly and carefully, but his voice conveyed the power and threat that backed him up: the ten ships in orbit could raze Pavo Prime to the ground in less than an hour, if need be.

"You ask for a peaceful solution. Here it is:

"Your Black Dragon Empire can evacuate all of its citizens, within two week's time. They may take with them any possessions they own, so long as they are removed by the time of our deadline.

"You will repay the Empire the full ammount of credits your Empire - and you, Mr. Belgardi - profited a result of your illegal trade of Tibanna Gas (keeping in mind this would be little if anything given the large-scale destruction of both mines/refineries and gas itself following the ORS assault).

"Gentlemen, the Empire owns Bespin. No invasion by any party changes that. Two weeks."

And he waited.