Silvan Armoth stared out his window at the Aleen landscape. It's a shame, he thought, that so few people ever visit this world. To him, the world seemed beautiful. Of course, most people say that about the world they'd lived on for over twenty years. It had become home to him. No matter what the landscape was, he would enjoy it. Unless, of course, something happened to change it.
What Silvan was more interested in, however, were the massive factories and groundyards that churned out hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of products every hour. I've done pretty good, he thought.
Ever since his departure from Kuat Drive Yards, he had been working his hardest to establish a legitimate, profitable company. By the time the New Republic got around to looking at Aleen, he was well-entrenched. Even if they had wanted to dislodge him, it would have been quite a fight and might have bankrupted the planet. So they let him stay. Besides, they were able to purchase some of his products, which even they had to admit were quality items.
Then came the wars. Two of them that affected Armoth Industries. The first was between the New Republic and the Empire. Silvan had simply waited that one out, knowing that he was not yet strong enough to offer his services to the Empire without being absorbed into their system. The Empire had won, thankfully, and Silvan lay low for some time. Then his father died, and overnight Silvan went from a struggling entrepreneur to an extremely affluent businessman.
The shares in Kuat Drive Yards alone paid for much of the expansion of Armoth Industries. Silvan owned most of the factories on the planet and by this point controlled a large portion of the government. Without him, the economy really would collapse.
Then came the second war, this one between the Galactic Coalition and the Empire. Silvan once again sat on the sidelines, waiting it out. Another day, another enemy, was his thought as the Empire once again crushed the heirs of the New Republic. But then came the Wrath Virus. Armoth Industries suffered a heavy blow during the quarantine; however it wasn't long before the problem was solved and industry was once again booming.
It wasn't terribly hard to re-establish contact with buyers on nearby planets, which had been his main market in the first place. This time, though, they wanted more than just goods. They wanted cooperation.
That was where Simon Kaine's League of Nations came in. Silvan was quite happy with the new arrangement. The closer the planets came together, the easier it was for Silvan to sell to them. Every planet in the League could benefit from his sales, as his product range was diverse enough to cover a number of needs. From weapons to harvesters, from children's toys to speeders, Armoth Industries created, built, and sold all sorts of products.
Now, with the recent Coalition aggression, it was time to make his proposition to the Empire. His company was large enough to do so and not be absorbed. Besides, he had the guarantee of the Empire that Aleen would not be absorbed and probaly the guarantee of the Coalition as well. He was as safe as he could be.
The proposition worked, and the New Order, through a large number of straw men and straw-man companies, purchased a vast number of Armoth Industries stocks. Now the two were inescapably entwined; if one succeeded, so would the other, if one failed, so would the other. Well, at least as far as the relationship from Armoth Industries to TNO went. If TNO failed, Armoth Industries would probably go under. Silvan would like to think that the reverse was true as well, but considering the diversity of TNO assets, it wasn't likely. But he could always dream.
But the Empire was not going to fail. They were both strong and economically efficient. Things would go well for Armoth Industries now - assuming no one else discovered the TNO-Armoth relationship. That was the point of the secure call that he was about to receive from someone in TNO High Command. He'd requested that all dealings be through a series of straw companies with no direct links to the New Order and that only those with top-level clearance know of the relationship. He did want to keep his Coalition customers happy, too.
He was interrupted from his reverie by the sound of the communications console dinging. "Finally," he commented under his breath. Tapping the receiver switch, he watched as the Imperial caller's form materialized over the holopad on his desk. "Armoth Industries, this is CEO Silvan Armoth. With whom am I speaking?"
What Silvan was more interested in, however, were the massive factories and groundyards that churned out hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of products every hour. I've done pretty good, he thought.
Ever since his departure from Kuat Drive Yards, he had been working his hardest to establish a legitimate, profitable company. By the time the New Republic got around to looking at Aleen, he was well-entrenched. Even if they had wanted to dislodge him, it would have been quite a fight and might have bankrupted the planet. So they let him stay. Besides, they were able to purchase some of his products, which even they had to admit were quality items.
Then came the wars. Two of them that affected Armoth Industries. The first was between the New Republic and the Empire. Silvan had simply waited that one out, knowing that he was not yet strong enough to offer his services to the Empire without being absorbed into their system. The Empire had won, thankfully, and Silvan lay low for some time. Then his father died, and overnight Silvan went from a struggling entrepreneur to an extremely affluent businessman.
The shares in Kuat Drive Yards alone paid for much of the expansion of Armoth Industries. Silvan owned most of the factories on the planet and by this point controlled a large portion of the government. Without him, the economy really would collapse.
Then came the second war, this one between the Galactic Coalition and the Empire. Silvan once again sat on the sidelines, waiting it out. Another day, another enemy, was his thought as the Empire once again crushed the heirs of the New Republic. But then came the Wrath Virus. Armoth Industries suffered a heavy blow during the quarantine; however it wasn't long before the problem was solved and industry was once again booming.
It wasn't terribly hard to re-establish contact with buyers on nearby planets, which had been his main market in the first place. This time, though, they wanted more than just goods. They wanted cooperation.
That was where Simon Kaine's League of Nations came in. Silvan was quite happy with the new arrangement. The closer the planets came together, the easier it was for Silvan to sell to them. Every planet in the League could benefit from his sales, as his product range was diverse enough to cover a number of needs. From weapons to harvesters, from children's toys to speeders, Armoth Industries created, built, and sold all sorts of products.
Now, with the recent Coalition aggression, it was time to make his proposition to the Empire. His company was large enough to do so and not be absorbed. Besides, he had the guarantee of the Empire that Aleen would not be absorbed and probaly the guarantee of the Coalition as well. He was as safe as he could be.
The proposition worked, and the New Order, through a large number of straw men and straw-man companies, purchased a vast number of Armoth Industries stocks. Now the two were inescapably entwined; if one succeeded, so would the other, if one failed, so would the other. Well, at least as far as the relationship from Armoth Industries to TNO went. If TNO failed, Armoth Industries would probably go under. Silvan would like to think that the reverse was true as well, but considering the diversity of TNO assets, it wasn't likely. But he could always dream.
But the Empire was not going to fail. They were both strong and economically efficient. Things would go well for Armoth Industries now - assuming no one else discovered the TNO-Armoth relationship. That was the point of the secure call that he was about to receive from someone in TNO High Command. He'd requested that all dealings be through a series of straw companies with no direct links to the New Order and that only those with top-level clearance know of the relationship. He did want to keep his Coalition customers happy, too.
He was interrupted from his reverie by the sound of the communications console dinging. "Finally," he commented under his breath. Tapping the receiver switch, he watched as the Imperial caller's form materialized over the holopad on his desk. "Armoth Industries, this is CEO Silvan Armoth. With whom am I speaking?"