Let's Talk About Money Shall We? (Jakesnake)

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Senator Uranibask Bahradr was spending the last few minutes of his free time before an appointment, taking advantage of one of the features of his office.

He had a large heat lamp set up next to the window, and it was his custom to coil his serpentine body up under it and bask in the pleasant warmth before he left to go out into more conventional weather suited to human comfort.

The Senior Senator for the Sluis sector was always grateful for his pleasant intermissions from his duties, though it was undeniable that he took a certain satisfaction in his work. The bureaucracy, the delightful bureaucracy! Everywhere there was a form or a procedure, Uranibask could be found enjoying himself.

His insistence on protocol was really quite rigid, which certainly troubled some, but his steadfastness on proper economic policy was quite refreshing to others. And of course he was practically immune to vote-buying and other corruption, 'practically' only in as much that he did agree to swap votes in order to pass an important economic bill.

It was his economic prowess that had earned him this meeting with a Miss Arianna Valen of Corvana, an agricultural world in the Rim. He'd been reviewing the statistics and data on the planet all morning, committing many factors to memory in preparation.

At the appointed minute, he slithered away from his heat lamp and crossed over to his desk, coiling up behind it as his humanoid torso rested behind the desk, all his information and documents resting on the surface.

And then he waited.

[Dr. Jake]

Checking the address once more, Jacques stepped out of the "Yu" airspeeder and quickly surveyed the area. Identifying possible threats was impossible on this metropolis of a planet. Nothing could be more different from Corvana. The "business associate," who was actually just a bodyguard, opened one of the doors and helped its passenger step out.

Arianna Valen was dressed in all her usual finery. Her light brown mane was up in a complex, yet elegant bun, nothing odd there. Her face possessed a radiant beauty, graced with rounded, fair features. As for makeup, there wasn't much. She hadn't had time for much but a little eyeliner and some blush.

Peculiar, however, was her attire. Instead of the usual dress, Arianna was clothed in a powder blue pencil skirt with a feminine business coat over a white blouse. According to the latest fashion publications, that was in in the Core. She had also come to the realization that dresses, when dealing with male politicians, tended to look weak or frilly.

She had no intention of making such an impression on a Republic Senator.

Heels matching the outfit hit the landing pad and kept on going toward the offices, the Corvanan Congresswoman issuing a cordial, "Thank You Jacques."

Arianna, carrying herself with a sense of august dignity, met a pair of blue-clad senate guard at the entrance. Curtsying slightly, she was led through the door by the guards. Once inside the Office Building, Jacques was relieved of his handgun, and the pair were led into a lift by a Rodian aide.

The polite young alien punched a button, and before long they were several floors higher and being led through another corridor. The Rodian suddenly stopped and opened a door near the end of the hallway.

She stepped inside the room and spoke to the Senator.

"Your Excellency, may I present," she looked down at her datapad," Congresswoman Arianna Valen, of The Commonwealth of Corvana."

Arianna entered the office and curtsied, as was custom for women of her social standing. The Senator was...not what she expected. If it weren't for her iron discipline, Arianna's jaw would have certainly dropped.

"It is an honor to make your company Your Excellency. We have much to discuss."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

A human woman entered the office, with brown hair and what Uranibask understood were attractive features on the species. She was wearing appropriately formal attire, which was a pleasant touch. Some figures insisted on wearing casual clothing on to meet with important politicians, which bothered him.

To be true, his idea of bothered was exactly the sort of feeling most people would dismiss in mere seconds. Uranibask was a creature of near-infinite patience.

She referred to him as 'your excellency,' and he promptly corrected the improper title.

"Pleasssse, refer to me asss Ssssenator."

He held out an arm and motioned the woman to a seat across from the desk, comfortable and plush, but light enough to move away from the desk for those species, like his own, who didn't sit down.

"We do have much to dissscussss. You came prepared to dissscussss trade policiesss and your economic development I trusssst?"

Uranibask's serpentine tongue flicked out and tasted the air as he finished speaking, and he could detect an expensive perfume emanating from his guest.

"Can I offer you any beveragesss? Tea? Coffee? Perhapsss water?"

[Dr. Jake]

A pang of embarrassment hit Arianna as she was corrected by the Senator. This would be one of the first times she had ever made a miscalculation regarding decorum. Now her reptilian counterpart would think her a ditsy, everyday planter's daughter.

She would just have to apologize and act like it had never happened. That was the key to poise, to always look fluid and graceful. At least, that was what had been drilled into her head since birth.

Despite all those memories and thought processes churning inside her head, she maintained her pearly smile.

"My apologies, Senator."

Once the snake-like bureaucrat motioned for her to sit , Arianna took one of the seats. Once seated in the comfortable little chair, she turned her head slightly to see Jacques. The blonde Corvanan was politely waiting in the back of the office, awaiting instruction.

The congresswoman nodded and he walked toward the desk, taking a seat next to his compatriot. He opened the briefcase he had been carrying and withdrew a pair of datapads. He sat one on the Senator's desk, and handed the other to Arianna.

The Corvanan Aristocrat maintained eye contact with the senator as he spoke.

"Yes, these datapads both contain projections for the cost of crucial Corvanan imports over the next decade. They also contain projections on agricultural productions, exports, and costs of shipping. I'm officially here to strengthen the trade agreement between the Republic and the Commonwealth of Corvana. Tea would be lovely, thank you."

She sat back in her chair, legs firmly held together, knees facing slightly to the left, and most crucially, with titanium posture.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Uranibask nodded and pressed the comm on his desk.

"Luna, bring in tea for our guessssst," He hissed politely before turning his attention to the datapad, taking it in his scaly hands and perusing it, scrolling through the figures and committing each to memory with a glance.

It appeared the Corvanan economy was strong, but reliant upon imports, even by their own standards. The Republic estimates he'd looked over had been slightly different, yet quite similar. It reinforced his own opinion, that Corvana was a good trade partner, and the Republic stood to benefit by expanding that.

"Ressssst assssssured that I will ussssse my possssition in the Sssenate to expand the trade agreement between our governmentssss. While I cannot undo the Republic'sss protectionissssm, I will pusssh for lower tariffsss to increassse the bulk of trading that goesss on. I am afraid it will be difficult, asss your sssslavery isss not popular in the Republic. There will be oppossssition from the Core Worldssss, but I think the Outer Rim will prove more compliant. I know the Sssenator for Eriadu quite well, and I am ssssure he will sssseek to have a trading agreement with your world, dessspite the distance."

At that moment an ornate and very detailed droid entered, bearing a tray with a pot of tea and a cup, with sugar and cream to the side. She set it down before Arianna and poured tea into the cup before demurely retreating to the corner and standing there in silence.

[Dr. Jake]

Arianna nodded slightly to the mechanical servant that delivered the tea, issuing an accented "Thank you". The Corvanan aristocrat treated droids like they were alive, mostly because she was used to slaves filling such roles.

She put an ample amount of sugar and a bit of cream into the dark tea. After taking an experimental sip, Arianna found it to be pleasing, yet unique in flavor.

The Congresswoman liked what she heard from her reptilian host. She even enjoyed his presence, finding the Sluissi to be cordial and pleasant. From what she heard, he was interested in nurturing the Republic's relations with her home planet.

Corvana was heavily dependent on technological and pharmaceutical imports, thus a free trade agreement would go a long way to secure those products and strengthen diplomatic ties. Such an agreement would have to be mutual, as cash crops usually carried high tariffs in Republic space.

"I would greatly appreciate that, Senator Bahradr. The Commonwealth has a hard time finding friends in such troubling times, something your government can understand."

She paused for a moment to take a sip of her tea, before setting it back down on its dish.

"For such an agreement to work, many tariffs would have to be lowered, a reality you are aware of no doubt. My government is willing to lower our own tariffs on technological and medical goods from the Republic by 55%. I would feel more comfortable if the Republic could do the same for our tea, sugar, and cotton shipments."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"I will lobby for a reduction in the Ssssenate. My colleague from Eriadu isss on the trade committee, and he will do hisss utmossst to ssssecure more favorable termsss."

The Sluissi skimmed the datapad before him again, beginning the long and laborious process of discussion. It was long and laborious because he was involved. And when Senator Bahradr was involved, things had a tendency to become complicated and tedious.

"Your projectionsss ssshow a 14% increassse in the cosssst of medical goodssss, which could possssibly be reduced via favorable trade policiesss with clossser planetsss sssuch asss New Holsssstice. Would you be kind enough to disssscussss the reassssonsss for sssuch a dramatic increassse in the cossst? We can go point by point to elaborate on each increassse and find waysss to lower the cosssst through ssselection of trade partnerssss."

Uranibask folded his hands together politely and made eye contact, awaiting a response from the human woman.

[Dr. Jake]

"Of course Senator. Our government, along with most of the healthcare companies within the Commonwealth, import chemicals and medical apparatuses from smaller firms in the Outer and Mid Rims. Since they're smaller firms, prices are higher. Due to piracy and the travel distance, shipping is inefficient and expensive. We are barred from dealing with larger firms in the Core by an act in your Senate. I'm not particularly knowledgeable on the legislation,b but I believe it denies Republic businesses from dealing with entities that allow slavery.

Arianna let the words sink in as she took another sip of the delightful brown liquid in her teacup. It tasted similar to Corvanan tea.

"If possible, repealing this legislation or providing some sort of exception for the Commonwealth would go a long way to lowering the price of many imports and open new business opportunities for both of our nations. Do you think that could be arranged?"

The aristocrat maintained her posture with ease and her demeanor with excellence. The importance of the meeting was far greater than she let on, as the outcome could more or less define the future of the Commonwealth.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"I am not often in the possssition of advocating for deregulation," Uranibask said wryly in the closest he ever came to humor. His reputation as a bureaucrat was well-known, as was his penchant for enhancing the scope of government and closing loopholes.

"However in thisss circumsssstance, I will lobby for an exemption to the law for your government. With the war on and a need for an influx of new fundssss, I think we can circumnavigate the law. I do not anticipate a surge of popularity over thissss in the Core Worldsss, but it isssss in my opinion esssssential."

The Sluissi was most notably thinking of an Arkanian Senator who would most definitely not be happy with the policy on slavery he was about to take. However, adversity or not, he knew what was essential. Getting the Republic more trade, and therefore more funds, would help the war effort. That was the most important thing right now.

Senator Bahradr moved on to the remaining projections, listing them all after another and inquiring on each one in his polite hiss.

[Dr. Jake]

"That would be greatly appreciated, Senator. Now how about these sugar export increases..."

She and the reptilian Senator talked like this for the better part of an hour, Arianna sipping her tea cup periodically.. They went through nearly every detail of every projection, each making the other a dozen assurances and guarantees. The fair skinned Congresswoman found him to be meticulous, yet pleasantly proper. She really liked proper.

Their negotiations, nearly an hour in, were beginning to draw to a close. She was confident that the meeting had been very beneficial to the Commonwealth, but the Republic would not go uncompensated.

Throughout the meeting, Jacques stood in the back of the room, successfully feigning patience. He would sometimes gaze out the window at the Coruscanti skyline, the view reminding him of Gresia City, though it was a fraction of the size of the Republic's Capital.

"...whichwould decrease the cost of durasteel imports by 12%, and most members of my party and government would support the tariff reduction. I trust that you will try to do the same."


The Congresswoman finally finished the last bit of tea, setting it back on its tray. The negotiations were effectively complete, and she still felt good about the end result.

"With that, I think we have addressed everything on the agenda. If you don't have any additions, then I believe we are finished here. The Commonwealth, as well as I personally, express our deepest thanks for having me."

Corvanan etiquette demanded that he bow slightly and take her hand if she offered it, Arianna fought her formal habits and opted for the more universal hand shake. She stood from her seat and gingerly extended her hand. Not only was she wary of Core culture, but she wasn't so keen on keeping prolonged physical contact with the Senator. He looked scaly and gross to her, though her smile and demeanor said differently.