Corporate Espionage

[Zasabi Ray]

"You're selling the company?"

Johanssen's astonished exclamation was well earned if entirely predictable. Zasabi had been CEO and majority stakeholder of the Red Comet Industrial for about a decade, having begun the company with his scraped together winnings from the fallout of the Corporate Sector collapse after Direx Valruk's disappearance. He had largely created a company that would run itself without his interference save for major changes in policy or direction, allowing him to act freely.

Recent years, however, had proven that the base was more vulnerable than he would like. After making an enemy of the Sith some time ago, he had avoided returning to the mine so as to avoid endangering his employees and comrades. It had led him to make a choice- if he was going to continue making enemies, he would have to start paring down his vulnerabilities.

That led him to the present, where he stood awaiting a luxury shuttle. It was an overdesigned waste of plasteel, made to look impressive rather than fly impressively. To his eyes, all it did was mark its passengers as targets.

The ramp lowered, extending between the columns of security personnel standing at attention. Behind them were two rows of droideka, weapons upright and stowed so as to not give the wrong impression. Standing even further beyond was Zasabi himself, dressed in a black and green suit he hadn't worn since the last board meeting he had deigned to sit it on. It wasn't the cut of the suit that made him uncomfortable- it had been impeccably tailored. Rather, it felt like it didn't belong to him, like he was wearing someone else's skin.

The buyers ambled down the ramp, accompanied by their own security detail. They were wearing the best fashion the Corporate Sector had to offer, nothing but boring basics arranged into a form that would almost be offensive enough to be interesting were it not so tame. Like all examples of Corporate aesthetics, they were an example of art with all the edges sanded off in focus group after focus group. The soldiers at least had a more distinct design, their equipment clearly Imperial in nature.

Zasabi adopted an expression as close to a genuine smile as he could manage. He hated these Corporate Sector pricks, but they were both the most financially capable and least intellectually capable candidates for the buyout.

"Mr. Green," he offered warmly while extending a hand. "It's been too long"

Victar Green filled the theelin's hand with his own, gripping tightly. "A pleasure, Mr. Ray. It's been what, five years now?"

Not nearly long enough. "Something like that. And your colleagues?"

Zasabi played at the congenial host for a few moments longer before showing them to their vehicle, a long hovercar that remained elegant despite the obvious armor plating and shielding. Zasabi himself took the head of the convoy in a security speeder. He might have to spend the rest of the evening with those idiots, but he could at least have a moment of solace out here.

The night progressed. His droid butler and assistants served a meal suitable for the occasion and entirely unappetizing to Ray. The only thing less appetizing was the prospect of negotiating the buy-out, but at least there was the hope for dessert, if nothing went awry.

"Mr. Green, you seem anxious," Zasabi commented at one point. "Did the meal not sit well with you?"

The elder businessman excused his discomfort witha muted cough and a wave. "No, no. For the record, how good is your security?"

Zasabi raised an eyebrow before smiling. "I see. I know Dantooine has been in question during the galactic conflict, but let me be clear that there is no place on this planet as well defended as this mining complex. Between the heavy grade shield generator, the six planetary ion cannons, and my assortment of ground forces including a great many destroyer droids along with an armored complement, I can assure you that nothing short of an attack from orbit with a patrol fleet or a full invasion will harm this mine. In addition, we have a small patrol fleet protecting the site from orbit."

"Trust me, gentlemen," Zasabi said with absolute confidence. "You are in complete safety."

[Master Buggie]

**Outer Rim Territories**
**Raioballo Sector, L-4**
**Hyperspace, Enroute to Dantooine**

The ready-area of the assault transport was quiet, aside from the hum of the hyperdrive and the whispered prayers that some of the marauders offered. A more cynical observer would have allowed a laugh to escape their lips at the thought of this group of murderers, brutes, and scoundrels relying on any of the galaxy's various faiths, but for his own part, Master Buggie remained silent, deep in a meditative trance. Hours before, he had been briefed on the raid that he and his pirate companions were undertaking. Straight from the top, they had told him, and that meant this scheme had been cooked up by none other than the Captain himself, Jay Mertaal. Buggie, as part of the ground assault team, would be storming the estate of a mining baron who was seeking to sell their business conglomerate. The sudden rumors that the conglomerate, Red Comet Industries, was seeking an acquisition, had attracted immediate attention, and the potential price tag associated with such an acquisition meant that Corporate Sector executives would be the most likely parties involved in buying the mining company.

The Blue Star Pirates had been tipped off on the location and timing of a meeting between the mining baron and their suitors. With the names rumored to be present at this meeting, the Blue Star Pirates decided to act. It was too enticing of an opportunity to capture these Corporate Sector executives and lay bare their crimes and degeneracy to the galaxy. Their capture could offer several bargaining chips to the Blue Star Pirates, but the entire affair needed to be conducted surgically, lest the pirate group be branded simple terrorists and abductors seeking ransom. The pirates would strike quickly, overwhelm whatever security details the executives had with them, and get out. Forces lay in reserve in the worst case scenario, but all indications were that the force of assault transports would be sufficient to accomplish the pirate objectives.

A sharp tone sliced through the ready room, rousing Buggie from his trance. The assault transport was dropping from hyperspace momentarily. From his position in the ready room, Buggie could see a portion of the opaqued bridge viewport, as the pilots had neglected to seal the bridge during the lightspeed jump. The stars briefly stretched out around the vessel before slamming back into pinpricks of light, and Buggie anticipated to see the darkness of deep space or, more likely, Dantooine filling the portion of the viewport that he could see. Instead, a Titan-class Patrol Frigate was practically on top of the assault transport. As the bridge's comms traffic filled with other assault transports announcing evasive maneuvers, suddenly, Buggie and the rest of the squad in the ready room were pitched sharply within their launch seats. The straps securing him to his seat strained, and one of the bridge crew slammed the door controls to the bridge while the reverberations of the assault transport's weaponry drummed through the bulkheads of the transport.

This mission had not begun according to plan.

[Zasabi Ray]

"Incoming!" shouted the sensor officer. Emerging far closer than was normal to orbit was a small flotilla of ships, scattering as they found themselves not in empty space as one might expect in such a quiet sector, but instead in spitting distance of the Bebop, a red Titan-class Patrol Frigate. Typically they would be positioned further out in a gravitationally stable orbit near common entry points to the system, but the meeting today had encouraged a more visible show of force.

"What are we looking at?" asked the captain, attempting to keep her cool in front of the crew. While they had all been part of the crew for some time, for many it was their first time in what was rapidly looking like actual combat.

"Multiple silhouettes, estimated between freighter and shuttle class. Their transponders are shrouded!"

A long pause, far too long for actual combat. That sort of hesitation was fine in training and hypotheticals, but here and now it meant that more of the drop ships were going to make it down to their target than otherwise would be possible.

"Assume enemies, but use Ion batteries," she issued with confidence she did not feel. "If it's just some smuggler with bad coordinates, there'll be no harm and no foul. If they make toward the the mines, engage with full batteries. And scramble our fighters!"

Targeting resolutions began to form as the Patrol Frigate let out crackling bolts of blinding blue energy, attempting to disable the shuttles before they broke orbit. This was a fight the Titan-class was made for, a snarl of mid-size vessels not quite fast enough to evade their turbolasers but not so large that their laser batteries wouldn't have much effect. Only the relative inexperience of their crew and their slow reaction times would give the pirates their chance to land on the planet below.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"...This one here, the tobacco used to grow it comes from Myrkr, a little world on the inner rim that's not known for much other than it's diverse fauna. The plants there-"

A light touch on Zasabi's shoulder. "Sir?"

A brief look of annoyance and relief- annoyance at being interrupted and relief at possibly having something to draw him away from his intolerable guests. "Yes?"

"The Bebop has reported a possible security breach. A number of mid-sized vessels have been spotted emerging in close orbit above the station. Security has recommended a full alert."

Zasabi sat quietly for a moment before nodding. "I approve. Don't let there be too much noise here."

It was not uncommon for raiders to attempt to steal ore shipments, even if it was less likely to be affected than other kinds of trade. It was much more uncommon for them to attempt a space-to-ground invasion, but not entirely out of the question. It was, after all, why Zasabi had built up such a cache of defenses.

Far enough to not be heard from the mansion, alarms began to blare. Workers returned to their hardened barracks while battle droids and security personnel alike deployed to predetermined points of resistance. The ion cannons, positioned around the mine to intercept anyone attempting to land nearby, began to spin up and face the darkness of the void, relying on a steady stream of targeting data from their assets in space to determine the approach vectors of the enemy craft. The shield generator protecting the mine and the surrounding area was checked and double checked, ground based turrets were manned, and armored vehicles rolled into position to respond wherever the enemies landed.

All of this meant that the mine was a near impregnable fortress, one that would require a great deal of pressure to crack. The mansion, however, was not nearly as well defended. What mansion on the outer rim was worth expending this many resources to invade?