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| - The Novacom Medical CEO has been more pensive than usual today. Yesterday's visit from Miranda Jabs has kept her thoughts occupied most of the day, and her employees have noticed. Not that any of them would dare say anything, of course, but it's hard to miss when your otherwise coolly collected boss waves off comments in an absentminded fashion. Aurelia leans back into her comfortable chair and sighs to herself, wishing suddenly that her machinations weren't quite so mentally exhausting all the time. Keeping track of all the disparate threads of her ambitions was a full-time job in and of itself. Oh, well. Nobody ever said that running an corporate empire would be easy, and she's made billions off her ability to keep her feelings firmly in check and remain calm in the craziest of situations. Is it just a coincidence, though, that Jabs would only yesterday mention the debacle between Qwynt and Smitherbodkins and no less than 12 hours later she has received a missive from the latter? Her upbringing, education, and experience all tell her that there are no such things as coincidences, no matter how much she may actually respect Miranda Jabs as a fellow businesswoman. A very tentative knock sounds against the door to Aurelia's private office, and then the door opens slowly, an extremely cowed NovaCom employee poking his head around the door. "A Mr. Smitherbodkins to see you, ma'am," he says; well, actually, it's almost more of a squeak. It's as though waiting for the precise moment for her thoughts to turn to him, and Smitherbodkins always manages to arrive right on cue. He brushes aside the timid little man, clearly in no mood to deal with underlings, especially ones so spineless as this particular one. "Ms. Silabar," he says without preamble, though he removes his hat and sweeps a deep bow to her, the very essence of lordly courtesy. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice. I know how busy NovaCom keeps you, so I shall not waste your time." Without further ado, he strides forward, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and removing a small, dull green canister. He sets it on the desk before her, "What do you make of this?" It's all she can do not to stare. Mercifully, years of training quash any impulse towards the unseemly, and Aurelia rises from her seat in a single, fluid motion. "That all depends, Mister Smitherbodkins," she begins, turning a trained eye towards the canister, "On how you came by this little curio of yours." Naturally it's of the same make and model as the one brought in yesterday by Jabs, but she's not about to share this fact outright. If the crazed Toydarian Qwynt is indeed trying to off the Direx board in such a crude fashion, he's probably beneath her concern. Stupid creatures usually are -- unless they happen to have a lot of liquidity -- in which case it behooves her to pay closer attention. Corporate takeovers are, after all, one of her specialties. "Did you come across it during a recent antiquities purchase?" Feigned ignorance is another one of those specialties. The barest hint of a smile touches Smitherbodkins' face at her question, but he simply shakes his head, placing his hat on one of the shelves nearby. The cane in his hand, however, he does not set down, keeping a firm, strangely tenacious grip on the spider handle. "No," he answers, one hand waving vaguely in the air as if the acquisition of it is of little consequence, "I came upon it in my ship as I was flying to Corellia. Strange that it slipped by my security. They have been dealt with." The nonchalance in his voice as he says this makes his actual words all the more chilling. "I know who placed it there, and why; the how eludes me, but not for long." He raises his eyebrows at Aurelia, regarding her with an expression of only mild interest, though there's something sharper behind his eyes. "Can you identify the substance?" "You wouldn't have come if you thought I couldn't identify it," she replies evenly, "As it is, I can tell you the construction is crude. It didn't originate in any facility that I would care to do business with." She withdraws the same small device from her desk that made an appearance yesterday. Within moments the verdict is in: this particular canister does indeed contain the same pedestrian fungal toxin that Jabs' canister had. "Unless you were planning on licking the contents, you needn't worry. It's a first-generation poison that Toydarians are immune to. It will cause humans a bad case of hemorrhaging bowels should any particles be ingested. If you opened the canister you'd see the powder crystals are grey and none too finely-milled." Her expression is one of mild disdain for such a pathetic attempt at assassination. Aliens really are stupid. She has yet to meet one that would make a worthy adversary. The woman's first statement causes Smitherbodkins to blink, but the smile playing on his lips widens ever so slightly, as though she's gone up in his estimation. He says nothing, though ,waiting for her to make a full appraisal of the weapon...or, "weapon" as she now identifies it to be as ineffective as the one who planted it. As she pulls out another, identical canister from her desk, shock registers on his face for an instant, as he immediately identifies who must have brought it here. The moment is gone as quickly as it arrived, however, as years of practice schooling his face kick in. After she finishes, he chuckles once more, shaking his head at the audacity, and idiocy, of the grubby little Toydarian. "Thank you," he says, giving Aurelia a nod, "You have eased my mind." There's no heartfelt sentiment behind these words, however; they're merely born from years of practice, as his thoughts churn and tumble to come to his next move in the game. "How did you happen to come by such a similar vessel, if I may ask?" He looks, for all the world, as if he's merely asking about the weather, or the health of some unimportant relative. "Let's say a friend came to me with similar concerns, Mister Smitherbodkins." The fact that Aurelia doesn't have any real friends is left unspoken; she knows Smithers understands such statements completely. Corporate titans have no time or inclination to let personal connections stand in the way of their profit margins. "Furthermore, let's say that a certain newly-elected Prex has proven himself to be unstable, unreliable, and..." her upper lip curls ever-so-slightly in distaste, "... foul. I think we both understand the need for a strong leader. The CSA cannot afford to be mismanaged and made a laughingstock by the appearance of this creature Qwynt. We certainly cannot afford protracted smear campaigns and anything else that stinks of scandal. We are not fringers, Mister Smitherbodkins, we are businesspeople." "Agreed." The mention of the smear campaign threatens to break the calm composure for which Smitherbodkins is known for; after all, he did wake up to that travesty of a story this morning on the IGNews. However, he's always risen above the fray, and today is no exception; generations of Corellian noble stock have bred in him a resiliency that Qwynt cannot hope to match. Any residual disgust slides from him as easily as water off a Nabooian duck. "This charade has gone far enough. The Maker knows I have infinite patience, but I have a responsibility to my shareholders, as do the other board members. This circus must come to an end." He places the point of his cane on the floor, fingers interlacing over the handle as he regards Aurelia, "I am convening an emergency Direx board meeting and calling for Mr. Qwynt's immediate resignation. For now, this may be enough to stay his hand, though should he retaliate, more desperate measures may need to be taken. Do I have your support?" "I will be at the board meeting." As to whether Aurelia is prepared to help Smitherbodkins retaliate, she does not say. It wouldn't do to show one's hand like that out of the gate, even if the sentiment of wanting to be rid of Qwynt is a shared one. "It's vital that we present a united front and let our shareholders know that eccentricities and anomalies will not be tolerated in our world. We can't have our stocks being sold off at a loss in some kind of an investor panic. The galaxy must be reminded that to sit on the Direx board is to take one's position of responsibility very, very seriously." Poor, stupid Toydarian. When all is said and done, he won't know what hit him, or who hit him with it. "Do promise me one thing, if you can," she says quietly, "No more brawls, visits to the brig, or interviews when you are looking anything less than your very best. Seeing the CEO in a holding cell never sits very well with either employees or investors." An expression that could almost be considered a wince, were the lips more twisted and the eyes more squinty, crosses Smitherbodkins' face. "Yes...I acted rashly." No matter whether the action was warranted or not, its consequences certainly did not portray him in the most positive light. "I can assure you, nothing of that sort will happen again." Nothing that can be positively linked back to him, at any rate. He meets Aurelia's gaze with a decisive nod, continuing, "I shall stand with you and any...other board members that are interested in seeing Qwynt's term as Prex come to a rapid end." The slight emphasis on the word 'other' makes it clear of whom he's speaking, but like her, he does not say the name. "I have taken too much of your time, Ms. Silabar. I am sure you must have business to attend to, as I do. Thank you for all your kind assistance. I look forward to seeing you at the board meeting." "You will indeed." Once she gives her word, she follows through. Everyone knows this... especially her enemies. As the antiquities dealer moves to leave, Aurelia settles back into her seat and gives free rein to a series of very unpleasant thoughts regarding the fate of one disgusting Toydarian. The nerve of that creature, really, to try and kill humans! It would soon learn its proper place in the galaxy: beneath the well-heeled foot of one Aurelia Aemilia Silabar. She has never suffered the company of fools, charlatans, or cretins, and she's not about to begin now! Soon -- very soon -- Qwynt will learn who is really boss.
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