(N7 - Wayland - CFS) Mato V: No Soliciting (If You're Techno Union)

[RocketBoy]

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  Mato's Tale:

Spoiler

Mato I: A Death Sentence

Mato II: Fleeing the Stench

Mato III: This Your First Time In Hyperspace?

Mato IV: Along Old Lanes

Next Post: Mato VI: Fear Leads to Anger

 

Chapter V

 

          They left the farmlands and forests behind and crossed into what Yigs called “Bur Wend”, the main settlement of this colony. At its head, overlooking a lake, stood an elaborate building. It was practically a palace, though nothing at all like the palaces built by the Hutts. This was much fancier and more elegant, but It had obviously been part of the fighting when this place was taken from the Imperials; the building was held up in multiple places with scaffolding, and walls had been partially patched with off-color stone.
                Mato raised an eyebrow. “Swanky place.”
                “Isn’t it?” Yigs agreed. “It used to be an Imperial Governor’s Palace. The guy in charge of rebuilding says it’s an example of ‘neo-Naboo classical’, whatever that means. He's real handy, but I'm not sure if he's ever actually studied. Now it’s part town-hall, part community center, part market. We all just call it the House. Let’s go, Ko-Yode is inside.”
                They entered its gates, crossed through a marketplace cluttered with stalls and merchants, and entered a section of the building being used for administration. They reached a lakeside galley and a gazebo where an older man stood guard, and after he exchanged a happy reunion with Yigs, they were told to wait. Someone was already meeting with Ko-Yode. The guard gave Yigs a significant, weary look, to which she sighed and rolled her eyes. Mato caught on quickly.
                “Techno Union?” he muttered.
                They both nodded.
                Careful and subtle, the guard cocked his head towards the gazebo. “Listen for yourself.”
                Yigs and Mato leaned around a parapet to catch snippets of the conversation. 

 

 

                One voice was computerized and deep. This was the green-skinned, blue-robed Skakoan representative of the Techno Union.
                “If you would only consider our assistance, Steward, we would make a powerful economic ally. You are an intelligent man, you know this is true.”
               

Another voice, calm and rich. Ko-Yode. The Steward and leader of Bur Wend, Dressed in all black robes and a golden-red cape. His hair was bushy, black and white under his jaw. He held a staff with horns tied to it, probably ceremonial. He seemed laid-back, but conviction edged his voice.  
                    “We can’t be allies, Forman. Your way of looking at our planet is incompatible with ours. You’re thinking that the world exists to serve us. That’s not it. This isn’t some prize, this is a particular place, a place I know well enough that I can honestly call it a friend. It is beloved to the people here. And we’re not here to take whatever we can carry, no. We exist here to cherish what we’ve been given, to foster its health and its flourishing. And we’re not hurting, believe me. We reap the benefits from a world well cared for every single day. That’s priceless for me and mine. Might be for you too, Foreman, if you took a minute to see what it was like.”

                ““If you know the planet as well as you claim, Steward, you must know that you extract below forty percent of its possible resources! How will you survive, prosper, if you do not take full advantage of the planet? Please, be reasonable. I’m sure we can come to an understanding. Our technology, as I’ve told you before, could increase your people’s profits by multiplications of hundreds!”

                “And wreck the ecosystem. We want to live with the planet, not in spite of it.”

                “Pah. That is exactly what makes this planet profitable! For the both of us, of course.”

 

 

                Ko-Yode’s distaste was obvious. “Not for long, with that attitude. You have anything else to say, or were you about to leave, Foreman?”
               
                There was a filtered, electronic huff. The Techno Union Foreman wasn’t pleased with being blown off so quickly.
                “If you will not support us—to your detriment—the Techno Union simply asks that you rescind your prior statement.”
               
                “Which one?” asked Ko-Yode with a hint of humor. “The one where I said you were vile, gutless robots who had signed away your morality to that pile of money you call a corporation?”
               
                A distorted, angry tuning. “—Yes. And—“
               
                “—And that if anyone wants to serve Wayland, the easiest way was to reject the idea of so-called ‘civilization’ that you’ve brought to poison our planet?”
               
                “That is the statement I refer to, yes. It hurts our business, you see.”
               
                “You want to hurt my planet,” replied the black-robed man calmly. “So this seems fair to me.”
               
                The Foreman was not yet deterred. “You have much influence with the colonists here. But our methods could bring them riches a tiny settlement such as this could not imagine.” Frustrated by the Steward’s response, the electronic voice became threatening, malicious. “Many of your people are beginning to consider our superior ways. If you are not careful, you may find that they turn on you. And that will only be the beginning of the erosion of your power. But this does not have to be. If you support us, then when your people inevitably come to their senses, you will lose nothing. Do you understand what I say, Steward?”
               

                 There was silence for a moment. A storm brewed inside the Steward, and it threatened to overtake the Foreman, who did not seem aware of what he’d done. There was a scoff from Ko-Yode. “Get out of my settlement, or I’ll pop you with my staff.”
               
                 A buzz, and a grunt of confusion. “. . . What?”
               
                “Did you not hear me?” The black-robed man turned on the Skakoan, horned staff held lightly in his hand. “I’m not usually a violent man, but to protect my people, I’ll make a concession.” His tone hardened, from clay to stone. “Leave,” he growled. “Every moment you’re here, you desecrate my planet. Go on. Get back into orbit, Foreman.”

                The threat couldn’t be ignored. The conversation was over. With a final, curt bow, the Foreman retreated from the terrace, electronic mutterings following him the whole way. He brushed past Mato and Yigs in the hall, and double-taked at Mato’s appearance. The foreman examined the uncomfortable Weequay with an odd gaze. He started to speak, apparently thought better of it, and hurried away. The cold, glassy stare from behind those goggles made Mato feel uneasy, of course. The Techno Union weren’t exactly cuddly. The flowing robes are nice, but they ruin it with the sharp, metal edges.
               
                 “Alright, feel free to go on in,” said the guard, once the Skakoan had gone.
               
                 “Wait here,” Yigs said. “I’ll talk to him first.”
               
                 Agreeing, Mato stood awkwardly in the hall, avoiding eye contact with the guard. A few minutes later, Yigs returned, looking joyful and pleased. She gestured for him to go ahead.
                “I’ll see you around later, I’ve got some things to look into. Take care, Mato.”
               
                 Mato, surprised by their sudden parting, bowed. “Same to you. It's, ah--been an honor.”

                He stepped out towards the rotunda, nervousness bubbling inside him. Would he be allowed to stay? Or thrown out? He steeled himself to face what was ahead.
                The longer he was on this planet, the more it was true: he so badly wanted to stay.

 

 

 

Spoiler

The House:

 

[marvelBoy123]

Nice landscaping and loving your story so far!

 

[Simulterious]

1 hour ago, marvelBoy123 said:

Nice landscaping and loving your story so far!

 

Yeah the story is really immersive!

[n1majneb]

Really enjoying this story, 

The landscape is really nice and a nice introduction to new characters

[Ross Fisher]

Nice story, and I love that brick-built Skakoan. .

[RocketBoy]

Thanks everyone for all the comments. I'm glad people are enjoying the story (and very ramshackle Skakoan)!

[MKJoshA]

Your story writing is excellent! Your Techno Union rep is well done, instantly recognizable. I really like how you accomplished your angled dock. A couple suggestions, the red seems very harsh next to the earth tones. Maybe pick black, white or greys for the rest of the building and leave the earth tones for the ground if you're going with red. I'd also suggest looking for some tutorials on SNOT rock work. What you have is nice, but it's very basic. Even just looking at other examples online and trying to copying them can teach you a lot.