2. Digging in Sand

Marcus senses no dishonesty, but perhaps he's a fish liar. Time will tell.

His eyes flicker to Hural. He senses a way out, where his honor might somehow need recycled. "I'm known as Bafat. My former master, Daniil is in the desert, attending to the harvester. But the carryall is at the space port."

"Alright, Bafat. I hope we can have a more polite conversation with Daniil at another time. You know who his contact is with the Builder's Guild? We came to have a chat with them - perhaps an introduction is in order?"

Not sensing any dishonesty from the thug, who calls himself Bafat, Marcus relaxes a little. His blade is still unsheathed however, and he continues to pay attention to what the man says and his body language.

Marya continues scanning the group of bandits, and their location, from behind cover. She is looking to sense any impending danger to their party.

Bafta makes a hand sign to the other thugs, who walk away without trying to cause any offense. Perhaps to find crime that pays.

He leads you to one of the buildings, and you notice as you get close to the front door, that there are two guards in the shade. Bafta leads you past them, giving them some sign. Within it appears mostly empty in a way that gives the impression of a decorative choice, but there is traffic in the sand that blows in leading to the back. To another guard, subtly hidden, he says, "Tell Meacan that I've brought potential business interests." The guard disappears through a door.

To you, Bafta explains, "Meacan is the man in charge here. He's the liaison to the Builders' Guild, an area chieftain if you will, for construction in this area."

The man comes out, and with him two armed guards, who look twitchy. When he sees you, he's suddenly unsure that he's protected enough. To the guards, he says, "Leave us." They back away into the inner room, ready to charge if called.

Meacan is a sturdy man, barrel chested in a way of a big strong man turning slowly to fat. He's dressed in working clothes, and has some stone dust on his thighs. "I'm Meacan, of the Builders' Guild. I was not expecting to be entertaining today. What brings you here? Perhaps you seek our highly specialized engineering skills to expand your compound, or you wish to construct a new installation? You'll find no finer expertise on Arakis, and we can handle any job of any size." He's going into full salesman mode.

Rook's observant eyes constantly scan for threats as the situation continues to develop. He is surprised by the level of security and especially so at their ability to remain hidden as if the guards are coming out of the walls themselves. While this is unnerving, it speaks to the organization and talent of the Builders' Guild.

He will leave the negotiating to the others while he remains aware of their safety.

Having moved on, Marcus sheathed his sword. Now in the presence of Meacan, he keeps watch while the others negotiate.

Marya's wearing her typical operational gear of full-body stillsuit-like-but-without-the-stink urban black tactical suit. And yet, despite the outfits ruggedness and practicality, Marya's powerful smile, compelling looks, and attitude leave her looking pretty fabulous in it.

She stands there at Hural's side, leaving space for the mentat to take the lead here. At the same time, she gives both Bata and Meacan a good looking over, awarding them both with a good share of her smile.

"As a bene gesserit sister, I'd be loosing my touch if I couldn't distract these two, give some kind of advantage to Hural as he works on them..." she thinks to herself.

Momentum: 5
Threat: 4

"Meacan, thank you for receiving us. We of course recognize the importance and the strength of the Builder's Guild here on Arrakis. We come with potential investment opportunity that we trust you will be interested in. You own several properties in this area of the city that our benefactor has interest in. We are here to politely offer negotiations for their purchase, if no other option presents itself."

Rook wonders about the extent of the security here with so many guards. It feels like a lot. What is so valuable in this building to warrant such protection? He keeps his eyes on both doorways and the guards as well while the negotiations commence.

Meacan crosses his arms. "Ah, yes, I know your benefactor by reputation, I think. We have no interest in selling this building, or the other one. We have become quite fond of it, but more than that, it has become central to our dealings. You could make an offer of course. Enough Solaris and we'd move out today."

"I see," Hural says, "I believe I have some understanding of these dealings you mention. Perhaps an arrangement can be made. What if we were to leave your business dealings in place, without disruption - perhaps even coming to an agreement regarding the goods you deal in. Imagine, if you will, a grand market standing in this zone - one that rivals even the largest and most lucrative of other worlds. A place bustling with traffic, traffic that pays incredibly well for many, many things." His lips form a tight smile. "We would buy the lots from you and perhaps lease them back to you, once development is complete. The alternative of course would be direct competition with our benefactor. That...would not go well for you."

He considers only briefly before saying, "Contract with the Builders' Guild for construction, favorite rent amounts, and legal guarantees in the lease agreements that our attorneys have you approve, and we can come to an arrangement." Momentum: 5
Threat: 3

Hural settles into the negotiations.

Hural maintains his composure, reading the man's responses as they're etched upon his face.

You negotiate well, your Mentat training an even match for shrewd experience. In the end, the amount you settle on isn't robbery for either side.

Meacan and you conduct the bargain. "I'll have my team draw up the contract and submit it for your approval. Welcome to the future grand market!"

Rook nods at Hural in appreciation of the mentat's skills. A thrill runs through the spymaster as the group inches closer to their goals. He knows that Sina will be thrilled with their progress. Rook's lofty objective of ruling the underworld also moves closer to becoming a reality.

"The sentiment is shared, Meacan. Now, there is another matter we were looking into. It's our understanding that there are a number of criminal organizations operating in the area. We understand you've had an arrangement with one, Daniil. We have a mind to limit the number of such enterprises in preparation for the market's development. We could tolerate some such activity, but I'd be curious as to your thoughts on the matter, seeing as we'll soon be partners. If we were to put our resources into one or two such groups, who would you recommend and why?"