"Fine." Grib glanced at his other chairmen. "Do we all agree to this? I don't want anyone whining that they had objections three months from now if this turns out to be a disaster?"
There were nods and hums of agreement all around the room.
...
"Alright we'll set up an interview- Actually, we're all assembled anyway, and this is an emergency meeting, isn't it? Then let's just call him now and get this ship underway." Feeling impatient, he sat up and grabbed his holocom. He quickly called his assistant, who then forwarded him to General Grievous after confirming that the General wasn't currently on assignment.
The holocom rang dozens of times before it was picked up. When the Kaleesh finally answered it took Grib a moment to register what he was looking at. The alien reptile was completely naked, his misshapen sex organs shamelessly exposed, alongside the sagging skin that came with age. His only concession to modesty was a bone white mask that covered his face, his tusks jutting out from beneath it. In the General's hand was a simple carving knife as he worked on a little ball of wood. He was flicking chips and flecks of sawdust into the embers of a campfire as he carved something. The holocom he was using must have been held by an assistant droid, perhaps an astro mech, because caught in the display was a handful of other kaleesh women, moving about at the edge of the scene and talking to each other softly in their jabbering tongue.
Grib clenched his jaw. "General, this is a business call. Get dressed."
"I'm fine." Grievous answered with a dismissive flick of his chin.
"...General, I understand this call was on short notice, but this complete disregard for common decency is a violation of the code of conduct in your contract and has no place before myself, along with Director Neeg, head of our legal department, Director Himera, and Director Vinwe. I demand you put some clothes on."
With a frustrated clucking sound from somewhere in the back of his throat, Grievous called out in his alien jabber, and after a few moments a female Kaleesh, with her head, face, and body covered by intricate robes, came over. For him she held out a robe made from animal fur, and Grievous slid his shoulders into the sleeves, and stood at his full two metres height while she cinched the belt at the waist with a simple knot. Then the general finally sat down and resumed his carving.
"You called me at my home." Grievous rumbled, and pointed with his finger at the board of directors. "Was it the fat director who stood me down? Or the one who is still fatter? You look the same to me."
Himera and Neeg exchanged shocked looks with each other.
Grib breathed out long and slow, through his nose. "General, we're calling to interview about a new position that has opened up. I believe my former colleague Andhlo spoke to you about it?"
"Was that why you slew him?" The barbarian demanded.
The stress sent coming from Neeg's glands sharpened deeply, mixed with the slightly rotted smell of infection.
"Andhlo died of a drug overdose." Grib growled.
"Yes, the needle forced into his neck was very large, I think." The Kaleesh held his hands apart to demonstrate the size. "You do not speak to a child, you speak to Grievous. You will speak truth, or not speak. Andhlo was… honourable, for your kind. He worked for a kresh of liars and thieves. Now the King of Thieves offers me a great title." He scoffed, and then turned back to his carving. "I wonder when will the Thief King try to dispose of me?"
"I'm the Viceroy of the Trade Federation." Grib shouted, pounding his fist against the desk. "And I will not be spoken to like this by an alien barbarian!"
"Yes! Good!" Grievous let out a cackle. "Now you speak the truth."
Grib launched himself to his feet, knocking his chair over backwards he stood up so fast. He knew he was being manipulated and provoked, but how dare this upjumped savage talk to him like this?! "You want me to treat you as you deserve to be treated? Fine. I was going to offer you a position worth so much it'll pay back the entire debt of your worthless little mudball in a single campaign! I was going to offer you a command of a fleet of five thousand warships! You could have had more power than a mud soaked barbarian like you could have ever dreamed of, if you just showed me a fraction of the respect I deserve! Instead, you will die regretting that an entire generation of your people lived and died in poverty because of your unearned pride!"
Grievous's cackle stopped, and the only sound for the next minute was the wood crackling in the firepit. The women in the background of the call had stopped speaking, disturbed by the sound of Grib's rant. Finally, the Kaleesh primitive spoke in a low, soft tone. "You do not have five thousand ships. Inside the Corporate Sector, you have four thousand ships, but only enough fuel for, oh, two thousand." He hummed. "Maybe another two hundred. Outside, you have five thousand ships, but half are crippled. Parts missing. Gas gone. Hoppers dry. Andhlo and I knew your fleets best, Thief King. I know your commanders, your captains, your admirals. None of them can win your war."
The general leaned forward, and took up a stick with one hand, using it to turn the log in the fire. "Your enemy has been watching you. Planning. Dooku chose when to declare war. First strike crippled you. Second strike destroyed your confidence. You no longer threaten his castle. He threatens yours. You are like a wounded beast that he stalks, waiting for a chance to lay the finishing blow. One more mistake, Grib. One more mistake, and your Thief Kingdom will burn." It was then that he raised up the block of wood that he'd been carving, and held it up for the holocom to see.
At first it looked like nothing but a simple wooden ball, but then Grib recognised it was a planet. He didn't know which one, though it looked vaguely familiar. What he had thought were merely embers in the fire were the smouldering remains of other such effigies.
"Your enemy… very ruthless. Determined. Clever. Prepared." Grievous let out a soft cackle. "He doesn't even hate you. He doesn't think of your suffering, to cause it or to avoid it. He simply wishes to destroy you. To be defeated by such an enemy… terrible. Terrible."
"...Can you win the war?" Grib demanded.
"Yes." Grievous answered with complete confidence. He looked up at the holocom, but made no attempt to elaborate further.
Grib glanced over at the other board members. They all gave nods, looking thoroughly impressed. The truth was that Grib already hated the damned alien, and he knew that trying to control him was a doomed endeavor. The thing was, he didn't need a general who responded perfectly to commands, what he needed was Raxus and Botajef burned to the ground. Whatever threat Grievous would pose down the line was a threat he would have to deal with when the time came.
"General, we're prepared to offer you the position."
"I refuse."
"Oh, get blasted!" Grib snarled. "Why not?!"
"We haven't discussed my payment." Grievous replied.
"I promise you, you will receive so many credits your stupid little cesspit will be struggling with inflation, instead of debt."
"Yes, of course." Grievous said. "But the treasure is not enough."
"What do you want?" Grib groaned out, exasperated.
"To exterminate the huks."
"The who?"
"Your kind call them Yam'rii." Grievous looked directly up at Grib's projected face, his eyes gleaming with the rising fire of the burning orb. "I want them all dead. Every adult. Every child. Every sample of their DNA in a sperm bank or egg creche. Every city razed. Every last bunker dug up. No brick laid by the Huks will ever rest upon another again."
The other board members looked at each other when they heard the demand. A clear declaration of genocidal intentions, demanded as a price for mercenary services. Force help them, this primitive really was an absolute madman.
Grib sat there, seething. "...Fine. but you'll have to hunt down the other Yam'rii, scattered across the Galaxy down yourself."
"Grib?" Neegs cautioned, looking nervous. "Remember that somebody may one day end up listening to this call. We can't agree to this, not if it ends up in a court room."
"Shut up."
"But this is gen-"
"Shuuuut uuup!" Grib howled at him, the exhalation so intense it flung spittle from his throat. "You worthless fat old man! Just be quiet! Just close your gaping mouth! That's all you need to do! Just sit there, and let me fix this mess, or take your reeking flesh and go! Get out! Maybe then you can die of an excess of pus in your disgusting glands and I'll never have to smell your rotten stink again!"
Neeg sat in his chair, unmoving. He glanced between Grib and the holocom, before finally he settled back, swallowing. "We need to make sure this call is not recorded."
Chest heaving, Grib turned back to the holocom, and swallowed down a mouthful of foaming spittle. "You hear that, savage? The Yam'rii homeworld, their colonies, their homesystem, that will be yours to do as you please, with. But the rest? That will be up to you."
"...Deal." Grievous finally answered.
"You understand that we can't keep an agreement like this in writing?" Neegs added.
"Pah." Grievous dismissed. "I will control your armies. If you try to betray me, I will raze the Corporate Sector myself."
Grib's eye twitched. "So be it." Then he hung up.
As the fire and the demon disappeared back into the holocom they were summoned from, Grib suddenly felt a strange sense of exhaustion overcome him. He looked at the rest of the directors, to find them staring at him, stunned.
It was Vinwe who broke the silence. "What have we agreed to?"
Rather than answer, Grib left the room, glad to be away from the smell of their pathetic cowardice. Whatever Grievous's petty grudges, in the end Grib had no real choice. He wasn't stupid enough to believe his Master would tolerate failure. Whatever became of the Trade Federation, or the Alliance, or the blasted huk, Grib wouldn't be around to see any of it he didn't get results.
Now wasn't the time to be having second thoughts. Now was the time to double down. What choice was even left anymore but to win or die?
...
If you want to read ahead of the public release you can join my patreon :
patreon.com/Rimanovi