[LTC - M17 - Haruun Kal - FZ] Boiled Lake

During an orbital bombardment of the planet, some lakes were boiled off. Some of the lakes re-filled over time. But others remained craters on the landscape. It was in one of these craters that Vin and Pria met after the job in Burnium Ro.

Here's the data you sent me after. Now it's your turn. How do I get my contract back?

You've proven yourself, so here's what we know. The Flame has been tracking an organization called the Consortium. They've been moving in on some of our business and we started to take note. But they operate in the shadows and it's very hard to get any solid information on them. 

And Slark works for this Consortium?

Exactly. But what's of more interest to you is what the Consortium is doing on Ikkrukk. You see, I'm not the only one who needed the data you pulled from Burnium Ro. Slark was there to get the same files.

So you used me?

I'll let you be the judge of that. I also know that the Consortium paid off the council of Orgao to give them your contract. They made big promises about doing the work better and cheaper than you, but they also gave big bribes. And when they got what they came for, they were going to leave Ikkrukk and default on their contract. You would have been gone and Orgao would have been out of a labor force. The town would have slowly died and the Consortium couldn't care less.

Dank farrik, those villains! The people of Orgao don't deserve this! But you promised me information that could get my contract back, how does knowing about the Consortium help me?

I can give you hard proof to show the council that Slark was planning to double cross them. I can also give you proof of the bribes. What you do with that I'll leave up to you. But more important, I want to show you what was on that data you retrieved for me.

This is the first hard proof I've gotten of the Consortium. That's why Slark wanted to get it so bad. They've stayed hidden for the most part, even from the Flame. But now, we've got more to go on. 

And why show me this?

I want you to get your logging contract squared away and I want you to come work for me. Together we can take down the Consortium and stop them from interfering in the innocent lives of other beings. I know you've said you want nothing to do with a syndicate. But let me ask you, who else is going to stop them? The New Republic doesn't even know they exist. And the Empire is happy to turn a blind eye. Could you have stopped them on Ikkrukk without my help?

...And what's in it for you?

There's money to be made, sure. The fewer competitors for some of my other ventures the better the price I can demand. But what's even more valuable is influence. Look what the Flame was able to do on Ikkrukk just by knowing the right person for the job, you. The bigger my network, the more we can accomplish. People in this galaxy use their influence for good or for bad. 

Which do you use your influence for?

Join me and find out. But I can promise you this, become part of the Flame and you'll have influence to do even more good in other parts of the galaxy than you're doing on Ikkrukk. Help me find the other members of the Consortium on this list. Help me build the influence of the Flame of Zhar.