An Admiralable Business Partner (Reshmar)

[Tesh Aquer]

​

Tesh Aquer checked the holoprojector displaying the time, impatiently pacing the floor as he waited for his new business partner to arrive. Well, business partner was probably the wrong word. More like a design consultant. The consultant, Admiral Reshmar, was a Mon Cal, just like Tesh, and an excellent commander. He had been interested in helping the Mon Calamari Shipyards, and had a wealth of designs, schematics, and other ideas. Tesh hadn't seen any of them, but he trusted the admiral. A Mon Calamari was true to his word, and if Admiral Reshmar said he would be able to help, then he would be able to help.

Tesh wasn't pacing because Reshmar was late. In fact, knowing the admiral, he'd be right on time. Tesh was just nervous. His eyes couldn't bulge any more than they already were, but he'd be damned if they weren't trying. The Shipyards had been doing well, but they had turned out no real new products, only building upon the success and the reputation they already had. That's where Reshmar came in. Tesh was a decent commander in his own right, but he was no Ackbar. He was a logical fish, and good at strategic and tactical moves, but creative he was not. His engineers and R&D experts seemed to have similar problems.

As the meeting time edged closer, Tesh eyed the plate of crab-stuffed creampuffs sitting out. They were a Mon Calamari delicacy, possibly the most delicious thing to grace the galaxy, and having a meeting with a Mon Calamari without offering them was just a downright insult. Tesh had ordered extra, just because he knew he would eat some before hand. He had very poor self control, and he accommodated it too well. He was in no rush to break the habit, however, as his waist line did not seem to be suffering too much.

The starting time for the was almost upon him, so Tesh hurriedly arranged two chairs around the table and set up a holoprojector in the middle, the blueprints for a new model of MC80 Star Cruiser hovering above it. Tesh glanced again for the time, noting that the meeting would start in less than five standard minutes. He straightened his uniform and stared at the door, waiting for Admiral Reshmar to arrive

 

[ADM. Reshmar]

"Look at this mess."

Said Lieutenant Kran as the three men walked down the corridor from the landing platform to the offices of Admiral Aquer. The shipyard was active but Admiral Reshmar could alrady see issues in productivity and operations that needed shoring up. That his aids did as well meant the issue must be worse than he thought. Reshmar had been ordered to assist the struggling Mon Calamari Shipyards with development and logistics by some higher up he did not know nor for that fact even knew their name. How High Command pulled his name out of a hat for this assignment was beyond him. Yet here he was at the door of a man he was not really a fan of, sent to kiss his ass and turn the shipyards around for the sake of the Coalition. It was not that he did not respect Admiral Aquer, He was a formidable tactician and likable man, He had earned his rank just as Reshmar did, but the two more than once took sorted views on matters that Reshmar knew he had been right on. Now once again he and Tesh would have to work together despite how he felt about the man personnel. The Navy was not there to cater to his agendas or concerns it was there for the security of the Coalition and when your given an order you follow it. Even if you know going in it could turn out to be a disaster.

Reshmar and his two aids reached the administration wing and the conference room Tesh had assigned for for the meeting just moments before the scheduled time. He knew Tesh would be waiting The man was predicable when it came to cordial situations. He also knew there would be food, there always was at these things. Reshmar did not understand the formality of preparing food for a minor meeting. He knew many Mon Calamari expected such a thing, but here in this situation he just wanted to get in and out without an argument and the less time he spent in the room the better.
Reshmar dismissed his aids and watched as they took up possition flaking the doorway. His aids have been with him for three years naw and both were more like family to him at this point. Lieutenant Kran had come to him via the Calaamri Intel Corps and was his imformations and relations officer. The man knew how to talk to people. Major Dorank Was just the oppisite, he was a soilder, a fighting man who had moved up thr ranks not entered the service as an officer. He was as tough as they come and would lay down his life for Reshmar without question, they were the only two men he really trusted.
Reshmar hit the chime and waited for the door to cycle and open. As the door slide open He could see the food on the table and Admiral Tesh Aquer standing there with his eyes expressing happiness. Let the fun begin, he thought to himself.

 

[Tesh Aquer]

"Admiral Reshmar!" Tesh called out, walking over to the door and extending a fishy hand in greeting. "It's been a long time! I hope they didn't force you to come over here," he said, joking and smiling. He was a friendly guy, but sometimes a little overbearing. Despite him observing common Mon Calamari food formalities, anything regarding rank or military formality just went out the window. He may have been an admiral, but it was more of a title know, especially with him devoting all of his time to trying to rescue the Mon Calamari Shipyards.

What Silk Corporation had done to the place was nigh irreparable, almost bringing the planet's primary export to its knees. Even with all the money the Mon Calamari government was pumping into the place, it was still struggling to regain its former glory. The Mon Calamari reputation had been tarnished by other species, and it was something that would continue to be a stain on the company for years.

"Sit down, friend! We have important work to do!" he exclaimed, gesturing to the table, the cream puffs still steaming and squirming with the crabs inside. It looked as appetizing as ever, and Tesh had to struggle to keep his mouth from watering. He could sense the other Calamari's distaste, but he didn't really care. He had business to do, and he knew that the differences the two admirals had were in the past, and that's where they would stay. Hopefully Admiral [member="Reshmar"] would reciprocate the feeling.

Of course, all he could do right now was conduct business. Maybe the Admiral would grow to like him in time. After all, he was a very likeable fish, or so he liked to think. He was friendly with his engineers, and it fostered a better work environment. His buddying up to the Mon Calamari government had also been instrumental in procuring funds to reconstruct the shipyards. Friendliness was the key to success in his eyes, and he had come prepared.

 

[ADM. Reshmar]

Reshmar walked to the table and took a seat across from Tesh. The man was present enough, though he always had been. He took one of the creampuffs and tasted it then sat it on the table. It was good but Reshmar did not come for food. He felt an obligation to at least try one. He took out a pad he had been carrying in a small satchel and sat it on the table. He looked it over and brought up the information he had gathered before coming to the meeting, then slide it across to Tesh.

"Admiral, This is a layout of a planned project I think would boost sales while reducing costs, materials, and construction time by forty five percent. A new Modular construction system can smooth out the problems with labor issues you are facing also. These three designs, which i have laid out in the attachment are the beginning of a new design direction I think will revolutionize Mon Calamari Ship building."

 

[Tesh Aquer]

Modularity? That wasn't something Tesh had considered at all. Maybe it was his Mon Calamari pride, but he just couldn't see the Mon Calamari Shipyards producing modular ships. That was something the Corellians did, not the Mon Calamari! Organic, beautiful hulls with graceful curves, that was what they were known for. No two ships were the same, all of them made with the pride and tradition of thousands of years of Mon Calamari ship-building. This design? It might keep the familiar round shape of Mon Calamari ships, but it didn't have the spirit, the soul, of a Mon Calamari ship.

Despite, his anger, Tesh refused to let it show through on the surface, simply grabbing a cream puff instead. "This design, it doesn't seem very Calamari," he said, taking a bite of the cream puff. "I mean, it looks like a Mon Calamari ship, but modular ships isn't something we do. None of our customers would expect that. It's a huge risk, and a potentially high reward, but it might just spell the end of the shipyards." He was nervous now, picturing the closure of the Shipyards, or even worse, selling them to another species. They'd made that mistake once, and they certainly wouldn't make it again.

[member="Reshmar"]

 

[ADM. Reshmar]

Reshmar waited for Tesh to finish. The closed mind was a foe of the Calamari. Many of his race could not embrace the times and still longed for and when possible lived in the past. He knew Tesh was not that closed minded but revolutionizing the Mon Calamari design practice was a subject no Calamari engineer rushed into.

"I understand your feelings Admiral, but the day has come for the Man Calamari to step out of the shadow of the old world. This is a new Dac and with it we need to adapt to the current. We need to sale a product that is competitive with today's market. Our ships are just too expensive to build and maintain. We need to sale in order to build our own ships. This is a even split of Mon Calamari design and standard shipbuilding practices. It is still expensive just not so as one of our older designs would be. And it is still only serviceable by a Calamari technician, there is no way around that. But is can be built and serviced for a fraction of what one of our main designed ships. The shipyards need this to stay alive. The Collective needs this to bring money in, and the Mon Calamari need this as a people so we can raise up again to be that proud noble race we once were."

 

[Tesh Aquer]

Tesh listened to [member="Reshmar"] speak, nodding his head slowly as he finished off the cream puff, feeling the still-struggling crab slide down his throat. He hated to admit it, but the Admiral was probably right. Their ships were some of the most expensive in the galaxy, for good reason of course, but that meant that a lot of other companies had better competitive pricing, even if their products were inferior. The bright spot in the Admiral's speech was the fact that the ships could only be serviced by Mon Calamari technicians.

"Well, if they can only be serviced by Mon Calamari technicians, then we keep one competitive edge that we have over these other, inferior companies. Their ships can be repaired anywhere, but only at a Mon Calamari Shipyard can a Mon Calamari ship be repaired, serviced, or updated. If we can expand our reach and place shipyards around the galaxy, we will surely have a boon in business if we can make this design work." Tesh's brain was firing on all cylinders now, racing to see what they could do to make the design work. The Admiral's remarks about the people of Dac had ignited a fire in his blood; he was one of the most patriotic fishes in the system and would sacrifice anything to keep his people on top.

"I assume they'll still have the curved hull designs of our current ships? That one feature is truly our trademark, and I would hate to see it go," he added, gazing longingly at the ships being constructed around them. It was going to be risky, this modular design, and if it failed, the entire shipyard, maybe even the planet, was done.

 

[ADM. Reshmar]

[member="Tesh Aquer"]

Reshmar Nodded at [member="Tesh Aquer"] question. He too did not want to stray too far from the historical Mon Calamari look. He punched in a sequence of buttons and brought up a design he had been working on. He looked at it for moment then slide the data pad across the table to Tesh.

"This is the first design I would recommend we develop. It is for a mass produced Transport craft that can be adapted to fit almost any roll a customer would want."

Reshmar paused to let Tesh look over the plans then spoke again. The design was not entirely Mon Calamari,it had some design points from other manufacturers that gave it a hybrid look compared to most of the standard Calamari ships.

"It is not as sleek as one of our old designs but it still retains the spirit of the Mon Cal. And it can be built for under half that of our current transport design."