The Foundry; Part 2

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

Seven hours had now passed since her inauguration as head of Vanir Technologies, the companies flagship project already having begun. Scouts had been sent out, funding had been secured, and the seedships were being retrofitted and recalled. Things were going smoothly so far, the initialization of the project had gone off without a hitch, now it was simply a matter of securing that which was most needed.

Supplies.

Ores, metals, construction droids, all of that had already been taken care of, or would be in the near future. The issue was that none of those things worked for the Human element, the most important piece of this puzzle. The Foundry would be a grand thing, but it would not be an automated monster. People would aid in it's construction, would live there, thrive there. That had always been a part of the plan, create millions of jobs for those who needed them, be a better government then...well the governments of the galaxy.

To Nel, this was simple.

It was logic.

Now she needed those people to be supplied. Construction would not begin for some time yet, and thus she needed to make sure the logistics of everything were working well. Without a supply line in place The Foundry would take months longer to build. While Vanir had a shipping subsidiary, they simply did not have the access to most human needs that other companies had. "Nira, Please contact Maria Natalja."

Not a famous name, at least not to her, but well known enough that Nel had heard it once or twice. The woman was apparently well regarded, and that was enough for Nel to deal with her.

 

[Ellya]

Maria had not been the most active lately -- neither as a Jedi nor as a businesswoman. She had been focusing on a lot other things lately, like caring for her life for example. She'd done some work on her land on the planet of Crystalsong; the ruins of Arx Mortis had been used up for creating new buildings and the land had been turned into an agricultural area for the people on the planet.

In her apartment on Umbara, though, the woman had been doing simple charity work, most recent of them being a series of workshops for those kids who weren't in the elite population of the planet's citizens.

She didn't even know if anybody remembered her company Sieched Transystem. It had been doing a little bit of work and was under the hands of Maria's right hand Sam Maris, an awesome Twi'lek who was always able to do a ton of work for little payment. She loved the positivity of the person and thought she would be a good person to keep an eye on the company while she herself was not able to work with that.

But just minutes before, Sam had contacted Maria with information that a famous businessman, the CEO of Vanir Technologies, some Nel, had contacted the company with a desire to collaborate on something.

What it was, Maria hadn't been told.

She made her way to the headquarters of Siechel Transystem and asked her secretary to write a simple message the man right away.

Dear CEO of the Vanir Technologies,

The Siechel Transystem is amused of your desire to ask for the services of out company. After having read of your intentions, we have decided to support you and offer our help for anything to reach the goal.

The company's owner would like to assign a meeting with your company's representative to further discuss the matters.

- The Siechel Transystem

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

A meeting was more than Nel could have hoped for, or rather, it was the start of what she could have hoped for. She quickly instructed Nira to arrange said meeting, smiling slightly as she began to pencil down another request within he calendar.

Briefly Nel wondered if she would have enough sway to arrange all of this.

There was always the possibility that these companies would reject her, that the thought of going against so many Governments would be off-putting. Of course there would be no direct conflict, that would be foolish, but they were creating a way for corporations to distance themselves from established routines. Most planets with Shipyards fell well under control of Galactic Governments, this...this would be different. It would shift the balance of power, give more strength to forced that were less controllable.

She shifted slightly. "Nira, arrange the meeting some place calm. Perhaps a restaurant here on Byblos."

Formal, but relaxed. She thought that would be for the best.

 

[Ellya]

And indeed, not long after the message was sent, the company got one back from Vanir Technologies. Seems like they were able to arrange a meeting, and the location was not bad, either. In fact, a restaurant on Byblos was something even better than Maria could have imagined. Looked like the company really needed the help and wanted to do a lot of dedicated work towards that.

The arranged time was perfect for Maria -- she would get there fast and even have some spare time if she didn't take too long.

She decided it would be the best to go there alone. It was a sign of respect and trust. Would she have taken bodyguards, things would have turned weird. She didn't even take her lightsaber with her, but she did pack a blaster, just in case. The galaxy was a dangerous place, after all.

She had high hopes for the meeting, she guessed the CEO of Vanir Technologies did the same. Heck, she didn't even know their name.

Perhaps she could do some research during her flight there.

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

Madam Nel stood within the the main dining floor of the arranged meeting spot between herself and Maria Natalja. Her eyes slowly panned over the room, looking over every exact detail and spying every little thing that she possibly could.

The tables were of course cleared and the rest of the place was empty, the massive window on one side of the room overlooked the City of Byblos and Vanir Technologies main headquarters. She looked at the building for a moment, then smiled. It was a point of pride that she now owned that place, that she ran it, though she tried not to let that show. Instead she wandered over towards the designated table, a large round contraption that had been specifically set up for the two women.

"Please inform me when she arrives." Nel told one of the waiters as she wandered towards the window. "I like to be prepared."

The man nodded her head, and then slowly left.

The Liran cast her gaze back out the window, staring at the buildings in the distance.

 

[Ellya]

The woman had reached Byblos and was already headed towards the place where she was supposed to meet with somebody (hopefully the CEO) of the huge company. She had found out the one who led it was a newly elected-appointed one -- a Liran with a name of Nel. She didn't know if she had a family name or anything; she couldn't find any information of that during her research.

She marched towards the entrance of the restaurant with a smile on her face, yet keeping a formal attitude. She wouldn't want to come off as an overly annoying person. Otherwise the whole project could have been ruined.

Maria stepped into the restaurant, smiled at the waiters who were already waiting for her, and took off her coat. "Thank you," she said as the waiter took her coat and hung it on a coat rack.

The place was rather empty -- there was only one person sitting behind a table in the whole place, most likely the one called Nel. She smiled to her as well, even though her face turned into a more serious one just moments later. She hadn't taken any files with her, any holopads, nothing. Because she wouldn't need them.

It would be a pleasant conversation and she would let nothing ruin that.

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

As soon as she was alerted of Maria's arrival Nel came to a stand. The chair pushed back gently, though her gaze fell away from the window and towards the other woman. To say that Nel recognized her would have been a lie, but the name did mean something and her company was after all who Nel was trying to court. It was important to her, this deal, and thus it was important that everything here went well. That was why she had set the atmosphere this way, why she ahd picked this restaurant.

There were no bad business tactics here.

Just conversation and a proposition.

"Miss Natalja." Nel said as she slowly approached the woman, her lips perked into a smile, her garb swishing slightly as she moved. "Thank you for joining me today, I know that you must be busy."

With everything that had happened over the last few weeks she imagined that most owners of corporations were rather busy. The move made by the Republic had scared quite a few, even people who weren't located within the Republic were rather worried. After all, if the Republic could do it, everyone else could to. A scary thought, though not one that Nel necessarily gave any credence to.

 

[Ellya]

"Miss..." she took a very short bare moment of silence to think what she should say, "... Nel."

She had no idea if it was a really bad move or not at that moment. First impression's the most important thing when making a contract with anybody.

"Thank you for contacting us and inviting me here," Maria said in return to the woman's thanks. She looked into her eyes, smiled, and thought. Actually, she was pretty karking terrified. The company was a major one in the galaxy which did seemingly everything. Kind of like ATC, which she had not had a contract yet, but that one seemed to be more focused on production, not on overall services.

This meeting could have been an incredible change for the whole Siechel Transystem. A meeting with the head of a high-tier company was not a thing the small water transportation industry typically did.

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

"Madam." Nel corrected with a smile, clearly not offended by simply trying to educate. "But please, just call me Nel."

She gave a small wave to Maria to move over towards the table. "My species is not common the galaxy, but generally we don't have last names. Madam is the vernacular we use most often."

It was something to remember about the Liran. As a species, they weren't exactly the most wholesome. Family values among her kind had been erased hundreds of years ago when they had devolved into the utilization of cloning. No one really though of each other as sisters, mother, daughters, they were simply...there. It was an odd thing to be sure, and an even odder thing to relate to others, but Nel tried to teach people as best as she could whenever the subject came up.

"We're an odd people." She said the words with another smile, reaching the table and allowing Maria to sit first.

 

[Ellya]

"I think oddity is interesting," she said as they moved towards the table. She had to admit, she had seen many different species in her life and they were all so compelling. It was rather appealing how much people and societies differed. Would she not have become a Jedi and a businesswoman, she could have started studying and researching such things.

She carefully took a seat, smiled, and eyed the woman.

The whole meeting had started out so fine -- they seemed to get along, at least at the moment, which was the most important for a good formal relationship between the two companies.

She didn't know whether to change topic or keep on talking small talk. Her time away from the circles of nobility and elite had made her lose the politeness she'd once had in her life. Now was a good chance to freshen up her manners.

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

Nel smiled. "I suppose in a galaxy as large as ours that is a must."

She had always seen the galaxy in that way, all of its oddities as something interesting to be studied and recorded. It was the scientist in her, the researcher. She was always curious, always wanted to know. Perhaps it plagued other people as well, maybe this woman. That thought made Nel smile, and perhaps a touch of small talk may not have been the worst idea in the world.

"Tell me." Nel said, starting the conversation again. "Why did you found your company?"

It was something that she always asked powerful people, something that she had asked Alric Kuhn upon their first meeting.

 

[Ellya]

A difficult question to answer.

She had to think a little bit. The reason why she'd even become a businesswoman she was was something she'd not thought about, something which she'd kind of forgotten.

"I... guess I just had to do something good for others. As a Jedi, one has to think about the well-being of others. So when I started thinking, there are planets and places which just don't have enough of the water we all need."

She looked down for once, smirking slightly.

"The company's original objective to transport water was then just a part of what we started doing. I thought all kinds of charity works would be amazing," she said. "So I started doing that as well.

Her eyes turned to face the woman again.

"May I ask, while we're on the topic of founding companies, why was Vanir Technologies made?"

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

She shifted in her chair slightly. Nel knew the reason, and some would have called it silly, perhaps even childish. She had asked Alric Kuhn when he had first come to her about working for Vanir. The idea had seemed...silly then, but it had been completely in line with whom Mr. Kuhn was as a person. The Liran shifted again and then took a sip of water.

"I asked Mr. Kuhn that when I first began working for Vanir." She smiled nostalgically. "He told me the corporation was a side project."

She put a hand on the table. "Something to keep himself occupied while he waited for his daughters to speak to him again."

From that had been birthed a corporation that within a year expanded into the entire galaxy. It was impressive really, quite the sight to behold. There were few people in the galaxy who could replicate such a thing, and most of them had already done it. Of course, to Nel it was simply amazing. Alric had had the benefit of the remnants of Titan of course, employees and even older technological designs that he had taken with him, but it was still an impressive feat.

One that was now left in the hands of Nel.

 

[Ellya]

Maria had to admit, the reason behind making the now-powerful company was rather silly and... uh... interesting. It was definitely nothing like her goals to make the galaxy a better place, but she did think rich people often did things which weren't very logical to those who didn't have such money in their hands. She herself was nothing like the owners of Vanir Technologies, she guessed.

Even though she had money -- a lot of that -- she would never be considered as powerful as the man known as Alric Kuhn.

"Well, I have to say it's interesting."

She called for a waiter who would then pour her a glass of water.

She wasn't ready to eat anything at the moment, but she did want to freshen herself up with a nice glass of water. She took the glass and sipped the colourless cold liquid.

"I hear you are new to leading the whole company, is my information correct?"

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

She nodded.

It was a rather graceful nod, slow, as though the affirmation was barely needed. There was something Regal about the Liran, the way she carried herself, the way she looked at Maria. It all sand of a woman who had done this sort of thing before, or at least who had been within these situations. She seemed to adapt quickly, despite the fact that all of this was rather new to her. She smiled at the woman then took another sip of water, there was a pause then she continued.

"Yes." She cleared her throat. "In a way."

"I was a researcher before Mr. Kuhn asked me to be the CEO, though I did lead my own team." The company was new, the leadership aspect not so much.

Of course that didn't mean all that much. leading a team of scientists and leading one of the largest companies in the galaxy were two wholly different things. The aspects of Vanir that she had no idea about...well she was still getting caught up with it all. Vanir Technologies was a massive corporation with nearly half a dozen subsidiaries that all operated under supervision. It was difficult to take in, more difficult to control. It would take Nel weeks to understand it all.

Months to begin to control it.

 

[Ellya]

"Oh, you were a researcher?" Maria asked. That was something she hadn't found out about the woman.

She looked at the woman, smiled, and thought whether she was keeping an elegant attitude and appearance. She couldn't quite keep an eye on the way she looked and acted anymore.

As the leader of Arx Mortis citadel and a member of the Zambrano family, she had been a really polite majestic person, yet as a Jedi, her actions had changed a lot. She was nothing like the former elegant lady -- she was a fighter.

She had to be a Jedi, not an overly polite woman.

She sighed lightly as she continued, "I was not new to leading, either, before I took over Siechel Transystem. But... I was formerly a totalitarian leader, not a democratic one. The change was rather difficult."

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

That startled her for a moment.

She wasn't quite sure how to respond at first, though it was actually easier than one might think. Nel had been alive for nearly three hundred years now. In that time she had met with despots, tyrants, political leaders of all sorts in fact. She held no ill will towards any of them. Every type of leadership had its benefit, and even those called Tyrants were usually rather...effective. Of course, that was not taking into account the sacrifice of lives that often occurred under Tyranny.

"I suppose we'll both have to learn." She said with a smile. "I find it becomes easier as the days go by."

It was true, she was learning more and more. "It helps when others offer you aid."

Her secretary Nira had been fantastic in that regard. The Twi'lek woman had been more capable than her in some regards, in fact she was ninety percent sure that the woman could have done her job better than her. She supposed there was a reason Alric Kuhn hadn't chosen her however.

 

[Ellya]

Oh, indeed. She'd been helped a lot by others. Even the beginning of her as the company's owner was with another person, the former owner of Blas-Tech, if she remembered correctly.

"I have to agree with this one," Maria nodded with enthusiasm, yet not too enthusiastically.

Another person she could always rely on was her secretary. And then there were all the workers who were so helpful with everything. The company was in good hands, she thought, even if she herself wasn't always nearby.

"Do you happen to know why Mr Kuhn gave away his position?"

She was not trying to be nosy, she was just politely curious. She had come to realise that such subtle questions could help a person out in the future. So she no longer avoided asking questions.

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

Nel did know.

It wasn't exactly public knowledge, though it also wasn't something that Mr. Kuhn had attempted to hide at all. He wasn't a private man, at least not in the way that many powerful business men were. He was open about his reasoning for many things, and this happened to be one of them. The Liran shifted for a moment, taking another sip of her water before motioning for the waiter to come over. They would have to eat eventually, this was a calm meeting but Nel was getting rather hungry.

"He felt he was getting too old." She smiled. "He recently became engaged to Miss Arceneau of Arceneau Trade Company."

That was news most everyone had heard. "That, along with his children becoming more active he felt it was time to take a step back."

Both reasonable assertions really, and both things that would help the man down the line. At least aid in his blood pressure.

 

[Ellya]

"Hmm, seems logical," Maria had to note. She noticed how Nel motioned the waiter to come, but she didn't shift her focus to that. After all, her main priority was not to eat, but to, hopefully, sign a contract with the CEO of the Vanir Technologies.

So eating was definitely not what she focused on at that moment.

She took another sip of the water as she finally decided to take a look at the menu. Her eyes moved over the fancy names and titles, but her mind couldn't focus on what the foods really were. After having looked over the page, she had to admit she had no idea what the restaurant had to offer. So instead of choosing something herself, she had a better idea.

In order not to seem rude, she let the Liran speak first. Whether she would start with her own order or would let Maria choose first didn't matter.

[ [member="Alric Kuhn"] ]