Private The Politics & The Life

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

Things in the Alliance were once again moving and shaking. In his time, Tycho had learned to appreciate peace for what it was-- short-lived, ephemeral, here one day and gone the next. War was on the horizon... and, as morbid as it was, so was commerce. The two often went hand in hand, and while it did make him feel like a bit of a vulture to conflate the two, the fact of the matter was also that the livelihoods of seventy-thousand, three-hundred and sixty-three employees depended on him. So did their families. It would be foolish to ignore the opportunity to secure the commercial future of ValeCorp.

That was what had led him here, to this distant corner of the Tingel Arm. To Celestia Station, floating in orbit above Tabaqui.

Salacia Consolidated had made a name for itself in this corner of the galaxy. The salvage operation was, according to every source he had spoken to, a top-notch operation, generating refined, precious metals on an industrial scale. Put simply: it was exactly the kind of supplier Tycho needed to get his prosthetic division off the ground. Securing and shipping a dependable source of metal to the factories on Muunilinst had proven more difficult than the Chiss had anticipated when he bought out Debka Droidworks. He was hoping this would be the answer. As such, through the proper channels, he had requested a personal meeting with Salacia's illustrious CEO, a man by the name of Judah Dashiell. Not one to be unprepared, the Chiss had spent the previous day doing some light digging on both the man and the company.

He expected that they would have much to talk about.

From the viewport of his ship, the Rolling Stone, Tycho watched the space station as it hung over the planet like a delicate ornament, growing larger with each passing second. His crimson eyes examined every detail of the station. So far, he had to say that he was impressed. Mr. Dashiell certainly spared no expense when it came to this place. Celestia Station had a reputation as an oasis, and he was beginning to see why. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea that this place could hold nearly as many people as his entire company. He was playing with the big massiffs now. Reaching over to the communicator, a single flick of the switch brought the system to life.

"Celestia Control, this is the Rolling Stone, DNT-VC-001," he said, rattling off the registry number with practiced ease. His voice was smooth and unbothered as it carried over the airwaves. "I'm approaching on the northwest vector. Docking under way." His ship slowed as it approached, angling towards the fuel station so that he could top up while they were negotiating.

This was going to be interesting.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Typically, Judah would wait until the fellow business person had landed, be greeted by assistant, and have a meeting in his office. However, he had been afforded a bit of insight into the man he was to meet. While not all of the details were entirely clear, the company in question made artificial limbs and various prosthetics. This led him to believe the Tycho Vale was interested in various types of materials. Which ones or types was the question, but in these cases potential clients liked to tour and learn about the nitty gritty of the process. Look at the salvage, the refinement process, tour the facility.

So, it was a skipping of the formality of sitting in the office, mulling over a drink or cigar, and talking shop.

He waited patiently at the docking bay given to Tycho by flight control. Crew members move into place as the ship came in to dock, immediately scuttled around to re-fuel the vessel and provide any support needed. It wasn't unusual to perform a few minor repairs or refuel ships that came into the area. The Tingel Arm was often a distance away from most who came to do business at the station.

As the ramp was lowered, he moved forward, outstretching his hand in greeting.

"Tycho Vale, great to see you. Welcome aboard Celestia Station. I trust your trip was uneventful?"

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

As the loading ramp lowered, Tycho's dark eyebrows rose slightly. In truth, he hadn't anticipated that Judah would meet him so immediately. Most of his experience in the world of business had led him to expect a much more laissez-faire approach when it came to meeting a fellow executive. Some CEOs had a tendency to treat their offices like ivory towers. Tycho Vale wasn't one of them, and he was pleasantly surprised to learn that Judah Dashiell was of the same breed. Things were looking up.

The Chiss didn't wait for the ramp to fully lower; he stepped off of the lifted edge, boots hitting the durasteel floor of the docking bay as his momentum carried him on, undaunted, towards his fellow CEO. Judah's offered hand was immediately met with his own. As the two men shook hands, Tycho found himself once again pleasantly surprised by the strength behind the firm handshake. It was clear that Judah had actually done some work in his life. He was in good company.

"Tycho Vale, great to see you. Welcome aboard Celestia Station. I trust your trip was uneventful?"

"Glad to be here, Judah," he replied with a firm nod as the handshake concluded. He took a moment to adjust the courier bag slung over his shoulder. There wasn't much inside, just a handful of product samples and his datapad. "Yeah, it was all quiet. Considering the state of the galaxy these days, that makes me lucky."

The Tingel Arm was only a hop and a skip away from the Sith Order and the Empire of the Lost, at least on a galactic scale. Outside their territory, thankfully... but he still considered himself fortunate to have avoided any surprise entanglements with either of the two factions. Tycho's red eyes flickered around the room, approving of the fast, efficient work done by the crewmembers.

"You got a good operation here. Mind if I see the rest of it?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"You got a good operation here. Mind if I see the rest of it?"

"You're too kind, its just a salvage operation. I would love to give you the grand tour though. Now, I will warn you, folks either find this tour exceptionally boring or quite exciting. Depends on your view of salvage and business I suppose."

Judah found there was no in-between regarding is business. Salvage to him was obviously an exciting an interesting process, one he had been involved in for roughly twenty plus years so now. However, the tour before to others had been met with a degree of boredom that was palpable. Mostly representatives who were just checking off boxes for their company. Or who just wanted to cut to the chase.

"So salvage intake is where we will start. Thats at the bottom levels and from there we work our way back up."

Directing the man to the turbolift, they both stepped inside. Judah keyed in the salvage intake level and the doors slid shut.

"I hear you inherited this business from your father? His last name is Vale, yes? I can't say I know him, although we haven't done many medical related contracts. I could probably count them on one hand."

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

The fact of the matter was that Tycho had no idea into which camp he'd fall: interested or bored. He had never really seen a salvage operation at work, and he was curious as to just how much went into it. Still, business was business, and he had no intention of missing any crucial details. With a thankful nod, the Chiss walked side by side with the human, crossing the docking bay and stepping through the double doors of the waiting turbolift.

"I hear you inherited this business from your father? His last name is Vale, yes? I can't say I know him, although we haven't done many medical related contracts. I could probably count them on one hand."

The fact of the matter was a little more complicated than that... but the CEO of ValeCorp took a moment to keep his ego in check. It would be petulant to pretend that nepotism had played zero role in where he was today. Would his father have taken a similar chance on a complete stranger? Definitely not. So the Chiss simply nodded, a light smile creasing the lines of his cheeks.

"Sounds like you did your homework, Judah. That's about the long and short of it, yeah. I'm not surprised to hear you haven't heard of him. Dr. Vale kept his operation pretty close to home," Tycho replied. That was the truth; Alvys Vale had been a Dantooinian man, a local boy through and through, and so he had sought to keep his medical business small to primarily serve the needs of other Dantooinians. He couldn't and wouldn't fault his father for that, but the need for medicine was prevalent everywhere. ValeCorp could be more. Tycho hoped this was the first step of many in that regard.

"Well, I'm hoping you'll let me have a chance to look at the medcenter on board before this is all said and done." The Esra Dashiell Memorial Medcenter. He wouldn't pry on the name; it said it all. "I've heard salvage work can be dangerous, even in the smoothest operations. Is that the case?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Sounds like you did your homework, Judah. That's about the long and short of it, yeah. I'm not surprised to hear you haven't heard of him. Dr. Vale kept his operation pretty close to home,"

Judah nodded at the explanation. A simplified answer to something that had many layers. He was certain they would get into more details later but most of their conversation was cursory, getting a sense of the man and what direction the business was headed in. From his research, Judah had noticed they had just bought out another company. Expansion was front of mind it seemed.

"You're a doctor as well? Or have a scientific background? I imagine it would be necessary to do such an undertaking, although I imagine in the field of cybernetics and prosthetics engineering comes into play."

Subjects all far beyond his knowledge.

"Well, I'm hoping you'll let me have a chance to look at the medcenter on board before this is all said and done." The Esra Dashiell Memorial Medcenter. He wouldn't pry on the name; it said it all. "I've heard salvage work can be dangerous, even in the smoothest operations. Is that the case?"

"Of course, we can make the medcenter our last stop. Not sure what questions I can answer on that front but I'm sure the professionals can jump in and help me out."

Turbolift was starting to slow. Judah looked up to check their status, the doors would open any moment.

"Salvage can be very dangerous. Depending on what you're doing, it can be hard, physical work even utilizing labor droids. Makes it easier for accidents to happen. Some of the accidents can be fatal. It takes certain type to perform the work, which is why employee retention is always forefront of mind. Training can be intense."

Turbolift doors opened and they were greeted by an overwhelming noise of metal being moved around a large space. Ships had docked and were being unloaded. Workers in obnoxiously bright yellow vests walked between the chaos. Overhead a scrap crane on a track moved along a track between the stacks, picking up massive pieces of salvage.

Judah handed one of those annoying yellow vests to Tycho, putting one on himself. Safety first considering they had just mentioned accidents and fatalities.

"This is where the larger pieces of salvage come in." He had to practically yell over the din. "Sorting process is going on now. Depending on what salvage is being brought in it can be one type of metal or a variety."

They walked along the edges of the operation, Judah was keenly aware not venture to close to anything being worked on.

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

"You're a doctor as well? Or have a scientific background? I imagine it would be necessary to do such an undertaking, although I imagine in the field of cybernetics and prosthetics engineering comes into play."

"Doctor is the word my dad would use," Tycho agreed, "but I prefer the term medic. Doctor sounds a little too refined, you know? Doesn't quite get across the reality of my experience patching up roughriders and groundpounders in the Alliance Medical Corps. In that line of work, you learn a lot about what makes a good prosthetic and what doesn't."

He had seen thousands of artificial limbs come and go, attached to countless amputees, and one thing had become very clear: even now, in a day and age where scientific marvels were around every corner, most prosthetic limbs still had the same problems. Overly complex, brittle, proprietary tech, lack of right to repair... The problems went on and on. There was an opportunity there.

"Salvage can be very dangerous. Depending on what you're doing, it can be hard, physical work even utilizing labor droids. Makes it easier for accidents to happen. Some of the accidents can be fatal. It takes certain type to perform the work, which is why employee retention is always forefront of mind. Training can be intense."

Tycho Vale was no stranger to dangerous jobs. His own experience in the field was one thing, but even the bacta production facilities at ValeCorp could be dangerous to those untrained. Once, a man had tripped, slipped and fallen into a churning bacta vat. It hadn't been pretty. Thankfully, those incidents were one in a million, and the circumstances correctable.

As they stepped out into the unloading bay, the Chiss graciously accepted the offered yellow safety vest. Judah was wise to keep to the edges of the operation, and Tycho followed his lead. His red eyes tracked the salvage as it was sorted into separate stacks depending upon its material. At the safe distance, making out the differences was difficult, but he assumed that there was a method to the madness.

"What about doonium and quadanium?" Tycho asked, His voice raised, cutting directly to the chase. No point in beating around the bush. "Would you say you find those in significant quantities?" He suspected that they did-- both metals were strong, durable, and often used in ship construction. They were also perfect for hardened, battlefield-ready prosthetics. ValeCorp didn't make weapons, of course... but he wanted to be sure that his products wouldn't fall apart in a fight.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Doctor is the word my dad would use," Tycho agreed, "but I prefer the term medic. Doctor sounds a little too refined, you know? Doesn't quite get across the reality of my experience patching up roughriders and groundpounders in the Alliance Medical Corps. In that line of work, you learn a lot about what makes a good prosthetic and what doesn't."

"I would say medic is more impressive. You guys do a lot of hard work out in the field. Not sure your average doctor could perform surgery in the middle of a battlefield in order to save a life."

So it seemed Tycho had served in the Galactic Alliance as well. Judging from the mention of learning about prosthetic limbs out in the field the man had been in much longer than himself. Running a business was a good military retirement option - Judah could understand the need for something different after experiencing battle after battle.

"What about doonium and quadanium?" Tycho asked, His voice raised, cutting directly to the chase. No point in beating around the bush. "Would you say you find those in significant quantities?"

"Doonium, quadranium, diatium, and duraplast come in almost every haul. If not, our mining operations can harvest raw doonium and quadranium ore, but the cost tends to be a little higher. Working on getting some of that down by expanding our refinery system, streamline a few things."

Judah led Tycho off the sorting floor and took a small ramp up towards refinement. It was much warmer here, smelting down the material to be reshaped for client use. Molten slag was being poured from a large vat onto casting trays to cool and harden.

"The scrap goes on to be refined in house. Scrap is cut down to size and fed into the arc furnace. Custom shapes and sizes are available with enough lead time but most come in standard sheets or beams to cut at your facility. Most companies don't want to supply specific sizes, never know when there could be a trade system breach and lose proprietary data."

"Questions thus far?"

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

"I would say medic is more impressive. You guys do a lot of hard work out in the field. Not sure your average doctor could perform surgery in the middle of a battlefield in order to save a life."

"Average? No. I think my dad could have done it, though, if push came to shove," Tycho remarked with a chuckle. He had seen his father work under incredible pressure. "Man was a trooper, even if he didn't know it." Their relationship had been strained for nearly twenty years, of course, but even in those dark days, Tycho Vale had always carried a quiet respect for his father. He simply had felt the need-- as all children did-- to leave the nest far behind.

"Doonium, quadranium, diatium, and duraplast come in almost every haul. If not, our mining operations can harvest raw doonium and quadranium ore, but the cost tends to be a little higher. Working on getting some of that down by expanding our refinery system, streamline a few things."

That was comforting to hear. The benefit of an operation like Salacia was exactly that: their ability to keep production going by supplementing shortfalls in one area with increases in another. It was just another checkmark in Judah's favor. So far, Tycho had no complaints, and he was confident that this visit would end in a deal being made. At this point, it was just the specifics that were in question.

He followed Judah up the ramp and into the next area. The thing that immediately hit him was the heat, a rush of warm air causing a few strands of dark hair to loosen from his ponytail and fall onto his forehead. He brushed them behind a blue ear. At least it's a dry heat, he thought with a slight smirk. Felucia had been quite the opposite-- staggeringly hot and oppressively dank, enough so that sweat refused to evaporate.

Judah's explanation was largely what he expected. Debka Droidworks was already equipped to deal with beams and sheets of durable metal, entire floors devoted to laser cutters, engravers, autowelders and even waterjet slicers. It was a relief to know that they wouldn't have to adjust their input procedures in that regard.

"A couple questions, yeah," Tycho replied, his voice still raised to be heard above the din of pouring, sizzling metal. "Is the salvage business consistent? Or does it ebb and flow? And what kind of changes to the business do you expect the war to have?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"My apologies, its a bit hot in here. I'm sure you get the picture."

Judah led the other to a side door, releasing them into a service corridor workers traveled down to get to various points in this sector. It cut down on having non-essential personnel having to travel through the most hazardous open spaces on each floor. In addition, in was much cooler, life support system seemed to be working overtime to blast in fresh air, especially with doors opening and closing constantly.

"Is the salvage business consistent? Or does it ebb and flow? And what kind of changes to the business do you expect the war to have?"

"The salvage does ebb and flow in sense. If the galaxy is quieter it can be hard to find quality salvage and this is where we will have to scout planets and asteroids for crashed vessels, abandoned junkyards, things of that nature. Generally this just takes more work. If there is war and strife, the workers roll in with security and its a literal bounty. The work is basically done for us, it's just an easier process."

They started walking along again, taking the man to where the finished material was loaded into contracted freighters to their next destination ; the client or warehouse, just depending.

"During war our workload is insane. Biggest challenge if something major was to break out would be finding enough personnel to safely work. Those doing salvage and actual security to watch their backs. I know a lot of companies don't go in armed but there's too many variables not to, folks want to get home to their families, not die picking up scrap."

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

"During war our workload is insane. Biggest challenge if something major was to break out would be finding enough personnel to safely work. Those doing salvage and actual security to watch their backs. I know a lot of companies don't go in armed but there's too many variables not to, folks want to get home to their families, not die picking up scrap."

Tycho could understand that all too well. Keeping the employees of ValeCorp armed and capable of defending themselves had cost him a pretty penny, but to do otherwise-- especially in a galaxy full of crazed Sith, trigger-happy Mandalorians and greedy pirates-- would have been criminally negligent. In his opinion, anyhow.

"Can't be too careful in times like these," he agreed aloud, quietly thankful for the change in climate. The loading bay was much more climate controlled. He watched as the raw material was loaded, in sheets and in beams, into the waiting cargo freighters. So far, he hadn't seen any logistical weak points in Judah's operation. Everything from intake to output stood as exemplary.

"Well, Judah, I'll get straight to the point. I'm impressed. Your operation is everything I could want or ask for in a supplier," the Chiss explained. "All that's left is to figure out what ValeCorp can do for you to make this deal work."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Well, Judah, I'll get straight to the point. I'm impressed. Your operation is everything I could want or ask for in a supplier," the Chiss explained. "All that's left is to figure out what ValeCorp can do for you to make this deal work."

"Excellent news. However, I think there is one stop left on our tour. I believe you wanted to poke around our medical bay? Talk to some of the staff?"

Judah had relieved himself of the garish yellow vest, hanging it back on a hook near the door, allowing for the next round of guests to use them. With Tycho leaning in partnering with his company, much of the rest of the tour would be focused less on the operational and more on the personal. Not that they hadn't explored some of that territory but some of the pressure was off to impress operationally.

They were headed to the turbolifts, the medical bay was roughly at the mid-point of the station.

"Your company could supply enough medicine for a station of this size? I understand you produce several different types and was curious about production values."

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

He nodded in agreement, silently chiding himself for forgetting that they were going to visit the medbay. Even he could get too eager about a pending business deal. Tycho hanged his vest next to Judah's, following him to the turbolifts. The sweltering environment of the refinery now seemed like it was a world away, and the cool, air-conditioned air on his blue skin allowed him to think more clearly.

"Your company could supply enough medicine for a station of this size? I understand you produce several different types and was curious about production values."

"Yes, we could," Tycho replied. "In fact, not to be too presumptuous, but our production values enable us to serve whole sectors. I think our deal is something your entire company could benefit from."

As they stepped into the turbolift, the Chiss removed a small holoprojector from his pocket. Held flat in the palm of his hand, it projected a series of still images of their product line, each of them bordered with how many units were currently stockpiled and how many units were in production. Gestures from his hand allowed him to cycle through each image. "New and improved bacta stock, auto-doc bacta tanks, self-sealing bacta bandages that anyone can use, regardless of training... and, of course, our latest venture, prosthetic limbs."

These were the only products where the stockpile number showed zero, and the number of units in production was blank.

"With your salvaged materials, we can get our manufacturing division on Muunilinst up and running."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Yes, we could," Tycho replied. "In fact, not to be too presumptuous, but our production values enable us to serve whole sectors. I think our deal is something your entire company could benefit from."

"Let's draw up plans for you to supply the entire company with your line of products. From the medical bays and hospitals to the first aid kits on the ground."

Judah typically knew right away if he wanted to make a deal for a contract or not. At this stage in the game much of what he did relied less on how low to get a contract or what type of financial benefit he would gain. No, the faster Salacia grew the more it was about connections. Connections had invaluable benefits ; being bumped to the front of the line in production, more contracts, inside information, and more.

Besides, not many had an entire presentation with available stock on hand. Tycho was the real deal.

Turbolift continued to chug along as they drew closer.

"With your salvaged materials, we can get our manufacturing division on Muunilinst up and running."

"Minimal lead time I would assume? Seems like most of your plans are thought out, so I am thinking you only need certain puzzle pieces to fit in, so to speak, in order to make the entire thing work."

Judah wasn't concerned about how quickly production would roll out, it was just more of a curiosity than anything. It was useful to see how others ran their production, to learn from any pieces of wisdom imparted.

Turbolift finally stopped and they were greeted with the overwhelming smell of the typical medbay antiseptic.

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

And just like that, the deal was sealed-- maybe not literally, of course, but Tycho had the sense that Judah wasn't the type of businessman to go off half-cocked. If he was interested in the plan, he was interested in seeing it come to fruition. Neither one of them was the type to get cold feet when it came to a mutually beneficial deal.

"Minimal lead time I would assume? Seems like most of your plans are thought out, so I am thinking you only need certain puzzle pieces to fit in, so to speak, in order to make the entire thing work."

"Right on the money, Judah," Tycho agreed with a nod. "Designs have been drafted, tested and prototyped. I've got foremen, assembly workers and forgemasters sitting on Muunilinst right now, being paid to wait. Iron's hot. All they're waiting on are material shipments." While it was an expense that ValeCorp could easily afford-- their vibrant bacta business made up for the shortfall in their prosthetics division-- the Chiss CEO had every intention of getting his people to work.

As the turbolift thrummed to a halt, Tycho braced himself for the hustle and bustle of an average medbay. The smell of antiseptic was almost a comforting familiarity, in a way; it reminded him simultaneously of the bacta production vats at ValeCorp and of his old posting on MedStar III. He felt at home here, in a place like this.

The Chiss confidently stepped out of the elevator, walking alongside Judah as he took in the atmosphere. Most of the injuries he saw, thankfully, were routine-- lacerations, bruises, burns and sprains. That was good. Potent bacta could minimize downtime for those injuries.

His eyes fell on the bacta tanks along the wall. They weren't bad by any means, but they were the models in use during his time on MedStar III. That had been over ten years ago. Tycho pointed them out, gesturing to them with a blue finger. "We can replace those for you as soon as possible. Our autodoc units combine the best of bacta tank and preprogrammed surgical units. The bacta's a new strain, patented. Decreases healing time by at least twenty percent."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Right on the money, Judah," Tycho agreed with a nod. "Designs have been drafted, tested and prototyped. I've got foremen, assembly workers and forgemasters sitting on Muunilinst right now, being paid to wait. Iron's hot. All they're waiting on are material shipments." While it was an expense that ValeCorp could easily afford-- their vibrant bacta business made up for the shortfall in their prosthetics division-- the Chiss CEO had every intention of getting his people to work.

Judah was pleased to hear Tycho was willing to pay his workers to wait. Too often, when corporations got entirely too large, sight was lost of what made them successful in the first place. Workers were often the first to experience this. It seemed the Chiss knew the value of keeping the workforce happy and on board - retraining workers and constant churn was a nightmare for all involved. It was also a mark of the man, it told him a great deal about the moral standings and values.

"That's great. We can start shipping from the warehouses before you even leave today. I'll have my assistant look and see what location is closest to you."

His eyes fell on the bacta tanks along the wall. They weren't bad by any means, but they were the models in use during his time on MedStar III. That had been over ten years ago. Tycho pointed them out, gesturing to them with a blue finger. "We can replace those for you as soon as possible. Our autodoc units combine the best of bacta tank and preprogrammed surgical units. The bacta's a new strain, patented. Decreases healing time by at least twenty percent."

"This new strain, do you only hold the patent?As in proprietary? " Judah was curious more than anything and wondered if in the future he could have a look at their research department. It was for nothing more than his own knowledge, to know what else was in the work. "Also, while this bacta decreases healing time does it also decrease the mortality rate? We've had a few...rough cases.Either accidents or folks we've fished out of salvaged wrecks."

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

"That's great. We can start shipping from the warehouses before you even leave today. I'll have my assistant look and see what location is closest to you."

The Chiss was damn glad to hear that Salacia was capable of such a quick turnaround time. In the world of commerce, the business day could be a nebulous concept, molded by the needs and factors of local customs and attitudes. Tycho would have been fine with waiting a day or two to get the shipments out the door, but it was a pleasant surprise to hear otherwise. "Outstanding."

"This new strain, do you only hold the patent?As in proprietary? Also, while this bacta decreases healing time does it also decrease the mortality rate? We've had a few...rough cases.Either accidents or folks we've fished out of salvaged wrecks."

Tycho could do more than simply imagine the kinds of cases Judah was talking about; he had seen them firsthand during his days in the service. Shipwrecks and industrial accidents could be particularly nasty. Doonium and quadranium held no consideration nor care for the fragile lives of those within. The Chiss's brow furrowed at the dark memories that plagued him before he mentally pushed them to the side. This was neither the time nor place to get lost in the past.

"Yes, we're the sole patent holders," he explained. However, the CEO could anticipate the other man's concern over such an arrangement. "But we're not charging a premium for it. In fact, Salacia will get it at wholesale pricing. And to answer your second question, yes, although that number is harder to quantify. Generally speaking, first response is the most important factor in determining whether a rough case will pull through. Our bacta stabilizes a patient's vitals faster, which means their body undergoes less stress from the accident. The auto-doc helps push that number down even further."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Yes, we're the sole patent holders," he explained. However, the CEO could anticipate the other man's concern over such an arrangement. "But we're not charging a premium for it. In fact, Salacia will get it at wholesale pricing.

Judah waved the idea away.

"My curiosity is not out of concern for a price, lives are invaluable. My curiosity was merely for the fact I was interested if your research and development lab was actively working to make these things or was it something you had biologists find in the wild, perhaps a far flung planet. I'm afraid this is an area I'm ignorant in and was merely trying to learn more." '

The explanation of how the bacta worked, its faster healing resulting in less stress did make sense, and he was thankful the Chiss made the case in layman terms for him. Judah would have to do some independent research if he wanted to ask more pointed questions beyond mortality and healing though.

"This makes sense. We'd be happy to change the tanks. Do you have a consultant on staff? I would like them to tour my other facilities and see if we have the proper amount of bacta tanks per worker per facility. I don't anticipate accidents but if there was one, I'd like to know we did everything to save as many lives as possible."

They continued to walk down the corridor of the medical bay. Next stop would be his office for just a final wrap up, it seemed the deal was going along well enough and the pair didn't have much to hammer out. More small talk, perhaps some logistical concerns.

"Do you have mobile bacta units? Or think such a thing would be possible? We don't always have permanent installations."

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Judah Dashiell

"My curiosity is not out of concern for a price, lives are invaluable. My curiosity was merely for the fact I was interested if your research and development lab was actively working to make these things or was it something you had biologists find in the wild, perhaps a far flung planet. I'm afraid this is an area I'm ignorant in and was merely trying to learn more." '

That was another relief. So many CEOs, heads of state, and other officials treated medical expenses as just that: an expense. They only saw it as a red number on a ledger, or a line in a database; they were either incapable of wrapping their heads around the real, human value of medicine, or they refused to on principle. Tycho had no intent of overcharging Judah for anything he they were discussing, but it was still reassuring to know that his fellow CEO was concerned about more than the bottom line. "Ah, I see. The answer is both, actually. ValeCorp R&D has made some incredible breakthroughs of our own, but we've also incorporated botanical ingredients into our product line. Natural world's full of astounding stuff, as long as you know where to look," the Chiss explained.

The sounds of the medbay were already beginning to fade as they approached the end of the long corridor. Tycho was almost sad to see it go. As heart-pounding and anxiety-inducing as a medical ward could be, with doctors and nurses and patients alike under extreme amounts of pressure, he couldn't deny that there was a sort of... calmness to the place. Maybe he was just getting nostalgic.

"Do you have mobile bacta units? Or think such a thing would be possible? We don't always have permanent installations."

"Our bacta units can be connected to portable generators and mounted to repulsorlifts. I'll ask my Chief of Logistics, Dr. Jiann Zaddel, to make a tour of your facilities and see what else you need. He's probably walked a million medbays by now," Tycho offered. The elderly Mon Calamari was a long-standing member of ValeCorp and one of his father's earliest partners; he trusted him utterly and implicitly to get things right for Judah.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Ah, I see. The answer is both, actually. ValeCorp R&D has made some incredible breakthroughs of our own, but we've also incorporated botanical ingredients into our product line. Natural world's full of astounding stuff, as long as you know where to look," the Chiss explained.

"Fascinating. I'd like to tour the operation sometime, just to see how your research department is set up, maybe talk to your biologists. Salacia dabbled in green and renewable energy and it never quite got off the ground as I hoped. It was more of a passion project for affordable products in far-flung areas. However, I'm starting to ramble, we can discuss this later."

Another trip towards the turbolift to make the last stop to his office.

"Our bacta units can be connected to portable generators and mounted to repulsorlifts. I'll ask my Chief of Logistics, Dr. Jiann Zaddel, to make a tour of your facilities and see what else you need. He's probably walked a million medbays by now," Tycho offered. The elderly Mon Calamari was a long-standing member of ValeCorp and one of his father's earliest partners; he trusted him utterly and implicitly to get things right for Judah.

'Great. I'll send a list of facilities he can get to. No rush. I'd just like to ensure we have everything available in order to make your products work at their peak. Once its settled we can begin remodeling our facilities. "

He knew for a fact a lot of things hadn't been touched since their installation, just repaired. Their short turbolift ride opened to a comfortable waiting area, large viewports overlooking the planet below. At an expansive desk, his personal assistant was at work. She was an older Pantoran woman and while warm, also no non-sense. She had been his assistant for over a decade at this point.

"Tycho Vale, Mrs. Datos. Mrs.Datos has been my assistant for awhile now, won't find a better one in the galaxy. Mrs. Datos, if you don't mind, I'll be sending you information about several contracts with Mister Vale, if you can just give those top priority."

"Of course, welcome to the station Mister Vale."

Office doors opened and Judah gestured for Tycho to take a seat. It was a simply decorated office with a few holos of his son on a shelf, some random artifacts and pieces of art he had collected over the years.

"Can I get you a drink? I've got a wide selection."


Tycho Vale