First Reply Umate Understanding

[Tycho Vale]

Coruscant made him sick.

Not in a literal sense, although there were definitely more unsavory elements on the planet than he cared to think about. It was a physical symptom of anxiety, his stomach flipping over and over like it was trying to generate electricity. For most of his life, Tycho had lived in places where nature was never more than a five minute walk away. Dantooine, where he had spent his childhood, was like that. So, too, were the wild worlds of Felucia and Kashyyyk, where he had spent much of his deployment. While the latter two were dangerous enough that going for a walk was not a trek undertaken lightly, Tycho would trade them in a heartbeat for a place like Coruscant.

Not being able to see the ground-- the real ground-- or any sign of an unbroken horizon was seriously messing with his head. Hopefully, this place would help with that.

Umate was the tallest mountain on Coruscant-- the peak of which was all that remained visible of the planet's natural surface. The Chiss stood before the massive rock, silently staring up at it as playing children weaved around him and their tourist parents chased them. Blue hands remained folded behind him, his crimson eyes narrowed slightly as he allowed the sight of dry land to bring him some relief. His stomach began to still its incessant turning. He could begin to understand why the Galactic Alliance was so insistent on making sure nobody touched the peak of Mount Umate. Despite being so apparently strong, a chunk of firmly packed granite, the fact of the matter was that the peak was always in danger of being worn away by erosion and entropy. It needed to be protected.

The corner of his lips turned up slightly, and Tycho Vale quietly chuckled to himself. This place was kind of like his company. No wonder he liked it here.

 

[Jack Sandrow]

" 's beautiful, isn't it."

A half-masked figure to Tycho's left stepped up next to him, eyes locked on the mountain. He had been intending to visit this place, ever since learning about it, but... life got in the way. As it often did.

Seeing the other figure, a Chiss, so fixated on the natural earth, prompted him to ask. "What brings you here? An appreciation for the natural beauty? Or... you're wanting the retail space for yourself?" he added, wryly.

"For me... it's almost a piece of art. It's a warning for the rest of the galaxy. An inevitability if we just want..."

He shook himself. "Sorry, I'm being particularly rude. Jack Sandrow," he introduced himself, offering a green hand.

Tycho Vale

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Jack Sandrow

The sound of a voice to his right, asking him a question, stirred Tycho Vale from his stupor. His red eyes blinked once as he registered the words that were being spoken to him.

"What brings you here? An appreciation for the natural beauty? Or... you're wanting the retail space for yourself?"

A pleasant smile creased his face at the green stranger's wry, pointed question. Was it that easy to pick out that he was a CEO? He needed a new wardrobe.

"Heh... Yes on one, no on two," he replied. "I've already got one storefront on Coruscant. Last thing I need is the headache from a second one."

He nodded in agreement at the idea of this place being art. It said a lot about Coruscant, and it was nice to see that someone else was listening.

"Sorry, I'm being particularly rude. Jack Sandrow,"

"Don't sweat it, Jack. The name's Tycho Vale. Pleasure to meet you," he answered, taking the offered hand and shaking it firmly. After a moment, the name Sandrow finally clicked, and his eyebrows rose slightly.

"Hey, I know you. Or of you, anyways. Sylva Vitae, right?" he asked. "Saw the name pop up on the corporate registry. Nice company."

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Jack chuckled, nodding slightly. "Ah... yeah. Word gets around that fast, huh..." The name 'Vale' was also ringing a bell, somewhere... "I'm guessing you also have your own company as well, then. And on Coruscant, no less."

"So, I take it your attention to the natural world has some bearing on your business dealings? Or am I again presuming much," he chuckled, gesturing to the side with a nod of his head. "How about a proper meeting over a drink or two? What's your poison of choice?"

Jack was very new to this whole business maneuvering schtick, but he figured that presenting oneself as straightforward was probably the quickest way to securing business deals. That, and the simplest solution was quite often the easiest.

Tycho Vale

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Jack Sandrow

"So, I take it your attention to the natural world has some bearing on your business dealings? Or am I again presuming much,"

"You're not wrong," Tycho agreed, glancing back over to the mountain peak. "But I'm from Dantooine, actually. Spent my childhood surrounded by nature. Even now, I try not to get too far away from it. ValeCorp is still headquartered there." The natural world, Dantooine in particular, held many secrets, in Tycho's experience, and some of them could be useful in business as well as in life.

"How about a proper meeting over a drink or two? What's your poison of choice?"

Jack's proposal was bold, quick and to the point. It was something he admired and appreciated. "... You know what, Jack? Yeah. I'm parched, and that sounds fantastic," he answered, a grateful smile on his face. Maybe a good drink would ease his rolling stomach.

"Lead me to the promised land, friend."

 

[Jack Sandrow]

There was a nice bar nearby - clean atmosphere, well-to-do clientele (as it should be, when sitting near the top of the world) - and while Jack had never been there, he had an idea of what he might get.

"Two Corellian whiskies, please, on the rocks." He slid a couple credsticks over, leaning against the bar as he pried the mask off his face. Able to somewhat breathe now that they were away from the busy outdoors, he closed his eyes a moment, taking in the still fairly canned air. Sweat, liquor, smoke, people, and never enough plants. The Coruscant Special. Though, to be fair, there was some blessing that this type of ecumenopolis was more or less limited to this one planet. It would be a shame if this happened to Yavin or Endor. Or, well...

"Dantooine?" he asked, bringing the two tumblers over to where Vale had taken up residence. "Not much I've seen there, other than farming. Is ValeCorp a farming industry, then?"

Tycho Vale

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Jack Sandrow

Sitting in a corner booth, Tycho gratefully accepted the mystery liquid. A quick sniff confirmed his thinking: Corellian whiskey. Jack had good taste, that was for sure. He took a quick sip from the tumbler, letting the liquor burn his tongue for a moment before swallowing.

"No, although that's a good guess," the Chiss replied. "ValeCorp is a medical company. Bacta, bandages, and now, prosthetics. Although we do have a handful of greenhouses scattered around HQ. We like to test plant life for its pharmacological properties."

Setting his glass down for a moment, Tycho nodded at Jack. "Alright. Your turn. What does Sylva Vitae specialize in? Didn't get a chance to look at the listing in detail."

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Bacta, bandages, prosthetics. Greenhouses, medical specialties, plant experimentation. This was like his very own Life Day. Under the table he pinched his leg to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and did his best to try to keep a sabacc face.

"Well that's real interesting - that kind of makes two of us." Jack grinned, taking a slight sip of his glass. The whiskey felt real nice on the back of his throat right about now. "Sylva Vitae is very much a plant-focused company - trying to do with flora and fungi alone what tech has been doing for years." He took a moment, savoring the aftertaste on his tongue. "Though I've been a weapon designer for a few years, I've also been trying to expand my horizons - medicine, armor, vehicles, the like. Oh, and, for the record," he added, "I'm not making weapons for the purpose of being a weapons dealer; everything I make is commissioned, or for the purpose of keeping peace, not inciting war."

He made an offhanded gesture, wincing a bit. "I'm... Alright, that sounds like I'm trying to justify for myself. I'm of the personal opinion that having a weapon doesn't always mean you have to use it. The Jedi have their lightsabers, but they don't use 'em unless they have to." He eyed Vale a mite worriedly. "...What's your stance on it?"

Tycho Vale

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Jack Sandrow

It wasn't hard to imagine plant-based alternatives for existing technology. In his time as both CEO of ValeCorp and a lieutenant colonel in the Alliance Medical Corps, Tycho had read tales of biological technology-- namely, that of the Yuuzhan Vong and the Sekotans-- that was capable of running circles around even the most capable machines. Unfortunately, the latter were long gone... and the former weren't exactly open to sharing their secrets with those they considered heretics and infidels. The possibility of home-grown biotechnology was both amusing and intriguing on principle alone.

"I'm... Alright, that sounds like I'm trying to justify for myself. I'm of the personal opinion that having a weapon doesn't always mean you have to use it. The Jedi have their lightsabers, but they don't use 'em unless they have to... What's your stance on it?"

The Chiss smiled, thin lips pulling back to reveal straight white teeth. He lifted a blue hand to placate the nervous CEO sitting across the table from him.

"Easy, Jack. Not about to pass moral judgement on you for manufacturing some weapons," he chuckled, trying to ease Jack's spirits. He took another sip from the Corellian whiskey, then set the glass down on the table before them.

"See, my personal philosophy ain't all that far from yours," Tycho explained. "I'd rather have a weapon and not need it, then need it and not have it. Back when I was a medic for the Alliance, keeping my patients safe from bodily harm was my top priority. Sometimes that meant hurting someone before they could hurt my patients. Not ideal, but... real."

He folded his hands on the table, one over the other. "My business philosophy... that's different. Dad swore that ValeCorp would never sell a single weapon. Said he never wanted to be responsible for taking someone's life, even indirectly. I intend on running ValeCorp according to his wishes. So, if you wanna talk weapons, I can't help you there. But I can help you with anything else."

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Jack nodded, settling back a bit. That did align a lot closer with his point of view. "Weapons are my specialty anyways, and it's in the other sciences that I want to further my expertise. You not wanting to sell weapons is just fine with me."

He thought a moment, running over a few ideas in his mind. "Alright, then to pivot. ValeCorp. Can you give me a basic rundown of the things you craft? Bacta patches, injectors, et cetera...?"

He wasn't sure if he should just lay all the cards on the table just yet. This seemed... almost too good to be true. Better try the waters just a bit longer.

Tycho Vale

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Jack Sandrow

It wasn't hard to notice that Jack was putting most of the line of questioning on him-- and keeping further details about his own company close to his chest. That wasn't too surprising, though; his fellow CEO was clearly testing the waters, trying to determine if Tycho was a good choice of business partner.

"Bacta patches, injectors, tanks, as well as general use first aid kits, defibrillator units, surgical instruments... and we just broke into the prosthetic limb market," Tycho said. He was unable to keep the smile off of his face; it was ValeCorp's biggest expansion in ten years, and the end result of thousands of hours of hard work from a great team of designers, engineers and marketing professionals. Put simply, he couldn't be any more proud.

The Chiss leaned forward slightly, one elbow propped casually on the table. Time to wrench a detail out of Jack. "Now. You mentioned Sylva Vitae is plant-focused. How does a plant-focused company make a vehicle? I'd be very curious to see that."

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Well he was sold. This could be probably the biggest opportunity for future growth for Jack in his entire life. He'd be a fool not to take this opportunity. Time to sell himself.

Jack smiled, spreading his hands on the table. "Kind of like this," he grinned, his green hands coming together in a cupping motion, before parting again to reveal a teeny green speeder, barely three inches in length but clearly made of plant material. Of what kind was not readily visible, yet there it was - a little grassy speeder that began to zip around the table quietly. Jack sat back with a smirk, watching it go for a minute.

"I'm not a Mirialan, by the way," he added as the most obvious afterthought of the year. The little floating speeder model zipped around a moment more, before bouncing up into his opened palm. Sitting a moment, it began to melt and shift, becoming a long-stemmed Kibo flower, which he held a moment before letting that too melt back into his body. "Flora and fungi biotech is my specialty. You say 'prosthetics', I hear organic limbs you can pop off to recharge in the dirt overnight. You say bandages, I hear Nysillin patches that generate their own nutrients." He gave Vale a grin, shrugging a bit. "And then of course... weapons and vehicles. Plant-based alternatives."

Tycho Vale

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Jack Sandrow

At first, Tycho wasn't entirely convinced. The sight of a floating, green-hued speeder in Jack's palm could easily be explained as a holographic parlor trick, or merely a digital proof of concept. Maybe there was a hidden holoprojector up the man's sleeve.

All of his doubts evaporated, however, as the miniature green speeder zipped around the table. As it passed his glass of Corellian whiskey, the minute vibrations from the tiny repulsorlifts-- or whatever equivalent it had-- made the surface of the dark drink tremble. The Chiss's glowing red eyes widened, his eyebrows rising.

"Holy shit," Tycho finally murmured.

His eyes tracked the speeder as it circled around before finally coming to a halt in Jack's palm, transforming into Kibo flower, and finally fading back into his green skin.

It took him a moment to register that Jack was speaking to him. The Chiss blinked once, twice, then leaned forward, both elbows resting on the table. There was no hiding the intrigue in his chiseled expression.

"... You got a gift, Jack, there's no question about that," Tycho agreed, nodding slowly. He was still slightly in shock over what he saw, but he was beginning to come to grips with it. "But... here's the million-credit question. Is what I saw scalable? Can you churn out full-sized speeders on an industrial scale, or is this a one-and-done custom kinda deal?"

 

[Jack Sandrow]

"Ah heh. That is... indeed the million-credit question." He sighed. "Unfortunately, I'm not versed in mass-production. At all. I work on individual proof-of-concept stuff; I've never worked in manufacturing or in production."

He took another sip, eyeing Vale as he sat back in his seat. No time like the present. Time to pop the question.

"I have much to learn when it comes to scaling. If you'd take me under your wing in that regard, I would be honored to work with you - for the future of both ValeCorp and Sylva Vitae both." He gave Vale a slight grin, adding, "I'm always eager to learn a thing or two."

Tycho Vale

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Jack Sandrow

From where Tycho was sitting, it looked like he had potentially stumbled upon a golden goose. Even if Jack proved incapable of mass manufacturing, the potential for small, custom orders for affluent, environmentally-conscious customers was still worth the attention and price of admission.

"Well, I think we can figure out a mutually beneficial arrangement," the Chiss agreed, answering Jack's grin with one of his own. Reaching into his pocket, he removed a small sheet of thin-pressed metal-- a high-tech business card, imprinted with his contact details and the location of ValeCorp's headquarters.

"Tell you what... Come visit us on Dantooine. I'd love to introduce you to my staff, see what kind of practical applications we can put your gift towards.'

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Jack had a half-way decent sabacc face at the best of times, but he couldn't help the eyebrows rising here. Actually, he was beyond the moon. This was the opportunity of a lifetime.

He took the proffered card, slipping it into his jacket after briefly reading it. "I would be honored! I'll bring what I've got so far, in terms of biotech and my own little experiments on the side. It's probably going to be some growing pains on my side, just figuring out how to ramp up my skillset, but yeah. I'm looking forward to it."

He held out a hand to shake. "Genuinely, it's going to be a pleasure doing business with you."

Tycho Vale

 

[Tycho Vale]

Tagging: Jack Sandrow

Jack's enthusiasm was infectious; the young man's raised eyebrows and genuine grin was met with the same from Tycho himself. It was refreshing to get this kind of reaction in the stuffy, understated world of business negotiation, and it was a goddamn pleasure to actually work with people who wanted to work with you.

"Agreed, Jack," the Chiss answered, clasping the man's hand in a firm shake. "I can speak for everyone at ValeCorp when I say that we're lucky to be working with you."

And equally lucky not to have him as a potential rival. It was always better to make friends in this line of work than enemies.

 

[Jack Sandrow]

"And I you!" He nodded with a smile, finishing his drink a moment later. "So... I'll give you a holler when I'm in the neighborhood - probably in the next galactic standard week or so! I've got a couple jobs to run here, while I'm working up some dough. But I'll be sure to contact you when I've got my stuff collected."

He paid for the drinks, exchanging a few minor pleasantries with Tycho before they made their respective ways outside. "Alright... take care of yourself! And see you around."

Tycho Vale