Private Wellerman

[Ayumi Pallopides]

Location: Ayumi's Tower: Upcity

The request haad been strange... Sasori had been contacted by some noble.. not unheard of but it was supposed to make a better impression and while some of the places were out fo the way and quite impressive.. it was also a logistical nightmare for others who wanted to have likely security in attendance for themselves or had long term needs. So Either Navarro or Denon was used since it had corporate offices as it were. The tower in the middle of Upcity... best place to display it after all since it was the least jedi centric of all the buildings while still being a building run by force users. In this case throughout upcity which had been a project by Sasori in trying to help a planet.. it had failed but the district showed much of what it had given to them. Clean streets, air, waterways... an artificial lake even with boats. Fabricators and duplicators for food and clothing.

THe residents lived in modular homes that could be repaired with mass produced parts yes and luxury was still there, the streets hummed with commerce as everyone could use the technology to grow food for themselves and sell off the rest to those visiting from other districts who came over the large energy bridge or took the train. Cato always talked about how it was since they welcomed the highest class of merchants and elites... and yet technically it was comoners by most means who worked in the districts. Enterttainers, factory workers, cooks and couriers... but they flourished under Denons district outside of the others. Helpful also as it had one of the few locations where the invisible market yet.. if the black market was good for illegal and restricted means.. the invisible dealt with things most couldn't afford and asking really meant you couldn't.

The invitaion had been given to the man for the business deal. Sasori could meet with him and the tower was always on alert after an attack on a different location.. it haad been eventful to say the least and nothing was taken. A few things questioned byt Anaara had done what needed to be done quickly and the lockdown on the building had gone through quickly enough. So the tower was the best place as the entrance lolly hosted several of the combat biots as security in case. The internal defenses there and ready while the aterno system would make attacking it annoying with shifting doors and floors. The twi'lek standing there in the lobby to greet as the people worked in the building itself. Going to their offices with it looking like a spire of glass and steel on the outside.

Ayumi sat at her desk and looked over the screens that were coming up from the holochair and her interface. It let her see a number of things that had been being worked on project wise and mining reports. Continued improvements across upcity where they were still using many of the advanced technologies... street level fabricators and they had a power source for upcity that would keep it running even if the rest of entire planet was dark. Her desk displaying a few momentos but not muchy else and the large windows of the building showing Denon's skyline as it looked over everything. She would be able to get information but also display some of the works depending on the interests of the man and nature of the contract itself.

Casteban Mecetti

 

[Casteban Mecetti]

​

Casteban's Executive Shuttle circled Ayumi Tower, finding the issued vector that would allow it to land.

The elder statesman's eye gazed through the cockpit windows as the shuttle circled, noting the extensive security below, and the operations being conducted on site. This was a formidable corporate stronghold. Even more formidable than it looked, considering the presence of so many Force-Users on this world. One man with the force might be the equal of an entire platoon of regular soldiers.

Perhaps someday there would be force-users in the House Mecetti Army.

But not today. Today he was seeking something much more personal, and much more vital.

Eventually the shuttle settled down on a landing site. He disembarked without security escort, only a single silver protocol droid to keep him company. Though he was a noble of the Tapani Sector, he did not carry the light-foil of his youth. He was well past the age and state of physical health where such a thing might have availed him. Anyway, it seemed unlikely that the Disciples of the Light Side who populated this place would wish him any sort of physical harm.

Though, given what had happened with his son, they might look at him with some suspicion.

Hopefully, a deal could be struck regardless.

In the turbolift, he was overcome by a cough he could not suppress, and had to brace himself against the wall. The protocol droid shifted to come up closer alongside him, but he waved the droid off. He was not so far gone, yet, that he needed help standing on his own two feet.

He steadied himself by the time the doors opened, and he strode forward with the confidence that had been bred into him since birth.

The protocol droid that trailed behind him made a declaration, observing the traditions of the Tapani noble houses even though this was not a place where such traditions were typically observed.

"Casteban Mecetti, Provincial Lord of the Mecetti Province, Senator of Obulette," the droid proclaimed.

Casteban made a gentle bow of greeting and waited to be acknowledged.

---

Ayumi Pallopides

 

[Ayumi Pallopides]

Casteban Mecetti

The twi'lek had a concerned look on her face as the lift was ascending and when the doors opened. THe internal sensors would be able to monitor and they hhad medical biots as well as droids while she moved around her desk and was opening the doors into Ayumi's office. The woman sitting there and rising up as Casteben entered and introduced himself.... official and it was impressive.... and didn't drone with several dozen more titles some others would have done to sound impressive. "Ayumi Pallopides, former senator, company representive and well closest thing to a leader in the Upcity district." SHe said it and offered one of the seats as it was adjusting with the cushions and materia. Her office walls shifting to show more to make it look like a corporate setting. She offered a smile thoughtaking her seat behind the desk. "So Lord Mecetti, how can we help you today?"

 

[Casteban Mecetti]

Maldor took the offered seat, glancing about the office as he did so.

The touches of aesthetic were both subtle and profound, declaring this place to be a hub of some of the most advanced technology in the galaxy.

There was some blow to Casteban's ego that he should have to come here. The Mecetti Nationalized Industries were theoretically capable of producing anything he might require. The wholly owned subsidiary Tampson Consolidated could manufacture droids with ease. The silvery protocol droid who had accompanied him was proof of that.

But at the very upper echelons of technology, there were heights that House Mecetti could not reach.

There were some endeavors that required only the very best. The bleeding edge.

This was the bleeding edge.

"Forgive me, Honorable Pallopides, before we begin, I must have certain assurances. I have brought my protocol droid here partly to witness.

I am going to be discussing things with you that involve my personal health, and the governance of my province.

I must know that everything we discuss will remain private, retained in the utmost secrecy, even if you choose not to sell to me today."

---

Ayumi Pallopides

 

[Ayumi Pallopides]

Casteban Mecetti

She looked at him and rose up walking around while she looked at the droid. "I am going to be honest in this case what applies to you would apply to me or Matsu who owns Sasori were we coming to you." She said it to make it clear that there was no superiority on either side. "You have an inflated sense of your importance. To me, to Matsu, you, well... Think how you'd feel if any of us sat at your table and started to get snarky. You are one planet in one solar system in a galaxy that's barely out of its last dark age. So, I invite you to contemplate how insignificant in most terms private information about you is." She said it and had walked around before sitting. "That and we believe in the strictest confidentiality. It is what you pay for like the latest in whatever things have been worked on and thought up in our labs. We just developed an inhalent that heals better then bacta and has a niety nine percent usage rate since it will alter itself to prevent allergies unlike bacta."

 

[Casteban Mecetti]

Casteban considered the representative somewhat bitterly.

She had essentially just called him an unimportant, primitive barbarian. Whether that had been her intention, or whether it was an artifact of her culture's use of language, he could not tell. She did it so casually and callously he could barely believe the insult had been intended.

Especially of a prospective customer.

As she looked at the droid- much more carefully than he had ever bothered to examine one- an aspect of its construction might become apparent to her. It had no seams in its construction. Artifacts which appeared to be seams or joins were merely cosmetic. In fact, the entire unit was one melded whole. Each part joined with each attached part as though the entire unit had been cast from a single mold.

Otherwise, it held the appearance of a rather mundane protocol droid. A C-series generic clone, probably. The construction methods at work were intriguing... perhaps to prevent the droid from being tampered with. But other than the seamless workmanship, the unit seemed otherwise unremarkable.

"Very well. I shall proceed to the meat of this matter," Casteban said.

"I have been diagnosed with a degenerative disease. I've seen three specialists throughout the GA, and the diagnosis is confirmed. I will gradually become sicker and less capable over time, and less able to carry out my duties. I will be receiving treatment, but even if it is successful, my health will be impacted.

I am interested in acquiring a lookalike droid that can appear at social gatherings and perform the duties of my office as needed when I become too ill to do so. Most likely rarely at first, then with increasing frequency as I become more and more infirm in the months ahead.

I will need the unit to be completely loyal to me, and subject to any programming I give it.

Your products are famous for their force sensitivity, but that is not something I require. Rather, I need a nimble mind and a convincing form, so that no one suspects that the droid is an imposter. My House would suffer if it was generally known that I had fallen into illness. The noble houses of the Tapani sector would seize upon such news to take what is ours for themselves.

I must not invite such maneuverings. Even if our House is strong enough to resist them- and I believe we are- the conflict it would bring would cost many lives."

He paused, then asked, "Is such a custom build possible?"

---

Ayumi Pallopides

 

[Ayumi Pallopides]

Casteban Mecetti

He had grace she had to give him that and looking at the droid it was beautifully done. As he spoke about it she gave a nod of her head her eyes flicking over the screens of her interface for the ley details needed aand the built in AI bringing up various information for products. "All of that can be done within it. The biot would be grown and cloned from your own tissue for looks though any scars or damage you have received from blades, blasers or broken limbs won't be able to be repl;icated. Those would need to be applied afterwards to ensure the most accurate double. Loyalty programming is easily done and to serve as a voice for you we have just developed entanglement biots for extragalactic communication with our research facilities and offices elsewhere." SHe shifted and pulled up a screen as the projectors in the office made the holograms appear anywhere needed. "We can gorgo the force sensitivity easily enough." She tapped the table for a moment. "Depending on what you might want added we have developed a number of different models and enhancements for them."

 

[Casteban Mecetti]

Casteban considered his scars and old wounds.

He had some. Even if he had never joined the Mecetti House Guard Navy, it would have been difficult to live a long life without acquiring some evidence of injury. But he wondered how many people would be allowed close enough to him, and be familiar enough with him, to notice the difference.

Well, he'd hand the unit to his wife. She'd have her Ministry of Inquiry make the appropriate changes. And possibly make at least one change that would make them purposefully different. This would allow the duplicate to always be identifiable.

"Any features that increase intelligence and administrative capability would be desirable. Not to mention obedience to authorized personnel only. I can't have an entity within the upper echelons of my government structure that can be easily sliced or controlled by outside agencies.

Not even by you, yourselves. Once we take delivery, it will need to be securely our own."

He paused, thinking for a moment.

"Do you have any means of making neural imprints? Could... could my actual knowledge and skills be transferred into the unit's mind? My... personality?"

If the droid or biot could be imprinted with his own understanding, he'd never need to doubt its ability... or its loyalty.

---

Ayumi Pallopides

 

[Ayumi Pallopides]

Casteban Mecetti

She gave a nod. "THat can be done though it would prevent upgrades from being applied in the future. THe material used for it allows remote upgrading as opposed to requiring it to be brought in. It allows the labs to as soon as anything is developed and tested that might prove beneficial to be built into the biots or their internal equipment." She said it more as a matter of fact, their remote upgrades allowed them to retain satisfaction. You buy it and don't have to keep upgrading every year as they improve. "But it is easy enough to not have it there and slicing the biots has been much harder since they are partially organic in their flesh and processors. Never impossible but it takes much more work." She said it and offered aa nod to the last. "As for transferring or copying.. it can be done."

 

[Casteban Mecetti]

Casteban nodded, seemingly satisfied.

He did not smile. Not so that the world could see. But he was smiling inside.

"Very well. Then, a physical copy of myself, imprinted with a copy of my neural patterns so that it retains my skillset and memories. With the best brain possible. Not upgradeable via remote, for security purposes. Not force sensitive.

A healthier me, to stand-in when I am unavailable. That perfectly matches my needs.

How much will it cost, and... how long will it last?"

He wondered if he should pre-pay for an additional model, to be held in storage when the first... deteriorated... through whatever process such things deteriorated.

But he was also concerned about having a stasis device somewhere with an additional copy of him.

The existence of one such synthetic being was enough of a concern.

A second one... his enemies might find some means to use it against him, if it was discovered. He was already taking quite a risk, trusting that this company would hold up its end honestly.

If they betrayed him, would he even know it? Or would its machinations be so subtle they would not manifest until he was dead?

A sobering possibility. But... there seemed little alternative.

He would have to trust his wife to keep an eye out. As she had always been, she was now, his failsafe. If anyone else could have been trusted to run the Ministry of Inquiry, he'd have simply allowed her to do his job. But her understanding of intelligence, and her utter trustworthiness, meant that she was needed in her current post.

Indefinitely.

He wondered if one day she would be here, asking for this same product.

Could she ever trust a synthetic version of herself enough to let go of her position?

Somehow, he doubted it.

But a year ago, he'd have said the same thing about himself.

---

Ayumi Pallopides

 

[Ayumi Pallopides]

Casteban Mecetti

"Our power systems are made to last in theory up to two hundred thousand years. At least that is the current estimate. Quintessence, sleg and kyber with a tobal collection system so waste and bled out energy is turned into additional energy and molecular conversion. The Biot will have enough power and if something should happen the conversion capabilities will function to allow the air itself to be broken down and power it while the materia will repair and maintain itself." She said it and was bringing up some screens with projections. "Growth can begin once you have supplied a DNA sample. With proper use of acceleration two months is projected to be required to grow it to your current age. The neural mapping will be the harder part. That can take two to three sessions depending on stamina. It will also be a question of timing as once mapped in it will give the biot everything up until the mapping was done so if anything changed it would have to be updated with the information." SHe continued to work on some of it. "As for cost, a large payment would be suspicious to anyone likely monitoring your accounts or interactions."

 

[Casteban Mecetti]

Two-hundred thousand years?

That seemed excessive, but he wasn't going to complain. Clearly, the unit was built to last.

"Payment tracking is not a concern for me," he said, "as I have significant liquid cash reserves. I even brought a quantity of cash on my shuttle, in case a down-payment was required."

There was a reason 'cash is king' was a popular saying. Casteban could have bought a Star Destroyer without notice using cash from the Mecetti vaults.

Not that he would. That was 'rainy day' money. Rainy days never afforded you the opportunity to visit a bank.

"I'll provide the DNA sample immediately. And we should probably start the neural mapping right away, as well. My stamina is not going to improve in the days ahead. I'll notify my wife to expect a delay in my return, and I will create briefing documents to bring the unit up to speed on developments that occur after the mapping is complete.

I must commend you, Honorable Pallopides. Your product matches the hype surrounding it.

I think we have a deal."

He stood, extending a wrinkled hand.

It seemed that for the time being, the legacy of House Mecetti was assured.

---

Ayumi Pallopides (fin?)

 

[Ayumi Pallopides]

Casteban Mecetti

Hmm smart, she was amused with that and having the back up credits for anything was important. "We can begin right away then." She said it and tapped her desk as the door to the side opened going towards the labs with a small grin. "THis way." She said it and was walking towards it as the windows turned off showing screens. "FOr security, the aterno readjusts the layout of the building and the windows are actually three meter thick inth metal. Just thhousands of cameras to show the outside." SHe was shrugging when she moved though and they were setting things up. The biot engineering droids there while Ayumi motioned.

(sure enjoy)